Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 156

Chapter 156: The Wind Blowing in the North (4)

 

Whoosh!

 

Russell’s Nahilnir cut through the air, drawing a crescent moon trajectory. In an instant, a clean strike severed Fritz’s head, causing a fountain of blood to erupt from the severed neck and splatter on the ground.

 

Thud’s body collapsed straight to the dirt floor. The blood pouring from the neck stained the soil and sand grains black. Russell flicked the blood off Nahilnir and was about to slide it back into his coat when something caught his eye.

 

Russell’s superhuman senses were the first to detect the anomaly. Russell, who had fought countless battles and steadily increased his sensitivity and manipulation of mana, found the sensory field he deployed around himself to be vast and detailed.

 

Within that sensory field, an overwhelmingly powerful presence began to emerge. It was so intense that, for a moment, Russell mistook it for a shooting star.

 

Realizing where the presence descending rapidly from the sky would land, Russell stepped back. The ground he had been standing on shattered with a thud, unable to withstand Russell’s force, and dirt and stones flew into the air.

 

And almost at the same moment Russell dodged backward, a black figure slammed into the spot where he had been standing.

 

Kaboom-!

 

A deafening explosion. The sound suggested considerable weight, was loud enough to herald violence, and had a tremendous impact. The black figure seemed unscathed amidst the roar and impact.

 

Everything, except for the black figure, had deteriorated. A hum vibrated through the atmosphere, completely overturning the bare ground and creating a large wave of dirt.

 

Whoooosh!

 

The force blasted Russell far away as the circular wave of yellow-brown dirt, no different from a mana-infused attack in its own right, rushed toward him.

 

The wave of dirt towered over Russell. Russell firmly planted his right foot on the ground as the wave threatened to sweep him away and bury him.

 

Shhhhoooo!

 

Mana spread out from Russell’s right foot, becoming frosty and freezing the ground. The wave of dirt that seemed about to engulf Russell froze rapidly and remained fixed in place.

 

The frozen earth and sand soon collapsed under their own weight, and the disaster’s perpetrator emerged from a distance.

 

“Oh my, it seems my underlings have been rude.”

 

The ground created and erased natural shadows as moderate clouds and sunlight alternated.

 

Despite the cold weather, a burly man, dressed in light clothing and carrying a single weapon, walked forward, his neck exposed.

 

He wore a light blue shirt, leather pants, short hair, and a muscular body adorned with scars. His demeanor, as he turned his trapezius and shoulders, was no different from a gangster’s, but the mana emanating from the man’s entire body was strong enough to rank among the strongest Russell had ever met.

 

Definitely above Irrucil or Calia.

 

The approaching man scratched the back of his head and spoke.

 

“Let me apologize first. Sorry, pal.”

 

Russell, who had been standing still, chuckled.

 

“Odys?”

 

“Mm.”

 

The man stood in front of Russell, who was nodding roughly. Of course, he didn’t stand right in front of him, but at a distance of about 5 or 6 meters. For superhumans, it was a distance of only about 10 centimeters.

 

The man expelled a heavy, crushing pressure. The mana, which suppressed everything around it, spread out from the man and dominated the space.

 

The dust that had not yet settled swayed and rotated in accordance with the man’s gaze and breath, drawing slow ripples.

 

The mere presence, standing motionless, disrupted the mana flow in the surrounding area.

 

It had been a long time since Russell had seen a human being who exuded such a powerful presence. If he had to compare, he would say it was similar to Ludwig.

 

However, a labyrinth magically manifested the spirit and flesh of Ludwig, a long-resurrected being. The body bore a striking resemblance to a real one, yet ultimately, it bore no distinction from an illusion within an illusion.

 

With the exception of beings outside the norm, such as the dragon Ismenios, the vampire Calia, or the devil Logos and Geliotos, it was no exaggeration to say that this was the first time Russell had encountered a human with such a strong mana.

 

Crackle, crackle!

 

The void erupted into a visible clash of mana that would have gone unnoticed otherwise. It was the point where the mana that Russell and the man had subtly released met.

