Chapter 113: Protect the Prince (2)

Soldiers of the Empire.

Their defining characteristic is that they do not fear death.

It could be called a form of mental brainwashing, but it was not a forced method through magic or abilities. 

It was pride in the Empire, absolute loyalty to the Emperor, and internal policies that rewarded such loyalty.

From the outside, the Empire is a den of evil, but within it, they lived incredibly happy lives. 

Having once belonged to the Empire myself, I know this better than anyone.

The King of Domination Belmond — the man whose name was synonymous with terror on the continent — ironically built the most ideal form of an empire. 

Therefore, the loyalty of the imperial soldiers and their mindset when going into battle for the Emperor is bound to be different.

As if it were unfolding right before my eyes.

“For His Majesty the Emperor!”

A soldier wearing black armor with the great World Tree, the symbol of the Galas Empire, engraved on his chest thrusts his sword. 

But that attack is full of openings.

It has to be.

It is because it is imbued with a lethal will to kill the opponent at all costs, neglecting defense.

An opening? 

Stab wherever you want. 

In exchange, I will surely take one of your body parts. 

That was the will and mindset of the imperial soldiers.

That is why the Empire is terrifying. 

Even if their skill and level are far below yours, you might get hurt if you are not careful. 

At first, you might be able to brush it off, but what if it is repeated dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times? 

No matter how strong one is, they are bound to fall to attacks that disregard defense and life.

However, I do not care about such things.

-Slash!

-Whooooosh!

Rising bloodlust? 

I ignore it lightly.

‘Slide.’

An incoming attack? 

I thrust into the appropriate opening.

“Thud!”

I create death.

No matter how much they are armed with bloodlust, it is all meaningless before overwhelming skill. 

That only works against those it is meant to work against. 

To a being like me, tempered like a single sword, the will of the imperial soldiers can have no influence. 

Even if it was a strategy using allies, throwing them as bait, it was the same.

-Slash!

I cut down two soldiers using their comrade as a shield simultaneously.

As expected of a trial aimed at preventing escape, the imperial soldiers poured out endlessly. 

It was like a stream of water gushing from a collapsed dam. 

They kept pouring out to that extent, but they never managed to pile up and surround me. 

This was because the speed at which I killed them was much faster than the speed at which they poured out.

And before long…

The soldiers were no longer visible. 

The corpses of the fallen soldiers vanished as if they were an illusion.

[Wave 1 has ended.]

[Time taken until the end of the trial: 5 minutes, 12 seconds.]

[This is a marvelous record!]

[You can obtain additional rewards.]

[Wave 2 will begin after a 1-minute rest.]

It was a fairly familiar sight — what is known as a Wave. 

The kind mostly seen in defense games.

The forty-second floor seemed to be dealing with enemies divided into waves, incorporating elements of such games.

‘Indeed, if they kept pouring out like this without a rest period, even I would find it difficult to endure.’

I said it had no influence, but that did not mean it did not matter at all. 

The bloodlust of the imperial soldiers slowly ate away at my mental power, and if it accumulated, it would have exerted a significant influence. 

Therefore, the rest period was a welcome event for me.

‘I will recover my mental power.’

The method to recover the mental power depleted by exposure to intense bloodlust was meditation.

“Thump!”

Though it was a short time of 1 minute, it was enough.

“Ssshh.”

I stabilize my mind through deep breathing and contemplate my inner self.

Contemplation is not simply the act of looking inward. 

I look inward and behold the Karma I have accumulated.

“Wroooom!”

Before long, the form of the Karma I have accumulated becomes visible. 

It was a sword. 

A prized family heirloom, forged for 1,000 years. 

However, due to the battle just now, the edge of that blade was slightly damaged. 

Current meditation is the act of refining it once again.

Like a craftsman, I temper the blade of my will, and temper it again. 

Sharper than anything, enough to cut down anyone.

To some, 1 minute might be a very short time. 

However, it was enough time to refine the blade of my will that had been gnawed away by the soldiers.

[The first rest period is ending.]

[Wave 2 is beginning.]

[From Wave 2, powerful Elite Soldiers will be included.]

[We hope you protect the prince from the intrusion of these powerful enemies.]

A cheer from the System that is rarely conveyed. 

I let it slide and stared straight ahead. 

A hallway filled with darkness. 

From the end of it…

“Clack.”

The sound of footsteps began to be heard. 

At first, it sounded slow, but soon…

“Thud thud thud thud thud!”

The vibration began to intensify.

“Pursue the prince!”

The scene became noisy. 

Along with it, a group began to appear in the hallway.

‘Red Soldiers.’

Unlike those who wore armor painted entirely black, I could see soldiers armed in red armor as if they were drenched in blood. 

These were the Red Soldiers. 

They were individuals with martial prowess sufficient to lead ten soldiers — in other words, decurions.

Only ten men? 

One might think that, but no. 

An imperial decurion possessed skills similar to those of an average knight’s squire. 

And there was no telling how many dozens, or even more, squires would appear. 

