Chapter 240: Chronicles of the Tyrant King (8)

Upon invoking the Language of Authority, Cory felt an unknown energy erupt like lava from the draconic organ beneath his throat.

It was similar to mana, but purer and more primordial.

“Ah…”

Kill.

That word carried the will to kill the enemy.

The primordial power of destruction began to invade the surroundings.

At that moment, the five knights felt an unbearable aversion.

“….!”

Cory’s “Language of Authority: Kill” wasn’t complete, so it didn’t bring real death, but even that signal was enough to disturb the minds and bodies of the enemies.

The Imperial knights, on an unconscious level, understood that death had grazed their throats and then withdrawn.

Their bodies froze, and they were seized by a nervous compulsion to flee that situation immediately.

They lost their composure.

And for Laurent, it was the perfect opportunity.

Wounded all over, he advanced through splashes of blood and drove his sword into the body of one of the knights paralyzed by panic.

“¡Keurgh…!”

Another knight fell dead. He wasn’t an enemy that could’ve been taken down so easily under normal circumstances, but that was the power of the Dragon Language.

Cory, still kneeling, watched the battle.

Laurent swung his sword skillfully again. Blades clashed repeatedly, the clash of metal echoing endlessly through the mountain.

A fierce and brutal battle unfolded.

Finally, someone’s flesh was torn, and blood scattered into the air.

Laurent spat blood.

“Huff… Huff…”

He had killed four knights. Only one remained.

The last Imperial knight raised his sword while glaring at him with rage.

“Now it’s your turn.”

Laurent muttered quietly and took a step forward. Even though his wounds were far more severe than his opponent’s, he didn’t hesitate—he stepped into the enemy’s range on his own.

The Imperial knight swung his sword by instinct. But Laurent defied that instinct.

Protecting one’s body is natural for all living beings, but he gave up his own body to pierce the enemy’s vital point.

Laurent’s sword pierced the knight’s neck. The knight’s sword sliced Laurent’s side.

One fell.

The other knelt.

Life and death were decided.

Cory rushed to Laurent immediately.

“Are you okay?”

“Get lost.”

Even then, Laurent frowned and threatened him.

“I told you we’re not traveling together anymore…”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“Just disappear already…”

“Got it, got it…”

Cory ignored his words and examined his body.

“You’re ignoring me…?”

“Hold still.”

Since all the Imperial knights were dead, Cory could use magic.

First, he stopped the bleeding, then poured healing energy. But the wounds were so severe the improvement wasn’t noticeable.

“What a mess…”

Cory looked up. The five horses the knights had ridden remained.

“Sir Laurent. I’ll handle the bleeding, so hang in there.”

“What are you…?”

“Come on. Let’s ride a horse.”

Cory helped Laurent onto one of the horses and sat in front. The animal didn’t reject the new rider.

Right before setting off, Cory looked back.

The other four horses silently watched them.

Horses are expensive animals. Even more so if they’re trained.

Before, since he depended on the prince of Briol, he never lacked anything. But now, every day was a fight to survive.

Laurent spoke.

“Kugh… If you’re going, then go already. Why are you stalling…?”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

In the past, Laurent could threaten Cory, but now he was injured from head to toe.

“You talk too much, you know?”

“You bastard…”

“And you curse fluently.”

Cory dismounted, tied the horses together with rope through their reins, then got back on the horse carrying Laurent.

“We’re leaving. Brace yourself.”

“……”

Cory started the horse. Each jolt made Laurent groan.

But since Cory had already applied magic, the bleeding didn’t worsen.

Little by little, the pace increased. The horse began to gallop.

Clop clop clop!

“¡Ack! ¡Ugh! ¡Ack!”

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

“I’m going to kill you…”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

“¡Ugh! ¡Ack!”

***

Yuri defeated the countries of the Union of the Small Kingdoms like dry leaves swept by the autumn wind, collecting the flags without setbacks.

Among them, there was one country that reacted strangely.

“W-why haven’t they come? They said they’d send someone…”

“They were found dead in the mountains.”

“What? All of them?”

“Yes. All five.”

“What now?”

“Well… we’ll have to send our own…”

“They won’t blame us, right?”

“There was no other choice.”

Yuri eavesdropped on that whispered conversation, and everything indicated that some kind of incident had occurred with the knights sent by the Empire.

In the end, five unprepared knights entered the battlefield, but their level was so pathetic that Briol’s group secured a clean three-to-zero victory and received the flag without difficulty.

Only one flag remained.

There were two days left before the time limit of the Tyrant King’s Tournament expired.

Before the final battle, Yuri gave a warning to the Order of Vengeance.

“Don’t let your guard down until the end.”

In reality, it was a promise he made to himself.

The five who would participate in the final battle of the tournament felt confident thanks to all the previous victories. If everything continued the same, they could overcome the final battle without issue.

But the Empire was not an easy enemy.

The possibility that they might try some trick just before the final battle sharpened Yuri’s senses.

“Yes, yes, of course.”

Jared, for his part, replied with a relaxed smile as he urged his horse forward.

“If we win the last battle, our mission is over. Just a little more. We’re almost done. Then we can rest.”

At that pace, they would arrive in Endia, the final country, by nightfall or, at the latest, the next morning.

Once they won the final battle of the Tyrant King’s Tournament, they would become the champions of the tournament.

Although it would be a feat worthy of going down in history, the only thing the Order of Vengeance wanted was to rest as soon as possible.

“By the way, are you sure you don’t want to try uniting the flags ahead of time?”

“There’s no need.”

