Chapter 48

“You may enter.”

Killian, who had seen Escardo off, led the Annihilation Squad to the training ground prepared in the annex.

Like the training grounds of any other knight order, various weapons were displayed in a space large enough for fifty people.

“…Training?”

Yulian asked with a tired expression.

“Since the number of the Annihilation Squad has decreased, the level of the remaining members must also change.”

“So it is training.”

“No weak talk. I just want to know your exact level, so there's no need to be nervous.”

“It’s good to check our skills, but… it would be dangerous if our reflux worsened here.”

At those words, Killian hung his Aether on the wall and instead drew an iron sword.

“I will not use Mana. If you manage to make me drop my sword or subdue me, that's the end of today's training. Failure means physical training.”

Behind the bold statement, he added a warning that his physical training was by no means light.

Was it because they read the madness in his indifferent words?

The members of the Annihilation Squad, including Serena, flinched.

“Captain, it's alright to use Carpe, right?”

Killian nodded at Aaron's question.

“Let's start with Yulian. Step forward.”

Yulian, though grumbling, stepped forward and drew his Aether.

“Shall we see the skill of the Annihilation Squad's fourth sword?”

“You will regret this.”

Ssss.

In the blink of an eye, a Carpe was unfolded.

Yulian, clad in less Mana than before, swung his sword, aiming for the upper body.

About 20 seconds passed after that.

“Keuk…”

Yulian, who couldn't last for more than ten exchanges, rolled on the floor.

The faces of the other four people watching hardened even more.

“Next, Portlan.”

The called Portlan swallowed dryly and pointed his sword at the captain.

But 10 seconds later.

“Urk…”

He knelt and bowed his head, gasping for breath.

“Galahad.”

This time, 9 seconds.

“Keub…”

Galahad, who was thrown against the wall, vomited a mouthful of blood.

“Aaron.”

12 seconds.

“Kahak…”

Aaron, who had been floating in mid-air, fell to the floor and hit his head.

“Now there's only one left, right?”

“……”

Killian met the eyes of the stern-faced Serena.

“Come on.”

He lowered his center of gravity so that he could use the First Flash at any time.

He hadn't expected those who hadn't recovered from their injuries to be able to display their true skills anyway.

Saying he wanted to gauge their level was just an excuse; his goal for today was to quickly subdue them and make them aware of their own physical condition.

Serena, who had been staring at Killian without drawing her sword, opened her mouth.

“I have a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

“Please wager the Aether on this match.”

Her gaze turned to the sword hanging on the wall.

The top-grade Aether made of Arden steel by the Master Swordsmith.

He laughed because he was not unaware of its meaning.

“You want to make a bet under the pretext of a spar?”

“That is correct.”

“What are you planning to wager?”

“What do you want?”

It was a bold response.

“Hmm… I am the leader of the Annihilation Squad in name, but it seems the titles haven't been sorted out yet.”

“……”

Serena met Killian's gaze without blinking an eye.

“I will wager your ‘acknowledgment’ as a condition.”

“Understood.”

Simultaneously with her answer.

Sreung.

Serena's sword, which had closed the distance in an instant, was thrust out.

It was a thrust comparable to the First Flash, but it was at best the movement of a 6-star knight who was not in good health.

As he lightly dodged it, Serena's sword cut through the air.

But she paid it no mind and spun her body widely.

The lingering scent of green Mana scattered in the air.

Clang!!

A heavy impact traveled down Killian's wrist to his lower body.

‘Is she already handling Mana to this extent?’

Unlike the other members of the Annihilation Squad who had deployed a half-hearted Carpe, Serena seemed to have decided to fight directly with her sword by strengthening her body.

It was a choice that would be difficult to make without considerable confidence in one's own sword.

‘This is not a sword I can block for long without imbuing my own with Mana.’

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Killian, who had blocked four consecutive strikes, took a step back.

Flick.

Her other foot, which had spun on one leg clad in green Mana as an axis, aimed for his head.

Killian hastily rolled on the floor to create distance.

No, he thought he had created distance, but.

“……!!”

Saaaah.

A sword that had followed him like the maw of a snake aiming for its prey came stabbing at his waist.

Claaang!!

Killian, with the rebound force from having barely blocked it, rolled on the floor and dissipated the shock.

The durability of the iron sword would not be able to withstand subduing her with swordsmanship alone.

It would be possible to subdue her easily with even a small amount of Mana, but that would be admitting defeat.

“That would be troublesome.”

Squeeze.

Killian gripped the sword with both hands.

Hoooo.

He caught his breath and glared at Serena, who was exuding a menacing fighting spirit.

The fighting spirit that rose from his body was strengthened to the extreme and became a killing intent.

The moment he refined and controlled the killing intent.

Rumble!!

A huge momentum pressed down on the training ground.

“Keub…”

Serena stumbled, letting out a groan.

That brief gap, when she had unknowingly taken a step back, decided the match.

“Second Flash.”

At the two lightning-fast thrusts.

Boom! Boom!!

Serena, who had been unable to defend properly and was sent flying along with her sword, rolled on the floor.

“Cough…”

She vomited blood and struggled to her feet.

“Coward…ly…”

“I said I wouldn't use Mana, but I didn't say I wouldn't use my aura, did I?”

“That's… such a… stretch…”

“Now I have to collect the reward for the bet, right?”

Swoosh.

Ignoring her venomous gaze, he pointed his sword at her neck.

He was so pleased with the current situation that the corners of his mouth curled up unknowingly.

Gulp.

She swallowed dryly, got to her feet, and took a step back.

“Tell me, Serena Constantine. Who am I?”

“……”

Serena bit her lip and contorted her face.

The smile on Killian's lips grew wider.

