Chapter 142

Chapter 143. You Should Know You’ll Die by My Hand (3)

In the silent forest.

The place where ten knights had swept through.

The sound of insects crying and birds chirping quietly echoed in the space when suddenly, a presence was felt.

“They’re definitely gone.”

As Taragon descended from the tree branch, Anis stood up from the bushes and replied.

“I never dreamed that training with Keter would be this helpful.”

The stealth training they had undergone at the 7th Training Ground, made of artificial mountains. The two had thought it was just training to strengthen their mental power.

But now, thanks to that stealth training, they had avoided danger.

Of course, their stealth skills weren’t exceptional. But the knights would never have imagined in their wildest dreams that the direct descendants of a prestigious family would use stealth techniques.

Even if they had known, they wouldn’t have been able to find them easily. Detection and tracking are the domains of experts. All they could do was look for what was visible.

“It seems they’ve gone to where we were, so let’s head deeper into the island.”

As Anis said this and was about to move, Taragon didn’t budge.

“What’s wrong?”

“Brother. I think it would be best to deal with them now.”

“I understand how you feel, but we don’t have bows or arrows right now. Using Aura isn’t a favorable option. Most importantly, silently taking out ten people is impossible. Reinforcements will come.”

“They came after us as soon as the match started. They won’t give up tracking just because we disappeared for a moment. They’ll definitely spread out and search. The only chance we have to take them out one by one is now.”

“Hmm, listening to you, that does seem likely. But…”

What Anis was worried about was the lack of bows and arrows. Even though they could substitute with Aura, he instinctively felt discomfort and unease. Having never been without a bow and arrow in his entire life, it was only natural.

At that moment, Taragon grinned and picked up a branch.

“Brother. Look at this branch. As soon as I saw it, I thought of taking them out one by one.”

Taragon, holding the branch with both hands, bent it with all his might. If it were an ordinary branch, it should have snapped, but it bent flexibly.

Anis’s eyes sparkled.

“That’s oak, isn’t it?”

Oak. A tree with good elasticity, commonly used to make bows. Of course, to make a proper bow, it needs to be dried well in the sun and require some work, but—for Anis and Taragon right now, as long as it could function as a bow and arrow, it didn’t matter what it was. The rest could be supplemented with Aura.

“There are plenty of vines around to use as bowstrings.”

“Little brother. You’re better than me.”

Embarrassed by Anis’s praise, Taragon immediately set about gathering materials. Anis also quickly joined in.

Even without a sword, handling wood and vines was no problem. By infusing Aura into their fingers, they could use them like swords. Moreover, since oak could also be used as arrows, they didn’t need to go far.

The two brothers, not minding getting dirty, began making bows and arrows.

“Without a quiver, we can’t carry many arrows.”

“We can tie them with vines and hang them at our waists.”

“Ah, right.”

After making twenty arrows each, the brothers smiled with satisfaction.

“Taragon. Where do you think they went?”

“I think they moved along the cliff to the coastline. If they had come back the way they came, they would have definitely run into us.”

“I think the same as you. There’s no need to go separately here, let’s cooperate.”

“Yes.”

The difference in combat power between one swordsman and two is at least double. Whether or not there’s a comrade to watch your back determines a swordsman’s combat power.

What about archers?

With two archers, their combat power is amplified at least fourfold. Given the archer’s ability to definitively strike first regardless of the opponent, their combat power exponentially increases when the rear is secure.

Knowing this well, Anis decided to actively utilize this difference.

“Take the lead.”

“Yes, Brother.”

* * *

The two brothers moved east. This seemingly random action had its reasons.

The composition of having the sun at their backs.

From the enemy’s perspective, even if they recognize the archer’s position, the intense sunlight temporarily obstructs their vision.

On the other hand, from the archer’s perspective, they can buy time until the opponent adapts to the sunlight. Having the sun at their backs, they aren’t hindered when shooting at distant opponents.

“It looks like them.”

Anis, having arrived at the coast, pointed at the knights with his finger. They could have been other knights who came simply to find weapons, but they were already holding weapons.

And even if they weren’t the pursuers, it didn’t matter. After all, to score high in this competition, they needed as many badges as possible.

“There are five in total, Brother. How about we take out the two heading towards the sea first?”

“You take the lion. I’ll take the eagle.”

