Extra in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 134
134 – Legend (3)
As if the clash between Kahim and Baran was a signal.
Grrrrrr—
The gelatinous monsters that filled the fields began to charge toward those in front of them.
Watching that scene, the warriors each drew their weapons.
However, their expressions were far from bright.
Though they prepared to fight, it felt more like a resistance born from an unwillingness to simply die.
The reason was that this situation was overwhelmingly despairing.
Even the endless gelatinous monsters before them were enough to dampen their spirits, but the presence of the dragon, arrogantly looking down on them from beyond, had thoroughly crushed their hope.
And then, the dragon, which had been gazing down at them from an unfathomable height, finally moved.
Kuwung—
Just one step.
It wasn’t a forceful strike; it was merely placed down, yet the surroundings trembled as if an earthquake had occurred.
Given the massive form moving about, it was only natural, but for those facing it, a sense of despair inevitably rose within.
The thought of wanting to flee from this place filled their minds to the brim.
However, that was not an option.
They were surrounded on all sides by the slimy monsters.
In the end, they had no choice but to wait for death while putting up a meaningless resistance.
Yet, amidst that desperate atmosphere, there were those who leaped forward instead.
A hulking man clad in silver armor, still radiant despite being stained with blood, and a woman with long, blood-red hair flowing like a river.
The Silver Knight Harfelt and the Bloodflower Meliana.
Bang!
Harfelt and Meliana drew their weapons and began to literally smash through the slimy monsters as they advanced.
With every swing of Harfelt’s sword and shield, the slimy monsters burst apart, and with every dance of Meliana’s twin blades, the monsters were cleaved in two.
Their momentum was so fierce it evoked the image of a turning tide in battle, powerful and relentless.
The gazes of those present inadvertently focused on them.
And they soon realized.
Where the Silver Knight and the Bloodflower were headed.
They were charging toward Arminanon.
They were breaking through the sea of slimy monsters solely for that purpose.
“To sustain such wounds and still….”
Those around swallowed hard at the sight.
They knew as well.
That the Silver Knight and the Bloodflower were not in perfect condition.
That they had sustained significant injuries from the sudden ambush.
Yet, despite those wounds,
The Silver Knight and the Bloodflower were charging forward.
To fulfill their part.
Knowing that they must not let Arminanon fall.
Seeing that scene.
“…Everyone, grab your weapons!”
Someone shouted.
“How long are we going to just sit here and wait to die? Are we all going to perish here?!”
No, it was more of a howl than a shout.
The eyes and expression were not those of someone who had completely shed despair.
But still.
He shouted.
Then, he drew his weapon and began to charge forward.
Those who quietly watched him.
“…Right. We can’t just die without doing anything.”
“It’s too unfair to just die without a fight.”
Each person tightened their grip on their weapons.
There was still no trace of hope on their faces.
However, the tremor in their eyes had noticeably lessened.
“Let’s go!”
“Let’s kill them all!”
With even louder voices, the warriors began to rush forward, following the man in front.
In search of a glimmer of hope amidst the thick despair.
*
Bang!
Grrrrrr…!
With each swing of the sword, the slime monsters burst apart.
How many times had they repeated this act?
The Silver Knight, Harpelt, finally faced the creature he had aimed for.
A gigantic monster, with a size that loomed like a mountain, looking down on everything from the sky.
“…That’s an absurd size.”
The Silver Knight muttered in shock as he beheld the creature before him.
“Is it truly a legendary monster…? I’ve never seen anything of this size. Even the largest of the calamity-level beings would seem like a child compared to this.”
The Blood Flower, who had approached his side, added.
The size of the dragon, presumed to be the legendary monster Armianon, was far beyond any standards, even for those with countless experiences.
—
Simply by their sheer size, they had reached a transcendent realm, enough to feel a sense of pressure.
However.
“…Still, we must do it.”
“…That’s right.”
They did not hesitate or retreat.
“It seems the creature has noticed us.”
The silver knight looked up at the sky.
More precisely, at the eyes of the dragon, high above.
Those enormous golden eyes were unmistakably gazing down at the silver knight and the blood flower.
“How arrogant. To dare look down upon the Ten Blades.”
“We must make it aware of its place.”
“If that happens, a new legend will be born on the continent.”
“Two warriors who dealt with the monster from a revived legend… Not bad at all.”
Laughing inappropriately for the situation, the silver knight tightened his grip on the sword.
“Well then, we should start with a greeting.”
As soon as his words fell, a powerful magical energy flowed from his body.
The magic that flowed out soon settled into the sword, and the sword, brimming with magic, let out a sharp cry as if it were about to burst.
Even that alone contained immense power, but it did not end there.
Soon, the sword began to embody a will.
The intense will of Harpelt, who sought to shatter the wall before him, the monster.
The state of expressing one’s intent to the world and influencing it.
A will that could only be wielded by those who had reached the realm of thought.
That powerful force settled into the sword.
“Ugh!”
With that destructive power contained within, the silver knight swung the sword toward the leg of Armiannon.
A strike imbued with the sincerity of a warrior who had reached the exalted realm of thought, a blow capable of toppling even mountains, struck fiercely against Armiannon’s leg.
KWA-BOOM!
A sound erupted as if a massive explosion had occurred.
Even if it were a calamity-level monster, an attack like this would not leave it unscathed, and it struck directly against Armiannon’s leg.
However, the expression on the silver knight’s face was not bright.
—
“…Ha.”
The knight let out a hollow laugh, his face twisted in disbelief.
“…This is absurd.”
What his gaze fell upon was the leg of Armianon, which bore only a slight scratch.
Yes. Just a scratch.
