The Indomitable Martial King

[ Chapter 68 ]

“Um…”

Repenhardt slightly shrugged his shoulders as he observed the surroundings. Somehow, a rather intense battle had unfolded.

‘I do feel a bit sorry.’

He didn’t really regret stealing the Voice of Elucion. After all, it was something unnecessary for them. However, he genuinely felt sorry for destroying the magical armor Eldrad. Honestly, Repenhardt hadn’t intended to go this far. It was just that the final spell was so powerful that he had no choice.

His eyes caught a glimpse of a golden sword lying some distance away. It was the magical sword Eldran, which had fallen from Eusus’s hand. Seeing it eased his guilt a bit.

‘If that’s safe, then Eldrad should be repaired soon.’

All the main formulas that made up the magical armor Eldrad were contained in the magical sword Eldran. And for a top-tier magical artifact like Eldrad, it had self-restoring capabilities. If Eldran, the source of those formulas, was safe, then gathering the fragments and leaving them with Eldran would eventually restore Eldrad to its original state.

‘It might take about half a year, though…’

What an incredible magical artifact. Repenhardt clicked his tongue, newly appreciating the power of Eldrad. It was able to preserve the wearer’s life even after facing the final secret technique of Gym Unbreakable, Calamity Horn. Well, all the power was focused on the armor to save Eusus’s life, but it was still remarkable.

Then, an idea suddenly occurred to him.

‘Maybe Siris would like to hear about this…’

The situation was different from the magical sword Altion. He was confident he could produce as many as he wanted if he just had the magic of Altion, but not with Eldrad. Honestly, he had hardly ever seen a magical artifact of its caliber, even in his previous life. Even when handling 10th circle magic, he hadn’t dared to create an artifact of that level. It was among the top-tier relics from the Silver Age.

‘After all, Eldrad has the ability to change its form according to the wearer’s physical condition… With a slight modification of the formulas, it could be adapted to fit Siris’s physique…’

If the magical armor Eldrad lacked the versatility of changing shape according to the wearer, the County of Tenes wouldn’t have been able to inherit it through generations. It’s not like all the Golden Knights throughout history had the same body size.

‘In about half a year, the armor will be fully restored… Besides, even without the magical armor Eldrad, Eldran itself is undoubtedly a tremendous magical sword…’

Suddenly, an image popped into his head.

A beautiful elf mage knight, clad in golden armor, wielding a magical sword, displaying dazzling swordsmanship and powerful magic in succession!

It seemed like a perfect match…

‘Uh, um, I want it, this?’

Once greed took hold, Eldran became increasingly desirable. Repenhardt looked at Eldran, who had fallen, with a peculiar gaze, causing Sir Lot’s complexion to harden.

‘Indeed, he covets Eldran!’

In the event of a fiefdom duel, it was common among knights to take the opponent’s weapon as spoils of war. And Eldran was one of the current era’s strongest magical artifacts, recognized by everyone, unlike the unidentified Voice of Elucion. It would have been strange not to covet it.

Sir Lot looked at Repenhardt with a pale face. Being unaware of the Silver Sages, he honestly had no interest in the relic stolen by the other. He was somewhat perplexed by Eusus, who had made such a big deal out of something so trivial.

But Eldran was different! It was a power almost akin to a pillar supporting the Tenes Count family! Losing it would mean the downfall of the Tenes family!

Then, Repenhardt shook his head.

‘No, this shouldn’t be done.’

Although he was already in a position to be cursed as a thief, Repenhardt had his own reasons. But taking it would indeed make him a real thief. He had resolved to become shameless, but that didn’t mean he should act recklessly.

Moreover, this was a divine artifact of the Tenes viscount family, their greatest strength, honor, and symbol. The situation was entirely different from that of Voice of Elucion. Taking it would mean the Tenes family would use all their power to pursue him.

In other words, to take Eldran, he would have to kill everyone present to hide the fact.

‘There’s absolutely no need to go that far.’

Tempted by greed for a moment, Repenhardt soon calmed himself. Eldran belonged to them, just as Voice of Elucion was his.

‘I’ll just have to arrange for Siris to have the Holy Sword Messiah, as in my previous life.’

Having made up his mind, Repenhardt slowly walked over and picked up Eldran. With everyone from the Tenes family on edge, he looked at Eldran and then at Eusus, who was still unconscious. After pondering for a moment, Repenhardt turned to Sir Lot.

Approaching him and handing over the sword, Repenhardt slightly bowed his head.

“I apologize, this item is too important to me to commit such a barbaric act.”

Sir Lot looked at Repenhardt with a dazed expression.

‘What? Wasn’t he just motivated by greed?’

The situation was incomprehensible. The Tenes knights were already annihilated, and there was no one left to stop him from simply taking Eldran.

After hesitating for a moment, Sir Lot accepted the magic sword Eldran. He carefully held the sword in a reversed grip, as it was his lord’s sword, a weapon he should never have been able to wield.

