Chapter 176
Kuaaaaaaah!
It was like a desperate roar, a cry of soone prepared for death.
Damian felt a stinging pain in his lower abdon, where his mana hole was located.
"Uaaaaaaaah!"
He let out a loud shout, squeezing out every last bit of his strength.
At that mont, the fully manifested Black Knight glowed with crimson eyes and slashed through Piaren’s rain of blades.
A single strike, swung from above to below.
With that strike—
Kururururururung!
A fine line was drawn for an instant.
And along that line—
Fuaaack!
Ziiiiiing!
The clouds in the sky were sliced apart, and a thin, straight line appeared in the empty air.
Then ca the deafening sound of the space itself being torn apart.
Kuaaaaaaaang!
An overwhelming slash, as if splitting the very fabric of existence, obliterated part of the aura from Piaren’s rain of blades, erasing them from sight.
Kwaaaaaang!
The remaining aura from Piaren’s attack shot outward, turning the entire Nardern area into a wasteland.
However, where Damian and the others behind him stood, not a single speck of damage was inflicted.
"...He blocked it?"
Piaren’s eyes trembled.
No, more than that—this bastard...
‘He can use aura again?’
It hadn’t been long since he had entered the realm of aura, so how could he possibly use it twice?
‘He definitely used aura when he destroyed the fortress wall...’
That ant...
"Kugh!"
Damian, who had been facing Piaren, suddenly vomited blood and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing this, Kyle and the Caion unit mbers shouted in alarm.
"C-Captain!"
"Damiaaaan-nim!"
"Nooo! Damian-nim!"
The Caion unit mbers rushed to Damian’s side and supported him.
Blood gushed from his mouth, staining his lips, chin, and neck a deep crimson.
But even worse than that was his complexion—his face had gone deathly pale.
His chillingly ashen face and unconscious state were enough to make it clear—this was serious.
And then...
"Fine. I was planning to kill every last one of you anyway."
Piaren’s eyes glead as he glared at the Caion unit standing in his way.
He acknowledged that they were a formidable force, but against his aura, they were useless.
Besides—
‘They won’t move aside to protect their fallen comrade.’
That worked perfectly in his favor.
He still had a debt to settle with these bastards who had slaughtered half of the Rose Knight Order in the past.
Uuuuuuuuung!
Piaren raised his sword and pulled in a massive surge of mana.
Using aura consecutively was a burden even for him, but—
‘I still have so leeway.’
One or two more tis was still manageable.
Unlike that fallen bastard, he had been in the realm of aura for a long ti now.
As Piaren’s overwhelming presence intensified, his mana shimred like a heat haze, and behind him, countless blades began to form once again.
A true downpour of blades.
Yet, despite facing an aura that seed to declare their inevitable demise, not a single Caion soldier flinched or looked away.
No, rather—
"Caion unit! No matter how powerful an Aura Master may be, using aura consecutively is impossible. If any of us survive this attack...!"
Dianal’s eyes glead murderously.
"Behead that bastard and avenge our fallen comrades!"
"Yes, sir!"
The entire Caion unit roared in unison.
At that mont, they spread out widely.
They ford a tight barricade, filling not only the main road of Nardern but even the alleyways, all staring at Piaren with fierce determination.
Their gazes seed to challenge him—’Try us if you dare.’
Piaren smirked.
"Do you really think that kind of bluff will work?"
Fine, if they wanted to die so badly, he would grant their wish.
Not a single one of them would leave Nardern alive.
Piaren lifted his sword high, surging his mana.
As if on cue, the aura blades behind him began to vibrate nacingly.
But at that mont—
"Stop right there!"
A voice, amplified with mana, thundered through the battlefield.
And with it, thousands of soldiers surged into Nardern through the southern gate.
Dianal had opened the gates, allowing the allied forces and Kiaran to enter the city.
Kiaran’s sharp gaze locked onto Piaren.
"Nardern has fallen. Drop your weapons and surrender!"
At Kiaran’s command—
"Piaren-nim! The enemy has surrounded Nardern!"
The vice commander of the Rose Knight Order, Berner, rushed up to Piaren and shouted.
The enemy had already taken control of the east and west gates from the outside and was advancing to completely encircle the north gate.
Berner yelled urgently.
"We must escape imdiately! Right now!"
If the north gate was sealed off, even retreating would beco impossible.
Not even an Aura Master could break through an army of tens of thousands.
They had to escape before the enemy fully encircled Nardern.
However—
"Shut up! I will bury all of them here!"
"Commander!"
Berner shouted desperately.
Even if he had to risk being executed for insubordination later, he had to stop Piaren now.