Killing machines armed with bloodlust, willing to throw away their very lives to kill the enemy, came rushing in.

Therefore, I readjusted my posture. 

Gripping the sword at my waist and slightly lowering my lower body, I was in a typical Draw Sword stance, ready to spring out at any moment.

As if storing energy, it was a shape like a spring crouching as much as possible right before it bounces out. 

I wait. 

Until they get closer. 

Until even more enemies emerge from the hallway and reveal themselves.

After a brief moment…

“Hah!”

The rushing Red Soldiers swung their weapons from all sides. 

It could certainly be judged as a dangerous moment, but…

[Draw Sword]

In an instant —

“Craaaaack!”

Space is divided. 

As if a piece of a broken mirror reflects the world at an angle, space becomes distorted. 

With that, the noise in the area quieted down.

No.

“Thump, thud!”

They collapsed as if sheaves of straw were crumbling. 

Their upper and lower bodies were severed.

‘My Draw Sword is different from others’. It was a mass-slaughter Sword Soul that annihilated every existence in sight, cleaving space itself.’

Elite soldiers mentioned by the message? 

It does not matter. 

The Blue Soldiers, who possessed the skill of a centurion, also just collapsed without being able to offer any resistance to my Draw Sword.

Like that.

I compress my strength once again and wait for the right time.

***

As if hunting in a group, I waited for even more imperial soldiers to gather.

[Wave 5 has ended.]

[Time taken until the end of the trial: 10 minutes, 54 seconds.]

[This is a marvelous record!]

[You can obtain additional rewards on top of additional rewards.]

Wave 5. 

As the final boss form, the Twin Knights that the Empire boasted appeared. 

They were individuals I knew well. 

They were the strongest Knights recorded as ranks nine and ten of the Empire.

In fact, looking at them individually, there were plenty of Knights stronger than them. 

Not only in the Empire but also in other kingdoms, duchies, and the Law Country. 

But what if the Twin Knights attacked together? 

In my memory, the number of people who could face them would inevitably become small enough to count on one’s fingers.

The joint attack of the Twin Knights, who could read each other’s minds, was as precise and sharp as if they were one body. 

In the past, I even had a record of surrendering to their combined assault. 

The Twin Knights were that powerful, but they were not enough to overcome the current me. 

Even if I had only recovered 50% of my prime state, it did not matter.

Because I analyzed and analyzed their combined attack, and finally created a way to break it.

In the past, I thirsted for strength and experience. 

If someone was strong, 

I requested a duel regardless of who they were, and I recorded countless defeats.

Someone said I was a Knight who did not know how to be ashamed of defeat.

But that is knowing one thing and not the other. 

There is much to realize and learn through defeat. 

If I hadn’t experienced 10,000 defeats, becoming the top Knight of the continent would have been impossible. 

It was only through the valuable experience of defeat that I could realize certain things, and through that, I could build my own path and the Karma of my martial arts.

And the ones I studied the most were these Twin Knights. 

The Twin Knights, Jeko and Deko. 

They were not from a martial family or noble background, but they were Knights who at some point began to follow the King of Domination Belmond. 

Their love for Belmond was so great it could be called obsession and madness. 

Therefore, they later volunteered to be Belmond’s bodyguards and even commanded his royal guard.

Knowing their strength, I challenged them countless times and lost countless times. 

And what I gained from those defeats was the experience of their combined attack and the method to break the Sword Soul they had created. 

Thanks to that, I was able to safely arrive at the final destination of Wave 5, which the message said was the end.

However.

[The trial ends here.]

[However, there is a final, hidden trial for those who wish to challenge it.]

[Would you like to challenge the trial?]

‘It is probably a kind of hidden piece.’

A method that can be accessed by achieving certain conditions — for example, the completion time from Wave 1 to Wave 5. 

And I achieved the conditions required by the System, gaining the right to approach a secret that no one has accessed until now.

“I’ll challenge it.”

There is no hesitation. 

From the start, my purpose for challenging this place was to become stronger.

To be precise, it is a journey to reclaim my previous strength, the Martial Power of my prime.

And the Tower is a system that gives better rewards the harder the trial is. 

Therefore, I welcomed a difficult trial like a hidden piece at any time. 

Because that is what would become the driving force to bring me back to my past self.

And…

‘Because it’s the only way I can face Taecho.’

The enemy I must face now is the creator god, Taecho. 

Since I can already predict how much his power will be, I cannot take this lightly.

I must regain my past strength somehow to strike him down. 

Because there is no telling what that guy whom Salmora is attached to will do.

[You have chosen to challenge.]

[Starting the true final, hidden wave.]

However, even as time passed, no one appeared from the darkness at the end of the hallway. 

Just how much time had passed? 

Around that time I began to think it was a bit boring…

“Clack.”

Someone’s footsteps echoed clearly in the hallway. 

And…

“I didn’t expect that I would have to step forward.”

At the familiar voice…

“Belmond…?”

I could only mutter the name forgotten in the past, yet a name I could never truly forget.