Sybilla raised her sword.
Her tattered royal cloak looked oddly out of place with the cold steel, yet somehow it suited her perfectly.
Watching her, Yuri wondered what it would have been like if Sybilla had rightfully become queen.
She would have been quite impressive.
Though occasionally irritable, she was fundamentally a just person.
She would have been a ruler who didn’t lean too far to either side. Perhaps the relationship between Briol and the Holy Kingdom would have been better than ever before.
Yuri smiled bitterly.
But indulging in impossible what-ifs was nothing more than mental self-soothing.
If only she had been the rightful heir.
If only Larson hadn’t pressured her.
If only Cedric hadn’t been tainted by dark magic.
All pointless thoughts.
The scales had already tipped.
Sybilla chose to embrace dark magic and cooperate with the Empire to survive. There was no turning back, and their paths would forever diverge.
That was reality.
“Sybilla.”
No answer came. Yuri gave a wry smile.
“It’s a shame it’s come to this.”
Outside, the knights waiting nearby hurried in to surround Sybilla.
Yuri gauged the distance.
The cavern’s wide chamber allowed enough space to keep some distance during the fight. He stepped back and spoke.
“Jared, Simon, Guiness.”
“Yes.”
“The situation’s bad. Survive however you can. Sorry for dragging you into this fight so suddenly.”
This sudden battle was partly Yuri’s stubbornness. He wanted to stop Sybilla as soon as possible and had stepped forward despite the risks.
“No, Your Majesty.”
Jared replied.
“We understand your feelings. We’re also pained to see Lady Sybilla like this. As comrades, it’s our duty to see this through.”
“Yes.”
“Exactly.”
Simon and Guiness nodded in agreement.
“Easing the suffering of a comrade is our responsibility as knights.”
On the battlefield, sometimes you face those who are only waiting to die in pain. Offering them a peaceful death is part of a knight’s duty.
Though it weighs heavily on the heart.
But it’s unavoidable. You carry that burden until your own turn comes.
“A noble mindset.”
Yuri smiled.
“With that solemn resolve, even Sybilla’s heart might soften. I think I see tears welling in her eyes already.”
“Enough nonsense.”
At Sybilla’s signal, the knights advanced.
Hidden until now, Francesco, Umstein, and Fennec drew their weapons.
But the enemy showed no sign of stopping.
Yuri looked at Francesco.
“The Holy Knight has appeared—why is no one reacting?”
“Good question.”
“Hey! Aren’t you scared of the Holy Knight standing right here?”
One of the opposing knights shouted back.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Holy Knights don’t look like bandits.”
Francesco clutched his chest, clearly wounded by the insult.
“Useless, truly useless.”
Sybilla leveled her sword.
“Attack.”
There was no time to waste. The knights charged immediately. As the king’s guard, their formation was flawless.
But what made Yuri tense was something else.
“This is—”
He summoned the power of his Soul Slash.
The black energy radiating from the knights clashed with his Soul Slash, pushing against each other like a silent battle for control of the space.
The sensation was eerily similar to the black armies of the Empire he had been entangled with in his past life.
Yuri grimaced.
The Empire—and Cedric—were steadily preparing to recreate the chaos he had endured before.
Sybilla was nothing more than a pawn in their game.
Yuri gripped Guilty tightly. The smile vanished from his face.
His Soul Slash roared within him, manifesting chaos on the blade in an even more destructive form.
He swung his sword, and blood spurted from a knight’s chest.
That sharp strike dominated the entire chamber’s atmosphere.
Sybilla had underestimated Yuri’s strength.
Not only that, but Jared, Simon, and Guiness had also reached new heights. Jared had been absorbing Yuri’s teachings, while Simon and Guiness had their own master, Moyongchan.
Led by Yuri, the three Briol knights seized the initiative against their numerous foes.
Screams echoed through the cavern.
Watching this, Francesco gave a bitter smile.
“So this is what Briol’s about. Haha…”
Since becoming unable to absorb mana, he could no longer summon more than a small amount.
But his achievements hadn’t vanished. He could still feel how well-trained Briol’s knights were.
Especially Yuri Briol—he far exceeded Francesco’s expectations.
“Besides, that guy’s practically a Ten Strong already. Like father, like son. A monster through and through.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Fennec admired him.
“Truly an incredible man. The third prince of Briol, no—the royal prince.”
But there was no time for more chatter. Their own knights charged at them.
The brutal fight continued.
Blood and flesh splattered through the air, screams reverberated.
Francesco couldn’t wield overwhelming force like before. He was limited to a handful of mana, which he forced himself to use despite the pain.
But it was enough.
He was a Holy Knight who had once reached the pinnacle of knighthood—the Ten Strong.
“Are you alright, Umstein?”
“Of course!”
True to the reputation of dwarves skilled in metallurgy and weaponry, Umstein wielded his axe expertly.
But numbers told their own story.
Gradually, Yuri’s group was pushed back.
Yuri dodged the blades of several knights surrounding him and glanced sideways.
Jared held firm, but Simon and Guiness were starting to struggle.
Francesco looked strained. Though he toyed with the enemy’s openings using graceful swordplay, the difference in power was stark.
Yuri clenched his sword.
If he couldn’t win at this level, the upcoming war with the Empire would be hopeless.
