Almadianos Eiyuuden Chapter 62

Chapter 62 is here!

Anyway, here's chapter 62, I hope you'll enjoy it!

Chapter 62

Going back to a short while before Brigitte's escape.

Cabernard was on board of the magic cavalryman, Chaos. A weapon that manifested the prestige of the empire.

An army commander would normally never go to the front line, but as long as Kurats could use teleportation, no place was safe. Rather, the interior of Chaos was perhaps the safest place, given its high defensive capabilities. 

Besides, there was no need for him to stay back as his usual strategies were useless right now given the out-of-standard nature of Kurats as an opponent.

Cabernard launched Chaos' startup sequence, and the console inside blinked on.
The very elastic magic fibers of its 20 ton body allowed it to start advancing smoothly.

【"We'll take him in a triangle formation! Let's go!"】

Chaos was equipped with a specially manufactured armor, along with magic conduction circuits, magic fibers, and above all, a high powered magic engine. This was going to be the key to conquering the whole continent. 

Cabernard knew how much money and sacrifices had gone into developing this weapon. 

Even so, at the moment, he could only think of how pleasant it felt to look down on everything from Chaos' 20 feet (6m) high c.o.c.kpit.
Each move of the ma.s.sive weapon carried great power, and its response time was almost nonexistent. As he pitoled it, Cabernard realized that he was able to feel some excitement again. Something he hadn't felt in a while.

He was like an almighty G.o.d. It was as if he had merged with the heroes of old, wandering into the realm of myths and legends.
Though the hearts of the soldiers had been trampled by Kurats, they all found themselves shouting in excitement at the mere sight of this heroic juggernaut.
Nothing was more fitting than the irrational power of Chaos to oppose the irrational violence of Kurats. 

Chaos' upper body mimicked that of a knight, yet its lower body had 4 legs, like a centaur. Even so, it exuded a great sense of stability as it approached Kurats.

【"Looks like this battle is gonna be worth it after all."】
『It would be faster to just control a golem. He's mistaken if he believes his human skills can be reflected properly inside that gigantic body.』

Bernst seemed dissatisfied with the design concept of chaos.
With the same amount of magic power consumed by this ma.s.sive weapon, Bernst could control ten equally powerful golems.
But for Kurats, this was a good opportunity for his opponents to truly showcase their superior capabilities.
If a first-cla.s.s knight was piloting it, Chaos' power could jump up by many folds.
Its conception was quite different from Golems, which were usually not supposed to be very resilient or to last long in battle.

『I don't think your physical strength will lose out to his, but unless you're still hiding some power, you should be careful.』
【"Oh come on, the fun is just getting started!"】

Happy to see that an actual opponent had appeared at last, Kurats felt his muscles filling with strength.
He wondered how much power the enemy was going to make him use this time.

While Kurats was cheerfully smiling, Bernst was quietly sighing.

『H-hey, look, you have many options here, alright? Why don't you freeze the ground, or make a pitfall?』
【"I'll go fight head on!"】

Kurats unfortunately did not pay any attention to Bernst's distress. His head was too focused on comparing his strength to the enemy.

Kurats was 6'5"(2m) tall, but he looked like a child compared to the 20 feet (6m) tall Chaos.
Even so, Cabernard still did not underestimate him in the slightest. This man had easily trampled down an army after all.

In a battle of pure physical strength, Kurats might even be stronger than Chaos. 

That being the case, even though Cabernard was piloting a state-of-the-art weapon like Chaos, he decided to apply a cla.s.sic tactic and surround Kurats from three sides with two of his men. 

And they were each piloting a Chaos of their own. 

The idea was that Kurats ultimately only had two hands. He shouldn't be able to deal with every side at the same time.

【"…Good. Now it's getting real exciting."】

Kurats gleefully spread his arms out to each side with a big smile on his face, which inevitably irritated Cabernard.

【"Alexander! Ignat! Do not be hasty or impatient, we will kill him in time!"】
【"Yessir!"】

Encouraged by the two knights, who were the two best swordsmen among his subordinates, Cabernard also brandished his sword and attacked. 

