Turning Chapter 854

Chapter 854

Before Yuder could even think of a response, he was violently thrown back by a bright blue aura that shot toward him head-on. It was a semicircular blade energy released by none other than Kishiar.

Someone screamed, but there was no time to check towards Kishiar.

The window for decision was incredibly brief. Yuder, without halting his sword aimed at Hosanna, swung it forcefully enough to tear his arm's muscles, setting the blade askew to confront the oncoming aura—

Boom!!

An immense shock hit his entire body.

It felt vaguely like the time he had fallen off a cliff and crashed into a river.

The shock was so intense that it evoked such distant memories. Yuder was sent flying like a leaf caught in a fierce wind.

The plan was, in essence, optimal. From Hosanna's position, Kishiar's bright blue aura would have been the first thing seen. Any average person would find it impossible to make a sound judgment in the face of a true swordmaster's aura.

Even if he managed to avoid the incoming aura using his abilities, dodging Yuder, who attacked like a bolt from a blind spot, would be even more impossible. Conversely, if Hosanna sensed Yuder's attack first and responded, then Kishiar's aura would have hit its target without a chance to escape.

The entire sequence would happen in less time than it takes to blink.

The plan was the fastest and most concise, and therefore, impossible to evade. It was far from a simple attack that could be easily blocked by someone crazed with grief and on the brink of rampage.

However, Hosanna noticed Yuder charging from the blind spot first, and immediately teleported him right into Kishiar's aura, striking a critical blow.

It was like a strategy game where moving a single piece caused the enemies to collide from front and back.

"Damn it."

Hosanna, not being familiar with combat, must have been lucky, but thanks to that, Yuder had the unprecedented experience of confronting Kishiar's aura head-on.

Swept away by the tremendous force, he was unable to regain his senses, but his extensive experience told him that a secondary impact would soon follow as he crashed to the ground. The moment he had faced Kishiar's formidable aura head-on, his feeble defense shattered instantly, leaving him to rely on his well-practiced falling technique. Yuder braced himself, clenching his teeth tightly.

But, as expected, his body did not crash into the ground or any terrain.

His flying form suddenly slowed as if caught by an invisible force. Just before Yuder twisted in mid-air and began to fall slower, a man swooped in like an arrow and caught him. Together, they rolled on the ground as one entity.

"Cough, hack, cough!"

His body, scraped against the ground battered by sleet and hail, felt numb and on the verge of passing out.

Yuder's vision flickered, but he barely managed to grit his teeth and lift his head. The person embracing him from behind, undoubtedly, was Kishiar.

The moment he saw the man's face, almost bloodied and pale as a corpse with closed eyes, Yuder felt his heart momentarily stop. He hurriedly wriggled out of Kishiar's embrace and stood up.

Swallowing hard, Yuder attempted to raise his arms but found his body uncooperative. It was only when he lowered his gaze that he realized his sword had been flung away and his arms hung awkwardly, as if broken.

Indeed, the aura unleashed was no ordinary force. It was an attack from a swordsman who had left a mark rivaling that of the first emperor, hailed as the greatest swordmaster in history, for the first time in a thousand years. In his previous life, Yuder had never encountered a swordmaster with such formidable power. It was inevitable that he suffered these consequences, having hastily blocked such a powerful strike with a single sword, without proper defense.

Fortunately, his exceptionally sturdy sword had absorbed most of the shock, sparing him from worse damage.

"...Commander..."

As he gritted his teeth and gasped for air, Kishiar slowly opened his eyes. At that moment, fresh blood trickled down from beneath his nose.

Internal injuries were worse than external ones, and it was common for those with internal injuries to bleed from the nose first.

Exhausted, Kishiar's golden eyes flickered as he scanned Yuder's body. Although his vision was blurred and judgments unclear, he instinctively knew that Yuder's condition was dire.

-Yuder.

As Yuder intently observed Kishiar's interior, a faint call reached his ears. It was softer than the sound of hail breaking but thunderous to Yuder.

Lifting his gaze to meet Kishiar's red eyes, Kishiar asked,

"...Are you alright? How's your condition?"

Was that really the first thing he would ask in such a situation?

Yuder felt a surge of anger. Did he appear to be someone who couldn't withstand a single aura strike and was on the brink of death? Why did Kishiar prioritize saving him over his own critical condition?

The notion infuriated Yuder, and though his lips trembled, he remained silent.

The reason was simple.

Yuder Aile understood better than anyone why Kishiar had rushed to his aid.

This realization infuriated Yuder even more.

Struggling to breathe and unable to respond, Kishiar's lips faintly twitched upwards before settling back down. Lying down, he weakly gestured towards Yuder's back.

"...I anticipated this might happen and was prepared. But once the aura is unleashed, even I can't completely... Anyway..."

"Don't speak."

"Look behind."

Barely turning his head, Yuder saw Hosanna lying on the ground, an arm severed. Though not yet dead, the intensity of the hailstorm swirling around him was significantly diminished compared to before.

In the distance, the Cavalry members fought desperately to break through.

Hosanna, with an arm severed, signified one thing.

After syncing with Yuder and releasing an aura, Kishiar realized his failure and launched a second, more potent attack. Having already strained himself with two long-range attacks, which demanded immense power even for a swordmaster, Kishiar had then used his Awakener's abilities to save Yuder, leading to their current predicament.

Yuder's head spun dizzily.

"...This is as far as my strategy goes. In the end, I couldn't finish it off clearly because of the erratic wind. So, the real ending... I think I'll have to ask for help."

"..."

"Is it possible?"

Yuder bowed his head, catching sight of his disheveled arm. Thankfully, his tattered ceremonial robe covered it, making the extent of the injury underneath less apparent.

Thanks to his magic-infused gloves, at least his wrists and fingers remained unscathed, more so than any other part of his body in this situation. Yuder slowly clenched and unclenched his fingers. Despite the spine-chilling pain that crept up his back, he could still hold a sword.

Yes, if his fingers were intact, he could wield a sword.

In even worse situations, he had always risen, advanced, and successfully employed his abilities to achieve his goals.

Why should this time be any different?

Without turning his head, Yuder reached out his hand. Moments later, a sword flew to him from somewhere, landing firmly in his grasp. It was covered in dirt, but the blade was still sharp. Yuder clenched the familiar handle.

But before standing up, he had something to say to Kishiar.

He looked at Kishiar more intensely than ever before, both fiercely and coldly, and spoke.

"Stay exactly as you are until I return from finishing this. If you use your powers again, even if you are the Commander, I will not forgive you."

Kishiar's eyes widened slightly.

After a moment, he closed his mouth, relaxed his eyebrows, and exhaled thinly. With a bittersweet, loving, and strangely joyful smile, he slowly nodded his head.