338 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

**Chapter 338** "Enemy...!" Swish. A knight, attempting to strike back while his comrade fell, was instantly cleaved in half. What created this horrific scene was a brilliantly shining 'silver' aura blade. The contrast between its almost divine luminescence and the grotesque, blood-soaked spectacle left all onlookers in shock. Then suddenly, "Ahhhh!" "He, he killed someone!" "Enemy attack!" Workers who had been observing started screaming and scattered in all directions. The one responsible for this chaos, unperturbed, wielded his sword with a calm demeanor towards the knights, who were too flustered to either flee or charge at him. Swish. "Guh..." "Ack!" "D-damn it!" Whether the knights froze momentarily at the sight of the aura, a symbol almost synonymous with superhumans, or whether the knights bravely gritted their teeth and lunged at him, the result was the same—swift death. Perhaps due to those who screamed loudly, dozens of knights began rushing out from the mineshaft. However, regrettably, all of them were merely ordinary knights. Not only had they failed to form a formation to counter a formidable opponent, but they had also simply surged out in a horde. Upon witnessing the bloodied scene, they all came to a halt, stunned. As the gleaming silver reaper charged forward without hesitation, he looked strikingly composed, unlike his panicking foes. 'Since the messenger came yesterday, they won't be back for a while.' Thump. Flash. With a powerful step forward, the silver aura blade sliced horizontally. The sword, extending close to 3 meters, gracefully curved, bisecting the waists of five knights within its range. Slash. "Aaaaah!" "A superhuman!" "An aura user!" The knights, who had been disorganized, finally realized the situation and began to form a defensive line with grim faces. True to the brave knights of the Empire, they opted to resist, even upon witnessing the enemy's overwhelming might. Their decision was indeed correct. In the ruins site situated at the high ridge, where they could encircle the opponent, even a superhuman couldn't stand against sheer numbers indefinitely. But. 'It's already too late.' All the senior and mid-rank knights capable of efficiently commanding these common knights had already been slain in the initial ambush. Though he knew there were more knights inside the tunnel, those directly in front of him were all there was at present. Knights without a clear leader took time, even if brief, to form a cohesive unit. While not lengthy, it was more than enough time for Logan to annihilate them all. Swoosh. The reaper in a black leather armor ghosted skillfully through the knights clumsily forming their formation. Then suddenly. Slash. As if a silvery disc had been thrown, a celestial light carved a large circle amidst the knights and spread outward. "Ahhhhh!" The frantic screams followed immediately. "B-block him!" "We must kill him!" The knights shouted, faces flushed, trying hard to suppress their fear. But, the gap in skill was insurmountable. While sword strikes rained from all directions, the reaper evaded with ghostly steps, easily slicing through the arms, legs, or necks of the imperial knights with a subtle swing of his blade. "Gahhhh!" "M-monster!" Even if a terrified knight's desperate strike occasionally hit the reaper's body... Thud. The silver aura enshrouding the leather armor would deflect the blow without leaving so much as a scratch. "An aura barrier..." Only mid-rank or higher aura users could perform such a feat. Understanding its significance, the knights dropped their swords in despair. "But it's only temporary! If we exhaust him, we win!" Filled with faint hope, the knights who burned with determination were swiftly and effortlessly felled by his ensuing sword strikes. Thus, nearly fifty knights collapsed in an instant. Only then did elite knights begin to emerge from the tunnel. "Who are you!" Yasel Frigman's shout was accompanied by a red force blade rising from his axe. The form of the blade wasn't merely extended; it expanded as if the axe itself had grown. The axe blade swiftly grew to the size of a greatsword, its color an unnaturally vivid crimson hue. 'Oh. Changing the form of the force while compressing it?' This display was something only those at the pinnacle among top-ranked knights could showcase, a testament to how he earned the position of ten-thousand-man chief in the Eastern 1st Legion. But Logan's gaze shifted past the shouting Yasel, focusing instead on the mage standing behind him. 'Huh?' A faintly flowing gray mana. Though he hadn’t clearly seen it from afar under the night sky, the man was a mage. One from the Cassel Magic Tower at that. 'Descendants of the Mage Saint, Zibric Cassel.' Now, he had a clear guess about their origins. In hindsight, it wasn’t surprising that they knew of this location. However, there was a puzzling aspect. The reason he hadn’t realized the mage's nature from afar wasn’t because the mage had concealed it. It was simply because... 'Weak. The mana isn't even properly refined. At best, a 6th circle beginner, just recently becoming a superhuman.' While it was a mystery how they intended to break the barrier with that, this wasn’t the time to ask. Thus, with a hardened expression, Logan fixed his attention on Yasel. "You consider me not even worthy of dialogue." Yasel's expression turned stern, and he cautiously advanced a step, after which the knights behind him swiftly reorganized into a battle formation. Knights with shields or heavy weapons formed the first and second ranks, while those with swords or spears positioned themselves to be ready to lunge in any direction. This setup aimed to flank Logan as soon as he cut down the leading knights. And at the very front, Yasel, boasting his gleaming force axe, spoke once more. "Dare to interfere with the Empire's affairs, superhuman or not, pay with your life." His face brimming with confidence showed not a hint of fear. In reality, after a few exchanges, the encirclement would be complete. Imperial knights, especially the elite of the legion, were renowned for their fearlessness in the face of death. Even if many fell, they wouldn't retreat. Therefore, it wasn't unreasonable for them to believe that they could slay a superhuman just with those numbers. 