Chapter 208: Between Love and Friendship (1)

Sybilla drew her sword.

The luxurious royal attire she wore didn’t seem to match the cold steel at first glance, but on her, the contrast worked perfectly.

As he watched her, Yuri wondered what the world would have been like if Sybilla had ascended the throne legitimately.

She likely would have been a great queen.

Though occasionally irritable, she had a naturally upright heart. She would have ruled impartially, incapable of favoring one side.

Perhaps even the relations between Briol and the Holy Kingdom would have been better than ever.

Yuri gave a bitter smile. Replaying impossible scenarios was just a way to console himself.

If only she had been the rightful heir to the throne. If only Larsson hadn’t pressured her.

If only Cedric hadn’t been tainted by dark magic. All just empty suppositions.

The scales had already tipped.

To survive, Sybilla had accepted dark magic and chosen to cooperate with the Empire. There was no turning back. Their paths would never cross again.

That was the reality.

“Sybilla.”

There was no response. Yuri gave a bitter smile.

“It’s a shame things came to this.”

From outside, the knights on guard quickly entered and surrounded Sybilla.

Yuri measured the distance.

The cave was wide enough to fight while keeping some space. As he stepped back a few paces, he said:

“Jared, Simon, Guinness.”

“Yes.”

“The situation’s not looking good. Survive however you can. Sorry we had to start fighting so suddenly.”

The fact that they’d ended up in combat so quickly was largely due to Yuri’s stubbornness. He had insisted on getting ahead to stop Sybilla as soon as possible.

“Don’t worry.”

Jared replied.

“We understand how you feel, Your Highness. It also hurts us to see what Lady Sybilla has become. As her former comrades, it’s up to us to put an end to this.”

“That’s right.”

“You’re correct.”

Simon and Guinness nodded.

“Easing a comrade’s suffering is part of our duty as well.”

On the battlefield, one sometimes encountered those awaiting death in pain. Providing a peaceful death was also a knight’s duty.

Of course, the heart grew heavy.

But there was no other choice. All that remained was to keep moving forward until one’s turn came.

“That’s a good attitude.”

Yuri smiled.

“Even Sybilla might have been moved if she heard you. Her eyes are almost tearing up.”

“Stop spouting nonsense.”

At Sybilla’s signal, her knights charged.

Francesco, Umstein, and Fenek also emerged from their hiding spots with weapons drawn.

But the enemy did not stop. Yuri looked at Francesco.

“Why is no one reacting to seeing the Holy Knight?”

“Good question.”

“Hey! Doesn’t it intimidate you to have the Holy Knight standing right here?”

One of the enemy knights shouted back.

“Don’t be ridiculous. The Holy Knight doesn’t look like some random bandit.”

Francesco clutched his chest. His pride was wounded.

“Incredible. You’re seriously useless.”

Sybilla raised her sword.

“Attack!”

There was no time for jokes anymore. The knights charged immediately. As members of the royal guard, they left no weak points exposed.

But what unsettled Yuri wasn’t that.

“This…”

Yuri unleashed the aura of the Cut of the Soul and the Heart.

The black aura radiating from the knights clashed with his own, and the two began to repel each other as if battling for control of the space. It was an invisible war for dominance of the environment.

The sensation felt painfully familiar—just like the Empire’s dark troops from his past life.

Yuri grimaced.

The Empire, and Cedric, were calmly preparing to recreate the same hell he had once lived through.

Sybilla was just another piece on their board.

Yuri gripped Guilty. The smile vanished from his face completely.

The Cut of the Soul and the Heart burned inside him, and its chaotic energy reflected in the blade, giving it even greater destructive power.

Yuri swung the sword, and one knight took a direct slash to the chest, a jet of blood erupting forth.

That precise blow immediately shifted the entire cave’s atmosphere. Sybilla realized Yuri was far stronger than she had anticipated.

And not just him—Jared, Simon, and Guinness had also reached a new level.

Jared had absorbed Yuri’s teachings over their time together, while Simon and Guinness had trained under Moyongchan.

Led by Yuri, the three knights of Briol took the initiative and boldly faced numerous enemies.

Cries of pain echoed through the cave. Francesco observed the scene with a wry smile.

“So this is what Briol was capable of… ha.”

Since his body had lost the ability to channel mana, he could no longer control significant magical energy.

But that didn’t erase his past achievements. And so, he could clearly see how well-trained the knights of Briol were.

Especially Yuri Briol, who had far surpassed his expectations.

“That kid… it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’s already at the level of the Ten Greats. Like father, like son. A real monster.”

“You really think so?”

“Of course I do.”

Fenek exclaimed in admiration.

“Truly incredible. The third prince of Briol… no, the crown prince.”

But there was no time for more words. Enemy knights were charging at them too.

The battle intensified.

Blood and flesh flew through the air, war cries mingling with screams of pain.

Francesco could no longer unleash the overwhelming power he once had. He only had a small amount of mana left—and using it meant enduring extreme pain.

But even so, it was enough.

He was the Holy Knight, one of the Ten Greats, a knight who had once reached the pinnacle.

“Are you okay, Umstein?”

“Of course I am!”

As the common belief went that dwarves excelled at smithing and weaponry, Umstein was also highly skilled with his axe.

But the numerical disadvantage was inevitable. Little by little, Yuri’s group was pushed back.

While dodging the swords of several surrounding knights, Yuri glanced to the side.

Jared was holding up well, but Simon and Guinness were starting to struggle.

