14 – 14. Sage of the Sword

You’d think he was just sweeping away fallen leaves.

Seeing a person flung so helplessly, anyone would think so.

“Kkuaaak!”

“H-heok!”

The guards sworn to protect the nobles could do nothing but scream.

The beast was displaying the full, unmitigated power of a Transcendent.

“Ah, Lord Isaac!”

Jonathan cried out, desperately blocking Isaac’s path.

“You must flee!”

He’d die here otherwise.

But Isaac’s gaze was fixed solely on the tiger-shaped Transcendent.

‘He wields a greatsword?’

He didn’t even hear Jonathan calling him, Isaac was staring so intently at the Transcendent’s greatsword.

Even after Jonathan shook him several times, he wouldn’t answer.

*THUD!*

Silverna’s spear drives deep into the transcendent’s back.

“So… you *do* bleed.”

Silverna forces a twisted, upward curl to his lips as he wrenches the spear free.

*Thud!*

The transcendent’s blood, thick and heavy-looking, runs down his back, and he slowly pivots to face Silverna.

“There was one somewhat worthwhile human, then.”

Despite the spear wound, he doesn’t seem to be in great pain. Instead, as if his blood is finally warming, he smoothly swings his greatsword through the air, readying to face Silverna.

Meanwhile.

The other nobles were running.

After just a brief exchange, it was clear they had no chance, and the primal fear the transcendent invoked was too much for these fledglings to endure.

“Isaac! We need to, we have to run!”

Seeing Isaac standing rooted to the spot, Jonathan couldn’t hold back any longer and tried to hoist him up, but,

“Jonathan.”

Isaac pushed him away, then asked,

“You’re confident in your stamina, right?”

“Huh?! Out of the blue? What are you talking about?!”

“Can you carry me to the Malidrian Wall?”

At the question, Jonathan’s eyes widened as he pounded a fist against his chest.

“I will, I must! I’m a knight who protects you, Isaac! So let’s get going now-!”

“Good. Then wait.”

“Huh?”

Jonathan, feeling pleased with how good that little scene just was, was dumbfounded as Isaac walked past him.

“Isaac?!”

“Get ready to run. We need to go now.”

“What do you-!”

Jonathan’s words trailed off.

Because Isaac had just stepped between the two who were locked in a fierce exchange.

“Isaac?!”

Silverna, struggling to parry the greatsword, stared in shock at Isaac.

Isaac didn’t answer the question of why he hadn’t run.

‘There’s only one way to win here.’

The transcendent wouldn’t ever let a human who saw it live.

If it dealt with Silverna and went after the nobles who’d fled, it’d probably catch them soon enough.

Judging coldly, even if he left right now, the transcendent could arrive at the Malridian Wall first and be waiting.

So.

He had to draw its attention.

He had to show there was a human who couldn’t just be overlooked.

Isaac was stepping forward to volunteer himself for that.

How?

To a transcendent who saw all humans as the same prey.

How could Isaac assert he was special prey?

“Run! Isaac! It’s a monster! Not a regular beast!”

Even with Silverna’s cry, Isaac didn’t back down.

Instead, he was cross-checking his judgment until the very end, confirming it was right.

Finally.

Just one word.

The moment his breath escaped, carried on the wind.

“…”

The transcendent halted its greatsword.

“W-what the hell!?”

Silverna, who was barely parrying its greatsword, was bewildered.

She didn’t hear what Isaac said or understand why the thing had suddenly stopped its blade.

But.

The transcendent’s gaze was already fixed on Isaac.

“Just now.”

Its brow contorted horribly, an unusual tremor in its voice.

“What did you say?”

Isaac met its beastly blue eyes with a sneer, like a bite.

“Raven swordsmanship. The sword style Blackthorn teaches in-house.”

Blackthorn was one of the kingdom’s noble houses, and among the dispatched nobles too.

“At first, I was confused. Because you wield that greatsword, I was thinking about greatsword techniques. But no, considering your build and strength, you shouldn’t be looking for it in greatsword techniques at all. You should be looking at one-handed swordplay instead.”

To him, a human’s greatsword wasn’t much different from a one-handed sword.

“There are traces of that particular sword style of yours everywhere. Especially how you intentionally take excessively wide strides to balance yourself; it’s the same.”

“……”

“Shall I tell you something? Your feet aren’t shaped like a human’s. You don’t need to take such wide strides.”

“Krrang.”

Without realizing it, the Transcendent lowered their gaze to check their stride.

“Do you know what this means?”

The Transcendent couldn’t say a word, even at Isaac’s meaningful smile.