 

Just like that, the man, who had been looking around while clashing with Russell’s mana, saw a carriage about 30 or 40 meters away and laughed.

 

“I can tell even without looking. Our men apparently attacked you while you were riding in a carriage.

 

“Yeah. They called themselves the Third Division.”

 

When Russell uttered the words Fritz had said when introducing himself, the man shook his head.

 

“You met the most useless ones. Anyway, I told them not to eat anything they found. I told them over and over that they’d get their noses broken someday. Did you kill them all? No, you must have. Even I would have killed them all. Still, I wish one of them had survived.

 

The man scanned the ground with an unpleasant expression. Of course, Russell had cut Fritz’s neck at the place where the man had first crashed into the ground. It was impossible for a mere corpse to maintain its form in an impact that created a small crater. The impact must have reduced Fritz’s body to dust.

 

“If you go back the way we came, you’ll find your men’s bodies. If you want to retrieve them, go ahead.”

 

“Is that true? How kind of you! Oh, wait. Let me introduce myself. I’ve forgotten.”

 

The burly man laughed and stretched his body.

 

“Gilead.”

 

“Russell.”

 

“Russell? It’s a familiar name. I think I’ve heard it before. Where did I hear that?. . . Where did I hear it. . . . .?”

 

Gilead’s gaze, which had been trailing off, suddenly snapped up and fixed itself on Russell.

 

“Ah, yes. It’s a name that’s been buzzing in the Midwest and North Central lately. He was the one who killed vampires, orcs, and ogres, and even devils. A rising star.”

 

Gilead’s smile, which had been just a smirk, split all the way to his ears.

 

“It would be too uncomfortable to let someone like you go. Can I play for a bit? It doesn’t look like there are any living members left. Right?”

 

The sentence ended with a question mark, but Gilead’s body had already disappeared from its place. For a brief moment, even Russell failed to notice the swift movement.

 

Defying the gap between moments, Gilead’s right fist struck Russell’s left cheek.

 

Kaboom!

 

A sound that seemed impossible for a human to produce followed, and Gilad’s eyes widened in a perfect arc.

 

“Huh.”

 

Despite not being able to see it properly, Russell’s left forearm had moved reflexively and blocked Gilead’s fist. However, he had not been able to completely mitigate the force, and his face had turned slightly.

 

“I guess the rumors weren’t completely false.”

 

“I do have a lot of rumors about me.”

 

Russell, who had shaken off Gilead’s right fist, bent his right leg and raised it like a spear. Russell’s right knee, which appeared to slide through the space, was aimed at Gilead’s left side.

 

As Gilead spread his left palm to block the blow, Russell immediately lowered his leg, twisted his waist and upper body, and bent his left arm to hit Gilead’s face with his elbow.

 

With a thud, Gilead’s body, which seemed like its neck would snap, fell backward. Immediately afterward, Russell, who was about to grab Gilead by the scruff of his neck, flew backward with a flash of light in front of his eyes and pain in his jaw.

 

As he flew backward, Russell checked what had hit his jaw.

 

Gilead had kicked Russell’s jaw as he leaned his waist back and raised his toes. It was unexpected flexibility for such a large man, but it was not incomprehensible.

 

The two men collapsed on the ground. And at the same time, their mana unfolded, causing phenomena akin to magic.

 

As Russell touched the ground with his right hand, a chill arose, freezing the entire ground within a radius of 10 meters, and blue lightning ran along the frozen ground.

 

“You look like a heavenly warrior. . . !”

 

With a ferocious smile and laughter, Gilead smashed the ground with his left fist and soared into the air from the recoil.

 

It was a movement to avoid the lightning that slid along the ground while minimizing the impact of the recoil by making his body light.

 

However, the lightning reflected off the flat surface of the shattered ice and zigzagged toward Gilead, finding a reflection angle.

 

“This is fun! Hahahaha!”

 

In front of the blue lightning, Gilead simply pulled his fist back and shot it out.

 

Kaboom!

 

The blue lightning dissipated into nothingness when it hit Gilead’s mana-infused fist.