Looking at the venomous Serena, he recalled the conversation he had had with Escardo just a moment ago.

***

“The name of the Arch Mage the Annihilation Squad was chasing was Voltz Kimbel.”

He was said to be a spy of the Empire that the Annihilation Squad had been chasing for the past three years.

‘Putting aside the fact that they used a Superhuman-level individual as a spy… this is strange.’

The frontier was more than half mountainous terrain, where defense was more advantageous than offense. It was not a place where a mage, whose stamina was inferior to a knight's, could run rampant.

This was because the lingering scent of Mana would remain when magic was used.

A mage could exert their greatest power when a safe place was secured.

“There was a traitor among the allied families.”

As if it was a satisfactory question, Escardo nodded his head vigorously.

“Yes. We have so far identified eight allied families in the eastern frontier who have betrayed Eurasia. All of them are of a considerable size.”

‘Eight… more than I thought.’

Including the minor families, there were about a hundred families in the eastern frontier, and all of them had formed an alliance with Eurasia and were in a cooperative relationship.

If eight families had already colluded with the Empire, the frontier could no longer be said to be safe.

“The Annihilation Squad has assassinated five Superhumans in the past decade. I was with them for three of those.”

Five. Even with the 7-star knight Escardo accompanying them, that was a larger number than he had expected.

“But why did you only send the Annihilation Squad this time?”

“Because the situation has changed. How much do you know about the current state of affairs on the continent?”

“I heard that a new emperor ascended the throne 30 years ago, and that there have been large and small rebellions since then.”

“Yes. For the past few years, there has been a struggle for the throne among the princes, making the situation even more chaotic. But that too will eventually stabilize before long.”

“Are you thinking that the tip of the spear will then be pointed at Eurasia?”

It meant that the Empire was gathering clear information about its enemies before moving a large army.

“Voltz Kimbel was a man deployed to grasp Eurasia's movements. We chased him for three years and finally caught his tail this time.”

“To me, it sounds like you overreached to break the Empire's spirit.”

“That's not wrong.”

Escardo's face turned bitter.

During the period when the Head was in seclusion, Escardo had been unable to accompany the Annihilation Squad due to his duties as the Acting Head.

The reason he had gone ahead with the Superhuman hunt despite that was because there was a risk that important family secrets would be leaked.

“There was a hole in the intelligence. We belatedly realized that a Superhuman who had been watching the Cornelia side had joined them.”

“……”

Two Superhumans of the Empire, and a number of senior knights and mages as escorts.

If that was true, it was a miracle that even five of them had returned alive.

“If not for the sacrifice of the previous leader of the Annihilation Squad, they would have been annihilated.”

Escardo's gaze turned to the sword Killian was holding.

“Bastian, when he used that Aether, was at a level where he could exchange ten blows with me. It was a level commonly called an incomplete 7th star.”

Even with the ability of the sword, the fact that he had faced Escardo meant that he possessed a martial prowess incomparable to a 6-star.

If Bastian had been given enough time, he would have reached the level of a complete Superhuman someday.

‘They've lost a great knight.’

Killian let out a faint sigh of regret.

It was because he thought that if he had met him a little earlier, just as he had with Loen, he might have been able to help him become a 7-star.

Escardo, who was looking at him, also had complex feelings.

Killian was only twenty-one. He had surpassed the 6th star in less than two years since forging his Mana Heart. In terms of individual martial prowess, he would already be superior to Fred Perry.

Escardo wanted to test Killian's level right away, but he was no longer just a mere knight squad member.

“Have you experienced the Annihilation Squad's Carpe?”

“Yes. They knew how to use Carpe Illusion.”

“Yes. It is a formation that only the Annihilation Squad can operate in the family.”

Escardo continued, looking at Killian's Aether.

“That sword is Bastian's memento, which Serena retrieved. Fortunately, it seems you have been acknowledged as its master.”

“I have not been fully acknowledged yet.”

The others might be so, but Serena Constantine was the daughter of the previous leader.

It would be difficult to buy her loyalty by defeating her once or twice.

“I will vouch for Serena's skill. If you keep her by your side, she will surely be of great help.”

Escardo repeated the words he had once said to Julian.

At first, he had thought the Head's treatment of the Fourth Young Master was excessive, but now he was reminding himself that he should no longer try to understand Killian from a normal perspective.

“I think so too. Though I also think the Head bestowed this sword upon me on purpose to test me.”

Escardo burst into laughter at the words that hit the nail on the head.

“Wouldn't the Head have done that for your own good? He has always had a strong tendency to raise his children to be strong.”

Recalling the two bottles of wine he had been treated to before, Escardo emphasized the Head's ‘deep intentions’.

“Understood. I will handle the Annihilation Squad in my own way.”

“It seems you are asking the Head Apothecary for recovery potions yourself.”

“Yes. Fortunately, I was able to procure the medicinal preparations through Sephiroth.”

Sephiroth was an apothecary originally established to support the Blue Knight Order.

As the Tactician, Killian could procure top-grade medicinal preparations through it at any time.

“I plan to recruit new members for the Annihilation Squad and a personal apothecary in the near future. Should I report separately to the Head?”

“No. It will be difficult to meet the Head for the time being. You can report to me.”

‘Is the Head plotting something again?’

Otherwise, there would be no reason for Escardo to be handling the work even after the seclusion was over.

But that was not what he needed to know right now.

“I have one thing I would like to ask the Commander of the Knights.”

“Speak.”

“The Superhuman who was watching the Cornelia side and attacked the Annihilation Squad with Voltz Kimbel.”

Glance.

Killian continued, looking at the bloodstain on his scabbard.

“That guy, what's his name?”

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