In Heroic Spirit Pce, the armory near the corridor.
The Severing Souls de and Soul yer Pike were about ten meters away from each other. One of them was nailed firmly to the wall, and the othery quietly on the ground.
The Soul yer Pike made indistinct yet ominous tremors from time to time.
The two people who should have noticed this had neither the time nor energy to even nce at the weapon.
Their battlefield had already shifted from the corridor to other ces.
*Ping!*
Arge wooden door was smashed open with a loud noise!
In the dark, the two figures threw themselves into the room.
This was an armory, the wide storage racks were covered withyers of thick cloth, and it held a huge variety of equipment in the darkness: long swords, nail hammers, shields and armor... There were all sorts of weapons there. Different, and all the types of weapons could be found.
It was a special store the White de Guards set up in the Heroic Spirit Pce, and it was used to provide the standard weapons training for the guards in Heroic Spirit Pce, though they would never use so many variants of weapons with such distinctive characteristics.
In the dark, Nichs moved calmly, going by memory, until he reached the nearest storage rack. Nichs heard the voice behind him. He knew his enemy would not hesitate... Just like how he, too, did not hesitate.
Nichs emerged from the dim light, he brandished the weapon in his hand swiftly.
*Ting!*
As expected, Nichs felt his hand stop for a moment; his weapon had encountered a man-made obstacle.
With this sudden collision, the enemy and him became somewhat unstable. Both of them tried to bnce themselves by using the opponent’s strength and shifted backwards in the dark.
Nichs retreated to the wall and found the position with his memory. He turned the weapon in his hand in an ingenious manner, causing a spark on the iron frame. The Eternal Oil on the shelf was swiftly ignited, setting the firewood in the brazier aze.
Across from him, the enemy also grabbed the flint next to him, and with a light sound, set the brazier in the corner burning.
The dim armory suddenly became illuminated.
Kan watched the hilt of Nichs’ single-ded battle axe.
"Looks like you and I are the same," Kan said as he turned the de’s hilt. "We both search for the closest weapon during a battle."
Nichs pouted his lips, not saying a word.
’Of course... This was one of the guidelines for the White de Guards. Back in the days, the person who taught me this was...’
Nichs did not utter a word as he narrowed his eyes. He gripped the hilt, the axe swayed back and forth in front of him. With practiced skill, he hacked out a cross-shaped sh.
Kan put on a smile.
Based on tradition, when an Archduke of Eckstedt was newly crowned themon-elected king, he had the right to take over the iconic ’Legend of the White de Guards’ and set up a unique group of guards that Nortnders are proud of—the White de Guards, who had a long history and a noble status. The king will use the guards to show the glory and importance of the king.
The White de Guards were elites whom would be selected from the regr troops who went through the regr three periods of training held each year, and would then be retrained. In the process, they would be elites who could personally pinpoint the situation in battle and act asmanders of a battle. They could also personally go through life and death experiences in battle. They were not only the king’s guards, but also his de.
Every White de Guard must have all the traits of amander, such as the ’Ground-Shaker’ Kan Lampard who, ording to his own example, required the White de Guards to master the use of almost every weapon on the battlefield.
Hence, this armory where every weapon from almost every era was kept was formed.
"Your ability to perceive and assess the battlefield has regressed." Kan’s gaze rose from the opponent’s weapon, "You know this: its attacks are monotonous, its sh is slow, and I’m not in heavy armor either, the axe isn’t really a good choice."
His answer was a merciless swing from Nichs’ axe.
’Well, duh. I couldn’t see anything. The only solution for me is to use whatever I just grabbed.’
*Ping!*
Kan parried his attack with his broadsword in a reverse grip. He shed back but was once again blocked by Nichs. Nichs angrily took two steps back.
’No. The broadsword is double-edged. Its attacks are agile and swift. If he countered with a backhand, I would have to spend a little more Power of Eradication to defend against it.’
At the thought of this, Nichs swung both his hands without hesitation, letting the axe fly towards the enemy.
