Eternally Regressing Knight
Chapter 341 - 341 - The Heavy and Fast Sword
Rem turned around and knocked a spear aside with his axe.
Clang!
The spearhead ricocheted through the air. Though trolls are powerful beasts, Rem was also a human of great strength.
Audin, running towards them, swiftly intercepted the spear mid-flight.
The heavy spear, which had been flying toward him, came to an abrupt stop as soon as it touched Audin's hand.
For something flying with such dynamic force, it was surprisingly easy to stop.
It was an abnormal scene created by abnormal strength.
It seemed as if some physical laws were being ignored.
There's a saying that strength beyond limits can appear like a spell.
And that was exactly the case—muscle power trained to the extreme.
In terms of raw power, it was said that Audin surpassed even Rem.
The two troll brothers didn't even have time to register what was happening.
"Hahaha!"
Audin laughed as he kicked off the ground, and with each step, the earth exploded beneath him in a blast of dirt, like a fountain.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Not once, but three more bursts of dirt shot into the air.
Audin's body left a trail, his figure a blur.
The massive body moved with an impossible speed, shortening the space as if he vanished from sight.
If an ordinary person had been watching, it would have seemed as if he had disappeared.
It was a charge created by perfectly controlled thigh muscles and a complete mastery of his own body.
It could rival the charge of a knight.
Enkrid thought as he watched.
Audin closed the distance and used the spear like a blunt weapon to strike one of the trolls in the
Audin closed the distance and used the spear like a weapon to strike one of the trolls in the head.
With movements faster than ever, the troll didn't even have time to dodge.
Then, combining the "Moā Tertirī" technique Enkrid had learned...
Smack! Boom!
The troll's skull shattered, black blood spraying into the air.
Pieces of skull and bone scattered in all directions. Blood spurted from the point where the spear hit and spread diagonally upward.
The surroundings began to darken as the sun set, but it wasn't an issue since no one here had trouble seeing in the dark.
So...
"Don't miss."
Enkrid spoke.
Dunbakel and Teresa sprang forward.
Audin continued to smile as he pounded the trolls.
The regeneration abilities of trolls were well-known, but Audin ripped off their arms, and eyes popped out as they were crushed.
Enkrid had no need to step in anymore.
The five trolls didn't even dare try to escape.
If even one got away, they would hide, and from there, it would be a game of hide and seek, which would be troublesome even for Rem.
Hunting down a monster that was deliberately hiding was a different matter.
So there was no way they could afford to let one escape.
Naturally, none of the trolls managed to escape.
Audin didn't hesitate and quickly dismantled and destroyed three of them.
One of the trolls was split into nine pieces with an axe by Rem.
"What's with that guy?"
After chopping up the troll, Rem looked at Audin, asking why he was so excited.
"Haha, it's a good night. The Lord is watching over us," Audin said with a smile.
The last troll was for Dunbakel and Teresa.
The two fought over it, tearing it apart and smashing it.
And that was the end of it.
The trolls' regenerative abilities didn't have a chance to kick in.
Shinar had only watched, or rather, was busy putting out the fire. She then crouched down, glanced up, and asked, "Should we relight it?"
Enkrid looked up at the sky, estimating the time. It was already evening, and it was time to discuss the night.
If it were early morning, resting would have been the right choice, but was it really necessary?
Not every situation requires following what's expected.
Enkrid wanted to wash up, and he saw this as another opportunity for training. Besides, there was no reason to endure the discomfort of camping.
"Let's head back."
If they kept running tonight, they could reach Border Guard in two days.
If they pushed even harder, they could get there by the next night.
Would that be too much? This kind of training was also necessary.
After the injuries and the rest they had taken before, they hadn't been moving their bodies much.
So it was the perfect opportunity. Overworking the body by running alone would be a good training experience.
After considering this, he decided to leave the rest for when they arrived in the city.
No one had any complaints.
The rumors about the three low-level magic beasts, or more precisely, the two colonies and the five troublesome monsters they had dealt with, spread quickly.
"I've got nothing to say."
Krais was the first to comment when he heard the news.
Who wouldn't be surprised hearing about this?
It wasn't in a bad way.
The moment Krais heard what Enkrid had done, his mind started spinning.
If such feats were possible...
That means, there were many capable individuals who could deal with monsters, burning, crushing, slashing, and killing them, and if they asked, they'd be willing to help.
Ah, except for one person. Ah, wait, one person is on leave, so two people should be excluded, but still, the sheer power was incredible.