There was no need to overthink it.

“The Blackthorn house taught you swordsmanship. They were probably the ones who were trying to trade for Holstien’s relics, too.”

But it seemed Blackthorn wasn’t planning on a legitimate trade.

Judging from sending a Transcendent instead of gold.

The grave robbers would have met the same fate even if they hadn’t disturbed the demonic beast nest.

“I’ve honestly always wondered where, and how, the Transcendents got their information about the kingdom.”

A question that had persisted since his past life was now answered.

“There was a traitor in the kingdom.”

The Transcendent gripped the greatsword in their hand more tightly.

Veins popped up as they licked their jagged teeth with their long tongue.

A being they absolutely couldn’t afford to let get away.

No longer prey.

Now a man who must be killed.

“I merely…wielded a sword.”

The Transcendent muttered as if somewhat wronged.

They hadn’t done anything to pinpoint their identity.

Their speech was short, and their swordsmanship used a greatsword, making it impossible to deduce anything.

“But based on that one thing, you identified our identity… and even found the traitor?”

Isaac crossed his arms, grinning.

“If you think it’s just that, then that’s all you’ll ever be.”

“Hah.”

The Transcendental One let out a hollow laugh.

I acknowledge it.

That man, truly…

“A sage, indeed. A sage of the sword.”

He merely swung his sword a few times, yet he nonchalantly reached the heart of the matter.

“I am impressed by your profound wisdom and knowledge. Might I ask your name?”

“Isaac.”

“Very well, Isaac.”

He is clearly different from other, common prey.

“I must make certain to kill you.”

“Isaac!”

Silberna’s voice, urgent.

Hastily, she thrust her spear toward the Transcendental One’s back, but it only cut through empty air.

The Transcendental One had already launched himself from the ground, charging straight toward Isaac.

He could let all the others escape, it didn’t matter.

But this man, he must be killed, without fail.

He had gleaned this much from a single bout.

With a sword swing that had become second nature, he had discerned dozens of things.

‘I will certainly kill him!’

If he were to let him live here, the number of times he would hinder their progress in the future was a horrifying thought.

The Transcendental Ones were not yet ready.

They needed time for their brethren to drive out the humans, to devour the continent!

“Lord Isaac!”

But, much like Silberna’s spear, the Transcendental One’s greatsword also tore through empty space.

Jonathan, emanating a faint red aura from his entire body, was already running, having hoisted Isaac onto his back.

“Jonathan, what is this… this wretched aura?!”

“N-Now isn’t the time for such words!”

Isaac couldn’t help but lament, seeing Jonathan’s pathetic aura.

A knight of Helmund, that’s what they call him, and he can’t handle the Helmund’s own ‘Descent’ any better than this?

“Get your head on straight! You’re the only one who can even run from that thing right now!”

The overwhelming physical prowess of Helmund’s direct line.

They were the only humans who didn’t pale in comparison to the Transcendent ones.

To train with those of the direct line, to wield the Descent – that was what a knight of Helmund was.

“A-alright, I got it!”

Jonathan’s reply pulled him to look back.

A Transcendent on all fours, a greatsword clenched in its jaws.

“Crazy.”

Isaac cursed at the sheer speed.

It was far faster than he had anticipated.

Jonathan, also a knight of Helmund, possessed considerable speed and stamina himself, but.

They were in a situation where the Transcendent could snatch him up at any moment.

It showed no slip as it ran, and the trees that sprouted everywhere seemed like mere toys to it.

“Jonathan! We need to head to the rear wall! That’s the way to go!”

“Heeek! Heeek! Huh?! What did you say?!”

“The rear wall! Where the fiends swarmed in! We have to go there!”

“Heeee?! No! Heeek! T-t-there’s a whole mess of fiends there! Heeek!”

“It’s the only way we have a chance to live!”

“Heeek! Heeek!”

Jonathan seemed like he wanted to argue something, but he was too winded to continue.

Just as Isaac was about to see how far behind it was,

“Krrrr.”

“……!”

It was already right behind him.

Close enough to touch, Isaac audibly inhaled a sharp breath.

‘So fast?!’

Unable to hide his dismay, Isaac drew the sword he had brought.

Swinging it from where he was, riding on Jonathan’s back, wouldn’t give him any real power, but he had to try as hard as he could.

“Krrr!”

The brute, greatsword clenched in his teeth, swings it wide.

Power enough to cleave Jonathan and Isaac in two.

But Isaac, sword angled, barely manages to deflect the blow.

“Krrk!”

His opposite arm braced against the blade, he’d managed it once, but.

