Chapter 87
The mana erupting from the ground began to dominate the battlefield. It was the power of Oceanwolf Sword Art Form 6: Maelstrom. The overwhelming mana surging up from the earth started to numb the knights' senses. Unlike Imperial Sword Form 6: Moonlight, which used dazzling light to steal away the enemy's awareness, Maelstrom forcibly overwhelmed the opponent's senses with sheer, brute power.
It was a colossal force, almost reckless in its intensity, drawn from an endless reservoir of mana. Caron's use of Maelstrom had crossed the line from swordsmanship into the realm of magic.
Crack!
"Aaaaargh!" One of the knights, caught in the swirling torrent of mana, had his armor crushed. He screamed in agony as he rushed toward Caron.
Shing!
With a single stroke, Caron swiftly beheaded the knight who was running irrationally toward him, cutting down his opponent as if it were nothing. Guillotine greedily devoured the mana flowing from the knights, and in an instant, that very mana was seamlessly converted back into Caron's own power.
Whoosh!
"You really are a demonic sword," Caron muttered to himself.
Maelstrom consumed an immense amount of mana, especially when creating multiple whirlpools as Caron had done. But the mana he'd used was immediately replenished. The knights, overloading their mana cores in desperation, had only fueled Caron further.
Boom!
It was a perfect storm of natural talent, relentless training, and the miraculous power of the Dew of the World Tree, an elixir that had greatly expanded Caron's core. Every ounce of mana that Guillotine passed back to him was effortlessly absorbed.
The Oceanwolf Sword Technique was a style grounded in overwhelming mana, and as Caron's sword claimed the heads of his enemies, the situation grew even more dire for those who faced him. Oceanwolf Sword Art Form 5: High Tide turned the battlefield into a vast, raging ocean of mana. It was an ocean of pure destruction, and it was brutally unforgiving.
Crash!
Waves crashed, tearing flesh from bone.
Whrrrl!
Whirlpools spiraled violently, grinding everything in their path to dust. And Caron, the master of this deadly sea, moved through it without hesitation, cutting down his enemies one by one. The dark ocean around him, tinged with a bluish hue, was soon stained with blood. With every flash of his blade, another head fell to the ground.
Even the elite soldiers who had witnessed the slaughter recoiled in horror, retreating step by step. No one dared to even think of challenging something like that. And there wasn't a single soldier willing to throw their life away for the now-treasonous Marquis Leandro.
"How... How is that only the power of a 6-Star knight?" Leandro whispered to himself as he watched Caron approach him.
Not a single one of his soldiers, once so loyal and proud, could muster the will to stand against this man. Strangely, though, Leandro no longer felt bitter. Anyone would feel the same when faced with that .
How did it come to this? Leandro wondered as he raised his sword. He couldn't pinpoint where it had all gone wrong. But one thing was certain. Caron wouldn't stop until his head was severed as well.
Leandro thought that the accusation of treason, which was an absurd claim, was merely an excuse to justify cutting off his head. That was why he felt so wronged. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand why this young man wanted to kill him.
He wondered if it was because he had sided with Duke Salmon's faction. But that kind of reason wasn't enough to justify beheading a marquis. The Leston family wasn't the type to be so reckless.
"Why?!" Leandro shouted, echoing the last words his subordinate had screamed as Caron cut him down.
Caron had already slain every knight who stood in his way, and was now just steps away from Leandro.
Whoosh!
Whirlpools gathered around, cutting off all routes of escape. Leandro felt as if he were in a slaughterhouse.
"Marquis Leandro," Caron began, grinning as he approached. The scene looked like a butcher walking into his bloody domain.
Leandro gripped his sword tightly, glaring at Caron.
"For the crime of attacking Prince Revelio, I will execute you here. If you have any complaints, you can take them to hell," Caron continued, his tone completely devoid of seriousness.
Despite charging into an army of two thousand soldiers alone, Caron didn't even look tense. Seeing him like this, Leandro could only laugh bitterly, "Haha..."
He was going to die here. It was a fact he had finally accepted. There was no escape. He knew that there was no point in begging someone with eyes like that to spare him. As everything was falling apart, one question lingered in his mind, however. So Leandro said, "Let me ask you one last thing."
Caron nodded casually and said, "I can grant a dying man's final wish. Go on."
"Why must I die such a miserable death? I don't care if it's a reason I can't accept, just be honest with me."
Caron wondered if Leandro was trying to justify his end somehow. So he chuckled at the question before answering and said, "Speaking from experience, it's better not to leave behind regrets."
"...Still joking until the end, I see," Leandro muttered.
"But since you insist, I'll tell you the reason," Caron said softly as he walked closer. He explained, "I didn't like your city. Watching you openly trade slaves left me in a foul mood."
Leandro's eyes narrowed as he replied, "...You mean you're going to kill me over those vermin?"
Caron stared at him and nodded, then said, "Just as you see them as vermin, I see you the same way. By your logic, it doesn't matter what happens to vermin, does it?"
Suddenly, his footsteps stopped, and in that moment, a great roar echoed from the distance.
"A glorious battle! Utula shall win the fight with his friend!" Utula exclaimed. Now more massive than before, he charged forward with the soldiers from the city, rushing toward them at full speed.
"Save Caron Leston!" one of them yelled.
"Fight them off!" another soldier added.
Caron glanced back at them with a faint smile. He raised his sword high and asked, "Who's more like vermin, Leandro? Those who charge to their deaths, or the man trying to justify his own pathetic end?"
Leandro, sensing the end, let out a desperate shout as he overloaded his mana core. "I won't die easily—"
But in a split second, he noticed the gleam of something flashing before his eyes.
