Eternally Regressing Knight
Chapter 688: Chapter 687 - The Swordsmanship of Calculation
Night falls quickly in the mountains.
The early twilight light soon fades, and the moon and stars replace the sun on the swiftly descending night sky.
Though it wasn’t possible to race like a wild dash, they were still running at a fair speed.
When the terrain flattened, their speed doubled, and as their pace quickened, the moon and stars above stretched into lines, appearing elongated in the sky.
Scree!
A wild boar, startled by the group, tried to chase them for a moment but soon gave up.
Had it been a bit more persistent, it would’ve had the rare experience of seeing its entrails spilled on the ground, but the boar was lucky.
Ragna briefly raised his hand over his sword grip, then released it.
A quick judgment told him that killing the creature here and spilling blood would attract more unwanted things.
Running on flat ground could be considered a rest period for them.
Magrun led the group as promised, guiding them down a rougher path.
The ground was littered with jagged rocks and tree roots that looked like natural traps, enough to trip someone up.
But these were all knights, and no one was hindered by such terrain.
The only one unable to keep up with this speed was Anne, who had swallowed two small pills and now rested, leaning against Ragna’s back in a deep sleep.
No need to worry about her.
Whoosh! Crunch! Snap!
Magrun, in the lead, swung his sword, cutting through a few branches.
The severed branches flew backward.
As they carefully avoided roots and selected their steps, a large rock blocked their path at waist height.
Yet, without a moment’s hesitation, the group simply jumped over it.
Even the steep slopes that would have caused a sigh from anyone below were passed without hesitation.
Enkrid, while running, was lost in thought.
The ability to think about two things at once had now become a long-standing skill, and dodging obstacles while running was no challenge at all.
His night-adapted eyes could discern the surroundings with just the moonlight and starlight.
Even if something blocked his feet, changing his step to avoid it was not difficult.
So, this was the perfect time to think about swordsmanship.
That was Enkrid’s mindset.
"When something flies towards you, you reach out. Like the owner of a jerky shop in front of a brazier, turning the skewers in both directions."
If he used Will in such a natural way, his reactions to sudden attacks would be empowered.
Though he had learned this before, it wouldn’t become natural unless practiced physically.
Enkrid knew himself well; he understood that just recalling and repeating something wasn’t enough for the body to adapt. It needed repetition.
So, attacks like this would be welcomed.
Deep in thought, his senses caught something.
"Something is coming."
As he registered it, Ragna, carrying Anne, shifted his foot to the side, changing direction.
With a sharp crack, the ground where his foot landed caved in, forming a hole.
Even though he exerted such force, his boots wouldn’t break.
Underneath was a steel plate, and the outer material was made from the sturdy hide of a troll.
Through Enkrid’s vision, the custom-made boots designed by Krais sent soil flying upward, and amidst that, a long black shadow emerged.
"Ambush!"
Ragna avoided first, then shouted.
At the same time, Enkrid, who had been trailing close behind, unsheathed Penna and swung it.
Swoosh!
The fine elven sword, known for its exceptional sharpness, slashed across the black shadow, cutting it diagonally.
"Arm."
As Enkrid slashed, he recognized the shadow’s nature.
His night-adapted eyes relied on the moonlight to discern the details: the arm was covered in black scales.
With the tactile feedback from his hand, he gained further insight.
"Hard."
Even if it weren’t Penna, a regular sword would have cut, but it wouldn’t have been this easy.
The arm, tough and covered in black scales, was something he had perceived through both sight and touch.
Though the arm was severed, there was no scream.
Instead, black blood splattered into the air, deliberately sprayed toward Enkrid’s face from the severed arm’s end.
High-speed thinking helped him grasp the opponent’s intent.
"They’re using the severed arm as part of the attack."
This wasn’t a strategy commonly seen from regular monsters.
Typically, creatures instinctively react to pain when losing a limb.
"Black!"
Grida shouted again, but Enkrid was already avoiding the sprayed blood, moving his body swiftly before reappearing to the left, as Ragna had moved right.
Enkrid then performed a frog-like leap, a technique taught by Luagarne, before slashing Penna horizontally.
Will infused every movement as expected, and it was without excess, making it look like a choreographed motion.
A flash, like moonlight, tore through the air, and everything in its path was cut down—the night’s darkness and even the scalers hiding within.
Thwack!
The creature’s body, half severed, collapsed, spilling black blood and entrails as it fell.
Enkrid paused with Penna still raised, and the rest of the group also momentarily stopped.
"Look at these bastards?"
Grida said as he faced forward.
There was no smell, no easily readable presence.
But the vertical slit eyes, resembling those of beasts, betrayed their location.
Dozens of black eyes floated in the dark.
Their peculiar, vertically split pupils glimmered with a strange light.
Saaa!
From the hidden foliage and beneath thick roots, their cries echoed.
It was another attack from the scalers.
Enkrid assessed the situation, considering the path they had taken and the state of the group ahead.
"A group of scalers, neither magic nor ritual."
The numbers seemed fewer than before.
"Be careful of those with black scales. Some of them have special abilities," Grida said.
It wasn’t magic or ritual, but as Grida mentioned, some of the monsters had unique abilities.
The one they had just slain...
"It was tougher."
That was the extent of it... but it didn’t feel like that was all.
"Did they send these creatures off-track to ambush us?"
How did they know the location here?
Simple.
They must have observed it.
How did they observe?
How do you detect enemy movements on the battlefield?
By sending scouts.
Wouldn’t the enemy do something similar?
If you send scouts openly, they’ll be easy to spot, so maybe they’re using an unpredictable method that we can’t foresee.
By piecing together a few clues, an answer can be inferred.
My mind reflexively follows the cause-and-effect chain and deduces the situation.
