“H-Hngk!”
The other priest, sensing something was wrong, quickly dodged to the side.
Only then did he realize.
“Kuhk, when did...?”
His side had been slashed open deeply.
Fortunately, he wasn’t dead. The priest gathered his energy and desperately suppressed the bleeding.
Half his torso was nearly cleaved. If the strike had been just a little deeper, his body would have been split in two.
Julien looked at the priest impassively.
‘Still lacking.’
The fleeing priest’s level was slightly higher than the one who had already died. That was the only reason Julien hadn’t cut him down in a single strike.
In the past, Julien had once split a superhuman cleanly in half. The man had been exhausted and caught off guard during a retreat, but still—a superhuman was a superhuman.
The fact that this “half-baked priest” survived meant Julien still hadn’t reached the level he was striving for.
To everyone else, what he had just done seemed beyond comprehension. But to Julien, it wasn’t enough.
“W-Who are you...?”
The priest, clutching his side, stammered with a trembling voice.
Julien didn’t answer. He simply moved his sword again.
Slash!
“Aaaargh!”
The priest’s arm was severed clean off. It was pure luck that he avoided a fatal blow.
In truth, the priest hadn’t dodged because he sensed the strike. It was instinct—his body moving the moment Julien raised his sword.
Julien raised his sword once more.
“......”
This one was clearly stronger than the last. As a result, it required more mana.
The technique itself consumed a considerable amount of mana. This was an area Julien needed to refine further.
Focusing a little more, Julien swung his sword through the air again.
Slash.
This time, the priest didn’t escape. His head fell cleanly to the ground.
Julien didn’t spare him another glance. He simply spurred his horse forward.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
As the Atrodé cavalry spread out, Julien glanced briefly at the soldiers and raised his sword once more, this time over his opposite shoulder.
For a moment, he held the pose, as if gathering strength, before swinging his sword in a massive horizontal arc.
Fwoooosh!
Once again, the impossible occurred.
The soldiers in the middle of the Atrodé formation suddenly collapsed, their bodies severed.
Hiiiiiing!
Horses screamed as they fell, and the bisected bodies of soldiers dropped to the ground.
“W-What the hell!”
The cavalry coming from behind stopped abruptly, terrified at what they were witnessing.
“What is this?!”
The center of their formation had been completely cut apart. Soldiers had died to an attack they couldn’t even see.
As a result, only the front lines continued to advance. At that moment, the allied cavalry began to spread out, moving to engage the enemy.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Julien urged his horse forward, charging straight toward Count Srouke.
Watching him approach, Count Srouke shouted in desperation. Julien’s inhuman power had shaken him to the core, and his face had gone pale.
“M-Mages! Kill that bastard! Kill him now!”
The mages, trembling with fear, dissolved the mana barriers they had set up and extended their hands forward.
They, too, understood that something incomprehensible was happening.
Overwhelmed by sudden terror, they poured every ounce of their mana into their spells.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Julien’s horse, cloaked in shimmering blue mana, surged forward with immense speed.
In the blink of an eye, Julien closed the distance to the mages and swung his sword through the air.
Slash!
The mages’ faces froze in shock.
“Huh?”
“Why...?”
“He cut through the magic...?”
The spells they had been casting—twisting the laws of this world—were rendered null. The flow of mana had been severed.
Magic is created when a mage completes a spell formula, using their knowledge and mana to manifest their will into reality.
Until a spell is fully cast, it exists only as a mage’s intent. Counter-spells work by dismantling the manifested spell once it activates.
But Julien had done something unthinkable—he cut through something intangible. Something unseen and uncuttable.
The mages were paralyzed in disbelief. Even as Julien raised his sword once more, they couldn’t react.
Slash.
Their heads fell one after another, the mana they had gathered scattering chaotically into the air.
‘It worked.’
In war, mages were dangerous opponents. If left unchecked, they could devastate entire armies.
That was why Julien had been searching for a way to counter their magic.
It wasn’t difficult to simply approach and kill them quickly. But if even one spell activated, allied soldiers would suffer casualties.
Julien had pondered this probRem and found a solution.
He could imbue his mana with his will. That was why he could strike enemies across distances—because his intent transcended physical space.
‘If that’s the case...’
If his will was strong enough, couldn’t he cut through anything?
Even if it didn’t physically exist—even if it was just a concept—he felt confident he could cleave it apart.
