The difference was clear.
One side spoke about technique, form, and meaning.
The other spoke about overwhelming with superior strength.
If one focused on swordsmanship, the other was a mass of instincts.
Both were important, and both were necessary.
Ragna did not avoid using instinctive moves.
Rem did not avoid using forms of swordsmanship.
‘They just have distinct characteristics.’
Therefore, there was something to learn.
Moreover, there was a commonality between the two.Whether it was swordsmanship, instincts, steps, attacks, or defense.
‘Precision.’
It was like threading a needle.
Or like piercing a grain of rice with a fork.
If there was a common point between the two, it was the precision with which they changed their stance, hands, and steps even while fighting.
“These bastards.”
The outcome had long been decided. The face of the spear bandit turned deathly pale.
His voice, now murmuring, had lost its strength. He seemed to sense his impending death.
He keenly felt the difference in skill. The same was true for the five facing Rem.
Two of them had their swords broken and drew short swords, and the one who threw a dagger aiming for an opening had it reversed and lodged between his eyebrows, killing him instantly.
The one who fell dead trembled at first but was now cooling down.
Of the four remaining who rushed forward, one had his arm cut off.
This was happening despite the attacks being deliberately weakened to show Encrid.
In the midst of this, the female bandit who tried to shoot arrows from a tree had to stop every time she felt Encrid’s gaze.
Encrid found this annoying, so he threw another dagger, hitting the female bandit’s forearm.
He was busy observing those two, and this distraction was irritating.
“Ack!”
The female bandit on the tree groaned in pain.
The spear bandit, whose eye blood vessels seemed to burst, shed bloody tears as he lunged forward. In his final moments, he risked his life, throwing his spear and trying to grab Ragna. ℞ἁＮo͍BЁⱾ
At that moment, Ragna showed his true specialty, not the refined sword technique he had been demonstrating.
The blade of the arming sword turned into a flash of light, slashing diagonally through the bandit’s body. It was a downward slash using Middle Sword Technique.
The harmony of strength and skill cut through the human body like straw.
He then quickly moved sideways and punched the face of a female bandit wielding a rapier.
Wham!
“Ugh!”
A few teeth flew through the air.
As the female bandit, clutching her face, staggered back, Ragna delivered a horizontal slash.
Slice!
Her head flew through the air. Ragna did not stop there.
As if he had switched places with Rem, he utilized a Middle Sword Technique that was rough yet precise, and precise yet powerful.
“Screech!”
At first glance, the female bandit with brown skin could be mistaken for a man. Her spear flew forward.
Ragna dodged it with a step. It was a trick that could only be seen because he perfectly read the trajectory and speed of the flying spear.
Dodging the flying spear, he took a bold step forward, followed by a downward slash.
With a Middle Sword Technique, Ragna’s sword struck the bandit’s head.
Thud!
Her head shattered like a soft apple.
That was the end of it.
He killed them all. After killing them, Ragna calmly shook the blood off his sword and turned his head.
Naturally, his gaze was directed at Encrid.
‘Did you watch well?’
It was a silent question that could be felt without words.
Encrid nodded.
The precision, the meaning of swordsmanship, the power that form gives.
A signpost to the path ahead.
Encrid was pleased with that. Most importantly, it wasn’t the end for Ragna.
“Why did you finish first!”
Why that was something to be angry about was unclear, but Rem suddenly burst out in anger, swinging his axe.
After several powerful strikes, forcing the opponent into complete defense, another bandit rolled his eyes.
There was definitely a scheme.
Rem abandoned his brute force approach and began to swing his axe slowly, in a formal manner.
‘Step, gesture, stance.’
Then, the falling axe blade.
It wasn’t meant to take the opponent’s life.
Encrid noticed, but the bandits didn’t.
The bandit with the trident raised his spear to block the axe.
Meanwhile, another bandit spun to the side and opened his mouth.
“Pffft!”
It was poisoned sand. He had kept it in his mouth and now spat it out. It must have been a secret weapon, but Rem was already prepared and stepped back.
“Damn it.”
The bandit with blue lips muttered in despair.
Rem chuckled.
“You’re too obvious, bastard.”
Then the axe blade danced, slashing the bandit’s neck.
One of them suddenly stabbed his comrade in the neck.
“Spare me! I’ll tell you everything!”
A desperate final attempt.
“Really? Good, you’ll endure everything?”
Didn’t he say he would tell everything?
Rem’s ears were different from others.
He especially heard what he wanted to hear.
“Huh? Yes?”
“Where should I start? From your hand? Or your foot?”
“…What?”
“I’ll chop you up. Bit by bit.”
Rem showed the distance with his thumb and index finger while holding the axe.
