Chapter 592: Knight (3)

Hyunsoo, who had been running, discovered the army that had split off with 60,000 troops.

It was a vast army that made his breath tremble and his body freeze just by looking at it... Hyunsoo thought, then was surprised.

No. Not at all.

His breath was not trembling, and his body was not frozen.

The instant he encountered this army of 60,000, Hyunsoo could see how he needed to deal with them.

The lines of death I’ve crossed...

Those lines of death he had crossed dozens of times had given Hyunsoo experience ordinary users could never build.

Just looking at this vast army told him how to sweep it away.

He felt awed that he himself could think of ways to face them alone.

First, he decided to kill the commander-class targets with arrows with short arrowheads.

“Graaaargh!”

“Aaaaagh!”

“Commander!”

The rear troops, thrown into confusion, tried to run backward to escape the arrows.

The troops at the front and in the middle, unaware of what was happening, dug in to keep from being pushed back.

Then, using the skill Reversal, he summoned the Evil-Slaying Greatbow.

Ten thousand arrows swept through the rear troops, deepening the confusion and creating the scene for deaths by crushing.

At that moment, he drew Peerless from his waist, aimed at the middle section, and activated Peerless Sovereign to sweep through them.

[The enemy army falls into the status ailment Massive Confusion.]

[They cannot make rational judgments!]

“Grout Summon.”

He summoned the demon and maximized their terror.

Grout rampaged among the soldiers, slaughtered hundreds, vanished, and arrived in front of Hyunsoo.

Hyunsoo beat him up, refilling his “casting time” and “MP amount.”

And then again.

“Ten-Thousand-Kill Bow.”

He gave them confusion a second time, then beat Grout up once more and activated Peerless Sovereign.

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up...]

Feeling notifications he could no longer count, unable to tell how many times he had grown, he finally drew the Twin Dragon Sword.

[The enemy army falls into the status ailment Fear.]

[All stats decrease by 20%, and movement speed and attack speed decrease by 40%.]

Those seized by fear were bound to tremble like aspen leaves from head to toe.

“D-Die!!”

Hyunsoo cut down one charging soldier and was struck with awe.

In one hit?

The soldier was split in half.

He was undoubtedly one of the Parion Empire’s elite soldiers.

Of course, the fact that they had been weakened as [N O V E L I G H T] much as they possibly could be played a major part as well.

“Sword King’s swordsmanship, final chapter. Sword Cry.”

KIIIIIIIIING—!!

The noise that filled the battlefield tore their bodies to shreds.

Hyunsoo, taking one step at a time, swept them away with all his strength.

“Cut Them in Two.”

SLAAAAASH—!!

As he watched the 60,000 enemy troops completely swept away, Hyunsoo’s heart pounded.

When did I grow this much?

It had been a long time since he had joined a battlefield.

He could not even remember when the last time had been.

Had it been sometime when he fought the Parion Empire Army?

The Bloodthirsty Host.

It was when he fought the elite troops the Parion Empire Army had dragged along.

Almost two years had already passed since then, and the growth he had achieved during that time was abnormal.

Of course, that did not mean he could relax.

Ordinary soldiers and knight-class opponents were different.

[Leo, commander of the 60,000 troops and a member of the 9th Knight Order, appears!]

[Knight Leo Lv 534.]

Seeing Leo’s level as he appeared, Hyunsoo realized something.

Soldiers have a limit to their growth.

Of course, compared to the past, the levels of Parion Empire soldiers had risen by 30 to 40.

However, their level growth ultimately hit a ceiling.

Knights, though, were different.

In the past, the average level of knights had been in the 400s.

But the Parion Empire knight orders now appearing were new.

In particular, even the level of a member of the 9th Knight Order, which he knew was at the “lowest end,” was tremendous.

And unlike users, NPCs possessed high HP, attack power, and skill.

Users had fought for only a few years in Ares, building experience under the name of control, but knights had been fighting since birth.

So Hyunsoo was tense.

“What exactly are you? A mage? An archer? Or a swordsman...?”

[Knight Leo receives an enormous shock and loses his will to fight!]

[Master Blacksmith’s Pride creates synergy.]

[The stat Overwhelm creates synergy.]

[The status ailment Submission is applied to Knight Leo.]

