Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 57: Crow VS Monte Norg

Chapter 57 - Crow VS Monte Norg

I returned to the bridge with the item hidden in my pocket. Upon arrival, I scanned the crowd.

"Are you done?" Monte asked.

"Yeah."

I checked his metal shield and mace again. Facing a close-quarters tank meant I had to change my strategy. I walked toward Bickar.

"By chance, do you have two one-handed axes I can borrow?"

Bickar raised an eyebrow, amused. "One-handed axes? Two of them? Did you mean waraxes?"

"Yeah. Preferably the ones with one big head and one edge. The bigger, the better."

"Ah, I get it."

Bickar turned to the brown-armored knights in Paul’s division. He pointed at another heavy tank.

"Butter! Lend me your throwing axes!"

"Mine? He’s going to use them?" The heavy knight sized up my arms and scoffed. "With those bony arms? Heh, have fun trying to lift them."

The knight passed Bickar two throwing axes. They were larger than modern hatchets, each weighing twenty pounds with uneven balance.

I received the waraxes and warmed up my wrists. Perfect for my needs.

Sylveria stopped accepting bets and turned to me. Her head cocked left and right again. Her mind-reading behavior made me nervous.

As expected, she muttered, "I sense overflowing confidence from you. You’re not even tipsy, and you hardly drank any wine. Your musou core’s energy fluctuation is unchanged. Was that entire facade just to stall for time?"

I smiled. "No comment."

"I know you’re hiding something. If you confess, I’ll reward you with a flame musou cultivation technique I’m using. How about it?"

"That’s very appealing, but some things are best kept private."

"Are you sure? My father will marry me to you if you inherit the phoenix bloodline, you know?"

I broke a cold sweat. In the game, Louis Zen had offered Sylveria to a protagonist from Garuda Stand to entice him into joining Invidia. The fool accepted, only to be betrayed by father and daughter. I had no intention of being exploited by this cunning pair.

"Not interested. I... already have a wife."

"Lenitia Constantia? I doubt it. I don’t sense a connection between your musou core and her. On the other hand, I smell a deep connection between you and another woman, a wind-type woman."

Damn it. Which developer designed Sylveria to be semi-omniscient? She was terrifying. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Sylveria grinned and whispered a word that froze me.

"Am I right, Supreme General? Was the night ride fun?"

A shiver coursed down my spine. My face burned hot enough to melt steel. I wanted to vanish from this planet. Talking to this psychic was the wrong move. I had to stop the conversation before it could get out of hand.

"Whatever. I’m ready. Just get this over with."

"..."

I ignored Sylveria’s reaction and got into position on the bridge. After putting one axe down on the ground, I pulled out a red talisman from my pocket and shoved it in my mouth. I adopted a combat stance after retrieving the axe.

"Ueady! (Ready!)"

Bickar snickered. "What did you put in your mouth?"

"Oothing imuoruant. (Nothing important.)"

"..."

Monte raised his shield. "Come, then."

Bickar nodded and stood between us. He took a step back and announced the fight.

"BEGIN!"

Monte charged at me with his tower shield, a common tactic heavy knights used to break enemy formations.

As the attack approached, I quickly broke the talisman in my mouth using my teeth and tongue. An influx of energy coursed through me. My attack power was amplified fivefold for a minute.

I met him head-on, swinging my left axe against his shield. The impact rang like thunder.

Monte staggered backward. His eyes widened.

"W-What?!"

I pressed forward with a follow-up strike with my right axe. The talisman’s power roared through me. My blows dented his shield, cracking its rim.

Monte planted his tower shield firm on the bridge and lowered his stance. His right arm swung a mace to stop my momentum.

Time slowed down once more. The orange light circle appeared, wrapping around Monte’s mace and shrinking.

Noticing the counterattack timer, I rotated my shoulders, swinging both axes at his incoming weapon.

With a loud clank, his mace was knocked out of his hand.

He grunted and stumbled. The crowd gasped.

Using the momentum, I hammered his shield with both axes. This time, his shield shattered as he was knocked backward, falling on his butt. Fragments scattered across the bridge.

"I-Impossible!"

Monte roared. His body turned gray as his musou core fueled him with elemental energy. Without a weapon or a shield, he sprang at me like a bull.

"MONTE! STOP!"

Bickar yelled, but Monte didn’t seem like he could hear a word. It was too late for him to stop the match.

Well, it wasn’t like I needed help.

Although Monte was clad in iron-like gray color, another orange light circle beamed at his nose.

I flipped my axe. With the blunt side, I swung at his face.

The impact caused a loud metallic noise, but Monte’s face tilted skyward. He stood still for two seconds and collapsed.

Monte lay beaten. The duel was over.

Silence fell. Then cheers erupted.

Bickar laughed. "Well, damn. Didn’t think you had it in you."

I returned the two axes. "Whatever. No more duels, please. I’m drunk."

Sylveria smirked as though she knew what I had done. However, she didn’t tell anybody what I did.

I ignored her, focusing on my breathing. My arms trembled as strength left me. The talisman expired.

Bickar turned to the crowd.

"Anybody else wants to test our new family member?"

All knights shook their heads. Meanwhile, Sylveria’s people let out a long sigh of relief that they hadn’t participated in the gambling.

Those mofo knew their boss well. I could tell.

As the test was over, Louis Zen’s voice echoed.

"Are you done playing?"

The crowd was startled. Everyone hurried back to the citadel and resumed their posts. I also entered the hall with Bickar. As for Monte, he was left at the bridge. Poor mofo.

As soon as I entered the hall, Paul shot me a death glare and scoffed.

"You were lucky."

Sore loser. Whine more.

Sylveria got back to her seat. She sat with her legs crossed, facing me. She opened her mouth and was about to say something, but she smacked her lips and turned to her father instead.

"Father, I want him in my division."