Chapter 184: The Third (1)

“…I don’t think so.”

After a moment’s thought, Harang answered the Mercenary King.

It was true.

Though they had sparred countless times, he had never seen the full extent of Austin’s power.

It wasn’t that Austin hadn’t been serious.

But while Harang had used every trick he had, he always felt Austin was still holding back a few critical cards.

As expected, upon hearing Harang’s response, the Mercenary King candidly revealed his thoughts.

“Exactly. There was no need to show it until now.”

“That stings a bit. Was I only that much?”

“You were lacking compared to me. But now, if we fought, I’d have to pull out all the stops. We haven’t sparred since you returned from the Magic Tower, have we?”

“No, we haven’t.”

“Right, you’ve definitely grown again since then. But that’s not what’s important now…”

Pausing briefly, Mercenary King Austin drew his sword.

Hum-!

Manifesting a complete Aura Sword, he continued.

“…It’s about how to break through that swarm.”

“Is there a way?”

“There is. I’ll draw their attention. You two infiltrate the castle in the meantime.”

“…You’re going to face that many alone?”

Hagio asked, slightly surprised.

It was understandable, as the number of undead guarding the walls was beyond counting.

Even if each was weak, facing them all alone would inevitably be a physical burden.

“But whether it’s one or three of us fighting, the situation’s the same.”

“….”

“….”

“Instead of all three of us exhausting ourselves clearing them out, I think it’s better if I hold them off while you two infiltrate. Any other opinions?”

“…Is there a way to draw the attention of that many undead at once?”

“That’s the point. It’s also why I’m showing my full strength here.”

Hum-

Hummmm-!

After swinging his sword a few times, the Mercenary King closed his eyes.

Harang and Hagio’s expressions hardened.

They felt it.

The air around them had changed.

They vaguely realized it was due to the presence emanating from the Mercenary King’s body.

‘What is this?’

‘The Aura Sword… it’s changing?’

The two Godoks widened their eyes, staring at the Mercenary King’s sword.

It was true.

The Mercenary King’s Aura Sword, which had seemed perfectly flawless, was undergoing another transformation—no, an evolution.

As it vibrated, growing thinner and denser, the Mercenary King began explaining softly.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t yet reached the rank of Sword Master. I believe I’ve long had the emotions, will, beliefs, and values—the inner elements crucial for a Color Sword. But I lacked the talent to translate them into swordsmanship.”

“….”

“….”

“But just because reaching the Sword Master realm was beyond me, I couldn’t give up honing myself. I had to keep getting stronger, wanted to keep getting stronger. So, I spent half my days pouring water into a bottomless jar, trying to translate emotions into swordsmanship, and the other half seeking growth in a direction entirely unrelated to the Color Sword. As I mentioned, the former hasn’t borne fruit yet, but the latter has yielded quite satisfactory results.”

“Is that the technique you’re showing now?”

“Yes.”

Harang asked, and Austin nodded.

Meanwhile, the Mercenary King’s Aura Sword compressed to the point where it was nearly indistinguishable from the blade itself, yet solid and heavy.

It didn’t stop there.

The Aura Sword, which seemed unable to compress further, began to change again.

Hummmm-!

The energy gradually shifted from the base to the tip of the blade.

It wasn’t just a transfer of power; another round of compression began.

Like squeezing liquid from a tube upward, the Aura concentrated at the sword’s tip, transforming the sword-shaped Aura into a radiant orb.

It was beautiful.

Yet it exuded a chilling destructive force.

Even the undead monsters, over a kilometer away, sensed its threat.

Crunch

Creak-creak!

Crack, crack, crack!

Clatter, clatter!

The undead, chattering their teeth and snapping their joints, began charging toward the Mercenary King.

They resembled toy soldiers tumbling en masse, though far more grotesque and terrifying.

But Harang and Hagio paid it no mind.

Something far more fearsome was beside them.

Something far more overwhelming was beside them.

Flash-!

Mercenary King Austin opened his eyes.

At that moment, the concentration of energy completed.

A perfect sphere.

Something that felt even more perfect than a ‘complete Aura Sword,’ created by condensing, condensing, and condensing the source of human strength.

Thud-!

It shot forward with a dull sound.

It collided with the undead horde.

And moments later.

──────────────!

“…!”

“…!”

A deafening roar, loud enough to rupture eardrums, echoed across the plain.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!

“Urgh!”

“Ugh…!”

A massive shockwave followed by a ferocious aftermath.

Its sheer power could have killed an ordinary person instantly.

