Peerless Blade

Amber’s lustrous light.

It resembled the amber gem that had been loaded on the cart.

But the feeling was somehow different from when he’d held the gem in his hand.

Back then his mind had certainly seemed to be sucked in, but now he felt something stimulating his instincts, as if strangling his heart.

Whooong!

When the sword reflected in moonlight emitted a resonant sound, cool energy from the amber arm swept the ground.

Though Kaid lightly leapt, the energy formed bright yellow droplets and followed even into empty air.

Instantly, crescent moon-like sword energy burst from the horizontally swung sword.

But the sword energy didn’t cut the yellow droplets and was rather swallowed, causing only the adverse effect of bulking up their mass.

As Kaid’s eyes narrowed thinly, the diffused yellow light swallowed empty air.

“Ooh, O God…”

Sword energy swept the body praising something worshipped ceaselessly.

Swish!

Only after hearing the sound did he realize his arm had been cut.

Kaid stood behind him while grasping the arm glowing amber.

How could he, who should certainly have been swallowed…?

Bang, bang!

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of bodies that had rushed to the wall tower tore apart.

They hadn’t even seen when he swung.

As Kaid’s gaze swept over, soldiers had become cold corpses.

“Kuaaaaak!”

He belatedly clutched the severed arm and wailed in pain.

As if uninterested in him rolling on the ground, Kaid looked around.

‘Evil power.’

Everything that had touched the yellow was rotting away.

The problem was that energy was also included in those things.

After shooting sword energy in empty air, the energy swallowed by yellow had rotted into a festering state and boosted the enemy’s energy.

Kaid, who’d instinctively judged he shouldn’t clash head-on with this suspicious energy, increased speed another level and broke through the yellow light’s flank. Simultaneously while cutting off the amber arm, he realized two things.

One. Amber possessed death energy that made all things existing in creation rot, including energy.

One. Though amber had power to proliferate, if the caster’s consciousness didn’t reach, it drew simple paths then disappeared.

The point was whether the caster could command it.

But unlike spirit power, it didn’t matter if energy wasn’t continuously injected.

It independently absorbed energy planted in all things and spread out.

‘It even overwhelms spirit power.’

The problem was that this evil energy pressed down on spirit power.

How many such casters were being raised in the west?

When the amber arm held in his hand returned to a pale color without any feeling, Kaid discarded it without lingering attachment and threw his body from the wall tower.

“That direction!”

“Catch the raider!”

Thousands of plunderers came out holding up even torches to search the castle interior thoroughly, and fire spirits embroidered the night sky to make it bright as midday.

While crossing the border’s center bursting out like fireworks, soft wind wrapped around Kaid.

[Supreme General, we’re sorry for being late to attend you.]

As he listened to words Number 6 conveyed on the wind, Kaid’s appearance vanished without a trace.

It was a high-level spirit caster’s ability to manipulate wind flow to hide a person’s appearance.

Around when he thought Number 6 had become more proficient, Kaid had already escaped the border vicinity.

As soon as he met with the Royal Guard waiting at the mountain’s edge, Kaid spoke firmly.

“Pursuers will come rushing. From now we take turns standing night watch in three groups and conquer the enemy’s key points one by one.”

“How far will we head?”

At first he’d intended to push in to a region friendly forces could make a base.

He’d thought the west’s midpoint would be sufficient.

But his thinking changed after facing the amber arm.

“Until we collect things related to the Soul Ledger.”

He couldn’t be confident raising an army without confirming that ominous thing.

“Even if we go to those bastards’ capital, we must confirm it.”

“Understood!”

The Royal Guard drew in spirit power and wore covert operation clothing.

They headed secretly to the next point, choosing only nighttime mountain travel to avoid being caught in enemy surveillance.

Western plunderers had formed a nation’s framework through the alliance of 7 major tribes and 8 medium and small-scale tribes.

After declaring themselves the western nation, the plunderer groups newly reformed their system.

To make the 8 medium and small-scale tribes into mighty forces, they compressed them into 3.

With a total of 10 major tribes born, each guarding their own gateway, they named this the 10 Tribes Alliance.

Kaid intended to thin out the 10 Tribes as much as possible.