The lion and eagle Anis spoke of were the family crests. The lion was Delmore. The eagle was the symbol of the Iwin family.

Creak…!

The two brothers nocked arrows on the oak bows they had made and pulled the vine strings.

The distance was 300 meters. An impossible distance for such crude bows and arrows, but a craftsman doesn’t blame his tools.

Thunk!

The arrows shot simultaneously quickly extended. Towards the rocks jutting out of the sea, and the knights on them.

There was no sound of a thud, but they saw the knight hit by the arrow fall into the sea.

Though the oak arrows couldn’t inflict fatal wounds on knights clad in steel armor, knocking them into the sea was enough.

The three knights left on the beach looked around in confusion. They didn’t know where the arrows had come from.

Anis and Taragon calmly nocked arrows again. Three each. The second form of the Zodiac, Taurus.

Soon, six arrows were shot in two triangular formations.

Whoosh!

By the time the knights heard the sound of the arrows flying, it was too late. Twisting their bodies to dodge, trying to deflect with their swords, it was no use.

Even if they could dodge or block two arrows, the third one would surely hit.

“Ugh! Where is it, where?”

The knights hit by the arrows shouted, but finding archers hidden in the forest with the sun at their backs wasn’t easy.

Moreover, Sephira’s arrows don’t stop until the enemy falls. Arrows continued to rain down on the knights.

The knights, who had belatedly figured out the position, managed to deflect some arrows with their swords, but that was it. More arrows pierced their bodies.

“Ugh!”

One knight with an arrow in his abdomen collapsed. The other knights reflexively guarded their abdomens.

At that moment, the arrows aimed for the knights’ arms and legs. Shooting from a distance with perfect accuracy and considerable power, the knights were helpless. They didn’t even dare to rush into the forest to close the distance.

10 seconds. That’s all it took to subdue five 2-Star Knights. And with crudely made oak arrows at that.

“Ugh… Damn it… Cowardly Sephira bastards…!”

As the fallen knight tried to drink the Elixir from his pocket, a shadow loomed over him. It was Anis and Taragon.

Crunch!

“Gah!”

Taragon, who had kicked the knight’s chin as he tried to get up, spoke in a cold voice.

“Hand over the Elixir and the badge.”

“How can a knight attack so cowardly? Don’t you know honor?”

Anis, channeling Keter, replied.

“Next time, I’ll tell you before I shoot. Then it’ll be knightly, right?”

Anis, about to strike the knight’s head with his bow, realizing it was made of oak, kicked the knight’s chest instead.

Collecting three badges and two Elixirs from the incapacitated knights, the brothers ignored the knights who had fallen into the sea. It would take too much time to find them, and they needed to make more arrows since they had almost run out.

After replenishing their arrows in the forest, the brothers easily dealt with the pursuers who had gone to the opposite beach.

Taragon, having quickly taken care of the pursuers, spoke with a puzzled expression.

“Brother, this is too easy. Is this a trap? To make us let our guard down?”

Anis also replied with a puzzled expression.

“I can’t tell if the enemies are weak or if we’re strong.”

Among the knights the brothers had taken down were 3-Star Knights. Not just one, but more than two.

Yet, it wasn’t much different from dealing with 2-Star Knights.

Anis and Taragon hadn’t shown extraordinary archery skills. They just shot arrows from a distance and won. The knights didn’t even dare to approach. This was a result neither the audience nor the nobles had anticipated.

* * *

Anis and Taragon’s exploits were finally revealed to the audience.

The organizers, who had focused the screen on the Sephira brothers to show them being defeated, had to hurriedly switch the screen. The Sephira brothers were too easily subduing the knights.

But the audience didn’t comply with the organizers’ intentions.

“What was that just now? The knights were getting hit by arrows and falling?”

“Wasn’t Sephira the weakest of the prestigious families?”

“There were rumors that archery wasn’t a big deal. What’s going on?”

“Switch the screen! We want to see Sephira!”

As one audience member shouted, others followed. They wanted to see Sephira, to see them fight.

With tens of thousands of audience members shouting at once, the organizers had no choice. Shortly after, the Sephira brothers appeared on the screen again.

Though they were just moving and not in combat, the audience cheered.

“What’s that? Bows and arrows made of wood. They fought with that?”

“Come to think of it, knights can pick up any sword and use it, but Sephira’s archers can’t, right?”

