277 – I will buy some time.
Harold nodded with a satisfied expression. Baron Hutton was one of the top fighters in Desmond’s faction, recognized for his personal strength.
“Okay, don’t worry about the others, just focus on killing that guy first.”
“Understood.”
Baron Hutton immediately mounted his horse and charged forward. Even as he approached the fortress, he kept his eyes on Gillian’s movements.
The merciless force was relentlessly slaughtering the knights and soldiers on this side.
In normal conditions, Baron Hutton couldn’t confidently claim that he could defeat him.
But even now, it was evident that the continued combat had drained his strength considerably. His momentum was growing fierce, but his power and speed had clearly diminished from the start.
The tension of war and fatigue from battle were not things that could easily be overlooked.
‘By now, it should be safe enough.’
Upon getting close to the castle wall, he leapt off his horse and, in just two jumps, lightly climbed the ladder to the top of the wall.
Then, drawing his sword, he gazed at Gillian.
Clang!
At the sound ringing in his ears, Gillian slowly turned his head.
Even from just the sound of the sword being drawn, he could tell that this was no trivial opponent.
‘Finally, the real deal has appeared.’
Though he approached casually, every step radiated tremendous waves of power.
Gillian adjusted his stance and faced Baron Hutton directly.
Baron Hutton, upon confirming Gillian’s presence up close, stiffened his expression.
‘Perhaps… today might be my last.’
The figure before him was a wounded, venomous beast. A single mistake could lead to him having his throat bitten out by this dangerous foe.
The fierce momentum pouring out made it hard to approach him confidently.
Both recognized each other’s strength in an instant.
Without exchanging words, both immediately launched their weapons at each other.
Kaaang!
The moment the axe met the sword, a sharp noise erupted, and bright sparks flew.
The weapons moved at a speed untraceable to the eye. With every clash, intense shockwaves spread through the surroundings.
Bang! Bang!
At some point, no one remained near them. They fled from the explosively powerful shockwaves.
Crash!
Gillian’s axe came crashing down towards Baron Hutton’s head. Baron Hutton raised his sword to deflect the axe.
Clang!
The powerful rebound disrupted their stances, creating a brief opening.
With a discerning gaze, Baron Hutton looked at Gillian and spoke.
“I heard that most of Count Penris’s followers are mercenaries… What’s your name?”
“Gillian.”
“Not bad for a lowly mercenary. I am Baron Hutton. The one who is going to kill you today.”
Gillian smirked and glared at Baron Hutton, his eyes still filled with fierce enmity.
“You’re just a cocky little brat spouting nonsense.”
At Gillian’s rough retort, Baron Hutton’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Though the opponent appeared older than him, he was already in his middle age. He wasn’t in a position to be called a kid.
Gillian’s words didn’t end there. His identity was that of a mercenary. Having lived through harsher times than anyone else, Baron Hutton’s words didn’t even register as provocation.
It didn’t even qualify as a provocation.
“I’ve had plenty of punks say that to me. Most of them are buried underground now. A blade doesn’t care about age or status.”
Gillian had lived through countless life-and-death battles since his youth. He had faced arrogant talents like Baron Hutton more than once.
But in the world of mercenaries, the one who survives is the strongest.
Gillian survived until his hair turned white. That was the pride of his life.
Baron Hutton smiled slightly as he replied, “You’re quite the rude one. We’ll see who ends up underground.”
Boom!
The two began to clash again. It was as if the space where they fought had transformed into a different world.
The Knights and Soldiers of Penris and Desmond suddenly halted their battles and retreated.
The range of movement between the two was expanding. Being caught in the middle would surely result in being torn apart.
Boom! Bang!
The ground broke apart, sending stones flying. The shockwave was so powerful that soldiers were knocked down by the debris.
Baron Hutton’s swordsmanship was flawless and clean enough to elicit admiration from anyone watching.
It was truly the textbook example of a knight’s swordsmanship.
Knights from both Penris and Desmond couldn’t help but be in awe of his tempered, dignified blade.
