Eternally Regressing Knight-Chapter 576 - You Will Be Chased Forever

Chapter 576 - You Will Be Chased Forever

Audin heard Enkrid's words as he swung his sword through the air.

It was a straightforward jab, at least in terms of swordsmanship.

After speaking, Enkrid continued to swing his sword in the air a few more times.

Since his body had been moving uncontrollably during the battle earlier, it seemed like he was checking his own condition.

It was something Audin had taught him: always make sure your body is functioning properly, no matter the circumstances.

Fighting without knowing your physical state was foolish, and maintaining peak condition was essential.

Audin had always stressed the importance of eating well, sleeping well, training hard, and understanding the limits of your body.

Enkrid had followed those principles up to now.

You are my best disciple.

Audin muttered to himself as he lifted his head.

It was now his turn to speak.

He would confess that he would return to the church to face punishment and offer his life in exchange.

He would urge Enkrid to stop fighting.

He would ask Overdier to spare the saintess, saying that he would take the blame for everything.

I will offer my remaining life.

Audin whispered this as he raised his head.

Before him stood the holy knight, emanating holy light.

This was the man who stood where Audin had once hoped to be.

Audin could tell from the pure white light that this was not the light of a fallen one.

A fallen priest's holy light would have been dimmed, a sign of their corruption.

That's why many priests who lost their true connection to the divine could no longer use real holy magic.

The holy man in front of him had pure light, untouched by corruption.

This was the true saint.

The one who wandered the continent, a saint who bore their title despite being shunned by the church.

Audin had once wished to meet such a person, a man whom he had personally known.

A man who had lived hiding his identity from the church, a master of deception.

But it was just a passing thought.

It was a fleeting reflection as Audin weighed his options.

Meanwhile, Overdier asked.

"Who says that?"

"Apparently, they pretend not to know," Enkrid answered nonchalantly, stopping his swordplay and now twisting his ankle as he lifted his leg.

He still didn't seem ready to give up.

His stance alone made that clear.

"Can you prove that?"

Overdier asked in a restrained, respectful tone, though his words sounded somewhat stiff.

It seemed he had intentionally fixed his tone.

"Hm, maybe?"

Enkrid tilted his head, not fully committed to the answer.

"Are you insulting the church based on assumptions?"

Overdier continued in his somewhat disjointed manner.

Pausing, he raised his finger and pointed it at Audin, asking, "Tell me, holy knight Alma, is this man a heretic?"

Alma hesitated before nudging Bert, the inquisitor, to speak for her.

"Prophet Overdiar, this man is Audin Fumrei.

He is known to have killed my father and abandoned his duties as an inquisitor.

Despite his early recognition for his exceptional talent, he even betrayed the priest who raised him."

"And why was he never caught before?"

"Recently, his whereabouts were discovered. He was seen in the capital of the Naurilia Kingdom, and there was a priest there who knew the face of this heretic."

Bert spoke desperately, piecing together the words.

Despite the image of an inquisitor chasing and killing heretics, their main duty was to create logical justifications.

No matter how powerful the church, they couldn't simply ignore the opinions of the public when accusing someone of heresy.

Only after public validation could they execute or imprison them, though this didn't apply to the powerless.

A twisted priest, recognizing Audin's talents, had pushed him into this position—a place where they could oppress and kill the powerless.

Indeed, Audin's defection from the church was due to the unbearable situation.

He could not withstand it any longer, especially after having killed a bishop's child.

The hatred of the archbishop played a significant role in that decision.

But that was the truth that no one here could dispute.

"Is that so?"

Overdier spoke simply, and then returned to his staff.

Enkrid raised his sword in response.

Their fight was far from over.

With a flash, Overdier's staff shot forward, cutting through the violet twilight, while a green blade, the sword, rushed to meet it.

Boom, boom, boom!

It was a battle between two knights.

The shockwave from the clash of staff and sword rattled the air.

Unseen waves of force spread, pushing away both wind and light.

Sparks and blood flew between them.

Sizzling.

Enkrid, who had sensed the impact through his sight and intuition, felt his arm move too slowly.

His muscles, ligaments, and tendons seemed to creak, but he couldn't retreat just because of a small injury to his earlobe.

He ignored the pain and regripped his sword, adjusting his stance.

If his movements were slow due to physical limitations, then minimizing his movements was the solution.