Rem and Audin had never been more proactive, either.
"Dunbakel and Teresa are no slouches either."
Esther and Krais's "Big Eyes" were also noteworthy, but they were considered special cases.
"I need to meet with the lord," Krais said. Enkrid simply nodded in agreement.
Krais's eyes sparkled as if some thought had occurred to him.
He must have seen some opportunity for profit.
Enkrid, after washing up, rested, ate, and once again immersed himself in the technique of isolation.
"Moā Tertirī" was a technique where the body had to follow through.
It was all about muscle contraction and explosion.
Once mastered, even what had just been done to him could be replicated.
After Audin killed the trolls, he showed off the technique to Enkrid, grinning even wider than before, obviously pleased.
"It's possible once you become proficient at it."
As he spoke, he approached holding a hammer in his left hand. His presence was intimidating,
His presence was intimidating, but paradoxically, it sparked a sense of anticipation, which was soon fulfilled.
The giant-like figure loomed over him as they stood face to face. Though Enkrid was no small man, the difference in their heights was undeniable.
"Watch this," said Audin, extending his fist. It stopped just a breath away from Enkrid's abdomen.
Enkrid's instincts kicked in at that moment. There was no time to evade, so he quickly tensed his abs.
Boom!
The explosive sound rang out as if his stomach had detonated. Enkrid felt weightless, his feet lifting off the ground.
lifting off the ground. He flew backward, stumbling a few steps before landing on his feet.
He didn't roll like a fool but kept his balance. The blows from the hammer hadn't been in vain; his endurance had greatly improved.
"What was that?" Enkrid asked.
"That was 'Gather and Burst'."
Enkrid's eyes shifted to the floor. The dry dirt of the training ground bore clear traces of the attack.
The ground was deeply indented, as if a small whirlwind had spun in place.
"The rotation of the ankle," Enkrid thought, his mind analyzing. The technique combined the compression and explosive release of full-body muscle power.
It was a devastating, yet fascinating technique.
"Impressive," Enkrid said, genuinely impressed, before diving back into his focus. His body and mind were both fully occupied.
He wasn't just learning 'Gather and Burst'.
Audin continued to hammer Enkrid's body with the hammer, striking every muscle except his head.
Afterward, Enkrid worked on mastering Dunbakel's full-body elastic swordsmanship.
Then, he got a shield from the forge, paired with Teresa, and learned how to handle various weapons from Rem.
"Is learning all that miscellaneous stuff really helpful?" Rem asked.
While depth of learning is often important, that wasn't a concept that applied to someone like Enkrid. In other words, he already knew the answer.
"Yes," came his short reply.
Enkrid was finding his way through experience and intuition.
Was this the path toward becoming a knight? He wasn't sure.
But one thing was clear.
'This is driving me crazy.'
He was consumed with enjoyment, with the thrill of learning and mastering new things. The speed at which it all became second nature was exceptional.
"The Commander's body is a bit clumsy, though. And he's struggling with everything from Will to techniques?" Rem's harsh words cut through the air.
But it didn't bother Enkrid. Compared to his previous growth, this progress was unbelievable.
Ragna, watching from a distance with half-closed eyes, wasn't lacking in motivation. He had seen the knight's sword, which had given him clarity on the path he needed to take. Now, he was simply organizing and tidying up.
Ragna had spent a long time wandering the continent. Half of that time had been spent lost, but many fateful encounters had come from that period.
Those people showed him various techniques—mercenaries and warriors from merchant groups.
Ragna, being a genius, could quickly grasp and replicate their methods.
He could follow them after just one look and, after repeating the movements once or twice, would reach their level. Within two days, he was surpassing them.
"Devil's work. The talent of a devil," a mercenary guard had once said.
From that moment, Ragna knew he was different from ordinary people. This also led him to wonder.
'Should I keep going?'
None of the people around him could catch up. Was it worth it to continue on this path?
The doubt and suspicion ate at him, and at some point, he stopped moving forward.
Though motivation remained, he was content to focus on mastering what he had already learned.
The turning point came when he fought the semi-knight Ayada, pushing past his limits.
Why was he able to do this? Because, at some point, the doubts that had been eating away at him had disappeared.
"When are we going to stop playing? Let's have a duel," Enkrid said, holding his sword and giving a slight shake.
Ragna nodded. He had sorted out his thoughts, and had also refined his skills learned over time.
Like Enkrid, he was now starting to carve his own path.