The amazement felt by the Penris knights was particularly pronounced.
“Impressive…”
“It’s like a swordsmanship textbook come to life.”
“There are really so many exceptional people in this world.”
The swordsmanship they were most familiar with was Ghislaine’s. But Ghislaine’s skills were beyond their comprehension and experience.
At times, it was elegant enough to move viewers to tears, while at other times, it was ferociously brutal, tearing everything apart. Ghislaine’s movements were so unpredictable that one couldn’t tell what weapon he was wielding or the situation he was in.
Thus, it provided little benefit to the spectators. They could only marvel at his abilities occasionally.
But Baron Hutton was different. His swordsmanship demonstrated exactly how a knight should wield a sword—it was the very essence of tradition.
Boom!
In stark contrast, Gillian’s moves were reminiscent of a starving beast.
A moment’s distraction could lead to a vicious bite to the throat, a feeling of raw, brutal ferocity exuding from him.
Desmond’s knights gasped in admiration at Gillian’s attacks.
“Extremely practical.”
“I can’t predict where the weapons are going to come from at all.”
“How is such movement possible?”
Each strike felt like a lightning bolt descending from the sky. With their own skills, they couldn’t dodge or block any of it.
To them, both fighters were merely different types of monsters.
Swish!
With each pass of Baron Hutton’s blade, blood erupted from various cuts on Gillian’s arms and legs.
Baron Hutton remained unscathed. Not even the tiniest scratch marred his body. But his face was as stiff as it had ever been.
“I can’t deal a critical hit.”
His opponent was overwhelmingly aggressive. He was taking hits while pushing himself fiercely.
Despite Gillian being the one more wounded and soaked in blood, he felt himself being pushed back further in the fight.
The opponent’s axe flew forward with ruthless power at a sharp angle. The moment his focus wavered, or if he got hit even once, it wouldn’t end with a mere scratch.
“Here it comes. If my mind wavers even a little, or if I take a hit, it won’t just end with a little scratch.”
Gillian glared at Baron Hutton with fiery eyes.
‘A slippery little guy.’
Usually, when pressured like this, opponents get anxious and their stance falters. But that Baron Hutton maintained a calm like a still lake.
No matter how skilled one is, such composure isn’t something just anyone can display.
Only those who can thoroughly control their emotions can lead a fight.
From Gillian’s perspective, dealing with a guy like Baron Hutton was the most troublesome type.
Boom! Boom!
As their weapons clashed, both of them had the same thought.
‘This won’t end like this.’
If it turned into a battle of stamina, one side had to tire out for it to conclude.
But right now, they were in the middle of a war. Thanks to their movements, there was a temporary lull, and the knights were observing the duel as per convention, so they wouldn’t interfere.
Both sides were glaring at each other with tense expressions, waiting for the fight to conclude. There was nothing to gain from dragging it out.
And the side that emerged victorious from this battle would have increased morale to push back the enemy.
Gillian realized he needed to use rougher tactics to kill his opponent.
‘No opportunities.’
Boom!
Their weapons clashed again and bounced off. Gillian thrust out his chest, gripping his axe tightly.
‘Come at me.’
It was a provocation and a bait. Baron Hutton couldn’t have missed that. But he accepted it knowingly.
‘Let’s settle this.’
With a glint in his eyes, Baron Hutton stabbed his sword into Gillian’s heart. At the same time, Gillian’s axe struck down at Baron Hutton.
The most simplistic yet primal attack.
The outcome depended on who was stronger and faster.
Swoosh!
Baron Hutton’s sword, imbued with mana, shot out like a beam of light.
Thud!
Before Gillian’s axe could even swing, Baron Hutton’s sword dug deep first.
Feeling the sensation of piercing flesh, Baron Hutton smiled.
‘It’s over.’
But Baron Hutton didn’t know who this Gillian guy really was.
“……?!”
Even though his heart was pierced, Gillian’s axe didn’t stop. Instead, he grinned like a devil and slammed the axe down.
