Chapter 810
Episode 201. The Invasion Begins (3)
When Dante first realized the Red-Eyed Tribe’s assault in the war room, Hedo was still at the fortress’s waiting station, watching the dragon riders and their drakes.
That’s why, while Dante’s attack drew the Red Fleet’s focus to the front shields, Hedo was able to strike from behind.
In some ways, it was actually better for Hedo that Dante had taken the dragon knights and drakes away. He no longer had to fight while worrying about their lives.
From the initial bombardment until now, Hedo had wielded his sword to protect the drakes and dragon knights.
But now, he could pour all his energy into offense—so much so that the enemy couldn’t even spare a glance for Dante and the dragon knights retreating ahead.
Dante was one of the world’s top warriors. While he clashed with the fleet, the shockwaves rippling through Dante’s formation were nothing to worry about. In other words, Hedo was free to fight without restraint.
A sly grin spread across Hedo’s face. His greatsword gleamed pure white, radiating immense energy.
His muscles bulged instantly—thick, tough skin stretched over tightly packed fibers, standing like countless needles ready to strike. Every movement made his sinews writhe fiercely, able to focus all their power into a single point at any moment.
With that strength channeled into his blade, it felt like he could cut through anything; gripped in his hand, it seemed capable of tearing anything apart. Like inspecting a massive machine, Hedo paused briefly to survey his body. Every part of him was perfectly primed to obey his will.
Ready to explode.
BOOM!
Several volleys of cannon fire struck Hedo head-on. Yet the enemy’s energy blasts bounced off his monstrous body, dissipating into thin air.
Snarling, Hedo grabbed the scattering blasts and tore them apart savagely. The Red-Eyed Tribe aboard the fleet couldn’t help but flinch at the sight.
“What the hell… is that even human?”
“Bouncing off fleet bombardments barehanded, without a shield? Insane! He’s leaping onto the ship’s bow! Even with all the lightning energy the Drek kin have unleashed in the sky right now…!”
Even if it wasn’t the flagship Barion’s firepower, this was far beyond anything the Red-Eyed Tribe had ever seen. To withstand the lightning energy Barion unleashed, a ship needed at least the defense level of the Red Fleet.
That meant Hedo’s body was tougher than a warship. And that monstrous human was now even firing sword energy.
From the pinnacle of swordsmanship and strength, his sword energy surged like a tidal wave over the fleet. The bombardments aimed at Dante and the dragon knights lost their trajectory under the pressure of his sword energy, and the ships closest to Hedo wavered and were pushed back.
For a moment, his swordsmanship blocked the fleet’s line of sight. When the fleet on the far left front regained vision, the first thing the Red-Eyed Tribe saw was Hedo leaping all the way to the ship’s bow.
“Intercept! Activate the spikes while intercepting!”
Cannons emerged from both sides of the ship, firing spherical shells at Hedo. But those shells were no match for Hedo’s muscles, which had already shrugged off the main cannons. He didn’t even dodge, plunging his sword into the bow.
SZZZZK!
At the same time, the ship’s lightning shield—called the “spikes”—activated. It was a device designed to shake off enemies clinging directly to the ship, powerful enough to throw off even most dragons in an instant.
But to Hedo, it was nothing more than a mild sting. He exploded energy through the sword embedded in the bow, destroying the ship.
From the shattered wreckage, Red-Eyed Tribe soldiers spilled out. Some leapt to other ships to survive, others charged at Hedo to try and stop him.
But their fate was the same. Those who approached were cut down with a single stroke; those retreating were struck by sword energy. Flesh and blood splattered onto nearby ships, creating a gruesome scene.
“I’ll smash every last one of you!”
Grabbing the bridge with his left hand, Hedo growled. Though damaged by the explosion, the bridge was still at least ten times larger than him. He lifted it like a pebble and hurled it at the adjacent ship.
The crew aboard blinked in disbelief. Did that human just pick up a broken bridge with his bare hands and throw it? Before they could process it, Hedo’s face was suddenly right in front of them.
“Ugh, ack!”
CRASH! Hedo smashed the glass with his fist, grabbed a Red-Eyed soldier’s neck, and twisted it. Holding his sword in his mouth, he gripped the hole in the glass with both hands and demonstrated a terrifying strength, literally splitting the ship in two.
KRAAAAAAAH!
As Hedo’s roar faded, the ship was cleaved in half and plummeted to the ground. He had torn the ship apart like a sheet of paper.
Two ships had already sunk this way. Counting the initial surprise attack from behind, four ships had been destroyed, leaving the Red-Eyed Tribe in disarray.
Flying warships were undoubtedly the ultimate war machines, but they were ill-suited for close combat.
