The difference in power was indisputable. The sacred light could not overcome the ferocious beast using its master’s massive lance as its horn, and the energy quickly dispersed, nowhere to be found. As though still ravenous after devouring the holy energy, the power of Wind Bite rushed forward and tore through the paladin’s shoulder.

  “Kuack!”
The man’s shoulder disintegrated, as though hit by an armor-piercing round. At that moment, the other foreigners stopped waiting and entered the fight. One picked up his wounded comrade, and the remaining five each attacked with their swords, spears, and bows. The beast summoned by Wind Bite was scattered by the unified attack.

  Seon-Hyeok felt something rise up and come out of his mouth. The taste and smell of iron filled the inside of his helmet, and he wanted nothing more than to lift up his visor and spit out the unpleasant blood in his mouth. However, he restrained himself and gripped his lance even tighter.

  Let’s go, Goldie.

  The moment he whispered in his mind, Goldrake raised his body, lifting his front legs off the ground. And with that, he timed his descent with his owner’s attack. The movement of the giant monster was enough to provide the necessary distance for a lance attack.

  “Wind Piercing.”
Seon-Hyeok stabbed down with his weapon.

  “Block it!”
Because of the wounded, the foreigners did not dare evade the attack and instead gathered their energy once again. Sword energy and other abilities gathered, all targeting Seon-Hyeok.

  The only high-tier foreigner among them is that paladin.

  The attacks were powerful, but lacking compared to the mace surrounded in holy light. Seon-Hyeok tightly closed his bloody mouth.

  Whoosh.

  The force this time was not as powerful as his previous attack. However, because of the close range and consequently the ease of targeting, Seon-Hyeok’s attack was even sharper.

  Crack.

  There was no scream. All that was heard was the quiet shattering of iron armor and the sound of soft flesh being completely pierced through. Such was the sound of a life being extinguished, and the foreigner, stabbed through the heart, died without making a single noise.

  Bang!

  His enemies belatedly attacked. However, all of these abilities were blocked by Goldrake’s tough scales. The drake’s hard scales were ripped from his body and his flesh and blood with them.

  Roar!

  Seeing blood, the monster let out a roar and bared his teeth towards the enemy rather than shrinking back in pain. One of the foreigners, stepping back from the drake’s powerful jaw, tripped and fell.

  Seon-Hyeok’s eyes flashed as he stabbed down towards his enemy who had just offered an opening. He no longer had the strength to carelessly use his abilities. However, despite his exhaustion, his attacks were like flashes of light, and more than enough to penetrate the heart of his enemy. It made no difference whether his opponent was torn to pieces by the wind or stabbed by a humble wooden spear. A life was taken all the same.

  Squish.

  Stabbed through the neck, the foreigner opened and closed his mouth. It looked like he wanted to leave his will or say his last words, but no matter how hard he tried, all that came out was the sound of air leaking. Soon, the foreigner ceased to flounder about and collapsed. Having lost two comrades in an instant, the foreigners’ attitudes changed.

  “You heartless bastard!”
The foreigners desperately tried to evoke memories of the other world, but the battle situation was too dire for Seon-Hyeok to show weakness. He had neutralized his greatest threat, but there were still four foreigners left standing. Running low on strength, he struggled to hold up his drooping arms and trained his weapon on his enemies.

  Whoosh!

  Before he could act, an arrow fired by one of the remaining foreigners whistled towards his head.

  “Hup.”
Quickly inhaling, Seon-Hyeok twisted his lance so that it was right in front of his helmet. The wind swirling around his weapon swallowed up the arrow, and having lost its strength, the projectile fell weakly onto the ground.

  “Bring Sung-Tae back! You son of a bitch!”
Seon-Hyeok had no way of knowing which of the slain foreigners was named Sung-Tae, and he had no reason to find out now. Hundreds of riders had already fallen at his hands. He would go crazy if he tried to learn each of their names.

