Overwhelming Firepower

Karl Lador was a knight under Count William Harrods. He, along with several other knights were sent to aid Marquis Valeire in the Styrhord against Duke Vardon.

Before leaving for the Styrhord, he assured his wife and young son that he would return safely. Like everyone else, he never imagined what he would see in this Styrhord.

Karl Lador was not a weak man. He had survived border skirmishes against raiders from the western steppes.

He had hunted mana-twisted beasts in the marshlands of Harrowfen. He had once stood guard for three nights without sleep when Count William Harrods feared assassination.

So when he first saw the effects of Roaring Thunder, he simply thought of it as if it were a powerful long-range spell.

When he saw the Gatling guns, which were less powerful but faster projectiles, he simply accepted the fact that such a weapon could exist.

Yet now, he witnessed an attack made from quite a distance cause devastation equal to a combined spell by several fourth-circle mages.

Not to mention, since this was supposedly the same weapon he had seen yesterday meant that it could be fired in close intervals.

Karl gnashed his teeth and, despite his instincts telling him to flee, he, like everyone else, knew that he could not do so.

Not only will he be branded a coward, but nobility in Norvaegard does not treat traitors lightly.

At best, if he fled, he and his family would be exiled from Norvaegard, but that was if everything worked out perfectly for him. The most likely outcome that would happen to him would be that his entire family would be executed.

Knowing that he had no other choice but to fight, and hope that this Styrhord will end with him still alive.

His aura, which was at the fourth mantle, burned ever brighter as he and the other aura users charged forward.

Like a streak of lights, they burst onward at incredible speeds. The second bombardment could not follow their movements, but the aftershock still hit a few of them.

Also, now the shots weren’t aimed at the aura users, but at the soldiers further back. Still, at this point, they could not be bothered to think about that, as they continued their charge.

The mages, on the other hand, who had scattered in different areas, were able to defend a few soldiers who were now also scattering as they sped up their march. They used the trees to hide their movements so that the enemy could not spot them properly.

Karl forced his breathing into rhythm as the wind tore past his ears. The ground blurred beneath his feet. His fourth mantle flared in controlled bursts, reinforcing muscle and bone as he bounded over shattered earth and burning debris.

Around him, other aura users moved like falling stars, streaks of light cutting through smoke and ash.

As they got closer, the sound of the Roaring Thunder was not the overwhelming one burst, but now there were softer booming sounds in different intervals.

As the distance closed to several hundred meters, the aura users heard the familiar sound of the other weapon, the Gatling gun.

Still, the aura users know that, unlike the Gatling guns used by the armored knight unit, the mounted ones were not as strong since they had no aura imbued in them.

Still, they were strong enough to tear through trees with thick trunks. Getting hit by those, even with one’s aura mantle, would eventually were an aura user down.

Karl saw a few bullets coming his way and evaded while blocking and deflecting a few more. Karl and the other aura users had gotten used to the speed of small flying bullets.

Karl did not slow down, stopping for even a single moment, or lose his focus, now meant death.

He was now at a state that felt like everything was slowed down as he felt his entire body flowing with the attacks.

As he continued charging forward through all the attacks, he finally got out of the forest, but that was when things became even harder.

He could finally see the walls of Ironhold, but he also saw the heavily armored knight units that were carrying Gatling guns, which used special bullets that could be imbued with one’s aura mantle.

The heavily armored knight unit then started firing at him and the other aura users that came out of the forest.

Karl tried his hardest not to tense up; he knew what was coming, and tensing up would not help him in the slightest.

The bullets came spraying at him, and he evaded as much as he could and tried to deflect a few that were going to hit his vitals.

Even though they were enveloped with an aura mantle, it wasn’t as strong as a sword or spear that was also enveloped with one’s aura mantle. Still, the problem was how many were coming at him.

The closer he got to the walls of Ironhold, the more intense the barrage became. He could already hear a few aura users dying near him.

Karl could feel his arms aching as his breathing was slowly becoming uneven. He did not know if it would be better to retreat for now or just keep on moving forward.

’I think... I want to rest for a bit now...’

As Karl felt like he wanted to let go of his sword to rest, he suddenly heard a familiar voice whisper in his ear.

”My own dear heart.”

When Karl heard the voice of his wife, he woke up and gripped his sword tighter than ever, not wanting to let go.

’What was I thinking. This can’t be the end! My wife and son are still waiting for me! I can’t let it end here, not like this!’

Karl’s aura mantle, which was blue like water, started to condense and intensify. At this very moment, he had broken through to the fifth mantle.

’Even if I were to fall, I need to make it something my son and wife will never be ashamed about!’

Karl roared at the top of his lungs as he lunged forward towards the armored knight unit holding Gatling guns.

Each rotating barrel spat death in sweeping arcs, but there were breaths between those arcs, fractions of space where steel did not fill the air.

His fifth mantle flowed around him like a living current. The blue glow no longer flickered; it streamed, smooth and dense, wrapping his limbs in reinforced strength.