’The Bat Beasts from the first day.’
Bats use sound to sense movement.
If all they need is observation, they could use that, and if there are those familiar with the terrain and with sharp eyes, they can tell from afar just by noticing broken branches and movement.
Thinking about it, predicting the path might be difficult, but intercepting in real-time seems easy enough.
That’s likely why they sent the Scalers here.
’The goal is probably to trap us.’
For example, this time they aren’t targeting Anne, though there’s still malice directed at her.
They’re focused on blocking the way ahead.
Therefore, dragging out time here isn’t the best move.
From a strategic point of view, that’s the case.
"Go ahead first."
That was the decision made.
Enkrid spoke and Grida asked.
"You?"
"I’ll chase. Leave a trace."
Asking if he could handle it alone was an unnecessary question, even when they were facing a unique monster with black scales.
’Even if it’s a unique monster of knight strength, it wouldn’t be any different.’
Grida thought to herself and nodded toward Magrun.
Magrun set the direction, and Ragna left without looking back.
His attitude was clear—there was no need to worry, no need for consideration.
Would the Scaler group split up?
No, they didn’t.
When Enkrid stopped, the others held their ground.
Did they expect this kind of separation?
It’s hard to tell.
The enemy’s identity beyond the veil was hard to guess.
There wasn’t enough information.
So, for now, all they had to do was proceed with what they needed to do.
Enkrid, with a slightly amused tone, addressed the enemies blocking the way.
"Come play with me."
If the opponent could understand speech, they might have felt a shiver.
Monsters might have felt something similar, but that was something they couldn’t know for sure.
Clink, ching!
Penna was put away, and Samcheol was drawn.
The True Silver’s blade and Black Gold’s side of the blade fought to be the first out.
"Whoa."
As Enkrid calmed the two sides of the blade, it seemed like there was a brief opening, and before long, the enemies closed in from the sides.
Enkrid alternately swung his swords at the two.
With the true silver side he swung upward, only for the Black Gold side to follow by coming downward heavily.
Whoosh.
With a trail like wings sprouting, the two Scalers were cleaved vertically, their blood spilling in the air.
The moonlight that poured through the black blood reflected on Enkrid’s sword, creating a soft curve.
"Let’s continue."
It felt like they were about to do something, making the situation even more tantalizing.
Enkrid spoke and raised his sword above his head, just as two Scalers with black scales reached out toward him.
They had telekinetic powers.
As they moved, Enkrid felt an intangible thread wrapping around him.
’Is it stronger than the Manticore?’
Or is it just similar?
It was about the same.
It was useless.
The difference in strength was so obvious that he could disregard it and move forward.
Crackle.
Though there wasn’t actually any sound, Enkrid tore through the telekinetic net with his body and leapt forward.
He didn’t charge at the ones who used telekinesis.
Instead, he calmly dealt with the nearby monsters, slashing, stabbing, and cutting them down one by one.
He stepped forward with his left foot and struck downward with his large sword, then moved his right foot forward to stab.
Thunk, thud!
Sensing the intent to strike from behind, Enkrid quickly shifted his focus and swung his sword behind him.
The three slashes broke and cut through the Scaler’s wooden spears.
Sometimes, it was so fast that it wasn’t even visible, and other times, it seemed like he was moving slowly, as if pausing mid-action.
He moved only as much as necessary at the necessary times.
’Defense is like a wave, while attack shines in an instant.’
But is it necessary to separate attack and defense?
Why not view them as one?
At the level of a high-ranking knight, swordsmanship is naturally integrated without separating the two.
So, he could do the same now.
It was a thought as well as an action.
There was someone holding a sword with telekinesis in front of him, and someone else holding a long spear beside him, trying to stab at Enkrid.
The spear tip was dark, as though something had been applied to it.
Given the circumstances, it would probably be poisoned.
It was a natural association.
’It’s not technique or training.’
Enkrid redefined a concept he had considered before.
Instead of classifying his swordsmanship as "deadly, steady, and versatile," he changed it to "sensation and calculation."
’It’s sensation and calculation, not technique and training.’
That was the correct way to look at it.
Moreover, even if you focus on one of them, you’ll naturally end up learning the other.
If Fel couldn’t calculate at all, he’d easily be defeated by Ropord, and if Ropord’s senses were lacking compared to Fel, then it would be decided in a single strike, regardless of calculation.
This was a thought that kept repeating itself.
The two swords didn’t act independently, but naturally merged and moved together.
By constantly applying what he had learned and realized, he got better each time, much better than before.
’What I’m doing now is calculation.’
In an instant, he calculated the possibilities, checked the probabilities, and struck his sword.
All of this felt as natural as breathing.
’I was arrogant.’
At the high-ranking knight level, it’s said that one naturally uses Will.
’It may seem that way on the surface, but when you dig deeper, it’s all repetition.’
Naturally, you use Will, then learn swordsmanship, and once again naturally integrate that into your body.
It’s all repetition.
Even now, he could see his own shortcomings.
’The sword of calculation.’
This was something that could be done now, but what about instinctual swordsmanship?
The Madmen Knights told Enkrid to hide his specialty, but instead, Enkrid chose to develop new ones.
If someone saw it, they could call it madness.
Even Rem would say so.
Despite these thoughts, Enkrid swung his sword without any issues.
A knight is a calamity and strikes the heavens alone.
Enkrid proved part of a continent’s proverb in his battle with monsters.
In the process, of course, not a single scratch remained on him.
Furthermore, there was no reflection on what he had done.
The moment he judged that the situation was settled after the strikes, he immediately headed toward where his group had gone.
The slain monsters in this place had only accomplished this.
They bought a little time and served as Enkrid’s practical training.

Comments

Loading...