By the time Yulian began his pursuit, Leonard had already fled a considerable distance.
"Huff, huff…"
Blood streamed from the wounds across his body, but he had no time to tend to them. His face was filled with shock as he muttered under his breath.
"Insane… he got even stronger in that short time? How is that even possible? What the hell is he?"
Leonard had fought Yulian once before. Even back then, Yulian was so overwhelmingly strong that Leonard had barely escaped with his life.
This time, Leonard thought it was an opportunity. He had convinced Count Kalmund accordingly.
— We need to kill him while he's alone. Send the priests and the elite knights.
Count Kalmund was a brilliant commander who understood just how critical Yulian was to the allied forces.
Thus, Kalmund had readily agreed to Leonard's suggestion, deploying priests and the best knights.
It was more than sufficient. By Leonard's assessment, no matter how strong Yulian was, he couldn't possibly survive that attack.
Four priests, fifty elite knights, and Leonard himself—a force capable of destroying a minor territory in a single day.
But the result was disastrous.
"How could this happen? What did he do?"
That formidable force could only "hold out" against Yulian, and even that was fleeting. Yulian had wiped out the priests and knights with astonishing ease.
Leonard, in a state of panic, had no choice but to run.
"That damned monster…"
Leonard cursed under his breath. Yulian's intrusion had thrown his army into disarray, breaking their formation and plunging them into chaos.
Then, the allied cavalry had charged in during the confusion, ensuring total annihilation.
"Can that guy even be stopped?"
Despite the entire force converging on him, Yulian had handled them with apparent ease. No human should be capable of limitless strength.
Yet Yulian showed no signs of fatigue, even in prolonged combat. His mastery of mana was so precise that it was nearly impossible to gauge his actual state.
This left his opponents unable to predict his condition, leading them to either surrender preemptively or fall apart.
"Huff, huff…"
Leonard came to a stop and surveyed his surroundings.
He had fled deep into a mountainous area, far from the battlefield. After a frantic retreat, he had finally escaped.
"I'll hide here for a while and then flee further."
At least he had survived. While the Revolutionary Group's main force had been wiped out with the 3rd Corps, smaller factions were scattered across the continent.
"I can rebuild."
In a world torn by war, bandits were plentiful. With his skills, he could rally them under his banner.
Though his dreams of seizing a kingdom and stepping into the light had been crushed, returning to raiding estates in the shadows seemed achievable.
After all, he was still a superhuman.
"Duke Fenris… Prince of Turian… I hope I never meet them again."
Leonard was cautious by nature and had excellent judgment. He knew he couldn't contend with either of them.
"Ha…"
He concealed himself among the dense trees and rocks. As he sat, catching his breath, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Hey."
"What?!"
Startled, Leonard crouched low and scanned his surroundings. There was no one in sight.
Then the voice spoke again.
"Over here, up here."
When Leonard lifted his gaze slightly, his eyes widened. A raven was perched in a tree.
"A raven…?"
"You managed to run this far, huh? Ugh, chasing you was such a hassle."
"A talking raven…?"
Leonard fell silent. He recognized this plump raven. It had been circling around Yulian during battle.
He suddenly recalled an earlier encounter, when he'd fled from Duke Fenris and killed a raven that had appeared during his escape.
He'd also heard rumors that the Lutania forces used a talking raven to relay messages, which explained their exceptional speed in communication.
He hadn't believed it, but now it seemed true. This seemingly immortal raven was indeed functioning as their messenger.
"You… tracked me down?"
"Of course. Did you think you could escape from me? Ignorant fool. Do you feel the gap between us now?"
Dark tilted his head arrogantly, exuding an air so grandiose that even a legendary demon king might pale in comparison.
Rattle.
Leonard drew out a chain sickle. His position was exposed; he had to kill the raven and flee immediately.
But Dark addressed him with unexpected words.
"Become my subordinate."
"…What?"
"If you kneel now and pledge loyalty, I'll grant you a chance to live. Yulian and Ghislain are both my subordinates, you know."
"…"
"They'd do anything I say. Sparing you wouldn't be a problem at all."
Grit.
