Chapter 606

Falling helplessly from a height of over ten meters, I turned my head to look in the direction where the roar had come from.

In the midst of the cavalry, Or-han, with eyes as fierce as a tiger’s, glared at me. His presence was as massive and intense as a burning mountain.

“What was that just now?”

[It was a throwing spear. That monstrous human. I suspected as much, but he’s indeed several times stronger than before…!]

Hersela muttered in a biting tone.

…So that attack was just a throwing spear? He’s disgustingly strong. I thought I was the only one capable of such feats at this point. It seems Or-han’s power isn’t just about being tough.

“Now’s the time! He’s lost his footing! Shoot him down!”

“Revenge for Bai-shin!”

Thinking it was their chance, the surrounding warriors unleashed a barrage of arrows and spears, aiming at me as I seemed to have no way to move.

Some warriors even raised their spears, waiting for my landing point, as if planning to skewer me like a criminal on a spit.

Do they lack learning ability? It seems they’ve completely forgotten that I just summoned Cascador.

Or perhaps, since Cascador, which I used as a shield, evaporated from Or-han’s spear, they think I can’t summon it anymore.

Indeed, it’s common for a summoned creature to disappear if it takes enough damage to be forcibly recalled.

However, if that were the case, the Sealing Ring wouldn’t be called a divine artifact.

The Sealing Ring doesn’t summon the sealed creature itself but a分身-like entity through the power imbued in the ring.

Thus, although there’s a limit of three times a day, as long as the ring isn’t destroyed, the summoned creature can be called again immediately even if it dies!

So-

“Cascador!”

I stretched out my arms towards the ground and shouted. Blue mana light erupted from the ring, coalescing in the air to form the shape of a horned horse.

“Keeeeek!”

With a roar that could no longer be called a horse’s cry.

“That’s the one from before…!”

“The horned spirit beast! Wasn’t it dead?”

Yes, it’s alive. Though it seems a bit angry.

I grabbed the unicorn’s neck and back with both arms, using its belly to block the incoming arrows and spears as I crashed down towards the warriors.

“Krrruk! Krrrrrruk! Kererek!!”

Cascador, used as a shield again, rolled its eyes in anger and pain, wildly swinging the horns on its head, but it couldn’t overcome my strength.

“Dodge! Dodge!”

The warriors who had been waiting for me to fall, raising their spear tips, were stunned by the large shadow looming over them.

“Too late to run!”

A horse’s weight varies by size, but even a light one weighs hundreds of kilograms. Cascador weighed a ton.

What happens when a one-ton blunt object falls from several meters?

“Crush them-!”

The faces of the warriors who were desperately trying to create distance twisted.

With less than a second before impact, I pushed my arms out, turning Cascador into a mass weapon and slamming it into them.

The warriors stabbed with their spears as a last resort, but their spear shafts couldn’t penetrate Cascador’s body, breaking against its bones and muscles.

And the next moment, the one-ton behemoth crushed them.

– Koooooong!

The ground shook with a heavy roar. Like a tomato smashed by a hammer, thick blood splattered everywhere.

Torn limbs, eyeballs popping out of skulls, lower bodies spewing their contents from the pressure—human and horse fragments scattered everywhere. A stench brushed past my nose.

“Kerruk…”

Cascador, unable to withstand the impact, let out a dying groan and was recalled. That makes it twice dead. Only one chance left to use it as a shield.

I shook off the blood-stained hands and stood up.

“Damn, crazy…!”

The surrounding warriors looked at me with horrified expressions, trembling.

Their eyes were as if they were looking at something beyond common sense.

Whether they were shocked by three cavalrymen being crushed in an instant or by the fact that I used a priceless spirit beast as a shield and even as a blunt weapon, their expressions were like scholars who had just discovered a platypus.

Full of holes.

I swung Durandal in a circle and slightly bent my knees. I’ll charge in and-

– Whoosh!

[He’s coming!]

No, change of plans.

With a cannon-like sound of air tearing, an overwhelming force flew towards me. A primal sense of crisis surged to the top of my head. My body reflexively turned towards it, taking a defensive stance.

“Ha-shal-leur!”

Or-han, riding a massive black horse, charged at me, raising his crescent moon blade glowing with a red sheen.

The air around him seemed to distort from his momentum. The glimpse of his arm through his armor was as thick as my thigh, his bulging muscles reminiscent of a beast king rather than a human.

…If I take that hit, even divine protection won’t save me from being smashed.

A hero’s feats and transcendent strength. Add to that the impact of an astonishingly fast and massive black horse. Trying to block it would be like an infantryman hit by an armored train.

“Kyaaaah!”

With a fierce shout, Or-han swung his crescent moon blade. A red line followed the blade. It was a slash so fast it left afterimages.

“Kuh…!”

I urgently awakened the power of feats within my soul, throwing myself into a colorless world.

Reversed Heaven.

A black and white space devoid of sound, color, or smell. Everything around moved as slowly as a snail. Even the blade of Or-han’s crescent moon blade moved as slowly as an ordinary soldier’s slash.

In this compressed time where even raindrops flowed like sticky honey, the fact that I could move at all was astonishing.

I flung my body to the side, rolling on the ground to dodge Or-han’s blade.

While rolling, I swung Durandal to counter, but all I confirmed was that this method couldn’t break through the Indestructible Body. The faint sparks from Or-han’s arm where Durandal grazed showed no wound.

