CATB Chapter 22

The momentum of the knights, whose fighting spirit had risen sharply, was truly like an irresistible force.

The formations that split east and west at Alexa's signal immediately rushed toward the monsters slaughtering soldiers, and the bloodied sharp swords all aimed at the monsters' necks in unison. The sword-thrusting motions were clean and fierce enough to not disgrace the name of the kingdom's finest knight order elites, even considering their worst physical and mental state.

"Keeaack!"

"Kee!! Kekeeaack"

"Kreek kreek kreek"

Seeing their comrades fall one by one with bone-chilling screams, panic appeared in the monsters' eyes. Though monsters were treated as beasts, their intelligence was superior to ordinary animals.

Their instincts warned that the situation was taking an unusual turn.

"KEEEEAACK!!!"

The place where the monsters' throat-cutting screams continued endlessly was the center of the field. The monsters that encountered Alexa had no time to guess at the strangeness of the situation. They could only leap about frantically just like the humans they had been slaughtering moments before. Even that pitiful flailing was brought to an end by the swords of the knights accompanying Alexa.

The appearance of Alexa and the knights didn't completely reverse the situation. This was because an absolute power difference existed between humans and monsters. Even though the Royal Knight Order was greatly inspired and stimulated by Alexa's words, this didn't offset the green balls flying from all directions and the monsters' overwhelming strength.

However, aside from Alexa's presence, there was something else that confused the monsters. It was the knights who kept charging again, even if they had to crawl, no matter how many times they were killed.

"Die!!!"

A knight's sword flew toward a monster's neck. His powerful arm thrust forward was hit directly by a green ball that flew from the left. The arm holding the sword flew off completely, and the recoil knocked him from his horse. In the agony penetrating his limbs, the knight gritted his teeth with all his might. Then he grabbed another fallen soldier's sword, rose from his position, and plunged it straight into the monster's neck.

"You won't advance even one step from here!!!"

Despite the extreme pain of having his arm torn off, the knight gritted his teeth and shouted. Then he raised his sword to face another monster charging toward him. It was a confrontation where the outcome was obvious at a glance. The knight had lost an arm, and the monster was charging toward him menacingly.

However, only blood-shot determination swirled in the knight's eyes. He gripped his sword even tighter with his uninjured left hand. The monster approached before his eyes. The knight raised his eyes even higher. The monster's massive claws came down at a right angle toward him. He steadied his body that was reeling from the pain and thrust his sword forward. But the monster collapsed with a thud before he could. A silver arrow was firmly lodged in its neck.

"I told you to fight, but I didn't tell you to die."

Alexa smiled and gestured to the knight beside her. The knight eventually gave a slight bow and supported the still bewildered knight's waist to mount him on a horse.

"Have the wounded evacuate separately. They're too valuable in skill to lose here."

"Yes, Commander."

As long as they didn't die, even if half their body was blown away, the royal magicians could restore them. She hadn't expected them to fight this well, but seeing the knights unexpectedly diligently facing the monsters, Alexa was quite moved.

And that emotion was also conveyed to the soldiers witnessing this scene firsthand. They had already lost all hope against the monsters surging like a tide. They had been abandoned by their king and were being abandoned by the dwindling knights. Anyway, they had always been treated as expendable materials of war that could be discarded at any time—nothing was particularly new about it.

However, a mounted knight formation appeared from somewhere and reversed the situation. Even with one arm blown off and one leg broken, the knights held their swords to the end and faced the monsters. The knight just now hadn't retreated from the monster before his eyes either. Such desperate scenes caused changes in the soldiers' weary hearts.

They wanted to help.

Even if they were to die here, they didn't want to end their lives without making any effort before those who were prepared to fight to the death. It was something like a warrior's pride—regardless of rank, they had fought and lived together on the battlefield. The soldiers hesitantly picked up the swords they had dropped.

"Huuuuaah!!!!"

Starting with someone's cheer, the soldiers rushed back into the fray where monsters and knights were entangled.

The knights in charge of the eastern monsters were having an even harder struggle.

This was because monsters that had fled from the center, where they were being overwhelmingly slaughtered, had joined them, requiring them to face a greater number of monsters. The knights' prowess, which had been like an irresistible force, was gradually showing its limits.

"Huff... huff"

After a long battle, Royal Vice-Captain Garion, who had finished his struggle with one monster, caught his ragged breath. Twelve monsters remained, and twenty knights were still alive. He tried to calm his anxious heart at the hopelessly insufficient numbers. Even in a battle where the outcome was clearly visible, he couldn't retreat. Until death, he would cut down at least one more.

Desperate determination appeared in the eyes of Garion and the knights fighting monsters alongside him.

The oldest among them was barely past thirty. For these young men, the desire for survival had passed quickly, but soon a deeper resolve was layered on top.

"If Lady Alexa could come here..."

Someone quietly spoke up. It was anxiety about the visibly decreasing number of knights spilling out. Garion, covered in green blood from stabbing a monster's neck, glanced at that knight and then turned his eyes toward Alexa fighting in the center. That place was already a mess too, so he couldn't simply request help from Alexa. His silence became the answer. The knights silently swung their swords.

Then suddenly, the monsters they were facing became noticeably agitated. They began making wild sounds, breathing heavily, and spewing green balls more frantically in all directions.