 

As Gilead, who had neutralized Russell’s attack, landed on the ground, his figure disappeared again, and Russell’s arms crossed and pointed toward the sky.

 

“Hahahahahaha!”

 

Russell’s arm crossing and Gilead’s right leg coming down were simultaneous. The frozen ground that Russell was standing on cracked in a hemispherical shape, creating hundreds of cracks.

 

Gilead wore a rounded expression, seemingly asking, “Are you going to block this?” Speed was the area Gilead was most confident in. On the surface, his height of over 180 centimeters and muscular body made him appear slow and dull, but in reality, he was the fastest warrior in Odys.

 

Russell, on the other hand, had begun to catch up to his speed little by little after the first and second hits. Russell, who was blocking Gilead’s leg with his arms crossed in an X shape, muttered to himself.

 

“My turn.”

 

Ziiiiiiing. . . . . .!

 

Purple light streamed from Russell’s two eyes.

 

At the same time, Gilead felt the mana field he was emitting ripple and shake.

 

Russell’s crossed arms and hands twisted as he grabbed Gilead’s leg. Gilead instantly utilized his mana to attempt to free Russell from his leg’s grip, but

 

For some reason, the mana he emitted from his body lost its power and melted into the mana in the atmosphere.

 

“. . . . Mana interference?”

 

Before he could fully process the phenomenon, Russell slammed Gilead’s leg into the ground.

 

Kaboom!

 

Thick dust and small ice crystals rose like a wave before crumbling, creating a second crater. However, Russell, who had just slammed Gilead into the ground, was clutching an empty fist.

 

“Damn.”

 

“That’s my forte.”

 

The dust that blocked his vision dissipated in an instant. Gilead now held a weapon in his revealed hands. Gilead grasped a sword, its rounded handle shielding his hand while it remained intact.

 

It was a short sword of ambiguous length, too short to be a longsword and too long to be a dagger.

 

“To make me pull out the fangs of the Palamdit. . .You’re better than you look. Not many people have ever forced me to pull this off. Consider it an honor.”

 

“Your mouth is more venomous than it looks. You’ve been noisy since the beginning.”

 

“. . . . . . !”

 

Gilead’s smile vanished in an instant, and his eyes turned fierce. It appeared to be a habit that even he was aware of.

 

“I’m starting to want to tear that arrogant mouth of yours apart.”

 

“Try it.”

 

Russell also pulled Nahilnir out of his coat. The black greatsword hummed as if it were not satisfied with having already tasted blood.

 

At that moment, a row of large, black thorns erupted from the ground beneath Gilead’s feet.

 

“Ugh! What the hell is this?!”

 

The black thorns, realizing that their attack on Gilead had failed, distorted their shape and disappeared back into the ground.

 

Russell immediately realized where the mana for that spell had come from. Unbeknownst to him, Calia had approached on one knee and was chanting a spell while touching the ground with one hand and pouring mana into it.

 

Behind her were two large wolves with cloudy eyes, as well as a man lying on the saddle. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be one of the surviving members of Odys, and he was a wizard.

 

“Ugh, damn it!”

 

Gilead, who had stepped back, felt the black thorns that had disappeared sweeping toward him as if they would overturn the ground. A magic circle formed around Gilead from eight different directions, each with its own mana and complex circuits.

 

He simultaneously drew a magic circle and launched an attack. The attack on him created the circuit that formed the magic circle.

 

“Get out of my way!”

 

Thud!

 

However, Gilead’s right foot slammed down, distorting and misaligning the magic circle’s circuit.

 

Then, the mana movement that had been trying to ensnare him also reacted and changed its approach.

 

The mana that spread out in a wave from Gilead’s right foot distorted the magic circle, closing all the circuits it had been forming and drawing a new magic circle with a narrower range.

 

Not being attached to the failed magic, it immediately attacked Gilead from another direction as soon as it was destroyed.

 

Fwoosh!

 

Red flames rose from the ground, threatening to burn everything.

 

Six, not eight, pillars of fire rotated and swept around.