Whether ancient or modern, fleets were strong because they could strike unilaterally from extreme distances while maintaining excellent mobility.
The problem was that the distance had been far too close from the start.
Even Hedo wouldn’t have been able to approach so easily if he’d had to endure precise strikes from dozens of miles away. Of course, even in this close-quarters battle, there were fewer than ten warriors in the world capable of what he was doing.
As Hedo soared through the air, blowing up ships, he continuously scattered sword energy to disrupt the flagship’s bombardment aimed at Dante.
It would have been better if the Drek had targeted Dante with the hundred or so ships excluding the flagship. Hedo alone couldn’t twist the firepower of so many ships.
“The Sword King is to be abandoned. All fleets, increase distance and prepare for precision strikes on Hedo. I will personally bind him.”
Drek quickly revised his orders. Continuing the battle as it was would only lead to unnecessary fleet losses.
They were giving up on Dante and the dragon knights, focusing solely on finishing off Hedo.
As the flagship Barion’s bridge opened, Hedo leapt to the bow of a nearby ship and caught his breath. Their eyes met across the gap between ships.
The bombardment ceased. Barion stopped firing at Dante and the drakes, and the lightning energy that had filled the sky began to fade.
“So the commander himself finally steps in.”
“The current surface world is truly astonishing.”
“If you’re so amazed, then quietly return underground and live as if dead. As long as the Balmur Alliance exists, the Red-Eyed Tribe will never again be the rulers of this world.”
“I cannot understand. Why would a human like you risk your life to protect this insignificant fortress? The humans and drakes we originally sought are nothing but worthless meat compared to you and the Sword King.”
“I’m the kind of person who’s used to protecting something.”
“Why did you let only the Sword King escape? If you’d given up on the other humans and drakes, you could have fled with them.”
“That’s obvious. The Sword King went to call for reinforcements—the name the Red-Eyed Tribe fears most.”
“Jin Runkandel… From what I’ve heard from the Rakiman and Patlock fortress kin, he’s definitely a problem. You’re confident you can hold out against me and the fleet until he arrives?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good. You have enough strength to think so. But unfortunately, the problem is that I’m your opponent. It’s time to wake up from your delusion.”
As Drek finished speaking, Hedo instinctively raised his sword, sensing danger.
It felt like an ambush. If it was a frontal ambush like this, Hedo could have blocked it even if the attacker was a Yona.
He thought he had blocked it—but a cold sensation seemed to sweep past him.
“What? I didn’t see anything. Was it just my imagination?”
He quickly sharpened his senses but felt nothing. No cuts, no blows.
Then, the next moment—
“Blood!? Blood is…!”
Hedo saw blood seeping from his body, droplets spreading and floating into the air.
Startled, he formed a protective shield, but the blood ignored physical force, scattering as particles that slipped through the barrier and headed toward Drek.
Drek smiled knowingly.
“Vampire. Before I was sealed, countless immortals and mortals called me that.”
Bloodsucking—that was Drek’s unique power as the Great Battle King.
Hedo instinctively threw himself toward the ground to create distance.
“Now that the distance has increased, the blood loss has slowed. Fighting up close is hopeless.”
The problem was that Drek’s power wasn’t limited to his divine ability.
“Why the sudden urgency? You’re desperate to create distance.”
Drek had already taken position on the ground, swinging his spear. Hedo barely dodged, but he could see even more blood flowing out than before.
It wasn’t immediately obvious, but at this rate, his movements would soon slow—and death might follow.
Meanwhile, the fleet was widening its formation and retreating under Drek’s orders. Soon, the ships would resume bombardment from beyond Hedo’s sword range.
“If I get close, he drains my blood. If I stay away, the fleet can easily strike me…”
He was caught between a rock and a hard place.
“Since he seems to have given up on the Sword King, maybe the best move is to hold out until the Sword King reaches a safe zone, then retreat. Jin will arrive soon, scout escape routes, and pursue.”
Drek saw through all of Hedo’s thoughts.
“You probably would have chosen to run after holding out for a while. But even if it’s just the two of us fighting, our fleet can precisely target only you. I saw earlier—you withstood the bombardment bare-handed. Think you can keep that up?”
Hedo didn’t answer. He scattered his sword energy and stepped back. A strange sensation rippled through his body, as if his blood was churning unnaturally.
He couldn’t find a safe distance where his blood wouldn’t be drained. Drek’s spear kept smashing into his mind, disrupting his movements. Whenever he was forced to engage Drek directly, more blood was inevitably siphoned away.
“What a disgusting ability.”
Drek flicked out his long tongue, licking the droplets of blood hanging in the air.
“Ah, such rich blood… Nothing like the knights and dragon riders I originally planned to feast on. Today, you and your kind will be the centerpiece of our celebration, Hedo.”