Okaglar Battle (5)

Andre suddenly leaped forward and charged, slashing down with his sword.

"When--"

The metal struck, producing a crisp sound.

Trischka's arm, which was holding his sword horizontally in block, trembled slightly. He said in a heavy tone, "How could you, as the Duke's beloved son, betray him!"

"Even if you want to transform the the North, you can't do it this way!"

Andre forcefully knocked away the opponent's sword, then stepped closer and thrust in, as swift as the wind.

"Trischka."

He once again slashed away the sword that the other party had blocked with a "crack," and then raised his own sword high in the air.

"Can't you see it?"

"The North is rotten to the bone! It's beyond saving!"

Andre gave a sharp shout.

A series of crisp sword cries rang out as Andre's sword struck Trischka's armor like a storm, leaving him exhausted and covered in horrific wounds.

"That shouldn't be done this way!"

Trischka gritted her teeth, barely managing to withstand Andre's fierce onslaught, and couldn't help but retort.

Andre remained silent, only clenching his left hand.

Immediately afterwards, the aura of the Holy Oath Magic appeared on his body, and he was enhanced with multiple attributes such as [Bull's Strength], [Cat's Grace], and [Bear's Endurance]. His strength became stronger, his movements more agile, and even his physique more robust.

He swung his longsword again and slashed down diagonally without any mercy.

"When!"

Trischka still raised his sword to parry, but this time he was so shocked that his hands went numb. The force of the swing far exceeded Trischka's expectations, causing him to fall to the ground and the longsword to fly out of his hand.

The Sword of the Glorious Knight was stuck in the blood-stained snow, gleaming in the sunlight.

"No"

Trischka scrambled to his feet, trying to retrieve his weapon.

He knew that a knight who lost his sword would suffer a terrible fate.

But Andre wasn't about to let him have his way so easily. He rushed forward in just a few steps and blocked Trischka's path with his sword.

Immediately following was an even faster, more intense storm of blades.

If Trischka was struggling to cope before, he is now simply running himself ragged.

With instinct and conditioned reflexes, he dodged the fatal slashes time and time again; the slightest lapse in concentration would mean certain death.

Andre raised his silver sword and slashed horizontally at his neck.

Trischka quickly ducked to avoid the blade, which narrowly grazed his scalp.

This is now purely muscle memory, because it all happened so fast.

However, after swinging the sword halfway through, Andre actually managed to control the sword's trajectory with his strength, turning the horizontal slash into a vertical one.

At the same time, his hand holding the sword flashed with light, and this magical energy was rapidly transmitted to the silver sword—it was a [Magic Weapon]! "Whoosh!"

The next moment, the silver sword, gleaming with a blinding light, shattered Trischka's shoulder armor and pierced deep into his shoulder.

Trischka knelt on the ground, ignoring the blood streaming down his shoulder, and struggled to lift his head, asking in a low voice, "Why, Andre?"

"You'd rather submit to a dragon than believe your father, or the Bosque Duchy gave you birth and raised you!"

His tone gradually changed from low to angry, even heart-wrenching.

Andre, however, remained calm and said indifferently:

"Haven't you noticed yet, Trischka?"

"My father and the Northern Nobles, represented by the Bosque Duchy, are the biggest cancer hanging over the heads of the people of the the North, a bloodsucking leech attached to the back of every one of them."

"For thousands of years, nobles have been greedily sucking the blood of the people without ever stopping. As long as they exist, so-called reform and progress cannot be carried out. After all, who would oppose themselves or deny their own existence?"

Andre continued to exert force, making the wound caused by the blade even deeper.

"And you?"

He gave a cold, indifferent chuckle.

"Ah, Your Excellency Earl Trischka, a rising political star in the upper class of the the North."

"You don't even realize it yourself, do you? You are no longer the spirited young man you once were. You have become part of the Northern Nobles class, willing to use any means to maintain your status—even if it means causing families to break apart and people to die."

"This so-called 'mass procurement of supplies' must have been your doing, right?"

"I've seen it many times in the 《Kingdom Daily News》. I must say, my father really values you, entrusting you with such an important task concerning the survival of the Northern Nobles and the exploitation of the people."

"Compared to those thoroughly rotten, high-and-mighty fellows, the only difference between you and them is that you still have some unrealistic fantasies, fantasizing that the progress of the the North can coexist with the rule of the nobility."

"But when illusions are ruthlessly shattered by reality, you are no different from them."

Trischka trembled in excruciating pain and suddenly coughed up a mouthful of bright red blood.

"Puff!"

"But how much better are those dragons than we are? Are nobles more greedy than dragons?"

"Everything you see now is a facade; he just wants to use this to seize the the North!"

"Once we, the Northern Nobles, are wiped out, that evil dragon will reveal its true, ferocious face, and its greed will devour everything here! Including the 'people' you care about and protect!"

Trischka, his mouth full of blood, retorted with a ferocious expression.

Andre drew his gleaming silver sword.

"Whoosh—"

With a gust of wind, Trischka's head was cleanly severed, and his headless body, clad in tattered armor, fell forward.

Even after his head fell to the ground and rolled several times, his handsome, blood-stained face was still filled with disbelief.

He never imagined that Andre would kill him so easily.

Show no mercy.

Andre looked down at the unseeing head and said in a low voice, "Trischka, I don't know what kind of dragon it was, but it was at least a more competent ruler than the Northern Nobles."

He gripped his silver sword tightly again. "If one day in the future the dragon really reveals his so-called 'true face,' I will fight to the death to cut off his head."

Andre's tone was resolute, and there was not a trace of hesitation in his eyes.

In the distance, the Born Battle Maniac touched his bald head, his face full of frustration.

"Damn it! Is there no justice in this world? I even spent extra experience to get Quick Resurrection, and an NPC still managed to steal my kill."

"No, we have to make up for it, or we'll lose a lot of money!"

Thinking of this, the Born Battle Maniac turned his head and looked at the allied soldiers and officers with an extremely aggressive gaze, as if he were looking at a group of walking contributions and Gold Coin.

The allied soldiers immediately felt their hair stand on end, as if they were being stared at by a ferocious beast.

"Roar--"

"Ah! A monster!"

"Damn it, what is this thing?!"

"Don't come any closer!!"

The Barbarian ' furious roars, the allied soldiers' terrified screams, and the sounds of flesh and bone being crushed intertwined, composing a new, bloody chapter.

6k left, I'm numb.