Yuri held his breath, slipping silently into the thicket.
A group of knights passed by.
Watching their backs, he clenched Gilty tightly in his hand.
He fought with a strange, almost intoxicated ease.
He fought when he wanted, hid when necessary.
Every move came effortlessly.
“Phew…”
Yuri glanced down at his sword.
The blade, darkened and caked with blood, looked dull in the shadows. But in the realm of his soul, Gilty reflected the swirling brilliance of the stars above.
It was dazzling.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.
Each blink painted strange, fleeting images.
Then, as light returned to his pupils, reality snapped back around him.
He fought to keep his grip on the present.
“Focus.”
He assessed the situation.
He was alone, surrounded by countless enemies.
None had found him yet.
Those trained in the Mana Method relied more on senses beyond sight. Because Yuri could erase his presence and mana at will, to them, it was as if he teleported.
There were hardly any groups of eight left intact in the Ninth Order.
One by one, Yuri’s arrows or sword had taken them down.
The Ninth Order’s strength had been severely diminished.
Retreating now wouldn’t be a bad idea.
But Yuri wanted to kill Elpeso, the leader of the knights, if he could.
That would send a clear warning to the Empire.
“Let’s see.”
Yuri revealed himself.
Immediately, a reaction came.
“Enemy!”
Standing still, the enemy approached on their own—eight knights in a squad.
After a few exchanges, two knights staggered, wounded by Yuri.
“Just hold them off!”
One shouted.
“We can’t stop him. Just hang on!”
Their response was defensive.
The Ninth Order no longer clung to pride. They accepted Yuri as a formidable foe and aimed only to slow him down.
It was a problem for Yuri.
It was easy to strike at an enemy trying to attack, but much harder to break through a defensive, crouched formation.
He muttered under his breath.
“So they’re coming out…”
Those who wanted to encircle and annihilate him were now huddled defensively, and Yuri couldn’t help but smirk.
The solution was simple.
Just run.
There was no shame in that.
He wanted to kill Elpeso, but if the enemy was this cautious, he wasn’t about to force it.
Yuri stepped back.
“Huh?”
The knights he faced hesitated, surprised by his retreat.
“W-we can’t let him get away, can we?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Chasing is for the weak. Pursuing a stronger opponent isn’t wise.
As the knights paused, Yuri slipped further away.
“What now?”
“Keep some distance and follow!”
“Yes!”
Calling their comrades with shouts, they trailed him loosely.
Yuri glanced back and smiled.
They clearly didn’t want to let him go so easily.
After all, just three knights—really one—had been savagely torn apart by the Order. Letting him go would ruin their reputation.
“Clinging to regrets is what ruins people.”
Suddenly, Yuri quickened his pace.
The knights panicked.
“Don’t lose him!”
They pushed themselves to close the gap.
Yuri exaggerated his presence as he ran.
The dark mountain scenery blurred past.
Ahead, he spotted a large, sturdy tree.
It looked centuries old.
That would do.
He pushed off the ground and leapt, landing on the tree.
Bending his knees and waist to absorb the impact, he immediately sprang upward like a spring.
The sudden reversal caused the tree to crack and collapse.
The distance between the speeding knights and the flying Yuri shrank rapidly.
“What the—!”
As soon as they met, Yuri swung his sword.
The knights’ formation was broken, their defense sloppy.
Armor tore, flesh flew.
Yuri’s blade spared no one.
Then came the metallic clash.
A few skilled knights managed to block his strikes.
“Hold on!”
The one-against-many battle raged on.
The ringing of steel repeated.
Yuri parried every sword aimed at him, striking at openings. Despite attacks from all sides, he felt no tension.
Time seemed to slow.
Clutching Gilty, he wondered where he stood now.
One thing was certain: he was stronger than when he killed Yalta.
Had he reached the level of the Ten Strong?
No—not yet.
Chaos was not fully his.
He had to go further.
He leaned back and swung Gilty wide.
One knight was cut clean in two at the waist, collapsing with armor and all.
In this fight, Yuri had killed one knight and incapacitated two more.
The knights shrank back like turtles retreating into their shells.
Without hesitation, Yuri turned and left.
The knights who lost comrades watched silently as he went.
“Phew…”
Yuri quickened his pace. The knights’ need to regroup in eights had loosened their encirclement, giving him more freedom.
The Ninth Order’s formation had shifted uphill.
That opened a path to where Roland and Jared waited.
It looked like he could retreat safely.
Then, suddenly, Yuri sensed a sharp threat aimed at his back.
He twisted his body.
An arrow whizzed past and embedded itself in a tree.
“Thought you’d come this way.”
“Huh?”
It was Elpeso’s voice.
Yuri tilted his head.
He hadn’t sensed him nearby.
“How?”
“You weren’t the only one with a plan, Jared.”
Elpeso stood with the knights Yuri had seen earlier in the trees.
One was missing—likely pierced by Yuri’s arrow.
Yuri scanned Elpeso and the others. Their presence was extraordinary.