This marked the birth of the Ragna-style swordsmanship.
Instead of being trapped in a rigid style, Ragna opened a new path.
"It's heavy and fast."
The moment he spoke, Enkrid instantly recalled the knight's sword.
The sword vanished, seemingly folding space, and reappeared.
It was different in both speed and weight.
Enkrid raised his sword horizontally to block it, and a tremendous shock reverberated through his body.
'A slicing strike?'
It was similar in power to 'Gather and Burst' but different in technique.
Just by observing the move, Enkrid was already incorporating it into his own swordsmanship, adapting it to his body.
It was the mark of a genius.
"Crazy bastard," Rem chuckled as he raised his axe.
"Alright, I can finally give your ass a proper beating," he said, referring to Enkrid, who had been
pushed back by the strike.
"Lazy bastard, what are you talking about?" Rem quipped in return.
"I said I can beat you now without killing you. Is that so hard to understand? Do I need to show
you more?" Ragna replied.
"Fine. Let's do it. Let's see if you can back that up," Rem said, ready for the fight.
Soon, Ragna and Rem clashed.
Enkrid, having been knocked back, decided not to intervene.
This fight was different from the last.
Rem was being pushed back. Ragna had crossed a line.
However, Rem wasn't just being pushed back.
Enkrid was absorbing every moment of their duel.
There was an overwhelming amount to learn. Things that were invisible before now stood out clearly.
Ragna was showing exactly what he had spoken about—his sword was heavy yet fast.
It may have looked light, but when it clashed with Rem's axe, Ragna's sword felt incredibly weighty.
Bang!
The constant booming sounds drew the attention of nearby soldiers.
Some were shocked, while others seemed unsurprised, as though it was to be expected.
After all, who among the insane unit members could be considered ordinary?
Enkrid, watching their fight, was so thrilled that his entire body tingled with excitement. He couldn't contain himself any longer.
"Are you just going to watch?"
Enkrid inserted himself into the scene, having moved close without them noticing.
He wanted to observe and learn from the fine details of Shinar's sword technique during their duel.
"You greedy fiancée, if I give you this, what will you give me in return?"
Anything except the engagement, of course.
"A date, perhaps?"
The fairy asked, and Enkrid, unable to resist, agreed without hesitation.
"Sure."
A date for swordsmanship—though it sounded like a joke, both Enkrid and Shinar were satisfied with the arrangement.
"Did they already clear out the marshlands?"
Count Molsan asked, and the servant who had been reporting bowed his head.
"I'm sorry. We didn't know how quickly they would move."
It was the count himself who had released the monsters into the swamp.
He had used creatures like the Bell bugs and blood-sucking flies to block people's access while conducting a few magical experiments there.
The swamp was also a good place to gather rare magical ingredients, such as herbs.
After Enkrid left the city, the reports about him heading to the Gray Ghoul Forest were expected.
Information was never a waste.
Even if a Frog was causing trouble, there was no way no useful information could come from it.
So, the count knew about it, but...
"They've also killed the five trolls."
"What the hell?"
The count was simply dumbfounded. Were they not even sleeping? The terrain was so rough that it wasn't even suitable for carts, so how had they been running through it?
He couldn't believe it. For a moment, he couldn't speak. The uncomfortable feeling lingered for a brief time, but he quickly shook it off.
'This is absurd.'
It was too late to do anything now.
He couldn't even admit that he had released the monsters into the swamp.
Besides, once he got what he wanted, everything else would be meaningless.
"A guild member speaking the kingdom's language has infiltrated the territory."
"Deal with it."
"There are a few troublesome mercenaries involved."
This meant that the local security couldn't handle the situation on its own.
The count dismissed thoughts of the insane unit from his mind and, after a moment of clarity, found a solution.
"Send Mats."
"Understood."
The servant bowed before leaving.
The count sat quietly in his chair, lost in thought.
Preparations were still lacking. He would need to wait. But how long should he wait?
Perhaps a year or two at most.
Is the desire to climb to the top a human instinct? Or was it the desire of someone born and raised as a power-hungry noble?
He didn't know. He would know when he got there.
But for now, he didn't want to know. The ignorance of the present would be satisfied with the joy of future experiences.
Until then...
'Will I still be alive?'
The insane unit, Enkrid. What an unusual person. Truly an impressive individual. He had to make sure not to end up standing against him in the future.
If he did, he wouldn't be able to spare him. The count had no intention of killing Enkrid.
After all, a person who had provided him with this much interest was rare.

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