Lance Charging on the Arkship, but Without a Mount

Several generals exchanged glances, then eagerly sat down. As they listened to the sizzle of liver frying on steel, even this battlefield filled with blood and flesh seemed to grow quiet. Only their legion commander softly hummed a song.

"Child, oh child, wade through this snowy land.

Do not fear the cold. You are a child of the north.

Steel and rock forge your body; wind, snow, and bitter cold temper your will.

..."

In the height of his excitement, he spread his arms, and a figure burrowed into his embrace. A hand reached out and scratched beneath the other's chin with practiced ease. It let out an intensely affectionate purr and began rubbing itself against him. The sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger until he could not help asking,

"Hart?"

The figure in his arms rubbed against him twice, answering his words.

Claude bit his lip, his excitement nearly bringing tears to his eyes. He tightly embraced the figure in his arms, without noticing how petite it was.

Bang!

The sky had completely darkened, and the streetlights in the alley lit up right on time, finally allowing Claude to see the figure in his arms clearly. Then he fell into utter shock.

"Hart! How did you turn into a girl?"

Looking at the girl in his arms—her round cheeks, golden eyes, and long white hair mixed with golden feathers—Claude was so astonished that he could not even close his mouth. This adorable girl was now purring indistinctly in his arms, vigorously rubbing her face against his chest.

But Claude quickly recovered from his shock. Just as he was about to properly ask Hart what had happened, he suddenly noticed that someone had appeared at the entrance of the alley at some point.

The figure was tall, with broad shoulders. He took two steps forward into the range of the streetlight, revealing white hair and golden feathers just like the girl's. His chiseled, resolute face was currently cold as frost. He stared at Claude with unmistakable hostility, his thumb repeatedly rubbing the blade collar of the long sword in his hand.

The Rise of the Reunion Movement: A Huge Misunderstanding

Claude's gaze turned slightly cold. He sensed a powerful presence from the newcomer. He did not know this man, so he had to be here for Hart. He reached out to shield Hart behind him, then drew his sword. The blade flowed like mercury before transforming into a savage executioner's sword, crimson bloodlight coursing over its surface.

The sword let out a dissatisfied hum, as if protesting that its master had denied it the chance to drink its fill of blood for so long. It yearned to cut through flesh, sever bone, and savor that sweet blood.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but after Claude shielded Hart behind him, the man opposite him seemed to soften for an instant.

"I do not know who you are, sir, but if your target is this child, you would do well to leave now. Otherwise, I can only end your life here."

Claude pointed his sword at the other man. The heavy executioner's sword was as light as a feather in his hand.

The man opposite him hid his face completely in shadow, making his features impossible to see. Claude could only watch as he silently drew the long blade at his waist. The sword was as tall as a man, with a long, slightly curved blade that gleamed with a chilling light. He gripped its hilt with both hands and assumed a stance.

Claude no longer hesitated. The blade of his executioner's sword pointed at the other man's head. Once he confirmed someone was an enemy, he would show no mercy.

Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff, Claude suddenly felt someone tugging at his clothes. Turning around, he saw that it was Hart. She was anxiously pulling at his clothes and shaking her head at him.

Claude realized something in an instant, but before he could think further, the man opposite him had already attacked. In a life-or-death fight, there was no room for distraction, so Claude met his charge.

Their weapons unleashed sword lights like streaks of snow, their blades tangling together and throwing off showers of sparks. They moved so fast that they left a series of afterimages behind them. The gusts whipped up by their blades tearing through the air even swept up fallen leaves from the ground. The hair-raising glint of steel illuminated the alley.

Claude swung a savage horizontal slash at the man's waist. If it landed, the blade could easily cut him in two. The executioner's sword let out a deathly howl as it crashed down with terrifying force upon the raised long blade. The heavy executioner's sword clearly had the advantage, and the other man's slender blade bent under the blow, about to snap. But in that instant, he used an incomparably deft deflection, letting Claude's blade slide off his own in a shower of sparks.

But Claude immediately drove a heavy kick into his abdomen. Before delivering that slash, he had already prepared several possible follow-ups. The blow undoubtedly broke the man's balance and sent him staggering back a step. Yet he quickly recovered and did not let Claude capitalize on the opening.

Claude could not help frowning. The other man had been holding back. He could tell that the man had not used his full strength, and there had been no killing intent in his strikes. So Claude had instinctively held back as well. Otherwise, that opening alone would have been enough to severely wound him. Seeing the man about to attack again, Claude stopped overthinking it. At worst, he could subdue him first and sort everything out afterward.

Just as they were about to clash again, a figure stepped between them. With a resolute expression, she spread her arms to stop them. It was Hart.

