Chapter 497 – Fate.

“”…””

The sight of two knights standing motionless in the center of an empty square, pointing their swords and spears at each other, looked like a well-made statue.

However, the movement that causes the plate armor to shake slightly and crash into each other is clearly that of a breathing human being.

How long was the silence? The moment they heard the sound of trash flying from somewhere hitting the ground with the wind, they rushed towards each other.

-Kagaang!
‘Is it too much to use just a rapier?’

Usher clicked her tongue inwardly as she felt the rapier being pushed away. The size and weight of the weapon are above that of the opponent.

‘Then I’ll crawl into your arms!’

Even though the shape is unique, since it shares the shape of a spear, it may be able to counter it to some extent, but fighting at close range will be more advantageous for Usher, who can use a rapier and bare hands.

-Whoa!
‘As expected, there were more than one person who tried to crawl into his arms.’

When Usher stretched his foot between his legs and tried to dig into his arms, Manuel quickly moved his sword to block the path of his body.

‘But this side is also accustomed to that kind of response.’

Boas, one of the Holy Knights, also used a tactic of using the blade of his spear to block the body of the opponent trying to enter his arms, forcing him to retreat. But it helped that I wasn’t carrying a shield right now.

-Teoup!
“This!”

Manuel didn’t seem to have expected that he would grab the sword’s cross guard with his free hand and push it away. In his heart, he wanted to take the sword spear away.

Since the opponent’s strength was too strong and there was not enough time to do so, I was satisfied with succeeding in crawling into his arms.

‘Put the sword into your chin like this.’

The rapier was a sword specialized for stabbing that became narrower and thinner toward the end. In this situation, that characteristic could shine the brightest, but Usher soon had no choice but to step down.

-Skaak!
“Huh!?”

For a moment, he saw a shadow pass through his field of vision and hurriedly pulled away, sparks flying from his helmet and making an impact sound. For some reason, Manuel lifted the sword spear that Usher had pushed upward with the force of the push, then swung it inward, aiming at him who had sunk into his arms.

‘A sword!?’

Usher even lost his rapier due to an unexpected attack, and this time Manuel seemed to be trying to grab it and take it away.

“Whose sword are you trying to touch?”

Before that, Usher grabbed the blade of the rapier. I have long since overcome the fear that I might get cut if I hold on to the sword body.

The power of a sword with a center of gravity close to the handle, such as a longsword or rapier, was stronger when held upside down and struck down on the opponent’s head with a pommel, so it was actually an opportunity.

“I won’t let you catch it.”

Nevertheless, Usher’s posture was unstable, so the situation was more advantageous to Manuel. He didn’t stop trying to take the sword from Usher. In the end, he had no choice but to be content with retrieving the rapier.

-Takaak!
“!?”

An unexpected shock hit Usher in the abdomen. Surely you wouldn’t have had enough time to pull out other weapons since you were handling the sword spear with both hands? That question could soon be resolved by retreating.

‘Did he kick the sack and push it?’

The handle of the sword spear was long, so the impact was considerable when it was swung backwards and at the same time bent at the knees to stab the person in the abdomen. Eventually, there was a lull again as Usher was pushed out of Manuel’s arms and returned to his normal spacing.

‘That uniquely shaped sword spear, even if it burrows inward, has an excellent response ability that is incomparable to other spears.’

With an ordinary spear, you can gain the upper hand the moment you dig inward, but the sword spear was an exception. In fact, the knight’s skill in handling that weapon is more amazing than that weapon.

‘The shield is in hand.’

Fortunately, Manuel had lowered his sword to the ground, so Usher was able to grab the shield that was hanging from his cloak. It’s not that he can use magic only with a shield, but since it’s a weapon he frequently uses, it feels particularly stable.

-Clap, bang!

Manuel must have noticed that fact, and this time, as if he had no intention of waiting too long, he immediately pulled out the musket from his belt and fired.

‘Fast…!’

It was the smoke and intense sound coming from his musket that made Usher realize that he had fired a gun. The skill with which he wields a sword is extraordinary, but the speed with which he removes the musket from his belt and fires it is even greater.

-Tick!

