The forest was ablaze.
The woods surrounding the royal castle were vast, and small villages nestled within were bound to suffer damage. If the flames continued unchecked, the fire could spread all the way to the city.
Yuri bent at the waist.
“They actually did it.”
Trusting the enemy’s conscience in the midst of battle was laughable, but this time, he chose to believe it.
Because this was a war that could only be won that way.
And, deep down, it was because of Graham.
As long as Graham was unharmed, he wouldn’t resort to setting fires. So Yuri, hoping for Graham’s safety, refused to prepare for a battle that assumed his downfall.
Unconsciously, he let his emotions guide his actions.
It was foolish.
“Yuri Briole, you still have a long way to go. And here you are, standing like this after seeing that.”
Yuri deliberately blamed himself more. It was the only way he could bear it.
He spoke aloud on purpose.
“I made a mistake, so I have to fix it. Yeah, tear it all down and rebuild. Let’s go.”
Yuri drew his sword, Guilty.
“Fire! Everyone, evacuate!”
Yuri was the first to spot the flames. He shouted loudly toward the barracks where Johaim’s troops were stationed.
The response was immediate.
The soldiers poured out, panicked and disorganized.
Once fire took hold in such a dense forest, there was no way for them to extinguish it.
“Where are the mages?”
“Dispels are active!”
“Damn it, those bastards…”
At least the mages could control the fire, but the Empire had already cast dispel magic.
They were helpless.
Retreat was their only option.
Gonte, who had come outside, spat out his words bitterly, his face twisted with rage.
“Those Empire bastards… so this is how they play it.”
At first, sparks had flickered from afar, but now the inferno surged like a tidal wave, rushing toward them.
“Signal all troops in the forest to fall back!”
“Yes!”
Yuri stared at the burning woods.
The flames swallowed the forest, shadows flickering wildly beneath the burning trees. Amid the chaos, a flash of steel gleamed.
Yuri drew Guilty and plunged into the forest.
He ran into the retreating Aloy Brigade.
“You are…”
“Everyone, fall back quickly.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have work to do.”
“It’s dangerous. The fire is spreading rapidly…”
“Don’t worry about me. Get to safety.”
“Understood.”
They nodded and hurried away from the forest. Yuri ran in the opposite direction, toward the fiery thicket.
Because Johaim’s knights were ambushed throughout the forest, it took time for them to escape.
Meanwhile, Yalta was freely attacking the fleeing knights, reveling in the chaos.
Yuri closed his eyes, then opened them again.
His pounding heart calmed.
Suppressing his emotions, he thought of his own guilt rather than anger.
“Yalta.”
He recalled the enemy he had to kill.
A cold, focused killing intent spread through his entire body.
Yuri’s steps lightened. Like a shadow, he silently pursued Yalta.
“Filthy vermin. Ha ha ha…”
Yalta laughed as he trampled over dead bodies.
Yuri stabbed Guilty into his back.
Klang!
“Hooh…”
Yalta turned with a smirk.
“You’re one of the three mutts. Where are the other two?”
Yuri said nothing and swung his sword again. The clash of steel rang out.
Yalta burst into loud laughter.
“Fired up because of the fire? Didn’t expect this from you, huh?”
Yuri didn’t answer and thrust his blade toward Yalta’s throat.
Yalta dodged by shaking his head and slashed with the sword in his hand.
The blade came dangerously close.
But Yuri stood still, eyes wide open.
The sword grazed past, cutting a few strands of his hair.
Yalta whistled.
“Lucky, huh?”
“Not luck.”
“You thought you wouldn’t get hit?”
“Yeah.”
“Impressive.”
Yalta chuckled, spinning his sword through the air.
Yuri opened his eyes wider.
Though it wasn’t his real hair, more strands were cut off. This was common in his fighting style, which relied on precise distance control.
It had been the same in his past life.
When he was fleeing, Graham had blocked his path. As they crossed swords, Yuri’s hair was cut by a hair’s breadth.
The sharp gaze Graham had shown through those flying strands was still vivid.
“Did you kill him?”
Yuri asked.
“What?”
Yalta frowned.
“Did you kill him?”
“What are you talking about? You Johaim bastards? I’ve killed countless of you. When the fire started, you scattered like cockroaches. I chased after you and stomped you all to death.”
He laughed.
“Does that make you mad? Why would a guy with a sword care about that?”
“Well, you’re right.”
Yuri shrugged.
Then, suddenly, he lunged his sword forward.
They were far apart. He didn’t even gather sword energy. Yet, in an instant, his blade passed through the air and pierced Yalta’s body.
It was a pinpoint strike he’d learned from Sparrow.
“Huh?”
Yalta’s animal instincts kicked in, and he twisted his body to avoid a fatal blow.
But his side was slashed deeply, blood pouring out.
Yalta glanced between Yuri’s sword and his own wound.
“What the…?”
Yuri pulled back his sword and stabbed again. Yalta bent his waist to dodge. The pinpoint strike cut through empty air.
Yalta shouted and charged.
“Using strange techniques, huh!”
The distance closed in an instant.
Their swords tangled, the clash echoing once more.
Against the backdrop of roaring flames all around, they fought fiercely.
Yuri was at a disadvantage. Yalta’s strength was overwhelming; each clash sent Yuri’s body flying back. Though uncut, the impact accumulated like blows to his body.
“Coming alone, thinking you’re something special?”
Yalta suddenly grabbed Guilty with his bare hand and slammed his sword down hard toward Yuri’s head.