“We can’t let you go.”
Elpeso and three knights wielded the Mana Method.
Their power was fierce, like an erupting volcano.
They were giving their all before the fight even began—an acknowledgment of Yuri’s strength.
Normally, Yuri would have fled.
But having embraced Chaos, he no longer saw danger as something to avoid.
Like a tightrope walker, fear was just another obstacle to overcome.
Decision made, Yuri moved.
“Jared!”
Elpeso charged, shouting, while the three knights flanked him, pressing Yuri.
Four swords aimed simultaneously at Yuri’s blind spots.
A prepared pincer attack.
Time slowed again.
How to respond?
Among countless possibilities, Yuri found a tiny chance to turn the tide.
But it was as difficult as threading a needle while running at full speed.
He questioned himself.
Was it worth it?
Maybe retreating and reacting later was wiser.
But he shook his head.
That wouldn’t get him anywhere.
A sword advances by shedding blood.
Avoiding the fight wasn’t enough. Yuri wanted to break through this line, climb higher, and make sure no enemy dared challenge him.
And above all—
He smiled.
Because he would succeed.
As he embraced Chaos, a madness-like sensation welled up inside him. He understood now what Moyongchan meant by the heart’s pulse.
But Yuri felt no fear.
No restriction could ever make him yield.
Whether Tenma was dead, or Erich Briol was involved—it didn’t matter.
He was Yuri Briol.
And he would go all the way.
“Die!”
Staring down the four swords, Yuri grounded himself.
Pebbles scattered on the ground rose into the air.
He swung Gilty.
A shard of stone struck an outer knight’s face like a missile.
At the same time, Gilty smashed Elpeso’s sword.
The blades clashed, and Yuri released his grip.
Gilty bounced off, flying to strike another knight.
Only one sword remained, aimed at his side.
Yuri drew it in under his arm, then struck the attacker’s wrist.
The joint snapped, and the knight’s grip loosened.
Yuri seized the sword and rolled over the man’s body.
In an instant, he was behind the enemy.
The knights barely had time to turn.
Yuri stabbed the back of the disarmed knight, pushing him into Elpeso.
The two collapsed, tangled together.
Yuri lifted his eyes.
Gilty spun high in the air.
He stepped on the stabbed knight’s back, leapt up, and caught Gilty.
Below, another knight stared up in shock.
Yuri drove Gilty down.
The blade sliced through helmet and armor.
The man’s body split apart.
Two were dead, Elpeso crushed beneath them, and only one knight remained standing.
That knight stabbed Yuri in the back.
Yuri twisted, but the blade cut through his back and side.
Blood flowed freely.
Yuri swung her sword, Guilty, with fierce precision.
Their blades clashed sharply.
Her opponent staggered backward.
Without hesitation, Yuri brought Guilty down again.
The knight, overwhelmed by her strength, collapsed to the ground. As he scrambled to raise his sword defensively, Yuri kicked up sand from the floor, sending it scattering into the air to blind him. Seizing the moment, she shifted her target.
She struck at Elpeso, who was rising behind.
“Ugh!”
Still unsteady, Elpeso faltered, retreating while taking hit after hit from Yuri.
“Neno-om!”
His desperate cry sounded soaked in pain, as if blood itself dripped from his voice.
After a brief clash, Yuri stepped back.
“Jared! I will—”
“That’s a lie.”
“What?”
“The truth is, I’m not Jared.”
“What kind of trick is this all of a sudden?”
“It was a deception. Now, I’ll tell you my real name.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
The two locked eyes, keeping a measured distance between them.
Yuri studied Elpeso’s armor carefully.
The seams were coming apart from the relentless fighting.
“I want you to know something…”
She spoke as she swung her sword through the air, as if warming up, thrusting forward a few times.
Then, blood spattered.
A pinpoint strike.
“Huh…?”
Normally, this wouldn’t work against a strong opponent.
But Elpeso was exhausted from the night-long battle and unnerved by Yuri’s skill. Even a few words were enough to distract him.
In that moment, Elpeso couldn’t react at all.
Yuri’s blade pierced the gap between his breastplate and helmet.
Right at his throat.
Elpeso could no longer speak.
Only froth of blood bubbled from his lips.
As Elpeso crumpled, Yuri turned to finish off the remaining knight.
It was over.
“Ugh…”
Elpeso wasn’t quite dead yet. Yuri approached to deliver the final blow.
His eyes clouded over.
Yuri said softly, “I’m not Jared. I’m Yuri Briol.”
For a brief moment, life flickered back into his dying eyes.
“Y-You…?”
Yuri looked into Elpeso’s gaze.
But he wasn’t really looking at her anymore. His eyes were fixed blankly on the night sky.
By some mercy, as death approached, Elpeso saw a vision similar to Yuri’s—a sky not dull and empty, but flowing like waves, with swirling moons and stars.
A strange light gleamed in Elpeso’s eyes.
He whispered, “The stars… are beautiful…”
That was his final word.
Yuri crushed his chest beneath her boot.