Clement, a member of the Border Guard's light infantry unit saw the back of a figure.
The figure's back gradually grew wider, filling her vision until it became a wall that blocked her way.
The wall between the enemy and the allies appeared like an illusion before her eyes.
Clement knew it was an optical illusion, but she couldn't help but perceive the wall.
It was a barrier against the enemy, becoming the stronghold for her own side.
Beyond the illusory wall, she could see enemies kneeling one by one in front of the allies.
Had they seen the same thing as her?
She didn't know, nor did it matter.
The events around her and even her location seemed irrelevant.
As the illusion began to fade, the only thing left was the man who stood motionless in front of her.
Clement suddenly recognized the nickname of the person who had appeared and blocked the space between her side and the enemy.
The Demon Slayer.
She also learned his name.
Enkrid.
She knew his rank as well.
He was the lord and general of the area known as the Border Guard domain.
He spoke, saying it was over.
To stop.
And with that, the battle ended.
The day was still bright, the sunlight casting its rays on the land.
The light made everything around her so vividly clear.
It was as if the end of the battle had been etched into everyone's mind, like the clarity of the surrounding light.
"End of the war."
Clement muttered to herself.
Why?
The old song often sung by minstrels about the knight who ended wars without drawing his sword came to her mind.
She, too knew the song of the knight who brought an end to war without a weapon.
In the lyrics, there were those who ended battles without drawing a sword.
What had just unfolded in front of her seemed like something straight out of a minstrel's ballad.
A chill suddenly ran down Clement's spine, causing her whole body to shudder.
The hairs on her skin stood on end and she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the figure before her.
"Knight of the End?"
Her muttering didn't form into words.
In fact, no one around her made a sound.
Even the wind seemed to gently encircle him and the sunlight seemed to support his presence as it bathed him.
Without realizing it, Clement stepped forward leaving her position in the ranks and tripped injuring her ankle in the fall.
Blood stained her knee.
The pain was sharp yet she didn't feel it.
The shiver of her spine was still coursing through her body.
Her heart burned and she could feel something bubbling up from deep inside her.
Kneeling with one knee on the ground, she raised her head wondering what she was feeling.
She didn't know.
It didn't matter.
Enkrid!"
She simply uttered the name of her hero.
It wasn't just her.
The entire army shouted the name of the man who had stood in front of them.
Enkrid!
His name had halted everything—death, steel and blood in this land.
It wasn't just Clement.
Many of the enemy soldiers also had similar moments of revelation.
Among the few commanders who had realized something was wrong in the middle of the battle, one muttered to himself.
"Crazy bastards."
He cursed the higher-ups who had let things unfold this way but the battle had already begun.
Even if they rebelled now there was no turning back.
Seeing the disciplined forces of the Border Guard right in front of him realization hit him hard.
"We're going to lose."
Not just lose but suffer a crushing defeat.
The bodies would pile up and most of them would be soldiers from Aspen his own men.
But the arrow had already been fired.
The water had already spilled and the leaves had already fallen.
Most of the commanders and soldiers who had charged into the enemy ranks, driven by some kind of madness had regained their senses.
In reality, it was fear that slapped them awake forcing them to recognize the gravity of the situation.
"If you charge, you'll die. so calm down."
If this moment were to be expressed in crude terms, it would likely be this.
Rem might have said something like this.
At first, the commanders had believed that the allies would arrive and win when the battle began.
But now, in this unavoidable moment of combat even the enemies of Aspen couldn't help but respect the man who had stood in their way.
They didn't know it yet, but later when they reflected on this moment they would inevitably respect him.
That man had stood in the way, preventing useless bloodshed.
Had the battle continued, it would have been a loss for Aspen.
If a slaughter had occurred, whose blood would fill the field?
The answer to that question was clear.
"Wow."
One of the shock troops in the front lines muttered in awe.
"Hey, it's over."
The observant leader of the shock troops spoke openly.
The momentum had been broken and charging forward now would only result in annihilation with no harm done.
No matter how foolish the commander was no one would dare charge in this situation.
And so both Aspen's commanders and soldiers all stared at one person.
The one who had stood alone and blocked the army.
A knight is said to be someone who can cut down a thousand men.
What should a man who stands against an army of over a thousand be called?
"The birth of a hero."
A commander muttered instinctively and without resistance laid down his weapon.
This marked the end of the war, though what came after the surrender remained to be seen.
Behind the scenes, a man who had been watching the battle and had witnessed his superior's death now found himself as the new supreme commander.
He had seen one man appear and stand alone against an army and in that moment, he felt something inside him collapse.
"Not killing... but stopping?"
It was like stopping a horse in full gallop with nothing but the reins.
It was astonishing enough to stop a horse with sheer force, yet in such cases the horse should fall, breaking its legs or its neck, right?
"Shit, is this even possible?"
But the horse was fine and the man was unharmed.
From a distance, it looked as if one man was holding off the entire army.
As he stood in the middle of the battlefield, bathed in sunlight the man's chest was filled with fear.
What was collapsing?
It was his future and everything he had built until now.
Perhaps it would have been better to fight and lose.
If they had fought until the end, even if it meant building a mountain of corpses he could have said he did his best.
Even if he faced disadvantages, it wouldn't be a mortal sin.
But what would happen if they stopped here?
If the battle ended like this who would take responsibility for it?
Even if everything was revealed it would cause problems.
