Chapter 528
Episode 144. For a Friend (6)
Dante found himself alone, surrounded by the swords of the Imperial Royal Guard.
The knights of the Hailan Assault Squad were holding the line, but the sheer number of the Royal Guard was overwhelming.
Meanwhile, the foot soldiers kept charging at Dante relentlessly.
Every time he moved, sharp flashes of steel gleamed in the air.
With each strike, one or more knights fell.
Though he knew he was outmatched, Dante couldn’t fathom why these foot soldiers kept throwing themselves at him like moths to a flame.
‘I can’t just go easy on them…!’
Through the torso of a recently slain foot soldier, the blade of a Royal Guard glinted.
Dante instinctively turned his head to dodge, but the blade grazed his forehead.
Blood trickled down, staining his eyes.
As he wiped the blood away, a brief blind spot opened—and the Royal Guard seized the opportunity.
If Dante hadn’t activated the other secret technique of the Sovereign Sword—the Dragon Sword Armor—he would have suffered a fatal wound.
A band of blue aura wrapped around Dante’s body, blocking the Royal Guard’s blade.
But the aura didn’t stop there; it retaliated, piercing the guard’s chest like thorns.
The golden armor was ruthlessly pierced, blood pouring out.
Several other Royal Guard knights who had pushed their swords in alongside the first, unaware of the Dragon Sword Armor’s properties, were also fatally wounded or killed.
The Royal Guard was, of course, composed of far superior talents compared to the foot soldiers.
Some had even passed the rigorous cadet exams of Runcandel in their youth, earning reputations as prodigies or geniuses.
Yet, standing beside Dante, they seemed nothing more than mediocre.
In every aspect—talent, effort, the will to overcome their fated burdens, and the motivation and resolve that brought them to this battlefield—Dante transcended the Emperor’s knights.
“Do you really think you can kill me? You’re not even close. At least someone at the level of the Royal Guard Captain…!”
Dante stopped speaking and fixed his gaze on the man standing before the Dragon Spear.
Alton Hailan, Captain of the Imperial Royal Guard. Dante’s uncle, and before joining the Royal Guard, a rider of the Hailan clan.
“Stop this, Dante.”
Dante let out a bitter laugh.
“Alton Hailan, my uncle. Grandfather always said you were pathetic, but I tried to understand and respect you. I thought your joining the Royal Guard wasn’t because you lacked the qualifications or potential to become the next head of Hailan… but rather another form of loyalty to the family and empire. That’s what I believed.”
Slowly, Dante stepped toward Alton.
The remaining Royal Guards and foot soldiers who had initially charged still thrust their swords, but Dante cut them down without breaking his gaze from Alton.
“Grandfather was right. You’re nothing but a worthless dog of the Emperor, desperate to grasp at any scrap of power because you have no confidence in holding anything within Hailan.”
“If you stop now, you can still turn back, Dante.”
“Hah? What did you say?”
“Powerless? I am the Captain of the Imperial Royal Guard. If you show your willingness to surrender now and hand over the White Stone to His Majesty, Hailan can continue to stand as a pillar of the empire. I swear on my name—stop this. This slaughter doesn’t suit you. Everything can be undone.”
“Hahaha…!”
Dante’s face twisted.
“You’re insane, Alton Hailan. How many have already lost their lives? If I stop, will they come back alive? Will the Emperor’s accusation of treason against Hailan just disappear?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Dante shouted, his eyes blazing red.
“This fight won’t end until either Hailan or the empire is destroyed.”
“Foolish… don’t you have any sense of responsibility as the clan head? If you don’t stop, Hailan will be wiped out! Its history will be erased without a trace.”
Dante surged forward, sword flashing.
Alton met Dante’s strike head-on.
Clang!
A thunderous sound and shockwave erupted, and the Royal Guards who tried to assist Alton hesitated to approach recklessly.
Cough!
Dante spat out a mouthful of blood.
Blood streamed from his eyes and ears, and his wrist, gripping the clashing swords, creaked as if the bones might snap.
“And what do you intend to do with that body? What choice have you made as clan head? You’re only dragging yourself and your family members to a senseless death. Even though the path for everyone to survive is right in front of you!”
As if deeming further words pointless, Dante silently swung his sword again.
His frail body seemed to have already passed its limits, just as Alton said.
Yet, the fact that his trembling body still moved with such precision meant Dante was crossing some threshold as a warrior.
Despite the blood pouring from his entire body, Dante’s sword glowed brighter and brighter, striking Alton faster and sharper.
Each clash and slice through the air sent out a piercing whistle.
Fragments of sword energy scattered in all directions, forming a whirlwind, and the ground beneath their feet constantly gave way.
Nearby knights kept their distance, waiting for the shockwaves to subside. Those who hadn’t reached a certain level dared not stand close to this fight.
It wouldn’t take long for the battle to conclude.
Just as Alton was about to unleash a secret technique, Dante severed his wrist and caught him from behind.
Thud!
Dante’s blade pierced Alton’s back and emerged through his chest, stained dark red with blood.
Twisting the sword, Alton flinched and lowered his head.
Blood from Dante’s forehead continued to trickle down his eyes.
For a moment, memories of his childhood with Alton flashed through Dante’s mind.
Moments when his uncle had shown him kindness, and times when Alton struggled to suppress his inferiority complex as an uncle.
But it was too late for sorrow.