Ah... he thought.
He could no longer see Caron, who had been standing right in front of him. But instead, Leandro heard Caron's voice from behind, saying, "Just die like the vermin you are."
Leandro's thoughts stopped there. A deep darkness swallowed his consciousness.
Thud.
Caron looked down at Leandro's headless body and let out a light sigh. He muttered, "Serves him right."
It was a fitting end for someone who had fattened himself on the suffering of others.
Clang.
Clang.
One by one, the soldiers who had witnessed the whole scene began to drop their weapons to the ground.
The short battle had ended with the miserable death of a traitor.
***
Above the Reben walls, Revelio had been watching Caron's battle through a magnification spell. He turned to Sir Mason and said, "Sir Mason, you told me that Caron was a 6-Star knight."
"Yes, that is what I told you," Sir Mason confirmed.
"...But does it make sense for a 6-Star knight to have that kind of combat power? He's nothing like the 6-Star knights I know," Revelio said.
The battle had been entirely one-sided. Despite being surrounded by two thousand elite soldiers, Caron had still managed to accomplish his goal. Revelio could somewhat understand why the elite troops hadn't acted. After all, they were imperial soldiers, and they knew their families would be ruined if they were connected to treason.
But even so, charging straight into such overwhelming numbers wasn't a normal decision. Moreover, Caron had easily cut down the knights who charged at him, even though they had steeled themselves for death, as if they were mere straw dummies. His incredible courage and overwhelming skill were undeniable. Caron had already proven with his whole being that he had surpassed the level of a 6-Star knight. No one would possibly think of him as a mere 6-Star.
In response to Revelio's question, Mason firmly shook his head and said, "It is true that Young Master Caron is a 6-Star knight."
"...Him? With the things that he's doing?" Revelio replied in disbelief.
"He is simply beyond the normal boundaries of a 6-Star knight," Sir Mason explained.
Caron had shown combat skill equivalent to a 7-Star knight. His mana control allowed him to reshape the battlefield itself, and he had enough ability to seamlessly use that power in combat. Even from a distance, it was clear how proficient he was. There was no waste in Caron's movements. Everything about them flowed naturally, and through that, he easily cut down his enemies.
It seemed as if there were countless variables at play, but in the end, all of them were part of the strategy Caron himself had created.
"To call that amount of mana appropriate for a 6-Star knight is absurd," Sir Mason remarked as he stroked his chin. "Even if he has mastered the Ocean Dominance Arts of the Leston family, he is far beyond the realm of common sense."
Even from a distance, Sir Mason could feel the overwhelming mana that neared the 7-Star level. Then, he continued, "Most knights are blocked by the wall of 6-Star. To reach 7-Star, one must transcend human limits. But what I suspect is that... Young Master Caron is intentionally holding himself back from becoming a 7-Star knight."
For most knights, it took years to master their skills and adapt to real combat. It required countless experiences to apply the lessons learned through training. But Caron showed none of that hesitation. He wielded his power as though he had already experienced much. In Sir Mason's eyes, Caron was ready to ascend to the next level.
It was a talent beyond human comprehension. Caron was practically a monster. His mere existence was enough to bewilder everyone around him.
Revelio frowned slightly at Mason's explanation and asked, "He's holding back even though he could reach 7-Star? That makes no sense. Every knight dreams of reaching 7-Star. Why would he stop himself?"
"Mastery is like building a tower," Sir Mason explained. "You need a solid foundation, and you must complete each level before moving on to the next. Normally, one spends years at the 6-Star level, perfecting their skills before finally breaking through to the next stage. But I believe Caron has already gained the insights needed to become a 7-Star knight."
Caron's strikes were made with absolutely no hesitation. That was something only possible for someone with unshakable confidence in their abilities.
"Young Master Caron knows that he needs to perfect himself at 6-Star to reach even greater heights," Sir Mason continued. He could easily guess the reason. "He's looking at something far beyond, so he's waiting for his power to fully mature because he needs to ascend higher."
He recalled the ocean he had glimpsed in Caron earlier. It was nothing like the calm ocean of Grand Duke Halo. Caron's sea was wild, with relentless storms raging within.
That was why Sir Mason sincerely advised Revelio, "Don't get too close to Young Master Caron."
"Why?" Revelio asked.
"An ocean like that will swallow everything around it. Just like... what's happening now," Sir Mason explained.
Upon hearing Sir Mason's words, Revelio silently looked in Caron's direction. After staring for a long while, he said in a low voice, "He's better off than me."
"What do you mean by that?" Sir Mason asked.
"If people stay around me, they all end up miserable. But when I look at him... I don't think that guy will be miserable because of me," Revelio explained, then slowly stood up and dusted off his hands.
"Let's go, Sir Mason. Since we've taken down Marquis Leandro, I've got a lot of work to do. After all, we are accomplices, aren't we? I'll need to work hard if I don't want to cause any trouble," he said quietly, then began walking forward.
"Maquis Leandro has been executed!" one of the citizens shouted.
"Hurraaaah!" one of the slaves cheered.
"That bastard's finally dead! I can finally sleep in peace now!" another person called out.
"Reben will be an honorable city again!" someone added.
"Long live the prince!" the slaves and citizens exclaimed.
As the cheers of freed slaves and citizens filled the air, a faint smile crossed Revelio's face, thinking that a man who had truly deserved to die was finally dead.
Caron... He'll definitely leave the clean-up to me, he thought to himself.
That lazy so-called brother of his hated dealing with any mess afterward. There would be a lot of work, but Revelio didn't mind. After all, this was still his achievement in the end.
"...I like this," Revelio murmured, as the end finally came to the grand con.