“Ah, shit-!”

His grip failed him, and he lost the sword.

Just a single twist, and he’d lost his weapon.

“I won’t deny it is a great knowledge.”

The Transcendental grumbled, venomous.

Recognizing his own blocked strike stemmed from Isaac’s mastery of Blackthorn’s Raven swordplay.

“But now, it ends.”

Just as the Transcendental raises his greatsword again.

“My apologies, Master Isaac!”

Jonathan’s hands, bracing Isaac’s rear, let go.

Then, arms rising, he grabs under Isaac’s armpits.

“Glory to Helmun-nnnnnnt!”

“Waaaugh?!”

And just like that, he hurls Isaac forward.

Jonathan’s one shot, all his power condensed, was truly something else.

Isaac flew like a bird.

He nearly clipped tree branches a few times, but tucked himself in enough to avoid falling mid-flight.

Still.

“Jonathan!”

He worried for Jonathan, left all alone.

Though focused on pursuing him, wouldn’t there be time enough to swing that greatsword and take his head?

The Transcendental held such a twisted hatred for humans, it was hard to expect his survival.

As he swallowed Jonathan’s sacrifice.

Isaac finally hit the ground.

“Krrk!”

It didn’t fall straight to the ground.

Rather, it was buried in something slick and yielding.

Isaac belatedly realized it was the blood of a demonic beast.

Corpses of the beasts, strewn about everywhere.

And in the distance, the Malidian rampart.

They seemed to have defended well against the demonic assault.

“Krrrungh!”

Then, a transcendent being emerged, descending from the mountain.

Running on all fours, the transcendent beast began to pursue in an instant.

It looked like it intended to kill Isaac before he reached the rampart.

To make Jonathan’s sacrifice meaningful.

Isaac desperately charged towards the rampart.

Not to survive.

But to kill that thing.

* * *

The transcendent beast, Baekbeom.

That was its name.

It was called that because of its striking, pure white fur.

“Krrrungh!”

He was currently running through the snowy field beneath the moon.

To capture and kill the black-haired man visible in the distance.

‘The rampart is still far off. I can kill him, for sure!’

He spurred himself forward, accelerating.

That man could absolutely not be allowed to live.

Even if he were to die here, Baekbeom vowed to sink his teeth into the man’s throat.

As he reached the ground where the snow had melted due to the beasts’ corpses and blood, the speed felt palpably faster.

The distance closed in an instant.

Arrows rained down upon his body.

‘They must have noticed from the rampart.’

They were providing covering fire to protect that man.

‘This measly arrow.’

His thick hide deflects the arrow. Reaching a certain distance.

The Transcendent One halts his run, takes the greatsword from his mouth and grips it in his hand.

“KRaaaNG!”

With a fierce roar, he extends the greatsword far behind him, then hurls it in a straight line.

The greatsword spins like a windmill, flying directly towards Isaac.

Just before impact.

SHWEEEEEEK!

KWAANG!

A massive spear falls from the sky, splitting the greatsword in two, sending it ricocheting away.

“Wha…?”

His blue eyes cloud with bewilderment.

A single spear stands starkly planted in the ground.

The Transcendent One slowly raises his head, finding on the rampart above.

A hulking man with arms crossed, looking down at him.

“Ah.”

Before coming here, the Blackthorn nobles had warned him several times.

‘Absolutely, you must not encounter him.’

‘He is a man who is said to be comparable to the head of the Helmont family.’

‘The hero of the North. He’s called the guardian of the ramparts.’

The Margrave.

“Uldiran, Caldius…”

The Transcendent One realized that, for the first time in his life, he was trembling in front of a human.

His cold, placid gaze regarded him no differently than the corpses of the demonic beasts strewn about.

“KRaaaNG!”

The Transcendent One roared and charged forward again.

He had decided he must kill Isaac, no matter if he were to die in the attempt.

CRACK! CRACK!

The sound of the ground being struck reverberated from his soles, due to the force he was putting into his legs.

The instant he saw Uldiran grasp his next spear, he surged forward with even more ferocity.

“KRaaaH!”

The distance to Isaac closed, and it leaped, but.

SHWEEEEEEAK!

Again.

A spear flies, slicing through the northern night air.

THUNK!

Something entered his vision.

The shaft.

He belatedly realized it had pierced his body, impaling his heart.

“Ah, aah-.”

He reaches out a hand in despair.

“I…saac!”

Because he had just let him live.

How many more of his kind would die because of it.

He exhales his last breath, tinged with lament.

The Great White’s body weakens, head drooping, eyes still open.