Chapter 127: Scaling a Wall is Nothing.

Crack! Crack-crack-crack!

Down in my lower abdomen, the two cores slammed into each other's outer walls like lunatics, grinding away.

Crrrack!

Cracks had already begun forming on the outer shell.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if the cores shattered right away.

It felt like the gates of hell were halfway open.

But—

‘I can’t… let it end like this!’

Grrk!

I clenched my teeth so hard that blood seeped from between them. I poured even more force into my consciousness.

‘Get away from each other!’

I tried to push them apart with all my might, applying pressure from both sides. But they refused to separate.

‘Damn it all.’

Maybe it was because I had pushed my mind to its absolute limit.

Blood began pouring from my nose.

Crackle!

Then, the outer walls of both cores shattered almost simultaneously, and the mana began to mix.

“Gah!”

A mouthful of blood gushed from my lips.

If this continued, the cores would go on a rampage, and dying on the spot wouldn’t be strange at all.

But it was too late to reverse it—cracks had already formed in the vessel.

Anyone could see that this was an insurmountable situation—a death sentence.

Even so, I didn’t let go of my consciousness.

Time dragged on, and my mind felt like it was about to slip away.

My eyes were already half unfocused.

If I closed them now, I’d collapse from exhaustion just like that.

In that moment… a voice echoed from beyond the edge of awareness.

— Please.

A voice both dearly missed and achingly distant.

That voice pulled my consciousness back, even though I had one foot on death’s doorstep.

Crack! Crack!

I bit my lip and dug my nails into my own arm hard enough to draw blood, forcing myself to endure with sheer will.

‘Not yet… I don’t care how badly I want to die—I won’t die now, you bastards!’

I endured and endured again.

Grabbing hold of my fraying consciousness with brute force, I calmly reassessed the situation once more.

And then—when I had pushed myself to the absolute brink.

A faint glimmer of possibility appeared before my eyes.

I reached for it.

‘If you like each other so much… then stick together!’

Thunk!

My body trembled uncontrollably as I stopped trying to separate the cores… and instead brought their shattered parts together.

And from the broken pieces where the mana had been leaking…

‘Then stick together all you want!’

While keeping the two cores connected, I hardened them.

The shape looked like a peanut or the number 8 turned on its side.

In that state, I slowly released mana to balance them so the two cores would become perfectly equal in size.

Sweat and blood from my nose poured down endlessly, and my whole body trembled like a leaf.

How long did I endure that distant, endless stretch of time?

“……”

Vrrrrrrrrrm!

The peanut-shaped core no longer pulled at itself. Instead, it began to emit light.

Hardin didn’t let his guard down. He kept observing the situation for a long while…

“Puhhaaa… Damn, I really almost died.”

He collapsed on the spot, limbs splayed out, exhaling ragged breaths.

‘Seriously… just a little misstep, and I would've been headed to the afterlife.’

It hadn’t gone as expected, but somehow, he had succeeded in creating a new core.

“Huuuh… haaah…”

He took slow, deep breaths to calm the lingering tension.

As the trembling in his body gradually subsided, the blackened sky slowly came into view.

Swish.

Hardin lifted his torso and placed a hand over his lower abdomen to examine the core.

He could feel the glowing presence of the double core, shaped like a sideways eight.

And then…

‘The pulling force has definitely gotten stronger.’

He could feel it—this thing was drawing in the mana dispersed in the air at a frenzied pace.

It felt like chugging a cheap mana potion in real time.

Compared to the previous core, the energy now was double… no, even more than that.

“Let’s… test it out.”

Springing up—

Hardin launched himself to his feet.

Then he approached the shoreline and drew his sword.

‘Let’s go.’

Vrrrrm.

As the two cores simultaneously released mana, Hardin’s brow furrowed.

The conflicting flow of the two forces caused the mana to crash into each other momentarily.

‘Get in line, damn it.’

Hardin adjusted the repelling force each core emitted.

He redirected the flow so they wouldn’t interfere with one another and could instead synergize.

And once the power of both cores aligned—

Vrrrrrrrrrm!

“Nice.”

Waves shimmered around Hardin’s sword.

The signature Weapon Enchant of the Grand Blue Knights: Gyre.

He could clearly feel the difference—the rippling of the waves and the brightness of the blue aura had significantly increased compared to before.

But this wasn’t the extent of what Hardin intended to test.

‘Inward—push it inward.’

Hardin drove the energy coiled within the sword inward.

The repelling forces from each of the two cores compressed it from both sides.

Crackle! Crackle!

The power contained within the sword compressed further, pushing back against itself, until sparks burst forth from the blade.

Tremble… Ting!

The sword couldn’t handle the pressure; part of the blade’s edge chipped away.

And then—once the energy had been compressed to its limit.

“Ha!”

Hardin thrust his sword forward with all his might.

And then—

KWWAAAAAAA!

A flash—no, a tidal wave of light surged forward from the sword.

A few hours ago, Manton and Beryl had unleashed a Shockwave.