Yuri raised Guilty to block, but Yalta’s immense grip prevented him from pulling the sword up.
To avoid the attack, Yuri would have to let go of the sword.
But if he did, he couldn’t continue fighting.
Conflict flashed in Yuri’s eyes.
Meanwhile, Yalta’s blade drew closer.
If he hesitated any longer, his head would be split open.
Just as Yuri was about to release the sword, an idea struck him.
It was risky to try in a life-or-death moment.
Running away and dropping the sword would have been safer.
But he didn’t want to. Just as he hadn’t asked Yalta about Graham, this time he refused to abandon his sword.
So he tried.
A faint vortex stirred along the blade.
Yuri infused the mana energy from his core into the sword, creating an infinitely repeating fractal whirlpool.
Guilty couldn’t escape the world’s flow of time, but the Soul Slash was unaffected by time’s passage.
The vortex spun as fast as Yuri wished.
It was a success.
The moment the spinning whirlpool formed, Yuri’s time returned to normal, and the vortex engulfed Yalta’s hand gripping the sword.
Yalta was blasted backward, blood spraying from his entire body.
The swirling mass tore through the air before dissipating into the sky.
“Huff, huff…”
Yalta struggled to rise, blood streaming down him.
“What the hell is that?”
He bared his bloodied teeth in a crooked grin.
“Clever trick. Yeah, you were the one I hated the most.”
Yuri suddenly asked, staring at him.
“What happened to Sir Graham?”
“What?”
“What happened to Sir Graham?”
Yalta’s eyes widened.
“Huh? How did you know?”
Yuri closed his eyes, then opened them again.
“I kept it secret. How did you find out? Just guessing?”
Yalta scratched his head, muttering to himself.
“Or maybe it’s obvious? Well, since you set the fire, I guess everyone knows now. Should’ve done this sooner. Should’ve killed him earlier.”
Then Yalta suddenly charged.
“You’re included too!”
He swung his sword.
Yuri blocked but was pushed back hard. Yalta’s foot struck his abdomen.
“Ugh!”
Yuri groaned. Yalta kept talking.
“I was in a good mood playing with you, but you ruined it. So I’ll kill you quickly, you arrogant bastard.”
Yalta fought using both sword and body. Even when Yuri blocked the blade, punches and kicks came flying.
Yuri was skilled against this style, but the power gap was too great. His defense had limits.
His eyes tracked the attacks, but his body couldn’t keep up.
The flickering flames distorted the shapes before his eyes, making it harder to see.
Yalta laughed loudly.
“No matter how much you struggle, it’s useless. Without the forest, you Yohaim bastards have no way to stop the Empire.”
“Is that so?”
“Don’t act so confident. Just hand over your neck quietly, Yubi!”
Yalta seemed threatened by Yuri’s presence—he even remembered his name.
Meanwhile, the fire kept growing.
Yuri and Yalta, both seasoned warriors, could endure it, but the rest of the troops were struggling to breathe inside the smoke and flames.
“If the forest burns and the path opens, Yohaim is finished.”
Yalta smirked.
“Come to think of it, Sir Graham is finished too.”
It was a sudden confession.
Yuri’s brow twitched. Yalta tilted his head, puzzled.
“Funny, isn’t it? Kill Graham, and Yohaim dies with him? What’s the connection? Was he a spy? Maybe killing him was the right call.”
“You killed Sir Graham?”
“Yeah. Stabbed him with a knife. Even crushed his head underfoot.”
Yuri’s eyes darkened.
“You keep stopping the fire from spreading. If you just burned it all down, Yohaim would fall in no time. Right, Yubi?”
“Do you really think I’d let that happen?”
“And if you don’t? What are you going to do? Do you have the power to put out the fire?”
Yalta wasn’t wrong.
Once the forest turns to ash, the path to the castle opens.
With the Empire’s forces charging through the flat terrain, Yohaim’s troops wouldn’t stand a chance.
“If we just set everything ablaze and reduce Yohaim to ashes…”
Muttering to himself, Yalta suddenly looked up at the sky.
“Huh…?”
Yuri also sensed something and widened his eyes.
Something touched Yalta’s cheek.
Yalta’s mouth fell open in surprise.
“Uh… uh…”
Rain.
Raindrops were falling from the sky.
Yalta shouted.
“Rain, all of a sudden?”
A torrent poured down.
The raging flames, like a demon unleashed, began to die down. The forest soaked in the rain, and the fire could no longer spread.
“This is impossible…”
“Impossible, indeed.”
Yuri clenched his gloves tightly and said,
“For every arsonist like you, there’s someone who puts out the fire.”
This rain was no natural occurrence.
“W-What about the dispel? How is this even possible?”
Yalta stammered.
Yuri smiled faintly.
He recalled what Hernando had once hinted.
Magic is easily countered by dispel, so no matter how strong, it’s nearly impossible for a mage to reach the rank of the Ten Great.
But some mages can break through those limits.
The one mage who isn’t bound by dispel, who can face monsters that cleave mountains with their swords head-on.
The Grand Magus Inariel.
He had arrived.
Inariel gazed down at the burning forest.
The life rooted in the earth screamed in agony.
He clicked his tongue.
“Humans…”
As an elf living near the forest, this sight was unbearable.
Inariel raised his staff.
Of course, he was the Grand Wizard.
His mastery of runic magic was simple yet profound.
The Immutable Mana Formula.
The magic Inariel wielded could not be altered by others.
Even the dispel that dominated the area was powerless against him.
He lowered his staff.
And then, the rain began to fall.