Eternally Regressing Knight-Chapter 541 - The Unyielding Knight

Chapter 541 - The Unyielding Knight

"You're the lord, I assume?"

Graham turned his gaze to the figure suddenly standing before him.

'A lunatic?'

The man looked like he might start drooling at any moment.

His appearance was utterly disheveled—a gambeson torn in multiple places an old, battered scabbard and a dented helmet.

On the surface, he seemed nothing more than a deranged vagrant but Graham instinctively raised his sword and shield, readying himself.

The madman's bloodshot eyes blinked a few times as he exhaled a wheezy breath escaping him.

"I'm busy. Let's end this quickly."

His tone was calm, but the murderous intent laced within was undeniable.

Before Graham could even fully process his words, a roar erupted in the distance.

"Waaaaaah!"

It came from the battlefield.

Amidst the clamor, he thought he could make out someone shouting a name but it was too far away to discern clearly.

Graham was in the process of regrouping his forces, including the rear units to mount a full defense.

Regardless of their chances of victory, every soldier counted when it came to minimizing their losses.

But then, this man had appeared from the brush beside their camp blocking the path.

There were hardly any soldiers around their focus was on the frontlines, leaving supply units and support personnel scattered.

Srrrng.

The bloodshot lunatic drew his sword, twisting his neck to either side as the blade wobbled slightly in his unsteady grip.

Whatever he had endured, his body and mind were far from sound.

His balance was skewed his stance disorganized.

Still, the words he muttered sent a chill down Graham's spine.

"The lord's head will earn me the greatest glory, won't it?"

What nonsense.

Yes, Graham was the lord of Border Guard, but everyone down to the youngest child—knew who truly represented this land.

Demon Slayer, the King's Friend—Enkrid.

Graham's title was largely a formality and he knew it.

But Graham, an aging warrior viewed serving beside Enkrid as an opportunity, a blessing.

He had honed his skills while watching Enkrid closely, refusing to grow complacent.

And this man, as unhinged as he appeared was not ordinary—Graham could tell by the way he carried himself.

A simple madman wouldn't have made it this far.

Even his Frog companion, Luagarne an observer with keener instincts than most humans—muttered a warning.

"Knight."

That single word was enough.

One of the guards nearby furrowed his brow and started to step forward, but Graham stopped him.

"Stand down."

"Sir?"

"I said, fall back."

Graham was not a calculating man, but neither did he turn a blind eye to the obvious.

If his guards engaged this opponent, they would die.

Graham had no intention of sending someone he'd fought beside, shared meals and trained with to their death just to test the enemy's strength.

'Am I destined to die today?'

He didn't know how or why an enemy knight had ended up here in such a state, but if this opponent was truly as deadly as they seemed even surviving a single strike would be a monumental challenge.

Despite the odds, Graham gripped his sword firmly.

'If you fight, you fulfill your duty. But kneeling to die quietly isn't your role.'

Straightening his posture, he declared "I am the lord of Border Guard."

Before Graham could finish speaking, his opponent's sword disappeared in a blur.

He didn't even have time to shout.

What saved him was the relentless training he'd undertaken after witnessing Enkrid's strength.

Out of habit, he angled his sword diagonally, bracing his legs to absorb the force and attempting to deflect the strike.

Clang! Screeeeech!

He couldn't entirely redirect the blow.

At best, he managed to partially deflect it.

Still, it was enough.

The edge of his Valerian steel sword, the pride of his arsenal—was serrated like a saw, nearly ruined.

His hands throbbed as though they might burst open and he suspected some skin had already torn.

'I held on.'

Even if it was partially luck, he'd survived.

Against a knight, no less.

Of course, his opponent Corwin was far from normal.

Exhausted from the battlefield, bloodied and consumed by rage, the knight was running on little more than sheer willpower.

His goal was simple: Kill the lord and leave.

Logic or survival had no place in his mind.

Had it not been for Luagarne's whip snaking around Corwin's ankle, Graham might not have survived.

The Frog's presence was a precaution, courtesy of Krais who feared a flanking attack.

No one could have anticipated an enemy knight's assault.

"Frog scum." Corwin hissed, his bloodshot eyes gleaming with malice.

Luagarne tightened her grip on the whip, but Corwin's brute strength was undeniable.

With a sharp yank, he pulled her off balance forcing her to adjust her stance.

Luagarne gritted her teeth, her thoughts racing.

'He's incomplete.'

There was no doubt Corwin was a knight.

But compared to figures like Enkrid, Rem or Ragna, his skills were embarrassingly unpolished.

'We can hold out.'

Perhaps only that.

Defeating him was a far cry from reality.

Luagarne's resolve solidified.

She puffed out her cheeks, steeling herself for action.

This wasn't the time for despair it was time to act.

Meanwhile, Corwin advanced his murderous intent sharpening the air.

His blade descended with terrifying speed, but Luagarne managed to parry predicting his movement.

By her side, Graham countered with a desperate strike of his own his battle cry echoing through the camp.

Reinforcements were arriving, drawn by the commotion but Corwin remained undeterred, eyes wild and bloodshot like those of a beast.

The knight swung again, relentless and savage as Graham endured, even as his armor shattered and his arms bled.

He wasn't the same man he once was.

His time training with Enkrid had pushed him to the brink, transforming him into something more—a warrior capable of surviving even the deadliest onslaughts.

Of course, it shouldn't have been possible for him to block the previous strike.

That was reasonable.

But it was blocked.

If one were to analyze the reasons, first it was due to Corwin's disrupted Will while fleeing, without regard for the damage to it.

Second, Luagarne's whip had wrapped around his ankle repeatedly hindering him.

