382 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 382 The quiver had long been emptied of arrows, but that wasn’t a concern. All he needed to do was pick up the fallen arrows as he charged forward. The arrows fired by the archers of the Sacred Legion were subtly different from the ones he usually used, but this posed no obstacle for him. Every arrow he launched flew like lightning, cutting through the long distance and bending again at close range to pierce vital spots, following the target's movement. Burdell saw his enemies fall from over two kilometers away—a distance so far that normal human eyes couldn’t make out anything. But even before confirming the kill, he was already releasing the next arrow. It was a tremendous skill that only he could perform across the entire continent, though internally, he was busy cursing. “Damn it, damn it, damn it!” He felt wretched because, instead of confronting the enemies right before him, he was forced to shoot at distant foes. This wasn’t sniping; it was more like sending a distress signal. It was a desperate plea, hoping his comrades would realize his arrows were meant to lead them to rescue the queen. Crack. “How powerless I’ve become.” Upon awakening his aura, he had gained abilities far beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Aura-Sight. A peculiar ability for archers that allowed him to scrutinize distant views as if they were right in front of him and adjust the trajectory of his arrows fired afar at least once. Moreover, he was equipped with a Class 4 longbow artifact, the Sniping Shot, personally crafted by Golem Master Clayton before they were dispatched. His confidence soared sky-high. He was convinced no one could outperform him in long-range combat. However, that confidence held true only for half the time. At a distance, his achievements were remarkable, but when confronted with superhumans who had come close, his arrows became utterly powerless. “No matter…” Despite taking into account the disparity in skills, he still felt humiliated. It appeared that the incredible long-range efficiency of his Aura-Sight greatly diminished the body enhancement effects of his aura. Even though he analyzed and tried to console himself with these reasons, the current sense of humiliation wouldn’t subside. Ultimately, he was fleeing the battlefield, leaving the wife of the lord he served behind. “No, this is the best I can do right now.” Had he been a knight burning with loyalty, he might have chosen to die honorably there. He wouldn't have even considered any other options because that’s the essence of knights. But he was a hunter by origin. And hunters always prioritize their own survival and the efficiency of their hunt. Comparing survival to war, his current actions were precisely efficient. As he reorganized his thoughts, his wildly beating heart began to calm. Then, at that moment. “Got you, you little rat!” A chilling voice from right behind made Burdell’s hair stand on end. “Ugh!” Rolling to the side was a divine stroke of luck. A menacing scarlet aura sliced through the air just above his head, revealing Egon Miller’s twisted expression on the other side. The battle he had just faced must have been grueling, as it was evident from his missing helmet and disheveled brown hair; his blue eyes glared fiercely. The sight made Burdell’s heart sink. “Why is he here already? Then… what about Her Majesty!?” Even in the direst of situations, driven by a sense of duty, his eyes involuntarily glanced behind Egon. However, the walls of one of the greatest cities in the world, Noviens, stretched several kilometers long, and he couldn’t see anything that would assure the queen’s safety. This made him all the more desperate. “Tsk!” In his fallen state, he hastily strung his bow, but the arrow was effortlessly split in half by the descending red blade. He could imagine the sword that had split the arrow continuing its path and slicing his body. In the face of imminent death, Burdell closed his eyes tightly, unable to confront it. Boom! Clang! With a sudden explosion, the killing intent that was about to envelop him vanished. “Huh!?” His response was swift. In Burdell’s wide-open eyes, a menacing orange aura clashed with the scarlet blade. The orange aura surged, fighting to hold on despite being crushed by the red aura’s tremendous force. In the midst of this desperate struggle, the pale-faced youth who saved him shouted. “The lady!?” Without recognizing the disguise, the young man's urgency was clear in his voice. Understanding it, Burdell shouted back with the best hope he could muster. “I don’t know yet!” Even as he spoke, he didn’t forget to shoot another arrow at Egon. Swish! “Hmph!” Egon effortlessly deflected Burdell’s arrow and retaliated instead. But Ronian stood firmly in the way. Boom! The shock distorting Ronian’s posture was palpable. “Damn, I’m only getting in the way.” Burdell clenched his lips in frustration as the voice of a comrade spurred him on, intensifying his self-reproach. “Fetch Lia! Now!!” Fortunately, despite the turmoil in his heart, Burdell didn’t forget his duty. Even to his eyes, Ronian looked far from normal with his ashen complexion. Let alone facing that deadly sword. Burdell gritted his teeth and dashed away. “Just hold on a bit longer, young lord!” He had no time to worry about protecting his disguised identity. All he could do was to barrel across the battlements using the Ghost Shadow Movement Technique, inherited from the Empire's mightiest superhuman, the Sword Master. Soon, within his Aura-Sight, magnified vision, he spotted a mage engaged with the elite forces of the Empire on the western wall. "Please, see here!" The red arrows he rapidly fired carried his earnest desperation, slicing through the air towards the battlefield. Did his plea reach its target? As he watched, blood spurted from the side of an enemy clad in red armor, and then he saw Victoria, disguised as Aaron, smoothly sliding south along the wall with a peculiar undulation. "Yes!" His inward cheer was brief. Immediately, he turned around and directed his bowstring toward the battlefield where the young lord was in peril. "At this distance, I won’t be a liability." However, his intentions were thwarted by the imperial knights charging straight at him. "Die!" Whether they failed to recognize the ominous glint on the arrow's tip, they charged fearlessly toward him. If they weren’t ignorant fools who couldn’t discern the aura on his arrows, they incredibly underestimated him despite being superhuman. Their audacity