Chapter 95

Chapter 95. Battle of Halborn Plain (4)

Balun did not wait long. When no answer came for about ten seconds, he immediately put strength into the hand holding Black Moon.

“No answer, huh. Then I’ll send you to the Pure Land.”

Just as he knocked aside Viscount Roent’s sword and was about to swing his axe, Viscount Roent opened his mouth.

“Were you serious when you said you were willing to negotiate?”

“Of course I was. Why would I lie?”

“Good. Then I shall withdraw.”

“No! What are you talking about! That won’t do! I can’t let you go!”

When Balun spoke loudly as if for everyone else to hear, Viscount Roent’s face filled with bewilderment.

Was he insane?

He had told him to go himself, and now he suddenly could not let him go?

“You bastard! Enemy of Corint! I, Balun, shall punish you!”

Balun put strength into his arms, shoved the sword away, and swung Black Moon again.

Viscount Roent blocked Balun’s blow. Gritting his teeth against the heavy impact, he shouted.

“What on earth are you scheming, acting like this? Did you not clearly say you would negotiate?”

At his shout, Balun murmured softly.

“Now that I think about it, letting you go like this seems strange too. If I let you go like this, you’ll report my existence to your superiors. Along with the information you’ve figured out about me. Then I’ll become a target of your kingdom. That would put me in danger. Wouldn’t it?”

At the suspicion in Balun’s eyes, Viscount Roent spoke in a persuasive tone.

“Why think that way? I told you, did I not? I want to bring you to our kingdom. I am not such a fool that I would threaten someone toward whom I bear goodwill.”

“How can you guarantee that? Isn’t it possible that you’ll go back like this, change your mind, and decide you want to kill me?”

“That will not happen.”

At those words, Balun sighed deeply as if frustrated and spoke.

“So I’m asking how you can guarantee that. I’ve already tarnished your honor by stopping your charge. On top of that, I killed your subordinate too. Isn’t that more than enough reason to hate me?”

“T-that is.......”

“Even if you’re favorably inclined, what about your subordinates? Will they stay still? If I were in their place, I’d want to kill me.”

“......”

“Leaving all else aside, you have the tongue of a snake anyway, so you’re dangerous to me in the long run. I have no intention of letting you go alive, so shut up and grip your sword properly.”

At Balun’s firm attitude from beginning to end, Viscount Roent let out a deep sigh.

“I wanted to take you with me somehow...... but it seems that will not be possible.”

Viscount Roent turned his horse’s head back and withdrew, then raised his sword high. A vivid blue light appeared on that sword and wrapped around it. When the soldiers of Croa saw it, their eyes shone, and they cheered.

There were so many mouths that Balun could not tell what they were saying. But one thing was certain. This Knight had tremendous support within the Croa Army.

When he manifested Aura, the other Knights withdrew.

The soldiers were gone before anyone knew it as well. A sudden one-on-one duel stage had been established.

‘What the hell? Weren’t we in the middle of a war? Why did they suddenly change jobs into spectators?’

At that change, which had occurred in an instant, Balun laughed because it was so absurd.

Why were these bastards so obsessed with duels?

“Barbarian Balun. I bear you no ill will. We have merely met as enemies, so I have no choice but to eliminate you.”

“Maybe because you’re a scammer bastard, your mouth flaps an awful lot. Stop babbling and come at me.”

At Balun’s words, spat out with a bored expression, Viscount Roent’s brow twisted.

“I have listened long enough, and your mouth is far too crude.”

“That’s the right way to talk to a scammer.”

“I shall sew that mouth of yours shut.”

After declaring that, Viscount Roent shook the reins, and the warhorse carrying him charged as if to swallow Balun.

Balun looked straight at the horse’s head, then swiftly turned his body to the side. A blue trajectory was drawn, and Balun narrowly avoided that trajectory.

Viscount Roent charged far ahead, then turned direction again and came rushing back. Faced with the Aura-laden sword that drew a line along with that threatening speed, Balun had no choice but to throw his body aside to avoid it.