He adopted a more compact form, minimizing the range of motion.

He applied everything he had learned from his various experiences—Aker's web, Rem, Ragna, Jaxen, Audin—and streamlined his movements, simplifying them.

He also invoked the "Will of Rejection" repeatedly to push the divine power out of his body, though it took time for the effect to manifest. Meanwhile, Overdier's staff relentlessly attacked, stabbing, swinging, and thrusting.

As this continued, Enkrid began to see numerous illusions.

The impending visions.

It was Overdiar's specialty: using divine power to implant illusions into his opponent's mind.

He focused his will on creating images that only one person could perceive.

What made this technique terrifying was that the opponent's own insight would help support Overdier's ability.

Enkrid, with his sharp sight, was particularly vulnerable to this.

In the midst of their dance, Enkrid saw a future where he would be struck in the thigh by Overdiar's staff, and that future soon became a reality.

Boom! Thwack!

As Enkrid's sword was deflected, Overdier kicked him in the thigh.

The strike wasn't heavy, but it was fast, and Enkrid couldn't avoid it.

This kind of repetition could easily lead to despair.

It would seem as though the entire battle was being manipulated by Overdier's will, and that was exactly why he was known as a prophet.

But Enkrid didn't give in.

If he had been the type to surrender or despair, he would have long since resigned himself to the immortal, stagnant existence where time had no meaning.

He wasn't that kind of person.

He simply needed a bit more time.

"Hm."

The pain shot through the area he was struck.

Though no weight was applied, there was enough force for the divine power to penetrate.

Even so, Enkrid didn't back down.

"Ha!"

Instead, he let out a battle cry and struck down with his sword, condensing his Will into the blow.

Twisting his ankle, he added speed to the strike.

The blade accelerated more as it curved downward, reaching an even greater velocity midway.

It was double acceleration.

Enkrid had mimicked one of Ragna's specialties.

Clang! Crack!

Overdier received the blow with force.

A crack appeared in the middle of his Valerisian steel sword, but it wasn't broken yet.

The sword he held had been worked on by Eitri once before.

Though it wasn't a magical weapon, its resolve was evident.

It wasn't a weapon that could easily snap.

Enkrid thought the same, so naturally, the same resolve filled him.

He swung the sword once again.

Overdier knew his opponent would not easily retreat.

This left him with no options.

He had said he wouldn't kill, and he would keep that promise.

A knight's word held that kind of weight.

Instead, he felt the need to break a limb or two.

"I'll see how long you can last."

"There's no need to last."

Overdier spoke, his voice layered with that of the seer.

Enkrid knew.

There was no need to endure.

But without doing what was needed, nothing would be accomplished.

To achieve what he wanted, to fulfill that one desire.

Enkrid decided to engage in a meaningless struggle.

He had wandered the continent, seen and met many people, and experienced much, which led to this realization.

"A knight alone accomplishes nothing."

A knight could not be the end.

And so, he chose not to make that the end.

To him, becoming a knight was just the beginning.

"A knight? That's truly ridiculous."

Among those who mocked him, he couldn't even speak of it as the beginning.

Yet, he had eventually reached the top of what they had mocked—the knight's position.

So, he would live as he believed.

"Foolish."

Overdier's staff struck his shoulder amid the seer's echo.

Enkrid twisted his body in the way Audin had taught him to avoid a blow.

Engaging his abdominal muscles, he twisted his waist, adjusting the angle of his shoulder.

The point was deflected and scattered.

Thud!

A sound indicating something wrong with his bone echoed, but it didn't seem to be broken.

Enkrid swung his sword, enduring the heat rising as the pain was momentarily forgotten.

He repeated this action.

Overdir's staff continued to strike his body.

Enkrid endured with only his Valerisian steel sword, and then, in a single moment, he twisted his body and pulled out a hidden thrust with his left hand.

"Nice!"

Shinar shouted as he observed Enkrid's movement.

However, before the words ended, Overdier blocked the thrust with his staff.

The sparks flew as the flame-like strike passed over the angled staff.

The two weapons collided, sending sparks flying into the air with a ringing sound, only for them to resume the clash.

The blade brushed against Overdir's cheek and arm, blood splattering.

It was a sign that Enkrid's strike had cut through the divine armor.

This was also because Overdir's defenses had weakened.

Overdier, gritting his teeth, gazed at the opponent before him, who now had blue flames rising from his eyes.

