Novel Full Chapter 174 : Chapter 174
Chapter 174. This is perfect (3)
“Keu… Keuuk….”
Marquis Ruide, stumbling through the explosion, was in such a near-death state that it was a wonder he could walk on his own two feet.
It was only natural, as he had endured a terrifying explosion that would have left no trace of him had he not been wearing the magical artifact armor crafted at the Tower of Truth.
“Are you alright?”
When Count Gilsion approached and asked about his condition, Marquis Ruide nodded and muttered in a trembling voice.
“Se… phiros.”
A faint green light emanated from within his chest and enveloped his body.
Then, an amazing thing happened.
The wounds that had been festering and torn by the burns began to regenerate perfectly.
Even every single strand of his burnt hair was being perfectly healed.
Eventually, Marquis Ruide, whose body had completely recovered, let out a small sigh and said.
“I never thought I would be making a life-risking gamble at this age.”
“But it’s a relief that it turned out well.”
“Indeed. This is all thanks to Lady Yupinel’s grace.”
At Count Ziegler’s words, Marquis Ruide chuckled and said.
“It’s thanks to this.”
Saying so, Marquis Ruide took out a small pendant from inside his armor.
This pendant, with a faint greenish hue, was not a magical artifact made at the Tower of Truth.
This was an ancient artifact.
Just once a day.
It was a healing-type artifact that could perfectly heal even someone on the verge of death, as long as they were still breathing.
As a treasure of the now-fallen Kreutz Kingdom, its value was immeasurable.
Marquis Ruide had been awarded this treasure for his meritorious service in the war at that time.
Would he ever have a reason to use this in his lifetime? He had been carrying it around with that thought. But….
“Thanks to it, I caught a big fish.”
Marquis Ruide smiled with satisfaction and looked at the still-smoky area.
It was a tremendously powerful attack that had pushed even him, wearing armor made of a magical artifact, to the brink of death.
Patrick Schneider, who had not even been wearing proper armor, would not have left a corpse behind.
Did people know?
Just what kind of monster with immense potential that Double Dragon was?
Probably no one would know, except for those who were here today.
Because that potential had been nipped in the bud here, before it could fully blossom.
‘For such a person to emerge from a small country is nothing short of a disaster. It was a good thing for the nation.’
The moment he completely relaxed his guard as he watched the smoke gradually clear….
Flash.
A single streak of light flashed from within the smoke.
Marquis Ruide reflexively tried to raise his shield, but….
‘Ah….’
It was gone.
He had no sword or shield.
His failure to realize that fact became the last mistake in Marquis Ruide’s life.
Swish.
The flashing light flew straight through Marquis Ruide’s neck. The flash continued on for a good while before burying itself into the ground on the opposite side.
Kwang!
And what followed was….
“Cough… Cough…. I really almost died.”
It was Patrick’s voice.
“Good heavens….”
“Oh, Yupinel. How….”
Count Gilsion and Count Ziegler stared at the reappeared Patrick in disbelief.
And Patrick forced himself to stand up and said.
“I thought something was strange. Damn it, so he pretended to go for mutual destruction while hiding a trick like this for himself? That’s why I was fooled.”
In Patrick’s hand was the artifact that had been hanging around Marquis Ruide’s neck.
He had snatched it at the same time he had sent his head flying.
And Patrick grinned and….
“Sephiros.”
In that moment, Count Gilsion and Count Ziegler were terrified.
“Huk?”
“Noooo!”
At the startled reaction of the two, Patrick grinned. Now those guys were all dead… huh?
“What? Why isn’t this working? Cough…. I feel like I’m about to die. Hey! Hey! Are you defying me?”
It was no use for Patrick to grab the pendant and shake it.
The healing power of Sephiros could only be used once a day.
Patrick didn’t know that.
And Count Ziegler and Count Gilsion did.
But they couldn’t help but overreact in surprise.
For Patrick Schneider to fully recover in this situation?
Just the thought of it made them shudder with uncontrollable fear.
But it was alright.
‘What a relief.’
‘Thank goodness.’
The effect of Sephiros was once a day.
There was absolutely no way that Patrick Schneider would recover and stand before them again. So….
“Why?”