He stepped into the storm. Bullets screeched past his face. One grazed his shoulder, tearing through steel and flesh alike, but he did not falter. The pain felt distant, dulled by the surge of aura flooding his body.

When he saw that he was so close to reaching the armored unit firing at him, he pushed his body forward at a faster speed.

As he was about to slice one of the heavily armored knights in front of him, he sensed danger coming from above.

He quickly used his sword to defend himself as he jumped backward. That was when he felt something heavy hit his sword.

Since he had jumped backward at the right time, he was able to negate most of the damage, but he flew farther than he expected.

”You have pretty good instincts.”

Karl then heard someone speak as he looked at the opponent he attacked him, and saw a man wearing armor, but his muscles seemed to want to burst out of said armor.

Of course, he knew who this person was; no one in Norvaegard did not know who this was. The one who set the standard of what it means to be a knight, Sir Thalos Stonemaul.

Even amidst artillery fire and the roar of rotating barrels, his presence carried weight. The ground beneath his boots was cracked from the force of his landing. Frost melted around him as if unwilling to remain where he stood.

Karl gnashed his teeth as his eyebrows twitched. Up close, the difference was suffocating. Unlike him, who had only reached the fifth mantle just moments ago, Sir Thalos had been at that stage for quite some time now.

Sir Thalos’s aura mantle was dense and compact; he felt like a towering mountain in the flesh. He then spoke up in a loud voice.

”Thalos Stonemaul, Knight Commander of Stellhart, has entered battle.”

Hearing Sir Thalos, the knight among knights that he had respected when he was a young lad, introducing himself, Karl could not help but smile as he introduced himself as well.

”Karl Lador, knight under Count William Harrods, ready for battle.”

Sir Thalos inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the introduction. Sir Thalos no longer wasted any words as he got into a fighting stance.

Seeing this, Karl also got into a fighting stance. Right now, he was facing the strongest knight under the Iron Duke. He needed to focus on everything he had.

Unlike his calm blue aura mantle, Sir Thalos’s aura mantle was like a bursting sun. The two aura mantles enveloped their respective users.

Karl tightened his grip on his sword and shifted his weight forward. Sir Thalos raised his hands and lowered his center of gravity.

The two simply stared at each other, but then Karl blinked, and when he opened his eyes, Sir Thalos was already in front of him.

Sir Thalos did a forward punch, and Karl barely evaded by moving his head to the side. Karl wanted to counter, but Sir Thalos was already about to kick him.

Karl blocked the forward kick with the flat side of his blade. That was when Sir Thalos did a left hook; Karl evaded by ducking.

Sir Thalos then proceeded to do a crescent moon kick. Karl rolled to the side, evading the kick. The ground on which Sir Thalos’s heel landed had cracked as the snow flew upward in the air.

They just did a few exchanges, but Karl was already sweating profusely, not to mention he wasn’t able to counter. It took all of his effort to merely survive.

’This can’t go on. I need to do something.’ Karl thought to himself.

Karl forced himself to calm down despite the pounding in his chest. Panicking now would do nothing.

Sir Thalos was an unarmed fighter, which meant every strike would need to be at super close range within the reach of his arms and legs.

Still, Sir Thalos was slightly taller than him, making his reach longer. Still, Karl had the advantage in range since he had a longsword in his hands.

’I just need to stop him from getting into range.’ The second, he made a decision, Karl extended his sword forward, pointing at Sir Thalos. It was now a do-or-die situation.

His blade thrust out in a straight line, aura condensed tightly along its edge. He did not swing. He did not overcommit. He stabbed, withdrew half a step, and stabbed again, forcing Thalos to respect the space between them.

Sir Thalos shifted his weight and parried with the side of his forearm, the aura around it compact and controlled. Steel scraped against reinforced mantle. Sparks scattered across the snow.

It was for a minuscule moment, but Karl saw an opening and his body reacted before he could even think.

He stabbed at full strength, with the greatest speed he could muster. His forward motion created a sonic boom. In his mind, for a brief second, he saw his sword had pierced Sir Thalos’s throat.

He had thought it was his victory when he suddenly heard Sir Thalos’s voice. ”That almost got me.”

The image of Sir Thalos getting stabbed had vanished like a mirage. He felt something warm spreading downward, and a sudden numbness.

Karl looked down and saw that Sir Thalos’s hand had penetrated his abdomen. Karl started coughing up blood.

”... That was a good duel...” Karl let go of his sword as Sir Thalos removed his fist from Karl’s body. ”... Please... Tell my family... I died as a knight...”

”I shall.”

Hearing Sir Thalos’s reply, Karl showed a satisfied smile, and as his consciousness was about to fade and his spirit to be embraced by Velmira, he had one final thought.

’I’m sorry, my own dear heart...’

***

Sir Thalos watched as Karl fell to the ground with a look of content and sighed. ”To think I needed to kill two true knights...”

Sir Thalos sighed again before giving a knight’s salute to the now deceased Karl. ”You have proven your loyalty and shown your honor as a knight. I hope to see you again in Varkun’s hall of heroes.”