Chapter 526
Episode 144. For a Friend (4)
Thud!
Kevin’s body crashed onto the ground with a heavy, dull sound. He convulsed a few times before finally going still.
The final ultimatum—to accept the Emperor’s edict—became Kevin’s last words.
The vanguard commander who had come to strike at Geomhwangseong with a single sword had met his death.
The Emperor’s vanguard troops couldn’t take their eyes off Kevin’s corpse for a long moment. Even seeing it with their own eyes, they struggled to accept that he was truly dead.
It wasn’t because many of them had respected Kevin or shared a close bond with him.
More than ninety percent of the vanguard soldiers simply didn’t understand why Kevin had died.
“What just happened?”
“The commander… is dead? Really…?”
Before the knights could fully process their doubts, two streaks of light flashed again from atop the walls of Geomhwangseong.
The second sword energy spread wider than the first, slicing through both wings of the red dragon and leaving shimmering trails across the sky.
“Kyaaaah—!”
Only after the red dragon lost its wings and crashed to the ground did the vanguard soldiers realize that it was Dante’s sword energy that had killed Kevin.
“Did the dragon not heed my words? I warned you not to look down upon Geomhwangseong.”
Though spoken softly, Dante’s voice carried a powerful energy that spread across the entire plain.
Now, all who had looked down upon Geomhwangseong had vanished. Instead, Dante stood atop the wall, looking down on the entire vanguard army.
Only then did the vanguard soldiers truly grasp the reality.
The place they had come to attack was none other than Geomhwangseong itself.
That chilling realization froze the knights in place. An instinctive fear, born from the name ‘Hiran,’ pierced their minds.
“From that distance… he fired sword energy? At that speed and power?”
Scott Hallow of the Central Knights spoke, and the other commanders shook their heads in disbelief.
“This is no joke. So he really is the successor to the Sword Emperor.”
“Dante Hiran… I always remembered him as dignified and gentle, but seeing him now, he’s nothing less than a wild beast…”
Not only the knights but even the commanders felt a chill run down their spines.
Dante had long been confirmed as the heir to Hiran’s small domain, making him one of the most famous figures in the empire.
From the moment he became the domain lord, rumors swirled around him. His small frame, frail health, and delicate features made many doubt his natural martial prowess.
Moreover, Dante rarely participated in the empire’s sword tournaments, and most of his duels were private, so few truly knew his real skill.
But those who had witnessed Dante’s swordsmanship or his rapid growth all agreed on one thing:
The next world’s greatest swordsman was already decided.
A cold silence hung over the plain, broken only by the screams of the fallen red dragon.
Mages hurriedly cast healing spells, trying to mend its wings, but it was no use.
“I am Dante Hiran, the small domain lord of Hiran and acting lord of Geomhwangseong. Emperor’s army, state your reason for coming to Geomhwangseong with proper respect.”
Scott Hallow stepped forward.
“I am Scott Hallow of the Central Knights! Lord Dante, please do not do this. His Majesty has ordered the war to cease as soon as Hiran returns the White Stone!”
“There is no such stone, Lord Scott Hallow. Even if it existed, the Emperor would never treat Hiran this way.”
“Lord Dante! There is still a chance. As a warrior who has long admired Hiran, I beg you to let Geomhwangseong return to the people and His Majesty’s hands!”
“A chance? Do you truly not see that the Emperor, blinded by power, intends to break the empire’s pillars? If so, I will give you one last chance. Lay down your swords and surrender immediately. Then I will spare your lives. But if you join in knowing the Emperor’s true intent…”
Dante’s voice rose with energy as he finished his sentence.
“Not a single one who raises a blade against Hiran will survive. And claiming you are only following orders will not excuse you. You are all knights.”
If they were commoners, perhaps he could afford leniency, but not against a thousand knights.
In fact, the sooner he wiped them out before the main force arrived, the easier the next battle would be.
From the moment the Emperor’s purge began, Dante had steeled himself.
For his own death, and for sending others to their deaths. Even if it meant killing thousands or tens of thousands, Dante had no intention of stopping before the Emperor did.
“Damn it. I thought at least Dante Hiran would leave some room for negotiation, unlike Lord Ron. Looks like there’s no hope. They’ve chosen destruction…”
Then it happened.
One of the knights in the ranks dropped his sword to the ground.
Clatter!
Everyone turned their heads toward the sound.
“I… I cannot fight Hiran. If Hiran hadn’t stepped up in the Shuka battle, my family would have been wiped out.”
“What is this madness…!”
Clatter, clack!
Like a spark igniting dry tinder, more knights began dropping their swords.
“I cannot fight Hiran either. As an orphan, I became a knight thanks to Hiran’s scholarship support.”