stung the deeply buried inferiority within Burdell. "You bastards!" – So you’re talented with a bow? So what? That’s just a weapon for hunters. – Wow, it’s amazing how accurate you are. You should’ve put that talent into swordsmanship. You’re hopeless with a blade, though, haha. – Why’s a Force User using a bow? Are you an idiot or something? Born as a hunter’s son in a hunter village, praised for his bright talent. Yet, in the outside world, his skills were seen as just a curious trick. Even with minimal training, he had awakened his aura, leading the world’s knights to mock him with remarks like “You would’ve excelled if you’d learned swordsmanship early on,” and “Why can’t you handle a sword? You're only a half-competent.” What hurt more was that, as a mercenary and hunter meeting the world’s greats, he came to feel those insults were true. Even after using his force on arrows and bow, he could only easily handle regular knights, often being dismissed as using deceitful or cowardly methods. The world’s prejudice was enough to frustrate the mountain genius who wished to flaunt his talent, gain fame, and enjoy glory. Thus, he abandoned the human world’s acclaim. Instead, he chose the path of a monster hunter. He wanted to become a legend among hunters with the hunting techniques and archery he had honed since childhood. A compromise between his desire for fame and reality. But deep in his heart, a yearning for the dream he couldn’t achieve continually simmered. This was why he was so easily swayed by the noble, Patrick McLine. – Use your talent for my son. My son is not stingy with talents, and you’ll gain even more than you might hope for. Indeed, what he gained by following him was far beyond anything material. He ventured the superhuman path he dared not dream, and he was promised a noble title in the future. In return, what had he given? "Nothing." Burdell knew himself well. He didn’t possess noble loyalty like a knight. Yet, he wanted to repay his debt. That was, to him, the least of obligations. To do so... "You lot aren’t worth...!" He had no time to be held back by them! His determination and wrath moved him unconsciously; arrows charged with blazing aura were rapidly shot forward. Shu-shu-shu. Thunk-thud-thunk. "Argh!" "Ahhhh!" "What kind of arrow is this...?" Arrows pierced through the knights clad in plate armor one after another. The lead knight fell, body riddled with over ten holes, unable even to scream. In the instant the frontline was devastated. The horrid scene froze the feet of those about to charge in after. "Huff..." Burdell exhaled the breath he had held, blankly staring at his own hands after shooting dozens of arrows in an instant. It was not some grand revelation transcending realms. He merely instinctively infused small amounts of force into the scattered arrows around the battlefield, using remote control to automatically draw them to his bowstring and firing continuously. By ignoring the power held in a single arrow and focusing solely on speed, he could indeed achieve astonishing rates of fire. This rekindled a forgotten realization within him. "When did I start banking on one-shot kills?" Even a stray arrow could be lethal. He didn’t need to lavish effort on each arrow to penetrate defenses. No matter how mighty a blade wielder he faced, they couldn’t deflect dozens of swift arrows volleyed at close range. The way for an archer superhuman like him to confront superhumans at close quarters was not far off. "Damn it!" Overcome with a joy, Burdell let out a curse and, ignoring the frozen enemies, raced toward the eastern wall once more. Gathering arrows lying scattered around to fill his quiver was merely a bonus. "What are you doing here!? What about Her Majesty!?" Along the way, he encountered Victoria, seemingly gliding along the castle stones, and caught flak for it, but Burdell simply pointed toward the battlefield where red and orange mingled, laying waste to the surroundings. "Save the young lord first!" "What?!" "Capture him! The young lord and I will deal with this!" They had already discussed what would be the most efficient magic for Victoria in battle. It was an unexpectedly reckless instruction, but the indescribable intensity made Victoria nod in agreement. Meanwhile, Burdell grit his teeth, charging toward the foe who had twice driven him to the brink of despair. Around him, a hundred arrows floated, ready to be unleashed. Let the first arrow fly. Bang! "You sneaky rat!" The fiend glanced back at him. Though a little slower than before, the young lord was still at a disadvantage. How exactly it was done was beyond him, but the enemy's sword was met with ‘five’ overlapping swords, yet they still staggered under the assault. Burdell fired two more arrows. Thud! Bam! “I’ll finish you first!” The target took the bait. The enemy, after deflecting the young lord, charged towards Burdell. “Now!” With a shout, Burdell stood his ground, focusing all his attention on the speed of his hands. Through remote control, he frantically loaded arrow after arrow to the bowstring, unleashing them with incredible speed. Thwap-thwap-thwap! A rain of arrows, conjured by a single individual, showered down in an instant. Burdell saw the enemy’s blue eyes widen in surprise, his body momentarily freezing mid-charge. ‘Perfect timing!’ Burdell cheered inwardly. “Haaargh!” Egon Miller let out a scream-like battle cry. Amidst the downpour of red arrows and crimson lightning, orange swords converged simultaneously. Boom! A deafening roar instantly captured all surrounding attention. “Ugh…” “…What a tenacious beast.” Burdell stared with exhausted eyes at the foe, whose sword was just inches from him. Despite firing over thirty arrows in that brief moment, only five had hit their mark, lodged in the enemy's shoulders and limbs. The silver lining was that, seizing Burdell's assault as an opening, the young lord’s sword had pierced through the enemy’s heart from behind. He shivered at the thought that it might have been impossible without Victoria's magic. “Hah, hahah. How could I……” Slice. Unable to deliver even final words, his head was severed. “We’ve taken down Egon Miller!” As the young lord raised the impaled head on his sword and shouted, Burdell felt the shift in the battlefield’s morale. And then— Boom! An explosion erupted from the center of the eastern wall, drawing everyone's gaze. —The Queen? Ronian, Burdell, and Victoria’s eyes met mid-air, and without hesitation, the three superhumans sprinted like lightning toward the source of the explosion.