He had no idea what his opponent was thinking.

He only thought that he couldn't ignore the opponent before him.

Thus, the divine power imbued into his staff thickened.

As their strength collided, it was as though a storm was raging around them.

Amid the crossfire of weapons, Audin's heart seemed to shatter.

"Why is he enduring? For what reason?"

Why?

For what?

Audin felt pain, as if his father himself were chastising him.

No, if he were to receive punishment directly, he would endure it.

But this was different.

Watching it unfold with open eyes was too much.

His head was spinning, and his insides felt like they were being shaken.

And yet, he couldn't stop watching.

What was it that kept the man from retreating?

The question rose within him, and in that moment, Audin realized the answer.

That was why he had decided to act.

So why, now, was he hesitating to intervene, standing by and watching the fight?

"Enough."

Audin muttered, but neither of them heard.

Or perhaps they didn't want to.

In the meantime, Enkrid, who had been rolling back, had now risen.

He had used the momentum to stabilize himself.

His forehead was bleeding, but the sword he held had somehow not broken.

Overdir spoke again.

"I told you, I won't kill you. But I'll take a limb, at least."

The subtle awkwardness in the seer's voice no longer bothered Enkrid, who had no strength to care about such things.

He could feel Audin's insight—he knew Enkrid would lose, but not die.

He would lose a limb or a leg.

"Shinar, over there."

In the meantime, Enkrid spoke.

Had he noticed the approaching danger?

Behind Audin, a man with a hammer, his eyes gleaming with malice, was creeping closer.

The murderous intent radiating from his gaze reached Audin.

It was the look of a fallen man.

Shinar stood in front, readying his leaf-blade sword, preparing to strike if the man advanced.

Audin's face twisted for the first time since he had met Enkrid in the barracks.

Even when he had nearly decided to leave the Order, he hadn't shown such an expression.

But now, he couldn't hide his feelings.

"Don't do anything. Let him be. Let him die, just like you did to me."

The illusion of Fildin spoke.

Audin, with blurry eyes, continued to watch the fight.

And Enkrid continued to take hits.

Crack, thud, bang!

Sometimes he blocked.

Then, he was hit again.

Throughout the entire process, Enkrid never once took a step back.

Why?

Why was he doing this?

If he retreated, Overdier would stop chasing him.

"Enough, you can leave me and go, Captain."

Audin spoke, but no one heard him.

No, it seemed Enkrid did hear.

He wiped the blood from his eyes.

Overdiar paused, likely taking a breath, and stopped swinging his staff.

A hint of fatigue showed on his face as well.

Enkrid spoke softly, yet loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I do not agree with a future created by others, and if I know something that has been forced upon someone is wrong, I will not ignore it simply because I lack the power to resist it."

By speaking his conviction as a knight, he knew that failing to uphold it would damage his Will.

Now, Enkrid declared not only through his actions but with his words:

There would be no retreat.

'Ah.'

Audin fully understood the meaning of Enkrid's words.

Overdier speaks through force.

He says not to interfere with the Order's matters.

And not to dare interfere again.

And Enkrid would never tolerate that.

After the sword and actions, Enkrid's words pierced Audin's heart.

It was reckless, but that will shone like the sun.

To Audin, it seemed as if divine light was shining upon him from the violet sunset.

It was an illusion visible only to him.

"Stop."

Fildin spoke.

The face of the vision became clearer than ever.

The lord of his nightmares spoke more clearly than ever before.

Audin briefly turned away from the pitiful child he could not save and looked at the back of one person.

It was the back of someone who lived entirely by their own will.

At that moment, Audin felt as though his life was a continuous cycle of salvation and punishment, life and death.

He died, then came back to life.

He came back to life, then died again.

It felt like he was repeating today over and over.

If Overdier was punishment, then Enkrid was salvation.

Audin's hands trembled.

Then the shaking stopped.

What Enkrid was doing now was stopping the Order's activities.

It wouldn't make sense to kill them to silence them, so it would lead to a complete war with the Order.

Not yielding to Overdier's will meant this.

Audin looked at the blood-stained floor and spoke in a deep, heavy voice.

"You will be chased for the rest of your life."

Becoming an enemy of the Order meant this.

Then Enkrid responded with a sound that seemed indifferent.

The thud, the thump, was his answer.

So what? It seemed to say.

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