“I also received Hiran’s scholarship…”
“I owe my life to Hiran…”
More than half the knights dropped their swords in that moment. It all happened in less than a minute.
“Pick up your swords at once!”
“You fools! Do you think you can defy His Majesty’s orders and live?”
The vanguard commanders were at a loss for words. The knights who had dropped their swords even knelt down.
With a single sword strike, Dante had taken out the commander and shattered the vanguard’s morale with just a few words.
Scott, Marvin, Gloria, Roya, and the other commanders had never imagined such a scenario.
They could only stare helplessly between the disarmed knights and Geomhwangseong.
“This is insane!”
Scott gritted his teeth.
He knew better than anyone that if the main force arrived to find this scene, not only the knights but the commanders would face more than mere punishment.
Screech!
Scott swung his sword, beheading one of the knights who had dropped his weapon. He had made his decision.
“What disgrace is this, traitors? All who have laid down their swords will be executed immediately!”
Though the knights of Geomhwangseong had yet to draw their blades, blood was already splattering across the vanguard’s ranks.
The disarmed knights did not resist, making it all the harder for the vanguard soldiers to suppress their conflicted feelings.
“You fools! Do you think this will change anything? When the main force arrives, Geomhwangseong will be finished anyway…”
In truth, the vanguard commanders had been uneasy from the start.
Kevin Perell, the Dragon King Knight, lacked the skill and prestige to serve as commander, and most of the thousand knights were those who owed their lives to Hiran.
What was the result?
Kevin Perell had rushed forward like a thunderclap and died, while the knights were surrendering without a fight.
At this point, the commanders couldn’t shake the feeling that the Emperor had deliberately arranged the troop composition and commander selection for some hidden purpose.
“Damn it, pick up your swords…!”
Already, over fifty knights had lost their heads.
The vanguard commanders and the squad leaders who still held their swords felt as if their minds were about to snap.
If anything was irreversible, it was more fitting for them than for Geomhwangseong.
“Geomhwangseong!”
At Dante’s shout, the knights waiting inside the fortress all surged up onto the walls.
“We will rescue those who have not forgotten Hiran’s grace. Anyone who stands in our way shall be cut down.”
As the order was given, the knights on the walls leapt into the plain.
At the same time, the gates opened and more knights poured out. Those from the gates took on the role of breaking through, while those who jumped from the walls moved to encircle, quickly forming a battle line.
Just as Dante was about to join the fray, Shuras Helter grabbed his shoulder.
“Lord Dante, do not engage yet. The main force will arrive soon. You must conserve your strength until then. Aside from the five Sword Stars, you are the only one capable of handling the empire’s top knights.”
Both body and mind.
Dante barely maintained his composure. Watching those who remembered Hiran’s grace fall before his eyes made him want to rush in, but his naturally frail constitution had already been drained since the council meeting.
And Dante was currently the strongest knight alongside Hiran’s five Sword Stars, as well as acting lord of Geomhwangseong.
“…Understood.”
Hiran’s five Sword Stars were not present at Geomhwangseong.
If they all returned safely and Dante could fight at his best, there was hope. The knights of Geomhwangseong all believed this.
In Dante’s place, half of the heads of the thirty noble houses threw themselves into the plain.
The battle with the vanguard was turning into a one-sided victory for Hiran. Though the enemy had dragons, mages, and war machines, the numerical difference in knights was overwhelming.
However, Hiran’s knights prioritized rescuing the disarmed knights over outright slaughter, so the suppression was not swift.
Currently, Hiran lacked a standout knight to dominate the battlefield. If Dante took that role, it would be over in an instant, but considering the main force, Shuras’s judgment was sound.
“Glory to Hiran!”
“Dogs of the Emperor, dare not speak of honor!”
As dusk fell, the suppression was nearing its end.
What remained were just a handful of key knights, a single dragon, and about ten mages including Roya.
In contrast, Hailan’s forces had suffered only five casualties among their knights. Over a hundred common soldiers who had abandoned their swords were rescued, and the battle against the vanguard was nothing short of a decisive victory.
But around that time, the knights guarding the side and rear gates of Sword Emperor Castle spotted the main imperial army emerging in the distance.
“The emperor’s main force is approaching!”
“About twenty dragon-level cannons confirmed! Activating defense systems!”
Support from the imperial army was arriving not only at the side and rear gates but beyond the front gate as well.
Reports from commanders that the main force was at least ten times the size of the vanguard proved true.
The number of knights tightening the siege around Sword Emperor Castle easily exceeded ten thousand at a glance.
“…Rescue operation concluded. From now on, we commence the annihilation operation.”
Dante said this as he fixed his gaze on the newly arrived enemy forces.