Seeing the other man about to reach Hart, Claude immediately grew anxious. He could no longer afford to hold back. Violent lightning began coiling around the sword in his hand. Then... he stopped.

Hart suddenly threw herself into that man's arms. With a sigh, the man tossed his long blade to the ground and gently stroked Hart's hair. Hart, however, drove a heavy punch into his chest, forcing him back two steps and making him cough twice. Yet all he could do was laugh bitterly.

Claude's expression changed drastically. In that instant, he understood everything. He too wore a bitter smile and sheathed his sword.

"Come here, young man. Have a talk with me. Tell me how you managed to seduce my daughter without me noticing a thing."

The man stepped beneath the streetlight, revealing features seventy percent similar to Hart's. His sharp eyes carefully examined Claude from head to toe.

He was a handsome middle-aged man with long white hair and golden feathers. He looked like a Liberi, but the smooth, long tail behind him dispelled that notion from Claude's mind. There was no doubt that the man before him belonged to the Junjing, the former rulers of Ursus.

And now, there was no doubt that he was Hart's father in this world. Claude had just had an absurd conflict with him, and someone had nearly gotten hurt. Worse still, the man had clearly misunderstood Claude's relationship with Hart, thinking he was some wild brat who had seduced his daughter away.

This bizarre situation left Claude unsure how to handle things for a moment. Yet for some reason, he felt that he absolutely could not back down now. So he walked toward Hart and her father without hesitation.

When he came before them, Hart's face lit up with delight at the sight of him. But the middle-aged man firmly gripped her shoulders, preventing her from going over to Claude. Only then did Claude realize that Hart had not said a single word from beginning to end.

"My daughter is a child who has suffered much. Her mother died early, and I raised her alone. She was born with a physical defect and cannot speak. I know how innocent my daughter is, and you... sir, I have never seen you before. How did you meet her under such circumstances? What honeyed words did you use to earn her trust so quickly?"

Claude's expression became deeply strange upon hearing those words. He did not know how to explain it to this father. No explanation could account for why Hart had been so close to him the moment she first saw him. And judging by the man's expression, he would never let this go unless Claude gave him an answer today.

Claude could completely understand him. After all, as a single father, seeing his daughter getting cozy with some wild brat she had never met before—if it were Claude, he would want to kill the boy too.

But now Claude himself was the protagonist of this story... He hesitated for a moment. The man was Hart's father, so he should be trustworthy.

"Sir, have you ever heard of past lives?"

The Rise of the Reunion Movement: Hellagur

"You may find this absurd, but this child and I both retain memories of our past lives. In that past life, we were the closest of comrades."

Even Claude himself felt that saying such a thing was ridiculous. He sounded like an unconvincing charlatan trying to scam something from a victim, mysteriously claiming that they had been friends in a past life. Though he was telling the truth, he still felt terribly uncertain, especially since the man before him did not seem likely to believe him easily.

Hart nodded vigorously in the man's arms. The sight truly opened Claude's eyes. Hart had never had even the slightest connection to gentleness. It had been the fiercest-tempered griffin of its batch, as well as the largest and most bloodthirsty. Aside from Claude, it would not allow any other knight or griffin near it, and its emotions had always been intense. If Claude had not restrained it on the battlefield, it might well have been ruled by its own emotions and charged into the enemy ranks for a glorious slaughter.

But now, Hart was quietly nestled in that middle-aged man's arms, showing no sign of struggling whatsoever.

The handsome middle-aged man actually frowned and thought seriously after hearing Claude's words. He seemed to believe some of it, which greatly surprised Claude. Even he had not expected anyone to believe what he said.

After a long while, the middle-aged man sighed, and the resolute expression on his face softened.

"Though your words are extremely strange, I have no choice but to believe you."

Claude looked curious, and the man continued.

"My daughter was different from the moment she was born. When she was three, one day she suddenly vanished from our home. Her mother and I were terribly worried and searched everywhere. When we found her in a patch of grass, she was gulping down the blood of a hunting hound... She had torn off that hound's head with her bare hands."

He paused, a strange expression appearing on his face.

"I will never forget that scene for the rest of my life. She was such a tiny child, her palms softer than cotton, yet she could tear off a hunting hound's head. The expression on her face was so savage. Like an infant drinking milk, she gulped down fresh blood. My daughter was like a natural apex predator, born with the skills of the hunt already ingrained in her."

He reached out, removed a fallen leaf from Hart's hair, and affectionately ruffled his daughter's hair.