The bodies of Count Ziegler and Count Gilsion, who were slowly getting into their stances, flinched simultaneously.
Patrick, who had simultaneously terrified two 7-star knights, still wore a smile and said.
“Think you can handle it?”
Patrick’s condition was a mess.
Arrows were stuck in various parts of his body, and there were large and small wounds from the battle.
And more serious than the external wounds were the internal ones.
In the process of taking magic with his body, he had deployed his protective energy at full power, but he couldn’t offset all the impact.
The moment an impact that surpassed the defensive power of his protective energy hit, his insides were shaken up, and his body was in a terrible state.
‘This is why I dodge attacks instead of blocking them….’
This time, it couldn’t be helped.
He never thought someone would feign mutual destruction without any resolve, relying on a trick like this.
Because he didn’t feel any sense of final resolve, his reaction to the life-risking attack was dulled. But….
‘What’s done is done….’
He knew well from experience.
In times like these, it was better to show an even stronger front.
That was why he spoke to the enemies who were looking at him with weary eyes.
“Then….”
Patrick, with a joyful smile on his lips, continued.
“Shall we continue?”
In that moment, everyone facing Patrick as an enemy got goosebumps.
How could they win?
No, could they really win at all?
Was that really a human?
Could it be a demon or a fiend that couldn’t be killed in ordinary ways?
Fear and desperation brought about absurd delusions. And in the end….
“Ugh… Uwaaaaah!”
“Run away!”
A few deserters emerged from among the soldiers.
Then, as if infected, a large number of soldiers threw down their weapons and fled.
“What are you doing?”
“You bastards! Maintain the formation!”
“Do you all want to die?”
The knights tried to stop those soldiers.
In fact, a few knights raised their swords and cut down some soldiers as an example. But….
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
“How are we supposed to catch that thing!”
“You do it yourselves!”
Rule by fear does not work when faced with a greater fear.
To the soldiers of the Kaisar Kingdom’s army now, Patrick was perceived as something huge and terrifying that should never be confronted.
In the end, the encirclement, which could not be controlled, collapsed. And….
“All units, cease combat!”
The final blow came here.
The voice that came from the sky belonged to a mage wearing a dark navy robe.
Behind him, dozens of magic swordsmen followed, escorting him as he flew through the sky.
And they landed lightly on the ground and said.
“Both sides, stop fighting. In the name of the Tower of Truth, no further combat will be tolerated.”
At that, Count Ziegler bit his lip hard and stepped forward.
“What is the meaning of this all of a sudden! Why is the Tower of Truth getting involved in this incident?”
At Count Ziegler’s words, the mage said.
“I am Wade Porter, a mage from the 6th floor of the Tower of Truth.”
“Wade Porter…. you are?”
Count Ziegler was surprised.
Being from the 6th floor of the Tower of Truth meant a position at least equivalent to a Count in the nobility.
Furthermore, although it was the first time seeing him, the name Wade Porter was a name he knew.
“Are you the Wade Porter who is one of the direct disciples of the Seven Sages?”
“That is correct.”
“……”
Count Ziegler bit his lip and fell silent.
At this point, this was not an opponent he could suppress with authority.
The Kaisar Kingdom was a country that was particularly mindful of the authority of the Tower of Truth, which was hosted within its borders.
Although it was not affiliated with the kingdom and was merely leasing the land, the mere existence of the Tower of Truth allowed the Kaisar Kingdom to reap enormous benefits.
Count Ziegler frowned and said.
“First, could you explain the reason? Why have you suddenly intervened in this battle?”
At that, Wade Porter said.
“The Double Dragon over there is a guest formally invited by our Tower of Truth.”
“What did you say?”
“I don’t know what misunderstanding has caused the kingdom to be hostile to the Double Dragon, but please resolve the misunderstanding and withdraw now.”
At those words, Count Ziegler’s jaw dropped.
After a moment of failing to grasp the situation, his face turned beet red and he shouted.
“Are you out of your mind!?”
Count Ziegler shouted.
At that, Wade Porter wiped the smile from his face and said with a serious expression.
“Watch your words. The words I speak now are on behalf of my master.”
Grit.
Count Ziegler gritted his teeth.