Or rather, he felt as though he had already done so before.
And so he swung his sword—and succeeded.
‘For now... it works up to 4th or 5th Circle spells.’
As a mage’s rank increased, so too did their willpower. A 6th Circle mage would likely prove far more difficult.
Moreover, this technique consumed an immense amount of mana. After fighting through the infantry formation earlier, Julien’s mana was now less than half remaining.
That was the cost of the technique he had used.
But it didn’t matter. Today, he had gained a new understanding and found a way to improve further.
Clop, clop.
As Julien approached slowly, Count Srouke trembled.
He hadn’t recognized him at first, but seeing his face now, he knew exactly who it was. He had seen the man’s portrait countless times.
‘The Prince of Turian.’
A superhuman said to rival the Duke of Fenris. Count Srouke had always been wary of him, but nothing more than that.
After all, wars were never won by one superhuman alone.
‘I thought the Duke of Fenris was the biggest obstacle...’
The Duke of Fenris was renowned as one of the continent’s strongest warriors. His raw strength was unmatched, but his ability to command armies was even more formidable.
Still, Count Srouke had believed the war was winnable. His side had strong armies, powerful superhumans, and brilliant strategists.
They were confident they could at least stand their ground.
But the man standing before him was on a different level entirely. Julien wielded an unfathomable power.
“Kill him!”
Count Srouke’s knights rushed at Julien.
But with a single swing of his sword, their bodies were cut apart simultaneously. Now, no one stood in Julien’s way.
Count Srouke swallowed hard.
‘This man...’
The continent was filled with countless strong warriors, but no one could say for certain who was the strongest.
That was why no one held the title of the continent’s strongest swordsman.
But Count Srouke was certain of it now.
‘This man is the strongest.’
His mind spiraled into chaos.
For the first time, he felt the urge to kneel before such a powerful being, to bow his head in submission.
Count Srouke was more terrified than his soldiers. Because he was stronger, because he was at a higher level, he could see more clearly.
Clench!
But Count Srouke gritted his teeth. How could he allow himself to crumble so easily? To bow to the enemy in fear?
Clop, clop, clop.
Julien rode closer, his eyes fixed on Count Srouke.
Count Srouke sucked in a sharp breath as he met Julien’s gaze.
‘Those eyes...’
At first glance, they seemed void of any emotion. But the longer he looked, the more he felt a strange, indescribable weight pressing on his chest.
Those eyes, like the depths of an abyss, seemed to contain a darkness he could never hope to understand.
The realization sent a chill down Count Srouke’s spine.
‘What are we even fighting against...?’
The Duke of Fenris, no matter how powerful or skilled, was still human. Fighting him was a contest of human strength and strategy.
Victory or defeat was a matter of finding the right way to fight.
But this man was different.
‘A monster...’
No, even the word “monster” wasn’t enough to describe it. That was something human in form, but no longer human.
Who could possibly endure such impossible power? Could this man end the entire war by himself?
Did armies, battles, and strategies even matter in front of someone like him?
Julien’s overwhelming might struck Count Srouke with indescribable terror.
But even as he quivered in fear, he couldn’t simply bow his head and accept death.
Unlike the other legion commanders, Count Srouke was a devout follower of the Salvation Order. He was always prepared to sacrifice his life for the faith.
Srouke dismounted his horse and staggered backward.
‘This life, for the Order!’
Boom!
Black energy erupted violently from his body.
Crunch! Crack! Snap!
His body began to twist grotesquely, swelling larger with each passing second.
“Kuuuuuugh!”
Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.
A Holy Warrior, created using the Salvation Order’s secret arts. Once their power was unleashed, death was inevitable.
But the strength they gained in return was several times greater than their original power.
Count Srouke, once an exceptional knight, now neared the level of a superhuman.
“I... will... kill you...”
He didn’t expect to win. His only goal was to wound the enemy, even slightly, so it would benefit his allies.
“Graaaaargh!”
Letting out a beast-like roar, Srouke crouched low, preparing for an explosive lunge.
At that moment—
Julien lightly swung his sword.
Slash.
Thunk.
The Holy Warrior’s head fell to the ground.
Fwoooosh!
The black energy that had engulfed Srouke’s body lost its focus and dissipated violently into the air.
Srouke’s body, now empty of its unnatural power, withered and collapsed.
