C526

Thunk!

A dull sound echoed as Kevin's body crashed to the ground.

After falling, he died after a few convulsions.

The final order to receive the Emperor's edict became Kevin's last words.

The vanguard leader, who came to attack Sword Emperor Castle, met his end with a single sword strike.

The Emperor's vanguard soldiers couldn't take their eyes off Kevin's corpse for a while.

Accepting his death, even after seeing it with their own eyes, was challenging.

It wasn't because there were many who normally respected Kevin or had a deep friendship with him.

More than 90% of the vanguard soldiers didn't understand why Kevin had died.

'What just happened?'

'Did the leader really die? Seriously?'

At the moment when frontline knights had doubts, two beams of light flashed again on the walls of Sword Emperor Castle.

The second sword shot extended further than the first, cutting both wings of the red dragon and leaving a bright trail in the sky.

[Roar!]

Finally, even the red dragon lost its wings and fell to the ground, and all vanguard soldiers realized that it was Dante's sword technique that had killed Kevin.

"Did the dragon not heed my words? I told it not to dare to look down on Sword Emperor Castle."

He seemed to speak softly, but the energy-filled voice spread across the entire plain.

Now, everyone daring to look down on Sword Emperor Castle had disappeared.

In their place, Dante looked down at all the vanguard soldiers from atop the castle walls.

It was then that the vanguard soldiers could feel that the place they came to join was Sword Emperor Castle.

In the face of that terrifying realization, frontline knights froze for a moment.

Some primitive fear, derived from the name "Hairan," pierced their minds.

"Did he shoot the sword from that wall... with this speed and power?"

Scott Harlow, the commander of the Central Knights, spoke, and other key knights shook their heads in astonishment.

"It's no joke; he is the successor of the Sword Emperor."

"Dante Hairan. I always remembered him as dignified and gentle, but seeing him like this, he is truly a formidable beast..."

Not only frontline knights but also commanders felt a shiver run down their spines.

Dante had become one of the most famous figures in the Empire, skipping generations and becoming the young patriarch of Hairan.

From the moment he became the young patriarch, various rumors followed Dante.

Such as his small physique, weak endurance, and his attractive face, which didn't seem boneless by nature, made people doubt Dante.

Moreover, Dante did not often participate in the Empire's martial arts competitions.

Even those were mostly private competitions, so few people knew Dante's true abilities.

But those who had seen Dante's sword, witnesses of his growth, unanimously gathered and said:

The next First Sword of the World has already been decided.

In the midst of the cold silence, only the cries of the fallen red dragon filled the plain.

Magicians hurried to cast healing magic and tried to support its wings, but it was not enough.

"I am Dante Hilan, the young patriarch of Hairan and deputy lord of Sword Emperor Castle. Explain why the Imperial Army has come to seek Sword Emperor Castle."

Scott Harlow took a step forward.

"Scott Harlow of the Central Knights! Dante-nim, do not do this. You are going down an irreversible path. His Majesty has ordered to stop the war as soon as Hairan returns the White Stone!"

"There is no such stone, Scott Harlow-nim. Even if there were, the Emperor cannot treat Hairan like this."

"Dante-nim! You still have a chance. I, as a Warrior who has always admired Hairan, hope that Sword Emperor Castle returns to the people's and His Majesty's embrace!"

"Opportunity? Don't you know that the Emperor is blinded by power and intends to break the empire's pillar? If it is indeed so, I will give you one last chance. Drop your swords immediately and surrender. I will forgive everyone. But if you decide to join the Emperor knowing his intentions...."

Dante raised his aura and continued his words.

"Not a single one of those who raised their swords against Hairan will survive. The fact that you are simply forced to obey orders cannot be considered any excuse. All of you... are knights."

Even if they were ordinary people, there was no room for leisure against more than a thousand knights.

Rather, they had to eliminate them as soon as possible before the main force arrived to make the next battle less burdensome.

From the moment the Emperor's purge began, Dante was determined to kill and die.

Even if he had to kill a thousand, ten thousand, or more people, Dante had no intention of stopping before the Emperor.

Damn it, it's not Ron-nim, but I thought Dante Hiran would give me a little space to talk.

There will be no response to this.

'In the end, if he chooses to perish...'

It was then.

One of the knights in formation dropped his sword to the ground.

Thud!

In an instant, all heads turned towards him.

"I... I can't fight against Hairan. If Hairan hadn't intervened in the Shuka battle, our entire clan would have been annihilated."

"What is this...!"

Clang!

Starting with him, frontline knights dropped their swords to the ground like oil-soaked paper catching fire.

"I can't fight against Hairan either. The reason I could become a knight as an orphan was due to Hairan's knight scholarship."

"I was also supported by Hairan's scholarship...."

"I am also indebted to Hairan...."

More than half of the rank knights dropped their swords like this.

It happened in less than a minute.

"Pick up your swords immediately!"

