A Knight Who Eternally Regresses Chapter 756

756. A Different Class of Madman

The Minotaur’s build, a combination of physical size and intangible force, felt alarmingly enormous.

Most of the residents of the Demon Realm dropped to their knees, chanting “Black Sun, Black Sun” and reciting the demon’s epithet where they sat.

But the curious thing was that, in their eyes, the human—at least twice as small as this bull-headed monster—looked just as big. No, maybe even bigger than the bull-headed creature?

At a glance, one would expect the human to be flung aside at any moment, spilling their guts and blood, all that was inside them. But that didn’t happen.

Clang!

A tremendous roar rang out. The screech from colliding metal burst forth and spread like a shockwave.

Enkrid realized after just their first exchange of blows.

‘This is at a knight’s level.’

Why can’t we get rid of the Demon Realm? There’s a clear and obvious answer. They simply lack the power.

Even when enlightened humans fight with their Will, they can’t withstand the monsters that crowd that place.

The Minotaur with two swords was one of those beasts.

After the initial clash, the monster and the human put some distance between them. The bipedal bull retreated, pulling its right hoof back.

Enkrid raised their sword at an angle, covering their face as they stood. It was a brief standoff.

Everyone knew they would go right back to fighting.

Sunlight slanted across the violet-tinged earth. The sun disappeared over the ridge, soon calling forth the darkness.

A clammy warmth clung to the area, as if they’d been standing in a marsh all day. The humidity was high. It was summer, after all, and this whole region was what people called a Demon Realm border zone, so perhaps that’s why the air felt even nastier.

“……Do we not need to help?”

Roman asked from further back. Just seeing the monster was enough to give goosebumps, making all the fine hairs on their body stand on end.

This thing felt like a higher existence than the monsters of the Gray Forest that they had faced in Oara City. Even more so than that ghoul, Jerix.

With a single roar, that creature made Roman feel as if some of their freedom was being stolen away. If it had been them standing there, they’d be dead by now. That much was painfully clear.

‘A monster.’

They needed to help. You couldn’t just leave someone to handle it alone. That’s what prompted Roman’s question.

“Leave them. You’d just get in the way.”

Rem replied without even looking back. Their eyes, too, never left the two locked in combat.

Everyone was the same.

The holy knight using divine power.

The deadly swordsman, frightening just to look at.

The one whose presence was so faint you could barely sense them.

The other fae and the rest—everyone simply watched.

Roman quickly realized the emotions in their eyes weren’t worry or concern.

‘Why?’

Frok, who was standing right next to Roman, puffed their cheeks. It meant anticipation, excitement, and elation, but Roman couldn’t quite read Frok’s expression.

They didn’t have any Frok companions or friends. In the first place, Frok weren’t a populous species, nor did they often seek out others.

Even the fae were unfamiliar to Roman. In Oara City, they were hard to come by.

To Roman, the fae all seemed just as strange.

Roman had heard it was rare for fae to show emotion, yet in those eyes a glimmer of feeling flashed. Without needing to check, Roman could tell it was anticipation.

The same went for Fel and Lofodran.

While their palms weren’t sweaty, both clenched and unclenched their fists, shifted their toes—watching as if imagining themselves in the same situation.

Defeat was not an option; their actions and attitudes stated as much.

If things didn’t go well, anyone might jump in. They were all ready to help if Enkrid were in real danger.

But even before that, there was something else beneath the surface.

It was anticipation—for something the man before them was about to show.

That atmosphere naturally seeped into Roman too.

‘What in the world are they going to do?’

Becoming a knight was shocking enough, but to inspire this kind of solid trust from others?

‘Is this something I’m meant to learn as well?’

The knight Oara had always shown her back to him.

Even moments before death, she had shown the life she lived, the values she protected.

She never once broke her oath as a knight. She left, smiling.

Roman remembered Oara’s last battle. The fight where she burned her life against a fragment of a Balrog.

Now, the Enkrid before his eyes overlapped with that memory.

“Oa…”

Roman muttered.

Enkrid’s Dawnforged sword and the Minotaur’s blade clashed once again.

Bang!

A tremendous crash echoed out. Like a landslide, huge boulders seemed to tumble and fall. Dust surged up from the earth, violet soil spreading in all directions.

Roman saw Enkrid’s sword shake.

That trembling soon caused a ripple, drawing forth formless Will that settled into the blade.

Light scattered along the sword in the heart of the Demon Realm, where even moonlight hadn’t reached. It exploded, burst, and painted all sorts of pictures on the canvas of darkness.

Roman couldn’t see the full trajectory of the sword, but his heart pounded all the same.

* * *

‘You could die any time.’

Seeing the skill of the bull-headed swordsman, those words rang clearer than ever in Roman’s mind.

It was something he’d heard even before becoming a knight. If you choose to live by the sword, never forget that you could die to a stray blade.

Hrrrm, Mrrrr-!