“Holy Warrior...”
For once, Julien muttered to himself.
He had encountered them before during the Turian civil war. But after meeting Ghislain, they felt different now.
The Holy Warriors wielded power distinct from the Salvation Order’s priests. In fact, their methods of harnessing energy reminded Julien of Ghislain’s.
“......”
Julien stood silently, staring at Srouke’s lifeless body for a moment before turning his head.
Boom!
The allied cavalry was pushing through the Atrodé forces, scattering them like leaves.
When the center of the formation had broken, the rear cavalry could no longer maneuver properly.
Only a small portion of the Atrodé cavalry remained at the front.
From the start, the Atrodé Army’s numbers were far smaller. Now, they were being crushed under the relentless attack of the allied forces.
“Aaargh!”
“Reform the lines!”
“Move, damn it!”
The Atrodé commanders screamed orders, but it was too late to restore their momentum.
The 6th Legion’s formation had been utterly shattered. One by one, their soldiers fell until the legion was completely annihilated. Almost ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ none managed to escape.
Their recent victories now seemed meaningless. They had fallen without dealing any real damage to the allied forces.
Julien had single-handedly eliminated all of the critical threats, making such an outcome inevitable.
“......”
Julien turned his gaze, surveying the battlefield littered with corpses.
Dark was flying toward him.
“Pant, pant... I found it! It’s a bit far, but it looks like the others are headed this way too.”
Julien nodded.
The allied forces had suffered minimal losses. The results of the battle were disproportionate to the enemy forces they had faced.
He expected this. The signs were clear that another legion would coordinate with this one. Even Ghislain had suggested the possibility.
The enemy’s objective was obvious as well—information had been deliberately leaked using a spy.
‘...Disgusting.’
Until now, everyone had believed they were fighting alongside comrades.
A spy was no different from someone betraying their trust.
For the first time since joining the allied forces, Julien felt a flicker of discomfort.
It was unfamiliar. He hadn’t expected himself to care about such things anymore.
Perhaps it was because of the painful memories of his childhood—when everyone had turned their backs on him.
Or perhaps it was because he had begun to feel a sense of solidarity, fighting alongside the allied forces to save others.
Or maybe...
Dark’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Gaaah! Julien, I don’t think I can last much longer!”
Dark No. 28 had shrunk significantly. The longer he remained active, the more mana he consumed.
It was inevitable. Dark’s clones could only be maintained if Ghislain replenished his mana.
But suddenly, Julien wondered if he could replenish Dark’s mana himself. For some reason, he felt like he could.
“Stay still for a moment.”
“Huh? I can’t stay still, even for a second! Why? Because the world won’t let me stay still!”
Ignoring him, Julien grabbed Dark’s body.
“Waaah! You insolent fool! Let me go right this instant!”
Julien slowly infused his energy into Dark. The foreign energy initially resisted, but Julien didn’t stop. He willed his energy to merge with Dark’s.
Gradually, Dark’s body began to grow larger.
“Huh? Huh? What’s happening?”
Dark was visibly flustered.
He had always been sustained by his master’s energy. His existence was tied to Ghislain, who held his essence.
But now, the energy he had lost was being restored.
“W-Wow! Julien! What the hell are you?! What did you just do?!”
Seeing the newly revitalized Dark, Julien stopped infusing his energy.
“It’s done.”
“How did you do that? Huh? How is this possible? It doesn’t make any sense!”
“Let’s go.”
Julien didn’t explain. He simply had a feeling it would work, so he had willed it to happen.
And it did work. It felt as though his energy and Dark’s had always been connected—as if they were meant to be one.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Julien and the allied cavalry began moving to their next destination. He had barely used any strength, so the horses only needed a brief rest.
Dark perched on Julien’s shoulder, chattering away.
“Wow! That was incredible! Is there anything you can’t do, Julien? Ugliness? Lack of charm? Being mediocre? You can’t do any of that, huh? I can, though.”
“......”
“And you know, this energy is amazing! It feels like we were always meant to be one, like in a past life we might have been lovers or something.”
“......”
“Listen! I was once inside this brat named Edwin! It felt comfortable back then too, but—”
Dark kept rambling on endlessly. He could give Claude a run for his money when it came to talking.
“......”
Julien didn’t respond. He simply ignored him.
For just a moment, Julien wondered if he might have made a mistake.