The next moment, the gray world shattered, and the skewed timeline returned to normal.

– Kwaooooong!

The delayed sound of air tearing was reminiscent of a fighter jet taking off.

In an instant, I was a dozen meters away. As I pushed off the ground and stood up, Or-han was already turning his horse towards me, sliding across the ground.

The drifting horsemanship I’d seen many times before. Dust rose like waves.

“Hmm. So that’s your technique? It’s strangely fast… but the power isn’t remarkable.”

Or-han, having grasped the characteristics of my Heroic Tale in just one exchange, laughed like a man-eating tiger.

As he said, Reversed Heaven isn’t a Heroic Tale that enhances attack power, so using it against the Indestructible Body was a waste of energy. It wasn’t a difference in skill but a fundamental compatibility issue.

‘…This isn’t going to work.’

I gave up on clashing swords with Or-han.

Up close, I could be sure. That man, even in pure physical ability, wasn’t far behind me. The depth of his Life Force Technique, accumulated from killing so many, rivaled my own feats.

‘Fighting him in this situation is a guaranteed loss.’

Even if I miraculously managed to defeat Or-han, I’d be exhausted and injured, unable to move properly.

And that’s in front of thousands of enraged warriors.

…The outcome was clear.

[I can’t deny it…!]

Hersela also ground her teeth in frustration, agreeing. From her perspective, facing Or-han head-on now was the worst choice, eliminating even a sliver of hope.

“You’ve grown remarkably stronger, but your appearance has become quite vulgar. Not even a greeting for your father after a year?”

Instead of charging at me again, Or-han rested his crescent moon blade on his shoulder and spoke.

“Ha, what father? I’ve already switched to another father.”

I shook off the blood clinging to my hair and bared my teeth.

His attitude, as if casually chatting with a daughter who had betrayed and killed many, was infuriating.

It felt like he was mocking me, thinking nothing I did would work against him.

This bastard, acting like he’s already won.

[Another father? What nonsense…?]

‘There’s Ludwig.’

Since Ludwig wanted to adopt me, technically, he’s my father now. Not this muscle-bound monster in front of me.

“Another father… Ludwig? Repaying the loss of a child in such a petty way.”

“Still better than you!”

I shot back sharply, kicking off the ground to create distance. The ground beneath me exploded, and the scene before me rapidly receded.

I spun halfway, turning my gaze towards my target.

I gave up on clashing swords with Or-han, but I never said I gave up on fighting.

My fight starts now.

“What, what’s this?!”

“He’s coming this way!”

The Blue Army warriors, who had stopped to maintain the encirclement after Or-han charged at me, were startled as I flew towards them. They raised their spears and swords in panic, their faces filled with shock.

What, did you think I’d duel Or-han?

Am I crazy? A duel I can’t win, and even if I do, I’d just be killed by you all.

To win and survive, I have to choose the side with even a slightly higher chance.

“Kyaaaah!”

The distance to the approaching enemies closed in an instant. I roared fiercely, grabbing the spear shaft that came within reach and leaped up.

– Slice!

Durandal swung, cleanly severing one warrior’s neck. A fountain of blood. I kicked the headless corpse and mounted his horse, charging towards other cavalry.

“Where are you running, Ha-shal-leur!”

[Behind! He’s following!]

‘I know!’

A furious storm-like force chased after me. It felt like all the hair on the back of my neck stood up. My spine chilled.

Yes, of course, he’d come after me!

I forced a smile, steering the horse through the enemies, swinging Durandal in all directions to avoid Or-han.

The Blue Army, maintaining a thick encirclement to prevent my escape. I forced my way through the gaps.

“Kyaaak!”

“You damn half-breed!”

A wave of blood surged. Even warriors who barely blocked a strike were sent flying, unable to withstand the force on the blade.

“What are you doing?!”

A paladin, unable to stand it, shouted furiously.

“Tighten the encirclement and attack from all sides! Don’t let the traitor escape!”

That’s exactly what I want.

My goal wasn’t to break through the encirclement but to bury myself within it.

I charged into the heart of the encirclement. Front, back, left, right—everywhere I looked was filled with enemy warriors.

Just as planned.

The next moment, I pulled up the killing intent sleeping in my chest and spread it in all directions. A dense, ominous aura. Though it didn’t contain the Power of Feats, it was enough to threaten the surrounding enemies.

“Kuh…!”

“Such petty intimidation…!”

Of course, intimidating the elite warriors of Ai-shan, the Blue Army, with just aura was impossible. They hardened their expressions, sweating coldly, but withstood my aura head-on.

Yes, that’s expected. No regrets. I wasn’t targeting them anyway. Warriors should naturally withstand such killing intent.

Warriors, that is.

“Hihihihihing!”

However, no matter how brave a warhorse is, a horse is still a beast, and beasts are sensitive to killing intent.

“Uh…!”

The Blue Army’s warhorses, terrified, began to rampage uncontrollably. Their formation quickly fell into chaos, like a forty-car pileup on a highway.

“Damn it…!!”

Beyond the horribly chaotic formation, Or-han’s voice, mixed with frustration, reached me.

Yes, you understand my intention now?

“Come on! Try to get through all your subordinates!”

The decisive difference between me and Or-han.

I could cut down the surrounding enemies without hesitation, but Or-han couldn’t. Each one was his soldier.

The rampage of hundreds, thousands of horses became a barrier between me and him.