The bull let out a chopped, bestial shriek. That shriek itself was part of the attack. A wild killing intent, like intimidation, took on form and tried to squeeze Enkrid’s body.

But Enkrid ignored the kiap with boiling Will, and as the bull roared, it twisted its waist and swung its arms.

The blade coming in packed a heavy, swift blow. The kind of violent, quick swordplay Laghna always showed. Waveguard—Enkrid met it with Dawnforged, twisting and leaping away as the calculation finished. Pivoting on their left foot, they spun at the waist, letting the force slide along the blade. Using the force transmitted through the sword, they were pushed sideways.

The meeting of blades rang out with a light clatter.

Clink, clink, clink.

Waveguard was the perfect buddy to the Blade of Coincidence.

Actually, all sword styles could mix together one way or another.

Enkrid had reached that conclusion.

It was a realization solidified some time ago.

The bull gripped two swords. As soon as the first strike was blocked by Dawnforged, it swung its second sword. Even with the eye of a knight, enhanced by Will, the bull’s second blade blurred in Enkrid’s vision.

That blurred blade sliced through the spot Enkrid had just occupied. If they hadn’t shifted sideways while blocking the first attack, that would have been tough to stop.

The afterimages left by its swing split in all directions—burning vividly in their sight. It was like stepping into a watercolor painting blurred by water.

All the delicate, precise lines smeared and scattered.

Enkrid, too, became a blurred line, swinging their sword.

At the same time, their thoughts split. Those fractured thoughts reflected on their life thus far.

Never let your guard down. Don’t lose focus. Use your attention. Don’t let your body lock up. Allow yourself everything that gives you victory. Body and mind must not become rigid. Develop flexibility. Deliberate actions are stiff, unconscious actions are soft. Repeat and repeat again until it’s ingrained in your body. Remember, today’s training makes tomorrow’s you.

Everything they’d learned spun in Enkrid’s mind.

In a flash, Enkrid knew exactly what they could do.

It was the very same thing Oara had shown before, and Laghna had demonstrated.

It was also something Enkrid had achieved once.

Light traced the blade. Formless power was shaped into a tangible form.

The bull’s swinging blade was slashed aside with the principle of Vortex. Using their left foot as a pivot, the waist twisted, a whirlpool of light erupted, and the bull’s head was split open. Enkrid held their breath and yanked the Dawnforged back as fiercely as when swinging it up.

Craaaack.

The thick monster’s neck bones caught under the blade, tearing through muscle and skin as they were pulled out.

Thud.

The monster, struggling to resist the force, dropped one knee to the ground first. Enkrid stepped back and shook off their sword.

Black blood spattered on the ground. The monster, missing parts of its skull, cervical vertebrae, and spine, swayed back and forth like a pendulum before collapsing.

Thud—

Even the noise of that massive body hitting the ground was overwhelming. The sound cut through the silence that had fallen over the area.

As the monster fell, black blood gushed in torrents from its split head and torn flesh.

Enkrid looked indifferent as they gazed down at the monster’s corpse and thought.‘If the applied technologies of will are established, then they can be taught, and if that happens, it will be easier to learn, too.’

Breaking down the event that just happened, I organized what I realized.

‘The starting point is to pull unconscious will back into consciousness.’

Ultimately, the will is to be made manifest, revealing itself through one’s weapon or beyond one’s body.

Just as Encrid showed just now.

‘That doesn’t mean just mastering will is enough.’

Without the basics—swordsmanship and daily training—you’ll never reach it. Nor should you neglect proper techniques and physical conditioning.

‘In the first place, without this much effort, manifesting the will is a pipe dream.’

Learning is slow, and it’s only possible to advance by checking and knocking on every possible path, so I was dull-witted, but that very lack of talent brought something new to Encrid.

Observation and deep contemplation. And the knowledge to establish new things as a result.

It hadn’t been a long or short fight.

Ruagarne was beyond excited, spreading four fingers wide and placing them on her breastplate. Froc’s ‘thing’ was going wild, thrashing about.

Kurururur.

Her cheeks puffed up on their own as she released the emotion she felt.

Pell unconsciously half-drew the Idol Slayer.

‘I want to fight.’

If someone asked why, I’d ask if I really need a reason.

The reason doesn’t matter. I simply want to fight. I want to compete. All that fills me is a desire to cross swords with something that human called Encrid just displayed.

“Ashera. You’ve got a long wait until your turn comes.”

Pell suddenly noticed the presence of the barbarian standing behind.

What should I call this feeling?

Rough and ferocious. It was as if I’d stuck my head into a lion’s mouth. That was the barbarian’s aura.

“Oh Lord Father.”

Some indistinct form was visible on the silently praying Audin’s back.

Divinity was boiling up and forming a shape. Pell wasn’t the only one whose desire was surging.

Ragna asked, holding Sunrise in hand.

“You can use it however you want?”

It wasn’t a speculative question but a confirming one, about the manifestation of will.

“Yes.”