This had a similar shape, but its size and power were… incomparably immense.

And the moment the tidal wave unleashed by Hardin reached the sea—

KWAHHHHHHHHHHHHNG!

With a deafening roar, the nearby rocks shattered into dust and scattered into the air, while a massive column of water shot endlessly skyward.

Splash-splatter! Splash-splatter!

The water pillar, having surged to its peak, soon turned into rainfall, soaking the entire rocky island.

With that, the final puzzle piece needed to protect the harbor and secure a complete victory against the Count of Tread had fallen into place.

“It’s done.”

A sigh of relief slipped from Hardin’s lips.

And right after that, maybe because the tension had finally eased—

“So… so tired…”

His vision slowly faded to black.

Thud!

Hardin collapsed to the ground just like that.

---

A few minutes earlier, on the opposite side of the island.

“Uuughh… damn it allll!”

“Just one more step! Just one more step!”

Knights who had only one step left to finish crossing the rocky terrain twisted their faces in agony as they prepared for the final push.

If they could just do this… they could finally be done with this cursed training.

That’s when—

Flash!

The sky briefly turned a brilliant blue.

“Huh?”

KWAHHHHHHHHHHNG!

“Eeeek!”

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion erupted from the other side of the island, shaking the ground beneath them.

Splash!

The knights, who had been in the middle of their concentration, fell into the water and ended up soaked like wet rats again.

“No way! I was just one step away!”

“W-what the heck was that just now?”

While some grumbled in frustration, others raised confused questions.

At that moment, Beryl and Mikkelsen, who had been instructing the knights from behind, exchanged glances.

“Wasn’t that just now… from the Young Master?”

“Sure seems like it. Did he set off a bomb or something?”

“Why would he set off a bomb for no reason?”

“How should I know what goes on in the Young Master’s head? Who knows, maybe he’s off catching a whale or something.”

“……”

Beryl nearly blurted out, “No way…” but swallowed the words.

Because somehow, with that man, it didn’t seem entirely out of the question.

“If you're really curious, should we go check it out?”

At Mikkelsen’s suggestion, Beryl glanced at the knights and replied,

“Tch. Let’s go.”

Mikkelsen, Beryl, and Manton—

The three of them headed straight for the other side of the island.

When they arrived where Hardin was—

“……”

They were all struck speechless and froze on the spot.

Lying before them… was Hardin.

“Heegh… haagh…”

Hardin, his eyes rolled back white, his entire body drenched in bright red blood.

“Y-Young Masterrrrr!”

Manton rushed forward, grabbing Hardin’s shoulder and shaking him.

“Get a hold of yourself! Please, wake up!”

“Seriously… what the hell did this guy do to end up like this?!”

Mikkelsen and Beryl rushed in, slapping Hardin’s cheeks and pressing down on his solar plexus to stimulate his heart.

Then, a voice escaped from Hardin’s lips.

“F-fine…”

Manton blinked in surprise and said,

“W-wait, I think I just heard him speak?”

But whether they hadn’t heard it, or were simply ignoring it—

“He didn’t say anything! Stay with us!”

“Are you alright, Young Master?!”

Slap! Slap! Wham!

Beryl and Mikkelsen didn’t stop with their palms and fists.

And at that moment—

‘It hurts like hell, so stoooop!’

A single transparent tear trickled down from Hardin’s eye as he lay on the ground.

---

Early morning, inside the main conference room of the Daphne Viscounty Estate.

The retainers packed into the room stared with bloodshot eyes at the parchments in front of them, diligently reading through them.

Everyone looked like skin and bones, likely due to the intense workload of the past month.

Then, from the head of the table, Cobalt scanned the room in silence and spoke.

“Malion, give your report.”

“Yes.”

Malion adjusted his glasses and spoke with a confident expression.

“As of yesterday, the construction of the fortifications around the harbor has been fully completed.”

“Are the defensive installations large enough?”

“Yes, not only can they accommodate our family’s entire military force, but they’re also spacious enough to house the reinforcements from Her Highness in the future.”

“Hmm, good.”

Cobalt then turned to look at the quartermaster, Engelmann, and asked,

“What’s the status on supplies?”

“Yes! We’ve secured enough equipment for all conscripts, along with additional reserves. We’ve also stocked enough food to hold out in the harbor for at least a few months.”

“Ahem, good work getting it done in time.”

“Well, actually…”

At the praise, Engelmann scratched his head with a sheepish expression.

Cobalt followed up.

“Is there some kind of problem?”

“It’s not that I did a particularly great job… It’s more that we got a lot of help from Calpion Castle.”

“They helped?”

“Yes. Not long ago, they sent us a huge shipment of supplies and weapons. That’s how we barely managed to meet the target. Still… it feels a little unsettling, so I thought I should mention it.”

And Engelmann had every reason to feel that way.

— Isn’t this a bit much? Please, cut it down by at least thirty percent.

— But this amount was decided at the family meeting.

