SWNOVELXO Chapter 554
Chapter 554: A Lot Has Been Stirred Up. (3)
At the same time, Renerd crossed his arms and stepped back.
A vivid red line was drawn on his arms, which were filled with mana.
‘What is this?’
Renerd couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he retreated.
Without any warning, his arm was slashed. If he weren’t a superhuman, his neck would have been severed in an instant.
That thought sent shivers down his spine.
‘Is there really such a technique in existence!’
Renerd had witnessed countless superhumans by teaming up with the Salvation Society.
Even the half-baked priests of the Salvation Society demonstrated power akin to true superhumans.
Individuals like Gathros and Aiden were contenders he couldn’t confidently say he could win against.
What about the brief glimpse he had of Duke Penris? He was stronger than the rumors suggested.
But the person in front of him was different from the other superhumans. He had never even imagined that such a technique could be employed by a superhuman.
The man on the horse, Yulien, was still staring at Renerd with an expressionless face.
“I’ll take care of that one.”
That single phrase was enough. The Mobile Army bypassed Yulien and began attacking the villagers.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
The villagers stood no chance against the Mobile Army charging at them on horseback.
Those preparing to flee were swept away by the Mobile Army.
Renerd gritted his teeth.
‘Crazy bastards.’
Even though he had gathered information, their methods were too extreme. To just shove through without any verification.
He had never seen anyone more reckless than them. They seemed worse than the Salvation Society.
Even as members of the Revolutionary Group hidden in the village were swept away, Renerd could do nothing to aid his allies.
‘No openings.’
The opponents were formidable enough that he couldn’t afford to divert his attention elsewhere. Instead, he had to stake his life to face them.
If Duke Penris displayed a hurricane-like force that could tear everything apart, then the person in front of him exuded a chillingly refined energy.
Even the slightest opening would result in being cut down. Renerd had no choice but to focus all his attention on the person before him.
Noticing Renerd’s response, Yulien was inwardly puzzled.
‘Not an ordinary guy.’
Stronger than the half-baked priests of the Salvation Society. The mere presence of such power in a village was bizarre.
Yulien dismounted and asked,
“Who are you?”
“…….”
Renerd did not answer. He was more accustomed to hiding his identity.
But he soon changed his mind.
He had already met Duke Penris. Surely others could deduce his identity adequately. There was no reason to hide it.
So he answered confidently,
“I am the leader of the Revolutionary Group.”
“…….”
Yulien’s eyebrows twitched. It seemed there was more at stake than he had anticipated.
As mana swirled around him, Renerd questioned,
“And you are?”
“Yulien.”
Renerd nodded. He had heard that name before.
A prince of Turian and a hero who saved the kingdom from crisis.
He would have never guessed he would be moving alongside the Mobile Army of Duke Penris.
Renerd slyly moved backward and asked,
“How did Duke Penris inform you?”
“…….”
Yulien did not respond. Instead, he asked what he was curious about.
“Why is the leader of the Revolutionary Group here?”
Renerd smiled with a hint of triumph.
He was indeed curious about what sort of trick Duke Penris had pulled, but he didn’t ask purely for an answer. His main goal was to buy time through conversation.
If questions were coming from that side, it would actually be welcome. It would make escape easier.
“I…….”
Swoosh!
“Cough!”
Renerd hastily pulled back again. His chest had been slashed.
To start a surprise attack after initiating a conversation!
Renerd had thought that Yulien wasn’t the type for that. Although he was described as indifferent and cold, he preferred direct confrontations over ambushes.
No, it wasn’t so much that he enjoyed them. With that level of skill, he wouldn’t have needed to resort to other means.
Yet, he acted contrary to the information. Renerd furrowed his brow and said,
“I didn’t expect you to use such tactics. After all, aren’t you the prince of Turian? Did you learn that while waging war? You threw chivalry out the window, huh?”
It was a remark meant to humiliate, but Yulien replied flatly without changing his expression.
“I learned it from a friend.”
“What? What kind of friend?”
“Duke Penris.”
“…….”
Renerd chuckled derisively. He had heard that everyone around Duke Penris was strange, but it seemed they were being influenced like this.
In reality, it was Ghislaine who had taught Yulien to do this.
— You can attack across space, right? Start a conversation and then cut him down. No need to be tedious, right?
