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Turning Chapter 723
🕑 Added 2023-12-16 05:05:28 +0000 UTCChapter 723
Kishiar, who had so far faced his enemies with ease without wielding a weapon, drew his sword in response to an instinctual warning. It was a rare decision for him, as he typically acted based on thorough rational judgment rather than instinct.
However, this decision was spot-on. The moment he grasped the divine sword, an unusual surge of magic power burst forth from the cloaked figures around him.
Kishiar, a mage with superior magic power sensitivity, could clearly sense the flow and danger of this power. It wasn't the common kind of magic one usually encountered. In an age where magic was fading, this was a rare, pure force capable of wondrous feats.
Facing this formless, threatening force was perilous, but fortunately, Kishiar was not only an Awakener and a swordmaster but also a mage and sometimes even a priest.
Feeling the surge of magic power, he pushed away a cloaked man he had been holding with a 'push force', while simultaneously drawing the sword, wrapped in plain cloth, from its sheath with a 'pull force'. The sword, unassuming in appearance, was the divine sword Orr.
The rumor that Duke Peleta had become the new owner of the divine sword Orr was disbelieved for two reasons: the strong bias against the notion of such a divine sword being carried so casually, and a magic artifact attached to the sheath before the journey that diminished recognition. This artifact, often used by nobles to protect treasures from thieves, blurred the perception of its appearance.
The sword itself, stripped of later-added jewels and decorations, was exceedingly sharp and silvery, but otherwise unremarkable.
Yet, a divine sword is a divine sword.
Unbeknownst to many, it was as adept at cutting 'power' as it was at slicing physical forms.
At the moment when magic power swirled violently around, Kishiar swung his arm wielding Orr. If Yuder had seen it, he would have recognized the immense power in the smooth, unexaggerated movement. But he was not there.
Time seemed to slow down as the silvery blade cut through something invisible, a sensation both eerie and fascinating. Kishiar watched the sword's trajectory without blinking.
Only after slicing through the last of the escaping magic power did Kishiar slowly close and open his eyes.
Then, as if the world had been waiting, it resumed its pace, and the once powerful magic, now completely devoid of its strength, dispersed in all directions.
All this happened in the blink of an eye.
No one fully grasped what had transpired, only perceiving an invisible force exploding and collapsing around them.
Those who fell did not realize that if Kishiar had not quickly drawn his sword, they would have been swept away by the dangerous magic, meeting a far worse fate.
Even among swordmasters, Kishiar had accomplished a feat few would dare to attempt, yet he remained composed. He merely observed the result of using the divine sword's power for the first time, a power he had only known in theory until now.
"Oh, it seems a bit of blood has stained my robe."
In the moment he had pushed away the person he had caught to slice through the flow of magic power, their blood had seemingly smeared on his garment. Kishiar turned his gaze towards them, seemingly flustered that things had not gone as intended.
Peeking through the overturned robes, the distinctive red skin of the Southern people was visible. It seemed that those clad in robes, hiding their skin, were all Southerners.
Suspicious Southerners wielding strange magic in such a place, and an Awakener at that. There was only one identity that came to mind.
A smile returned to Kishiar's face, which had vanished while he wielded the sword.
"To think they would come to me before I even started searching. Sending my precious assistant and adjutant was in vain. But this strange flow of magic power... It doesn't seem to be a mage's doing. What trickery is this?"
Seeing Kishiar like this, Sera and her fellow companions were seized by an indescribable fear. Despite everything that had happened, they still could not comprehend the extent of Duke Peletta's abilities or what he had just done with the sword.
Ignorance of one's opponent quickly turned into fear.
Sera decided they couldn't waste any more time here aiding the Southern merchants and hurriedly stood up.
This place was near the southern branch of the Cavalry anyway. Although it was regrettable that their mission was incomplete, escaping safely was the priority.
"Damn it… everyone, get up quickly!"
"Ugh… Ughhh…"
"Hmm. Leaving already?"
Duke Peletta asked, his eyes wide with genuine curiosity, his sword-laden hand hanging loosely. His demeanor appeared chilling to onlookers.
Come to think of it, he had been like this from the start. Ever since he jumped out of the ambushed carriage, he had never shown a moment of panic or lack of composure.
How could a sane human act in such a manner? It made one wonder if the rumors about him being an unpredictable madman might actually be true, despite the falsehoods in many of his tales.
Near Sera, gasping for breath, a Southern merchant spoke in a low voice.
"It seems Duke Peletta being alone here was no coincidence. It looks like something must have happened at the place where we originally planned to evade to."
"What do you mean?"
"Right now, tremendous power is stirring in two places: where our helpers are staying and here. We underestimated the power Duke Peletta possesses. It was our misjudgment."
Sera remembered that one of the Southern merchants had the ability to sensitively detect the flow of power. Thanks to this ability, they had quickly detected the movement of monsters approaching their southern base, providing significant assistance.
Now, it seemed this ability was not limited to sensing monsters but also the power of humans.
"So, does that mean we have no way to escape from here now? You said you could find us a way out!"
"I never said that. There is still a way out. But you'll have to buy us more time…"
As the Southern merchant was about to continue, he suddenly turned his head, sensing something. Then, from a distance, shouts were heard.
"Duke!"
"The Duke is over there!"
“...”
In silence, the urgently approaching figures were not from the Cavalry but were clad in Imperial Army uniforms, unmistakably reinforcements for Kishiar. Why the Cavalry was absent remained a mystery, but it seemed that the coachman had managed to reach them properly. Kishiar, with a smile on his face, waved his hand and spoke.
"Are you planning to continue fighting? I'd prefer if you surrendered at this point."
Sera bit her lip. Reinforcements had indeed arrived. It felt like everything had completely fallen apart.
However, the Southern merchants appeared relatively calm, and it was clear they still had a plan up their sleeve. Sera decided to trust them and not give up just yet. If there was any way to escape, she was willing to help.
"Everyone, snap out of it! We need to attack first to survive!"
Her shout awakened her companions, who one by one stood up and began to confront Duke Peletta and the approaching reinforcements.
But why was this happening? Though they intended only to engage Duke Peletta and then retreat, upon regaining their senses, they found themselves nearly at the southern branch of the Cavalry, caught between the reinforcements and Duke Peletta.
"What is this...!"
Incredibly, at that location were the members from the Star of Nagran's central stronghold, who were supposed to fake support for the Cavalry today, and they were already in a standoff with the Cavalry. The detestable members of the Cavalry cheered upon seeing their leader safely returned.
"Commander!"
"I've heard the rough story from the Imperial Army. You must have had a tough time with the sudden situation."
While the Cavalry rejoiced, the Star of Nagran's forces were filled with silent shock.
The members from the central Stronghold, who had come down to the south to prepare for infiltrating the Cavalry and had received help from Sera, recognized her and the southern stronghold's Awakeners, widening their eyes in disbelief.
Exchanges of bewildered looks communicated their mutual inability to understand why each was in this situation, but the chaotic standoff left no room for conversation.
Comments
Sarah G
I think they did give him reddish skin next ep but the first scene was in the dark and I def did the “a white man?!” meme in my head 😂
Christina Fazio
Unrelated to the novel but to the manhwa, "distinctive red skin of the Southern people"..... when I saw Nathan in the manhwa I was very confused. I was like 'did my mental image deceive me'... nope, the artist did 😂🥲