His eyes darkened.
His entire vision blazed white-hot.
Soul Slash surged through his veins, followed by a murky sword energy.
The chaotic force revealed countless possibilities, and Yuri’s subconscious began searching for the optimal outcome.
He saw a path.
He deflected two incoming swords, stepped forward, and struck both knights squarely in the chest with his shoulders.
Their armor crumpled, and they collapsed.
Yuri broke through the encirclement and dashed forward.
More knights closed in, surrounding him again. Though the circle was tighter, it was riddled with gaps from their frantic movements.
Yuri targeted the weakest among them.
He dodged a clumsy attack, then stabbed Guilty into the knight’s chest and pushed forward.
Blood spatters rained down as the knight vomited blood. Yuri kicked him away and withdrew his sword.
The encirclement broke.
The remaining knights rushed after Yuri but tangled and fell over each other.
Yuri spun around and slashed vertically across the head of a knight just rising to his feet. The blade split about a quarter of his skull open, spilling out the contents.
Another knight swung his sword desperately.
Thanks to the distance, Yuri easily dodged. As the blade grazed his jaw, he twisted his body and sliced off the attacker’s elbow.
The man screamed and collapsed.
With near-supernatural spatial awareness, Yuri expertly combined evasive maneuvers with counterattacks.
Because of this, the knights dared not strike first, fearing his swift retaliation. Even when they did, their attacks were cautious and restrained. Any reckless move would be met by Yuri’s blade striking like a serpent.
The initiative was his.
“What’s this? Why is everyone standing still? Already scared? Huh?”
Taunting his foes, Yuri feigned a move toward the knight on his right, then suddenly struck the one on his left.
Caught off guard by the quick switch, the left knight failed to react in time. Though he leaned back, Yuri’s blade sliced deeply into his shoulder.
As the wounded man clutched his injury and sank down, Yuri kicked his head. The sickening sound of a crushed skull echoed.
Yuri threw the corpse backward. Two knights collided and fell.
He leapt up and drove his sword down swiftly. Two agonized screams followed in quick succession.
Several fell in an instant.
But Yuri didn’t slow or catch his breath.
Drawing on memories of his old hunter’s instincts, he had become an expert in mechanical slaughter. Weaker opponents stood no chance against him.
He held overwhelming dominance over his prey.
Yuri taunted the enemy.
“Hey, is this all you’ve got? Come on, fight properly. Feels like I’m battling children here.”
As Yuri rampaged, the knights’ formation began to crumble.
More men were sent to stop him, easing the pressure on the rest of Yuri’s group.
Finally, Sybilla stepped forward.
“Yuri Briol!”
She launched a sudden attack.
Yuri raised Guilty to block. The force behind her blow was so heavy it made his bones ache.
“Using my full name? That’s a bit cold, don’t you think?”
“Don’t pretend to be so casual.”
“You’d be upset if I told you I’m Sibyl Arseint, wouldn’t you?”
“Shut your mouth!”
Their swords clashed again and again.
Yuri swallowed hard inside. This wasn’t the power of the Sibyl he knew.
It was fast and heavy.
Not his own ability, but the dark magic energy dwelling within her.
As their blades locked and they struggled for dominance, suddenly something surged from her back and struck Yuri hard.
His body flew through the air, crashing into the wall.
“Ugh!”
Yuri groaned, pain radiating through his entire body, blood rising in his throat.
He spat blood onto the floor, staggered to his feet, and forced a crooked smile.
“Sibyl. Looks like you finally found the wings you’d lost.”
Sibyl said nothing. A ripple of black energy shimmered along her back, alive like a living thing. Those who wielded dark magic always used those tentacle-like extensions.
“Oh? Only found one?”
“Shut up, I said!”
Yuri scanned the area.
As Sibyl advanced, the knights Yuri had been holding back surged toward the rest of their group. The battle was turning against them.
Reinforcements were probably on their way from outside.
If this dragged on, things would only get worse.
“Ha…”
Yuri’s expression twisted with frustration as he stared at Sibyl.
She met his gaze.
Neither of them looked away. Amid the chaos of battle, they stood frozen, eyes locked.
Finally, Sibyl spoke first.
“Stop staring.”
Yuri laughed.
“Hahaha…”
He shook with laughter for a moment, then roughly swept his hair back.
“Sibyl. Why did you do it? If Larsson was bothering you, you could’ve told me.”
“I handle my own problems.”
“But we could’ve talked about it. Between us.”
“We weren’t that close.”
“That’s disappointing.”
Yuri tapped the hilt of Gilty with his index finger at steady intervals.
The rhythm quickened.
His body prepared to spring into action.
But only his body—the rest of him was still rooted in place. The spirit slash energy growled behind him, restless.
Sibyl spoke again.
“Yuri Briole. Stop daydreaming and draw your sword.”
She took a step forward.
“Some things just aren’t meant to be.”
She was right.
They were no longer on the same side.
Each had struggled desperately to avoid being swallowed by the tides of the world, and in the end, they stood opposed.
That was all there was to it.
Yuri’s finger stilled.
His hand closed firmly around Gilty’s hilt.
A cold fury rose within him—not at Sibyl, but at Cedric, the one who had driven them to kill each other.
“Fine. I’ll kill you. All of you.”
Yuri charged at Sibyl.