The Black Knight’s charge was flawless.
It reminded one of a finely trained racehorse.
As if he had practiced the same motion hundreds of times, he took a smooth running start and then stepped onto the launch platform at the perfect angle.
His body soared into the air.
Unlike other knights, there was no sensation of being propelled by a spring. The Black Knight controlled every movement himself.
“Damn it…”
Watching the scene unfold, Yuri gave a bitter smile.
The moment the Black Knight lifted off, Yuri knew one thing.
He was coming straight for him.
Yuri filled his entire body with chaotic energy. Then, weaving a spinning vortex into his sword’s aura, he created a fractal pattern.
“He’s coming.”
The first clash was fierce.
An explosion echoed, shaking the battlements as if they might crumble.
The sword auras of the Black Knight and Yuri collided, each vying for dominance before warping and collapsing together.
The shockwave sent nearby soldiers crashing into the walls or tumbling off the ramparts.
Yuri gripped the railing to steady himself.
Outside, Briol’s knights who had fallen were being cut down by the Empire’s forces—and vice versa.
Amid the screams of the unlucky victims, Yuri rose to face the Black Knight.
Behind the mask, his eyes were calm.
“Black Knight,” Yuri spoke first.
“We met in the imperial city, and now here again. Have you been well?”
His tone was as if greeting an old acquaintance after a long time.
The Black Knight nodded in return.
“Of course. You seem well too.”
“For now.”
“God has watched over you.”
“Seems like not today.”
Through the slit in the mask, Yuri saw the Black Knight close his eyes.
Dust from the battlefield clung to his long lashes.
“He never misses a single soul. Always watching.”
“Even us?”
“Of course.”
“And if one of us dies today?”
Yuri raised his sword and asked. The Black Knight lifted his as well.
“Then it is simply the will of God.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, they swung their blades at each other.
Each clash sent a jarring pain through Yuri’s bones.
The Black Knight’s swordsmanship was perfectly balanced—power, speed, precision, mana concentration, depth of technique, and understanding of the blade all aligned.
If you were to visualize it, it would be a massive, perfectly shaped hexagon.
Yuri’s style was similar, but the Black Knight’s was on another level.
He was like a machine.
Finding a weakness was nearly impossible.
To defeat such an opponent, there was only one way: to possess an even larger hexagon.
But that was nearly impossible.
No matter how rapidly Yuri had grown, he could not overcome the time the Black Knight had invested.
Yuri smirked.
“The will of God, huh…”
He thrust his sword toward the Black Knight.
“I have a confession.”
Their blades clashed with a sharp crack.
“Speak.”
“I…”
Yuri clenched his fist around his sword’s hilt.
“I don’t believe in any god!”
With that, he kicked the railing behind him and surged forward again.
Chaos radiated from his entire body.
His sword aura was no longer pure white. A murky, acrid energy billowed around him. Every possible outcome in the world swirled about Yuri.
There were definitely chances to defeat the Black Knight. They might be slim, but they existed.
Desperately, Yuri searched for that trajectory.
“You need not deceive yourself,” the Black Knight said, swinging his sword at Yuri.
“I can feel your heart, more faithful than anyone’s.”
Though his swings seemed light, each strike pushed Yuri’s sword—and him—backward.
In strength and speed, Yuri was no match.
Though they were both among the Ten Strongest, the difference was worlds apart from Yalta.
This was the true power of the Ten Strongest.
Yuri was pushed back hard, crashing into the railing and coughing up blood. He staggered but forced himself upright.
“I really don’t believe.”
“You’re deceiving yourself.”
“I can prove it right now. Want me to curse the heavens?”
“God is not one to be insulted by mere words.”
“You damn god…”
“That’s a child’s tantrum.”
“Son of a bitch…”
“Ah, ah.”
Yuri kept talking.
Because he knew he couldn’t win with his sword alone.
He bought time, glancing around for help.
Perhaps sensing his need, reinforcements arrived.
“Your Highness, I’m here to help!”
Ainzar Eustam joined the fray.
Laurent and Jared tried to approach, but Yuri stopped them.
“Stay back.”
“Your Highness…”
“The battlements are narrow. Too many people will just get in the way.”
Yuri gestured with his sword.
“This is war. Blocking others is helping me.”
“Understood!”
Jared shouted. Laurent gave Yuri a regretful look but turned away and resumed fighting the Empire’s soldiers.
Yuri looked to Ainzar.
“Sir Ainzar, I’m counting on you.”
“Yes.”
A battle-hardened knight, stronger than Laurent and Jared.
Though they had never fought together before, Ainzar would be more useful against the Black Knight.
“To face the Ten Strongest together is a great honor.”
“I’d rather not fight at all, even if it’s dishonorable.”
“Same here.”
“Can’t be helped.”
“Indeed.”
Watching the two, the Black Knight raised his sword again.
No more words were exchanged.
Yuri and Ainzar fell silent as well.
There was no need to discuss a coordinated attack.
Against a formidable foe like the Black Knight, plans were meaningless. Every moment demanded instinct and desperate action.
And both Yuri and Ainzar were skilled enough to operate on that level.
Yuri gripped his sword tightly.
