The fight was dragging on without any real progress.
There were no more decisive blows against the demons, but Robert’s skills could still be said to have reached the skies.
The numerical advantage of two-to-one no longer mattered. What one man wielding a sword could achieve was nothing short of a miracle.
Kwah-gahng!
The power that cut through the mountains was full throttle before, but now it could be unleashed lightly.
Learning to control one’s strength meant something like that. Strength flowing through the body could now be concentrated into one point without spilling over.
Until now, he had been wasting overflowing magic power, but now he could contain it and enhance his physical strength.
This was on a different level from the reinforcement done previously. He wasn’t even out of breath.
The consumption of magic power had also drastically decreased, allowing him to fight even if he could no longer deliver those earlier decisive blows.
Groaning, the Minotaurus looked at its broken arm and forced a laugh. He had no idea what he had been doing for the past few months.
A thousand years ago, there were hardly any humans daring to step up, yet now he was chopping them up like a butcher’s meat.
Isn’t this ridiculous? It was assumed that he could overwhelm them if he recovered his strength.
Humans were fundamentally those kinds of beings. Even if they developed, they still had limits. To fight against demons, one had to at least attain god-like status.
“Interesting.”
“Don’t let your guard down. If we make even the slightest mistake, we lose—”
Slick.
Just like that, Mephisto’s head was severed.
Eventually, it twitched and regenerated, but there was now a more serious glint in those cold eyes.
Despite having its head cut off, it was clear now that the battle’s dynamics would change. More specifically, they had to change. Kwoong, the ground shook as Mephisto’s aura disappeared.
Unlike the Minotaurus, Mephisto’s power was focused on speed.
Normally, one would say to dodge. Yet still, the sword would cut through its own body. The reason for that was unknown.
At first, he thought it was due to carelessness, but considering the level that human reached, even pouring all his strength would likely end up being cut.
He would break through. One of his arms, sharp as a blade, lunged forward like a pointed jab.
The attack, slicing through the air and tearing the wind, was aimed at Robert, but he deftly dodged it with movements almost divine.
He had honed his swordsmanship alone on the mountains. Though it was mere eye-learned swordplay, he certainly remembered the nimbleness mixed in with that intricacy.
‘To the right.’
Mephisto’s speed was fast. Unusually so, making it near impossible to dodge.
Yet, it was fair to say that Robert’s ability to evade lightly was the result of his accumulated training. He chuckled slightly as he gauged the force brushing past his cheek.
One could say this was the result of all the training accumulated over time. Robert smiled faintly as he gauged the force brushing against his cheek.
It felt quite remarkable that he was able to hold his ground against something like this. After all, he had spent decades training, so it would be a problem if he couldn’t handle at least this much.
Robert certainly wasn’t untalented.
He realized that during his recent training at the Moon Tower, yet it was more that his body couldn’t keep up with his talent rather than a lack of it.
While his mind was already pushing forward, his body hadn’t grown at all and could barely swing a sword, so how could he gain speed?
Impatient with his body, he hadn’t quite grown properly, and in the midst of this situation, refining his body had helped him out.
He embodied the sword flows in his mind with his body. As he deflected Mephisto’s diagonal thrust, he slammed Minotaurus into the ground, smiling faintly.
His magic power was sufficient. Even if he couldn’t unleash it like a madman again, it was enough to maintain this momentum.
If one of them charged in self-destructively, that would be another matter. However, before that, he could smash the cores possessed by the demons.
“…Impressive.”
The lieutenants merely stared in awe. The battle Robert and the demons displayed was similar to something out of mythology.
He had thought the descriptions in books were exaggerated, yet it changed when every swing of the sword lit up with lightning and thunder echoed.
Swinging his sword at a speed they couldn’t even perceive, Bunta, who prided himself on his skills, had long turned into a mute with a mouthful of honey.
“You fought someone like that. You know?”
“How did you manage back then?”
“He probably let you win. Maybe he just wanted to look good in front of the Grand Duke.”
At that time, Robert’s strength was restored by about 10%, but who would know that?
Looking back at his later battle with Temujin, where he was drenched in blood, he didn’t have a clue how many he had taken down alone. Did hundreds squeeze into that narrow place?
“How is the Grand Duke?”
“His eyes are still closed, but when he wakes up, he’ll likely rush here. Would he sit still with his lover like this?”
“…I was really worried he had betrayed us and was on high alert. Did he already know?”
When they heard the news that Robert was coming to subjugate the North alongside the Imperial Army, the lieutenants were particularly concerned about Adele’s feelings.
The man who had been so close was coming to betray them, and they worried she might collapse. But as she suddenly smiled, she casually gripped her sword.