  Not a single drop of blood stained his wind-wrapped lance, but Seon-Hyeok couldn’t help but think his silvery weapon looked red. The fatigue he had tried to hold back rushed at him all at once. Despite this, he gritted his teeth and raised his lance once again. He could hear the shouts and horses’ hooves from his cavalry behind him. If he didn’t take care of these foreigners here and now, it would be his comrades that fall on the battlefield.

  “Die! You monster!”
Blinded with rage, the foreigners now used one skill after another in an effort to take down the Drake Knight, and Seon-Hyeok found himself rapidly becoming exhausted, having repeatedly used Wind Bite and Wind Piercing. He gathered the last of his strength as his vision blurred.

  Just one more time!

  Seon-Hyeok used his life force as collateral to once again summon a great whirlwind. Goldrake raised his head and roared fiercely as he bled.

  Thud. Thud.

  With each of Goldrake’s steps, the ground caved in and solid rocks crumbled. The foreigners, after trying to deflect the drake from his path using their sword energy, ultimately backed off, unable to face the violent charge head on.

  Roar!

  The ground shook as Goldrake roared and stamped his feet. The hard ground collapsed as he stepped forward once again. On the third step, the ground suddenly rose and formed a huge earthen wall. The wall blocked the foreigners’ retreat, and they scrambled in all directions in terror.

  “Wind…”
Immediately following the miniature earthquake, Seon-Hyeok desperately whispered as he felt his consciousness fade like the low tide.

  “… Piercing!”
Exhausted, his fingertips loosened their grip on his lance, and it shook as if it would fall away at any moment. At this rate, he would drop his weapon before properly activating his ability.

  ‘Master.’
At that moment, a transparent hand gently closed his opening hand and secured the falling weapon.

  ‘A little more!’
Hearing Atiya’s voice, Seon-Hyeok opened his eyes wide. His fading mind focused for a moment, and the dangerously shaking lance was directed towards his enemies.

  “God’s punishment is relentless!”
Just then, the paladin, thought to be completely incapacitated, came running towards him with his mace. The weapon was barely held steady with his one remaining arm, but it was sufficient to invoke his skill.

  A giant palm formed in the air and came down on Seon-Hyeok and Goldrake. Afterward, the sword energy unleashed by the other foreigners cut and stabbed at them. An energy-imbued arrow rushed towards him.

  “Die! You son of a bitch!”
Having successfully activated his ability, the paladin let out an arrogant laugh. He seemed certain that the Drake Knight would be unable to block the sacred light, sword energy, and arrows by himself.

  However, Seon-Hyeok’s goal was not to deflect their attacks in the first place. He raised his lance high and scattered the paladin’s force palm. The paladin was crushed into a formless mass under the trampling drake, and he rushed into the other foreigners’ abilities.

  “Charge!”
As soon as Seon-Hyeok suddenly called for a charge, the huge earthen wall collapsed to reveal the heavily armored Drake Cavalry just beyond it.

  “Atiya! Give them strength!”
‘Yes, Master!’
A refreshing voice that did not fit the current, death-filled situation rang out, and the girl of the wind let his hands go as she flew up. A wind different from Wind Bite and Wind Piercing flowed out of her and surrounded the riders. At that moment, the Drake Cavalry, despite thinking they had already reached their maximum speed, were shot forward like a flash of light.

  “Vanguard, charge!”
The hundred spears united to become one as they pierced through the enemy.

  ***

  “We still haven’t heard anything?”
Despite not once losing his composure, even when the fortress was surrounded by countless enemy forces, the Mangsk commander recently showed signs of concern. The commander couldn’t sleep properly after hearing that the Noctein cavalry had gathered into one massive force before going after the 22nd Regiment garrison.

  Julian. 

  It was because his daughter had followed her lord there as his squire.

  He had already once lost his kin because of his inflexibility, and he couldn’t bear to once again lose his family in vain. As such, he urgently requested support at the 22nd Regiment, even enlisting the help of the mages he so rarely used. However, nobody could be sure how soon the scattered allies would arrive on that battlefield. Time passed, and the old commander’s heart sank.