— Come now! Even so, can’t you adjust things a bit considering the situation? We’ve got to eat too!

— Uuugh…

Every time they had gone to deliver tributes to Calpion, the Steward Syllot and his retainers would always run their mouths, make a fuss, and haggle down the amount by every penny.

The sun hadn’t suddenly started rising from the west, yet those people had willingly handed over supplies—Engelmann couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

‘Hmm, looks like it was handled well enough.’

Viscount Cobalt smiled gently and said,

“Well, think of it positively. The retainers of Calpion are still people of Daphne—perhaps they were just looking out for us.”

“Understood…”

Though still wearing a troubled expression, Engelmann reluctantly nodded.

Thumbs up!

Hardin raised his thumb, and Cobalt gave a slight nod in return.

‘If the supplies are taken care of, then next is…’

This time, Cobalt turned his gaze to Former Commander Mulgybson.

Understanding the cue, Mulgybson promptly spoke up.

“All 483 conscripts have completed their training. Currently, 30% of the force is stationed at the harbor… the rest can be fully mobilized within two days upon command.”

“You’ve worked hard. That was the toughest part… you did well.”

“I merely did what needed to be done.”

After that, the other retainers continued their reports in succession.

“According to a message from the Information Guild we contacted, there’s been an increase in knight sightings at the port controlled by the Count of Tread.”

“I see.”

Cobalt frowned for a moment before turning to another retainer with a question.

“Lihenz, how are things progressing with the other noble houses?”

“Yes, since then, we’ve reached out to four houses to propose alliances and request support… but most of the responses have been negative.”

“So they all refused?”

“Yes. It seems they’re hesitant to get involved with the Count of Tread…”

Cobalt nodded slowly with a bitter expression.

“Hm. That’s unfortunate.”

For the past month, they had tried in every way to seek support from nearby houses, but most recoiled at the mention of Tread.

‘They probably just don’t want to get dragged into a pointless conflict and end up crushed for nothing.’

Viscount Cobalt let out a shallow breath and shut his eyes tightly.

The Count of Tread’s assault, and the refusal of neighboring houses to lend help.

Given the disparity in influence between the two houses, such an outcome had been expected from the beginning.

Now that they had given up on kneeling before them, ultimately… only one option remained.

‘We must defend the harbor ourselves.’

It would be difficult.

They would have to be prepared to shed blood.

But even so, he believed it was entirely possible.

The overwhelming advantage of defending along the coastline, the promised support of Princess Medeia, and—

More importantly, every member of the house had stayed up night after night, fully bracing themselves for this threat.

And the most crucial element in this battle would be—

Cobalt slowly opened his eyes and asked again.

“Hardin.”

“Yes.”

“Your report as well.”

Hardin nodded quickly with a confident expression, then crossed his arms and spoke.

“First off, the ship I mentioned earlier is fully repaired. Spotless.”

“Ah, I’ve seen that myself. But… is that really how you intended it to be repaired?”

Viscount Cobalt asked with a skeptical look, and Hardin shrugged.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… according to the carpenters, they said you slapped on so much iron plating that it’s hard to even get it to float, let alone move.”

“Ehh, that’s exactly what I intended. We’re setting up a stationary defense anyway, aren’t we? So having an ironclad focused on defense instead of mobility would be a huge help, right? It can block cannon fire and all that—you get what I’m saying?”

Hardin said with a grin, joking around. Malion, who had been listening, tilted his head and cut in.

“If that’s the intention… wouldn’t it have been better to use the iron plating for the fortifications instead?”

“Huh? What was that?”

“If your goal with the iron plating was defense, then wouldn’t it have been more efficient to reinforce the defensive positions rather than the ship?”

“I told you before. A ship can move—so it opens up more tactical options, you know?”

“But I heard it can barely move at all because of the excessive plating…”

Hardin’s eyebrow twitched.

This guy… he’s annoyingly sharp at times like this.

Part of him wanted to blurt out the whole plan right there.

But… he couldn’t.

‘Even if I told them, they’d just think I was insane.’

Because the way Hardin planned to use the ironclad… was a bit—no, completely—out of the ordinary.

Waving his hand dismissively, Hardin continued.

“Anyway, that’s not really the important part.”

“What do you mean it’s not—”

As Malion tried to follow up, Hardin quickly turned to the lord and beamed.

“Oh, and the knight training? That’s all wrapped up. Flawlessly!”

“Flawlessly, you say… what kind of results have you seen?”

Cobalt asked seriously in response to Hardin’s overconfident tone.

‘Feels like he just changed the subject…’

‘Definitely dodging something…’

The eyes of Malion and the retainers narrowed suspiciously.

Then Hardin raised his voice even more as he continued.

“These guys, they’re ready to go up against the Count of Tread’s men now. Every one of them’s taken a step up in skill!”

“Huh?”

“What did you just say, brother?”

What nonsense is this guy spouting now?

Cobalt and the retainers were all staring at Hardin with visible bewilderment on their faces.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.