A series of unexpected events unfolded, plunging a war that everyone had expected to progress one-sidedly into a state of confusion.
The Empire's main forces failed to advance as quickly as anticipated, and the 5th Knight Order was defeated by the Aloy Brigade.
Meanwhile, new heroes emerged from Yoheim.
A man named Hopper held off none other than Yalta, one of the Ten Strongest, and a man called Yubi, along with his two sworn brothers, rallied righteous souls and raised an army.
Diplomatic turmoil erupted among the nations excluding the Empire.
Each country expressed grave concern over the Empire's aggression toward Yoheim, sharing the fear that the Empire's madness could soon target them as well.
Beneath the surface, alliances began to form based on the interests of four nations: Briol, Bursen, Liberda, and the Holy Kingdom.
Time passed.
Though it took much longer than expected, the Empire's main forces finally reached the forest surrounding Yoheim's royal castle.
Yoheim knew well that if this line of defense were breached, it would mean defeat.
The Aloy Brigade had fortified an impenetrable defense centered around the forest. To this, Hopper—who appeared like a divine savior—joined forces with the army of Count Seconeer, who had taken him in, and the volunteer forces led by Yubi and his brothers.
A battle upon which Yoheim's fate depended was drawing near.
***
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Yubi. I was originally a mat merchant, but I rose up to save Yoheim."
"I'm Hopper. I was a man training in martial arts deep in the mountains."
"I heard you fought Yalta to a draw."
"Ha ha, it was nothing."
"You are truly a hero born of these times."
"You flatter me. But I've heard that you, Lord Yubi, are so well-respected that people flock to follow you like clouds. That's the mark of a true hero."
"Ha ha ha ha, you're too kind."
The two of them were gilding each other's faces as if they were meeting for the first time.
Watching this scene nearby, Gonte Murchin muttered,
"Two talents born of Yoheim meeting here… truly a gathering of stars. Yoheim's national fortune is on the rise."
He hadn't the faintest clue who they really were.
Even if their faces had changed, their distinct gestures and mannerisms gave them away. Though they had altered their voices, their natural tones still lingered—but Gonte noticed nothing.
He was truly a dull man.
Yuri cleared his throat and approached Gonte.
"I didn't know Yoheim had such a special forces unit. I thought the young knights of Yoheim had grown soft, but I see now I was wrong. It must all be thanks to your excellent training, Sir Gonte?"
"Of course! Ha ha ha ha! It's all because of me!"
"So from beginning to end, you trained them all yourself?"
"I took full responsibility for it. Have you heard of guerrilla training?"
"Did you invent that, Sir Gonte?"
"Of course! I wracked my brains for Yoheim's future!"
Yuri clenched his fist. He'd have to educate this man one day.
"I see. Ha ha…"
"And you—despite being a mere mat merchant—your prowess is remarkable. Did you learn the mana method?"
"I just trained on my own, thinking it might help Yoheim."
"For self-training, your level is quite impressive. If you'd aimed to become a knight, you'd be quite the expert by now. Such a shame."
"I'm just a humble mat merchant."
"When this war ends, won't you serve the nation? Be a shield for Yoheim, and help guard the Aloy Mountains with our own hands."
"If I survive, I'll consider it."
The others nodded at Yuri's words.
The mood was positive, but the most important thing was survival. They were about to risk their lives against the Empire.
Yuri glanced up. The knights of the Aloy Brigade were rotating shifts with their comrades.
He recognized their faces. They used to be called Owls.
Back then, they were like chicks—now, they had grown into proud guerrilla soldiers.
"We must determine the outcome as soon as possible."
Yuri said to Gonte, who tilted his head.
"Why so?"
Despite leading the volunteer corps, Yuri's original status was that of a mere mat merchant. Still, Gonte listened seriously to what he said.
In that regard, he was an open-minded man.
"The Aloy Brigade is guarding the forest. There's no need to rush. In any prolonged war, the side on an expedition always suffers more."
"Yalta is the problem."
"Yalta?"
"Yes."
From his past life's experience, Yuri knew quite a bit about him.