Yuri had tried in the past to combine the collected flags to form the Tyrant King’s, but he had not succeeded.

Since then, he hadn’t even bothered to imagine its shape.

There was no special reason.

He simply felt that only by doing it after completing the mission could he feel at peace.

“When we have them all, we’ll do it.”

“Perfect, perfect.”

“Yeah…”

After riding in silence for a while, Yuri spoke again.

“Jared.”

“Yes.”

“I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Suppose you’re on the Empire’s side. How would you try to stop us?”

“This can’t be stopped.”

“Think about it anyway.”

“Hmm…”

Jared tilted his head.

“I’d do it in a simple way.”

“Would you enter the Tournament?”

“No. It wouldn’t even be necessary to enter. There’s only one flag left, and two days remain. In this case, it’s enough to block the way.”

“How would you do that?”

“Send someone.”

“Who would you send?”

“The Empire has a lot of strong people. For example, the Black Knight or that ogre…”

After thinking about it a bit, he came to a conclusion.

“Ah, I’d send the Black Knight. The ogre is too dumb, hard to control. And that other one, the shadow guy or whatever he’s called, is a secret weapon, so they’d keep him hidden. The Black Knight is the most reasonable. They already used him in Bezos.”

“I see.”

Yuri remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

“Then, if the Black Knight were to appear here, what should we do?”

“It would depend on Your Highness. Do you think you can beat him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Would you lose?”

“I won’t know until I fight.”

“Would it take long?”

“Probably.”

“Then maybe we should split up.”

Jared grinned broadly.

“While you fight, the rest run to the tournament and finish it. That way, whether we win or lose, the Tyrant King is completed.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“By the way, why are you asking this?”

“Because I think that situation is happening right now.”

“Huh?”

“Listen carefully to what I’m going to say.”

Yuri spoke in a calm voice as he advanced with his horse.

“If I give the signal, split up and regroup in Endia. Wait until tomorrow. If I don’t show up, participate in the tournament without me.”

“What?”

“Do it right. You’ll be me in my place.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”

After saying that, Yuri sped up and went ahead alone. Only then did Jared see the unknown figure waiting for them in the distance.

He was mounted on a horse, covered in black armor from head to toe, both rider and steed. He looked like a creature half man, half beast, completely black.

Jared understood who he was.

“Are you serious…?”

It was the Black Knight.

He stood in the middle of the road, waiting for the Order of Vengeance. Yuri raised his hand without looking back. It was the signal.

“Yeah, yeah…”

Jared immediately turned his horse and headed toward the rest of the group. The knights following him slowly focused on him.

“We’re splitting up. See you all in Endia.”

With that said, he gave another signal.

The Order of Vengeance, which had fought as one body until now, perfectly understood the signal system. There was no time for questions. If they received an order, they followed it.

The knights dispersed at once in all directions, as if fleeing after losing a war.

“Your Highness. I’ll go ahead and wait for you there.”

Jared gave Yuri one final farewell before veering off the path and disappearing into the trees. In an instant, Yuri was alone on the road.

Calmly, he moved toward the Black Knight. The figure slowly approached.

When they were at a reasonable distance to speak, Yuri straightened his back and said,

“It’s been a long time. I’m glad to see you, Black Knight.”

The greeting was returned.

“I’m glad to see you too.”

Yuri kept approaching.

He was just as he remembered from Bezos—clad in black armor, his face hidden beneath a black mask. A sharp, cutting pressure emanated from his body, dominating the entire surroundings.

Yuri also released the aura of his Cut of the soul and the heart.

Two of the Ten Greats were comparing their domains.

“What brings you here?”

“It seemed like you were doing something interesting.”

“It’s not that fun, honestly.”

“My task is to stop you.”

“Did the emperor order you?”

“…”

“No answer. They say the Black Knight only obeys the emperor. Do you serve another master now?”

“No need to talk further.”

“A dodge.”

Yuri nodded.

“Everyone has their reasons.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

Yuri dismounted, and as he did, he recorded something in his mind.

The Black Knight wasn’t acting under the emperor’s orders. That could only mean two things—either the emperor was dead, or he was incapacitated. Perhaps he was being blackmailed with the emperor’s life.

Suddenly, Yuri asked,

“Was it Cedric who blackmailed you?”

He expected a reaction of surprise, but the Black Knight replied calmly.

“Don’t be so obvious.”

“Alright.”

Yuri stopped pressing and drew Guilty.

Even though he had improved greatly, facing the Black Knight was still a gamble.

He had been one of the Ten Greats for a long time, and he ranked among the most powerful. He had no visible weaknesses like Yalta or Donchich.

He was strong in every way, leaving no openings.

Yuri took a deep breath and gripped Guilty’s hilt.

“I suppose I have no choice either…”

As if reaffirming his resolve, he closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. As he entered the soul domain, his eyes scanned the Black Knight’s body.

He didn’t feel any dark energy.

That brought both relief and bitterness.

It was a comfort that the Black Knight wasn’t corrupted, but it saddened him to have to fight someone like that.

“Black Knight, couldn’t we talk a bit before fighting…?”

“I won’t listen.”

The Black Knight shook his head and raised his sword. At the same time, a barrier of mana rose around him. It blocked not only physical attacks, but even sound.

In an instant, their domains were isolated.

Yuri stared at him in silence and then gave a faint smile. The Black Knight wasn’t a fool.

He was simply following his circumstances.

Therefore, only one option remained.

This was a world where words alone couldn’t convince anyone. In such a grim era, only the sword could impose one’s will.

Yuri observed the position of the sun and raised Guilty high.