Eternally Regressing Knight
Chapter 668: Chapter 668 - Fun
"Alright, who wants to die today?"
As usual, Rem was fully invested in training the soldiers.
To anyone watching, it might have looked more like bullying than training.
He selected soldiers one by one and either fought them in one-on-one duels or forced them into group battles.
In the case of the group battle, three opponents of similar skill were placed before them, and they had to hold their ground.
Naturally, this was easier than facing Rem alone.
No one dared speak up during Rem’s speeches.
Instead, all they displayed was a fierce resolve to kill anyone who dared challenge them.
Those who had once voiced complaints now kept quiet, having learned the hard way that resistance only meant a beating and that they would still have to finish their tasks.
’Bunch of cowards.’
Rem pushed them even harder.
The purpose of the training was simple—if they trained hard, they would fight better in real combat.
Those who had been pushed to the brink of death by Rem’s axe during training found themselves far more composed when fighting monsters.
When dealing with packs of monsters or beasts outside the city, they had fought fiercely as mercenaries.
But they weren’t just good at fighting.
They didn’t harass women in the territory, nor did they engage in acts resembling pillaging.
They didn’t even ask for freebies at the dining hall.
Despite their rough exterior, they were one of the most dependable and courteous units stationed in the territory.
For this reason, Rem’s status was steadily rising.
Everyone knew that this was Rem’s assault unit, and it showed.
As a result, some of the southern nobility no longer avoided him.
Of course, just because they knew about Rem didn’t mean they approached him warmly.
After spending some time engrossed in his training, Rem had recently been pushing his soldiers even harder at the assault unit’s training ground.
Creak, creak.
At first, there was the sound of careless footsteps.
It sounded like someone who had no intention of hiding their presence.
The air felt charged with an unsettling energy as the person approached.
"Are you the noble killer? With that gray hair, it must be you. You sure look rough."
Someone approached with heavy steps and spoke.
The training ground was located at the foot of the Pen-Hanil Mountain Range.
Though there was a separate training area, they usually did their training at the base of the mountains.
This made it rare for monsters or packs of beasts to appear in the area.
While the location had been chosen at Krais’s request, Rem also believed it was an excellent place for training.
"Do monsters or beasts come down often? That’s pretty impressive."
That was the kind of remark the person made.
The source of the disturbing footsteps was coming down from the Pen-Hanil Mountain Range.
The person was holding a sword, with black blood stained on its blade.
Rem had already sensed the person’s presence before they arrived, so he stood up and sat on the makeshift stairs beside the platform.
The stairs creaked as he leaned back against them.
Without drawing his axe, Rem casually propped one arm on the stairs and spoke with enough attitude to match the situation.
"Where did this scum crawl out from?"
"Scum? If you’re talking to me, you’re going to die today."
The man immediately responded.
His armor was thin but exuded a high-quality aura, and the sword in his hand didn’t seem like an ordinary weapon.
He looked like a noble.
However, his ferocious demeanor was unsettling.
"Is this guy insane?"
One of the soldiers, a veteran with a deep scar under his eye, muttered.
He was a former mercenary, once known as the Mad Axe for his fighting style.
Though his temper had mellowed over time, that was only because he was now in this unit.
"Hey, if you don’t want to die, get lost. Shoo, shoo."
Another senior soldier waved his hand dismissively, knowing better than to provoke Rem.
"Do you even know who you’re messing with? Do you think this is some kind of suicide spot?"
As everyone exchanged words, one of the more kind-hearted soldiers stepped forward and said with some urgency.
"Leave now. If you act up here, you’re really going to die. If you want, go to the Sacred Unit. They won’t kill you there."
In the Sacred Unit, they made people do health exercises like walking with stones on their backs, but at least they didn’t kill anyone.
This wasn’t the case here, though.
Rem’s unit was rough, and the soldiers didn’t shy away from a fight.
The man swung his bloodied sword without any warning.
Rem didn’t react until the blade was already in motion.
It was clear there had been no preparatory move in the swing.
"Down!"
Bang!
As the blade cut through the air, Rem shouted, his voice sharpened by countless training sessions.
One soldier reflexively tensed his core.
In group battles, Rem often threw out advice, and those who didn’t heed it would end up injured.
The soldiers now reacted swiftly to his commands.
The soldier avoided the strike by falling backward.
No, it was more like he collapsed backward, following Rem’s instructions.
Thud!
The source of the noise was Rem’s axe.
The flying axe collided with the opponent’s sword in front of the soldier, creating a harsh ringing sound.
Though it was a hand axe he threw instead of his usual weapon, Rem had a talent for throwing whatever he could get his hands on.
