novelAlta Chapter 284: Nice to meet you, hero.
Chapter 284: Nice to meet you, hero.
Arendt gazed intently at the dark divine power.A group of enemies strode out of the darkness.
‘Who is it?’
He checked the face of the person at the forefront.
He had a sturdy body with copper-colored skin and a fairly large scar on his face.
It was someone he had never met before.
Arendt soon realized that he too was examining himself.
“Are you Sir Arendt von Eckhart?”
As expected, the man spoke to him first.
Arendt asked, tilting his head.
“When asking someone’s name, isn’t it polite to introduce yourself first?”
“…Excuse me. I am Ain, the priest assisting the Sword of the Broken Heart.”
Despite the provocation, the man, Ain, responded calmly.
Arendt spoke.
“Can I just ask one thing?”
“What?”
“Who the hell came up with such a crazy name as the Sword of the Broken Heart?”
Ain’s face became blank for a moment at the unexpected words.
Arendt didn’t stop there, but added one more thing.
“Whose taste was it? No, I’m not trying to pick a fight. I’m just curious.”
“…”
It was a sentence that instantly destroyed the tension.
Arthur and Richt also lowered their swords for a moment, rested their heads on their hands, and shook their heads.
One of his great talents was being able to confuse the mind of an enemy he had just met with with a single sentence.
The priest behind Ain stepped forward, his teeth clenched.
“That guy…!”
“No, I’m not trying to pick a fight. Why are you getting so defensive? It’s cool and great, though, hmm?”
“…”
Ain, who had been silent for a moment at Arendt’s natural and innocent response, tried to open his mouth calmly.
“They said you were crazy, and it turns out it was true.”
“Who said that? I’m perfectly normal.”
Arendt shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m much more sane than those who rush in like moths to a flame, saying things like they have faith, even though they know they’ll die for sure. At least I know that life is precious.”
Eventually, Ain, unable to hide his anger, growled fiercely.
“Sometimes there are things more important than life. A person as pitiful as you could never know that.”
“You’re talking about such outdated stuff that even our leader doesn’t say.”
“You’ve been talking so much that he’s not saying anything now, but it’s not like his opinion has changed.”
Richt added quietly.
It seemed as if he didn’t realize that his addition would make his enemies even more bewildered.
Arthur noticed that his enemies were taken aback and poked Richt in the side.
But even that small action to stop Richt seemed ridiculous to his enemies.
“Tsk.”
Ain clicked his tongue and pulled out his sword.
He realized that further conversation was pointless.
.
At the same time, a strong magical force swept through the surrounding area.
Arendt frowned slightly and looked around, only moving his eyes.
In the blink of an eye, a barrier curtain unfolded and enveloped the surrounding area.
The surroundings became quiet.
In the isolated space, away from the sounds of swords clashing and the death of others, only the three of them and the group of priests led by Ain remained.
The space was blocked off so that no one could come from outside to rescue the three people.
Ain glared at the three and his face distorted.
“I will never let you go alive.”
“Is this a gladiator arena? That’s good.”
On the contrary, a smile spread across Arendt’s lips.
“I was already in a bad mood. You guys will die here.”
Arendt’s sword froze white again.
Arthur also muttered curses as he prepared for battle.
“Why doesn’t that kid have a middle ground?”
“How should I know?”
Ain shouted loudly over Richt’s annoyed voice.
“Kill the seeds of filthy light and retrieve the holy relic!”
“Yes!”
As if they had been waiting for that order, Ain’s subordinates rushed toward the three people at once.
Ain also raised his sword and kicked the ground.
His sword flew straight at Arendt.
Arendt, too, did not avoid the fight that came his way.
Ain’s sharp sword swung and narrowly missed Arendt’s cheek.
Ain’s eyebrows twitched.
Arendt easily avoided the attack by slightly turning his head, then spun around and thrust his sword towards Ain’s empty side.
Ain barely managed to block the attack by swinging his sword.
!
The moment the swords clashed, a strong cold wind blew through.
“…!”
Ain quickly stepped back to put some distance between them.
The apprentice knight, his sword hanging down, was staring at him with cold, sunken eyes.
Arthur and Richt were fighting with Ain’s men who were rushing to kill them from all sides, but Arendt didn’t even look in their direction.
Naturally, Ain couldn’t help but focus on him.
‘What a little brat…’
Could he be that calm on a battlefield where his life was at stake?
It was a level of composure that would be difficult for even a seasoned knight who had been through hundreds of battles to maintain.
The silver frost seemed to surround him as if it were guarding him, and then Arendt kicked the ground with a graceful movement.
The next moment, he appeared right in front of Ain’s nose.
Ain’s face stiffened and responded.
!
The two men’s swords clashed, producing a harsh sound once again.
Arendt didn’t resist the force he was being pushed with, instead creating some distance. Then, he readjusted his grip on the sword and thrust it forward with strength.
!
The blade of Ain’s sword, which had appropriately intervened, clashed once again with Arendt’s sword head-on.
“…It’s truly amazing.”
“I guess I’m pretty good.”
When Ain muttered in a weary voice, Arendt answered shamelessly.
Even at that moment, the struggle continued.
Suddenly, a cold wind struck Ain and he realized that his sword was slowly freezing.