Balun dodged like that five times in a row. He wanted to grab the attacking Viscount Roent, but doing so was difficult. The timing simply did not line up.

Whenever he tried to swing his axe, that sharp sword thrust in and interfered, so how troublesome was that?

‘His swordsmanship is good. He’s stabbing his sword in at exactly the right places.’

In truth, they were extremely concise thrusts and cuts. But the timing was incredibly appropriate, and they were powerful too. If one had hit, his arm probably would have been cut off.

“Balun. Why are you silent? That mouth of yours, which had been spitting such harsh words, has gone quiet!”

“I was thinking.”

“Thinking?”

“Yeah. I was thinking that mounted Knights are pretty hard to deal with.”

“Hoho. It seems you have only realized that now.”

Viscount Roent smiled and charged in leisurely as he thrust his sword. Balun continued throwing himself aside to dodge. In no time, Balun’s body was covered in dust.

“Hey, Barbarian! Win!”

“Kill that Knight bastard!”

“Barbarian! Barbarian!”

Before he knew it, the fighting around them had stopped. Only the voices of cheering struck his ears. Hearing voices cheering for him put him in a strangely good mood.

You really had to live long enough to see everything. To think the day would come when he would be cheered on by those racist bastards.

Maybe this was why those war-crazed bastards wandered from battlefield to battlefield.

‘Still, I hate war. Who would be insane enough to like this?’

Thinking that, Balun continued dodging. To anyone watching, it looked as though Balun was being overwhelmingly pushed back, but in truth, Balun was waiting for the timing. The timing to create an opening.

‘Now.’

Balun took out Crimson Moon and hurled her at once.

WHOOOOOSH—!

The thrown Crimson Moon aimed precisely for the chest of the charging Viscount Roent, and Viscount Roent hurriedly knocked Crimson Moon aside with his sword.

The blue sword, filled with vivid Aura, deflected Crimson Moon. Crimson Moon shot into the air, spun around and around, then embedded herself in the ground.

Soon, a smile formed on Viscount Roent’s lips.

“You underestimate an Expert-rank Knight far too much. Such petty tricks will not work on me.......”

He could not finish his words. At some point, Balun had run right up to his nose.

The moment he had thrown the axe, he had charged in straight after it.

Then he stretched out both hands, as if he intended to block him.

“You madman. What do you think will happen if you stand in the way of a charging horse? Are you trying to kill yourself......”

“Hup!”

GRAB!

“I-insane!”

Viscount Roent’s eyes widened. That was because Balun had caught the head of the charging horse with both hands.

Balun was pushed back a long way. Both of Balun’s arms, which had caught the horse’s head, trembled like mad, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

It was clear he had taken a heavy shock.

However, that was not what Viscount Roent saw. Far more shocking was the fact that a human had blocked a charging horse with both hands and endured it.

Was that even a person?

Not even a Sword Master, no, not even a Sword Master’s grandfather could do that.

“Heh heh, cough, so this really works.”

Even as Balun suddenly spat out blood, he laughed as if delighted.

“Horse. Sorry. No hard feelings.”

After Balun said that, he aimed at the neck, where the horse armor did not cover, and threw a punch. The horse’s neck caved in along the shape of Balun’s fist. The sound of bone breaking rang out.

NEIGH!

The horse screamed in fright. It trembled violently, then thrashed and went wild. Viscount Roent could not keep his balance and fell to the ground.

The horse fled in a frenzy. Balun grinned.

“Now this is a little fairer.”

Balun immediately took up Black Moon and struck vertically downward. Viscount Roent opened his eyes wide, then rolled his body.

CLANG—!

Balun struck down a couple more times, but each time, Viscount Roent avoided it. It was truly remarkable.

How was he that nimble when his whole body was wrapped in plate armor? Was it not incredibly heavy?

Was magic cast on the armor?

“You are putting me in quite the difficult position.”

Viscount Roent, who had quickly risen to his feet, took his stance. In the two eyes visible beneath his open visor, clear anger burned. It was because of the shame of being unhorsed in front of so many people.