The man casually swung his sword, knocking the axe aside.
However, the original intent of that strike had been to cleave through the soldier’s chest.The fact that the sword changed direction to hit the axe showed the man’s quick reflexes.
Even so, he didn’t lose his composure or show any sign of surprise.
"Where did this guy come from?"
Rem took a step forward, his tone as sharp as his axe.
He had already risen from the makeshift stairs, and the distance between them had closed in an instant.
The swordsman attacked again, swinging his blade toward Rem’s head without warning.
Rem responded with a similar strike, his axe cutting through the air.
Clang!
Clash!
The axe and sword collided, sending sparks flying.
Both fighters attempted to push each other’s weapons aside, but instead, they locked together and were forced apart, sliding away from each other.
Rem strengthened his legs, absorbing the shock, and then swung his axe again.
His arm became like a whip, and the axe blade turned into a flash of light.
The strike tore through the air with the same force as Enkrid’s sweeping slash when he gathered his Will.
Boom!
The axe suddenly moved, slashing across the swordsman’s head.
The man’s skull split open, but no blood spurted out.
It was just an afterimage.
The swordsman stepped back, lowering his posture, and avoided the axe.
It seemed like he barely dodged by chance.
’Chance, my ass.’
Rem realized that the man had purposely evaded the strike.
He had used a momentary break in time to avoid and counterattack.
As the swordsman thrust his blade, Rem smirked.
’Interesting.’
Rem was inwardly surprised.
The opponent’s judgment was so accurate.
Although the attack had been perfectly avoided, the opponent still grabbed the Ricasso with their left hand and attempted to strike with the optimal trajectory.
It was a basic thrusting technique, but if used appropriately, it could be extremely threatening.
’I won’t catch it in one go.’
Rem stepped forward with his left foot.
He planned to watch the thrust carefully and dodge it by simply tilting his head.
But the opponent didn’t push the sword all the way and instead avoided Rem’s foot.
With a sharp step back, the opponent raised the sword with both hands, now holding it firmly.
Rem raised his axe and rested it on his shoulder.
Their stances couldn’t have been more different.
"Tch, where did this guy come from?"
Rem muttered.
The opponent’s stance was strangely unsettling.
It reminded him of someone.
The swordsman had brown hair and eyes.
His gaze was calm like a tranquil lake, yet his presence felt like a pouring rain.
He was an intriguing figure.
"Why do you ask?"
The opponent spoke.
"I wasn’t curious, you bastard."
And he was also an irritating one.
Rem never filtered his words, especially not for strangers, and especially not when they had such a bothersome stance.
The swordsman moved his right foot forward and shifted his weight.
He was fully committed to delivering a decisive strike.
Without exerting any overt pressure, the sword nonetheless exuded a force that made Rem feel a weight pressing down on him.
This was a display of mastery in large-sword techniques.
Rem thought to himself.
’So what?’
The axe hummed with a sharp sound as the blade quivered.
The opponent’s foolish attempt to provoke him wasn’t going unnoticed.
And Rem responded.
Matching the fall of the sword, he raised his axe to strike it.
With all his strength, from his toes to his waist, he unleashed his power.
The technique known as the Heart of the Beast surged naturally from his body, and the force accumulated in the axe as it mimicked the giant cleave.
Boom!
A thunderous sound echoed as the shockwave spread as if a meteor had fallen.
"Damn. Monster-like bastards."
One of the soldiers commented, though it was clear they were all thinking the same thing.
Rem didn’t kill the opponent, though.
Instead, he placed the axe on the opponent’s skull.
More precisely, he angled the axe so that the force of the opponent’s sword strike was half deflected and half absorbed by his body, before striking the blade with his left fist.
In the opening that followed, he tripped the opponent’s foot and broke their balance.
Everything had been honed through the battles with Ragna after Enkrid left.
The final blow was placing the axe on the opponent’s skull after they lost their balance.
A knight’s strength and technique alone could easily split a skull with a mere graze, but Rem didn’t even need to raise the axe high.
The opponent was kneeling, blood streaming from under their shattered shoulder blade.
"I’m going to ask you something. Answer me well."
Rem’s words carried a deadly intent.
The killing intent was no joke.
It was a different kind of menace from the playful killing intent displayed in training.
Normally, killing intent would rise slowly, like the sun just beginning to shine, but now, it was the midday sun, bright and harsh.
It was as clear as day—if the answer was wrong, the axe would fall.
There was no hiding the will to kill.
"What’s your connection with the directionally challenged bastard?"
Rem asked.
While Rem faced his opponent, Audin also found himself confronting someone.
The person before him had blonde hair and blue eyes, a squared jaw, and a large frame.
