"Pathetic bastard. Go die. Crawl here if you must."
In a gathering that seemed almost arranged, Rem used his tongue instead of an axe to push Ragna into a corner.
"Cough."
Ragna, who was about to say something, coughed, raised his hand, and showed his middle finger, returning the insult with an ancient curse that had been passed down through generations on the continent.
Rem nodded, as if he had made up his mind.
"Boss, now's the time. Slash his throat. At this point, we could take him down with little effort."
He mimicked the motion of striking his neck with the edge of his hand as he spoke.
From the sound of it, it seemed like Enkrid and Rem had made a pact to kill Ragna.
As soon as Rem arrived, he began insulting Ragna without even listening to the situation.
Jaxen chuckled upon hearing this.
He even made a deflating sound, clearly intending to mock Ragna.
"Let's kill that bastard too."
Rem urged Enkrid to kill them all, but naturally, there was no way Enkrid would listen to him.
"Finn, go ahead and assess the situation. We'll join up with you after we see what's going on."
"Yes, sir!"
Finn half-listened to what they were saying and forgot all about the fear or confusion regarding the current situation.
Why?
Because the people before her were in the process of writing history.
It might even be the moment of a legendary birth.
Barnas Hurrier was a knight whose name Finn had heard before, and he had slain enemies alone.
Cypress of Naurilia.
Barnas of Aspen.
Just twenty years ago, mentioning their names alone was enough to convey the military power of both countries.
Finn, on a reconnaissance mission, knew that Barnas, the knight, might appear on the battlefield where they were.
But that didn't mean she sensed defeat.
"If luck is on our side and at least two mad knights join forces, maybe we have a chance."
It was impossible for Finn to gauge the strength of knight-level forces, but she had entertained such thoughts.
Ragna, however, had already slain him.
He was wounded but had won.
The body that lay before Finn was enough evidence of the brutal, fierce battle that had occurred.
Even without the Aspen Royal Knight Order's emblem etched into the various equipment on the body, the ground was cracked, and blood splattered everywhere, revealing how savage the fight had been.
"A monster."
That was what Ragna was.
The same went for Jaxen and others like him.
"We can still fight."
These lunatics, look at what they're saying.
"Barbarian runaway, come at me."
His innards were damaged, and blood spilled from his mouth, but the words he spat were those.
"You bastard, I'll spare you this once."
It was a good thing that Rem wasn't swinging his axe in his madness.
Was it because Enkrid was subtly between the two?
While killing Barnas alone was impressive, it wasn't the only achievement.
There was also the man who single-handedly wiped out a whole fairy warrior squad, and Rem had taken on two knights.
And leading them all was Enkrid, who had slain a knight as well.
These were people who didn't speak empty words, even if they do say insane things. Every casual remark they made was truth.
Finn, hearing Enkrid's order, moved out first.
They had tried everything to stop an all-out battle, but to truly end the fighting, they needed to be present.
So, Finn put thoughts of fatigue aside and quickly moved her feet.
After Finn left with his subordinates, Enkrid pointed with his finger along the rugged path crossing the mountain range and said:
"We will join the main forces."
Enkrid suggested taking a slightly rougher path to join the main force, and the reason was simple.
If someone asked, he would have no other explanation but to say it was his intuition.
It was good to return quickly, but crossing the mountain range on the shortest route?
"That one needs treatment."
Shinar said.
It was obvious who she was referring to.
Rem and Jaxen turned their gaze to one side.
"Is it me?"
Ragna murmured.
"Maybe we should leave him here and come back to look for him tomorrow."
Rem responded.
At times like this, their teamwork seemed to match well.
If the two of them joined forces in actual combat, how would things play out?
If Rem fought mercilessly following his instincts, Jaxen could patch up the gaps with his sense of timing.
It might actually be a good pairing.
Ragna started glaring at them with his good eye
"That eye has an ominous aura."
"Unpleasant glare."
The two of them responded simultaneously, and when Enkrid's gaze landed on Ragna, he spoke.
"Apply saliva, and it will heal."
His knees, shoulders, and even his internal organs were damaged, and one of his eyes was hurt.
If applying saliva could heal such injuries, there would be no need for divine intervention.
Therapists might as well quit their research and studies and just spit on wounds and walk around instead.
"Help him up."
Enkrid squatted before Ragna and said.
"...Do I have to?"
Shinar asked, thinking it wasn't an urgent situation.
"There's no harm in going quickly."
Enkrid responded lazily.
"Do we have to?"
"Really?"
Rem and Jaxen both added a remark, clicking their tongues at the wounded Ragna.