Instinctively, Baron Hutton let go of his sword and took a step back.
Boom!
Crash!
Baron Hutton’s cuirass shattered, and his chest split open. Feeling a pain like burning fire, he looked at Gillian with a puzzled expression.
‘Why? I clearly hit the heart….’
Checking the position of his own sword, Baron Hutton squinted one eye. The sword had strayed slightly from its intended target.
‘Could it be… he changed his stance while swinging the axe?’
When swinging a weapon, one’s position can subtly shift with a change in stance. Baron Hutton wasn’t unaware of this. He had stabbed in anticipation of the opponent’s body movement.
But even that fleeting moment of timing was a gamble on Gillian’s part. If he didn’t stop attacking even as his opponent stabbed, there was a chance to slightly adjust and dodge a fatal blow.
Only those who have staked their lives and fought for a lifetime can use such bold moves.
Splatter!
Baron Hutton, staggering as blood gushed from his chest, knelt down.
The stumbling Baron Hutton fell to his knees.
“Cough!”
“Baron!”
Desmond’s knights rushed over to support the baron, who was spitting up blood. It was a deep wound, but he was still alive.
“Quickly, take the Baron away!”
With the help of his subordinates, Baron Hutton retreated.
Gillian staggered back a few steps, pulling the sword lodged in his chest out. His hand gripping the axe trembled.
‘I couldn’t kill him.’
The baron’s sudden retreat caused the axe to only graze him. Even in that situation, thinking like that proved he was quite something.
“Instructor!”
The Penris knights rushed over to support Gillian. He stood tall, but it was clear he wasn’t in good shape.
Blood continued to seep from his pierced chest, and a trickle of blood flowed from his tightly shut lips.
If he had been in good condition, he would have launched a follow-up attack without hesitation.
Both sides raised their weapons and glared at each other.
Somehow, the battle had come to a halt in an awkward manner. A murderous intent soon surrounded the two glaring at each other, and the atmosphere became thick with hostility.
The Penris knights swallowed blood repeatedly, trying to regain their focus.
‘Damn… I feel like my body is twisting.’
‘There’s really not much time left.’
‘Huff… I’ll take at least one more down with me.’
They were already at their limit. Most had blood trickling from their mouths.
It was just the black helmets that hid their injuries from the enemies.
Gillian was aware of this, so he clung to consciousness, determined not to fall.
If he showed any weakness here, the enemies would come at them even more fiercely.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The drums sounded again. But unlike before, Desmond’s army slowly began to withdraw.
They were especially surrounding Baron Hutton to protect him. He was an important figure they couldn’t afford to lose.
Watching Desmond’s army retreat with the sound of drums, the Penris army sighed in relief.
‘Thank goodness.’
‘I got lucky.’
‘If it weren’t for the instructor, we’d have been in big trouble.’
If Baron Hutton had fallen, Desmond’s army would not have retreated so easily.
Of course, if they had known the true condition of the Penris army, they would have pressed harder, but thanks to Gillian holding his ground, even Harold was fooled by the Penris army’s bluff.
Once it became clear the enemies were retreating, Gillian spat blood and slowly opened his mouth.
“Set up defenses and everyone take a rest. Don’t let your guard down; be ready to fight at any moment.”
He still stood tall. Seeing this, the knights asked.
“Instructor, are you really okay?”
“Shouldn’t you lie down and get treated first?”
“Hey! Where’s the medic? Bring some bandages!”
Seeing the noisy knights, Gillian waved his hand.
“Enough. You all get some rest and recover your mana. I’ll take care of my wounds myself.”
He gritted his teeth in pain and spoke with a stoic expression.
Even if he went to the command post, he had to walk there on his own. He needed to treat his injuries alone.
He couldn’t show any weakness. All the soldiers were looking up to him.
Gillian slowly moved his heavy feet.
And Harold, who had been watching today’s battle the whole time, came up with a new plan.
“It would be better to mobilize all our weapons and mages to crush the fortress.”
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