Chapter 183: The Knights of Briol (5)

A single strike.

That was enough to knock the Black Knight off the wall.

Fiore swung his sword, and although the Black Knight managed to block it, he was hurled away as if struck by a projectile, crashing at the foot of the wall.

A cloud of dust rose among the Imperial soldiers.

Fiore stepped onto the railing and launched himself after the Black Knight.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“Not there!”

“It’s too dangerous!”

He had thrown himself alone into the center of the Imperial army.

Everyone screamed in shock, but Fiore didn’t hesitate for a second. The moment he landed in front of the Black Knight, the Imperial soldiers backed away, leaving a circular space between them.

Everyone understood immediately. The outcome of this siege would be decided by a duel between these two.

While all eyes on the battlefield focused on them, Yuri didn’t lower his guard.

“What are you standing there for? Want to watch this together like good friends?”

“N-No, sir!”

“Clear the wall now!”

The Briol knights, who had been dumbstruck, started to move.

The battle that had frozen resumed once more. Demoralized by Fiore’s appearance, the Imperial knights were cut down with little resistance.

The higher-ranking ones leapt from the wall in a desperate bid to survive.

From his position on the wall, Yuri looked again. Fiore and the Black Knight were approaching each other.

Eyes wide open, Yuri watched them without blinking. He activated his soul domain and focused, not wanting to miss a single flow of mana.

“…Ah…”

Yuri had never seen Fiore fight seriously.

His father always trained alone in the underground hall, and though he knew he was strong, he could never imagine how he truly fought.

But what he saw that day was—

Beautiful.

He wanted to tell anyone nearby:

‘Are you seeing this?’

“Prince, is something wrong?”

Laurent and Jared were already by his side.

Instead of answering, Yuri extended a hand and pointed at Fiore.

“Yes. His Majesty is winning.”

“No… that’s not what I meant.”

“Do you see it?”

“See what…?”

“That…”

Through his soul domain, Yuri could see the shape of mana flowing from Fiore’s body and the trail his sword left in the world.

There were more things invisible than visible.

Yuri understood.

His father, Fiore Briol, didn’t conceal his sword—he simply didn’t need opponents.

“Flowers are blooming…”

Jared looked at him in confusion while Yuri let out a laugh.

Where Fiore’s sword clashed with the Black Knight’s, flowers of mana bloomed.

Sometimes like roses, layered and lush; other times like drooping bellflowers.

When their shadows faded, petals floated along their paths.

Suddenly, a spray of blood burst. Blood poured from the Black Knight’s chest.

Following the lines of the space Fiore controlled, that blood formed floral patterns.

Blood flowers.

Like a butterfly landing on a petal, Fiore’s sword gently descended upon the Black Knight’s chest.

It wasn’t particularly fast or overwhelmingly powerful. But it couldn’t be dodged.

Like a marble trapped in a funnel that always lands in the same spot, Fiore’s sword would inevitably strike the Black Knight’s heart.

Yuri thought the battle was over.

But then, within the soul domain, a black stain appeared.

It slipped into Fiore’s controlled space, distorting the picture he had painted.

Boom!

A deafening crash. Someone had stepped in between Fiore and the Black Knight.

It was a knight in black armor. Fiore looked at him silently, then slowly pulled back his sword.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” responded the black-armored knight to the Black Knight’s words.

“No one can face that monster alone.”

“Hmm…”

“I’ll help.”

With that, a second black-armored knight appeared. Three stood aligned before Fiore, alongside the Black Knight.

Then Ainzer, who had moved closer to Yuri, commented:

“They’re squad captains.”

“Oh, really?”

“They could be candidates for the Ten Greats. And there are three of them…”

But Fiore didn’t take a single step back. Instead, he stepped forward toward the three.

“Not just those three…”

Around him, the crowd of Imperial soldiers thickened. He was literally alone against the entire enemy army.

“Should we leave the castle?”

Jared asked, ready to lead the Briol knights to fight beside Fiore.

Yuri shook his head.

“No.”

“But…”

“Don’t misunderstand my father. He’s not the kind who tests himself. That’s for desperate people like me.”

“Excuse me?”

“If he’s still standing there…”

Yuri placed a foot on the railing.

“…it’s because he’s judged it’s still safe.”

The three looked back toward the battlefield.

At that moment, Fiore stepped forward. Yuri activated his soul domain to follow every movement.

Fiore’s sword had entered an even more intense level.

No longer flowers. Now, flames of mana burst like fountains.

Something was about to happen. Yuri sensed a bad omen in those flames.

Right before the Black Knight was to die, when the other two captains intervened, Fiore’s domain briefly distorted.

Those two looked like dark stains.

Black magic.

Like the knight Yuri had killed on the wall, those two were also already corrupted by that dark power.

Though Fiore’s level was overwhelming, black magic sometimes exceeded human limits.

“Prince? Even if you say that, you’re worried inside, aren’t you?”

“A little.”

“Haha…”

Ainzer smiled.

“Don’t worry.”

Yuri looked at him. Ainzer, leaning against the railing, spoke.

“When I was young, I saw His Majesty fight. I don’t remember exactly when… but we were surrounded by enemies…”

His gaze turned nostalgic.

“He was literally a one-man army.”

“Really?”

“And not just any army… a massive one. What I’m seeing now doesn’t seem any different.”

Ainzer smiled.

“His Majesty seems to have more people on his side.”

