Chapter 108 - It was a winning move.

'I think it'll work well.'

Facing the wall, Pin felt that the guards' vigilance was definitely laxer than before.

It wasn't at the level of the Sixth Sense, but she also had her intuition as a Ranger and a Pathfinder.

Following behind her, Torres doubted whether this was truly the right path before inwardly shaking his head.

'This isn't the time to be hesitating.'

Once they decided to do it, they had to do it.

He was also a member of the Border Guard, a soldier who had received the special-grade in the Naurilia soldier grading system.

Even if he couldn't fight a hundred men alone, he was a useful asset capable of doing the work of two or three by himself.

And Encrid.

"I'm going first."

He didn't bother putting Pin in the lead. He briskly shoved his hands into the cracks of the wall and began to climb.

He had taken off his ruined gambeson, and even though he had used a few throwing weapons, the longsword clattering at his waist was still there.

"... What the hell is with that guy?"

He climbed the wall better than her, a Ranger. It was a natural thing for Pin to say.

"I don't know either. I'm on my way."

"What?"

Torres chewed over what he had just said and realized he had spouted nonsense.

"I mean, I think I knew a little before, but I don't know anymore."

"Anyway, just follow closely."

Encrid's speed at scaling the wall was extremely fast. It was an art. It put monkeys to shame.

He moved his hands and feet briskly without hesitation.

Pin followed behind him.

Because they had come in a hurry, they only had two pitons, so they only had two ropes to hang on the wall.

Looking down, Pin saw Torres barely managing to keep up.

He was groaning, but he was a guy with outstanding athletic ability to begin with.

'Then, what about him?'

Pin turned her head back up.

Encrid, who had already almost reached the top of the wall, stopped in a crouched position just beneath the parapet.

It was easiest to think of the parapet as a thick, high structure built atop the wall for defense.

Therefore, unless one had exceptional skill, it was difficult to scale the parapet barehanded and drop down inside the wall.

'Can he not climb up there?'

It didn't seem like it.

For Pin herself, she just had to hang by her fingertips, pull her upper body up, and use the elasticity of her waist to flip over.

And if she hooked the small grappling hook she carried just in case? Even easier. Hook it, wind the rope, and she could easily vault over.

After crossing over, she could just grab the hands of her trailing companions and pull them up.

In any case, it didn't seem like Encrid had stopped because he couldn't get over.

Hanging there before crossing the parapet, Encrid didn't even look like he was struggling.

He looked down and wiggled his fingers.

It was a simple hand signal, but it wasn't hard to understand.

[Guards.]

Was he saying there were signs of people inside the wall?

Yet Pin couldn't sense any sound or presence at all.

'Is he saying he's more sensitive than me, a Ranger?'

In truth, Encrid couldn't feel anything either. He only knew from experience.

Hanging beneath the parapet, Encrid fell into thought.

'What kind of trick did she play?'

Blocking the Sixth Sense.

This was the one thing he still couldn't figure out even after repeating today.

It was certain she had played some trick with a spell.

Because otherwise, it couldn't be this peaceful.

In the Smuggler's Hole, they were already inside the tunnel, so let's say they were doomed the moment they felt an ominous premonition.

Even if he missed the lycanthrope pack because this land—the front of Crossguard—was a place where monsters constantly roamed.

But to completely fail to notice the presence of troops hiding atop the wall as well?

She had definitely played some sort of trick.

Up until his sixtieth today, he had tried hard to figure out what that trick was, but.

'Let's leave it be.'

It was a difference in importance. There were plenty of things more important than a magician's trick, and his ultimate goal was clear.

Getting past today.

Training during that time.

And thereby moving forward with the sword as his guide.

Would giving up on figuring it out cause a problem?

It would cause no problem at all.

Because he already knew from repeating today.

'Right about here, maybe.'

Encrid slowly inched to the left while hanging from the parapet.

To hang on, there had to be cracks in the wall.

This side of Crossguard's wall was a place that had to face not only ordinary monsters but occasionally monsters that had formed a Colony.

Thanks to that, there were many flaws here and there.

It had been repaired, but there were still many cracks.

Hooking his fingers and wedging his toes into the cracks, he had no difficulty moving.

Encrid shifted his position while hanging on the wall and pictured what lay beyond the wall in his mind.

When he had first reached this place, he had only predicted and guessed, but.

Now, he could even estimate the exact location of the magician named Retsha.

No, he was certain of it.

Because this arrogant magician had never once moved from her spot in any of his repeated todays.

