Imperial Guard - Chapter 97
Only Krnovel
“Am I right here? There’s no one here.”
“Raina. Be quiet.”
Rael summoned his magic as he looked at the quiet abandoned building.
Looking at the large iron gate and the surrounding equipment, it seemed like this building was used as a warehouse.
There was no sign of life in the building, but a strangely disgusting smell emanated from it.
“Clara. Are you sure about this?”
“I have confirmed that the Mountain Offerings and Desert Warriors are entering, and there are no other entrances.”
If it’s an investigation by suicide, the reliability of the information is certain.
If so, there is only one answer.
“It looks like the bugs are hiding well.”
Rael raised his sword, which was imbued with black energy, and struck the iron gate without hesitation.
Kwaaaaang-!
Dust rose from the iron gate that was torn in two with a loud noise.
The inside of the warehouse was dark without a single ray of light.
Only the faint moonlight illuminated the entrance to the warehouse.
Swish-.
Rael put on the mask he had in his arms.
“Going in.”
Rael entered the dark warehouse.
As soon as I crossed the warehouse door, something caught my foot.
“···A black magician?”
Rael kicked the corpse, which was covered in black robes, over his head.
The black magician, whose pained face still remained, seemed to have died not long ago.
Thud, thud.
The further we went into the warehouse, the more disgusting the smell became.
Inside the warehouse, which was thickly filled with black magic and magical energy, Rael felt many eyes on him.
“Ghent.”
Rael stopped walking in the center of the warehouse, which was as quiet as a mouse.
“Hmm. What’s going on?”
“You take care of the trash.”
“···Are you okay, Rael?”
Ghent also felt the same sense of animosity around him.
But, in reality, they weren’t those.
A powerful magical force that reveals its presence from the front.
It was clear that he was the center of this place.
“I will never let a kid mess with what’s mine.”
Lael smiled wryly.
Behind that powerful magical power, the presence of countless people could be felt.
That was Rael’s goal.
“I understand. As a warrior of the Giants, I cannot ignore the request of my comrades.”
thud-!
A giant axe fell from Ghent’s back.
“You said Clara? This is your first time working with a human. Please take care of me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
Clara swallowed.
It’s a puzzling thing that Rael brought in foreign races, but if they’re on his side, they can get along.
“Reina. Please give me light.”
“···huh!”
Slurp-
The magic of nature flowed out from Reina’s arms.
Having regained her strength under the protection of the World Tree, Reina no longer hid her powers.
Hwaaaaak-!
A bright light burst inside the warehouse, and the desert warriors who had been waiting buried in the sand opened their eyes wide.
“What the hell…! Hit me!”
“Let me make you feel the wrath of the desert!”
Dozens of desert warriors rushed towards Reyna and Ghent.
Meanwhile, Rael walked forward.
A huge magical force that weighed down the surroundings appeared opposite Rael.
“I thought it was a betrayal by the Knights of Carmen… Who are you?”
Namaha narrowed her eyes as she saw an unidentified man approaching her.
‘Not the Knights of Carmen?’
At first I thought the Knights of Carmen had broken their promise.
However, the ones who actually entered the warehouse were ones I had never seen before.
It wasn’t a coincidence.
Because they didn’t run away, but naturally started fighting the desert warriors.
“Hmm···.”
Rael examined the body of the man standing in front of him.
A hood and light cloth clothing are the clothing worn by desert warriors.
Among them, the star on his shoulder indicated his location.
The opponent was Namar, the commander of the Knights of Nagor.
“You said it was a betrayal by the Knights of Carmen. What does that have to do with Gideon?”
Rael looked at Namaha and said.
He clearly said that it was a betrayal of the Knights of Carmen.
Rael’s prediction that there was something between Nagor and the Knights of Kamen turned out to be true.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sling-
Namaha raised his greatsword.
It meant that there was no will to talk.
“···Tsk. The first form of the Thousand-Slayer Sword. Enter the Heaven.”
The same goes for Rael.
A thick blade burned on his sword.
“Wow. His hands look tough, but he has this much momentum…”
Namaha looked at the masked man as if he was curious.
A well-organized killing spirit poured out of him.
It was like a mercenary who had been on the battlefield hundreds of times.
“Then why don’t you step aside nicely? Isn’t the desert kingdom a place that treats warriors well?”
“You’re talking nonsense.”
Boom-!
A loud noise erupted from the sudden clash of swords.
“Don’t you know what happened to Nagor when you kept such an outdated tradition?”
The first one to be pushed out was Rael.
Namaha, the commander of the Knights of Nagor, was already a strong man who had reached the level of Sword Master.