Kan avoided the axe, but the moment he lifted his head again, a one-hand Panzerstecher—a weapon with lightness and nimbleness reaching a perfect bnce—near the weapons rack was already on Nichs’ hand.
"Good choice—"
Kan only had time to say these two words. Nichs, with his Power of the Eradication, shed forward without pauses in between maneuvers!
In several shes, the Panzerstecher[1] nimbly attacked the openings provided by either side of the broadsword. Hebined both shes and thrusts, attacking in a manner that put Kan in an incredibly pathetic situation.
During thest round, Kan struggled to avoid Nichs’ attacks but he was attacked again. He was forced to a point where he had no way to get out of this situation, and with no other choice, he had to fall to the ground and roll. At the same time, a row of weapon racks were knocked down and blocked Nichs’s next move.
Countless weapons fell on the ground with a loud ttering. Nichs was forced to stop and adjust his breathing.
"You must have been hurt," Nics said affirmatively. He kicked off a row of shelves that were in his way and shook his Panzerstecher, "You can’t even receive slightly more agile attacks?"
Kanughed softly. He rubbed his aching chest as he thought of the elven instructor for the Royal Guards of Constetion.
"Not bad." Kan spat dust from his mouth and threw his broadsword. "Only... it seems that there is also an injury on your leg." His right hand grabbed the hilt of a new weapon from the ground as he said faintly, "I guess, it’s probably not easy to dodge?"
After he saw the new weapon Kan was holding, Nichs’ expression changed drastically.
As the weapons rack rumbled, the three chains attached to the handle Kan held slowly straightened, pulling out three spike-covered metal balls attached to the end of the chains in the process.
Nichs did not hesitate, he instantly threw the sword in his hand and turned to run!
Sure enough, in the next moment, Kan’s iling caused three terrifying cangues[2] to fly in arcs in the air and crash onto the spot where Nichs originally was.
*Bang!*
Debris scattered everywhere. Nichs knew that Kan had found his weakness: A il.
A weapon with spiked weights connected to a long hilt. A murderous weapon on the battlefield, worthy of its name. Not only did it possess great power that could shatter bones and tear tendons when it grazed over a body, it had also caused plenty of deaths to its wielders’rades and enemies both when brandished.
Usually, it would have been easy to avoid it. But right now...
Nichs gritted his teeth and endured the pain of the wound on his leg caused by the arrow. He kept his feet running and heard the sound of the rushing wind behind him.
The Star Killer rolled on the ground without thinking twice. A rock scattered by the il hit the back of Nichs’ head. Nichs scrambled to his feet hastily and continued running.
*Bang!*
Kan flung the il sideways with immense proficiency as the il hit the weapons rack beside Nichs, smashing it into three pieces. Broken weapons scattered in the air.
Nichs ducked to avoid dagger hilts, several broken des, and the wooden rack itself. But he knew he could not stop.
’No! Not until...’
As he ran from Kan’s attack, Nichs turned to a stone pir. His eyes lit up; he finally found what he wanted.
Then, Kan flung the il once more.
Nichs’ pupils shrank and he threw himself onto the ground. When he finally got up, his hand clutched a long weapon.
The Star Killer turned back around and charged at Kan.
*ng! ng!*
The chain in the air wrapped around an iron bar that had appeared unexpectedly. Nichs yanked back the long hilt in his hand.
With a metallic sound, a chain looped around the iron bar twice and stopped moving. The il was bound tightly on the de connected to the top of the iron bar.
Kan grew nervous.
In Nichs’ hands was a halberd with aplicated design. Protruding on top of the bar was a sharp spike, and it had a de the shape of a halberd. It had a hook made especially for this weapon, and all of these things were made especially to tackle cavalry. As long as the power was sufficient and the user’s movement was skilled, even infantry could use this long weapon to easily hook cavaliers from their horses.
Now, it trapped the il perfectly.
Nichs panted and felt fatigued. Even with his strength, he had gone through a few hours of intense fighting and was too tired.
Luckily his opponent also felt the same.
He did not stop. He extended his right hand behind him, the halberd dragged the il along with it, and he swung at Kan with a skillful strike.