"Wh...what!!!"

"Everyone be careful! The monsters are acting strange!!!"

Before Garion could shout loudly, the monsters all turned their bodies toward one direction at once. Then they began charging madly toward a black shadow not far away. And before reaching their target, they began falling one by one. Watching monsters with far from frail builds tumbling toward the ground like rolling balls, the knights' mouths fell open.

"Th...that..."

Is that human or the reincarnation of a demon?

Looking at the man dressed entirely in black who gave off an eerie feeling just from being seen, all the knights were left speechless. Monsters threw themselves at him in droves, but they collapsed helplessly before his indifferent, striking blade.

Monsters are not benevolent creatures at all.

Yet why did that man striking down those monsters look more evil than the monsters that had been slaughtering soldiers until now? Garion wanted to believe his own eyes were seriously mistaken for finding the monsters caught by that man pitiful.

The man gradually approached their direction. The knights unconsciously felt their backs prickle and their mouths go completely dry. Garion gripped his sword tighter. As the man approached, more monsters gathered around him. Even as green monsters surrounded him, there was no sign of panic in the man. He just silently struck down with his sword.

"It's... it's Duke Belkellion..."

Someone who recognized his face as he approached closely spoke the man's name.

'Belkellion? That man was Duke Belkellion?'

Garion inwardly groaned.

Now that he saw him, it was strange he hadn't recognized him from the beginning. Yes, the only human he knew who covered his entire body in black like that was the Duke. The Pellipe Kingdom considered black quite ominous. The demons' black hair and black eyes were perceived through the medium of the color black. Alexa's hair color was also black. Since her bloodline was quite certain and her presence as a beast was more prominent, no one openly made an issue of her hair color. It would be more accurate to say that after rumors that Alexa had crushed the head of a noble who mentioned her hair color a few years ago, really no one dared to do so.

Why a black-haired child was born to the golden-haired royal family—there had been various talks when she was born. However, Raphael II, known for his relatively peaceful disposition, reacted very sensitively to talk about Alexa's hair color. He angrily said it resembled that of Alexa's mother Camilla and beheaded the baron who first brought it up. Perhaps he was also a father—after that, no nobles officially raised questions. And all these stories were woven together like a single tale and passed down through the mouths of gossips. Garion slowly mulled over the story he had heard from his father.

'Same black hair, but why...'

Both Alexa and Belkellion have black hair.

However, the aura emanating from the two people was remarkably different in color.

Alexa is not white. But she wasn't black either.

White would rather be someone like his lord.

Garion thought of the noble Berford and cast his gaze toward Belkellion.

If his lord is white, then that one is black. Looking at Belkellion, who seemed to emit black aurora with his entire body, Garion shook his head. The feeling that only his vicinity existed in quiet amid the chaotic battlefield created an even greater sense of alienation.

His presence when seen in the royal palace was nothing compared to now—it couldn't even match a five-year-old's bluff. Just how much power was the Duke hiding? If he displayed this level of intimidation for mere monster hunting, how much in an actual battlefield...

'If that one were to face my lord'

His mind quickly calculated the odds. Even though it was a calculation against Berford, called the Sword of Pellipe, Garion couldn't be certain of his lord's victory.

Looking at Belkellion, Vice-Captain Garion, who also served as the knight order's staff officer, regretted the lack of preliminary investigation into Belkellion. Thinking about why his thorough self had overlooked the Duke, Garion chuckled emptily as he recalled his appearance in the capital.

It made sense.

The Royal Knight Order stationed in the royal palace had only heard the name of Belkellion, who stayed in the frontier, but had never actually encountered him on such a battlefield. When he occasionally visited the capital as Duke, they had heard about him in passing. Due to the intimidating presence the Duke's appearance itself gave off, people who glimpsed him in passing were wary of Belkellion, but it wasn't enough to draw sustained attention. There was no opportunity for that either, as the Duke would immediately return to his territory.

Meanwhile, Belkellion, who had dealt with all the eastern monsters, approached the group of knights.

He had killed over ten monsters by himself in that short time.

The knights swallowed hard.

The massive black horse, as large as its master, snorted roughly.

Overwhelmed by that intimidation, the horses stepped back and their owners frantically shook their reins in confusion.

Belkellion looked down at them.

The knights felt chills run down their spines at his indifferent gaze.

Even Garion, who had been analyzing Belkellion all along, was no exception.

When their eyes met those black pupils, goosebumps rose.

'Can human eyes be like that?'

The black eyes contained nothing.

If Garion had seen joy in slaughter, arrogance, contempt, anything in his eyes, he would have been relieved. However, what was visible in his clearly shining pupils was nothing at all.

Belkellion glanced at the knights, then without saying anything spurred his horse and charged toward the center of the field.

Watching Belkellion disappear with his black coat tails fluttering, the knights who had been standing dazed came to their senses and followed after him. In any case, thanks to him the east had been cleanly organized, so they needed to help the other side as quickly as possible.

"Vice-Captain! We should go quickly too!"

Despite the knight's urging, Garion still followed the gradually distant black figure with his eyes.

'That one is dangerous.'

If he just continues living quietly like now, there would be no problem, but he was too hot an ember to ignore and pass by. Garion suppressed the suddenly wildly anxious heart.

Another monster equivalent to Alexa was here.