[The status ailment Powerlessness is applied.]

[The status ailment Despair is applied.]

[All stats decrease by 45%!]

A great knight of the Parion Empire had to fight even when facing death.

Bullshit.

After seeing someone slaughter 60,000 troops alone, it was difficult to have any will to fight.

His legs trembled like aspen leaves and would not take strength, and the man before him felt like such an enormous being that Leo thought he might drop his sword.

The approaching man answered Leo’s question.

He was not a mage, an archer, or a swordsman.

“A blacksmith.”

“......”

Thud—

Beyond his darkening vision, Leo only then found the answer.

The king of the nation of Hyun...

But by the time he found that answer, he was already dead.

Without having been able to do a single thing!

[You acquire 12,010,013 EXP.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You acquire 14,401 gold.]

[Legendary grade. You acquire Leo’s Cloak.]

[You acquire the title 50,000 Massacrer.]

50,000 Massacrer.

It was an excellent title that raised all stats by 2 and all attack power by 2%.

But Hyunsoo had no time to rejoice. He moved on and arrived near Verd Territory.

“Knight appearing.”

Hyunsoo, who had appeared while reaffirming his blazing resolve, spotted two people.

Both of them had straw hats pulled low over their heads, and their names were not visible.

But Hyunsoo had no time to think.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—!

He moved in accordance with the drumbeats spreading from the front above.

He was moving so urgently that he did not hear them.

[King Ruma of Bellaim Kingdom recognizes your contribution in hunting the 60,000 troops before the quest triggered!]

[So far, you have defeated more than 60,000 enemy troops in total.]

[1,832,013 gold is accumulated.]

[Your contribution to Bellaim Kingdom is extremely high!]

[50% additional gold is accumulated!]

He did not hear how much he was about to earn from now on.

*****

At present, the battle for the fall of Verd Territory was being broadcast live across the world.

Watching Musashi, his guild members, and the soldiers fighting desperately to protect Verd Territory, the world felt pity.

-They have done more than enough.

With a force of only about 15,000, holding back Pedro and his army was close to a miracle.

But little by little, they began to be pushed back, and one by one, they began to be captured.

-About 6,000 have already logged out or died.

Fortunately, the proportion of users was high, but the NPCs had also suffered heavy losses.

Before anyone realized it, the castle gate had been broken, and under Pedro’s command, the soldiers began entering Verd Territory.

“There are no civilians?”

“It seems they already slipped them out!”

All the civilians had already left Verd Territory.

But the fact that they had allowed the territory to be invaded at all was the problem.

The whole reason the people of the world felt such pity—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Verd Territory Army was fighting desperately, but the forces that had split apart were beginning to appear from the mountain.

“I am Bakan, who led 100,000 troops with Sir Leo. Sir Leo led 60,000, and I led 40,000 to arrive on the battlefield! Hm? Where did Sir Leo and the 60,000 troops go?”

“Pelao, who led the 2nd Army, has arrived. We encountered an unknown mage, and 70,000 died!”

“The 100,000 troops that tried to cross the bridge currently appear to be isolated by a single archer!”

No one could say they had not done well.

After all, Pedro’s bewildered expression was being broadcast to the entire world as he watched the troops entering inside with both arms crossed.

However.

-There are still more than 180,000 troops remaining. And Pedro is relaxing with both arms crossed.

-This was meant to show the true army of the Parion Empire. Of course, in the end, it seems they suffered far more casualties than expected, but the result will not change.

Pedro lowered his arms as he looked at the army that had arrived.

“Bind them all and capture the lord.”

-It is not even an attack from every direction. Pedro has ordered all of them to enter through the main gate.

-He does not feel the need to attack from every direction.

-At some point, one-third of the surviving Verd Territory Army has already been bound and captured. They are far too easy a prey.

“We obey!”

The tens of thousands of horses standing atop the mountain screamed. Behind them, the following ranks of troops simultaneously roared and charged toward Verd Territory.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

Inside Verd Territory, Pedro, who had been taking his time, was approaching Musashi while slaughtering the guild members around him.

Just then.

-What is that?

-Who is that?

Between the long descending ranks like a tidal wave, only one man charged forward.

“Another knight appearing.”

-Again? He must have appeared somewhere else too?

