Chapter 51 - Sing, Play, and Dance (2)

Having slashed her sword with the exact momentum of her run, Adelia slid forward and looked back.

Her disheveled hair fluttered and settled. Through the hair covering her face, lights of different colors flashed.

The bloodshot eyes overflowing with madness were the mark of the [War Maniac],

and the yellow eyes, gleaming as if they reeked of a foul stench, were the mark of the [Butcher].

"My god."

Seeing those eyes flashing like will-o'-the-wisps in a world blanketed by darkness, a groan slipped out on its own.

To think that traits, terrible even on their own, would blossom all at once.

I caught sight of Adelia charging at the Knight Slayer once again.

The sword of the Sword Marquis she had mastered was a mighty blade capable of severing a giant's flesh and bone all at once, and even in the face of the Knight Slayer's fierce Fighting Spirit, she showed not a single hint of hesitation.

Not a shred of her usual faint-hearted self could be seen, and every single strike was incredibly bold, as if she had cast aside her life.

Golden sword light and crimson energy clashed countless times.

After an endless exchange of offense and defense, Adelia staggered and her stance collapsed. Seeing her disordered posture, the Knight Slayer swung his blade down in a chopping strike.

CLASH!

My uncle stepped forward and deflected his attack. His strike blocked, the Knight Slayer roared ferociously and threw a punch. My uncle spun his sword and slashed at that fist.

CLASH!

Fighting Spirit and Aura collided, flashing with light. A brilliant burst of illumination erupted.

A blade suddenly thrust out from under my uncle's arm. It was Adelia.

The Knight Slayer swung his blade powerfully and retreated. My uncle regulated his breathing and likewise stepped back.

『Where has a warrior's honor gone...』

He erupted in anger at the sudden ambush and coordinated attack. But before his growl could even finish, a dark shadow stuck to him.

TAP.

Kicking off my uncle's shoulder, Adelia launched her body and struck down with a slash.

CRASH! CRASH!

Heavy blows unsuited for her slender frame rained down consecutively. The Knight Slayer deflected, blocked, and countered the attacks while shouting.

『What kind of beastly behavior is this!』

Being called beast-like by an Orc could be considered a remarkable achievement in some ways. Of course, Adelia had zero interest in the achievement she had just accomplished.

She just swung and thrust her sword like a madman.

GRAAAH!

The Knight Slayer bellowed. It seemed he was quite displeased by the presence of Adelia, who was biting and hanging onto him like a mad dog. But rather than annoyance, it was closer to bewilderment.

It was to be expected.

The Knight Slayer's boasted innate ability, [Open Eye], was useless in the face of the [Butcher] trait.

The Butcher simply sliced and butchered whatever was in sight. There was no room for any grandiose will to intervene. Furthermore, the [War Maniac] trait was a terrible mismatch for the Knight Slayer. A madman didn't think when they fought.

A monster who hadn't been pushed back even against a Sword Master was struggling against a woman who was merely a Sword Expert.

Adelia drove such a monster into a corner like a madman. Her swordsmanship, completely disregarding defense, was closer to mutual destruction.

Truly the image of a mad dog.

It was a relief. The one bitten wasn't me.

As I was watching her run wild, leaving no room to intervene, my uncle approached.

"Why on earth is that child..."

Seeing the faint-hearted and good-natured woman suddenly running wild like a maniac, he seemed utterly dumbfounded.

"Let's just say it's something like a berserker."

I gave a rough reply and signaled with my eyes.

That we should attack together and end it.

Even at this moment, screams and shouts were unceasing on the walls. Finishing him off as quickly as possible was the way to minimize casualties. While he was bewildered dealing with Adelia, it was the perfect time to end the fight.

"If you're done resting, let's go."

Having fully regulated his breathing in the meantime, my uncle gathered an Aura Blade at the tip of his sword once more. I also readjusted my grip on Twilight.

The Knight Slayer looked this way.

A look of despair surfaced in his eyes. It seemed he was finally beginning to regret his arrogance and haste.

But that was only for a moment; he suddenly roared and swung his blade.

CRASH!

With an explosive sound, Adelia was sent flying. I quickly ran and caught her body.

"Eek!"

She struggled in my arms. But I did not let her go.