  “Four enemy cavalry regiments sighted near the 22nd Regiment!”
None of the messengers brought good news.

  “Reporting on the current forces stationed at the 22nd! Two infantry regiments! One heavy cavalry regiment! The rest are civilians! The defenses are lacking, and stopping the enemy cavalry seems impossible!”
“The 22nd has refused to retreat! Communications have ceased since their last report that they would fight desperately to protect the people!”
“Confirming the engagement! There are reports of a major skirmish in the area!”
As though aware of the Mangsk commander’s sense of urgency, even the mages hidden under the protection of the nearby lords were mobilized to observe the battlefield and send reports using their magic.

  “A huge shockwave has been detected on the battlefield! The mages observing the situation believe it’s the clash between individuals at least on the level of senior knights or senior mages!”
A single report from a mage was said to cost as much as an entire month’s maintenance for a small territory. Now, these reports constantly arrived at Mangsk.

  “Urgent news!”
In his anxiety, the commander had waited for further news without leaving the command center. He waited stone-faced for the messenger to continue.

  “Speak.”
At the very least, the commander’s deep voice did not betray his dignity. The messenger rushed to give his report.

  “The battle at the 22nd Regiment garrison ended as of dawn two days ago! We have dispatched patrols to determine what happened, and we’re seeking support from nearby garrisons!”
“What about the mages?”
“Unfortunately, the last communication stones we had on hand have been exhausted, and no additional reports have been received at this time.”
To think that we can’t take advantage of magic at a time like this. What a pity. 

  However, the lords on the frontiers would not have been able to afford so many magical communication stones to keep in reserve in the first place.

  “Commander!”
An aide rushed in as the Mangsk commander banged the table in a rare fit of anger.

  “It’s a message from the 22nd Regiment!”
The moment he heard, the commander’s patience ran out.

  “Survivors? Is Julian safe?”
The advisor was taken aback when he heard the emotion-filled voice, but he answered with a bright expression.

  “The 22nd Regiment successfully fended off the enemy after three days of fierce fighting! Squire Julian is safe as well!”
“Oh! What a relief! What a relief!”
The advisor looked at the commander, wondering if he had ever seen him smile so brightly. He continued with the report.

  “The enemy forces have been repelled and are now retreating! Please allow our cavalry to ride forth and take care of their remnants!”
“Go forth! Don’t allow a single rider to cross back across the border!”
However, the advisor’s happiness didn’t last. He quickly reported on the damage incurred with a somber expression.

  “62 survivors among the two infantry regiments! The regimental commander has fallen in battle! The company commanders have all fallen in battle!”
“Ah…”
The staff that had gathered after hearing the sudden commotion all had miserable looks on their faces as they learned of the terrible losses.

  “Of the 94 Drake Cavalry! 38 dead! 40 wounded! Viscount Drachen is seriously wounded!”
“Viscount Drachen as well?”
Considering they had been fighting outnumbered against powerful enemies, it was impossible for their forces to emerge unscathed. However, the commander groaned upon hearing the news that the Drake Knight, a knight with Gradus and not an average rider, had been seriously injured.

  “Dispatch healers right away! Search the area for priests skilled in healing and have them care for Viscount Drachen and the wounded!”
“It seems as though a group of priests from a surrounding territory has already arrived at the 22nd Regiment. Most of the seriously injured have been treated and are recovering quickly. However, reports say that they haven’t been able to even approach Viscount Drachen.”
What the hell does that even mean?

  The commander shouted in rage upon hearing that the priests were on standby without treating the most important person.

  “It must have been his shining contributions that led to this victory! Are the priests using his origins as a foreigner as an excuse to discriminate against him?”
“No. The priests naturally tried to heal the viscount first, but it was impossible.”
“Is he so badly wounded that he can’t be treated?”
The aide shook his head again and belatedly provided an explanation.

  “The viscount’s drake is stopping anyone from approaching him. They tried to subdue the drake to treat the viscount, but they can’t carelessly approach the beast, as he is severely wounded as well.”