"That could never be explained by talent or anything else. No one taught her, yet she could hunt wild beasts with ease. No matter where we locked her up, she always found a chance to escape. In less than a month, she killed every hunting hound in the entire town. Back then, she was more beast than human, capable of tearing open prey's flesh with teeth and nails that were not even sharp."

"It took us a long time to slowly help her break those habits, but I knew very well that her nature remained that of a powerful hunter."

"And this child is so close to you. Other than that explanation, I can think of no other. Besides her mother and me, she would not let anyone else near her. So... sir, who was my daughter's comrade in her past life, I believe what you have said."

Claude immediately let out a breath of relief. Hart's father was unexpectedly reasonable.

"Thank you for your trust... Then, sir, your name is?"

"Hellagur. Just call me Hellagur. I am merely a humble warrior."

The white-haired middle-aged man picked up his long blade from the ground and sheathed it. He wore a heavy black cloak that wrapped around his entire body and concealed the weapon in his hand as well.

"My name in this world is Claude Ait. Just call me Claude."

Char set his heavy battle axe beside the table. Its terrifying weight made the floor creak ominously, and he hurriedly lifted it again. Squatting down, he felt the floor and found nothing wrong. Learning his lesson, he laid the axe flat on the ground instead. Sure enough, this time it made no strange sound.

He breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. The heavy armor on his body made him look like a massive boulder, carrying an intimidating presence and tremendous weight.

This was Chernobog's city hall, as well as his duty station. The general had said that he wanted to go out for a walk today and refused Char's request to accompany him, leaving Char with nothing to do. So he simply stood guard here. Now it was already evening, and the next Iron Guard had replaced him. He could finally take advantage of this rare opportunity to rest.

He entered a room that had been temporarily converted into a dining hall, where every soldier on duty in city hall could eat. He did not look for a chair, because no chair could withstand his weight while he wore his armor. So he simply ate standing up. Leaning over the counter, he knocked on it, and the cook quickly noticed him.

"What is it, Char? Already off duty?"

He rolled his eyes and could not help saying,

"What do you mean, already? I've been standing there all day. You're the one who hasn't left this place all day."

"What do you want to eat? The general should be back soon, and you'll have plenty to do then."

"Meat, of course! Big chunks of meat! I'm starving to death, and bring me two mugs of beer too."

Char shouted loudly.

"You only ever eat meat. Won't you eat something else?"

"Meat gives you strength! Eating that tasteless stuff all day makes you weak!"

The cook clutched his head with a pained expression. This guy had always been stubborn beyond belief.

"Even the rift beasts raised by the Ursus army have a more balanced diet than you! If you keep eating like this, sooner or later you'll eat yourself into trouble."

The soldiers still in the dining hall could not help laughing at those words, and soon the entire hall was filled with cheerful laughter. Char did not care in the slightest. He even laughed along with them as he continued urging them to bring his meat.

Soon, two huge pieces of leg meat were served in a basin, accompanied by plenty of greens and taro. Several pieces of bread were placed beside them as well.

Char looked helplessly at the cook, whose face held a stern expression. He could only sigh and eat the taro, greens, and meat together. After all, no soldier of the Reunion Movement would ever waste food.

He ate extremely quickly, devouring every scrap like a whirlwind. He did not even waste the sauce, wiping the basin clean with bread.

He set the basin on the table and stood up, about to say something, when the dining hall doors were suddenly pushed open. The moment he saw the person entering, his expression immediately turned solemn, and his entire bearing changed. If he had just seemed as simple and honest as some foolish village boy, now he radiated the savage aura of the most ferocious beast.

"Char, you're here too?"

His general, his master, entered through the door. Char hurriedly stood up and naturally took his place behind the general, while also guarding against the two unfamiliar people who had entered.

"No need to worry, Char. They are both friends of mine. Get them something to eat, and bring me a portion too."

Claude removed his gloves, brushed the dust off them, then beckoned Hellagur and Hart to sit down.

The Rise of the Reunion Movement: The Truth

Hellagur was currently overwhelmed with shock. The young man his daughter had run into on the street was actually the current ruler of this city, the general of the Reunion Movement. Though he had already seen that the young man was extraordinary, carrying a terrifying killing intent and dignity, he had never expected his identity to be so astonishing.

Hellagur was the person in charge of a secret clinic in Chernobog, a clinic called Azazel that served the Infected. Though he was called its person in charge, he knew neither medicine nor how to manage a clinic. The only thing he could do was ensure that it continued to exist. Thus, during the past few days of war, he had strictly ordered all patients and doctors to remain inside the clinic and not wander around. His adopted daughter Nayin was responsible for the clinic's daily affairs, while he guarded against possible saboteurs around its perimeter.

