Chapter 853

Kishiar replied coolly, his gaze not on Yuder but fixed on Hosanra, who was crawling across the muddy ground amidst the pounding hail within the barrier of wind.

“Young master...! Young master!”

Soaked in slush and muck, Hosanra clawed at the ground with torn fingernails as he dragged himself toward Naham. His body began flickering faster and faster. Seeing this, Kishiar murmured in a low voice.

“Let’s take care of it before the rift fully opens. What’s the best way to kill him?”

Yuder’s face twisted. Kishiar clearly had no intention of backing down. He had made up his mind to kill Hosanra here, with Yuder.

But Yuder, thinking logically, understood it was the best choice. So he said nothing to stop him.

If it had to be done, better to get it over with quickly.

“...We need to strike a vital point in one blow. It’ll be different from with Naham—there’ll be a backlash the moment he dies.”

“In that case, long-range is best... but from the way he’s manipulating the hail, I doubt our powers will pair well.”

It wasn’t nearly as vast in range as when Naham had lost control, but the problem was that Hosanra, whose ability was mobility, was now surrounded by a weather phenomenon—hail—that could injure simply by existing. It made approaching far more dangerous.

If only the weather were just a bit calmer, this wouldn’t be nearly so threatening.

Yuder didn’t believe Hosanra was consciously controlling the hailstorm. More likely, his mobility ability had surged out of control just before he snapped, warping the surroundings in a chaotic frenzy.

It looked almost like telekinesis, but the truth was worse—his power was causing each hailstone to temporarily vanish and reappear in random locations. That made it more unpredictable, more dangerous.

If one of those displaced hailstones struck someone, especially in a vital spot like the head or internal organs?

Just imagining it was horrific. And based on experience, worst-case scenarios often played out worse than imagined.

“Yes. So once we drop the shield, one of us should attack from range while the other moves in close. I’ll take the close range.”

Worried Kishiar might try to take the close role, Yuder quickly stepped in.

“Please use your aura, Commander.”

“...Alright.”

Kishiar looked down at Yuder for a moment, then nodded. Just as Yuder had accepted Kishiar’s support, Kishiar was now accepting Yuder’s idea of “best.”

With their plan agreed upon, Yuder carefully stepped out of Kishiar’s protective hold, timing the moment the barrier would drop. As he looked up, what met his eyes were a group of foolhardy men arguing with Kanna—despite being ordered to evacuate.

“Why is the Cavalry doing nothing but standing around?! Why hasn’t anyone retrieved Duke Hern’s body?!”

“I’ve told you it’s a crisis. There’s a dangerous individual in there.”

“If you won’t do it, then we will! Why won’t you let us through?!”

Duke Hern’s knights were raising a commotion, but Kanna did not back down.

“I’ve warned you three times now—evacuate if you want to live. This is your last warning.”

“What’s a little brat like you gonna do about it, huh?!”

One of them cursed, and a few of the enraged fools finally broke past her and ran straight toward the barrier.

“Just charge through! Bring the Duke’s body back!”

It was a display of both courage and stupidity.

Before anyone could stop them, the knights rushed toward the shield—only to lock eyes with something in the storm.

A gaunt young man of Southern descent, twisted and broken, stared at them through the hail. The moment they saw his eyes, something instinctive made them flinch.

“Wh... what—?”

They hadn’t even reached the barrier yet. But in an instant, their limbs vanished—like they’d been sliced off by invisible blades. Moments later, arms and legs reappeared in midair beside them, tumbling to the ground with a sickening sound.

“Ah...?!”

Frozen in disbelief, the knights stared in horror—at their twitching, detached limbs, at the dismembered parts suspended midair—until they collapsed in a tangled heap.

The shock came first. The screaming followed.

“Aaaagh!”

Blood sprayed from the floating limbs and torsos, and the five knights died instantly in a grotesque explosion of flesh.

One of the knights who’d been arguing with Kanna fell to the ground, stunned by the sight.

“U... ugh... uaaaagh...!”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Kanna’s face remained cold as a corpse as she looked upon the carnage.

Yuder, too, gazed at the mangled bodies with /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ an even colder expression.

It always went like this. No matter how many warnings were given, there were always those who rushed to their deaths. And the ones who suffered were the people left behind—who had tried to prevent it, and now had to clean up after it.

Maybe there are simply some things in this world that cannot be stopped.

......

He didn’t know for sure, but one thing was certain:

Thanks to those idiots essentially killing themselves, they now had a clear demonstration of just how dangerous Hosanra’s mobility ability could be. At least Kanna and the other Cavalry members no longer needed to issue warnings. The evacuation that had been chaotic moments ago now moved swiftly and in silence.

And Kanna, her face unreadable, spoke to Yuder.

“...Yuder. I’ll finish up the rest. Don’t overdo it. We’ll be right behind you.”

“.......”

“If you get hurt any worse, I’m stepping in—no matter what you say.”

Yuder looked at her and slowly nodded.

The bitter taste in his mouth began to fade, her words helping to steady him.

In the distance, Hosanra’s sobs and screams echoed in his ears.

...Moving someone’s limbs with his ability—never seen anything like it before. But I have no intention of letting him take mine.

Boom. Boom. The pressure from above continued to build. But still, no sign of monsters appearing yet.

I’ll take his head before he recognizes me.

Yuder tilted his head, drew his sword.

He scanned the field—most people had evacuated. Then he looked at Kishiar. Unlike earlier, Kishiar now wore a faint smile as he gazed at Yuder.

It wasn’t a happy smile.

Kishiar la Orr always smiled most when facing the worst.

But that expression helped silence the unnecessary noise in Yuder’s mind. It helped him focus.

Yeah...

He would end it all before Kishiar’s body took more damage. That was the only thought he allowed himself.

As soon as Kanna retreated, Yuder dropped the barrier he’d been holding with every last ounce of strength.

BOOM!

With a thunderous roar, the hail that had been swirling within burst outward—but Yuder trusted the Cavalry to handle it. He kicked off the ground.

With a single leap carried by wind, his golden eyes pierced through the hail and shadows, locking onto Hosanra’s position.

Hosanra was hunched over, cradling Naham’s body. His head was bowed. Muffled whispers trickled into Yuder’s hyperfocused hearing.

“...Young master... I’ll send you off. I will...”

The power about to explode shimmered at the edge of release. From midair, Yuder twisted and swung his sword toward Hosanra’s head.

At the same time, Kishiar launched his aura in perfect synchronization.

If all went as planned, their combined strike would cleanly sever Hosanra’s head.

If all went as planned.

But in this world, the unexpected always found a way to appear.

Just before the blade fell, Yuder locked eyes with Hosanra.

And in that instant, the world flipped upside down.