“…What?”
The bandit didn’t understand.
Rem, still smiling, swung his axe. Thud, thud. The head flew off, and the body collapsed.
“Just kidding. I don’t have such a bad hobby.”
It seemed like he might, though.
Encrid thought so as he watched Rem, who turned and spoke.
“Did you watch well?”
That one question revealed everything.
Ragna and Rem were fighting slowly to show off to their Commander.
‘These two.’
How much would they reveal if they showed everything?
Just when he think he’ve caught up, they seem to move ahead.
When he knew nothing, he thought they were just elite soldiers.
When he reached the level of an elite soldier, he realized they had skills beyond soldier rankings.
As he stepped toward his dreams with special-level skills.
‘Able to kill a Semi-Knight.’
In other words, they had at least the power of a Semi-Knight.
Rem said he couldn’t kill everyone all the time.
Encrid doesn’t know. When Rem said that, it seemed like he could definitely kill if he had other means.
He didn’t even consider defeat.
It wasn’t arrogance or pride but a realistic assessment, a subtly revealed attitude.
Ragna was the same.
Audin and Jaxon were similar too.
The four of them were monsters.
Encrid marveled at his own luck.
‘Four monsters.’
Four teachers.
Four times to learn from.
Isn’t it truly the best?
“Hmmm.”
While Encrid marveled inwardly, nodding his head, Dunbachel, who had watched the entire fight, stood with her mouth open.
Drip.
Saliva dripped to the floor.
She was so shocked she didn’t realize her mouth was open.
‘The Black Blade Ten.’
A group of ten who handle most tasks, the highest force excluding the branch leader.
Their opponents were those people.
Moreover, the guy with the spear had transitioned from being a mercenary and had made quite a name for himself as a mercenary.
He boasted that he could take on anyone below a Semi-Knight, and he had survived a dispute with a real Knight’s Squire, earning his reputation.
‘They toyed with them.’
Dunbachel had eyes too. She could see Ragna’s skill. It was clear his swordsmanship was extraordinary.
No, it was at a level of toying with them.
Dunbachel realized that she couldn’t measure their skills by her standards.
Seeing Dunbachel in shock, Rem said.
“Close your mouth. It smells.”
Only then did Dunbachel close her mouth.
Encrid approached the female bandit, who had holes in her thigh and forearm.
The female bandit, wriggling like a worm under the tree, spoke.
“I, I can be useful. If you spare me, I can… really.”
What was that hulking thing saying?
Did the word ‘female bandit’ conjure up images of a pretty woman?
If so, there was something wrong with his head.
This woman was bandit-like.
She had a missing black front tooth, skin that was rough to the point of being menacing, and eyes that reeked of bloodlust.
She smelled sour, as if she hadn’t washed in days, with a faint stench of urine mixed in.
The woman, who had wet herself, looked at Encrid.
What to make of it?
Should he see life in her eyes? Or find something of survival?
Not long ago, after seeing Dunbachel’s eyes, he spared her.
Encrid didn’t regret or dwell on his choice back then.
It wasn’t about right or wrong, he had acted on his feelings. Dunbachel’s eyes had not shown any sign of malice.
But now?
Thud.
He stabbed the woman bandit in the neck with his sword.
Asking for mercy was no different from asking for treatment.
Her injuries were severe enough that she needed immediate care to survive.
The spots where the daggers had struck were critical. Both her thigh and forearm.
He had thrown the daggers to restrict her movements, slicing the muscles necessary for motion.
In short, asking for mercy here was akin to saying, “Please call a high priest immediately” or “Take me and treat me with care”.
The opponent was a bandit. Even if the name ‘Black Blade’ sounded impressive, what kind of significant group were they part of?
Unlikely. Far from it.
This bandit’s original gang name was something like Red Blade or Bloody Blade.
Over time, as they caused more trouble and their blood turned black, they became known as Black Blade.
A main force bandit from such a group would be a scumbag, regardless of gender.
Of course, some intuition was involved, but it was a world where killing was commonplace.
A world filled with battles, monsters, and bandits.
Especially those here could be called experts in slaughter.
There’s even a derogatory term for real Knights as slaughter machines, and Encrid, who was approaching that level, didn’t feel the need to ignore such a term.
Encrid retrieved his sword. There was no lingering resentment.
No, he shook it off and turned away.
“So, this is the end?”
Rem asked. He seemed less fierce than before, as if he had loosened up a bit.
Encrid wondered why Rem had been so aggressive lately, but instead of asking that, he said what he needed to say.
“Their base is probably in chaos.”
“What else is happening?”
Rem tilted his head while Ragna asked.
Encrid wasn’t a fool.
