A Knight who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: One Strike

After the door opened, Rem was the first to step inside.

“Who’s there…?”

He said something as he entered, but he had no time. Something fell from above Rem’s head. Anticipating the attack, Rem swung his axe vertically. A flash of light cut through the darkness of the room. Rem, having swung his axe, immediately threw himself to the side. Everything flowed smoothly, as if prearranged.

Thunk.

The fallen corpse was the only indication of what had happened.

“What the hell?”

Kraiss, peeking in, was startled.

The assailant had been hiding above, gripping short knives in both hands. Rem’s axe had split him from chest to groin, spilling his guts and blood onto the floor. The stench of blood and death filled the air.

“I thought they were just a lowly crime guild.”

Kraiss murmured.

“These bastards.”

Rem twisted his lips into a grin.

“How cute.”

With that, he stepped further inside. The interior was quite spacious, with a right-angled corridor made of neatly laid bricks, dirt, and straw. Rem advanced boldly.

“Is it you?”

Without hesitation, he swung his axe again. A second corpse fell. Another thug had been hiding beside the corridor. He had tried to stab Rem with a skewer, but it was futile.

Rem’s axe was faster. Their opponent was a crime guild which included pickpockets and extortionists. Meanwhile, they were soldiers whose job was combat. Moreover, Enkrid himself was a high-ranking soldier, and the others fought even better than he did.

‘I expected us to have the advantage.’

Seeing it with his own eyes was something else. The criminals hid in the shadows, stabbing with knives, but despite their skill, Rem crushed every ambush. He didn’t seem crazed but exhibited a quiet madness. A madness that promised to split anyone who approached with his axe.

Rem continued, never stopping his mouth.

“Or is it you?”

He asked every time he killed someone.

“Is it you?”

Slash!

“Is it you?”

By the fifth ambusher, he had split the head and asked.

“Dead men can’t talk.”

Enkrid commented from behind. Rem, with his axe dripping blood, scratched his head with the handle.

“I know, but even the living aren’t answering.”

The answers would be with someone else. Passing the right-angled corridor, they found a room to the left, another to the right, and a reception area straight ahead. It wasn’t a complex structure. A reception area, two rooms, a pantry, and a kitchen. That was all.

And five dead ambushers. None of them spoke.

“This is absurd for a crime organization. They must be the ones who targeted the squad leader.”

Kraiss, examining the dead bodies, remarked. After studying one face for a while, he looked up.

“I don’t recognize them.”

Enkrid nodded, agreeing both that he didn’t recognize them and that they likely were the ones who targeted him.

‘Lucky or unlucky?’

To be honest, half of it was an excuse to avoid the devil’s dandruff. He knew the crime guild was adept at forging identification badges and guiding assassins.

‘But targeting professional soldiers in Border Guard?’

It was a risky move in this city. Yet, they did it. They must have had their reasons. But those reasons didn’t concern Enkrid. They had come here on a hunch. It was like shooting an arrow and hitting a boar between the eyes.

“Is this it?”

Rem said, looking around. There were no answers, only five dead men who had tried to stab them. The chaos had been ended by one rampaging Rem.

“Can’t be. With their preparation and Jaxon’s intel, there must be more.”

Kraiss said, pulling out a flint from his pocket. It was dark, so he gathered some straw from the floor and lit it. With a spark from the flint, the straw caught fire. The cold air inside the house was warmed by the firelight.

Using the straw torch, Kraiss thoroughly searched the surroundings. Then he stomped on one spot in the reception room with his heel.

Thunk.

A hollow sound. The floor was empty beneath.

“I’ll handle it.”

Audin stepped forward. A cheap fur rug covered the floor, with a chair on top. He grabbed the edge of the rug and yanked it aside. The chair thudded heavily. Then Audin knocked again.

Bang.

In a sitting position, he drove his fist vertically into the wooden floor, creating a hole. Through the hole, Audin reached in and unlocked the latch.

“Where does this lead?”

“The headquarters.”

Jaxon answered Kraiss’s question, as if expecting this. Rem looked at Enkrid. The burning straw torch made Rem’s normally grey eyes appear red.

“Keep going.”

Enkrid spoke before Rem could ask. Once started, they had to finish. They weren’t dealing with a small gang but a large group significant enough to be called a guild. If these were the ones who targeted him, they had to be dealt with. No fool would let someone who tried to kill them live. Fortunately, Enkrid wasn’t a fool.

“Of course!”

Rem led the way. The tunnel wasn’t long. In less than half an hour, they saw a passage leading upwards. Despite the cold, Rem had discarded his blanket when they encountered the beggars. Watching Rem shiver, Enkrid sensed anger emanating from his back.

“Someone’s up there.”

Jaxon, walking right behind Rem, said. There were guards.

“They’re expecting us.”

Kraiss, at the rear, commented.

“Can’t let thieves run rampant in the city.”

Audin stepped forward again. He seemed to have a knack for breaking doors. Maybe it was his hobby. He climbed the poorly made dirt steps two at a time and twisted his body, ramming his shoulder into the door. It was a unique technique. Enkrid’s eyes sparkled watching it.

Bang!

It sounded like an explosion, or a fire spell going off. The door flew upwards.

“Whoa!”

The surprised exclamations of the waiting guards were heard. Then it was Rem’s turn again.

“Is it you?”

He leaped up yet again with with his mysterious question. He stepped on the stairs with his first step and on Audin’s thigh with his second, flying into the air and swinging his axe. Enkrid, from below, saw only Rem’s butt.

But the result was clear. Thumping sounds and blood flowing down the hole’s edge told the story.

“That brother has no manners, stepping on someone’s thigh.”

Audin dusted off his thigh and climbed up first, followed by Jaxon and Ragna, then Enkrid and Kraiss.