Along with those puzzled words, the man running straight toward the waist of the long descending column shouted.

“Phoenix!!”

KIEEEEEEEEEH—!

A phoenix heated the front.

The entire world fell into shock.

It seemed as though they were marveling at the majesty of a phoenix they had never seen before in their lives...

-That is Hyunsoo.

-...Anyone can tell that’s Hyunsoo.

-And that is Kkokko.

-No, does changing the name make it a phoenix?

They were dumbfounded after realizing it was Hyunsoo.

But that dumbfounded feeling vanished in an instant.

KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEH—!!!

Something fell like rain after a single firebird drew a circle and spun over the entire territory.

The identity of what was falling—

A rain of hundreds of potion bottles brought from the nation of Hyun.

-...!

-...!

The sound of the falling potions being opened in every direction echoed across the battlefield.

Pop, pop-pop, poong—!

Those who had been running out of supplies rose after receiving a single ray of hope.

“Wooooooooh!!”

“Uwoooooooooh!!”

Warrior’s guild members.

The sight of them flying in to rescue their bound allies from the enemies formed a spectacle.

But the true spectacle had not even begun yet.

Hyunsoo, alone, crashed into the side of the advancing Parion Empire Army of 150,000.

CRAAAAAASH—!!!

A single impact shattered their balance.

Furthermore.

“Divine Step.”

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!!!

The commander-class figures there—

Hundred-man commanders and thousand-man commanders were wrapped in light and annihilated, scattering away because of his divine, rampaging movement.

After landing on the ground, he stood among them as they panicked from losing their commanders.

BOOOOOOOM—!!!

He split half of the enormous column apart.

The army below the divide looked upward, and the army above the divide looked downward.

He had opened a clear path through them, like the miracle of Moses.

PAAAAAAH—!!!!

All the knights except Pedro flew in from every direction at the same time, charging only toward Hyunsoo.

Looking at them, he had already drawn his sword back behind him and muttered.

“Gathering.”

SHWAAAAAAK—!

“Cut Them in Two.”

SLAAAAASH—!

“Graaaargh!”

“Guhuuuuuuk!”

“Aaaaaaaaagh!!!”

More than five knights scattered blood and were flung away.

And as the entire world watched him instantly slaughter thousands in that gap, it was thrown into upheaval.

But the world soon realized that upheaval would not be easy to sustain for long.

The army above.

The army below.

They began advancing solely toward him, and he was being surrounded alone by nearly 90,000 troops.

Just then.

He muttered again.

“Phoenix.”

-...That is... Firebird, isn’t it?

He summoned someone else.

It was none other than Musashi, who had been fighting to the very end atop the territory.

A battlefield.

They entrusted each other with their backs and madly cut down enemies.

At that moment, Knight Hyunsoo appeared. He could be seen shouting something at Musashi.

The sound of the battlefield drowned it out, so the viewers and commentators could not hear.

They only saw Musashi grab him by the collar with a deeply furious expression.

However.

“...Hear me out first, Mu...sashi, damn it!”

-????

The curse at the end definitely came through, and in the end, Musashi, wearing a devastated expression, nodded.

Only then did the cameras move closer, clearly broadcasting Musashi’s words.

“I, Musashi, as the owner of Verd Territory, transfer the qualification of lord of Verd Territory.”

-...!?

-...!?

The entire world tried to guess the conversation the two had exchanged.

-That’s it! By handing Verd Territory over to the nation of Hyun, he must be planning to bring in the nation of Hyun’s army!

But the commentators soon realized that idea was not very clever.

-This is foolish. If Master Blacksmith Hyun absorbs Verd Territory now, the Parion Empire will declare war on the nation of Hyun, and it will lead to an all-out war! Even if the nation of Hyun calls in its army and sweeps away the 100,000 troops there, it would be like starting a larger fire to put out a smaller one!

-Is there any king this foolish? The king’s ignorance will drag an entire nation into the fires of war!!

-He is giving the Parion Empire justification to raise an army of millions!!

However, the name recited was different from what they feared.

“The name of the one who carries on the name of the new monarch, the King of Stories.”

-Excuse me...!?

-What!?

-Who did he say is receiving the territory!!?

“It is Yi Sun-sin.”