‘He’s also good at using the Frosty Touch.’
Clearly, the opponent was weaker than himself.
But he was by no means an opponent to be ignored.
‘Roger’s foresight was right.’
Roger displayed a level of caution toward this young brat, much like he did with Laius, the next great hero that Nikephoros had pointed out.
Only now, after clashing a few times, did Ain understand the reason.
If they didn’t deal with him in advance, it was clear that he would become more of a headache than the hero later on.
Ain, who had gathered his thoughts, used his divine power.
Darkness enveloped his sword, instantly dissipating the encroaching cold.
“…!”
Sensing the danger, Arendt knocked the sword aside and stepped back.
This time it was Ain’s turn to press him.
Before Arendt could even begin to distance himself, Ain closed the distance between them at a speed that was unusual for his large body.
“You’re so young, what a shame.”
A sinister voice cut through the noise of the battlefield and reached Arendt.
The moment Arendt, with a hardened face, barely managed to lift his sword, a tremendous blow came.
Ain brought his sword down sharply.
!
As Arendt blocked the attack, he felt a shock so strong that it made his entire body feel stiff.
But Ain’s next attack followed without any time to catch his breath.
“Tch…!”
Arendt clicked his tongue angrily and responded by stepping back.
After exchanging several strikes, Ain pressed Arendt without mercy.
Arendt had no choice but to gradually retreat while fending off his attacks.
Before he could even gather the strength of the Frosty Touch, Ain charged forward with fierce momentum.
“Consider it just bad luck.”
Ain spoke in a voice that didn’t waver an inch.
“You were just born in the wrong era.”
And finally.
!
Arendt, unable to withstand Ain’s blow, ended up dropping his sword.
The sword flew backwards and plunged into the ground.
Arendt, who had lost his weapon, hesitated.
In his panic, his gaze briefly left Ain and landed on the sword he had lost track of.
“…!”
Ain didn’t miss the gap and kicked the ground.
There were only a few seconds left before the apprentice knight’s neck would be taken.
His golden eyes moved silently and met Ain’s gaze.
It was at that moment that a faint, sardonic smile appeared on the apprentice knight’s lips.
“Idiot.”
Arendt burst into laughter and disappeared from his sight in an instant.
And then, as if out of nowhere, Richt took his place.
Ain’s eyes widened.
But it was already too late.
The sword he swung with all his might was deflected by Richt’s blow.
“…!”
The strength with which Richt knocked aside his blow gave off a different heaviness than Arendt’s.
Ain took a step back without realizing it.
“What is this…”
At that moment, he felt an eerie chill behind him.
It was Arendt who had retrieved his sword while Richt distracted him.
“Didn’t your god teach you that you shouldn’t take your eyes off the enemies you’re fighting?”
A cheerful voice was heard, out of place in the situation.
Ain turned his head reflexively and his eyes golden ones filled with an eerie coldness.
Richt had already approached within arm’s reach from the front.
Only then did Ain realize that he had been tricked.
The apprentice knight had planned to draw attention to himself until his two seniors had sorted out his subordinates to some extent, and then surround him and attack him in this way at the end.
“Shit!”
Ain blocked Richt’s sword with his arm and then twisted his sword towards Arendt.
!
The cold blade pierced through the armor surrounding his arm and dug into his flesh.
Red blood poured out, staining the floor.
At the same time, the blade imbued with the power of the Frosty Touch clashed with his sword.
!
A loud noise shook the air, threatening to rip his eardrums.
“Hey…”
Arendt let out a nonchalant exclamation.
“Stubborn bastard. You stopped this?”
There was no trace of the panic he had felt when he dropped his sword earlier on his face.
It was as if he had changed his mask in that short time.
“…”
The arm where Richt’s sword was embedded was half severed.
Blood gushed from the deep wound, dripping down and forming a small puddle.
But Ain didn’t groan even once.
“That’s what I should say.”
Even though he had allies behind him and was trying to lure the enemy into a trap, he did not seem in his right mind when he dropped his sword in the middle of a long fight.
The same was true of Richt, who synchronized with Arendt without giving or receiving any signals.
Even while dealing with his subordinates, he observed Arendt’s every movement and breath without missing a single one.
Ain gritted his teeth and unleashed his divine power.
A thick black darkness swept over the area beneath his feet.
Arendt and Richt quickly stepped back.
“Phew…”
Ain sighed deeply and raised his head again.
Arendt felt a slight sense of discomfort at that sight.
‘Can’t he feel the pain?’
No, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Because he saw his face distort the moment he received Richt’s sword.
But now that he was using his divine power, Ain didn’t seem to care much about his wounds.
Ain’s eyes, unable to hide his anger and murderous intent, simply stared at Arendt.
In his gaze, he felt a keen obsession, like that of a beast hunting its prey.
‘Ah.’
Only then did Arendt think about Chernion’s divine power.
God Luce heals and energizes the body, while God Chernion intervenes in the mind.
It was about numbing useless fears and hesitations during battle, leaving only fighting spirit, determination to achieve goals, faith, and anger.
In other words, Ain completely eliminated his useless thoughts caused by pain with his divine power.
“…That’s fun.”
A sly smile appeared on Arendt’s lips.