The sword that each Chaos was equipped with was no mere iron sword. It was an attribute-tied magic sword which freely fed itself with Chaos' abundant supply of magic power.
The ma.s.sive iron blade was endowed with flames that helped it reach a temperature of more than a thousand degrees (2000°F) by the time Cabernard lowered it down towards Kurats.
Its speed was accelerated a hundred folds by Chaos' magic fibers. A normal person would not even be able to see it come down.

【"You think you can kill me while looking out for your allies at the same time? Your minds are still not in the right place."】
【"What?"】

Kurats laughed daringly as he easily dodged the attacks coming from his left and right while simultaneously repelling Cabernard's sword by punching it away.

Since they were excellent swordsmen, these men were careful to adjust their timing in order to avoid attacking their own allies.
This was something instinctive for them. It had been drilled into their bodies after practicing it for tens of thousands of times, through what felt to them like endless repet.i.tions. 

In knight teachings, there was no practice that encouraged hitting one's allies along with one's enemies.
And the precise adjustment in their timing that resulted from this was what had allowed Kurats to see through their attacks.
However, considering that he had come to this conclusion in an instant while he was being attacked, this feat could be attributed to his abnormal capabilities.

【"Do not fall for his provocation! Keep pus.h.i.+ng him!"】

Cabernard's made the right decision.
The fuselage of the three Chaos weapons was far too valuable to take the risk of allowing friendly fire.
Not to mention that there was an undeniable possibility that Kurats was scheming to get himself out of this crisis by making his enemies kill each other.

After giving his orders, Cabernard temporarily rested his sword on his shoulder, before shooting a ma.s.sive arrow from Chaos' elbow towards Kurats. 

The arrow, which actually looked more like a spear, was fired with an initial speed of 1000 feet per second (300m/s), raising a thunderous roar in its wake. 

It seemed like it was going to pierce right through Kurats.

【"―― Did it work?"】
【"Unfortunately for you, this level of power is not enough go through my muscles."】

No matter how fast the arrow was, in the end, it was just a regular arrow, without any magic enchantment.
It was a little too weak to pierce through Kurats' thick armor of muscles.

【"You d.a.m.n monster!"】

This was unbelievable. The arrow carried enough power with it to easily pierce through five normal people if they were lined up together, yet it had only left a bruise on Kurats' pectoral muscles.
Chaos was equipped with many other long-range weapons besides that one, but they would probably be just as powerless against Kurats. Cabernard was biting his lip in frustration. 

However, Kurats was not as relaxed as he looked. This attack had not left him indifferent.
He was fine because the arrow had hit his pectoral muscles, but what if it had hit a weak point like his eyes or his neck?

『You'd never get grazed by something of this level if you just used a magic barrier…』
【"I can't use it, I'm already using the magic canceling spell!"】
『Did you think you could keep depending solely on your physical strength indefinitely?』

It was not rare for heroes who were believed to be unbeatable to die from a stray arrow or from a simple accident like falling down from a horse.
After all, even  heroes could not escape the possibility of being hit by pure, bad luck.
And it was not an option for Bernst to let Kurats die before successfully achieving his own ambitions.

He would give him a good beating for neglecting his magic if he could. But it was physically impossible.

Of course, Kurats knew that he was in a position of danger, but that feeling was overshadowed by the great joy of fighting with more strength than ever before in his life.

【"I'll take it slow then, step by step!"】

While focusing his power on the lower half of his body, he swiftly lowered his back and then rushed forward like a bullet out of the barrel of a gun.

His first target was the warrior swinging his giant sword at him from the left, the centurion, Alexander Borichnakov.
This warrior's talent for the sword was discovered in Perskof, a remote village of Asgard. His individual fighting skills very much stood out among Cabernard's men.
Especially when it came to his visual acuity, which was most likely the best within the whole fourth squadron. 

It didn't take much effort for him to see through Kurats' unbelievably fast attack. 

However, though he could see through it, this attack was still above the range of what his reflexes could react to.
A loud metallic sound echoed in the surroundings as Alexander was sent flying away together with the Chaos he was piloting, which now had a deformed dent around the chest area of its magic armor.

