<h4>Chapter 287</h4>


    <i>How did he block that?</i>


    In that fleeting moment, Ian''s gaze scanned the grotesque sword. The peculiar shape of the de seemed designed to cause maximum bleeding, even from shallow cuts or stabs. The fact that the sword didn''t immediately shatter upon shing with Ian''s steel de, despite the cracks on its surface, showed that it was made of high-tier Imperial steel. But that was all there was to it.


    <i>Shraaak— </i>


    The assassin couldn''t withstand or deflect Ian’s strength and slid back, unable to shake off the locked des.


    However, the widening eyes beneath the assassin’s hood weren’t because of Ian’s strength. It was because gray magic flickered in Ian’s eyes. And that became the assassin’sst memory.


    <i>ng!</i>


    An invisible explosion erupted silently from Ian’s sword, shattering both the grotesque sword and the arm holding it. Shards of the broken de embedded themselves into the assassin’s face.


    Ian pushed the assassin away, spinning his body.


    <i>Shweeek— </i>


    Another assassin had crept up from the side, thrusting another grotesque sword forward.


    <i>sh.</i>


    However, the white trajectory was faster, slicing off the assassin’s extended forearm. The severed hand, still gripping the hilt of the sword, flew sideways as a bright yellow trail followed.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    The edge of Ian''s tinum Barrier smashed into the assassin''s face. Even though the shield wasn’t directly attached to his hand, Ian could feel the skull shatter through the force.


    The impact blew the assassin’s hood off, revealing a face covered by a ck mask with only the eye holes exposed. The limp body tumbled backward as blood and the stench of death reced the scent of rain in the air.


    "<i>Huff</i>... <i>huff</i>..."


    Ian took a moment to catch his breath and steady his stance. Just then, he sharply turned his head. A dagger, aimed at his forehead, barely missed his face. Instinctively, Ian shot out his left hand.


    <i>Thwack— </i>


    He caught the flying dagger by the hilt and, without hesitation, hurled it back.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    The dagger buried itself in the hood of an assassin in the distance, who dropped like a felled log, with his head snapping backward.


    <i>... I can''t believe that worked.</i>


    A piercing, high-pitched sound rang out, splitting the air. Two assassins charging at Ian hesitated, then turned and threw explosive charges toward him as they fled. This time, Ian wasn’t caught off guard. He leaped powerfully into the air, twisting his body and angling his tinum Barrier downward.


    <i>Boom, boom, boom!</i>


    Explosions erupted in quick session.


    The force was enough to propel Ian even higher, sending him soaring above the battlefield. His entire body shook from the sts, but Ian took the opportunity to nce toward the carriage. In a way, he felt grateful for the explosions—they gave him a clear view of the battlefield.


    <i>Fwoosh— </i>


    Explosions erupted near the carriage as well, especially around Phaden. All the assassins near Asme had already fallen.


    Though fewer, it was the same situation near Ian’s carriage. A quick nce was all he needed. Ian focused his gaze on the six assassins converging in a single direction, attempting to flee.


    <i>So that''s why there were twopletion conditions.</i>


    As he began to fall back to the ground, Ian sheathed his sword. The ashen magic swirled once again in his eyes—he had no intention of letting them escape so easily.


    ***


    "<i>Phew</i>... <i>Phew</i>..."


    Philip briefly scanned the dark forest.


    —My lord! The assassins are retreating!


    He lowered his Truesilver Steel Shield, which had been raised to his helmet. The divine energy flickering across his body dimmed, and the light from the magic stones embedded in his armor also faded.


    —I can see that.


    — Then... is it over, Sir Ian?


    —Not yet. Wait for my signal.


    As he overheard Ian and Elia''s Whisper, Philip looked around.


    The number of assassins near his and Ian’s carriage wasn’t many. It was clear they hadn’t been the primary targets. After a few encounters with Philip’s miracles and spells, the assassins had resorted to throwing bolts and daggers from a distance rather than approaching. They must have realized that Philip was focused solely on protecting the horses.


    "Sir Ian?! Where are you going? Stop!"


    Phaden’s somewhat rmed shout reached Philip’s ears, and he quickly looked up. Through the rain, he spotted a golden trail moving farther away. It was heading in the same direction as the retreating assassins.


    —My lord! Are you nning to chase them down?


    Despite Philip’s Whisper, Ian neither stopped nor returned.


    —Handle the cleanup.


    That brief response echoed in his mind before even thest trace of golden light faded, and Ian’s figure disappeared from view.


    "What the...?"


    As Phaden sighed in frustration beside him, Philip suddenly recalled an old memory from the frontier, a situation not unlike this one. He figured the oue would likely be simr too.


    Shrugging, Philip sheathed his sword. He slung his shield back over his shoulder and lowered his visor before turning around. The cool, damp night air, mixed with the metallic scent of blood, rushed into his helmet.


    However, despite the chaos around him, Philip couldn’t hide a faint smile of satisfaction. Both horses standing behind him had made it through unharmed.


    N, his horse adorned with gleaming armor iid with magic stones, stood next to a brown horse that was visibly shaken, panting heavily but still alive. Keeping them safe had taken every ounce of his ability. For the first time, Philip felt like he’d truly mastered how to effectively utilize magical gear in battle.


    <i>Snort—</i>


    N, snorting and shaking its head, nudged the brown horse in the neck as if scolding it to pull itself together.


