Eternally Regressing Knight-Chapter 526 - Older Brother, Younger Brother, and Older Sister

Chapter 526 - Older Brother, Younger Brother, and Oldest Sister

The charge leader of Aspen released several trump cards, starting with poison sand. Poisoned darts, throwing knives, and cleverly scattered caltrops all followed.

A caltrop made of sharp iron spikes rolled under Fel's feet just as he was about to plant them on the ground.

Fel managed to avoid it by stepping only on the ground with his toes, not the soles of his feet.

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He had to dodge the poison sand, darts, throwing knives and caltrops causing him to lose his balance.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he wobbled and tilted slightly to the left.

'Got him!'

Seizing that moment, the charge leader pulled out a short sword and aimed the blade at Fel. It was a single strike, but one that could still catch even a knight-level warrior.

It was a magic sword inscribed with a spell. The incantation hidden in the pommel activated, causing the short sword's blade, as long as a forearm to shoot out from the handle tearing through the air with a loud whoosh.

*Boom!*

The deafening sound rang out. Just as the blade was about to mark Fel's body, he suddenly became horizontal with the ground leaping into the air. Had Jaxon been there, he would have realized that the thundering sound that came from the sword had been slightly slower than the sound of Fel's feet hitting the ground, but no one present had that kind of keen hearing.

Crack!

The magic blade shot from the handle, grazed Fel's side but it didn't touch his skin. Instead it ripped through his beige gambeson sending the stuffing of fabric and cotton scattering onto the ground.

Ironically, the cotton and fabric remnants from Fel's gambeson covered the intestines of semi-knight from Aspen who had just been killed in the earlier fight. Grayish fur from the gambeson served as a blanket for the deceased semi-knight.

Thud.

Fel landed, immediately standing up and bringing his sword in front of his face.

Had he been pretending to lose balance all along?

Seeing his secret move blocked, the charge leader thought that the opponent was far superior. Why did that thought occur to him?

'I couldn't have avoided that.'

Whether it was from reflex or calculation, the enemy could do what he couldn't. Of course in a fight where life was on the line, skill was just one factor not the entirety of the outcome.

The charge leader lowered his stance and reached for the axe tied at his waist.

"Hah."

Meanwhile, Fel sighed and gazed at the sky. His eyes weren't on the charge leader. He looked at the sky once, then the ground and sighed again.

"Hah."

The charge leader had planned to attack when his opponent would charge, but the sudden sigh and the words that followed were unexpected.

"Did you know?"

'What could I possibly know?'

"I understand everything, but breaking the past one's shell is not as enjoyable as one might think."

As Fel spoke, his gaze returned to the sky. He had come this far and made up his mind about how he would live from now on. He had been born in the wilderness and raised as a shepherd, but why was he here?

What had brought him to this battlefield? These were the questions that he had been answering on this journey.

'I have to move forward.'

He saw someone moving forward stubbornly without thought. There's a saying that if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you. Fel had looked at Enkrid, and beyond despair and frustration, he had reached this point.

There had been times when he believed he would quickly catch up with talent alone.

"The world has many things in it. And as we live, we often face things we never expected."

There was no moonlight, the sun was blazing hot and it wasn't dawn, but sometimes people become intoxicated by something.

Though he had found the answer, Fel became somewhat lost in reflection. He had resolved to forget his past and welcome his future. His mind was set, but he knew it wouldn't be an easy path.

"...Did you eat something wrong?"

The charge leader muttered as he subtly shifted his steps. He couldn't help but think that Fel was mad.

Fel, having been struck by the words earlier lowered his head and looked at the charge leader.

"It seems so."

He agreed.

"What?"

"Well, it's the air. I think it's the air that's wrong."

"Damn, what are you talking about?"

The charge leader, feeling fear at the unexpected situation was thrown off. He would rather be struck by a blade than hear such crazy words from someone who was skilled in battle. Fel thought about this place, about what was different here compared to others.

'The atmosphere here is different.'

How?

Enkrid had an aura that permeated the air around him.

What had changed the atmosphere?

The air.

"Ah."

Fel exclaimed in realization.

"...Stop your nonsense. I won't die by your hand!"

The charge leader threw the axe he had been holding. It was his weapon of choice for many years. Fel sidestepped and caught the axe.

He pondered. Was it really the air? The realization quickly faded. It didn't feel right.