“If this place, they’ll possess Spirit Stones in large quantities. Supply as much as possible so we can move to the next point.”

“Yes!”

The Royal Guard’s role was ultimately to prepare a place for Kaid to fight each Chiefs.

Processing remnant soldiers was their duty.

“Huuuff~!”

When Numbers 3 and 4 gathered spirit power together and blew out breath, thick fog bloomed.

When Number 6’s wind was added, the fog covered the 10th Tribe in an instant. And the Royal Guard scattered in all directions.

They proceeded with preliminary work to prevent alarms from ringing while quickly eliminating soldiers guarding the gateway.

Simultaneously, Numbers 7 and 8 began grasping the castle’s spirit power.

To find where Spirit Stones to utilize as tools were, but they were conversely detected by strange presences.

“Not bad.”

Kaid drew his sword and crossed the castle in one bound.

Simultaneously, magnificent flashes burst out.

Drawing a circle with the sword to suck them in and flowing them to empty air, boisterous roars echoed like fireworks bursting.

“It’s the 10th Tribe. Use Spirit Stones.”

The moment words that flowed in riding fog transmitted to the Royal Guard, explosions burst out in places.

Since this place’s master had noticed, surprise was impossible. With enemy forces and spirit casters already infiltrating into the fog, he couldn’t allow interference with the fight against the 10th Tribe.

Therefore, he dispersed enemy gazes through chaos using Spirit Stones.

The problem was the 10th Tribe’s energy sense was good enough to conversely detect the Royal Guard’s spirit power.

In a situation where fog didn’t act as an obstacle, the 10th Tribe’s movements tore through chaos like an enraged beast.

Bang!

“…!”

Kaid’s sword struck up the heavy spear that had precisely aimed for Number 3’s windpipe.

“Regroup.”

“Yes!”

Number 3 immediately stopped generating fog. Thanks to that, even Number 4’s feet were freed, but the fog thinned.

If wind blew fiercely, it seemed it would blow away immediately. With this calm air current, it would roughly maintain until before dawn rose.

“About one breath?”

Kaid let the sword hang down and flowed out energy. Instantly, the large-built spear wielder beyond the fog’s body flinched.

“I see. So you’re the strange bastard who tore up the border! This piercingly blue… the sharp thing is definitely the Demon!”

The spear swirled and gathered fog.

The form that fully revealed appearance truly resembled a beast.

A giant covered in pitch-black fur all over his body.

Fingernails and toenails were sharp like a great tiger’s, and muscles looked like viewing tempered steel.

10th Tribe, Fierce Tiger Kral.

A battlefield beast who’d made a contract with a rare beast spirit.

“You impudent bastard! Did you dare think to invade this place bringing only those blood clumps! I’ll pierce that arrogant mouth with my spear and hang it where all tribes gather!”

When he grasped the spear with both hands, the drawn fog began rotating.

Kral’s spear technique that conversely wrapped the opponent’s energy to amplify destructive power could be said to be counted among the best in close combat.

But Kaid wasn’t looking at the spear.

He observed the muscles extending from Kral’s wrist starting to shoulder and neck.

‘All spirit casters have breathing.’

Before using mighty techniques, they breathed deeply to absorb energy existing in surroundings.

That was spirit technique’s basics.

The one who used amber violated this law, but fortunately Kral seemed bound by spirit technique.

Amber users might not be as numerous in the west as thought. If so, the story became simple.

‘If breathing and flesh and technique don’t combine as one, gaps will surely open.’

Find and sever that breathing’s pulse.

Not spirit technique but basic weapon arts.

Something like a master’s proof visible the moment one surpassed a certain level.

“Hup!”

Kral burst rough breathing and charged ferociously.

The spear technique containing speed to the degree the ground crumbled could be called certain death in one blow, but Kaid’s sword was already sweeping low.

Clang!

The sword that grazed Kral’s knee bounced off Kaid’s hand as if pounding steel.

Conversely, Kral’s spear grazed Kaid’s bangs. Touching with fingertips the hair that had fallen in strands, Kaid looked back.

Kral was laughing heartily with a confident expression.

“Kuhahahaha! The bastard called Demon Captain! Can’t even guard his beloved blade and drops it! Know a general’s shame, you bastard!”