He was violent by nature and lacked self-control.
Though a few high-ranking officers managed to restrain him somewhat, there was a limit.
As time passed, it wouldn't be long before his patience ran dry.
"We have to end this while we can still fight honorably. Otherwise, there's no telling what that bastard might do."
"While we can still fight honorably, huh…"
"Sir Gonte. The only reason Yoheim's cities remain unharmed is because of Sir Graham's restraint."
"I know that, but…"
"If I were with the Imperial Army, I'd have already set this forest ablaze."
At that, Gonte blinked.
"That would put the royal castle at risk…"
"There's no reason to consider the enemy's situation. I certainly would have done it."
"Hmm…"
"If the battle drags on, Yalta will cause an incident. He'll either burn something down or destroy another city and demand the king to come out."
This was something that had happened countless times in Yuri's previous life.
It was Yoheim's great fortune that Graham was leading the Imperial Army.
Gonte fell deep in thought.
"Now that it's been proven that Hopper can face Yalta, we must end this quickly. The longer it goes, the more disadvantageous it is for Yoheim. Not the Empire. If this continues, they'll commit atrocities."
"You make a valid point."
He nodded.
"But leaving the forest to fight is difficult. I believe the Empire will try to break through first. Until then, we'll wait."
"Understood."
Yuri nodded. He was satisfied that he'd at least made Gonte aware of Yalta's danger.
Just as Gonte had said, the enemy would attempt to penetrate the forest at some point.
"When the enemy enters, let's strike properly."
"Let's do that."
As soon as their conversation ended, a faint sound like a flute echoed from afar.
It was the sound of a whistling arrow, signaling an enemy assault.
Gonte swiftly issued orders.
Count Seconeer's troops, led by Hopper, were to stop Yalta, while the rest would spread through the forest to support the Aloy Brigade.
Gonte pointed to the map.
"If the Aloy Brigade is pushed back, block them here, here, and here. We must not let them breach the forest. Understood?"
"Yes!"
The major knight orders gathered to resist the Empire also followed Gonte's command. Though they hadn't undergone guerrilla training like the Aloy Brigade, they were still far superior to ordinary soldiers.
Gonte drew his sword.
"For Yoheim!"
"For Yoheim!"
The troops scattered instantly to fulfill their respective duties.
Yuri also returned to the volunteer corps.
His role was to provide support from the rear. Although he had trained them, the corps still had many shortcomings.
But Yuri wanted to achieve real results this time.
"Hmm…"
With the Empire still mostly unaware of the three sworn brothers, now was the perfect time. He had to inflict a devastating blow by exploiting the gap between their perception and actual strength.
Yuri summoned Laurent and Jared.
"Let's secretly join up with Jose."
"Are we going after Yalta?"
"Yes. It'd be best if we killed him, but even injuring him is good enough."
"Understood. Who will lead the volunteer corps?"
"Leave it to Zerga. He has strong spirit and good leadership."
"Yes."
Silent battle had already begun in the forest.
Compared to when the 5th Knight Order had come alone, the Imperial Army was now much stronger in numbers, making it harder for the Aloy Brigade to hold them back.
Whenever a comrade was struck by a soundless arrow, the Empire responded with a hail of arrows, pressing forward. Their sentries were also pushed ahead to trigger traps.
Once a trap was sprung, its location was revealed and rendered useless—making them all ineffective.
Using their own soldiers as stepping stones, the Empire was forcing its way through the forest.
And that wasn't the only problem.
Elsewhere, Yalta, leading the vanguard, was advancing with a wild and ferocious momentum.
"Where do you think you're stopping me with such petty tricks!"
Arrows without presence didn't work on him. Traps were also easily destroyed.
Swinging his massive sword, he cleaved through trees and undergrowth alike—it was no different from a tank pushing aside obstacles as it advanced.
The Aloy Brigade was not foolish enough to recklessly challenge him in battle.
But as Yalta's speed steadily increased, they grew flustered. If left alone, he might break through the forest.
"What do we do?"
"Should we try to stop him?"