“The new rule that just came into effect is incredibly unfair to Sephira!”

The audience realized how disadvantageous the new rule of not being able to start with weapons was for Sephira.

Meanwhile, some were analyzing Sephira’s combat style.

“Why can’t the knights handle Sephira’s arrows?”

“Maybe because they were ambushed. They only realize they’re under attack after being hit by the arrows.”

“Weren’t knights supposed to be able to deflect all arrows? That’s what they always do in plays.”

“That’s definitely strange. All the knights I know can deflect arrows.”

This was a principle the audience couldn’t understand.

For knights to deflect arrows, they need to ‘perceive’ the arrows coming. To deflect without perceiving, they need to be at least two levels higher than the person shooting the arrows.

It’s similar to an ambush. Even a 3-Star Knight, if ambushed by a 2-Star Knight, will get hit at least once.

Of course, it’s also true that Anis and Taragon had become remarkably stronger thanks to Keter’s hellish training and excessive spending.

But conversely, the enemies’ complacency also played a part.

“Those guys, they’re completely unprepared.”

As Keter, who had disappeared, spoke from the side, Mail was startled.

“When did you get here, Keter?”

“Just now.”

“Where have you been?”

At Catherine’s question, Keter shrugged.

“I went to greet and give a gift to someone we’ll be seeing often soon.”

“Who’s that?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

“By the way, I agree with Young Master’s opinion that the swordsmen were unprepared.”

Didos supported Keter’s opinion.

The reason the knights participating in the competition were helpless against Anis and Taragon’s arrows wasn’t just because Anis and Taragon were strong.

“No matter how you look at it, it seems like none of them prepared for archery at all.”

There were several reasons for this.

First, lack of experience.

Knights from the war generation have plenty of experience deflecting arrows. They’ve fought against enemy archers. But the knights participating in this competition are from a generation that doesn’t know war. At most, they’ve only encountered crude arrows shot by bandits or rough arrows from humanoid monsters.

Second, efficiency.

Over 90% of the knights participating in this competition are swordsmen. And to prepare separately for Sephira’s archers, who have at most four participants? A waste of time. That’s what they thought.

Lastly, disdain for Sephira.

In other words, they ignored them. Sephira’s archers and archery. The Sephira family, which is declining day by day. They thought they could win easily without any special preparation.

‘Actually, they’re not wrong.’

In a past life, if Keter hadn’t intervened, by now, the sight of Anis and Taragon being miserably defeated would have been broadcast live on the big screen.

Keter smiled as he watched his brothers, who were acting cautiously even in a favorable situation.

‘They can do well if they try. They just didn’t have someone to guide them.’

If Keter had tried to change Sephira through dialogue, respecting the noble procedures, they would never have achieved this growth.

“Great, Anis found a bow!”

Mail, who had been staring intently at the screen, clenched his fist in joy.

As he said, Anis had successfully found a bow. Hidden tightly between rocks, it was a mystery how he found it.

Anis, who had discarded the wooden bow, made a moved expression. The Anis who had easily defeated 3-Star Knights with a wooden bow. Though the arrows were still wooden, there was plenty of time.

They had collected a total of fourteen badges. If they escaped now, both could get 3 points, and if they were a bit greedy and collected six more, they could get 5 points.

“They won’t just watch that.”

Keter quickly switched his screen to a sky view.

A view overlooking the entire deserted island. With the forest obscuring, it was hard to tell if there were even people.

“As expected.”

In the distance, a group was heading towards Anis and Taragon.

A group consisting of the renowned 4-Star Knight Regan and five 3-Star Knights cooperating with him. They were running straight towards where Anis and Taragon were.

A mere coincidence?

Keter was certain it wasn’t.

“One 4-Star Knight and five 3-Star Knights.”

In terms of mercenaries, that’s one Amantium and five Diamonds.

This was a force Anis and Taragon had never experienced. Moreover, they seemed to be receiving real-time updates on Sephira’s position, changing direction whenever Taragon and Anis did.

Though one might get angry or worried about the organizers’ blatant manipulation, Keter calmly took an apple from the fruit basket and bit into it.

Crunch!

“Didn’t I predict all this? I taught them to win even in situations like this.”

But if they can’t overcome such a minor crisis…

“You should know you’ll die by my hand.”

Keter, stroking the poker he had brought from Eslow’s Palace.