Having positioned himself, Encrid sent another hand signal.

[You guys go first.]

Seeing the signal, Pin and Torres began to move. First Pin, then Torres.

Hanging from the parapet, Pin reached out and helped Torres.

The moment the two of them crossed over.

FWOOSH.

Fire brightly illuminated the area above their heads.

It had to be seven or eight torches igniting simultaneously.

It wasn't a sight he had only seen once or twice.

"How did you get here? My children definitely moved out."

Retsha's voice.

Right beyond the wall, just as he expected.

She didn't know him, but he knew her location.

That alone gave him the high ground.

On top of that, he knew her name and what kind of spell she used.

"Oh, shit."

Torres spat a curse.

"He was right."

Hearing Pin's murmur, Encrid reached out.

He grabbed the edge of the parapet with his fingertips.

He pulled his body up with only one arm.

It was the physical strength that his squadmates, including Rem, had repeatedly marveled at. Plus, thanks to his repeated training with the isolation technique, his body felt even lighter.

Shooting his body up, he flipped through the air like a forward roll the moment his head crested the parapet.

It was a near-acrobatic movement he couldn't have even dreamed of in the past, but.

Thanks to training with the isolation technique and tumbling countless times.

Encrid's body spun in the air and dropped beneath the parapet.

He uncurled his rolled-up body and slammed his feet into the ground with bent knees.

SWOOSH, THUD.

Unable to do a proper breakfall, the impact sent a tremor through the floor.

Right in front of Encrid, he saw the magician Retsha.

With a face full of utter shock and wide eyes.

"Y-You."

Before she could even open her mouth and say anything, Encrid's hand moved.

FWEEEE!

It was a Whistle Dagger.

Retsha was surprised, but she wasn't flustered.

She only thought, *'Where did this guy pop out from?' *

Naturally, this was possible because she had something to rely on.

Because an intangible barrier materialized by her spell existed around her.

It was a shield that blocked even a quarrel fired from point-blank range.

And so, she waited for it to strike her shield, but.

Encrid's Whistle Dagger was not aiming for her.

It was aimed past her, at the necks of the four soldiers wielding crossbows.

THWACK-THWACK.

With Concentrate on a Single Point activated, Encrid's Whistle Dagger hit its marks precisely.

His training all this time had paid off.

The four enemy soldiers crumpled. And right before they collapsed.

Retsha reacted.

"Kyah!"

A bizarre cry burst from her mouth.

Soon, a thorny vine whipped up from the floor with a *SWOOSH*. It bent flexibly and slashed at his waist.

The real fight began now.

"Soldiers first!"

Encrid shouted as he drew his sword.

SHING!

He swung his drawn sword. Perhaps it was because he was concentrating so hard.

His head felt hot.

'Cut the thin ones. Deflect the thick ones.'

Encrid moved with the Flowing Sword Technique as his foundation, rather than the Heavy Sword Technique.

Though he had never properly learned it.

"It's good to know the basic principles of swordsmanship. Learning only the Heavy Sword Technique just because you use it is a stupid thing to do. You have to know the opponent's swordsmanship to respond and fight them, right?"

Ragna was usually incredibly lazy, only showing what little enthusiasm he had when it was time to teach him, but.

Sometimes, very occasionally, he would burn with passion.

This was something he said on one of those days.

After that, Encrid had learned at least the basic principles of each sword technique.

Since then, he had practiced over seventy times against the vines.

Encrid's over seventy todays were shining through.

He cut the thin ones.

And deflected the thick ones.

THWACK, RIIIIP. CLANG.

Some thorny vines were as thick as a forearm.

The impact was practically on the level of a club, but he blocked them with the flat of his blade, lowered his stance, and let them slide upwards.

It was the Flowing Sword Technique.

"You bastard!"

Retsha was extremely enraged. How dare he dodge my vines? A mere swordsman?

Her hand moved, and soon three or four vine spears and a vine whip flew at him.

Encrid did not rely on some clumsy intuition.

Instead, he opened his eyes wide.

It felt like gathering all of Concentrate on a Single Point into his eyes.

A sensation as if his eyeballs were burning.

Doing this, he could see everything.

As if every single thing was moving in slow motion.

He repeated the same actions once again.

Deflecting with his sword, swinging to strike, parrying, and cutting.

Feeling? He discarded such things.

Sixth Sense? He didn't need it right now.

There was no need to rely on his senses.

He just had to watch everything and strike, dodge, and lash out.

While he deflected and dodged two rounds of vine attacks like that.

He heard agonized screams from his surroundings.