Not that it mattered when compared to himself.
"I came to meet someone."
The blonde man spoke.
Audin considered asking how he got in but dismissed the thought.
Whether he snuck in or entered openly, the guards wouldn’t have been able to stop him.
Luagarne, who stood beside Audin, rolled her large eyes.
"Where did this guy come from?"
Her talent for assessing the opponent’s level was quite effective.
’This one’s hard to read.’
Audin had seen Enkrid’s growth firsthand for years and could easily gauge his limits.
But for others, especially knights, even Luagarne’s eyes couldn’t see through them easily.
Using this as a base, she guessed the opponent’s skill level—at least a knight.
"I’ve heard someone is here, but I didn’t know if they actually were."
The blonde man spoke carefully, as though choosing his words.
He hadn’t even finished his sentence yet.
Audin greeted him with a soft smile.
"Perhaps it’s better if you first introduce yourself, my brother."
The blonde man looked at Audin indifferently.
He didn’t make a move, but Audin’s insight told him that the man was ready to draw his sword at any moment.
Naturally, Audin prepared himself.
He spread his legs apart and let his arms hang, ready to crush anything that grabbed him with his ruthless hands.
"So, what I want to ask is, uh, I guess I’m asking for your name. Are you Enkrid?"
The blonde man suddenly asked.
Ropord and Fel, who were watching from behind, wondered what this guy was up to.
In this region, Enkrid was known as the demon slayer, the guardian of the Border Guard, and the one who ended the civil war.
Rumors about his black hair, blue eyes, and appearance that charmed women of all races were well-known.
"Does his face look like a woman-killer to you?
Where do you get that idea?
Look at him.
Does he look like he could be a woman-killer?"
Fel babbled thoughtlessly.
It wasn’t like the nickname "woman killer" was his concern anyway.
Audin was generally satisfied with his appearance, so hearing such comments only flustered him further.
"... Shepherd brother?"
"Don’t missunderstand..."
When Audin called out, Fel murmured as he averted his gaze.
"No."
Theresa, who was with them, immediately agreed.
"Definitely not."
She emphasized it, making sure there was no room for misunderstanding.
"You too sister?"
"I’ll make sure there’s no misunderstanding."
Is that what helping is?
Audin said with his eyes.
"Who’s this guy?
Do you think even our captain wouldn’t recognize him?
This guy might not be able to win a woman’s heart, but for fun, he likes to tear people in half.
Watch your mouth.
You just offended Lord Audin with that comment."
Ropord said.
"So, now I have a hobby of tearing people in half, do I...?"
"Ah, wasn’t that the case? The Holy Infantry warned us to be careful, because one wrong move and your body could be torn apart."
Was the training method of the unit wrong?
Audin briefly reflected on his past.
The training intensity was probably too weak.
It should have been training that left no room for idle thoughts.
The blond man blinked his eyes a few times.
He hadn’t heard that nickname before.
But one thing was clear to him: that burly man was no easy opponent.
"That’s not really what’s important."
The man spoke.
A new emotion appeared on his face, one of anticipation and enjoyment.
"Let’s have a fight."
Before the words even fully left his mouth, Audin knew his opponent was already coming at him.
The momentum surged first.
The sword cut through the air, and golden sand gathered in Audin’s hands, forming into a protective armor made from gathered divine power, which met the opponent’s blade.
Clang!
The gauntlet wrapped around his hand, infused with divine energy, clashed against the opponent’s sword, the Will embedded within it creating a sharp impact.
Audin instinctively used his divine penetration technique, and his opponent recoiled after the clash, clearing the effect.
The man wielded a typical one-handed sword, and its blade was a pale blue, which confirmed it wasn’t an ordinary sword.
’A skilled fighter.’
Audin assessed his opponent’s temperament.
The man was a seasoned warrior, with techniques honed through real-world experience.
The opponent was also evaluating Audin’s skill.
’Saying he enjoys tearing people apart may not have been a lie.’
Given the strength in his grip and the skilled technique he exhibited, it wasn’t far-fetched.
Just moments ago, he had tried to grab his blade and break it.
After making that assessment, he withdrew his sword.
"This is fun."
The man said.
Audin sensed a familiar aura coming from him.
There was something mixed in him that reminded Audin of Enkrid’s counterpart and a resemblance to Ragna.
"My name is Odincar Yohan."
"Audin Fumrey, I wield divine power."
"Let’s have some fun."
Yohan, his name was the same as Ragna’s family.
The man who introduced himself as Odincar lifted his sword.
It gleamed with light.
This was the effect of the gathered Will.
The Will he wielded was of a different quality.
This man was also a genius who had surpassed some boundaries.

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