The Knight Slayer's momentum was increasing explosively.

His massive dark green body had at some point turned entirely crimson. That color was incredibly ominous and threatening. It was proof that he had begun pouring the Fighting Spirit he had dispersed to fulfill his duties as a Legion Commander solely into his own flesh.

『Even if I can never stand before the King again.』

His low voice rang out resoundingly.

『I will not let the King's majesty be in vain.』

Crimson eyes glared straight at me, and Adelia struggled fiercely in my arms. Her soul, bound by the [Poem of Subordination], was reacting sensitively to the malice and murderous intent directed at me.

Holding her tightly, I looked at my uncle.

NOD.

Giving a small nod, my uncle kicked off the ground.

I let go of Adelia. With her eyes rolled back, she darted forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Golden auspicious energy and a blue Aura Blade poured out, and blood-red Fighting Spirit rose to meet them head-on.

Watching that sight, I quietly recited.

『Piling up green corpses to build a mountain. Beneath it, a red pond forms.』

『And standing before it, I honor your soul.』

A karma that was not mine, but had now become mine, dwelled within my sword.

I recited the poem again.

The hatred toward the Orcs, accumulated layer by layer in Winter Castle over countless winters, became the ember. The wrath of the Rangers and soldiers fighting desperately on the walls became the kindling.

However, before the ember could properly catch onto the kindling, an anomaly occurred.

RUUUMBLE.

An oppressive presence that felt as if it would scatter my existence crushed down on me.

An overwhelming energy rising from the mountain range beyond that wall—it was the Warlord.

He blatantly denied my existence and crushed my soul.

The blue ember flickered, looking as if it would go out at any moment.

"Hah!"

Shouting a battle cry, I boiled up my spirit.

The ember flared up.

But the flame of requiem remained precarious, as if a single breeze would extinguish it.

This is fucking bullshit. A mere Orc.

As I gritted my teeth, debating whether or not I should open a part of my soul,

"Pi-Piling up green corpses to build a mountain."

A familiar voice interjected.

"Beneath it... a red pond forms."

The voice stammering out the Poem of Requiem was my uncle's.

"Uncle?"

I saw my uncle, his face flushed red.

"Piling up green corpses to build a mountain."

My uncle recited my poem again in an awkward tone.

VWOOM.

At that moment, the four circuits my uncle possessed rotated, forcefully letting out a resonant sound.

"Ah..."

Yet that wave rang in my ears like the beat of a drum.

"Beneath it, a red pond forms."

Every time my uncle recited a verse of the poem, my heart lurched.

"And standing before it, I honor your soul."

A majestic and powerful resonance, just like a drumbeat.

Right then, someone shouted from atop the wall, as if screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Piling up green corpses to build a mountain!"

It was Vincent.

"Beneath it, a red pond forms!"

And this was Arwen.

"And standing before it, I honor your soul!"

This was the voice of an unknown knight.

They screamed at the top of their lungs again.

"Ah..."

It was absurd. No knight in the world recited the Poem of Martial Deeds like this.

It was too unrefined to be called a poem, and far too disciplined to be called a song.

Right. If I had to describe it.

"Piling up green corpses!"

"To build a mountain!"

It was like a military cadence.

The verses that had each been separate and disorganized suddenly became one. Dozens of knights were screaming the Poem of Martial Deeds at the top of their lungs from the wall.

Idiots.

Who in the world sang the Poem of Martial Deeds like this? It was so ridiculous I ended up laughing.

But despite that, their shouts contained a desire and sorrow no less profound than the Poem of Martial Deeds itself.

The staccato verses shouted out, and the distinct wave of the circuit's mana ringing out every single time.

*THUD, THUD, THUD. * A drumbeat rang unceasingly in my ears.

My heart raced wildly.

RIIING.

I felt dizzy. My breath instantly hitched in my throat.

Amidst the daze, I suddenly realized what I had to do.

To weave the desires and sorrows that would otherwise scatter in vain into one.

To turn those waves ringing out randomly into a single resonance.

That was exactly what I had to do right now.

I shouted the poem with force.

Between verse and verse, the vibration of the circuits interjected into the empty space I had left.

And at a certain moment, the chaotic resonance of the circuits began to ring with a singular order.

A message was heard.