Kaid walked silently toward where the sword had fallen.

At the appearance too carefree to call a battlefield, Kral frowned.

“Where are you looking away…”

Suddenly his body tilted to one side.

Kral who’d hurriedly struck down the spear like a cane for support looked down.

Dynamic muscles were cracking pitch-black.

“…!”

After contracting with the beast spirit, his body had become harder than ordinary steel.

Ordinary spirit power couldn’t even leave scratches. But necrosis was progressing on a knee merely struck once by a sword?

“Cough!”

As a pitch-black line climbed from knee to chest, Kral vomited blood blackened with death.

“You were certainly solid. Therefore, the blade’s boundary also seemed fallen.”

If it were an attack visible to eyes, Kral would certainly have protected his body.

But this internal impact technique was a ‘hidden blade’ that concentrated faintly flowing power instantly at the impact point to sever meridians inside the body.

If one took as is a sword that merely looked ordinary from lacking spirit power and speed, necrosis would begin from the impact point like Kral now.

“Co-cowardly bastard! Poison… Cough!”

Even in Barganta, no one besides Kaid used it because the technique was difficult.

Kral might have been shocked if he’d heard the principle of instantly concentrating minimal energy in the sword then tearing through the body’s meridians in an instant.

But no more words could be heard from him who’d become a corpse.

One exchange was sufficient.

“Spirit Stones?”

[Secured!]

“Objective achieved. Refrain from meaningless conflicts.”

[Ah… Yes!]

Not knowing he’d organize the situation before the fog even dispersed, the Royal Guard’s voices were mixed with surprise and joy.

Kaid cut off Kral’s head and crossed the fog.

Cleanly cutting down spirit casters who looked bothersome, he soon arrived at the hill where the Royal Guard waited.

Number 9 was wrapping bandages on his shoulder.

“Poison?”

“I’m sorry, Supreme General!”

Kaid shook his head.

“You’ve run without rest until here. Concentration must have scattered.”

“N-no sir!”

“Kral’s death will soon propagate throughout the western region. The 9th Tribe’s security will become more severe than now. But we haven’t yet reached the desired goal.”

Kaid looked at Number 9 and the Royal Guard.

“Can you follow me?”

The Royal Guard let out laughter.

It was always like this. Even when they seemed exhausted, he didn’t give words of comfort.

Rather, he stimulated the Royal Guard who’d grown up receiving special treatment in each tribe.

‘We’ll respond.’

‘We’ll follow to the end!’

Thanks to staying together to the end with Kaid who didn’t back down, they’d surpassed limits to reach the Royal Guard.

Not the slightest desire existed to show exhaustion and part from him.

“Don’t ask needless words.”

“We’ll move immediately when spirit power recovers.”

Kaid nodded and looked down below the hill.

Not a trace of wavering existed in eyes surveying the noisy castle interior.

Where was Kaid’s limit, who had composure to spare even after processing the 10th Tribe Kral alone?

The Royal Guard looked at Kaid with fear, aspiration, and awe.

The battlefield together with him never seemed like it would lose.

Kaid and the Royal Guard quickly broke through the 9th and 8th Chiefs.

The strategy of using underground passages to raid the 9th and 8th Chiefs’ residences precisely struck the blind spot of enemies preparing for frontal assault.

Kaid’s overwhelming swordsmanship began striking throughout the western region.

Those who’d been skeptical about the legend of Kaid called Barganta’s Peerless now trembled just seeing the demon mask.

Fear planted in them in future war could be laid as foundation for victory.

“The 7th Tribe.”

In a fortnight they’d broken through the 9th and 8th Chiefs to reach the 7th.

This place bordered rougher mountain terrain than other Chiefs.

There were no underground caves and surprise through fog was impossible.

‘As expected, we must make this place our base.’

The region originally targeted for a Barganta base was precisely this place.

This place where mountain terrain and castle interlocked to be born as a natural fortress was tactically valuable to utilize.

He was thinking of methods to break through while damaging the castle as little as possible and take the 7th Tribe’s head.

“…!”

Kaid’s gaze crossed the wall.

The amber something felt at the tribe and border.

Energy darker and more evil than that surged strongly inside the 7th Tribe.