"Fools! Do you think you can defy the Emperor's orders and survive?"

The vanguard commanders were left speechless by this sudden turn of events.

The frontline knights who had discarded their swords even went as far as to kneel.

Dante killed the vanguard leader with a single sword strike, and with just a few words, the morale of the vanguard was completely demoralized.

Commanders like Scott, Marvin, Gloria, and Loya had never imagined such a case.

They didn't know what to do and could only look alternately at the knights dropping their swords and Sword Emperor Castle.

'This is madness!'

Scott clenched his teeth.

He knew better than anyone that if they showed this kind of appearance when the main force arrived, both the commanders and the rank knights would not end with a simple punishment.

Swish-!

Scott brandished his sword and struck the neck of a knight who had dropped his sword.

The decision was made.

"What kind of insolence is this in front of the traitors? All who have abandoned their swords will be executed without delay!"

The knights of Sword Emperor Castle hadn't even drawn their swords yet...

But sources of blood spread throughout the Emperor's vanguard camp.

The knights who dropped their swords offered no resistance.

Therefore, it was difficult for the vanguard knights to suppress the feeling of unease in their hearts as they wielded their swords to kill their fellow knights.

"Fools! Do you think anything will change by doing this? When the main force arrives, Sword Emperor Castle will be doomed anyway!"

Indeed, the vanguard army commanders had been uneasy from the moment they set foot in this place.

Kevin Ferrell, of the Dragon King Knights, lacked the skill and virtue necessary to assume the role of leader, and most of the thousand rank knights were composed of those who received Hairan's grace.

The results were evident: Kevin Ferrell rushed forward like lightning and met his death, and the knights, who refused to fight, now offered their necks.

When the situation reached this point, the commanders couldn't shake off the feeling that the Emperor's intentions were hidden in the composition of the forces and the selection of the leader from the beginning.

"Damn it, pick up the sword...!"

More than fifty knights' necks had already been severed.

The vanguard army commanders and squadron leaders who didn't drop their swords seemed on the verge of losing their heads.

The words "irreversible" seemed more fitting for them than for Sword Emperor Castle.

"Sword Emperor Castle!"

When Dante shouted, the knights waiting in the castle all climbed the walls at once.

"Rescue those who have not forgotten Hairan's grace. And bring down those who stand in the way."

As soon as the order was given, the wall knights rushed down to the plain.

At the same time, the castle gates opened, and knights came out from there.

Those who came out from the gate took care of clearing the way, and those who jumped took care of the siege, and a formation was established in an instant.

Just as Dante was about to take a step forward, Shuras Helter grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Young patriarch, don't go out. The main force will arrive soon, so you should save your strength until then. Excluding the Five Sword Saints, you are the only one who can handle the main knights of the main army, young patriarch."

Both in body and mind.

Dante was barely keeping his composure.

He tried to run immediately to save the people who remembered Hairan's grace dead in front of him, but he, who was naturally weak, was already exhausted from the encounter.

And Dante is the strongest knight and the deputy lord of Sword Emperor Castle along with the Five Sword Saints of Hairan, who are currently Ron's followers.

"I see."

The Five Sword Saints of Hairan were not currently in Sword Emperor Castle.

There is hope as long as everyone returns safe and sound, and Dante can fight to the fullest.

All the knights of Sword Emperor Castle thought the same.

Instead of Dante, half of the patriarchs of the thirty clans threw themselves to the ground.

The battle with the vanguard army was becoming a unilateral victory for Hairan.

Although there are dragons, magicians, and war equipment, there is too much difference in the number of knights.

However, the goal of the knights of Hairan was not to annihilate but to rescue the knights who had abandoned their swords, making the suppression less swift.

Hairan currently lacked an outstanding knight capable of sweeping the battlefield.

If Dante played that role, it would be an instant, but considering the main unit, Shuras' judgment was 100% correct.

"For the glory of Hairan!"

"Those dogs of the empire dare not speak of honor!"

As the evening battle concluded, the suppression was coming to an end.

All that remained were a few key knights, a dragon, and about ten magicians including Loya.

On the other hand, there were only a handful of casualties among Hairan's knights.

More than a hundred knights who dropped their swords were rescued, and the battle with the vanguard was a complete victory.

However, around that time, the knights who were guarding the side and reading gates of Sword Emperor Castle were checking the main force of the imperial army that had begun to appear in the distance.

"The main force of the imperial army is approaching!"

"About 20 pieces of Yellow Dragon-class artillery have been confirmed! We will activate the defense equipment!"

Not only at the side and rear gates but also beyond the main gate, the support of the main force of the imperial army was approaching.

The earlier report of at least ten times the size of the vanguard seemed to be true.

At first glance, the number of knights besieging Sword Emperor Castle far exceeded 10,000.

"....The rescue operation is over. From now on, we will begin the annihilation operation, everyone," said Dante as he looked at the newly appeared enemies.