"Hey, pig. That magic armor you're wearing—it's the new model from the Imperial Magic Tower, right?"
"What?"
The development of magic armor was usually conducted in strict secrecy.
Because the performance of magic armor could sway the outcome of a war.
That was why every nation kept the development of new models under wraps.
The magic armor Doug was currently wearing was the lowest-grade Warrior model, but it had only been issued a month ago after its development earlier this year.
And this mercenary knew about it?
"How the hell do you...?"
Doug started to press him, then his eyes bulged wide.
Karyl, who'd thrown the question, had suddenly turned and bolted.
"You bastard, pulling dirty tricks to the end!"
Enraged, Doug launched himself forward, closing the gap in an instant.
The moment he raised his double-bladed axe to split Karyl's back wide open,
Karyl spun around and hurled the bottle from his belt.
Doug reflexively swung his axe, assuming it was a thrown weapon.
Clang!
The liquor bottle shattered, spilling its contents over his helmet.
'Ugh, what is this? Water?'
No, it was too sticky and slick to be water, seeping into his eye slits.
And the smell was pungent and foul.
'Th-this is oil!'
Clang!
The instant Doug realized what the liquid was, Karyl charged full-tilt and brought his sword down.
His steel blade bounced harmlessly off the sturdy magic armor.
But the sparks from the glancing blow ignited the dripping oil.
Whoosh!
"Gaaah! Hot!"
Flames instantly engulfed his helmet, spreading to Doug's head and face.
He flung away his axe and fumbled desperately to remove the helmet.
But unlike regular armor, the magic armor's helmet was secured with exceptional strength—it wouldn't come off easily.
Karyl kicked the flailing man deeper into the powder magazine.
"That was my family's last secret technique, Final Counter. It works great on charging boars like you."
On the Eastern Continent, there was an archery technique called backshot—feigning flight on horseback before wheeling around to shoot.
Final Counter had been devised by Karyl's grandfather, mimicking that: lure the enemy in by pretending to flee, then hurl a projectile to strike.
Karyl had thrown a bottle of oil instead of a weapon because he knew the fatal flaw in the new Warrior-grade magic armor from the Vardia Imperial Magic Tower.
"That Warrior-grade new model you're wearing? The buck-toothed emperor rushed production, so it's full of gaps in the plating and weak against fire. You'll find that out the hard way when your whole unit gets roasted in the war with the Free City Alliance, but that's later."
"Uwaaaah! You sneaky bastard!"
Stab!
Doug's agonized screams cut off abruptly.
Before he could rise, Karyl had closed in and thrust his sword through the eye slit.
Doug's trembling limbs went limp moments later.
It was revenge for Ralph's death, even if from before his regression.
"Sneaky? Says the guy who charged an aura impotent while decked out in magic armor."
Karyl snorted and tried to pull his sword free.
But it was lodged deep in Doug's skull and wouldn't budge easily.
"Damn it, even in death you're a pain."
"Don't move! Hands up!"
Shouts from behind him.
Karyl turned to see Imperial soldiers aiming muskets at him.
The fight with Doug must have dragged on longer than he thought.
Pretending to surrender, he whirled and dove through the nearest window.
Crash!
"Wh-what the— that rat! Hey! Stop right there!"
"You think I'm crazy enough to? Watch your backs, idiots!"
"What?"
"The powder kegs are on fire!"
The soldiers, about to fire at the fleeing Karyl, glanced at the powder kegs.
The flames that had consumed Doug's helmet had spread to the severed wick, already creeping toward the kegs.
"Huh? Oh no!"
"W-water...! No—run!"
As the Imperial soldiers panicked, a deafening roar tore through heaven and earth.
BOOM! BOOOOM!!!
Flames shot skyward, debris flying everywhere.
Karyl, fleeing, felt the shockwave of the massive blast hurtling toward him.
'Damn, if I'm caught in that explosion...'
He'd die too.
In this life-or-death moment, something caught Karyl's eye.
He threw his last reserves of strength toward that final hope.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
BOOM! BOOOOM!!!
Ralph's group had slipped out of the enemy camp.
Reuniting with those who'd set fire to the stables and barracks, they all froze at the massive explosion and pillar of fire from the powder magazine.
"Incredible."
"Never imagined an explosion that big..."
The mercenaries gaped at the flames licking the sky.
"Looks like the Imperials stockpiled a ton of powder."
"That whole area's gotta be gone."
"Then Karyl too...?"
Ralph grabbed the speaker by the collar.
"Don't jinx it! That guy's not one to die easy!"
Without Karyl buying time, the raid party would all be dead at the Cavaliers' hands.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, not his style."
"He'll come back alive for sure."
By now, the Imperial camp was in chaos.
With fires in the stables and barracks, plus that massive blast, most troops would be tied up fighting the blazes.
The Palmen Squadron left in the fortress would have seen it too and started their retreat.
"Alright, let's head to the rendezvous point. Linger too long and the Imperials will spot us."
"Yeah, gotta hustle. Karyl might beat us there and chew us out for being late."
"Haha, that's him alright."
They headed to the rendezvous, anticipating reunion with Karyl.
Yet their faces were grim.
Ralph, staring back at the exploding village, was no different.