The bone fragments mixed in, flying like hidden weapons shot by a Godok, carried terrifying lethality.

Of course, Harang and Hagio weren’t fazed.

They were too busy being awestruck by the Mercenary King’s devastating strike.

Over half the undead monsters—annihilated.

Part of the castle wall—obliterated.

Seeing the outer castle, wiped clean as if erased, Hagio muttered to himself.

“Not human…”

“Huff, huff… Thanks for the compliment. But instead of flattery, shouldn’t you take this chance to infiltrate?”

Hearing the Mercenary King’s words, Harang and Hagio snapped to attention.

He was right.

They didn’t know what the hostages were enduring at that moment.

They had to rescue them from Cecilia and the Red Magician’s minions as quickly as possible.

But their feet didn’t move easily.

The remaining half of the monsters were rapidly charging toward the exhausted Mercenary King.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Me? Huff… I’m fine. On the battlefield, most soldiers move while exhausted. I’ve got plenty of experience with that. When only 20% or 10% of my stamina remains, that’s when my true strength shines. Don’t worry.”

“But…”

“Huff, stop talking and go. Right now, my intense presence is keeping the monsters focused on me, but if you get too close, they’ll notice you too. Hide your presence and move, now!”

“…Understood.”

“Understood.”

With him saying that, they couldn’t hesitate any longer.

Nodding, the two quickly suppressed their presence, instinctively navigating to avoid the skeletons’ gazes.

Soon, the two Godoks successfully infiltrated the collapsed castle wall.

Even in his exhausted state, the Mercenary King grinned upon confirming this.

But then, a powerful entity swung an axe at the staggering Austin’s back.

At that moment, something astonishing happened.

Crack!

“…No need to pretend to be tired anymore.”

Muttering softly, Mercenary King Austin’s demeanor was completely different from moments before.

His breathing was steady, his trembling legs restored.

In a near-perfect state, the skeletons began to show signs of panic.

He didn’t care.

Casually, as if on a stroll, the Mercenary King swung his sword through the ruins.

Each time, skeleton soldiers’ heads split, turning into mere bones, unseen by anyone.

Yes, truly, no one saw.

Only the stars in the sky silently observed the Mercenary King’s true strength.

***

Thanks to the Mercenary King drawing the monsters’ attention, Harang and Hagio safely infiltrated the castle.

The problem was that, whether due to magic or Magi, even using all their senses, they couldn’t visualize the castle’s interior.

“We’ll have to search every inch to find the hostages.”

“If we run into anyone, we’ll need to take them out silently… Wait.”

Hagio, mid-conversation, frowned and glared in one direction.

Then, as if an invisible veil lifted, a figure appeared.

It was Cecilia.

Her expression was filled with unmistakable surprise.

“Your skills have improved far more than I expected, Hagio. I didn’t think you, not Harang, would detect my stealth.”

“Cut the nonsense and answer. Where are Daereon and the hostages?”

“Good question. I came here to tell you exactly that.”

“….”

“….”

“But if you want to know, each of you has something to do.”

Stop spouting nonsense.

Hagio wanted to say that but held back.

He sensed Harang, beside him, was in a precarious state.

Like an explosive scroll about to detonate, Harang was suppressing raging anger, glaring at Cecilia.

In a beastly growl, he spoke.

“What?”

“…Scary. Scary enough that I don’t want to fight.”

“Just answer the question.”

“Fine, I get it. You, go up those stairs to the top floor. Someone there will tell you what you need to do.”

“And Hagio?”

“Hagio has business with me here. Yes, I want to split you two up. Like this.”

Cecilia raised her hands, mimicking tearing cloth.

Hagio, finding her infuriatingly smug, was about to retort, but Harang moved faster.

Like flying, he ascended the stairs to the upper floors.

Sighing deeply, Hagio turned to Cecilia and asked.

“So. What do you want to do, leaving me here alone?”

“Obviously…”

Hummmm-!

Cecilia drew her sword, manifesting an Aura Sword almost instantly.

Seeing this, Hagio quickly manifested his own Aura Sword and took a defensive stance.

Moments later, Cecilia charged like lightning, swinging her sword fiercely.

Clang!

“To have a go at you.”

“…Fine. Don’t regret it.”

“Regret? Me, rank 7? To a mere rank 11 like you?”

Sneering, Cecilia stepped back, holding her breath and channeling lightning attributes.

Continuous Flash, Thunder!

A sword strike so fast and sharp it would impress even the village’s managers poured out.

Seeing this, Hagio grinned and thought.

It felt like returning to the village after a long time.

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