He had already sensed the tension before Krais explained it.
Why wouldn’t he?
Even before leaving the camp, there was a sense of unrest.
Some oblivious people might have missed it, but even someone like Vengeance had subtly noticed it.
“Has something been going on lately? Doesn’t the atmosphere seem strange to you?”
They had asked.
Encrid had felt it too and understood the source of that feeling.
‘They’re not coming.’
Among those who occasionally requested sparring sessions, one platoon had suddenly gone missing.
The Border Guard Unit.
Despite the name ‘guard unit’, they were a military force deployed for special operations.
The commander of the Border Guard Unit held the rank of Company Commander publicly.
In reality, he was the most senior officer next to Battalion Commander Marcus.
‘So, it’s obvious who would mobilize them.’
Here, Krais’s careful deductions came into play.
“Bold move, this Marcus fellow.”
Setting aside the issue of when the Battalion Commander became a ‘fellow’,
“I think he plans to eliminate the Black Blade first. Diverting attention elsewhere.”
As he spoke, Krais’s eyes turned to Encrid.
It was clear who would serve as the decoy to attract attention.
“Attacking from behind. Incredible. He’s quite the strategist, isn’t he?”
Krais’s ability to notice this was remarkable.
Thus, it was concluded that there would be more severe actions at the Black Blade headquarters.
Encrid’s intuition and Krais’s predictions were accurate.
* * *
“Do you think you can survive in this land after antagonizing the Black Blade?”
The branch leader responsible for this area spoke as he coughed up blood. Bright red blood dribbled down his mouth. It felt like his insides were burning, both physically and emotionally. His internal organs were damaged.
“Who cares.”
The Border Guard Commander casually played with a knife in his hand.
The knife spun in his hand, reflecting the torchlight. It was a sharp, intimidating knife.
The Border Guard Commander thought the branch leader might have some hidden tricks.
So there was no need to get closer.
“Damn Kingdom lackeys.”
The branch leader’s words were filled with resentment. He must have had his reasons, but it was irrelevant.
The commander’s knife sliced through the air.
Thud!
The thrown knife landed squarely between the branch leader’s eyebrows. His body fell backward with a thump.
“Gather everything and burn it.”
This happened while Encrid was heading towards the ambush site, engaging in a fierce battle.
The Border Guard Commander led his unit under the cover of darkness.
The Border Guard Unit excelled in such operations.
While the Black Blade’s attention was focused on Encrid and the half-wit noble, Vancento or whatever his name was,they closed the distance and advanced straight towards the Black Blade headquarters.
The headquarters was situated on a mountain slope. They had to deal with monsters too, so their defenses were quite strong.
‘If your forces are weak, there’s a limit to what defensive structures can do.’
Moreover, their main forces were absent. The so-called Black Blade Ten were nowhere to be seen.
“The ones who escaped?”
“They know the terrain too well. We lost them.”
‘That’s not good.’
As the Border Guard Commander climbed the mountain path of the Black Blade’s hideout and searched the cave where they had stored their treasures, more than twenty bandits escaped.
One of the bandits in the front seemed quite skilled, but he fled without hesitation.
‘If it’s under the leader’s orders…’
This suggested that the Black Blade bandit group was not just any ordinary bandit gang.
In any case, those who escaped were gone. But the commander focused on the accomplishments rather than dwelling on what couldn’t be captured.
“We won.”
Marcus’s plan had worked brilliantly.
* * *
One of the escaping members of the Black Blade was dispatched from the headquarters.
‘It’s a raid. This branch is done for.’
The fleeing bandit pondered. What was the best way to escape from here?
‘The Black Blade Ten.’
The system established at the headquarters was replicated in the branch.
They said that ten of them had set out from this branch for an ambush.
The branch leader, not wanting to mess up this mission, had deployed more forces than necessary.
This left the headquarters vulnerable and easily raided.
The escaping bandit, leaving the burning hideout behind, ran straight toward the ambush site.
About twenty bandits followed him.
The plan was to join forces with the Black Blade Ten and then escape to the main unit.
Huff, huff, puff, puff!
With fearful, labored breaths, they pushed through the shortcut, a rugged mountain path.
A cleverly concealed forest path served as their escape route.
After navigating the difficult terrain, they arrived at the ambush site.
“This will be useful.”
There were people rummaging through the belongings of the dead bodies.
Among them were a man with black hair, one with gray hair, and a blonde.
‘Dunbachel?’
He recognized a woman among them. She was a beastkin he had hired as a mercenary.
The first to notice him emerging from the bushes was the man with gray hair.
“Captain, we’ve got a present.”
The man who noticed him smiled broadly as he spoke.
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