However, his bullet was easily blocked by the magic Usher used while holding the shield.

‘Now he has no more guns…’
-Tadaang!
‘What!’

Since there were only four bullets in his armor and two muskets on his back, he thought he had fired everything, but the smoke became thicker with gunshots coming from beyond the smoke again.

-Get on board!

Three more bullets were fired, hitting his shield and arm. Due to the nature of the musket, it was normal for it to take a long time to load the bullet. That means.

-Bang! Valid! Taaaaang!
‘How many guns are you carrying?’

It was said that the gunshots that rang out in succession, along with the smoke growing bigger and bigger, were all guns owned by Manuel.

This isn’t impossible even in a holy land, but I heard that it’s not very effective against dragons, so it’s mostly used on things like cannons.

-Tadadadang! Bang!
‘How long are you going to keep shooting?!’

The rain of bullets never stopped. I was somehow able to hold on with my shield and magic now.

‘Time is running out…!’
-Pakak!
“Ugh!”

Sure enough, my fears turned out to be reality. His armor, which had been taking bullets unscathed until now, made a dull sound and part of it broke.

‘Is it really hard to block bullets without magic?’

It was a simple story. The impact of a bullet easily breaks unless the armor is well-made, and even if it is well-made, it can only withstand a few bullets. But what is more problematic than that is.

“Is it really possible to maintain that power for about 30 seconds?”

These were Manuel’s words heard through the thick smoke that had suddenly filled their surroundings.

‘This guy. After all, I have experience dealing with paladins.’

On the surface, it seemed like a paladin’s magic could be used without any restrictions, but the reality was different. Because there was a set amount of time each person could use at one time.

‘It takes time to use magic again.’

Although Usher’s magic was said to be the strongest shield, there was nothing he could do until that time. This was the same problem for other paladins.

-Tatang!
“Tsk!”

Gunshots were fired again. Fortunately, this time, I was able to catch the sound of footsteps in the smoke, so I was able to block them with my shield.

And were those bullets all that mattered to Manuel? A figure rushing towards him with a shield in front of him. It seemed like they were trying to attack him while he was unable to use magic.

When Usher finally encountered Manuel’s appearance revealed in the smoke, he was momentarily appalled.

‘Was everything underneath her armor filled with firearms?’

For some reason, he seemed a bit bulky compared to his height, and I guess that was why. And what’s even more horrifying is this:

‘There is definitely room for bullets.’

Even at first glance, the number of gun barrels exposed through the armor was clearly greater than the number of bullets that had been fired at him so far.

-Ride, ride, ride!!!

Soon, as if to prove that fact, almost all the guns fired at once.

“Have you ever seen a knight fighting like that with the Central Knight Commander?”
“No, at most he’s like that traitor…”
“Hey, that’s a big deal too. No matter how I look at it, this is my first time.”

As silence rose, the voices of the knights who had been watching them from afar could faintly be heard in their ears. Just as they felt, today was the first time Usher had fought so fiercely since becoming a paladin.

“Haha.”
“Whoa whoa.”

The thick smoke slowly receded, revealing the two knights breathing tiredly.

As for Usher’s armor, the plates on his arms and legs were already broken or missing, and part of his helmet was completely blown off, exposing his face. The cloak was also a mess, charred and full of holes.

“Look at that!”
“What are you doing!? Surround it quickly and bring water!!”
“Call the medics too!”

However, like the knights’ reaction when they saw Manuel, he also did not look normal. His entire body’s armor was blackened, burned, and smoking.

Although it was self-sufficient to fire firearms like that, some of them exploded due to the impact, and the joints of the gun barrels and armor were broken and twisted. Not only is my whole body burning up, but moving is also difficult.

‘If it weren’t for the shield, it would have been dangerous.’

If his shield had not been stronger than he had imagined, it would have been dangerous even if the armor had been made with Holy Land technology.

I didn’t know that attacking in the smoke wouldn’t work, so they opened up all their guns that could be used at close range and poured fire on them.

‘If anything, he’s a guy I don’t want to fight with again.’

But Usher did not hesitate to point the sword at his neck. The same goes for Manuel. They didn’t stop pointing their swords at each other until the other knights came.