Return of the Unrivaled Spear Knight

Side Story Chapter 254

Now wasn't the time for idle talk. Even at this moment, Avalon’s knights were getting butchered. Those people were Kireua's first followers and had gone through trial and tribulation with him.

Kireua unleashed his murderous energy. “If you aren’t going to accept, get out of my way.”

Isaac didn't move an inch.

“Get lost,” Kireua demanded, a little louder.

“Okay.”

Isaac retreated. Kireua tilted his head, confused by how easily she backed down.

“And I didn't say no to your proposal,” Isaac added.

“What?”

“In this world, might is right. On that note, Bel and Grand Duke Lucifer are universally recognized as Absolutes.”

“The same holds true right now.”

“In other words, you'll accept my proposal once I win this fight.”

“I would have no choice but to accept since that would mean that you’re a lot stronger than I expected.”

Kireua narrowed his eyes, his gaze cold and piercing. “Is everything you do an order from Bel, like the one you just told me about?”

“Bel’s orders were to capture your forces and welcome Swallow. He didn’t tell me anything about fighting alongside Swallow.”

The veins on Kireua’s forehead throbbed. If Isaac had said that she planned to betray them from the start, Kireua wouldn’t have been any angrier than he was right now.

“Are you incapable of thinking for yourself?”

“What?”

“You’re the one living your life, not someone else, but you're just someone's puppet now.”

“...Puppet?” Isaac unleashed her intense murderous energy, matching Kireua’s. “…I'm not a puppet.”

“‘I have no choice because the other side is stronger. People are suffering because they’re weaklings.’ That’s what you tell yourself to justify yourself and you don't think about putting up a fight in the slightest. You just gave up on everything and blindly followed orders. That’s what people call a puppet—or a loser down to your bones.” Kireua turned his back on her as if he didn't plan on hearing Isaac’s answer.

Although Kireua was showing his back to his enemy, Isaac continued to exude her murderous energy but did not attack him. She hadn't brought it up, but Bel had given her one more instruction: once the battle started, Isaac was to remain a bystander and evaluate Lucifer's level of skill.

“Your job was to stop us until Swallow arrived, yes? Congratulations on your success,” Kireua said sarcastically. “But stay there and watch. See what happens after the weak defeat the strong.”

Isaac realized that Kireua’s cape no longer surrounded them as Kireua quickly walked away.

For a long time, Isaac stood frozen like a sculpture until she clenched her fists tightly.

“…I…”

The sun was going down like on that day. This world was a jungle in which only the strong could survive. The weak were crushed if they defied the strong. That was how the world had treated her ever since she had been born and was why her mother had breathed her last on a cold floor under the dying light.

“…I’m not wrong.” Isaac slowly turned away from Kireua.

The poor Prince of Avalon was going to have it etched into his bones that the world wasn't a romantic place where the weak could live by their principles.

* * *

Meanwhile, troops who were holding the fortress were becoming exhausted. They had been doing this for over half a year, so their stamina was reaching its end. However, the Hubalt’s attacks got fiercer with each passing day.

“…Are you alright?” Iruca asked, concerned.

Selim didn't have the strength to say a single word in reply, which Iruca understood fully. Selim had been out on the battlefield for a week straight and had only come back yesterday. He hadn't slept a wink.

“…I received news that our allies have taken Hubalt's borders. Something must have happened within Hubalt because they said that the garrisons were so small and weak that they couldn't believe that they were actually fighting an empire,” Iruca said. Her voice betrayed a hint of hope, although she also looked quite fatigued.

Hubalt had sent their elite troops to invade its neighbors, starting the Second Continental War. However, they had left twenty percent of their forces in the empire to ward off a counterattack. Hubalt was estimated to command an army of over one and a half million, so twenty percent of its forces was at least three hundred thousand troops. However, those numbers did not seem to be reflected in the ease with which their borders were conquered.