Leonard clenched his teeth and infused mana into his chain sickle. After all the times he'd fled, even a raven was now mocking him.
A talking raven was intriguing, but only to a point. Assuming it was some kind of spirit, Leonard swung the chain sickle.
'Behind?'
Before the chain could fly, Leonard rolled to the side. He had sensed a faint presence behind him.
Seeing this, Dark burst out laughing.
"Ha-ha-ha! What's this? I didn't even do anything, and you're rolling around!"
Ignoring Dark, Leonard turned his head—and froze. Standing behind him was Yulian.
Yulian hadn't even attacked. But having faced him multiple times, Leonard instinctively dodged the moment he sensed his presence.
'He already caught up…'
Leonard bit his lip. It seemed that damned raven had led Yulian straight to him.
There was no way to win in a one-on-one fight. As his eyes darted around, he slowly raised his hands.
"I surrender, I surrender! I'll do whatever you want, just spare me. You know I'm a valuable asset."
Glancing at Dark, Leonard added, "The raven promised to spare me. It said you were its subordinates… I hope you'll honor that promise."
Dark quickly flew to Yulian's side and exclaimed, "Don't misunderstand! I was just stalling him until you arrived!"
Dark was flustered. While he had intended to negotiate with Leonard for some leverage, he hadn't expected Leonard to outright betray him.
Yulian ignored both Leonard's words and Dark's protests.
Sching.
He drew his sword. He had no intention of sparing Leonard, no matter what.
Leonard stepped back and said, "Wait, I surrendered. The raven promised—"
"I refuse."
The Revolutionary Group had plunged the continent into chaos even before the Salvation Church's rise. Their countless raids and unrest had caused immense suffering.
Yulian intended to kill Leonard here and now. That's why he had delayed his rendezvous to pursue him.
Without another word, Yulian swung his sword.
Slash!
"Ugh!"
Leonard leaped to the side as his chest was slashed deeply. No matter how many times he fought Yulian, he couldn't comprehend the techniques behind his attacks.
All he could do was barely evade a fatal blow.
Puff!
Thick fog enveloped the area. Leonard had used a smoke bomb to create a smokescreen.
Amid the haze, he instinctively twisted his body. A sharp pain shot through his shoulder.
Slash!
"Ugh!"
He was lucky. Had he not twisted, it wouldn't have been his shoulder but his neck.
This also revealed something important. While Yulian could track his presence, the fog disrupted his precision. If Leonard moved quickly enough, he might be able to escape.
He hurled one of his chain sickles toward Yulian.
Clang!
He knew it wouldn't work. The throw was meant as a distraction while he prepared his escape.
He had already hooked the other chain sickle onto a nearby tree. Pulling on it, he began to move.
Puff! Puff!
Leonard set off several more smoke bombs, obscuring his movements in the dense fog.
As the smokescreen thickened, he kept throwing chain sickles toward Yulian to keep him at bay.
Leonard had never fought so desperately. His resolve to escape this time was unmatched.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Yulian deflected the incoming chain sickles as he pursued Leonard.
Leonard was undoubtedly a formidable opponent. Even as Yulian slashed at his presence, Leonard moved swiftly enough to avoid critical injuries.
The fog, in particular, proved a significant hindrance when facing a fighter like Leonard.
"Hah…"
As he ran, Yulian took a deep breath. He needed to dispel the fog first.
Raising his sword, he imbued it with will. The surrounding air began to ripple and distort. Yulian could sense the hidden, unseen flow of the world within the fog.
He swung his sword.
Fwoooosh!
A thunderous sound echoed as the fog began to part.
The mist struggled, as if it were a living creature resisting, but it was powerless against Yulian's will.
In an instant, the fog scattered and disappeared. What remained was a clear and vivid world.
Dark, hovering in the sky, muttered as he watched.
"Are you a monster?"
As a being of pure energy, Dark could sense the phenomenon better than anyone else.
The natural flows of the world had been forcibly severed and erased by Yulian's will.
"Come to think of it… that…"
It was different from the technique Ghislain had recently displayed, but eerily similar. Since Dark shared consciousness among his clones, he had seen both techniques.