Fwoosh.

Torches lit up all around them.

“Who are these crazy bastards?”

Voices were heard. Enkrid looked around. At least thirty men stood around, each holding a weapon. There were spiked clubs, short swords, spears, and blackjacks— leather pouches filled with sand. They were heavily armed.

Thanks to the torches, visibility was good. Kraiss threw the straw torch into the hole and admired the sight.

“Wow, that’s a lot.”

Yeah, it was a lot.

Enkrid thought the same.

“You’re soldiers, right?”

Among the thirty men, one stood out, dressed in fine silk shirt and trousers, with a coat made of monster leather. He leaned on a cane. It wasn’t a cane for walking.

A jeweled cane, a symbol of wealth carried by nobles or wealthy merchants. Why would someone with perfectly good legs need a cane? It was a symbol of arrogance.

“Is this the Gielpin gang?”

Enkrid answered the question with a question. The aristocratic-looking man frowned, clearly offended.

“Why does everyone want to die?”

“We came to ask about the ambush in Border Guard.”

Before Enkrid finished speaking, Rem interrupted.

“Is it you?”

Short, but sharp.

He was asking about the ambush on himself. Would they answer such a question?

It suited Rem’s style.

‘I wouldn’t answer either.’

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The man was not only unperturbed but also brazen. His confidence was suspicious. Enkrid’s squad members needed no more than suspicion.

“It’s him.”

Jaxon muttered.

“Hmm, so it was him.”

Ragna stared at the man with the cane. Given Ragna’s usual demeanor, this was an intense glare. He was fully opening his eyes to stare at him. Usually, Ragna kept his eyes half-closed.

“Brother, did you really target our squad leader?”

Audin stepped forward and asked. A few men nearby flinched. The torchlight cast shadows, making Audin look even larger. Enkrid was nearly 180 cm tall, but Audin was a hand taller. Almost 2 meters tall. Not just tall. Up close, his entire body was muscle. His arm thickness surpassed most women’s thighs.

All of Enkrid’s squad members were solidly built, muscular men. Even Kraiss had sculpted abs to show off to the women he met.

But Audin was overwhelmingly imposing. If muscle size symbolized masculinity, Audin might be one of the most masculine men on the continent.

“Is it true, brother?”

“What nonsense is this about sending an assassin to kill a mere soldier?”

The man blurted out more than necessary after seeing Audin’s physique.

“We never mentioned an assassin.”

Enkrid had only said ambush, not assassination. Hearing Enkrid, the aristocratic-looking man’s expression grew calm.

“So what?”

What now?

They were over thirty armed criminals. Fully prepared. They knew Enkrid’s group was coming. Somewhere, information had leaked.

But did it change anything?

No.

At least, Enkrid thought so. The same went for the crime. There was no proof. So whether they admitted it or not didn’t matter.

Nothing changed. That was true for both sides. Evidence wasn’t needed to eradicate a crime organization.

So, what now?

Even among criminals, some might have grabbed weapons reluctantly.

Should they kill them all?

Enkrid had no such intention. So he decided to give them a chance.

Shing.

He drew his longsword and drew a line in the dirt. A few flinched at the drawn sword but didn’t attack. A line formed in the frozen ground. The line wasn’t clearly visible in the torchlight, but the message was clear.

A short line in the middle of the open space. Enkrid pressed the tip of his sword against the line and spoke.

“Anyone who has never killed an innocent, who will go to jail quietly, or who doesn’t want to die, drop your weapons and cross the line.”

This wasn’t a battlefield. Even criminals didn’t deserve a one-sided slaughter. The enemies might not know it, but Enkrid did, so he offered them a chance.

“Think carefully or you’ll all die today.”

He spoke of slaughter. It was a world where death and killing weren’t strange, but killing was never enjoyable.

If this were a battlefield, if it were to survive, then it couldn’t be helped, but this wasn’t such a time.

That’s why he offered a chance.

“What’s he saying?”

“Huh? Who’s dying?”

“Is he so scared he’s lost his mind?”

“Hey, friend. Did you piss yourself?”

The criminals laughed at Enkrid. One even twirled his finger beside his ear. No one crossed the line Enkrid drew.

“What are you doing?”

Rem asked. Enkrid wasn’t ashamed. He had intended to give them a chance from the start.

“Brother, their eyes are blinded by the devil. They won’t believe unless they see.”

Audin whispered. Killing them all would be unwise. Enkrid chose the next method.

“Who’s the best swordsman here?”

He would widen their options by showing his skill. Unlike before, he was now confident. He could beat most opponents. Enkrid stepped forward with his drawn sword.

“Fight him.”

The guild leader chuckled, as if watching a show. Enkrid’s opponent stepped forward.

“You’re quite cocky, huh?”

He looked like a mercenary. His beard made his age hard to guess. He didn’t seem over forty.

“You’re gonna die. Better….”

A Vallen-style mercenary sword.

Hitting mid-sentence. That was his tactic. It reminded Enkrid of his past self. The opponent thrust his spear mid-sentence.

The spear thrust was skillful but not as fast as the first twisted soldier’s thrust. Or as deadly as Mitch Hurrier’s stab.

Enkrid dodged the spear and closed in, lifting his sword.

A thrust from below.

Thunk!

One strike.

The fight was over in one move. The opponent was at Enkrid’s former level. Enkrid realized his growth.

‘This level.’

He didn’t need to repeat the day. He saw the opponent’s level at a glance. The one-strike fight ended quickly. The man, pierced by the sword, bled out. Enkrid pushed him aside.

Pulling out his sword, the body trembled and hot blood spilled onto the cold ground. Silence fell with the cold air. One sword strike was enough to make an impression.

The criminals’ eyes on Enkrid changed. Enkrid asked again.

“Who wants to cross the line?”