Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent - Chapter 468: Even in Death, You Smell Revolting

Chapter 468: Even in Death, You Smell Revolting

“You people killed my men! You will pay for this!” Loras roared while pushing him back.

Marco leaned forward to balance himself. He then snorted in response. “You don’t have the right to say that! You bastards invaded our lands!”

Loras frowned.

He wanted to say that it wasn’t their fault, but the words were stuck in his mouth.

With nothing more to say, he let his fury consume him.

He gathered more mana into his warhammer and swung it with terrifying force.

Whoosh!

Seeing this, Marco could easily evade it with his speed, but he stubbornly blocked the attack with his sword.

CLANG!!

The intense power behind their clash made their horses neigh in protest, but the two seemed to be oblivious to this since their attention was focused on the other.

After a few more rounds of battle, their horses finally collapsed from the pressure and exhaustion, forcing them to continue their battle without their mounts.

“Your Highness, that man Loras has the slight upper hand. Things could be dangerous for Lord Marco if this continues.” Fredrinn spoke to Alaric as they watched the battle from afar.

Alaric shook his head. “I understand your concern, but Marco asked for this. We just need to believe in him.”

While using his Appraisal, he discovered that Marco’s EXP was slowly climbing as the battle progressed.

I thought he would need a few more years to advance, but it seems like I was wrong.

He found it unbelievable to see someone’s power grow during actual combat.

Seeing that he had no intention of interfering, Fredrinn no longer said anything. He just stayed by his side, protecting him from any kind of threat.

At this moment, the battle between Loras and Marco was starting to get more violent.

The two Transcendent Knights were already covered in wounds, but despite the damage they had accumulated, they showed no signs of stopping.

They fought relentlessly like crazed animals.

Just then, Loras suddenly created some distance between them to prepare his final strike.

He quickly filled his warhammer with mana while keeping his eyes on his opponent.

On the other hand, Marco also unleashed his last bits of mana. His overwhelming energy was leaking out of his body.

The mana he released was so dense that one could sense the fluctuations even from afar.

In the next moment, the two released their attack almost at the same time.

Bang!

An earth-shaking explosion rocked the battlefield.

Everyone nearby was forced to retreat to avoid the shockwaves.

For a moment, everyone became still as they quietly waited for the dust to settle.

They wanted to know who won that epic fight.

When the dust cleared, they saw a lone figure standing in the middle of the crater. His body was covered in blood.

He quietly watched the person beneath his feet as if celebrating his victory.

“It’s Commander Loras! He won!”

“Commander Loras won!”

Harune’s troops cheered when they realized that the victor was Loras.

Meanwhile, Alaric and the warriors of Astania still couldn’t accept the results.

“No. He isn’t dead yet.” Alaric mumbled.

His Appraisal trait could only detect living beings and it still worked on Marco who was on the ground. Moreover, the latter’s EXP was just a small distance from reaching the limit.

Just as he was about to give the command to save Marco, something unexpected happened.

The man that everyone thought was dead suddenly rose to his feet and stabbed Loras with his sword.

Everyone was shocked by the quick turn of events.

When they processed what had happened, Loras had already fallen on his knees, grabbing onto Marco’s sword while looking at the latter with disbelief.

“How?” Loras thought that he had won that final clash.

With a deep look, Marco replied. “Your conviction wasn’t strong enough…”

Loras was about to say something, but Marco pulled his sword from the former’s chest and cut off his head with a single slash.

Whoosh!

Blood sprayed from Loras’s headless corpse before it fell to the ground.

After killing his opponent, Marco staggered and collapsed.

“Commander Loras!”

“No!!”

Harune’s troops fell into despair when they saw Loras being beheaded.

“Kill that man! Tear him apart!”

“We must avenge the commander!”

Furious, they rushed towards the crater, their eyes bloodshot.

Seeing this, Alaric raised a sword and roared. “Don’t let them harm Lord Marco! Protect him!”

The Astanian troops immediately charged towards the crater and this caused another violent battle between both sides.