“Our allies didn't send their elites because they had to protect themselves, yet Hubalt gave in pretty quickly. Which means…”

“…Did Kireua succeed?” Selim's eyes shone with hope for the first time, just like Iruca's, although his head drooped and his voice was faint due to fatigue.

“I believe it’s very likely.”

“Which means that their emperor is dead… but why would Hubalt be this quiet if it's true?”

“I would say that they're capable of thinking,” Iruca said with a shrug. “What would happen to their troops’ morale if they heard that their emperor was assassinated in the middle of the war?”

Selim finally stood up.

“Where are you going?” Iruca asked.

“…I should go back. The longer I rest, the more damage our troops will take.”

Iruca sprang to her feet, shocked. “Hey! It’s been less than thirty minutes since you came back. You can rest longer than that—the battle has stopped for now anyway!”

“It's always been their strategy to use this moment. It's tacitly agreed not to attack each other after an intense battle, but Hubalt uses this moment to raid us instead.”

“Well…” Iruca bit her lip. Selim was right. Whenever their soldiers and knights tried to take a break, Hubalt’s army immediately split their forces into three and continued attacking by rotating between the groups. They were taking full advantage of their massive advantage in numbers.

“Ohaaaaaa!”

The faint shout Selim and Iruca heard from outside made their eyes widened.

“Let people get some sleep!” Iruca slammed her desk irately. “Hold on. I'll ask Sir Ranger or Duke Tremblin—”

“You know that better than me that they've gone through more than me. I doubt they’ve rested for even a second for weeks.”

“Urgh… If we split our forces and take shifts…”

“Can we even afford to do that?” Selim murmured.

Every word of what Selim said stung Iruca. It was frankly a miracle that they were still holding the fortress. Defensive advantage or not, Avalon’s forces were outnumbered more than three-fold.

Just then, a massive explosion put Selim on high alert.

“What? Did they bring mages or something?”

“…No, it's not mages. This is…”

A stream of explosions could be heard, each one closer than the last.

“Monster! He's a monster!”

“Monster…?” Iruca blankly mumbled.

“…An unfathomable amount of mana. That must be…”

The door to the rest area was flung open and a pale-faced knight came rushing in.

“Your Highness!” he shouted as he dropped onto his knee. “Please pardon my discourtesy.”

“It's fine.” Selim waved his hand. “Report. Did ‘he’ show up?”

“…Yes, it's the man we saw in Arcadia.”

Selim’s worst fear had come true. He immediately marched out of the rest area with a grim expression in his face

“Wait, Selim! What do you mean by ‘him’? Who in the world just showed up?!”

“…The strongest man in Hubalt,” was Selim’s short reply.

Iruca's lip trembled when she realized that Bel, the Battle God, had finally arrived at the fortress.

* * *

Joshua frowned. He had been in meditation on the snowy mountain, but despite his closed eyes, he could sense the crisis wracking the continent better than anyone else.

-He… Hehe… Hehehe… How about… you go and… help them now… It…isn't… too late… Even if you… kill me now… Your family… Your country… Everything will be gone… What is… the point of everything… if you’re the only one who survives?

The Demon Spirit snickered from within Joshua, as he did from time to time. Of course, over ninety percent of the Demon Spirit had already been annihilated, so his voice was a faint whisper compared to what it was before.

‘Be quiet.’ Joshua used his mana to silence the Demonic Spirit before examining his condition to calculate when he would be able to break out from this ice boulder.

Two months. He would have to strain himself a little, but it was going to take around two months. In other words, his children had to hold out on their own for at least two months.

‘Kireua. Selim.’

Would the children be able to do that? …No, as their father, Joshua would have to trust them. Besides, there was nothing Joshua could do for them right now.

‘Just hang on for a little longer. Two months. I'll be there to help you in two months. Nothing will change that.’

In two months, Joshua would annihilate the Demon Spirit and regain his full power; then, the Martial God would return to Igrant. On that day, the fate of this continent would be decided.