He could only turn away, praying for his friend's safe return.
'Karyl, you better come back! If not, I'll chase you to the ends of hell and beat your ass!'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Karyl had volunteered to hold off Doug alone because he trusted his family's secret techniques—and the future knowledge he possessed.
But even that didn't guarantee survival.
His opponent was a Cavalier.
He was just a run-of-the-mill mercenary, skilled with the sword but utterly incapable of manifesting even a wisp of aura.
"But I won! And I survived!"
Karyl clenched his fist, struggling to his feet from the ground.
The powder magazine's explosion had been bigger than expected; he'd thought he was done for mid-escape.
In the panic, he'd spotted a nearby well and dove in.
No water left at the bottom, but the soft layer of leaves and sand had cushioned his fall—no broken bones.
"Heh, my heart's pounding and hands shaking won't stop."
His heart raced, hands trembled since moments ago.
Cavaliers—warfield heavy tanks.
His father had died fighting one, and before regression, Ralph had too holding them off.
The thrill of one-on-one victory over the monstrous beings that had brought tragedy to his life wouldn't fade easily.
'All God Theos, I thank you for granting me an experience to savor with drinks for life.'
He felt gratitude—and apology.
Right after regressing, he'd cursed being sent back to this nightmarish time.
"Father was right after all. No wings of aura, but these two legs of swordsmanship can carry me forward."
An unbreakable spirit was key, or so they said.
Karyl felt his confidence swelling, reignited passion for swordsmanship that had dimmed after giving up on aura.
"Put out the fire, quick!"
"Water! Bring water!"
"Call the healers! The camp priest too! Hurry!"
Pandemonium outside the well.
Frantic footsteps and panicked Imperial shouts echoed nonstop.
'Heh, with this much chaos, the others got away clean, right?'
Karyl smirked, then startled at a new voice.
"There's a well over here! Water! Fetch water now!"
'Damn!'
Desperate soldiers peering down would spot him instantly.
He pressed flat against the wall to hide.
Then,
Grind!
'Huh? The wall's giving way?'
Space behind it?
No time to ponder; he shoved the wall hard.
Grrrrind! Thud!
The wall swung fully open, revealing stairs.
A narrow passage stretched beyond the short flight.
'Secret passage? Could this be...?'
The underground dungeon beneath the fortress.
Connected to where the holy sword lay?
"Was this what the Imperials were hunting for?"
Either way, he needed to escape; Karyl entered the dark tunnel.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The passage was longer than expected.
Over two hours of walking, and no end in sight.
"Where the hell does this go? Not to the holy sword dungeon—straight to the demon realm?"
Demon realm.
The dark world far underground.
Rivers of lava, swarming with ferocious demons and wicked fiends that made surface monsters look cute.
Like the Demon King Kaniza, who terrorized the continent 500 years ago.
"Quiet since then, but fiends are real..."
As Karyl walked tensely, the space widened abruptly, revealing a massive iron door.
"That...!"
Karyl's eyes widened at the crest engraved on it.
An angel wielding a two-handed sword with spread wings.
Famous among swordsmen.
It was Sword Saint Rolan's crest, who slew Demon King Kaniza and saved the continent.
Symbolizing his beloved sword, one of All God's divine weapons: Holy Sword Angelica.
'Rolan's crest on the door... This must be the underground dungeon with the holy sword!'
The Sword Saint vanished in his later years.
For centuries, knights scoured the continent red-eyed for clues, but none succeeded.
'Some say he ascended at All God's call, others that he crossed to the Eastern Continent and became an emperor. Nothing confirmed.'
With Rolan gone, the holy sword's whereabouts grew mysterious, fading from memory.
Until Mercenary King Hakan Leviathan found the Sword Saint's tomb and wielded it anew.
"Unbelievable. Gave up searching, and it drops right in my lap."
He'd hoped when finding the passage from the well.
But after endless narrow corridor, he'd lost hope—only to find it now!
"The one who gathers the twelve divine weapons shall become All God Theos's successor."
The inscription below the crest was one Karyl had heard endlessly before regression.
In the Sword Saint's chronicle, and Hakan repeated it endlessly.
'Twelve divine weapons, the battle of resonants for them: the Divine Weapon Strife...'
Before regression, seven divine weapons had surfaced.
Holy Sword Angelica.
Fire Halberd Kelthar.
Heavenly Bow Astrafe.
Divine Gauntlet Reckless.
Thunder Lord Mjolnir.
Wall Sword Nine Heavens.
Blood Sickle Thanatos.
Their resonants were superhumans commanding vast forces.
They fought and allied; the world called it the Divine Weapon Strife.
'At this point, only Fire Halberd, Heavenly Bow, Divine Gauntlet, and Thunder Lord confirmed... Holy Sword's emergence shattered the balance.'
Ancient ruins dug up, dungeons bled in searches by resonants or their minions.
'If I take the holy sword out, I'll be thrown into that mess.'
Karyl had experienced the strife before regression.
He knew its brutality.
An aura-incapable mercenary joining was suicide...
"But I can't pass up an opportunity staring me in the face!"
He wasn't a resonant in his past life.
But with regression—a unique event—maybe the holy sword would choose him?
Resolved, he boldly opened the iron door.
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