…

While the two armies were fiercely engaged in battle, something startling happened in the fight between the Venerables.

Rudner was directly hit by Ignatius’s scorching arrows which left devastating damage on his body.

He had severe wounds from his face, down to his feet, making him look incredibly hideous. As for his armor, a huge portion of it had melted and it had even stuck to his skin like glue.

Dammit! I must escape! I can’t die here!

A thought flashed in Rudner’s mind, but before he could do something, a mocking voice suddenly drifted into his ears.

“Rudner, you have become much weaker. The guy I fought in Aklan Pass was much stronger than you. How disappointing.”

Hearing this, Rudner turned around, his eyes overflowing with rage. “Do you think you have already won? Ignatius, I still have enough energy to take you down with me to hell!”

Upon saying this, he ignited his energy core and forced out all the mana he had.

The air around him fluctuated vigorously.

Ignatius didn’t seem to be afraid and even revealed a disdainful smile. “Is this your last-ditch effort? How meaningless.”

He aimed the flame spear he was holding and threw it at Rudner with his full force.

Whoosh!

Rudner was stunned. He didn’t expect his opponent to attack him while he was still preparing for his final move.

“W-Where is your chi-chivalry?” He muttered as he looked down at the gaping hole in his chest.

He could see his own internal organs slowly melting from the heat.

“Chivalry? Who cares about that?” With a cold smile, Ignatius conjured a fireball and released it.

Whoosh!

The fireball struck Rudner’s head and exploded with a mixture of red mist.

Ignatius looked at the half-cooked corpse and left with a shake of his head.

“Even in death, you smell revolting.”

…

The death of Loras and Rudner was a huge blow to Midgard’s troops. They lost the will to fight and more than half directly surrendered.

As for the remaining half, they fought aggressively, but they were quickly wiped out by the Astanian troops.

Looking at the corpses strewn across the battlefield, Alaric let out a deep sigh.

He could see their comrades among the dead.

He brought his hands together and prayed for their souls.

“Your Highness, what should we do with those who surrendered?” Galanar’s voice echoed behind him.

Alaric looked away from the corpses and turned around.

Galanar hadn’t cleaned himself so he was still drenched in blood.

“Let’s wait for Lord Ignatius’s decision,” Alaric answered calmly.

Galanar nodded in acknowledgment. “Alright. I will inform the others to keep an eye on them for the time being.”

Alaric nodded and waved his hand.

Galanar didn’t linger and left right away to deliver his instructions to the troops.

At this moment, Alaric’s horse emitted a pained sound.

“It seems like you were hurt too.” He stroked the creature’s back before he jumped off.

Upon closer inspection, he found out that his horse had arrows stuck in its body.

“You poor creature…” Alaric beckoned to a warrior and told him to bring his horse to a healer.

After the warrior left with his horse, Alaric went to find the newbies who had participated in the battle. He couldn’t see them earlier due to the chaotic situation.

Soon, he found them gathered together, forming a circle as they watched the corpses of their friends.

Alaric was relieved to see Rasmus and the others, but when he saw the dead bodies of some young warriors, he felt a wave of sorrow.

“Your Highness…” Rasmus was the first to notice him.

The other young warriors immediately greeted him, their eyes filled with grief.

“Your Highness…”

Alaric walked towards them and placed his hand on Rasmus’s shoulder.

“I’m glad that you guys survived. Remember this… War is cruel and it could be any of you dying next. The next time you decide to join, think again.”

The newbies were silent for a moment.

“No matter how dangerous it will be, I will still follow you into battle, Your Highness! I’m ready to sacrifice my life to help you achieve your goals!” Aliya broke the silence, her words filled with determination.

Alaric looked at her.

She had new wounds on her body. Even her face had a small cut.

She was no longer the helpless servant who once fell victim to Liam’s horrid actions. She had become a reliable warrior and comrade.

Alaric was proud of her growth.

“You have become a great warrior, Aliya.”