His eyes took in the movements of the Black Knight and Ainzar as if they were parts of a living organism.
While loosely monitoring the surrounding Empire and Briol soldiers, Yuri focused on the two.
The battlements were narrow.
Yuri and Ainzar flanked the Black Knight from front and back.
This forced the Black Knight’s attention to be divided.
“Ha…”
Yuri took a deep breath.
Ainzar struck first, his sword aura flying toward the Black Knight.
The Black Knight leaned back to dodge.
Yuri seized the moment and charged.
But the Black Knight vaulted onto the railing, evading the attack, and in an instant was behind Yuri.
His speed was incredible—like the wind.
“Whoa, Your Highness?”
“Sir Ainzar.”
Yuri awkwardly greeted Ainzar before turning back.
The Black Knight approached calmly.
The encirclement was broken, so the two fighting together was no longer efficient.
The Black Knight charged.
Yuri and Ainzar continued their attack, careful not to hinder each other.
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
Two swords and one clashed, but the Black Knight launched more attacks.
He pressed them as if wielding three or four swords, and Yuri and Ainzar struggled just to defend.
Occasionally, Yuri risked a strike to catch the Black Knight off guard, but the knight blocked easily, as if anticipating it.
“Damn it!”
During the exchange, the Black Knight’s blade sliced across Yuri’s forearm.
Fortunately, he didn’t drop his grip, but every movement sent waves of pain.
The Black Knight’s sword moved cunningly, carving wounds into both fighters.
Gradually, Yuri and Ainzar’s feet were trapped, their movements slowed.
The Black Knight’s strikes grew freer.
Their injuries multiplied rapidly.
Eventually, Yuri and Ainzar collapsed, battered and broken.
The Black Knight strode forward.
Yuri summoned his mana.
Chaos surged within him.
He still had strength to fight.
Until the castle fell, he would keep struggling.
“Ha…”
Sensing Yuri’s resolve, mana boiled up from the Black Knight as well.
His sword aura was clear and pure.
The Black Knight’s blade stabbed toward Yuri like a spear.
Dangerous.
“Yuri Briol.”
The Black Knight called out.
Yuri answered.
“What is it, damn it.”
The Black Knight’s blade wavered for a moment.
Yuri continued, speaking casually.
“What does it matter if I’m about to die? Why bother with formalities?”
“…”
“You feel the emperor’s madness too, don’t you?”
“…”
“And yet you talk of God while invading like this? Damn it, Black Knight, go confess your sins to God.”
Yuri kept talking, buying time.
“If invading an innocent country is God’s will, then I refuse to believe in that god. But you, Black Knight—are you really watching? Where do you get off with such hypocritical nonsense…”
Behind him, he drew on the chaotic energy to its fullest.
It was a force even he struggled to control, so he usually limited its use.
But this time, he was ready to unleash beyond his limits.
Then—
“I’m sorry.”
The Black Knight apologized.
“But this cannot be helped. I only hope God is watching over us…”
His voice was heavy. He seemed to feel the weight of conscience as well.
Yuri kept speaking, trying to create an opening to change the situation.
“There’s no such thing as ‘cannot be helped,’ Black Knight. Let’s end this tragedy together.”
“Use formal speech again…”
“So, it seems I was mistaken. Black Knight, let’s end this fight for now…”
But the Black Knight didn’t lower his sword.
“What must be done, must be done.”
He stepped closer to Yuri.
Gritting her teeth, Yuri was about to unleash the chaotic power she had been gathering.
Then—
At that moment—
Yuri glanced to the side.
The Black Knight did the same.
Ainzer standing beside them, and the countless knights fiercely battling atop the castle walls—all turned their gaze in the same direction.
Not a single soul made a sound.
Suddenly, silence fell over the battlefield.
Yuri opened her mouth, then closed it again. Then, a smile slowly spread across her face.
Something was approaching.
And there was no need to explain what it was.
Any swordsman would have the same name come to mind.
“He’s here.”
One of Briol’s knights, snapping back to reality, muttered.
“He has arrived.”
Though his figure was not yet visible, everyone on the battlefield understood who commanded this presence.
“The King has come!”
The moment those words broke out, the sound of a horn echoed from within the castle.
And then he appeared.
Like a bird descending from the sky.
A man with black hair and dark eyes, his expression calm and unreadable.
The King of Briol, the strongest swordsman of this age.
Fiore Briol.
He landed atop the castle wall.
“…”
Fiore cast a glance around the battlements.
Briol’s knights brightened with hope, while the Empire’s soldiers instinctively took a step back.
His gaze slowly swept the area before settling on Yuri.
Yuri deliberately wore a pitiful expression.
“…”
Fiore shifted his eyes back to the Black Knight.
The two locked eyes for a long moment.
It was as if the battlefield itself had frozen in time.
“Black Knight.”
Fiore spoke.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it resonated across the entire wall.
“Stand down. Or I will kill you.”
The Black Knight said nothing.
Fiore’s hand moved to the hilt of the sword at his waist.
“Answer me.”
Then the Black Knight finally spoke.
“Impossible.”
That was the end of their exchange.
Fiore’s beloved sword, the white blade of the Gale Wind, began to reveal itself.