"I now understand that killing these two and burying my sword here is the right path for the peace of the continent."
Ragna spat these words, brimming with rage, but he knew that it wasn't the right time to physically fight back.
"Get him up."
What else could be done? Enkrid was the kind of man who would push if it was his will.
Shinar picked Ragna up and placed him on Enkrid's back, and Enkrid, carrying him, descended the mountain.
The Pen-Hanil Mountain Range was dangerous, but it was nothing to them.
"Where's the one that escaped you?"
Enkrid asked as they descended.
"Ha."
Jaxen let out a sigh, and Rem shot a sharp look at him before answering.
"Well, he probably shriveled up and run away, didn't he?"
Enkrid didn't ask about what had shriveled, but Shinar muttered something from behind.
"His balls, huh?"
It was a modified fairy-style joke, spoken by Jaxen in a manner meant to be barely audible, testing Enkrid's reaction.
It was meant to fluster him, but Enkrid remained unmoved.
He only heard the noise that irritated his ears, and the reason he heard it before the fairy did was simple.
It was his intuition, and he activated his Will to listen more carefully.
"Jaxen."
"I'm going ahead."
The ground rumbled, the air trembled, and faint shouts were heard from a distance.
Jaxen, upon hearing this, dashed ahead. His figure quickly disappeared among the trees.
Enkrid, breathing out through his nose, said.
"Clear the way."
The air around them carried the scent of beasts and monsters.
Rem stepped aside for a moment, beginning to swing his axe.
Thud, thump, crack!
The noise of bones and muscles cracking, splitting, and breaking echoed in Enkrid's ears.
Shinar stopped mid-run, narrowing her eyes.
The sun was dipping low in the west.
It wasn't quite the time for the sunset yet, but the setting sun was casting long shadows.
As they descended the mountain range, the situation became clear.
"Uwaaa!"
The enemy was charging forward.
Shinar could already foresee what would happen.
Blood would pool and flow, forming rivers that would turn into a flood.
Thousands would die, and in the center of the battlefield, blood would run like a river, sweeping everything away.
The battlefield would require madness to keep going.
Aspen filled the void left by a fallen morale with madness.
"Yahoou!"
As part of the interspecies integration policy, the beastmen assault unit from beyond northern Aspen began their charge.
On the other hand, the allied forces didn't rush forward to meet them.
However, the clash of both sides was inevitable, like the passage of time, unchangeable.
As certain as the transition from today to tomorrow, it was a constant.
Enkrid put Ragna down.
"We're at the base of the mountain. There are no monsters, so hold on."
"My sword will be needed."
"No, stay still. I'll come for you."
Enkrid spoke and looked ahead.
Why was the enemy charging head-on? He didn't know, nor did he need to know.
It wasn't ordered by anyone, nor was there a clear answer, but Enkrid knew what he had to do.
"Shinar!"
He called, and as he began to run, his pace rapidly increased.
Boom! Boom!
His feet didn't hold back; the ground cracked and the earth and rocks flew up like fountains.
His charge was wild and reckless—an unmistakable sign that an unnatural force was coming.
Behind him, Shinar followed with quick, graceful movements.
Shortly after, Rem, having split the heads of beasts and monsters, joined the charge.
"Jaxen!"
"You're late!"
Enkrid's shout was met with Jaxen's response.
Though his name was all Enkrid said, Jaxen understood the implied question.
Could they stop the enemy?
Enkrid ran, pondering for a split second as his left foot left the ground.
In that brief moment, blood flowed to his brain, accelerating his thoughts.
Could they stop the charging army?
If the forces were evenly matched, they could be stopped.
Even with fewer troops, with the right training, it might be possible.
But many would die.
'Any other options?'
What if it was overwhelming violence?
A knight is a monster who faces thousands alone.
If there were not just one, but three such monsters?
That might be enough to deter them.
This action wasn't the result of some grand calculation.
All Enkrid saw were the countless deaths of those who had no reason to die.
No honor, no glory, no fame—just slaughter.
Only the song of steel would welcome them, and at the end, they'd flounder in a black river.
If there were those who welcomed death and killing, they'd cheer for such slaughter.
But Enkrid wasn't one of them.
Death and killing were meant to decide the outcome of a battle, but this was just meaningless death.
The war was already over.
Then, regardless of where it began, he would stop it.
His will became a belief, and that belief became strength, surging within him as Enkrid felt the flood of will.
"Audin!"
He shouted, but his voice wouldn't carry through the chaos.
Audin, caught in the confusion, couldn't hear him.