The Rose Knight Order mbers gathered around Piaren.
"Commander, we’re already surrounded!"
"We have to leave now."
"Commander Piaren!"
Many of them were wounded from their battle with the Caion unit, and others had barely survived Piaren’s own aura attack.
Piaren’s face twisted in rage.
"...Damn it."
Finally, he assessed the state of his knights and the surrounding situation, letting out a curse.
This was a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity...
No—how could he possibly face Ailes after retreating like this?
But even so—
"You must retreat. If you live, you can fight another day!"
Berner’s plea made Piaren’s face contort further.
Gritting his teeth, Piaren leaped onto his horse.
Pabat!
In an instant, he was mounted, and the other knights followed suit.
Piaren turned to face the Caion unit.
"Rember this... This is not the end. I will... I will slaughter you all one day."
Clench.
When that day ca, he would grind them to dust and throw their remains to the beasts.
His gaze then shifted past them to Damian.
The man was still unconscious, his body already showing signs of collapse.
Leaving now was a bitter pill to swallow, but—
‘He’ll die anyway.’
Unless heaven itself granted him a miracle, he was already as good as dead.
Piaren turned his head and pointed north.
"We escape through the north gate. Move!"
"Yes!"
As Piaren took the lead, the Rose Knight Order quickly followed behind him.
The knights had lost nearly half their numbers in this battle once again.
Of course, if they had fought to the bitter end, they might have been able to wipe out the Caion unit completely...
"Damian-nim!"
"Vice Commander!"
The Caion unit ignored the retreating Rose Knight Order and rushed to Damian’s side.
Dianal hastily pulled a potion from Damian’s belongings.
Though it was only a small amount...
"Carefully. Lift Damian-nim’s head gently."
Dianal carefully poured the potion into Damian’s mouth.
But...
"...What?"
"There’s no change?"
Normally, the first sign of recovery from a potion was a return of color to the face.
The potion’s regenerative properties should have quickly healed his internal injuries.
Yet, despite drinking the potion, Damian remained deathly pale.
"Is it because the dosage was too small?"
"No, I don’t think that’s it. But..."
Then—
"Move. Let see."
Kiaran approached urgently and checked Damian’s condition.
His face was deathly pale.
As she pulled open his shirt, grotesque, blood-red veins squird across his torso.
A horrifying sight.
No one had any idea what to do.
But Kiaran muttered under her breath.
"...The aftereffects of aura."
"Aura’s aftereffects? What does that an, Commander?"
Dianal asked.
"How do we treat it? Just tell us, and we’ll do whatever it takes!"
"Please, tell us!"
The Caion soldiers clamored around Kiaran.
She frowned, biting her lip hard.
Not because a re soldier had spoken to a commander without permission.
But because, in this situation, there was nothing they could do.
‘This is...’
His body was collapsing from excessive aura usage.
To stabilize him, the rampant energy inside his body needed to be forcibly suppressed.
But who here had the power to suppress an Aura Master’s strength?
If anything, they were more likely to be swallowed by it instead.
Kiaran couldn’t hide her distress. But just then...
"K-Kiaran-nim!"
"...?"
Kiaran turned toward the sudden voice of Edmund.
He was looking at sothing—
And as Kiaran followed his gaze—
A figure appeared.
"Co with for a mont."
"D-Duke Hainel?"
Kiaran’s expression wavered in surprise at Hainel’s sudden arrival.
But Hainel ignored the reactions around him and walked straight to Damian.
"...It’s serious."
His body was breaking down due to aura overload.
The core of his power, his mana hole, had cracked.
Mana was leaking uncontrollably, raging through his body.
And soon, the cracks would deepen, eventually shattering completely.
If that happened, Damian would never be able to use mana again.
Hainel’s brows furrowed deeply.
‘That cannot be allowed.’
Would he really let such a genius fade away?
Looking at the gathered soldiers, Hainel spoke.
"Once I begin treatnt, I won’t be able to do anything else for several hours. There’s no ti to move him sowhere safer... You must guard this place."
"Caion unit!"
"Yes!"
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The mont Hainel finished speaking, Dianal shouted.
The Caion unit swiftly surrounded Hainel and Damian, forming a solid defensive periter.
"Even if the Empire’s Aura Masters themselves descend upon us, we will not allow them to break this line."
"Reliable."
Hainel gave a small smile at Dianal’s words.
Then, placing a hand on Damian’s chest, he gathered his mana.
‘First...’
Saving him ca before everything else.
As Hainel’s mana surged into Damian’s body, a massive vortex began to form.
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