Chapter 32..
‘What on earth just happened?’
Acracion’s sudden change in behavior.
Just moments ago, they were nothing but a disorderly rabble.
On the way to the battlefield, they were joking around, and their so-called commander looked so young that one would doubt if he could even hold a sword properly.
It was so sloppy that one couldn’t help but wonder how they ever earned the name of a knight order.
By contrast, Crimson Veil was reliable.
Red helm.
Red armor.
Red sword and red cloak.
They were an elite knight order that struck terror into their enemies like a blood-soaked nightmare.
But the Sword Empress seemed more interested in that brat than in them.
A bastard from some nameless bloodline, most likely—what was so special about him?
That was why they deliberately picked a fight.
To show that guy called Dante how deluded he was.
To make him regret insulting them.
To see him cry and beg for his life.
Up until a moment ago, the plan seemed to be working well.
Acracion had bristled and looked about ready to draw swords at any moment.
But then things took a strange turn.
With just one command from Dante, the tension vanished completely, and moments later—
‘Even the air has changed.’
From the sight of Acracion drawing their swords, an indescribable pressure radiated out.
Lionel felt cold sweat drip down the back of his neck and swallowed dryly without realizing it.
‘That’s supposed to be the same rabble from before?’
It was impossible to believe.
The Acracion of a few moments ago and the Acracion of now were so completely different, it was like they were another existence altogether.
The atmosphere was so heavy that even speaking carelessly seemed difficult.
And then—
“Everyone, prepare for battle.”
A short command spilled from Dante’s lips.
Chaang!
Their swords all left their scabbards at once.
Though twelve knights had drawn their blades, the sound rang out only once.
Perfect unity.
The eerie precision sent chills running down Lionel’s spine.
He instinctively drew his own sword.
Several of his subordinate knights did the same.
They felt such sharp killing intent, it was as if the attack were aimed at them.
‘…It must be coincidence.’
Otherwise it made no sense.
No, it had to be.
Lionel, denying the reality before his eyes, prepared to hurl mockery at them—
But then…
Slowly.
So very slowly.
Dante drew a beautiful silver sword.
The posture was so flawless that Lionel forgot what he’d been about to say, staring blankly instead.
And soon after—
“Let’s go cut off Balrock’s head.”
Dante gave the order.
Dududududududu!
Dante and twelve knights.
Only thirteen riders charged forth.
Compared to Crimson Veil, their numbers were pitifully small.
But their gallop across the battlefield struck like an overwhelming shock.
Especially Dante.
Lionel had thought he was just some pretty boy who’d caught the Sword Empress’s eye.
Unlike Lionel himself, who was born of noble blood, the man had nothing but his handsome face to show.
But he was wrong.
The brightest figure in Acracion was Dante himself.
An indescribable aura of dominance radiated from him.
“Commander!”
Still dazed by Dante and Acracion’s charge, Lionel felt a subordinate knight grab his shoulder.
“What should we do?”
“…We follow.”
Balrock—that’s what Dante had said.
Their own assigned target.
It was surprising, but not enough to make him forget his mission.
“Don’t fall behind Acracion. It will be us, Crimson Veil, who slays Balrock.”
“We obey!”
Their usual rousing cry should have been reassuring.
But for the first time, Lionel found their voices unsatisfying.
“Let’s ride!”
He spurred his horse, and dozens of knights followed behind.
Dududududu!
With the thunder of hooves shaking the ground, the distance between them and Acracion quickly closed.
‘As expected.’
Their horses were among the finest warhorses in the Empire.
They couldn’t possibly be compared to the steeds of some small duchy’s knight order.
With a twisted grin, Lionel fixed his eyes on Dante’s back, growing closer.
‘We’ll catch up soon. And then I’ll show you. That I am far nobler than the likes of you—’
KWWAAAANG!
Suddenly, with an earth-shattering boom, the ground cracked like a spider’s web.
A pillar of crimson fire burst skyward, and something colossal emerged from the fissures.
“Balrock!”
A cry that shook the earth.
A calamity descended to drown the battlefield in fire and blood.
Crimson Veil gasped in horror.
“T-That’s a monster?”
Undeniably—
They had never seen such a being before.
At most, they’d expected some fire-breathing ogre…
“That’s no monster, that’s a demon!”
Fear and terror swallowed Crimson Veil whole.
“This is insane…”
Lionel, unable even to calm his frenzied horse, gazed up at the enormous flame giant nearly ten meters tall.
“We must run!”
That thing couldn’t be beaten.
No human could stand against such a being.
Perhaps only the Empire’s Swordmaster, the Sword Empress—or one of the Four Martial Gods—could possibly block it.
Overwhelmed by the might of a monster out of myth, Lionel yanked desperately at his reins.
But it was useless.
Even the Empire’s prized warhorse had been driven into total panic, refusing to obey his hand.
“Damn it!”
He forced the horse’s head around with a burst of mana.
Just as he was about to spur it onward—
“Maintain formation. I’ll take the front line. Sir Zion, Sir Milleon, Sir Elaine—you form the second line. The rest in the third.”
Dante’s calm voice rang out.
“What?”
A precise, simple command.
Unbelievably, Dante intended to charge that monster.
“Madman!”
It was suicide.
Acracion would be reduced to ashes by that calamity’s flames before they could even land a blow.
Lionel was certain.
But once again, his prediction was completely wrong.
“Charge.”
KWAAAAA!
Acracion surged forward, like a single colossal sword aimed at Balrock.
No other word fit—it was as though they had been fired like an arrow.
They shook the earth, and their roar thundered across the sky.
A storm of crimson steel.
The shining sword named Acracion thrust straight for Balrock’s heart.
“Acracion. Kill Balrock.”
At Dante’s final command, a world-splitting shockwave exploded.