In the end, the opponent in a panic ran off as if his backside were on fire. He ran towards his horse throwing away some secondary weapons mounted on the saddle and fled.

Clop! Clop! Clop! Clop!

The sound of hooves hitting the ground kicked up dust, clouding the vision.

Fel had no intention of chasing him, so he didn't even draw his sword. His actions were observed by the soldiers of both Border Guard and the Aspen.

"You're not even drawing your sword?"

The soldiers at the frontlines of both armies muttered the same thing, but of course it wasn't something they could hear from each other.

After defeating the charge leader, Fel returned to the road, where Krais having rushed from behind asked:

"Wouldn't it be better to kill him? Was that intentional?"

"It just happened that way."

Fel's demeanor had changed. His earlier lost expression was replaced with something different. He had shed his old self and was reborn, now with a playful glint in his eyes just like when he first met Enkrid. There was a pure, shining brightness in his gaze.

That playful glint moved Fel's tongue.

"Ropord, if you die out there, you can call me 'big brother' for the rest of your life."

"I'd rather die on the battlefield."

Ropord, a rival with whom Fel had a bitter relationship responded and with that he prepared to leave.

"Anyone, step forward! I'm Ropord of the Madmen!"

Krais, observing this felt reassured. He knew that while it matched Abnaier's prediction, it was more of an attempt to relieve the anxiety than anything else.

Krais had two paths to choose from. One was relatively safe with fewer threats and variables, but would require sacrifices. The other was far more dangerous, full of uncertainty and risk. If it went wrong everything he has built might fall apart.

But still, Krais chose the second path.

'General, will this be alright?'

Krais wondered to himself. The choice was not his to make.

If it were up to him, he would have chosen the third path.

He wouldn't fight; he would give up the city, go into exile and leave only with his people.

Well, that's what he would say.

But Nurat had seen it clearly.

Krais had no place to retreat anymore. He had many familiar faces, people he had grown attached to.

Could he abandon them all?

Krais couldn't answer easily.

Before Enkrid left, Krais had offered two paths and asked him.

"Is it okay to act like a greedy man?"

Krais asked,

"Hasn't it been always the case?"

Enkrid replied,

In a situation where no one could laugh, Krais spoke with a forced grin.

"Not something I should say to the general, but bring everyone back alive."

Enkrid smiled faintly and responded with a playful face.

"Yes."

It was with a joke, the usual military formality.

Krais trusted his commander so much that he left Audin, Teresa, Ropord, and Fel behind here.

If it weren't for that trust, he would have chosen the first path.

He would have sent them all down the path where the main enemy was coming.

'No, not just them.'

He would have thrown in all the remaining Ranger forces to drain the enemy's strength and then started the fight that way.

That would have been the best choice. That was probably the strategy the enemy would have chosen.

Beyond Krais' thoughts, he saw Ropord knocking down an opponent.

"Call me the older brother!"

Ropord roared after winning.

"You crazy bastard, just because you won doesn't mean I'm the younger brother!"

Fel yelled from their side.

Krais wondered why these madmen were acting this way.

After Ropord, it was Teresa's turn.

"Brothers, now it's my turn."

There was a desire for combat flowing in the half giant's veins. She had bound it with faith, but when such an opportunity came, Teresa still found it hard to resist.

Moreover, she had been inspired by Enkrid recently, so it was even more difficult to hold back.

When a warrior as large as Audin emerged, the Aspen forces became restless.

Was everyone who was supposed to come out, is finally here?

But that wasn't the case.

If they kept going like this, it wouldn't just affect the army's morale; it would seem like they were losing before the fight even started.

To prevent that, an elite from Aspen stepped forward.

A true fighter who was ready in case the battlefield twisted.

Teresa was facing a much stronger opponent than what Audin had faced.

"Are you a mercenary? Bound by a contract? How pathetic, it seems like you have giant's blood. Yeah, dying here is better."

He was known within Aspen as ' Emmel The One Who Sentences Fates.'

He declares the fate of his opponents. It wasn't something he did all the time, but only when he was sure of victory.

Audin started first, and Teresa was the fourth to face off.

This fourth battle was the second shortest followed by Audin's.

Teresa took the brunt of Emmel's sword with her body and struck his body with her shield.