『Singing of a harsh season, of the bitterest moment when the northern wind blows.』

That was different from the Poem of Martial Deeds, and different from the melody Elves sang for their Sword Dances.

『A new poem has been generated.』

That was something that had never existed before.

『The first [Poem of War] has been generated.』

It was a completely new poem.

『[Large-scale] Poem of War, [Four Seasons - Poem of Winter] has been generated.』

『The snow-covered mountains, frozen valleys, and red-stained walls are silent,』

『Only the horn of advance blown by the dawn echoes forth.』

The sound of a song could be heard like an auditory hallucination. A majestic drumbeat seemed to echo in my mind. My sluggish heart began to beat fast once again.

I took a step forward. I quietly recited along with the song echoing in my head.

The flame that had completely died down flared up once again. More fiercely than ever before.

The Knight Slayer looked at me.

A blue flame reflected in his wide eyes.

TRUDGE, TRUDGE.

I walked toward him.

My uncle glanced at me and stepped back.

GRAB.

"Gah!"

I grabbed the scruff of Adelia's neck, who was running wild without knowing what was going on, and tossed her to my uncle.

The Knight Slayer gripped his sword hilt with both hands and let out a sound from his throat.

A sound that was neither fierce nor threatening—it sounded like a terrified dog.

GRAAAAH!

He suddenly roared. He swung his sword at me, heavily imbued with a Fighting Spirit that looked ready to drip blood.

I watched the blade falling as if to split my head open.

SWOOSH.

And just like that, I drew my sword.

At that moment, the world split in two.

A blue line appeared in midair, and right in the middle of it, the Knight Slayer was caught.

GURGLE.

He looked down at his chest. Staring blankly at the spot where the blue line had swept past, he looked at me.

『For the King...』

FWOOOSH!

His chest split open, and flames erupted.

The blue flame swallowed him in an instant.

At that very moment, a scream was heard alongside a crashing sound.

"The gates are breached!"

I turned my head.

In the distance, I could see the shattered gates. Beyond the heavily armed heavy infantry of Winter Castle forming a solid rank, dozens of Orc Warriors came into view.

I just walked.

"ROOOAR!"

An Orc, its skin half-melted as if drenched in oil, roared.

"ROOOAR... ro... ar?"

The Orc howling with high spirits belatedly shut its mouth.

It flinched and stepped back upon seeing me. Exchanging glances, the Orcs turned their bodies around.

Unfortunately, there were far too many Orcs eagerly awaiting the gates to open. Pushed from behind by the endlessly surging Orcs, the Orc Warriors ended up passing through the gates anyway.

I stood tall before them. I raised my sword.

In the dark world of the deep night, a blue flame illuminated the surroundings. It looked as if the dim twilight of dawn had settled upon the world.

"We are ready."

Turning at my uncle's voice, I saw heavily armed knights and infantry lined up behind me. Nowhere in their appearance could I find the fatigue of soldiers who had fought a fierce battle for hours.

The mana they bloomed was still vibrant, and it was still resonating with my heartbeat.

This was the Poem of War.

"Ian."

My uncle was looking at me.

A Quad Chain knight, dozens of knights, and soldiers were waiting solely for my mouth to open.

I looked forward again. The Orcs, terrified by the blue flame, tangled together and ran amok in front of the gates.

I thrust my sword toward the gates that had turned into a chaotic mess.

"Charge."

A single word spoken softly.

"Charge!"

The morale of Winter Castle soared to the edge of the heavens.

At the same time, a single flash of golden light dropped right into the middle of the Orcs. It was Adelia. A step later, the knights dashed forward with a roar.

I, too, kicked off the ground with them.

I passed the golden flash of light darting left and right, and dug straight into the middle of the dark green wave.

"GUAAARGH!"

An Orc flew through the air, engulfed in blue flames.

"SKREEEECH!"

A fountain of blood erupted. Severed heads and limbs rolled everywhere.

The Rangers on the wall sang a military cadence, and beneath the wall, swords and spears played a symphony of life and death. The madman danced a sword dance.

And I.

『The snow-covered mountains, frozen valleys, and red-stained walls are silent,』

『Only the horn of advance blown by the dawn echoes forth.』

I simply pressed forward.

Cleaving through the dark green wave.