Instead of worrying about such things, she should focus on saving the soldiers.
Though everyone thought she was in shock and acting casual, in truth, they all noticed. Lothos scratched his head, flinching at the magic power released by the demons.
I thought they were just pretending, but in reality, everyone had caught on. Rotos scratched his head while flinching at the magic power emitted by the demons.
I couldn’t even guess what kind of mind it took to fight against those things.
But preparing for the ‘after’ was his role. How many people could come up with a proper plan besides him?
“Gather the remaining troops and get ready. In the worst case, we have to retreat to the border, and if that’s not the case, we’ll have to advance straight to the capital.”
“To the capital?”
“Yeah, it’s time to get a little serious.”
When Rotos mentioned advancing, the expressions of the lieutenants went pale, prompting him to shrug his shoulders in response.
At the point when the imperial army had arrived in the north to suppress it, all the armies in the north were being treated like traitors.
And if the imperial army ended up being completely wiped out in front of the northern stronghold while fighting the demons, it was obvious what kind of backlash they would face.
Adele said that Rotos would be in command when the Grand Duke was absent.
Even without a deputy, Rotos tapped the badge on his chest and soon issued commands to the entire army.
Traitors, huh? He never thought he’d initiate a betrayal in his lifetime. But now, he couldn’t just sit still.
“From this moment, we’re entering a state of emergency. Arm the entire army, maintain a combat-ready posture, and make sure to contact your families in advance. If Duke Taylor defeats the demons, then immediately—”
Fortunately, the fact that his family was in the west gave him some comfort. At least the defense forces in the center wouldn’t come after his wife and child.
He had also sent a letter advising them to hide, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
“We’re staging a coup.”
Although he had no intention of overthrowing the imperial family, it was now time to struggle to survive.
#
Thud! The completely smashed arm of Minotaurus dropped. The arm that could no longer recover dangled uselessly, while the Minotaurus’s face was a sight to behold. Mephisto was in a similar state. Now even Robert was pretty injured.
‘What will Miragen say when she sees this? No, there’s Adrian and…Adele too.’
Having three women around made his head spin. There used to be one person worrying about him at a time, but now he had to endure three times the nagging.
What could he do? This was all the karma he had created. Thinking about that made him chuckle despite himself. Even with limbs about to be amputated, other people came to mind.
Perhaps it was because he had formed such deep connections. He barely managed to move his ruined arm to switch his grip on the sword.
Adrian would probably help him heal later. A week? That should be enough for recovery. A week to treat injuries, and a week to advance and attack the capital…
If Adrian heals me later, I’ll be fine. About a week? That should be enough time to heal my wounds. A week to heal injuries and a week to attack the capital…
I’m not even sure how Kaitel will move during those two weeks, but seeing the stubborn demons still clinging on makes my head hurt even more.
Isn’t it time to die? The Minotaurus had its arms ripped off and was no longer combat capable, but Mephisto still had some fight left in him.
The reason I could win this cowardly fight was simple. I had a ton of energy left just from using my strength efficiently.
If I had taken one more step forward, maybe I could have ended it in an instant.
“…You’re not a demon, but I can’t help but praise you. Not only did you bring the Minotaurus down to this state, but you made me a cripple too.
It’ll probably take a long time to heal this wound, so… was it Robert Taylor?”
While I had nothing to say and was quietly listening, the Minotaurus, who had been swaying for a moment, finally fell to the ground.
With a loud thud, dust clouded the scene as Mephisto stared in silence.
One human took down one demon while facing two. Can he really finish off this human?
‘It’ll be tough.’
The initial overconfidence was the cause. I wasted a ton of magic power on recovery and lost my advantage because of it.
If I had charged right in, it wouldn’t have been strange if I had killed him by now. Mephisto wasn’t foolish enough to continue this fight without a chance of winning. The possibility to turn this situation around—
Suddenly, Mephisto looked toward the northern lands where the disorganized troops were.
If I can’t win, maybe I could at least undermine their will to fight from here on out.
Even if I disappear here, the Dead Dragon will keep fighting. That’s a gamble worth taking.
“I respect you.”
Zing—
The magic energy gathered at the tips of my fingers was almost everything Mephisto had drawn out.
I poured out every last bit of magic, even the single speck that could preserve life. All for the purpose of annihilating the northern stronghold.
As the truth behind that magic dawned on Robert, he hurriedly stomped the ground.
He’s not aiming at me. That’s—
“So I will break what you protect, not you.”
Creak—
As Mephisto’s head was severed, a beam shot toward the fortress.
And without even confirming Mephisto’s death, Robert exploded his magic and hurled himself toward the fortress.
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