Francesco also seemed to be at his limit. Though his swordsmanship was flawless, taking advantage of the enemy’s openings, the power behind his blade was drastically reduced.

Yuri gripped the hilt of his weapon tightly.

If he couldn’t even win this, future battles against the Empire would be hopeless.

His eyes deepened. His entire field of vision lit up.

The Cut of the Soul and the Heart coursed through his veins. A murky, dark energy began to radiate from him.

The energy of chaos unleashed a stream of random possibilities, and Yuri’s subconscious began seeking the most optimal outcome.

The path revealed itself. He blocked two incoming swords and advanced, slamming both his shoulders into the chests of two knights.

Their armor dented, and the two fell. Yuri broke through the encirclement with a leap.

More knights surrounded him again. Though they had him boxed in, the formation was looser than before. In their haste, they were full of openings.

Yuri targeted the weakest among them.

He smoothly deflected a sloppy incoming strike, then thrust Guilty into the knight’s chest and shoved forward with force.

Drenched in the knight’s blood, he kicked the body to pull Guilty free.

The formation broke.

The remaining knights rushed to pursue him and ended up tripping over each other.

Yuri spun and vertically slashed a rising knight’s head. The cut only went a quarter of the way through, but the contents began spilling from the gap.

Another knight launched a desperate slash.

The distance made it easy to dodge. Yuri leaned back just as planned, and as the sword’s tip grazed his chin, he sliced the knight’s elbow.

The knight collapsed, screaming.

Thanks to his near-supernatural sense of distance, Yuri mastered the “attack after dodge” technique, also known as suukppak.

That’s why the knights, fearing counterattacks, hesitated to strike first. When they did, their moves were weak and timid. If they overextended, Yuri’s blade would follow like a serpent.

Control of the battlefield shifted to Yuri.

“What’s wrong? Why’s everyone standing still? Scared already, huh?”

Mocking his enemies, Yuri feinted toward the knight on the right with a shoulder turn, but suddenly lunged at the one on the left.

The abrupt change confused the knight, who couldn’t react in time.

He leaned back, but still took a deep slash to the shoulder.

As he dropped to his knees clutching the wound, Yuri kicked him in the head. A sound like a watermelon bursting echoed.

Immediately, he flung the corpse backward. Two knights collided and fell.

Yuri jumped and drove his sword downward. Two agonized screams followed in quick succession.

In an instant, he killed several enemies. But Yuri didn’t slow down or catch his breath.

Thanks to the memories he’d absorbed from the former orc hunter, he had become a mechanical killing expert. Weaker enemies couldn’t stop him.

He held complete dominance over his prey.

Yuri taunted his foes.

“Come on, don’t be so boring! Put up a fight! It’s like I’m battling children here!”

As Yuri went wild, the knights’ formation completely collapsed.

More enemies were sent to stop him, easing the pressure on his allies.

Finally, Sybilla intervened.

“Yuri Briol!”

She launched a surprise attack.

Yuri raised Guilty to block. The impact rattled his bones.

“Using my full name? How cold of you.”

“Stop acting like nothing’s happening.”

“Would it bother you if I called you Sybilla Arsaint?”

“I told you to shut your mouth!”

Their blades clashed again and again.

Yuri frowned. This wasn’t the strength of the Sybilla he knew.

She was fast and heavy. It wasn’t her natural skill—it was the power of the dark magic inside her.

While they exchanged blows, something suddenly emerged from her back and struck Yuri hard.

His body was sent flying and slammed into the wall.

“Guh!”

Yuri groaned. Pain surged through him, and blood rose in his throat.

He spat blood on the floor and staggered to his feet, forcing a smile.

“Sybilla… looks like you finally found those wings you lost, huh?”

Sybilla didn’t respond. A stream of black energy writhed from her back like something alive. Those who used dark magic always summoned those tentacle-like things.

“Huh? Only found one?”

“I told you to shut your mouth!”

Yuri glanced around.

With Sybilla busy with him, the knights who had surrounded him moved toward his allies. That made the battle even more difficult.

And reinforcements were likely coming.

If they delayed any longer, the situation would worsen.

“Haa…”

Yuri looked at Sybilla bitterly.

Sybilla stared back.

Neither looked away. Amid the battlefield’s chaos, the two stood still, locked in each other’s gaze.

Finally, Sybilla spoke first.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

At her words, Yuri couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahahaha…”

After laughing with his shoulders shaking, he ran a hand through his hair.

“Sybilla. Why’d you do it? If Larsson was bothering you, why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was my problem. I solve it myself.”

“But you could’ve talked to me. Between us…”

“We weren’t that close.”

“That stung.”

Yuri raised his index finger and began tapping Guilty’s hilt in a steady rhythm.

The pace gradually quickened. His body was preparing to accelerate.

But though his body was ready to fight, his heart remained trapped in that moment. That’s why the Cut of the Soul and the Heart simply roared at his back without activating.

Sybilla spoke.

“Yuri Briol. Stop thinking nonsense and raise your sword.”

She took a step forward as she spoke.

“What isn’t, isn’t.”

And she was right. They were no longer what they once were.

Each had done their best not to drown in the world’s tides. And in doing so, they had ended up on opposite sides.

That was all.

Yuri’s finger stopped.

His hand gripped Guilty perfectly.

A cold fury welled up inside him. It wasn’t directed at Sybilla, but at Cedric, who had driven them to this point of killing each other.

“All right. I’ll kill them. Every last one of them.”

Yuri charged straight at Sybilla.