If Ghislain harmonized with the flow of the world to unleash his power, Yulian forcibly reversed the flow and dominated it.
Leonard, who had been fleeing, panicked as the fog suddenly cleared.
"W-what the…?"
The dense mist that had enveloped the area had vanished in the blink of an eye.
Even a mage might have been able to dissipate the fog, but not eradicate it so swiftly.
He hesitated for only a moment, but it was a critical mistake. Yulian had already closed the distance and swung his sword.
Clang!
Leonard barely managed to block the strike with his chain sickle, then hurled the other sickle at Yulian.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Two chain sickles and one sword moved at speeds almost too fast to follow. Any onlookers would have been awestruck by the sheer skill on display.
Leonard gritted his teeth. His muscles were taut, his nerves stretched to their limits like bowstrings.
He fought with every ounce of his strength, drawing even on instinct.
'I must survive. If I can find just one opening…'
But Yulian's sword moved as if it were alive, tightening around Leonard like a predator's coil.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Hundreds of attacks and parries occurred in a matter of seconds.
The speed and precision of the exchange were beyond human limits.
Though Leonard was far stronger than most priests of the Salvation Church, even he was being overwhelmed by Yulian's extraordinary skill.
Clang!
Leonard crossed his chain sickles to block Yulian's sword, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. He threw one of the chain sickles toward a nearby tree.
He thought it was his chance to escape, but that moment of decision sealed his fate.
Slash!
Time seemed to freeze. Yulian's sword sliced through the air, leaving a gleaming blue arc in its wake.
The next moment, Leonard's arm flew through the air.
"Arghhh!"
Leonard's scream echoed. In the brief moment his concentration wavered, Yulian's sword had mercilessly cleaved through his body.
Splurt!
Blood spurted like a fountain.
Terror and despair filled Leonard's eyes.
He knew. This fight was over.
Even as his body trembled in pain, Leonard desperately tried to move his remaining chain sickle.
But his body betrayed him. It no longer obeyed his will.
Yulian's movements seemed to control time itself. His sword arced toward Leonard's neck.
Slash!
A vivid red line appeared across Leonard's throat.
His eyes widened as crimson foam bubbled from his mouth.
Leonard, with trembling breaths, uttered his final words.
"You monster… You're not human…"
His voice carried a mix of fear, reverence, and profound despair.
Clink.
Without a trace of emotion, Yulian sheathed his sword. His actions were calm, as if performing a routine task.
Thud.
As the blade clicked fully into its scabbard, Leonard's head rolled to the ground.
The leader of the Revolutionary Group, who had once thrown the continent into chaos, met his end this way.
Yulian stood there for a moment, gazing at Leonard's corpse.
— You're not human…
It was a phrase he hadn't heard in a long time.
As a child, he'd often heard it from his father and others in the royal family.
They had said it because of his unusual growth and the ominous aura he exuded.
But even as he recalled his dark past, Yulian's eyes betrayed no emotion.
Like a tool that had simply completed its task, he walked away from the battlefield with quiet indifference.
Dark fluttered over and gushed with admiration.
"Big brother, you're amazing. Aren't you just the strongest in the world? Wow, if I were you, I'd start conquering the world right now. To have this much power and not use it? You're so stubborn. Seriously, so stubborn."
"…"
As always, Yulian ignored Dark's chatter. His thoughts were already focused on reuniting with Ghislain.
***
"I knew he'd pull it off."
Hearing of Yulian's exploits through Dark, Ghislain chuckled.
Leonard had been a thorn in his side even in their previous life. While they were busy fighting the rifts, Leonard had taken advantage of the chaos to grow his forces and pillage.
Now that Yulian had put an end to him, Ghislain felt immense relief.
"Alright, time to deal with the next one."
The aftermath of the war, along with various related issues, would be handled in Sardina Kingdom alongside the allied forces.
But there was someone who needed to be dealt with here and now.
Clank, clank, clank.
A group of soldiers marched briskly, dragging someone along with them.
The person being dragged was none other than the traitor who had acted as a spy during the war.
[T/L: I need your support, dear readers. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]