“I shall kill you in a single stroke.”

He gripped his sword with blazing eyes. A vivid blue light overlaid his sword. It looked as though it was wreathed in blue flame.

Seeing that, Balun’s eyes narrowed. He had faced countless swordsmen until now and had seen plenty of Aura, but this was the first time he had seen Aura so vivid.

‘If I clash with that head-on, even Black Moon might be in danger.’

It was not certain. Was Black Moon an ordinary weapon? He was a weapon that did not so much as budge against Aura at the level of heat haze, so that might not damage him either.

But Balun did not want to take a risk because of that. Would he treat a weapon he would use for the rest of his life carelessly? He had to cherish him.

‘Then I’ll have to go with that plan.’

While Balun made his decision, Viscount Roent sprang forward. He appeared to be charging straightforwardly, but Balun knew this was not a simple attack. It was obvious that some variation would be added in some way.

That was how swords were by nature. A sword was ever-changing. That was its greatest advantage, something an axe could not imitate.

But there was no problem. He only needed to launch a preemptive attack before the variation came in.

Balun hurled Black Moon at once. The massive two-handed axe rushed toward the charging Viscount Roent at fierce speed. Viscount Roent was visibly flustered. That was because he had not imagined that Balun would suddenly throw his weapon.

What kind of lunatic threw his weapon? Unless he was trying to lose on purpose.

“What!”

Viscount Roent hurriedly twisted his body. He tried to knock it aside, but it was too fast to do so. More than anything, it had been far too sudden.

Black Moon passed him, flew far away, and embedded himself in the ground. The attack had failed, but it succeeded in creating an opening. That was the opening Balun had aimed for.

Balun, who had run in at the same time as he threw the axe, grabbed Viscount Roent’s right wrist.

“You bastard!”

Viscount Roent put strength into his grip. It did not budge in the slightest, even though he drew up his Aura.

He changed strategies without even showing panic. He immediately drew the dagger at his belt with his free left hand. The dagger, bearing a vivid blue light, aimed for Balun’s side. In that instant, Balun’s eyes flashed, and he twisted Viscount Roent’s right arm.

Something unbelievable happened. The plate armor covering Viscount Roent bent like taffy following Balun’s movement.

CRUNCH!

“Aaaaaargh!”

Viscount Roent screamed and dropped his sword. Even amid that, he did not let go of the dagger, and he finally succeeded in stabbing Balun’s side, but even that did not have proper force behind it.

“Guh!”

Still, pain was pain. Balun endured the dizzying agony and seized Viscount Roent by the neck. When he put strength into his grip, the metal gorget crumpled with a strange sound.

GRRRRIND!

The iron armor that had protected his neck instead strangled its owner’s throat. Viscount Roent struggled and tried to tear Balun off.

But Balun did not budge, like an iron wall. He was stabbed three or four more times by the Aura dagger, yet he did not show it at all and put strength into his grip.

GRRRK!

The gorget was completely crushed. The sound of bone breaking rang out softly. Viscount Roent’s hand opened, and he dropped the dagger.

When Balun released his hand, Viscount Roent collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

THUD!

“......”

Silence rose. No one could continue speaking. Everyone was witnessing this astonishing result with their eyes wide open.

Without even covering his bleeding side, Balun walked over and picked up Black Moon. Then he raised Black Moon high above his head and shouted.

“I, Balun, Warrior of the Red Fang Tribe, have defeated the enemy commander!”

Only Balun’s voice echoed across the vast plain.

“Is there anyone else who wants to come at me? If there is, come! I’ll take all of you on! I’ll make you just like this bastard!”

Balun spat out the words as if roaring. His face turned red, veins stood out on his neck, and his eyes were bloodshot.

In that state, he stomped the ground. The rumble spread outward in a circle, and as if answering him, cheers poured forth.

“Barbarian! Barbarian!”

“Balun! Balun!”

As Balun quietly listened to it, for some reason, he felt his chest swell.