Chapter 167: Human Hunt (1)

The Imperial army was descending south, heading toward Briol.

But Briol did not stand idly by. The armies from each territory were summoned.

The knights, filled with restrained excitement, headed to the rally points.

The king of Briol, Fiore Briol, declared that he would personally lead the campaign. The weight of his name alone was enough to make the Empire no longer a source of fear.

The knights even longed for war, just for the chance to witness Fiore’s divine power in action.

But Yuri was marching in a different direction.

“The Empire has sent the Black Knights. Divisions Two through Ten have been mobilized. No movement from the Shadowless Sword, but that’s just how he is…,” said Jared.

Yuri nodded.

“There are more than we expected.”

“Yes, quite a few.”

Along with Laurent and Jared, he was headed toward the path the imperial army was advancing through, carrying out a reconnaissance mission.

Already outside of Briol, they moved through the forests to avoid being seen and to reach the enemy’s route of mobilization.

“Do we still have enough supplies?”

“Yes.”

Between the Empire and Briol were several small kingdoms. Though Liberta was nearby, the imperial army’s current route was headed in the opposite direction.

Minimizing visits to towns or cities, they sustained themselves with dried meat and hardtack as they traveled.

Yuri no longer allowed himself to relax like before.

“You must always stay alert.”

With sharp eyes, he observed the surroundings.

“Just like we set out, it’s possible the Empire has sent out scouts too.”

Laurent and Jared also wore tense expressions. This battle was different from previous ones. It was against the Empire. In a sense, the chance of defeat was considerably high.

They couldn’t help but feel tense.

Suddenly, Yuri stopped.

“There.”

Between two mountains, along a steep path, a group of riders was advancing.

Though they bore no visible insignias, Yuri instantly knew they were imperial soldiers.

“They’re from the Empire.”

“Couldn’t they be soldiers from a local lord?”

“No.”

Yuri had seen the imperial army more than enough in his past life. He knew their peculiarities well.

“They’re imperial, without a doubt.”

“What do we do?”

There were four of them in total.

“We can’t give them time to escape or signal.”

Hidden in the underbrush, they observed them.

The imperials scanned the area cautiously. They were well-trained.

“Let’s go.”

The enemies were descending from the southeast, while Yuri and his group were ascending from the northwest. They would likely meet in the middle.

Yuri carefully made his way down, concealing his presence. Jared and Laurent followed with silent movements.

Combat academy training hadn’t just been about physical punishment. Yuri had also learned many techniques from the instructors.

And above all, he had the memories of a former hunter.

“Prince, a little slower…”

Laurent and Jared could barely keep pace. Yuri nodded and slowed down.

As he descended the slope, he kept his eyes fixed on the imperials. They didn’t seem to have noticed their presence.

Finally, Yuri reached the planned spot.

He drew the bow from his back and aimed at a lagging rider who had removed his helmet.

The arrow pierced his head silently. The other three were just beginning to grasp what was happening when Laurent and Jared lunged at them.

“W-What is this!”

“An attack!”

Yuri drew the bow again. The string bit into his fingers. He aimed at another who was backing up and reaching into his pocket.

The arrow sliced through the air and lodged between the gaps in the helmet, piercing his brain.

Two fell instantly. The remaining two were no match for Laurent and Jared. They were as skilled as average knights, but that wasn’t enough.

In moments, all four imperials were dead. Yuri stowed his bow and approached Laurent and Jared.

“Are they all dead?”

“One’s still breathing.”

Yuri approached. The man had been stabbed in the abdomen by Laurent and was struggling to breathe, though he didn’t look like he’d live much longer.

“Where’s the main force?”

Yuri asked, but the man didn’t respond.

“You’ll die anyway. Do you want a painful end or a quick one?”

As he said that, Yuri pressed his hand on the man’s abdominal wound. The enemy’s face contorted, and blood poured from his mouth.

“K-Kill me…”

“Talk. Or I’ll leave you here.”

Yuri pointed at the sky.

“See those crows? They’re waiting for you to die. Wouldn’t you rather go in peace?”

“Son of… a bitch…”

“I should be the one saying that.”

Yuri didn’t want to speak further. He pressed hard on the wound. The cut made by the broken chainmail sank deeper, worsening the injury.

“Kh… keh…”

Yuri continued applying pressure with his gauntlet. The enemy’s eyes quivered.

Yuri whispered to him.

“Talk. And I’ll end your pain.”

The man’s lips moved slightly. Yuri nodded… and snapped his neck.

“All right. Let’s gather everything and move on.”

As there was a risk of a report reaching the main force, they also killed the four horses. It was a cruel decision, but necessary to win the war.

Before disposing of the bodies, Yuri stripped them of their imperial uniforms.

“Take them just in case. Could be useful in an emergency.”

Laurent and Jared looked at Yuri in awe at his efficiency.

“What?”

“Why are you so good at this?”

“Read books.”

“Does this stuff come up in books?”

“Search the library thoroughly.”

“…Yes, sir.”

“Let’s bury them.”

Yuri lightly buried the bodies in the mountain so the imperial army couldn’t find them. Using his mana sword, digging and covering the soil was also done quickly.

After finishing the task, Yuri said,

“The bulk of the army is still near Arkain.”

“There’s still quite a way to go, huh?”

“But the scouts have already reached here.”

Yuri smiled.

“What do you think that means?”

“That the Black Knight is cautious?”

“Something like that.”

Yuri looked in the direction the imperials had come from.

Nothing was visible yet.

“It means that between these guys and the main force, there must still be many lines of surveillance.”

“Ah…”

“Doesn’t that mean we’ve got a lot of work to do?”

“Weren’t we just going to locate the main force and head back?”