Kan loosened his hold on the il in a dishevelled manner. This time, it was his turn to struggle and escape Nichs’ erratic attacks—his halberd kept changing directions.
*ng!*
The halberdnded on a bow rack beside Kan. The unstrung longbows fell on the ground.
Kan did not stop. With a serious expression, he continued rolling and avoided Nichs’ long weapon which came shing from the side.
Nichs clutched the weapon in his hand, then with a reversed grip, he struck without hesitation.
*Bang!*
Kan avoided the attack with a slide and at the same time he kicked down a weapon rack, all the weapons scattered across the floor.
The old man took out three or four weapons and tucked them under his left armpit, he then ran for seven or eight more steps before turning around to face him.
Seeing the weapon in Kan’s hands, Nichs became rmed. He saw the old man reach out his right hand and pulled an outdated weapon from his left arm. A weapon that had disappeared from the battlefield—a javelin.
Kan raised the javelin sternly and straightened his right arm.
*Whoosh!*
The javelin slipped from his hand.
In that moment, Nichs could care less about the halberd in his hand, he lowered his head and ducked!
*ng!*
The javelin flew like a whistle in the air. It grazed past Nichs’ head and mmed into the stone brick behind him. But in the next second, two more ’whistled’ by as well.
Nichs tried his best to avoid the two javelins aimed at his torso and head, but the previous injury from the arrow in his leg began to hurt again.
Right after the Star Killer hid behind a stone pir, a javelin flew from a distance andnded on the spot he was at just now.
Nichs panted against the stone pir and looked around anxiously for new weapons as he cursed mentally.
As a White de Guard brought up by Kan, no one knew more about Kalsan’s fearsomeness than he did. Kan’s strength and reflexes were terrifying, which had earned him the title of ’Ground-Shaker’.
But the oldmander’s best skill remained in his mastery of practically every single weapon and knowledge their characteristics. Any weapon he grabbed on the battlefield became unparalleled tools for murder.
Like now with the broadsword, il, and javelin. Every time he changed his weapon, he would increase his pressure on Nichs, and the Star Killer could only passively fend against them.
After a noise rose from the stone pir, Kan picked up another bundle of javelins and tore the rope binding them.
"You let a lot of skills fall into disuse, Spiky." Kan’s voice traveled to the stone pir. "I can see it from the weapons you pick. Have you forgotten what I taught you? As a White de Guard, to understand the properties of each weapon is—"
While leaning against the stone pir, Nichs clenched his teeth. Resentment and pain rose from his chest. "Why?" he screamed with all his might, interrupting his opponent.
"What is it?" said Kan.
Nichs panted and clenched his fists. "Why... so much nonsense...?"
Kan stopped what he was doing.
"You damned bastard! From earlier to now, you’ve been yammering on about this and that..." The Star Killer gritted his teeth as the pain in his heart began to build. "F*ck... Why do you still bring up the past?"
He raised his head and roared, "You think we can still practice on the training grounds like we used to? Traitor!"
The old man on the other side of the stone pir was quiet. For a moment, Nichs’ panting was the only sound that could be heard.
"Iceberg... Do you remember this title? Big Mouth Monty gave it to you. It’s you," Nichs said hurtfully. "You brought us into the White de Guards. It was you who drilled us around the clock and beat us.
"The recruits who fought only for food and clothing, for money, for reputation, for honor and for glory... We became the glorious, iron-blooded White de Guards!"
Kan did not say a word.
Nichs closed his eyes tightly and felt his blood rush through every blood vessel. "That year, the words that you said to me while you were cracking the whip... The words you said to me while you carried me and broke out of a tight encirclement on the battlefield..."
The next second, the Star Killer gripped the edge of the javelin next to his feet and abruptly appeared from behind the stone pir.
"Was it all an act?!"
Nichs yelled in front of Kan as both men held up their javelins and stretched their bodies.
*Whoosh!*
*Whoosh!*
The two javelins were thrown at each other!
*Bang! ng!*
The javelins dropped on the ground, but Kan’s javelin went through Nichs’ armor and grazed the leather armor covering his calf, causing his calf to bleed.