Enkrid inhaled deeply again.
Then, with the overflowing will, he shouted once more.
Let it echo, loudly, reaching everyone's ears.
"A-U-D-I-N!"
Lacking finesse, Enkrid filled the gap with raw willpower, his voice a storm of energy.
As he uttered those three letters, their owner appeared from one side.
"Yes, brother, Audin is here!"
"Stop them!"
Enkrid saw glowing dots, scattered across the battlefield.
They weren't literally glowing, but it was his intuition responding to the surge of will.
What were they?
The points where the enemy had to be stopped.
It was at the far right of the battlefield, between two spots where the two armies would soon clash.
"Teresa, help!"
At his command, Audin and Teresa took their positions at that point.
How would they stop the charge?
The answer was overwhelming violence.
Audin, suppressing his desire to awaken his divine power, clenched his fist and struck.
Boom!
No one could ignore this at point-blank range.
Two people were sent flying into the air by the sheer force.
If Audin had wanted to kill them, he would have crushed them, but he deliberately sent them flying to draw attention.
Audin followed Enkrid's intentions, and Teresa did the same, swinging her shield with force.
The shield struck the enemy, sending them flying, their bodies landing like pebbles tossed aside.
Had they done nothing, the two armies would have met and chaos would have broken out in no time.
"Rem!"
"Did you lose your hearing?"
"Over there!"
Enkrid pointed to another glowing point, a line leading from Audin's position.
By showing overwhelming destructive force, they needed to stop the enemy's advance.
"I see what you're trying to do."
Shinar, always quick-witted, was one step ahead, rushing to where she needed to be.
She was positioned opposite Audin, beyond the battlefield.
After Shinar took her spot, she spoke.
"You may only come this far. Otherwise I'll make them shrink."
It seemed like a joke, but it was Shinar's way of expressing her confidence.
This wasn't a moment where her body would disintegrate into dust; she still had energy after having faced Barnas and his forces before.
"Jaxen, Ropord, Fel! Over there!"
Jaxen wasn't someone who could stop a large army on his own, so he needed backup.
Two more were added to hold the line.
Still, a huge gap remained in the front—one only Enkrid could see.
If they didn't stop it, blood would pour through the gap.
Enkrid ran and shouted, taking a deep breath to steady his pulse, then stopped.
Behind him was his army; in front, the enemy.
Some, with puzzled looks, were halting their charge, while others were running straight ahead, heedless.
Normally, this was the moment where a knight would show what it meant to be one.
Enkrid had planned to cut through the enemy, showing them what it meant to stand alone against a thousand.
But now, his thoughts had changed.
'What stops the feet of men?'
His thoughts flowed rapidly, and in that instant, he knew what he had to do.
He could distinguish clearly between what he could and couldn't do.
What he once thought was impossible, now felt within his grasp.
The overflowing will granted him the power of omnipotence.
What stopped their feet wasn't violence, but fear.
If fear was needed, he would give it.
Enkrid poured his will out, like breaking a dam, flooding everything.
A wall appeared behind him, and he drew his sword, slashing it against the ground.
Crack!
A long line appeared where his blade had struck the earth.
'Cross this line and die.'
With that, he infused the line with his will. The line became a manifestation of his will.
The overwhelming pressure behind him turned into a wall. It wasn't a deep chasm, but it was wide.
A wall formed by overflowing will and pressure.
Enkrid had faced similar walls many times, and now he was showing the enemy the same pressure.
Anyone who saw the wall wouldn't dare cross it.
Madness faded, and in the face of fear, their feet slowed, their hands dropped.
A wall?
There's a wall?
If they charged forward, they'd die.
Don't cross that line.
Enkrid's invisible wall spread across the battlefield, overwhelming the enemy with fear.
Some, trying to push forward despite the pressure, were overwhelmed by Enkrid's madmen unit.
"That's enough."
Enkrid spoke, and the scene unfolded like a painting.
The advancing enemy froze.
"Ah."
Whether they saw the fear or something else, the soldiers at the front dropped to their knees, one by one, as did dozens, then hundreds, until the battlefield was littered with kneeling bodies.
The sun, dipping to the west, gathered its last rays and illuminated Enkrid.
The light poured from his body as he stood, sword in hand.
Though it was simply the sun setting behind him, to the soldiers watching, it was a mysterious, almost divine halo.
A knight could cut down a thousand, but no knight had ever stopped a thousand.
Enough
Enkrid finished speaking.
The war was over.
If you enjoy the series and want to get more Chapters early, head over to my kofi
Many thanks to azuring for proofreading the Chapter

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