 

In a melee of light and red flashes that made ordinary people lose their sight, Gilead seemed to be in danger of turning to ashes at any moment.

 

Soon, a whirlwind of flames that converged into a single point gradually covered Gilead as the speed of the rotating flames increased exponentially.

 

“Kuaaaaaaaaaa!”

 

At that moment, Gilead burst out of the wall of flames and rolled on the ground. His well-worn shirt and pants were charred black, and the edges were fluttering, but he was not in his normal state.

 

“Damn it! It’s damn hot!”

 

Despite breaking through the flames head-on, he had no burns or other external injuries. The heat curled his hair, giving him a pompadour-like appearance, yet he remained remarkably intact despite the impact of Calia’s magic.

 

Gilead, who had jumped to his feet, looked alternately at Nahilnir, who was holding a greatsword, and Calia, who was kneeling, and raised both hands to the middle of his chest.

 

“I guess it’s time to get serious. . . .”

 

“G, Gilead-nim!”

 

“Huh?”

 

Gilead’s head turned, and he found the one who had called him. His gaze tilted.

 

“Takman? Weren’t you dead? You’re alive?”

 

“Y, Yes!”

 

“Aw, man. . . I thought you were dead and went wild.”

 

Gilead scratched the back of his head, put the short sword he had been holding behind his waistband, and raised both hands.

 

“It’s a bit embarrassing to back down now, but can we just stop?”

 

Russell calmly looked at Gilead, who was standing with his legs crossed, like a gangster, and his hands raised. Although he had his hands raised, he was releasing a vast amount of mana around him so that he could respond immediately if Russell or Calia attacked.

 

As someone who had directly clashed with him, Russell knew this opponent wouldn’t be easy. First, he had a speed that even Russell found difficult to match. His durability, which had withstood Calia’s flames, and his powerful magic were major obstacles.

 

He might be able to win if he went all out, but Irrucil was unconscious in the carriage behind him.

 

Russell would have to continue the disadvantageous fight if Irrucil was the direct target of an attack.

 

“You start a fight and then say you want to stop because you’re scared for your life.”

 

Even though the other side had proposed a truce, Russell didn’t let his guard down.

 

If he accepted the offer right away, he might show a weakness that would make it difficult for him to continue the fight.

 

Russell put on a strong front, and Gilad scratched his head irritably.

 

“Ah, sorry. Sorry, alright? All the guys I trained to be decent died, and you’re a famous guy. I couldn’t help myself. I was itching for a fight, you know? But I understand. . . . “

 

Gilead, who had been talking, pulled a metal token out of his bosom and threw it at Russell. Russell caught the metal token that flew with a clink.

 

Turning the metal token over, he noticed a round ring with a sword and shield crossed, as well as the name Gilead engraved on it.

 

“This is my token. If you ever need our help in the future, I’ll do it once for free. Whether it’s a favor, an assassination request, or a monster extermination, Within the limits of my ability. Would that be enough to convince you?”

 

Russell stared at the metal token and put it in his coat. It was a sign of agreement.

 

When Russell turned around, Calia nodded and flicked her finger. Takman stood up with a start as the magic that had been restraining him released.

 

“Huu. . . . . . !”

 

Takman, who had been clutching his chest, glanced at Calia with fearful eyes and approached Gilead with the two dire wolves. Gilead immediately slapped the back of Takman’s head, who had come close, and scolded him.

 

“Aw, you useless b*stard. How many times have I told you to look at your opponent before you charge?”

 

“I, I’m sorry.”

 

“You’ll be sorry later.”

 

With that, Gilead turned his head and looked at Russell.

 

“Hey, pal. You’re pretty tough. I won’t go easy on you next time. Watch yourself.”

 

Russell did not respond, and he put Nahilnir in his coat. Gilead, clicking his tongue, got on one of the dire wolves and pulled on the reins. The two large, dire wolves ran toward the horizon.

 

Russell watched them go and shook his head before walking toward the carriage. Calia approached him and walked beside him. When he looked up at the sky, it was the end of the afternoon.

 

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