They were the death throes of soldiers. Torres and Pin's skills were not something to be ignored, after all.

Especially when someone drew attention elsewhere, Torres's abilities truly shined.

His talent with daggers—Encrid had seen it himself.

"Fine, I'll make you dance until you die."

Retsha swallowed her rage and her eyes flashed.

The magician's eyes, resembling those of a snake, stared straight at Encrid.

Encrid ignored her.

Hadn't he already seen this countless times?

His Heart of a Beast thumped as if speaking to him.

No, it was Rem. He felt like he could hear Rem's words.

["If you're going to fall for something like that, rip that heart out."]

'Don't worry, you crazy bastard Rem, I won't fall for something like that.'

When he didn't even flinch at the evil eye, the magician's vines grew fiercer.

SWISH.

They became thinner and faster.

ZIP-ZIP-ZIP.

Up until now, the vines Retsha controlled had mostly taken the form of spears and whips.

But pushed to this point, they took the form of arrows.

They weren't actual arrows, but their thickness and the fierce way they were shot were just like real ones.

Could a human block a barrage of arrows?

'No.'

Unless they were a knight, that was the truth.

But if he had to.

If the moment came when he had to deflect a rain of arrows.

If he absolutely couldn't dodge, what should he do?

'What do you mean, what should I do?'

I have to prepare to die and just do it.

Should he call it a soldier's spirit?

Or an infantryman's spirit?

No, that was simply the kind of person Encrid was.

There was no giving up. No regrets.

He had bet everything in his life on the path forward.

Gripping his sword tightly with both hands, Encrid focused through the burning pain in his eyeballs.

'Connect the dots.'

And based on the connecting lines, deflect everything.

Thinly braided vines shot up from below and rained down from all directions.

The moment he saw the number surpass ten, he gave up counting.

Encrid scattered his focus with his body at the center.

What he had realized between the lycanthrope pack and the Gray Hound unit—scattering his focus.

Avoiding the attacks that entered his zone through that.

There was also what he had learned prior to that, from the fight inside the Smuggler's Hole.

Split-second judgment.

Acting without hesitation in every situation, in every fleeting moment.

Encrid combined the two and executed them simultaneously.

THWACK-THWACK-THWACK.

Soon, the vines were ripped apart in all directions in the air in front of him, bursting with green fluid.

Veins popped on Retsha's forehead, and her eyes grew bloodshot.

The vines did not stop.

Neither did Encrid's sword.

And Pin and Torres, who were fighting the soldiers, also glanced at the sight.

'Saying he just fights well doesn't seem to cover it anymore.'

Torres thought this as he stood behind a soldier and slit his throat.

TWANG!

Just then, a quarrel flew to the spot where he had been standing.

With a *THUD*, the bolt lodged into the belly of the soldier Torres had just killed.

"Why don't you watch where you're shooting?"

CRACK. GYAAAAH!

At that timing, a scream rang out from one side.

It was the handiwork of Pin, who was slithering across the floor as if she had become a snake.

The soldier, whose leg had been twisted in a direction it shouldn't bend, foamed at the mouth.

Pin didn't stop.

Because if she stopped, she would be skewered by a quarrel.

Meanwhile, Encrid and the magician's fight continued.

No one could get close to the two of them.

Sharp thorny vines flew like needles.

Occasionally, a few bounced off and gouged into the surrounding walls.

Those who didn't want to die by their allied magician's hand all backed away.

Thanks to that, Torres and Pin were able to catch their breath a little.

Seeing the sharp thorny vine tips punching holes into the wall with *THUD-THUD* sounds, Torres didn't want to go near either.

'Will killing the soldiers even solve this?'

As he thought that, Torres realized.

In the end, the direction of this battle rested entirely on those two.

If the magician won?

Torres and Pin would also be dead meat.

But how long could Encrid hold out?

To both Torres and Pin, Encrid was in constant peril.

Because some of the vines he had been dodging until now were starting to graze his body.

Right on cue.

"Did you charge in trusting that scrap of leather wrapped around your body?"

The magician's voice was heard. A low murmur, completely unagitated, confident that she had grasped victory.

'This isn't good.'

Torres thought.

And he was right.

Encrid was in constant peril.

He had quickly hit his limit.

However, that was exactly the moment Encrid had been waiting for.

The moment Retsha was certain of victory.

This exact timing when Torres, Pin, and the enemy soldiers were watching their fight.

Encrid's right hand, having shifted his sword from a two-handed grip to solely his left hand, made its move.

It was his winning move.