Nichs rolled again and hid behind another stone pir. He rubbed his calf, it was drenched, but he did not have time to tend to it.
There was silence.
"With the look on you just now, I thought all you wanted to do was kill me." On the other end of the stone pir, Kan, who was mournful, looked at the javelin still quivering beside his body, and wiped the wound on his arm. "I thought you would never ask."
Nichs could not hold it back anymore, either. "As amander, I had to constantly think ahead more and take a step back less than the subordinates on the battlefield. Weren’t you the one who told me this?"
Nichs tore off a piece of cloth and tied up the injured leg tightly.
"You told me how to be a qualifiedmander, a strong shield, an iron wall, and a reliable shelter for yourrades—a war g.
"But you?"
The Star Killer’s face was contorted by his emotions. "What about the Oath of des you swore? To ward off the enemies and win countless battles until we bleed out," Nichs said, shuddering. "To leave a legacy of hope, cast the light of glory, until the world falls into eternal slumber. Where’s your blood? Where’s your glory? Boss!"
Nichs’ yell stunned Kan.
There was a long silence in the armoury. The only two people there were panting. One was fierce and the other unsteady.
Finally, the old man said slowly, "Spiky, being amander was really tiring, right?"
Kan sighed softly. His voice sounded really tired, helpless, and pained, as if he was being tortured.
"We have to protect our fellow brats. We must also give our loyalty to our leader without holding any of it back."
Nichs was startled.
Kan closed his eyes and whispered,
"Spiky, for nearly two decades, how much darkness had King Nuven let you endure, how many secrets have you kept?
"Among those, how many have filled your heart with guilt? How many sleepless nights have you had? How many burdened your shoulders yet you could not speak of it?"
The Star Killer clenched his teeth, he did not respond. There was nevertheless unspeakable sorrow and grief in his heart.
Kan said quietly, "Yet you could only keep an upright and stern face as you taught the subordinates to be loyal, glorious, upstanding, and heroic White de Guards on the next day of those sleepless nights you suffered while you stand on the training ground."
Nichs closed his eyes and gasped some air from the gaps between his teeth.
"That’s right, I knew. I knew from my heart," Kan stated bitterly. "As some of the most trusted people under His Majesty, his most capable guard captain, and the Commander of the White de Guards; the world will always only remember your heroics on the battlefield and mightiness beside the king.
"But behind the morous exterior, there will always be things you can’t avoid."
Behind the stone pir, Nichs frowned and his hands trembled somewhat.
"Nuven and I grew up together like brothers, much closer than Holt and myself." Kan sighed a little, pulled out the javelin with one hand and arranged them for easier ess.
The old man opened his mouth and said, "I still remember that day forty years ago when I epted King Kahn’s designation to go to Dragon Clouds City. Nuven Walton was still only a prince, he had snowkes all over him when he brought me to stand on the Cliff of the Sky.
"Both of us stood under the statue of Raikaru that overlooked Dragon Clouds City. I still remember the person he was at that time, the kindness and resoluteness on his face.
"King Nuven then said, ’Kan, Eckstedt is sick, very sick,’" Kan said in anguish.
The Star Killer furled his fists.
Kan gasped with a hurt expression. "He said, ’My old assistant, if I want topletely change Eckstedt, change this country... I want this country, which is as great as before, but also much older than it was in the past... I want to change this country which has not improved in the slightest since the past six hundred something years...
"’If I want to create a brand new Eckstedt, free of shackles and burdens like never before, will you help me?’"
Nichs was shocked.
"I was surprised... But I did not hesitate." Kan sighed deeply. "Because at the time, I never realized... what this choice meant..."
Editor’s Note:
[1] Panzerstecher: The sword described here is an estoc. These swords were usually made with only a sharpened point but no edges for shing or cutting attacks. Since shing attacks were mentioned, we went with the German estoc instead which does have a sharpened edge for shing.
[2] cangue: a board made to lock around the neck. There are versions of the cangue that were made to lock both the hands and neck together, sort of like a pillory, but without the stand.