Encrid replied simply and began cleaning the blade of Dawn-forged beside him, as Shinar approached.

“Totally incomparable to the first time I saw it.”

There was a note of awe in her voice, too.

“Anytime.”

It was Roford mumbling. While Pell was caught up in desire, Roford realized he wouldn’t be a match at all right now.

But that didn’t mean he was consumed by despair or frustration.

Most of the people here knew the path Encrid had walked, that it had begun within the soldier grading system created by Naurelia at its lowest tier.

Even in the best light, his path had been a thorny one.

He’d just used his whole body. He’d sweated enough. Looking around with a clear mind, he saw the Corrupted looking at him wide-eyed in shock.

The boatman asked.

Is it really right to protect them, or should they all just be killed?

‘People slowly changing under the devil’s influence.’

But, none of that has happened yet. If freed from the devil’s grip, maybe their purple skin would return.

If treatment is possible for those Corrupted who survived long in the Demon Realm—

‘Ann would love this.’

Her dream is an elixir that cures all disease in the world. Whenever she saw a new disease, her eyes would blaze.

Watching from the sidelines, I honestly thought Ann deserved to be called a madwoman, too.

Also, Encrid didn’t expect them to repent or atone.

He thought it was wrong to hold those bound here by ancestors’ decisions responsible for sin.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but only one was clear.

‘Can I save them?’

He was simply trying to answer that question.

Even if he fails, he won’t despair or give up. He’ll just try something.

Even if it’s desperation and just flailing, it’s worth a try, that’s what he thought.

At this crossroads which imposes only two paths, Encrid chose a third.

Step by step, he walked to the center of the village. There stood a symbol depicting a black sun, openly displayed.

All eyes turned to him.

He was the one who had just taken down the Devil’s sweeper.

No one dared say anything, nor stepped forward. They only looked on in shock.

Encrid gazed indifferently at the symbol of the devil.

‘If both body and mind change because of what you serve.’

Then change the surroundings.

With a whoosh—the Dawn-forged blade cut through the devil’s symbol. The round wooden plaque depicting the black sun fell to the ground.

It was just a statue, after all.

“Oh!”

A few startled residents let out cries bordering on screams, but what was done could not be undone.

Encrid had cut down the symbol of the devil.

“Audin, let’s get rid of the relics you buried.”

“……Let’s do as you say.”

Next, they decided to burn the relics planted by the demon with holy power. The village now stood exposed to danger.

Grim-faced, the Demon Realm villagers stared in stupefaction at Encrid, now aware of the horror of their situation.

“What are you trying to do?”

Pell asked as if in passing. After all, it was obvious what would happen after cutting that, and another thing—if he was hesitant to kill the villagers, was he going to use monsters instead?

The Shepherds of the Wasteland are a group that hates monsters. Using monsters for tricks? If that was the intent, he’d consider leaving right away, beyond simple disappointment.

A group that uses monsters to kill people?

But then Encrid said something no one could have predicted.

“From now on, this land is mine. I’ll make this the Border Guard domain.”

It meant changing who was in charge of protection.

If worshiping the devil is the problem, then he himself would become the symbol of this land.

It was the kind of thinking ordinary humans can’t even imagine.

Rem cocked their head. They’d seen so many of Encrid’s crazy antics that they’d gotten used to them, but this was on another level entirely.

What did he just say? Border Guard domain? This land? This place isn’t exactly the Demon Realm’s heart, but it’s not exactly outside of it either!

“Um, so, you mean serve the captain instead of the devil?”

Rem muttered, and Encrid blinked.

Was there really a need to interpret it that way?

“Well, that’s not exactly…”

He tried to say something, but Audin’s voice rang out, enveloping the area.

“May the Lord watch over us.”

He respected the will of the leader guiding him. With a peaceful smile.

“I shall become the heart of this place, in the stead of Lord Father.”

No, it’s not really that much.

Encrid couldn’t bring himself to say it. The villagers, panicked, were all looking at him. Hundreds of eyes were focused on him.

Ragna showed no interest. They’ll do as they please. It wasn’t anything to do with him.

Whether they lived or died was none of Ragna’s concern.

What was more important was what Encrid had just shown.

The villagers’ representative trembled in shock at the desecrated symbol, hands shaking.

But the deed was done. The symbol of the devil had been cut, and the sweeper sent by it, killed.

Joraslav fell to his knees, head bowed.

It was to survive.

If Kraiss had seen the situation, he’d likely have scolded Encrid, demanding to know what he was thinking, and if Krang had seen it, he would’ve just stuck his tongue out.

If you want to play king here, maybe I’ll just hand you my throne, that kind of thing might have been said.

At any rate, Encrid perfectly ignored the boatman’s intent and declared himself the ruler of this village. The important thing hadn’t changed.

If protecting them is what causes trouble, then all you have to do is get rid of the trouble.

“Truly, my fiancé is a madman of another breed.”

Shinar’s admiration summed up everyone’s feelings.