“Since we’re here, let’s reduce their numbers as much as possible.”

Yuri began walking as he spoke.

“And while we’re at it, let’s scare them a bit.”

Laurent followed him and commented admiringly,

“As expected of the prince. He had it all planned.”

“Sir Laurent, maybe he’s just doing whatever he wants and making excuses afterward?”

Yuri ignored Jared’s complaint, returned to hiding in the bushes, and gazed toward the horizon. At any moment, the imperial army could appear.

If they could slow their advance with these actions, that alone would be a major achievement.

***

Yuri’s group moved against the direction of the main imperial army and hunted down several scouting squads.

All of them operated in groups of four, and most reacted in similar ways.

Since they were eliminating the enemies extremely quickly, it seemed the main army hadn’t noticed anything yet.

But soon, they would notice the disruption in their reporting system and realize something was wrong.

“They all seem to be at knight level,” Jared remarked as they buried the bodies. Yuri nodded.

“That’s why we’re effectively weakening the empire’s forces.”

“This is going easier than I thought. Is it always like this?”

“Well…”

It wasn’t that the imperial knights were weak, but that they themselves were too strong. But Yuri just stared at him without replying.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Thanks to his time traveling with Yuri, Jared’s skills had also improved considerably. He could now easily handle most of the empire’s knights.

“Let’s take a break.”

“Yeah.”

Yuri’s group sat down, pulled out some jerky, and began resting with a piece in their mouths.

Since they were wearing the uniforms of the imperials they had killed, at a glance they looked like imperial scouts.

That’s why, when an enemy appeared behind them, they weren’t attacked immediately.

“There’s three of you? Should be four. Where’s the other one?”

At the sudden voice, the three of them tensed instantly.

Yuri slowly turned his head.

A man in an imperial uniform approached with light steps, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Disappearing during an operation… That’s no good. I’ll have to send you to court-martial.”

Still unaware of the situation, the man was joking.

“What do you have there? Jerky? Give me some.”

Yuri stood up naturally. Seeing him moving alone meant this guy wasn’t ordinary. They had to finish him while he was still confused.

Yuri replied calmly.

“You want one?”

“Yeah.”

“Here…”

As he made the gesture of offering the jerky, Yuri twisted his body, unsheathed his sword, and slashed at the man’s neck.

A swift, clean motion.

But the man slid backward and dodged the attack.

“Huh?”

His eyes scanned Yuri’s group. Though they wore imperial uniforms, something didn’t quite add up.

“Don’t tell me…”

Yuri didn’t give him more time to think and charged again, aiming for the man’s vital points.

But he dodged all the strikes with near-acrobatic movements and drew his sword.

Yuri instantly sensed this was no ordinary opponent. The fact that he was alone could mean he was in charge of the scouts.

Killing him would be a major accomplishment.

“Are you from Briol?”

Instead of answering, Yuri activated his mana sword at full strength. The Heart and Soul Slash gleamed from its core.

Laurent and Jared also positioned themselves behind him with swords ready. The man, now surrounded by the three of them, turned pale.

“Wait, wait. We can talk…”

Yuri stepped forward and released a wave of energy. The man blocked it with his sword. Yuri crouched and swept low with a slash. The man stabbed his sword into the path to block it.

Yuri twisted the other way and attacked again, and the man parried immediately.

Clang!

His reflexes were exceptional. Yuri pulled back and launched a wide slash. The man dodged by spinning to the side. Both measured timing and watched each other.

“Impressive.”

The man hadn’t lost his composure yet. He asked Yuri,

“Who are you?”

Since Yuri’s hair color was hidden, he couldn’t recognize him right away. Meanwhile, Laurent and Jared attacked from behind.

The man dodged without even looking.

If he wasn’t one of the Ten Greats and had this level of swordsmanship, he must be a commander of the imperial knights.

Yuri, still silent, charged again. Their swords moved faster and faster. As the speed increased, the air filled with the sounds of slashing.

Yuri stabbed at his shoulder. The man diverted Yuri’s sword outward and went for his abdomen.

Yuri tilted his body and dodged. Then, redirecting his deflected sword, he slashed downward. The man’s retreating arm was cut, and blood splattered.

“Wow, what speed…”

But Yuri gave him no time to talk. He moved faster than the man could retreat. The distance between them vanished in an instant.

“Damn…!”

The man tried to sidestep. But his body didn’t move as he wanted.

“What…?”

Yuri’s foot was on his. He lost his balance and began to fall.

Yuri tried to finish him off right then. But the man fell faster than Yuri expected. He realized the situation and changed his motion instantly.

To Yuri, it looked like the sword emerged from the ground.

“Argh!”

Though Yuri had the initiative by stepping on his foot, he ended up the one bleeding.

He checked his wounded arm. It was a fairly deep cut. Blood flowed uncontrollably.

“Huff… Incredible. So this really is a nation of knights, huh?”

The man rolled on the ground several times, gained distance, and sprang to his feet.

Then he extended his sword to keep Jared and Laurent from approaching.

“I almost died. At least tell me who you are, what unit you’re from?”

None of the three responded. This time they were the attackers. They stayed silent and reformed a triangular attack formation.

Yuri realized the man was stronger than he had expected. And he started to consider whether he should use the power of chaos to enter the soul domain.

At that moment, the man pulled something from his chest and threw it into the air. A flare exploded and rose into the sky.

It was a signal made with gunpowder.

Until now, they had always neutralized the imperials before they could use such a thing, but this man was no pushover.

“You’re probably thinking of killing me before reinforcements arrive. Makes sense. But as you can see, that’s not going to happen…”

As if in response to his signal, other flares exploded in various parts of the mountain.

There were far more than they had expected. The man grinned broadly.

“From now on… you’re the prey.”