The knight was one issue, but the one who obediently followed his command was sure to face consequences as well.
Fear gripped him and his mind froze.
He quickly attempted to flee.
Forget about making amends; escaping seemed like the only sensible option.
The most important thing in the world was his own life, wasn't it?
"I need to survive first."
There are always those who choose duty and responsibility and those who choose to save themselves.
And so, he turned to flee only to meet a cavalry unit coming from the other side.
Unable to avoid them, he stopped and right then, Abnaier appeared confronting him.
"What happened?"
The fleeing man blinked, out of breath unable to answer, only staring at Abnaier.
Why was Abnaier here?
Abnaier hadn't received the regular report from his previous general and his intuition, constantly nagging at the back of his mind led him to the battlefield.
He trusted Barnas, yet a lingering anxiety drove him to come.
He hoped nothing was amiss but the situation had turned in an unpredictable direction.
"Uh, well..."
The man began to make excuses though they were weak and unconvincing.
Abnaier, seeing his shifty eyes sensed he was hiding something and spoke coldly.
"From now on, if you lie. I'll cut off your wrist."
His voice was calm, devoid of aggression yet his words had weight. The man knew well that Abnaier would keep his word.
"Where's your commanding officer?" Abnaier asked.
"He... he's dead."
The man caught his breath as he spoke, his back drenched in cold sweat.
As the truth came out, Abnaier closed his eyes.
"We've lost."
He may not have understood every detail of the situation, but one thing was clear: they had lost.
If they hadn't, why would an enemy knight appear in the midst of a battle?
'Ha.'
Not even the Red Cloak Knights, but to be stopped by the Border Guard's standing army.
What does this imply?
It's proof that the Border Guard's military power surpasses that of the entire Aspen Duchy.
If you were to break it down by the number of soldiers or other factors, it might not seem so but the truth remains clear.
'Knight.'
The force known as the Disaster.
Abnaier briefly looked up at the sky: the clear blue, the white clouds drifting between the rays of light shining through the gaps.
The wind blew, ruffling his hair.
Removing his helmet, Abnaier nodded.
"Kill him."
"...Why!"
The commander tried to flee.
It was a foolish act.
Fleeing now?
Where could he go at this point?
Defeat?
That could be forgiven.
Losing the commander due to some insane knight going rogue?
That could also be forgiven.
But abandoning the remaining army and fleeing alone was unforgivable.
The absence of the highest-ranking officer could lead to a massacre.
Crack!
One of the guards threw a spear.
The man trying to escape hurriedly turned, only for the spear to pierce his back.
"Crack!"
The one hit by the spear collapsed face-first into the ground.
Without so much as a glance at the dead man Abnaier and the guards moved forward.
"Have we lost?"
In response to the guard captain's question, Abnaier recited what needed to be done.
"We will return, saving as many as possible."
Would the enemy let the retreating army go unchallenged?
Who could possibly halt the battle like this?
It was time to see and do what needed to be done with their own eyes.
Upon arriving at the battlefield, Abnaier observed the entire situation.
He saw a man standing alone, blocking the enemy.
Abnaier recognized his face and name.
He was someone he once targeted for death, no doubt about it.
A man with black hair and blue eyes, standing alone as if carrying sunlight.
He was a knight now, no doubt about it.
Even if Abnaier didn't fully grasp his abilities, the situation made it clear just how powerful he was.
"The Demon Slayer."
Abnaier spoke the man's most famous title.
So, what should be done now?
Abnaier was determined to save his army, even at the cost of his own life.
"Everyone, return."
"We began together and we will end together."
The captain of the guards did not heed the command.
Abnaier had no time to convince him.
If the Border Guard's standing army started a fight now the entire army would be wiped out.
Moreover, there was a knight on the enemy side.
Just as Abnaier was about to step forward, the enemy spoke first.
"Fall back."
"Just leave?"
The words were barely audible.
Abnaier muttered to himself.
It was unbelievable, but it was true.
The man stopped the battle, plunging the battlefield into silence then turned Aspen's army around.
There was no need for promises not to chase.
His words themselves were proof of trust.
Even more so, he turned his back first.
As Abnaier watched Enkrid's back, he reflected on everything he had observed.
He understood why Enkrid had turned away.
'Unnecessary bloodshed.'
The battle could continue.
The outcome could be determined.
People could die and others could be killed.
That's what war was and taking up a sword or spear meant an agreement had already been made.
But if it was deemed unnecessary, it would be stopped.
It seemed as if he had heard Enkrid's words.
Even Abnaier felt a shiver down his spine.
It was a greater thrill than those who had witnessed the wall of Will and pressure.
'Could someone like that truly exist?'
Abnaier had seen many people.
While he hadn't seen any true legends, he had seen kings, imperial knights and knights from southern kingdoms.
The king from the east, who was called a hero, was no less than these but how did he compare to the man before him?
At least in Abnaier's realm of judgment, it didn't even come close.
He felt unqualified to judge him.
His ideals were lofty, their convictions firm and their will stronger than ever.
"Let's go back."
It was time to return and stand before those who would ask for accountability for the war.
General Frog had saved his men and returned alive after intending to die.
The commander who had abandoned his men in the mountains and fled had been killed by a knight.
The new commander, who had ordered a full charge in panic had only tried to save his own life before dying.
Abnaier, having failed again was prepared to either face a lifetime in prison or meet his death.
That was the end of this battle and the peace Aspen had achieved or would achieve.
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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