‘···I happened to meet a really strong guy.’
A chilling sensation ran through my body from my fingertips.
Just by crossing swords, the difference in level between them was evident.
The opponent was a strong player of similar level to Captain Rain.
‘I don’t think I can’t fight.’
But Rael did not back down.
Because I felt a sense of incongruity in Namaha’s reaction.
Thump- thump-
Rael’s heart beat quickly as he took in information from his surroundings.
Namaha’s movements were watched with keen senses, sharpened by the anger that filled his body.
‘I want to end the fight quickly.’
The body is leaning forward, and there is a look of urgency in the gaze.
What is the reason?
He said it himself.
‘I thought it was a betrayal of the Knights Templar.’
‘Namaha is afraid of the Kamen Knights. That’s why they’re trying to run away quickly.’
After finishing his analysis, Rael raised his sword again and said.
“I have to return the puppies you took away. They are my children.”
“You are brimming with confidence.”
Namaha lifted his greatsword.
Although he looked quite strong, he still seemed to be a fully-grown graduate.
If you want to escape with the desert warriors, you can’t afford to be wasted time.
“Let’s see if he has the skills to back up that confidence.”
Ss …
Magic power gathered in the sword and the surrounding sand rose up.
I had used up some of my magic power dealing with the warlocks and demons, but I still had some left over.
Woof woof woof-!
Sand rose from the ground where there had been nothing.
It looked like a simple sandstorm, but it contained tremendous murderous intent.
Rael stepped back, looking at the massive sandstorm looming over him.
‘Is this the Sword Master’s domain…?’
This seemed more like magic than swordsmanship.
Rael drew up his magic power to block the sandstorm that was hitting his body.
“···What is happening?”
And then, Namaha felt something strange as she glared at the man in front of her.
His sandstorm won’t leave any enemies inside alone.
Every time it touches the sand, it reduces the opponent’s magic power, making them gradually lose control of their magic power.
‘Rather, my magic power is being diminished.’
But that guy was different.
Every time sand touched his body, his magic power was quickly reduced.
It was as if it was a divine power that swallowed up magic.
“It’s quite interesting. I have a lot to share with you.”
“That’s not interesting at all.”
Rael lowered his posture with a calm expression and poured magical power into his sword.
As Captain Rain said, it becomes difficult to use magical power while inside the area.
‘But that’s not necessarily true?’
This also seems to be an effect of one’s own unique constitution.
Whatever the cause, we must use whatever we can.
“It looks like you’re using some strange magic… I’ll destroy the magic itself.”
thud-!
Namaha rushed towards Rael like a gust of sand.
The magic he uses is unknown, but it’s not like he can’t win.
Kwaaaaang-!
A heavy sword pressed down on Rael.
It was a heavy sword imbued with the Sword Master’s magical power.
Rael smiled as he looked at the sword.
“The magic is heavy… but it’s slow?”
Rael, who had lowered his sword, spun his body around and aimed for Namaha’s leg.
Taaaaang-!
At that moment, Namaha’s magical power suddenly burst out and Rael’s body was thrown backwards.
“Kaaa, huh.”
Rael regained his composure and spat out the sand that had entered his mouth, staring straight ahead.
His senses were still sharp.
“Huh, how could this happen···.”
Namaha looked at his sword and laughed in vain.
He was overcoming the overwhelming gap in magical power with his swordsmanship skills.
No, to be exact, it wasn’t swordsmanship.
Reaction speed and agility, an eye for reading battles, and concentration.
He was outdone by the man who had natural talent as a warrior.
It was a blow to the desert warrior’s pride.
‘Damn it. I don’t have time.’
However, Namaha was in a position where he could not stay with his partner for long.
He felt the magic circle in his arms.
‘The Knights of Carmen will be here soon.’
The original plan was to kill the warlocks and the demons and escape with the sorcery, and the Kamen Knights would raid the warehouse as soon as dawn broke and deal with the remaining remnants.
The plan is for everyone to have a ball.
In other words, the time Gideon guaranteed was until morning.
Until then, I had to get the body out.
‘It’s impossible to kill this guy.’
If you forcefully squeeze out your magic power, it might be possible.
However, Namaha had to take other desert warriors with him.
Even now, desert warriors were dying from unknown enemies.
“There’s nothing I can do. I’ll finish this quickly, dear.”
Woohoo-!
Magic power began to gather around Namaha once again.
Rael also frowned at the incredible density of magical power.
“Four worlds of fantasy.”
A waterfall of sand poured out from Namaha’s sword.
In the realm where the Sword Master unfolded, a huge amount of sand gathered and swallowed Rael in an instant.