At that moment, something happened where Fiore stood. From his sword, mana rose in the shape of a wedge.

It reached the sky, then cascaded down in all directions. All of it was sword energy.

A giant sword formed by layers upon layers of sword energy.

So much that it overflowed and spilled.

Those who understood what this scene meant were horrified.

“Dear heavens…”

And finally, Fiore moved. He took a step forward and swung his sword horizontally.

A simple motion. But its impact defied comprehension.

“…Ah…”

Yuri opened his mouth.

Fiore’s sword energy expanded endlessly along the path of his blade, forming a vast fan.

Everything within that range was cut. The sight of countless people collapsing simultaneously felt surreal.

At first, it simply looked like they were dropping to their knees in exhaustion. But a moment later, blood gushed from the slashes and dyed the ground red.

Of the three facing Fiore, the Black Knight and one commander survived, but the other died along with the surrounding Imperial soldiers.

Before Fiore, a giant blood-soaked semicircle had been carved. Inside it, torsos and legs wriggled faintly, separated.

It was a grotesque sight.

The Imperial soldiers forming the rear behind Fiore panicked and began to flee.

They pushed each other, fell, and were trampled. It was the terror born of a force so overwhelming they couldn’t even consider resisting.

Before Fiore, only the Black Knight and one commander remained. Both were alive but severely wounded.

When Fiore began to advance, the two fled.

Watching a candidate for the Ten Greats abandon the fight and run was completely unreal.

Fiore chased them without hesitation.

“I see…”

Yuri nodded.

“He’s very practical.”

Fiore wasn’t the type who, upon seeing a fleeing enemy, sheathed his sword and posed. His determination to seize the moment and kill them was clear.

Even if his running looked a bit awkward, his resolve was admirable.

“Hmm…”

“Ahem…”

“What’s wrong? Does he look ridiculous?”

“Not at all. It’s just that… His Majesty rarely has a reason to run.”

“He runs just like fresh recruits…”

“Why does he swing his arms side to side like that?”

Even so, Fiore’s speed was impressive. He pursued the Black Knight and slashed at his back.

The Black Knight turned and counterattacked, resuming the battle. The chase turned into an exchange of blows.

However, the Imperial army wasn’t going to stand idly by. Dozens of black-armored knights charged at Fiore to stop him.

Among them, swords clashed endlessly. Blood splattered.

Fiore, who was starting to tire, stopped running. Some knights hesitated—and were killed by his sword.

And then… the Imperial army retreated.

Jared muttered.

“I can’t believe I saw this with my own eyes. Living this long has been worth it.”

Ainzer looked at him.

“What do you mean ‘living this long’? You’re still young…”

“It’s just a saying.”

“Either way, it was an impressive sight. To see an entire army flee from one man…”

Fiore looked off at the retreating Imperial army, then turned around and began walking back.

Yuri gave the signal immediately. The victory horn echoed through the air.

It was the signal that they had won.

Yuri climbed onto the railing and shouted.

“Everyone, a victory cheer!”

The Briol army shouted toward Fiore.

Everyone atop the wall raised their hands and waved their weapons at him.

Fiore, walking back with a calm expression, paused briefly and glanced up, then kept walking.

Yuri shouted again.

“Fiore! Fiore! Fiore!”

And everyone began chanting with him.

From all around, Fiore’s name rang out.

“Prince.”

“What?”

“That’s enough.”

“What is?”

“His Majesty is getting embarrassed.”

“I know.”

Fiore’s face had turned slightly red. With the entire Briol army chanting his name and praising his feat, he looked a bit overwhelmed.

Yuri, unfazed, kept rallying the crowd.

“It’s not just any Fiore! It’s the invincible! Fiore!”

“The invincible!”

“Fiore!”

“The invincible!”

“Fiore!”

Fiore was still quite far from Bezos Castle, walking calmly from a distance, but the cheers didn’t stop.

“…”

In the end, Fiore quickened his pace. It looked like he was about to run a little, but perhaps embarrassed, he returned to walking.

“The invincible! Fiore! The invincible! Fiore!”

Fiore looked up and stared directly at Yuri.

Yuri, seeing this, ducked behind the wall and sat down with his back against it.

Though he had done it as a joke, the scene he had just witnessed remained etched in his mind.

The techniques Fiore used were very different from his own, but they were a great inspiration. That was the strongest swordsman of his era.

He looked at his own hands. They were trembling slightly.

Ever since he obtained Chaos, he thought he had grown much stronger. But he was still far from there.

If he couldn’t completely make Chaos his own, he would never surpass monsters like the Black Knight or Fiore.

He had to master Chaos completely.

‘Beware the inner demon.’

Suddenly, he remembered Moyongchan’s words.

Yuri closed his eyes, then opened them again.

It was a short moment. But within him, a long time had passed.

In that single blink, he had experienced a long confrontation with his inner demon.

He lowered his head and let out a deep sigh. Then, he started gasping for breath.

“Prince?”

Jared called him.

“Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing.”

Yuri raised his head. Jared was startled by his expression.

“You don’t look alright.”

“What?”

“It’s just…”

“I pushed myself a bit too hard.”

The fight with his inner demon had lasted longer than usual due to his excessive use of Chaos in this battle.

But it wasn’t anything serious.

Yuri shook his head to clear away the remnants of that fight.

Then he stood up and smiled with resolve.

“We’ve won.”