To his surprise, after the enemy occupied the city, there had been no massacres or acts of brutality. The city was as though it had never changed hands, returning to normal operations in a very short time. This had made him ease the restrictions on the clinic.

Then his troublesome biological daughter took the opportunity to slip out. Under normal circumstances, he would not have worried too much about her safety, because he knew his daughter's strength. If any ill-intentioned scoundrel tried to lay a hand on her, their only fate would be to be torn into pieces. But things were different now. Chernobog had just gone through a war and was in the midst of chaos. The city was full of well-equipped, fully armed soldiers. If his daughter came into conflict with them, the consequences would be unthinkable, so he immediately chased after her.

But events always developed beyond his expectations. The Reunion Movement's general had never shown himself. Who could have imagined...

Every soldier they encountered along the way had taken the initiative to salute Claude. He clearly held an extremely high position in this organization. Moreover, the fervor and reverence in those soldiers' eyes were so obvious that even he could easily tell Claude was the absolute soul of this legion.

His main reason for following Claude here was to hear what exactly his daughter's past life was like. Though Claude's identity surprised him greatly, he could not forget why he had come here in the first place. With that thought, Hellagur set down his knife and fork and began considering his words.

Meanwhile, Claude was dealing with Hart. Having been separated from him for so long, Hart was exceptionally enthusiastic. Whenever she found an opening, she tried to burrow into Claude's arms. But they were in the dining hall during mealtime, surrounded by people. If anyone saw such a scene, there would be no way for him to explain himself.

So he could only push Hart's head back again and again. Hart, however, thought Claude was playing with her and happily kept trying to burrow into his arms. The soldiers would normally pay attention to their general already, and Hart's actions drew more and more gazes. Seeing that they had all finished eating, Claude immediately stood and motioned for Hellagur and Hart to leave with him.

Hellagur immediately understood. Taking hold of his excitable daughter, he followed Claude out.

They did not stop until they reached Claude's office. The solid carved wooden door had excellent soundproofing, instantly shutting out the noise outside. Only then did the two men let out a breath of relief. Under those earlier circumstances, they had had no way to talk properly.

"Please sit, Mr. Hellagur."

Claude pointed to the solid wooden chair opposite him, and Hellagur sat down. Hart, meanwhile, unexpectedly quieted down. She took a chair from the side and sat on it herself.

"First of all, I need to thank you, sir. Thank you for taking care of Hart all these years. I know what this one's temperament is like..."

"Hart? Was that my daughter's name in her past life?"

"Yes... Mr. Hellagur, before I tell you what comes next, I need you to swear upon a warrior's honor that you will never reveal it. Otherwise, I cannot tell you."

Hellagur's expression immediately became solemn. He did not believe that a general like Claude would say something absurd, so this had to be an extremely important secret.

"I swear upon the sword in my hand that I will never reveal anything I learn next."

Claude nodded slightly, accepting the oath. Then he stood and walked to the door, knocking his knuckles against an inconspicuous pattern. In the next moment, the entire room was dyed a deep blue by the glow of runes. Countless dazzling, intricate patterns lit up across the walls, though it was unclear what purpose they served.

Only after doing all this did Claude return to his seat and begin choosing his words.

"Mr. Hellagur, in my past life, I was not from this world. I lived in another world. Hart was the same. She was my closest comrade, my griffin. The two of us fought through countless battles together, charging into the fray and living and dying side by side. For us, even the phrase 'companions through life and death' was not enough to describe our bond."

Claude reached out and scratched beneath Hart's chin. It had been her favorite thing when she was a griffin. Hart rubbed her round cheek against his hand, proving just how deeply she trusted the man before her. She was willing to entrust her vulnerable spots into his hands without any guard at all.

Hellagur silently watched it all. It was irrefutable, as clear as ironclad proof. His daughter trusted Claude as much as she trusted Hellagur himself.

Yet she had only just met this young man, while she had been Hellagur's daughter for more than a decade.

"We fought our entire lives in that world. We could not even remember how many times we had been wounded. Thinking back on it now, we were truly lucky. When we were far less powerful than we later became, we still managed to survive..."

"As I told you, Hart was not human before this. She was my griffin. And I was the master of the Human Empire's First Legion. Of my seventy-six years, sixty were spent at war. During the final battle, I do not know whether I suddenly crossed into another world or simply died of old age in bed. Either way, when I opened my eyes, I was in a knightly arena in Kazimierz."

"I never imagined that Hart would come to this world too. I thought this would be a new beginning, but I never expected to meet my old companion again. Perhaps this is the fate between us. Even upon this vast land, separated by thousands of miles, fate still brought us together, ensuring that we would meet again."