'If it were an average aura user, a lower-ranked superhuman, that might be true.' Perhaps, even against a mid-tier superhuman, assuming significant sacrifices, it could be conceivable. However, for those against Logan right now, that was a vain hope. Even if he had forcibly lowered his rank for aura transformation, a mere crowd like this was not enough to take him down. The only thing that weighed on his mind was that lone mage standing in the back. Of course, Logan wasn’t the only one contemplating it. "Mage!" "Don't worry, Knight." As Yasel's harsh shout rang out, Logan vanished like a specter from his spot. "What!" With Yasel's startled voice as the backdrop, Logan instantaneously appeared before the mage. Flash. The silver strike slashed with such speed that even Yasel couldn't track it. However. Slash. What it cut through was the transparent barrier that had silently encased the mage. "Huh?" Clang! A sharp sound came from within the mage’s robes as something shattered, causing the transparent barrier to gradually fade away. "Tch." Simultaneously, Logan's silver strike pounded the dissolving barrier as if to shred it, but while the barrier began to evaporate faster, it did not crumble easily. And in that moment... "Begone!" The mage, with eyes wide in apparent shock, unleashed his magic right before Logan’s face. Boom! An explosive shockwave roared forth. Though the remnants of the barrier vanished entirely thanks to the shockwave, it drove Logan back several dozen meters as a result. 'Damn.' He was vexed. Had he been utilizing his full potential, he would have cut through the barrier and the mage regardless of what artifact was hidden within the mage’s robes. Yet, there was no point brooding over it. Before Logan could properly regain his stance, a chilling presence loomed from behind. "Die!" A massive red axe threatened to engulf Logan completely. Amidst the formidable force, a faint glimmer of silver flickered subtly. Boom! And the outcome stood in stark contrast to the visible might. "Ugh!" Yasel, instantly spewing blood and staggering backward. Meanwhile, Logan, who only retreated a few steps to dissipate the impact, stood firm. The gap between aura users and force users was this significant. Still, an intrigued light gleamed in Logan’s eyes. 'Not bad.' He intended to outright destroy the axe and sever the neck. Yet, a counter-flow from Yasel’s force, opposing the destructive power of the aura, was perceived. If it were someone who had just awakened their aura, they might have held out for ten exchanges or more. Unless the opponent had mastered a special vision. 'Is there a trick learned by the Empire’s high-ranking forces?' Finding it noteworthy, Logan decided to investigate thoroughly once his task was done. Despite such thoughts, Logan's body was already advancing toward Yasel. The silver light shimmered once more. The strike was meant to ensure the severely wounded enemy's demise, yet, once again, interference obstructed him. "Captain!" "That won't happen!" Knights charged recklessly from the left and right, like moths to a flame. Their swords and bodies intercepted Logan's sword strike aimed at cleaving Yasel in half. Slash. Amidst the falling corpses of knights, Yasel’s face, eyes widened to double their size, came into view. "No!" Yasel's eyes reddened as he let out an anguished roar. "Kill him!" Charging with fury as if uninjured, Yasel rallied the surrounding knights to rush at Logan. "Die!" A strike slashing diagonally like lightning carried even more force than the initial one. Yasel maintained a steady base despite the severe internal injuries, and his weapon remained steady despite his enraged expression. Both traits vividly illustrated how the wielder trained regularly. Yet, sadly, the level difference was evident. ‘Too many openings.’ Even now, Logan perceived three or four obvious flaws. Yet, he couldn’t exploit those openings easily. Not only were there spears aiming for his back, swords targeting his sides, but attacks also came from the opposite side with blades thrusting, all of which couldn't be disregarded. He had to deal with all the knights here, and there was no reason to waste energy by forming an aura barrier unnecessarily. He regretted again. ‘If only I could use Whip Blade.’ But it was unavoidable. Unless he intended to obliterate all witnesses, it was crucial to refrain from actions that could reveal his identity. Crash! Striking the axe's side to deflect its course, Logan whirled around, drawing another silver line with a flash-like movement. Clang! "Gah!" "Ugh!" Enemies split apart amidst their death cries. Behind a knight who barely survived, losing only an arm with blood gushing, more adversaries came charging in. And from the front, Yasel, gritting his teeth, swung the fearsome axe again towards Logan’s flank. In that scenario. "Die now!!" From afar, with a sharp roar, gray mist enveloped around Logan's head. ‘This could kill even a decent superhuman, huh?’ If it were not for himself. With a cold smirk, the silver flashed once more. Slash. "Aaaaah!" A massive wound opened on Yasel's body, and the knights rushing at him succumbed without a chance.