Those fleeting thoughts surfaced like bubbles breaking on the water’s surface, but Dante felt no sadness.
“Alton Hailan, Hailan never abandoned you, but you abandoned Hailan. Hailan never betrayed you, but you were the first to betray Hailan. This death is far too little to atone for that sin.”
“Ugh… ack…”
Alton was thinking the same things.
He wasn’t as strong or steadfast as Dante. That’s why he left Hailan, why he just now pleaded to save Hailan, and why he was now speaking his final words.
“S-Stop… it…”
Thud!
Dante withdrew his sword as Alton collapsed forward, convulsing.
Stop… Jiple is coming… Dante.
The voice, so close to death, was barely more than a whisper.
Dante didn’t hear the words about Jiple coming.
Even if he had, it wouldn’t have changed his resolve.
Alton’s death shook the Emperor’s army deeply.
No one had expected the Captain of the Imperial Royal Guard to fall in battle. It was Dante, not Ron, who was breaking through the battlefield now.
“Assault squad! Keep supporting the clan head!”
Like a ghost, Dante surged forward again toward the Dragon Spear.
At this point, the nearby foot soldiers regained the fear that had been buried beneath their madness.
No one dared to challenge the clan head of Hailan.
The hundred or so foot soldiers waiting by the Dragon Spear retreated, leaving only the Royal Guards and higher-ranked knights to barely keep their swords aimed at Dante.
Behind the Dragon Spear, the dragons roared.
They all breathed fire simultaneously, and at that moment, another group of Hailan Assault Squad knights arrived, erecting a sword barrier to protect Dante.
“Go, clan head!”
Not all Hailan knights were monsters like Dante. The Assault Squad knights barely withstood the dragons’ breath. And it wasn’t just breath—dragon-level and imperial dragon-level cannons were firing at Dante from all directions.
If the Dragon Spear’s cannons were destroyed and the five Sword Stars arrived…
The Hailan knights unleashed sword energy at the dragons.
Cutting down the dragons’ lingering flames, Dante closed the distance to the Dragon Spear.
While Dante and the Assault Squad carved a path, the Dragon Spear fired two more cannon shots at the Sword Star fortress.
The wall where Dante had stood was completely shattered, revealing the inner defenses.
Though this wasn’t a battle to defend the fortress, deep within the inner defenses lay Ron, unconscious.
As a member of Hailan and the grandson of the Sword Emperor.
Ron was still Dante’s greatest hope.
Though he hadn’t regained consciousness even as the Sword Star fortress crumbled, Dante firmly believed his beloved grandfather would awaken before the war ended.
He would awaken and make the enemies of Hailan fully understand the weight carried by the name Sword Emperor… Dante believed this without doubt.
Without that hope, his battered body would have long since collapsed on the cold ground, seeking rest.
“Hah… ha…!”
Dante exhaled heavily, gripping his sword tighter.
Before him stood the Dragon Spear.
Up close, it was massive—like a towering mountain—and radiated an ominous, indescribable aura.
With a single stroke, he cut through it.
The sword energy of the Sovereign Sword’s secret technique, Sky Piercing Slash, sliced through the center of the Dragon Spear, leaving a glowing afterimage.
The Dragon Spear split in two, collapsing sideways and crushing the foot soldiers and mages who hadn’t fled in time.
Dante knelt down briefly, using the dust cloud and smoke kicked up by the fallen Dragon Spear to conceal himself. Before the enemy could spot him, he forced himself back to his feet, struggling to steady his trembling body.
This was the moment Hailan claimed a small victory in the war.
“The Sovereign has slain the Imperial Guard Captain and the Dragon Spear!”
“The Emperor’s Dragon Spear has fallen…!”
But then—
KRAAAASH!
KRAAAASHHH…!
From somewhere, a thunderous explosion echoed.
Though distant, it sounded exactly like the roar of the Dragon Spear firing its cannon.
Turning around, Dante saw the protective shield and outer walls of the Black Emperor Fortress crumbling.
‘There’s more than one Dragon Spear?’
The Dragon Spear was the empire’s one and only main cannon.
But the Emperor had prepared for moments like this—he had replicas made, borrowing the power of Ziphl.
“GRAAAH!”
“Rear gate… two Dragon Spears confirmed!”
“The Hensark and Lilista Magic Corps are operating the Dragon Spears! At least four, no—seven, nine…!”
The urgent voices of the sentinel knights reached Dante, but he was too far away.
Even without their reports, it was clear the situation had gone terribly wrong.
“The Black Emperor Fortress is indefensible! Evacuate immediately!”
“Medical teams, medical teams…!”
“Evacuate where? Hold your ground! Defend it to the death!”
“Scatter! Scatter so the cannons can’t lock on!”
A cold chill ran through Dante’s veins.
‘Where do I start again? Push forward to target the Emperor—no, the Black Emperor Fortress, Hailan’s knights, Grandfather…!’
He felt bile rise in his throat.
He had to hold onto his sanity and respond. It couldn’t end so futilely.
Dante was swallowed by despair, and the Emperor smiled. But both Dante’s despair and the Emperor’s smile—
Lasted only a moment.
From beyond the rear of the Black Emperor Fortress, a single, massive blade of radiant energy sliced fiercely through the dark night sky.
A unique, piercing blue glow born from the fusion of lightning and aura.
There was only one person in the world who wielded such a sword.
And everyone on the battlefield who witnessed that blade instantly understood.
Jin Runkandel had arrived.