    The brown horse shook its head in surprise but didn’t even try to act up. Its survival was partly thanks to N. The enchantments etched in the armor had blocked several iing bolts and daggers. Philip’s smile deepened for a moment, pride welling up within him.


    "Shouldn’t we follow him, Sir?" Phaden’s voice came from beside him.


    "No need. Let’s just focus on cleaning up around here. It seems like everything’s over," Philip replied calmly as he began untying the horses’ reins.


    They had been tense just moments ago, so it didn’t matter then, but he couldn’t leave them standing out like this for too long. It would be a shame to lose them to a cold after all the effort to protect them. Philip loosened N’s reins after freeing the brown horse.


    "Asme!"


    A frantic voice rang out from ahead.


    "Sir Phaden...! It’s Asme! Something’s wrong with her!"


    It was the princess. Her desperate cry wiped the smile from Philip’s face in an instant.


    —Elie, could you please take the horses under that tree? Keep them out of the rain.


    —Yes, understood.


    —Stay close to N.


    Philip patted N’s back before quickly turning around. His gaze shifted toward the princess, who was holding the copsed Asme. A sh of bright yellow flickered in Philip’s eyes as he stared into the darkness.


    ***


    <i>Crack, crack. </i>


    The cold gathered like a fog, then swiftly rose into a towering ashen wall.


    The lead assassin’s eyes widened as he stumbled and tumbled to the ground. He barely stopped himself—he was the captain who had blown the retreat signal.


    <i>Shhhk—</i>


    But not all his subordinates made the same choice. One assassin right behind him sped up instead, throwing himself into the air and attempting to leap over the wall.


    <i>Crunch— </i>


    But that was a fatal mistake. The wall hadn’t simply risen from the ground; it had formed as it froze, rapidly expanding.


    "...<i>Ugh</i>!"


    The wall swallowed the assassin mid-air, leaving him embedded halfway into its surface. His legs stuck out, dangling helplessly in the air.


    "..."


    The captain stared at the sight, momentarily dazed. They had already escaped far from the battlefield, only to be caught like this after slowing down in relief.


    <i>Rumble— </i>


    The shimmering, ashen ice wall wasn’t just growing taller. It was expanding outward, encircling them in a massive ring. The sudden appearance of this ice fortress had trapped them. Even witnessing it with his own eyes, the scale of the spell was nearly impossible toprehend.


    "<i>Huff...</i> <i>huff....</i>"


    It wasn’t hard to figure out who had cast such a spell.


    From behind them, a sound of breathing—distinctly not their own—reached their ears. Both the subordinates and the captain turned around almost in unison.


    <i>Whoosh...</i>


    The man standing there, his hand outstretched with a glowing blue essence bead, was a face the captain already knew. It was impossible not to know. He was the one who had ruined their ambush by suddenly appearing in front of the carriage. He was also the one who had killed most of his men.


    How he had noticed the attack so quickly was still a mystery, but for now, the man''s very appearance was far more unsettling.


    "Barely caught you...."


    Not just the essence bead in his hand, but the man''s eyes glowed with a sinister purple light as he stared at them. And his lowered right hand now gripped a sword,pletely different from the one before. Earlier, the de had gleamed white even in the dark. Now it was pitch ck, as if absorbing all the surrounding lights.


    Despite how it felt, their standoffsted only a moment.


    <i>Ssh—</i>


    As an instant violet haze rose from the ck sword, the subordinates charged at him all at once.


    To the captain, their reaction seemed less like a calcted move and more like an instinctive response of highly trained assassins. He felt the same. If they didn’t kill this man now, it would be their own deaths that followed.


    <i>Swoosh—</i>


    The moment a golden shield formed from the man’s outstretched hand, that feeling intensified even more.


    However, unlike his subordinates, the captain didn’t charge. His sense of duty, ingrained deep in his subconscious, overpowered his instinct. He had to report the mission’s failure. Springing to his feet, the captain turned his back on the man and sprinted toward the ice barrier.


    <i>Slice, crunch!</i>


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The wall had already formedpletely, bing solid and so thick that he couldn''t see through to the other side. His eyes narrowed as he nced up at the lower half of hisrade, still embedded in the wall, legs twitching in the air.


    <i>Thwack—</i>


    Even his strongest swing with the grotesque sword only left a faint dent on the surface of the wall. It didn’t sink in deeply or cause any cracks.


    <i>sh, thwack—</i>


    A burst of blue light shed from behind just as the captain turned back to find a way over the wall.


    "...!"


    His eyes widened. A chilling cold swept over him, freezing his eyshes and turning the raindrops into hail that pelted the ground. Butpared to the scene ahead, that was nothing.


    <i>Crash—</i>


    One of his subordinates, frozen mid-leap, shattered with a sound like breaking ice. Two more individuals, frozen in the same charging position, transformed into statues. Ayer of frost already covered the dismembered corpses.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    A violet trajectory sliced through the frozen figures in an instant, splitting the two statues cleanly. Without a drop of blood being spilled, their upper bodies fell away diagonally, revealing the man behind it all—his glowing blue eyes piercing through the scene.


    The captain momentarily stopped breathing.


    "You’re thest one."


    The man muttered with a slight curl of his lips. As the frozen lower bodies copsed a momentter, the captain could finally see the full form of the cursed sword emanating violet haze, and the golden shield pulsing with light.


    "..."


    The captain knew his fate.


    Just like those who caused death, his own moment of unavoidable death had arrived.


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