Teresa, using the technique of blade avoidance she learned from Audin, suffered a severe wound as her opponent's sword was quite sharp.

Blood splattered on the ground. Her flesh was cut, and it wasn't a small wound.

Still, Teresa didn't stop.

Red blood splattered into the air. Amid their clashes, Teresa was the only one bleeding, but because of that she seized the opportunity to strike with her shield.

Emmel reacted quickly, stepping back with his foot to break free and create distance. As this wasn't the distance he was comfortable with.

As Emmel retreated, Teresa timed her move and let go of her shield.

She had never secured it tightly around her arm, only holding it with her hands so it was possible.

It was a strange thing to fight with only one hand holding this heavy shield, so it was not something that one could be easily predict.

Of course, Emmel didn't expect that either.

"Ugh!"

The shield's rebound force weakened, and Emmel's attack fell short. He barely managed to take two steps back.

Teresa moved forward without a smile on her face.

Their bodies collided in mid-air, and the sound of bones cracking were heard throughout the battlefield.

Although only a few heard it, it was enough to inspire loud cheers.

"Victory! Fight on!"

The Aspen soldiers, thinking their guy was overpowering Teresa, shouted louder. Meanwhile, the Border Guard troops maintained disciplined cheer.

The flags moved as they shouted in unison.

"Bear siblings!"

"Teresa!"

"Giant Goddess!"

"Teresa!"

If Teresa had heard it, she would have smiled and asked which person came up with that cheer, but she couldn't afford to roam around her own ranks during a fight.

Teresa closed the distance and performed the Valah-style martial art, "spine-breaking."

This technique, required great strength, and could only be performed by someone like her and it flourished in her hands.

It wasn't a complex technique—simply grabbing the head with one hand and hitting the shoulder with the other to break the neck.

Emmel didn't give in easily. As his head was grabbed, he tried to stab Teresa's neck with his sword.

Teresa twisted her neck to avoid it, but blood still gushed out.

Instead, she captured a broken vertebra as a trophy.

The sight of her own blood, the heat of battle everything fueled her.

It gave her the strength to unleash the giant's primal nature, and she let out a roar.

"I'm the oldest sister!"

Though influenced by Fel and Ropord, her cry resonated through the battlefield.

The armies watched in silence.

Aspen soldiers, seeing that their side was being overpowered, became more aggressive in their shouting.

But the Border Guard's disciplined ranks remained composed.

Krais nodded inwardly.

Look at this. These guys usually fought against knights like Rem and Ragna.

Did the Aspen soldiers face knights daily?

'Not a chance.'

This was a foreseen outcome.

Even though he had been uneasy, seeing the results before him relieved some of his worry about the battle.

Above all, this had been the backup force prepared in case of unexpected events.

By showing strength in formation, they would demoralize the enemy before an all-out war.

Now, the enemy couldn't risk a full-on confrontation.

This was what Krais had aimed for.

***

'That bastard!'

Abnaier, having been thoroughly outplayed, couldn't help but think of the strategist on the opposing side. He must have been an experienced, middle-aged man.

The way he acted, it seemed so.

But that wasn't the case.

The enemy was a young man, youthful with large eyes.

But that didn't matter.

It was just a natural association.

"Damn bastard."

Abnaier couldn't suppress his admiration. But this was just the beginning.

He had to remember that even though they won the duels, and sacrifices had been made.

Abnaier focused on the true battlefield, where the real battle would unfold.

There, the glory-filled warriors would be.

Everything was for the sake of victory.

And Abnaier's plan had been effective.

Everything had fallen into place at the exact time and place he had prepared.

***

Enkrid had left after the forces were advancing, but his pace wasn't fast.

On the other hand, the wolf beastman general, Barnas Hurrier had already been traveling through the Pen-Hanil mountains when Aspen had announced their declaration of war.

He had familiarized himself with the terrain.

And then, before the troops formed he had "preemptively" left.

He had seized the advantageous terrain and planned to fight on his terms.

Perhaps giving the enemy a taste of confusion.

Even using decoys to keep the enemy's spies occupied, Barnas worked in the shadows.

Abnaier had prepared for everything.

Then, it hit him.

'Could preparation be considered strategy?'

'It could be.'

Victory would make it so.

If they lost, he would be a traitor.

But if they won, he would be a hero.

Such was the nature of bold strategies.

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