So he tried it out, and it indeed worked well. If the opponent were weaker than Renerd, it would probably work perfectly.
Though he didn’t act sloppily due to his well-honed posture, he had no intention of adhering to chivalry even against an enemy.
He had never been interested in that in the first place.
Renerd gritted his teeth at how composed Yulien appeared. It seemed unlikely he could easily shake his resolve.
“Alright, let me see your skills.”
Boom!
As he gathered all his strength, an overwhelming wave of mana spread around him.
Simultaneously Yulien moved and swung his sword.
Clang!
Renerd’s sword clashed against Yulien’s. However, even with the block, Renerd’s clothes were torn, and he bore wounds on his body.
Even blocking was a problem. The effects of the mana transcended space and pressured him.
But who was Renerd? He had led the Revolutionary Group in the shadows until now. The more cautious he was, the better his improvisation became.
Swoosh!
In an instant, his body shook, creating multiple afterimages. It was an incredible technique that would likely deceive others.
However, it couldn’t fool Yulien’s eyes. He could read the flow.
In a split second, Yulien grasped the flow of mana and swung his sword toward one side.
Swoosh!
Renerd’s body was slashed again. Barely twisting his body, he avoided a fatal wound and pulled several marbles from his pocket to throw.
Boom!
The marbles shattered, filling the air with dense smoke. It was so thick he couldn’t see an inch ahead.
But such an attack was of little use against a superhuman. The obscured vision might cause slight interference, but they could still sense the presence.
Renerd wasn’t oblivious to that. He merely sought to create a favorable battlefield for himself.
Swish!
Renerd retrieved a chain sickle from behind his waist. It was significantly smaller than an ordinary chain sickle, and the chain was extremely thin.
The special mechanism in the handle allowed him to store the chain, so it merely looked like a small sickle at first glance.
These two chain sickles, which he carried everywhere, were Renerd’s true weapons. Though they appeared harmless due to their portability, their effect altered dramatically in the hands of a superhuman.
Whoosh!
Renerd swung the mana-infused chain sickle wide. It could strike a significant distance.
Yulien evaded the suddenly appearing chain sickle that pierced through the fog with ease. Then he swung his sword towards the direction of the flying sickle.
Swoosh!
Though he felt the sensation of being cut, it was shallow. Renerd had already changed positions while throwing the chain sickle.
Renerd yanked the sickle embedded in the ground, using its force to reveal himself next to Yulien.
Whoosh!
In a split second, they moved like superhumans. Even a moment of obstructed vision could be fatal.
Yet, before Yulien even turned his head, he was already holding his sword.
Clang!
Yulien’s sword and Renerd’s blade collided, sparking flames.
As the attack was blocked, Renerd once again hid within the fog. At the same time, the chain sickle rose into the air, targeting Yulien.
Clang!
The chain sickle and Renerd’s sword recklessly showed up as they targeted Yulien.
And as time passed, their speed began to increase. Renerd had finally unleashed all the power he had kept hidden.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Yulien couldn’t afford to underestimate the attacks, swinging his sword swiftly to block them.
If he dodged the chain sickle, Renerd’s sword would come in. If he blocked the sword, the chain sickle would follow.
It was as if two superhumans were overwhelming him.
Renerd’s martial techniques were indeed astonishing, enough to make Yulien scowl for a moment.
Amidst the fog, the two moved at incredible speeds, exchanging blows. But the standoff didn’t last long.
Yulien changed his strategy. He decided to slash through the space around him entirely.
It would consume a lot of mana, but there was no reason to be pulled along by the opponent’s superior skills.
Clang! Clang!
After a brief clash, Yulien didn’t miss the opening and swung his sword fiercely.
He wasn’t targeting anything specific. It was merely an attack aimed at every direction the sword swung.
Swoosh!
“Cough!”
The hurried Renerd felt his side get sliced, letting out a groan.
‘What kind of monster is this guy?’
He had pride in his own strength, but this was on a different level.
Even after pouring endless attacks, the opponent remained unscathed. He had barely inflicted a minor wound on his side.
While he was getting battered and drenched in his own blood.
Even though his weapon was coated in a potent toxin, the opponent seemed to remain completely unaffected. He couldn’t comprehend how.
‘This won’t do.’
He had no intention of continuing the fight anyway. He was thinking of seizing the opportunity to escape.