Even after taking a blow powerful enough to shatter mountains, the leg hadn’t been blown away; it had merely sustained a minor blemish on its scales.
Surely, an immense shock had been dealt, yet Armianon didn’t even stagger.
In the face of such an absurd situation, even the knight couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“Get a grip.”
It was Bloodflower, who had begun to radiate energy in earnest, urging him on.
“You knew it wouldn’t be easy.”
“…Yeah. That’s true.”
At those words, the knight shook his head.
Then he looked up at the sky once more.
“…I can’t just sit down over something like this.”
The two warriors had not yet given up.
Not yet; they could not afford to.
*
Boom! Bang!
The explosive sounds erupted in succession.
The battle between the two was fierce.
Even amidst the chaos of slime monsters and humans fighting everywhere, their clash stood out distinctly.
Even for an exceptional warrior, the speed was dizzying, and the intense collisions occurred dozens of times in the blink of an eye.
To the casual observer, it appeared to be an even match.
But Kahim, the one at the center of it all, knew better.
It was not even close.
On the surface, it seemed equal.
But the reality was different.
‘…It doesn’t connect.’
Strength, speed, magic.
—
In all those aspects, Kahim realized through the earlier clash that he was falling behind.
He felt it.
That a massive wall existed between him and Baran.
He had heard rumors before.
That there was an insurmountable gap between a swordsman of the Ten Blades and one who was not.
But he had never thought deeply about those rumors.
He had merely assumed they were words crafted to elevate those known as the Ten Blades.
Yet now, facing it directly, he understood.
No, he couldn’t help but understand.
That there was a decisive difference between Baran and himself.
Of course, Kahim hadn’t given it his all.
But he was putting forth his genuine effort.
Even so, Baran was effortlessly countering all of his attacks.
Without a hint of strain.
His expression even conveyed a sense of ease.
Though he hadn’t gone all out, honestly, he had no confidence that even if he did, he could shatter that composure.
“Ah, it seems your skill doesn’t quite match your bravado.”
Baran mocked.
Kahim grimaced at that, but he didn’t charge at Baran.
He knew that would be an act that tightened the noose around his own neck.
“If this keeps up, it’ll be no fun at all… so let’s gradually pick up the pace.”
Right after Baran made that sudden declaration.
Literally, Baran’s speed changed.
Swish!
“……!”
Startled by the sudden change in speed, Kahim moved his body.
Whoosh!
By a hair’s breadth, the sword grazed past his ear.
However, there was no time to feel relieved.
Baran’s sword was swinging again in quick succession.
Kahim successfully dodged the storm of swords pouring down on him with quick movements, yet his expression remained unyielding.
He knew better than anyone that his stance was crumbling and that he was on the defensive.
This situation was not good.
Judging so, Kahim rapidly summoned his magical power.
Then, he thrust both fists forward simultaneously.
A strike born from the potent magic and superhuman strength surged toward Baran, who had been pushing Kahim into a corner.
Baran’s choice, facing the blow, was to take a step back.
Bang!
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Kahim’s fist struck the air, yet it still produced a tremendous sound.
And the impact of that strike did not end with mere noise.
The shockwave generated from Kahim’s fists began to fly like a bullet toward the retreating Baran.
“……!”
Even Baran, whose gaze had not wavered throughout, twitched his eyebrows at the phenomenon.
A simple shockwave.
One could see it that way, but the power contained within it was not to be underestimated.
If it hit directly, the force could shatter his entire body.
Ultimately, Baran chose to swing his sword to slice through the bullet-like shockwave.
Swish!
Baran’s sharply swung sword cleaved the shockwave in two, scattering it away.
It was then.
Swoosh—
Kahim surged toward Baran as if he had been waiting for this moment.
The speed was on a completely different level from what he had shown until now.
It was only natural. Kahim was now in a state of full power.
With all his might, Kahim charged at Baran, extending his fist.
However.
“Oops.”
Baran simply evaded the punch by twisting his body.
Yet, Baran’s counterattack was far from over.
As if it were just the beginning, a storm of rapid strikes began to unfold.
As if there was no thought of letting go of the flow he had so painstakingly grasped.
Yet, even amidst that flow, Baran still did not lose his smile.
He was confident that he was ahead of Baran in every aspect.
He had the confidence to turn this flow upside down at any moment.
“It’s quite fierce, but this is all you’ve got—”
But.
The situation did not unfold as he had thought.
Whenever Baran tried to break the flow, Kahim moved with such precision that he completely thwarted that intent.
It was a movement and a martial art that Baran had never seen before.
A martial art with a flow and rhythm entirely different from those commonly used on the continent, truly an alien form of combat.
The unique flow of that martial art, its method, blocked Baran’s intentions.
As time passed, Baran began to find himself on the defensive.
Just as Kahim had been moments before.
When he finally regained his senses, a large opening had formed.
And Kahim did not miss that opening.
Like a beast tearing at the throat of its prey, now exposed, Kahim swung his fist.
With all his might.
Literally drawing forth all his strength, all his magical power.
Kahim had made a judgment.
Continuing the fight would yield him no chance of victory.
Thus, in an instant, he decided to pour everything into a single decisive blow.
For that reason, he infused all his power into this strike.
To win.
However.
The razor-sharp claws that were swung like that—
Kwang!
Were effortlessly blocked by the surface of Baran’s sword.
“……!”
Baran smiled at the astonished expression on Kahim’s face.
“This is quite chilling.”
—
Then, he calmly declared.
“I think I’ve seen all there is to see now… let’s wrap this up.”
And then.
Slash!
Baran’s sword mercilessly cut through Kahim.