Lastly, it was also because Corwin had chosen to confront his weakness instead of leveraging his specialty.

Rather than a precise, insightful strike he had opted for a brute-force attack.

"Uaaaargh!"

Corwin's scream, devoid of any composure carried only his negative emotions.

It was a sound that made everyone uncomfortable just hearing it.

Most of the surrounding soldiers frowned.

Still, there wasn't anyone who could step forward.

Whoosh.

Corwin's sword once again sliced through empty air.

Despite his earlier blunder weakening his Will, he was still a knight.

Even if this blow decapitated Graham, no one could blame him.

Besides, Graham had just ordered his escorting troops to withdraw to avoid their deaths.

Thud!

Yet again, Corwin failed to achieve his goal.

His sword had indeed cut through something, but it wasn't the lord's neck.

Flop, flop.

One of the Frogs' arms, severed and bleeding flapped on the ground like a fish out of water.

"How many times do you think you can stop me?"

Corwin growled, exhaling a sinister bloodlust.

At this point, Corwin seemed to regain a shred of calmness—something close to self-control.

Though this was more of a fleeting hope on his part, given enough time even this sinister aura might have been sublimated into Will, opening new doors for him.

Even if it meant a life defined by slaughter, like that of a mad knight.

But that was only if he survived.

Corwin had already broken Graham's shield, shattered his fingers and severed Luagarne's leg, but he had failed to kill them.

The crucial point was that enough time had passed, and the unhinged Corwin failed to grasp this fact.

"Wow, this bastard made it all the way here? What brings you here?"

A voice brought the battle to a halt.

Light and refreshing, yet it carried authority.

Even so, Corwin still tried to cut down the lord in his last act, but his movements no longer followed his intentions.

Something flew through the air with a whoosh and passed between Graham and Corwin.

Instinctively, Corwin retreated.

Graham, slower to react, flinched in surprise.

Whatever it was, it was several times faster than Corwin's sword had been.

Boom!

With a deafening noise, the flying object struck the ground kicking up dust before settling.

It was a hand axe.

Its flight had been so swift that Graham himself had failed to see it properly, and to the soldiers it seemed as if lightning had struck.

The small throwing axe had embedded itself into the ground, its blade entirely buried.

It was a demonstration of overwhelming might.

Corwin's head snapped around.

His eyes widened to the point of tearing, and blood-red veins burst leaking tears of blood.

"You... why are you here?"

Death had returned.

The monster with grey hair stood before him.

Behind him was a man with black hair and blue eyes, and next to them a red-haired figure wearing a stoic expression.

Nearby, a female soldier gasped for air—her name was Finn.

Finn had returned during her report and, seeing the unfolding situation had swiftly brought Enkrid.

For this, Graham would later owe her his gratitude.

As Corwin reflexively attempted to flee, something flew toward the path he intended to take.

He twisted his body to dodge it—it was a leaf-shaped sword.

The sword's wielder, a golden-haired fairy with an unforgettable appearance spoke.

"I will not let you escape, shriveled one."

What nonsense was this?

Corwin thought as he scanned the people surrounding him.

"Brother, it is time for you to meet the lord."

The speaker was a bear-like giant who stood silently to one side.

And those words were fulfilled.

"Uaaaah!"

Corwin let out a scream mixed with a battle cry and desperately used every strategy he had to escape.

His extraordinary insight allowed him to glimpse into the future.

But the future he saw showed an unavoidable strike severing his neck.

"No!"

Those were his final words.

Thwack!

The knight Corwin's head flew through the air.

Rem, who had swung the axe almost struck the fallen head again but decided against it.

What was the point of cutting up a dead man's head?

"Crazy bastard."

Rem spat on the ground.

Corwin was unpleasant in every way.

Only then did Graham and the armless Luagarne let out deep breaths.

Enkrid supported them both.

"Limbs can grow back." Luagarne said as soldiers rushed to reattach her severed parts and bandage her wounds.

"What's the situation up ahead?" Graham asked.

"We drove them back." Enkrid replied.

Enkrid, who always showed Graham respect had chosen his words carefully.

It was thanks to this that there were no casualties in this battle.

Enkrid's calm demeanor was evident and some soldiers in the vicinity stared at the so-called Madmen Unit that had just eliminated the knight of calamity.

There weren't many onlookers.

Even as Aspen retreated allied troops had to hold their positions.

Still, a few had witnessed what Enkrid had done.

"An Unyielding Wall."

Someone muttered the words, and they seemed to replace Enkrid's most famous nickname.

The moniker Unyielding Knight was born.

"You're late." said Krais, the big-eyed man as he emerged from the crowd of onlookers.

Beside him was Esther in her panther form, her blue eyes fixed on Enkrid.

If Aspen's war marked its downfall and despair, then Naurillia's victory heralded the birth of a hero.

There were many witnesses on the battlefield, ensuring the story would spread quickly.

Thus, after Graham was saved and Luagarne's severed limbs were attended to evening came.

There would be no celebratory toasts or indulgences for the next few days; the first priority was to recover the battlefield.

After all, Aspen might attempt another reckless act so vigilance was essential.

As the soldiers washed, ate, and chatted through the night, Enkrid finally felt a sense of emptiness, that he was forgetting something.

That emptiness revealed itself late at night.

"We found him by chance."

"He was heading toward Aspen, using a greatsword as a staff!"

The scouts and soldiers patrolling the area had brought Ragna back.

"Ah." Enkrid sighed softly.

He had completely forgotten about him.

"Well, thanks for finding me."

Ragna, muttering nonsense entered the tent and fainted on the spot.

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Naturally, he was sent to the medical tent.