Grasp!
Renerd tossed his sword away.
Clang!
As expected, it was blocked. But he still had one more trick up his sleeve.
Whoosh!
The remaining chain sickle tied at his waist flew to the opposite side.
And the other chain sickle darted toward Yulien.
Clang!
Though Yulien deflected the chain sickle and moved forward, Renerd had already used the other sickle to distance himself.
He immediately unleashed a burst of mana and started to dash like a madman.
“Stop him!”
The Mobile Army, which had already tidied up the village, was encircling the two. Renerd pulled more marbles from his pocket and hurled them.
Bang! Boom! Bang!
Dense smoke filled the area. It was so thick it was hard to even open one’s eyes.
“Ah! What is this!”
“I can’t see!”
“Chase after him quickly!”
The Mobile Army couldn’t pursue Renerd amidst such fog.
Yulien sensed the presence and chased after, but Renerd swung the long chain sickle once again to deter him.
After repeating this several times, he finally managed to create some distance. Renerd fled without looking back.
Yulien halted his pursuit. Recognizing that if someone like him had created this much distance, it would be difficult to catch up.
He wasn’t in a state to use all his strength either.
“……Quite strong.”
Yulien muttered in pure admiration. No one had lasted this long against him in a one-on-one duel.
The leader of the Revolutionary Group was indeed formidable.
“Yulien! Are you alright!”
As the smoke began to clear, soldiers scrambled toward him.
“I’m fine.”
Black blood flowed from Yulien’s side. He had been using mana to prevent the toxin from spreading until now.
While regular poisons could be completely broken down using mana, the toxin Renerd used didn’t dissipate that easily.
This was the strongest poison he had encountered thus far. Even more potent than the one he had been ambushed with as a child.
It was astounding where such a rare poison had come from.
Regardless, Yulien nonchalantly sprayed a potion on the wound. He could push it out in a few days with some mana cultivation.
However, he felt the need to warn others to be cautious about the poison. Though superhumans wouldn’t easily die from it, their combat power would significantly drop.
“Let’s go back.”
At Yulien’s command, the Mobile Army organized the village and loaded goods onto wagons.
The mission ended here. Now they had to join the Allied Forces.
As Yulien returned, he fell into a small contemplation.
‘Lacking.’
While the opponent was skilled, they weren’t unbeatable. In fact, he had practically dominated the battle.
But ultimately, he had let him slip away.
It was due to the opponent’s trickery, but given its level, it was hard to dismiss it as just a trick.
And the opponent was also excellent at improvisation. After all, hadn’t he fallen victim to the poison? That meant the opponent had more experience than him.
‘So that’s how it is.’
Yulien was still lacking in experience. Despite his incredible talent, he had never battled an opponent of equal or greater strength to gain the experience necessary to grow.
His fight against Helgenik was likely the first of such.
Even with talent so great he could refine and grow just by breathing, that alone didn’t fill the gaps in experience.
Yulien was slowly starting to feel this through the war.
Today, merely encountering the leader of the Revolutionary Group was a significant gain for him. He could discern what he lacked once more.
‘Next time……’
Next time, he wouldn’t fall for the same trick. He had gained new insights today.
And he was growing stronger every single day.
*
The Mobile Army raided the Revolutionary Group’s hideout and returned to the Ruthania Army’s stronghold.
Claude, seeing the wagons the Mobile Army had dragged back, was in a frenzy.
“Come on! Why do you bring back this kind of stuff every time! It’s overwhelming!”
Ghislaine always brought back items of value whenever she went out. It was no different from when they were in the territory.
The Mobile Army had divided its forces, raiding six Revolutionary Group hideouts, including Stonebrook Village.
Naturally, the amassed wealth was astronomical.
Ghislaine proudly raised her chin and said,
“Make sure to distribute this well to the Allied Forces. And have we sent troops elsewhere?”
“Of course, we’ve sent some troops to a nearby hideout.”
They had already dispatched forces to a hideout in a distant region. The Mobile Army had to participate fully in the conquest of the Kingdom of Atrode from now on.
“Alright, we’ll rest for two days and then move out. The Allied Forces on standby will advance at the same time.”
Commander Ghislaine’s orders were conveyed to everyone.
Now they would each set out toward the positions assigned to them.
And after a long-awaited rest, Ghislaine once again had that mysterious dream.