“Then, I shall take my leave…”

Glancing around stealthily, Repenhardt began to back away. He wanted to leave this uncomfortable situation as soon as possible.

That’s when it happened.

“Stop right there!”

“Huh?”

The situation had seemingly ended, so who would call out like this now? Confused, Repenhardt turned his gaze. A knight, standing some distance away, was shouting while holding his sword.

“The sword of Tenes has not yet been defeated!”

The knight looked quite young, probably in his late twenties. With a cold demeanor and sharp eyes, the knight approached Repenhardt. His stance with the sword was precise, and his gait seemed oddly stable. Repenhardt blinked.

‘Is that that fool from before?’

He remembered him from somewhere. It was the young man who had single-handedly made a scene during their encirclement yesterday, greatly aiding his escape.

Sir Lot looked at the young knight with an expression of disbelief.

“Russ?”

Russ stood in front of Repenhardt with a face full of tension, his sword’s tip radiating a sharp fighting spirit. Clearly in a combat-ready stance, Sir Lot exclaimed in astonishment.

“What are you doing, Russ!”

Keeping his gaze fixed on Repenhardt, Russ replied,

“I, too, am a sword of Tenes. The sword of Tenes has not yet been defeated!”

His voice was filled with fighting spirit. Even in such a situation, not losing courage and drawing his sword was indeed a model for all knights. However, Sir Lot did not see it that way.

‘That fool! He’s having another outburst!’

I mean, what can a mere knight do when even Sir Eusus has fallen? Ignoring the astounded Sir Lot, Russ straightened his sword and charged at Repenhardt with a powerful battle cry.

“Taaaah!”

A powerful downward strike! Even as an aura user, Repenhardt was momentarily startled by the attack. But, of course, it was a predictable move. He couldn’t possibly fail to dodge it. Twisting his body slightly, Repenhardt dodged the attack with a smirk.

‘So, this was his personality all along.’

It was a swordsman with only one downward strike to worry about. There was no need to be concerned. That’s what he thought, at least.

“Haaap!”

Suddenly, as if dancing in the air, the sword followed through the motion of the strike, slicing near his side. Moreover, the speed and force were extraordinary. Caught off guard, Repenhardt hastily moved.

“Gasp!”

Swish!

His clothes were sliced, and he felt a slight pain. Quickly jumping back, Repenhardt was surprised as he looked at his side. Between the torn fabric, a faint trail of blood was visible. It was just a slight scratch on the skin, but it was clear. The young knight had definitely inflicted a wound on his body.

“What is this?”

Surprised, Repenhardt looked at Russ again. And he was astonished once more.

Russ, in a ready stance with his sword aimed, had his long sword glowing with a bluish-white light.

“…Blade Aura?”

* * *

“What’s this?”

“What happened?”

The knights of Tenes were all buzzing with astonishment. They couldn’t believe it. Russ, who had been nothing but a laughingstock, now had the ultimate light that all swordsmen dream of, shining from his sword.

Sir Lot opened his mouth wide in astonishment.

“What, what is it, Russ? What happened?”

Still glaring at Repenhardt, Russ replied with a cold voice.

“I have merely reclaimed the sword of Tenes.”

At the same time, an indescribable sense of pressure emanated from Russ. There was no longer any room for doubt. That overwhelming presence, which seemed to suppress everything, was the same sensation they had all too familiarly experienced through Repenhardt.

It was undeniable. Russ had definitely awakened to his aura!

Sir Lot moaned with a mixture of awe and bewilderment.

“My goodness…”

On the other hand, Repenhardt was looking at Russ with a different kind of perplexity. It wasn’t simply because a new aura wielder had suddenly appeared as an enemy. While others might be excitedly astonished, as an aura user himself, Repenhardt could clearly sense Russ’s skill level.

This young knight had just recently awakened to his aura. The way he used his aura to strengthen his body was noticeably clumsy, and his blade aura, fluctuating in intensity, clearly wasn’t refined enough to be maintained properly.

Not all aura users were of similar skill. Compared to Repenhardt, who had awakened his aura years ago, Russ was lacking in every aspect. Though Repenhardt had been caught off guard and had a close call earlier, it was clear that he was not going to lose.

What puzzled him was that the blade aura Russ was emitting felt eerily familiar.

‘Wait? That blade aura, why does its color look so familiar?’

The color of an aura varied slightly according to the martial sects of the continent. While blue and red hues were common, there were also green, purple, and others. In fact, Gym Unbreakable also possessed a unique golden aura.

And though they generally referred to it as blue, if one looked closely, there were quite a few variations: dark blue, light blue, cerulean, etc. Just as there are no two identical humans, the light of an aura also slightly varied, reflecting individuality.

And now, Russ was displaying a blade aura with a deep blue hue that felt profound. It was clear and deep, reminiscent of the sky itself.

Repenhardt had seen this aura before. No, more than seen – he had crossed blades with it multiple times.

“Sword Saint Cyrus?”