"We'd be dying for nothing."
The Aloy Brigade wavered indecisively.
Just then, someone suddenly appeared and put an end to their hesitation.
"Oi, you're here. Barbarian!"
"Continent bastard!"
A man with a handsome face but a frame as massive as a bear—Hopper.
He blocked Yalta's path and beckoned with a flick of his finger.
"Where's your nanny?"
"You little…!"
Yalta roared in fury.
With Graham absent, there was no one left to restrain him.
Yalta hacked down the surrounding brush and charged like an enraged gorilla.
"I'll rip out that tongue of yours!"
Yalta swung his sword wildly. Hose blocked the attack and laughed.
"Judging by your rage, I guess you really did piss yourself last time, huh?"
"Shut up!"
Yalta kept closing in, refusing to give Hose any space.
He had been deeply shaken by the technique Hose used in their last battle.
"Oi, barbarian,"
Clashing swords with him, Hose grinned.
"You couldn't react at all back then, could you?"
"Shut your mouth!"
"That's why I said you don't deserve to be among the Ten Strongest."
"You bastard!"
With tremendous force, Yalta knocked Hose's sword aside and kicked him in the stomach.
As Hose stumbled back from the blow, Yalta's sword came down toward his crown.
"Keep running your mouth!"
"You have no foundation!"
Hose quickly stepped in, slammed his shoulder into Yalta's chest, and then slashed across his abdomen as Yalta recoiled.
Blood sprayed.
But the wound wasn't deep.
"All you know how to do is rampage like a beast."
"You…"
"You know,"
Hose smirked and pointed his sword. Just like before, mana condensed into a sharp mass and flew toward Yalta.
Yalta reacted a beat too late, managing to block it just in time.
Hose sneered.
"You're so lacking, you couldn't even sense how dangerous that was."
"I'll kill youuuu!"
Yalta's eyes turned red. Steam rose from his entire body, and his muscles swelled as if he were ablaze.
He shouted furiously,
"You're not the first to flap your mouth and die!"
"And you're proud of killing a bunch of weaklings?"
Hose stared through him.
Yalta was certainly strong.
Strong enough that Hose couldn't guarantee victory.
But Yalta couldn't get any stronger. He lacked too much depth. That lack formed a clear limit.
To someone aiming for the sky, Mount Tai is just another mountain.
And Yalta stood at its peak.
He had jumped and climbed on his two legs, reaching heights far above others, but he could never soar beyond.
"You don't even know what this is, do you?"
"I don't need to. I'll just cut off your head. I'll mount it as a trophy."
"That's why you'll never go beyond."
Their swords clashed again and again.
Each time Hose blocked Yalta's strikes, it felt like his bones were rattling. The sheer destructive force had reached its peak.
Driving Hose back, Yalta laughed.
"Training? Meditation? Who needs that crap? You get stronger just by killing and killing again!"
Then, with a clever angle, he thrust his sword. Hose couldn't fully block it, and blood flowed from his shoulder.
But Hose also stabbed his own sword into Yalta's body, inflicting a wound.
Blood splattered from both men.
Hose grinned and said,
"Yeah, someone at your level wouldn't be clueless."
"What are you babbling about?"
"That to go higher, you need deep training. But you gave up. You chose the path of just swinging fast and hard."
"Nonsense!"
"Because it's hard."
Yalta's blade grazed past Hose's hair.
"You didn't want to bother thinking or struggling, so you just didn't!"
"Shut up and die already!"
Their swords tangled again. Hose was forced back.
Yalta burst out laughing, continuing to press him.
"You're all talk!"
Hose waited for an opening. But Yalta's momentum was so fierce, he couldn't find one.
For now, Yalta's brute-force fighting style was overpowering his sword.
"What? Climb higher? Don't make me laugh. The one who wins is the strong one! Winning and killing—that's all that matters! Got that, you continent bastard?!"
Hose was about to respond.
Then—
"In that case, there's no problem with several of us fighting you, as long as we win, right?"
Three men appeared, each gripping a weapon.
Yuri grinned.
"Isn't that right?"
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