Now that the opponent had mentioned the name of the Seven Sages, he really had to be careful with his words.
Even if he was a 7-star knight.
“We have already lost too much. Because of the Double Dragon, we have lost Count Spike and Marquis Ruide.”
“Marquis Ruide as well?”
It seemed Wade Porter hadn’t known this.
The kingdom had lost two of the nine 7-star knights it possessed.
Among them, Marquis Ruide was a giant of an even higher caliber.
At this point, it wouldn’t be strange if the Kaisar Kingdom tried to tear Patrick apart alive. But….
‘That’s your problem.’
Wade Porter’s master had ordered him to bring the Double Dragon back safely, no matter what it took.
So, he was just faithfully carrying out his master’s orders.
“As far as we know, Count Calvin Spike died as a result of a fair duel.”
“That is still a matter under investigation by the kingdom.”
“And this battle, too, was likely not started by the Double Dragon first. Was it not you who formed the encirclement and attacked him?”
“It would have been fine if that man had surrendered obediently.”
“Cough cough…. Would you, in my place?”
Patrick, who had been listening quietly on the side, chimed in.
Even while on the verge of death, he couldn’t stand being wronged.
Enduring injustice without speaking up was the twelfth thing Patrick hated the most.
‘Was it the eleventh? Damn it… my body’s in such a state, I’m getting confused.’
Patrick felt so dizzy that he just wanted to throw everything away and lie down. But he couldn’t let his guard down yet.
It seemed April had delivered the letter safely, and the Tower of Truth had stepped in as planned, so it should be fine, but caution was necessary until the very end.
The heated argument between Count Ziegler and Wade Porter was now coming to a decision.
“In any case, we will not allow any further attacks on our guest. If you still insist on using force, we will have no choice but to respond with force!”
As he said that, the magic swordsmen behind Wade Porter activated their Soul Weapons all at once.
It was a clear sign that if they took another step, they would be met with force.
At that sight, Count Ziegler bit his lip hard.
‘How dare they….’
The number of magic swordsmen looked to be well over thirty.
Could they win against them, with their encirclement broken and having been tormented by Patrick all night?
No, leaving aside winning or losing, if a battle broke out here, how would they handle the aftermath?
Just then, Count Gilsion came up beside him and said.
“It would be best to withdraw for now.”
“Count Gilsion!”
“If we don’t withdraw now, we will have to face not only the Tower of Truth but also that monster again.”
“……”
“Do we have a chance of victory?”
Count Ziegler squeezed his eyes shut.
If he were asked if they had a chance of victory, thinking calmly… truly calmly….
“Oh, Yupinel….”
There was none.
At his words, which came out with a sigh, Patrick grinned and said.
“Oh, looks like you’re leaving?”
“Double Dragon….”
“What is it? Want more?”
“Today’s humiliation….”
“I will never forget it.”
“……”
“You were going to say something like that?”
“……”
“Kids who run away always try to save face by saying one last thing, cough cough…. Ugh…. I’m really going to die.”
Seeing him vomit blood, he even thought about just fighting. But….
“Why? Should we just throw everything away and you and I settle this one-on-one? I’m fine with that.”
He couldn’t bring himself to answer ‘Fine.’ to those words.
Even with his opponent on the verge of death and vomiting blood right before his eyes, he couldn’t be confident of victory.
Seeing him trembling with humiliation and shame, Patrick said.
“Kid. When you’re getting lost, just shut up and go. Whatever you say will just be a dog barking.”
Grind!
He gritted his teeth so hard it felt like they would break.
Then he turned his back and commanded.
“Clean up the scene. We are withdrawing.”
“Yes, sir!”
Even the knights who answered his command as if they had been waiting for it were displeasing, but….
‘It can’t be helped.’
And so, the desperate battle between Patrick and the Kaisar Kingdom’s army came to an end.
It was a battle that had mobilized over 10,000 troops, numerous knightly orders, mages, and even four 7-star knights.
The result….
Total deaths: over 1,500.
Among them, over 80 were knights.
And crucially….
Marquis Andrea Ruide.
Count Martin Tonius.
Two more 7-star knights had died.
It was a bitter defeat for the Kaisar Kingdom.