【"―― This is the first time that something was able to take on my punch without breaking."】

There was nothing that couldn't be broken if it was. .h.i.t with enough force.
However, by absorbing the impact with its magic armor and magic fibers, Chaos was able to somewhat bear Kurats' blow.
But while it was able to escape from destruction, the impact it suffered when it hit the ground had bent its abdomen, which had naturally not left Alexander unharmed.
Chaos was a prototype, and there were still some problems with the safety features that were supposed to protect the pilot inside.

【"Alexander? Answer me, Alexander!"】

Chaos was the pride of Asgard's army, the culmination of the empire's technology.
It could not be allowed to be defeated by a single individual. 

Cabernard and Ignat were worried about their comrade's state, but they were busy making up for the loss of their triangle formation by keeping Kurats in check from the front and back.
They had promptly rearranged and coordinated themselves the moment the situation changed, which was only to be expected from the world renowned warriors of the Asgard empire.

【"M-my apologies. My ribs were somewhat damaged by the impact. My brain was also heavily shaken, so it make take a few minutes for my sense of balance to return."】
【"Pull yourself together! We cannot allow ourselves to be defeated here!"】
【"Yessir!"】

Alexandre answered with a bitter resolve. 

These three men were all ready to give their lives to protect their honor.

【"―― 'Magic Boost' !"】

The magic boost allowed Chaos to temporarily increase its mobility by going above the critical threshold of its magic consumption.
Cabernard did not hesitate to use this trump card.
This was because he had a.s.sessed that if he chose not to use it and ended up getting defeated because of it, the impact would be far too great on his two allies. 

The reaction speed of Caernard's chaos horseman increased by about 30%, and as expected, even Kurats was surprised.

【"Oh, that looks dangerous!"】

Ignat's sword grazed Kurats' back so close that he was able to feel its scorching heat on his skin.
Without a moment's delay, Cabernard followed up with a three-steps thrust, attacking Kurats' chest, throat and abdomen.
If his reactions were a second too late, he would die on the spot. But despite this cris, he was still laughing from the thrill of the fight.

【"You- You're strong!"】
【"You're still relaxed enough to smile? You d.a.m.n monster!"】

Ignat was wrong, Kurats was not relaxed at all.
This was his first time ever feeling death looming over him.
Even so, his chest was filled with feverish delight.

All his life, to this day, he had always fought half-heartedly.
He was always careful with his opponents.
Careful like he was holding a fragile gla.s.s plate.

His father was skilled enough to hold two t.i.tles as a mercenary, but even he was no exception.
One serious grip from Kurats could have crushed him.
Kurats was aware of that. Even back then, he knew that if he hit anyone with his full strength, they would die instantly.
That being the case, he had imposed on himself a sort of curse that prevented him from ever fighting seriously.
Even when he easily slaughtered a thousand soldiers in his previous battle, he had not used his full power once.

But he did not have to hold back anymore. In fact, holding back could mean losing his life at this point. 

The danger of the situation allowed Kurats to release the curse he had put on himself.

With a sound of creaking wood, the muscles all over his body started expanding. 

The output of his magic veins, which were fused to his muscles, suddenly increased. Some of that magic leaked out and turned into a faint magic light that radiated around him.

【"Die, monster!"】

Cabernard's warrior intuition was warning him like an alarm bell in his head. If he did not kill Kurats immediately, something that could not be undone was going to happen.

He rushed forward with every ounce of power he had to swing his giant sword and pierce Kurats' expanding muscles.
From appearances, it looked like the gigantic Chaos was about to crush the much smaller Kurats.

But what ended up happening was much different.

Kurats had caught the sword aiming for his heart with his bare hands.
There was a smell of burnt flesh coming from his hands, but he was laughing like that did not matter. 

As his eerie laughter grew louder and louder, Cabernard felt chills down his spine, but he still kept pus.h.i.+ng his sword further down.
He figured that Kurats wouldn't be able to bear a heat of a thousand degrees forever.

【"―― Great. Let's see who's stronger now, shall we?"】

Kurats' hand were turning red from the heat of the sword, but his eyes were not focused on that.

His eyes were focused on his prey.