“Ugh···!”
Rael shut his eyes tightly against the sand covering him.
‘Is this the realm of the Sword Master…?!’
A strong pressure weighed on Rael, making it difficult to breathe.
An overwhelming sense of power and exhaustion that engulfs space.
Before he knew it, the area around Rael had become a desert rather than a warehouse.
“What the heck···.”
The sand, forming geometric patterns, filled the area around Rael.
I tried to cut the sand with my sword, but all that happened was that sand filled the spot again.
‘Fuck, don’t do anything stupid and focus.’
Rael ignored the feel of the sand trying to surround him.
No matter how great the field is, there is no technology in the world that has no weaknesses.
‘There will be a gap.’
Rael focused all his senses on the sand.
It wasn’t exactly sand, it was the flow.
Rael’s senses, acknowledged by the dragon, scanned the inside of the area.
A flow of sand that circulates like a river or sea.
In the meantime, Rael read one path.
“The second form of the Thousand-Slayer Sword.”
Rael raised his sword to the sky.
Swish.
Rael’s sword soared high into the sky.
The sword that had received the magic of the sky emitted a bright light even in the sand that was gradually tightening around Rael’s body.
“ascension.”
Wood thud thud-
Among the suffocating sands.
Lael brought down his sword.
Kwagagagagagagagagak-!
A huge explosion bursts from Rael’s sword.
Its terrifying power cut off Namaha’s magical power that controlled the flow of sand.
“Ugh···!”
The aftereffects also affected Namaha’s body as he fled.
The area he had spread out was shattered, damaging his magic power.
“Desert warriors! Follow me!”
However, Namaha had already fled with the desert warriors.
“Hey! They ran away! Catch those guys!”
“Wait a minute, Reina.”
Gent grabbed Reina’s shoulder, who was excited.
“You can catch it now!”
“Our target is not them.”
Ghent turned around.
I looked at the back of the human who had stalled for time while crossing swords with the Sword Master.
“···.”
Rael approached the door that Namaha was guarding.
Inside, a familiar presence was felt.
*
Knock- knock-
The sound of water dripping from the ceiling filled my ears.
Nia was trembling from the magic that bound her body.
‘It’s dark. It’s scary. It’s cold···.’
Nia, the eldest sister at the orphanage, was a girl who had just turned ten.
She had been captured by the warlocks to protect her children, and only now was she fully aware of the danger.
There were hundreds of children around her who were bound by black magic, and the magical power covering her body was gradually consuming her life force.
It is made so that it can be used in witchcraft as a sacrificial offering.
‘Is everyone okay? What about Ms. Sarah? What about Ber···?’
Nia thought of the child she had protected, Ber.
And then he looked at Harry’s face, who had been captured with him.
Harry, opposite Nia, was bound by magic and had tears streaming down his face.
Black magic sealed the children’s voices, and no matter how much they cried, no sound came out.
Nia had already given up crying.
‘Is this how I’m going to die? Really···?’
At least Nia and Harry were doing well.
There were cases where other children lost their lives while being dragged away by the warlock.
‘The kids looked hungry.’
In the world of medieval fantasy, death was always close at hand.
This world did not treat children as human beings.
It was common for children to be beaten to death by drunkards on the street, or to be kidnapped by bad guys while begging.
At least Nia’s orphanage was safe because Lael was there, but it wasn’t like Nia didn’t know how to treat other children.
‘Brother Rael. Did I do well?’
The face of my older brother Rael, who always watched over the orphanage, came to mind.
When I heard my older brother tell me to give up my snacks because I was the oldest, I hated it, but now I think I can understand what he meant.
Nia protected the children as her brother Rael had said.
He was paying back the children as he had done for them.
‘Teacher Sarah, Sister Rayzel, Brother Rael···.’
Tears flowed from the eyes of a ten-year-old girl who had matured too quickly.
I made one small wish before I died: to be held in their arms one more time.
Swish-
My consciousness gradually weakened.
Black magic seeped into her body.
Nia began to slowly let go of the hand that had been holding her consciousness tightly.
Squeak-.
And at that moment.
The door opened and a man walked in.
“···You were here, guys.”
A thick blade cut through the center of the black magic.
He approached the children cautiously.
“Ugh.”
As her consciousness slowly faded, Nia opened her eyes.
The unpleasant, painful sensation that had been covering my body disappeared.
I saw a masked man standing in front of me.
His face was covered and he felt nothing.
“Brother Rael···?”
But Nia whispered without realizing it.
Feeling the warm gaze coming towards her, she closed her eyes comfortably.