Return of The Martial King

Chapter 239

Russ's mind was on the brink of overflowing with arrogance, and he was about to burst into wild laughter. Suddenly, an image of someone flickered through his thoughts like a vivid projection.

A muscular giant who effortlessly parried spear-thrusts with his thick pectorals—Repenhardt.

“What the…?”

Russ snapped back to his senses. Upon reflection, he realized something: this wouldn’t work against Repenhardt.

A technique guaranteed to hit?

Well, wasn’t it true that he had been the one getting hit by Repenhardt because he couldn’t land his strikes properly?

Even if he managed to cut him, it wouldn’t matter—wasn’t that the issue?

Ignoring the armor to cut the body was meaningless. The body was the armor. So what could he do about that?

Disregarding the bones and muscles to slash at the organs wouldn’t work either. Not against this monstrous descendant of Gym Unbreakable, who practiced an insane martial art that projected aura guards using even his stomach and duodenum.

Unless one’s skill level was so advanced that mere blade aura could deliver critical damage to that fearsome physique, the Void Sword was nothing more than a flashy trick.

As Russ’s head cooled, reality became clear.

‘If it doesn’t work on my brother, then it won’t work on Count Kalken either...’

Though not on the level of Gym Unbreakable, Kalken’s orcish physique was extraordinarily robust, as one would expect from his race. Even if the Void Sword landed, Kalken could easily power through it with his sheer destructive force.

Stalla, Iniya, and Attila—they were all martial artists of a far higher caliber. Despite having reached a new level of understanding, Russ still had a long way to go.

Pssssh.

The puffed-up balloon of arrogance deflated. Russ’s complexion returned to normal.

‘No, this isn’t something to laugh about, is it?’

Although Russ himself didn’t realize it, this was quite a desirable development.

Most aura users, even after stepping into a new realm of understanding, tend to linger in that state for a long time. Excited by their newfound insight, they often lose themselves to the thrill and forget the very enlightenment they achieved.

That was why most martial schools emphasized teachings about calming the mind and maintaining discipline. But Russ, being an extraordinary genius, was naturally weak in such areas. Had he given in to his arrogance, it might have taken him years to reacquaint himself with the Void Sword he had finally grasped.

As his excitement subsided, the sensation of wielding the Void Sword enveloped his entire body once more. Russ calmly revisited that feeling.

He had almost made a foolish mistake.

‘I’m not qualified to be arrogant yet.’

Russ turned his attention toward Eusus. With both legs severed, Eusus struggled to lift his upper body off the ground while lying prone.

“Ugh… Ugh… To think I’ve been bested by… by such a lowly bastard…”

Even as he crawled pathetically across the dirt, his eyes burned with unrelenting hatred.

‘Time to finish this.’

Russ tightened his grip on his sword. One more swing of the Void Sword, cutting through space to sever Eusus’s neck, and their entangled fate would be brought to an end.

Sensing Russ’s murderous intent, Eusus twisted his face in a grimace. Gritting his teeth, he muttered venomously.

“Hah, go ahead! Kill me, you wretched mongrel!”

Even in his tattered state, his bloodlust did not waver. His unyielding spirit was impressive. Watching him, Russ couldn’t help but recall a time when he had swung his sword relentlessly, yearning for Eusus’s acknowledgment.

Back then, Eusus had truly been the knight among knights—Russ’s idol. Even though that idol treated him with nothing but cold disdain and contempt.

But it was also undeniable that this knight among knights, blinded by jealousy, had once driven a blade into his own younger brother’s abdomen.

Their relationship had long since passed any hope of reconciliation. It would only end when one of them was dead.

‘Yes, I have to kill him.’

Swish!

Russ swung his sword. The blade aura flashed with lethal intent. Preparing to meet his end, Eusus closed his eyes.

‘Damn it!’

Boom!

The blade aura struck the ground, tearing it apart. Eusus opened his eyes in confusion.

Russ’s aura had not targeted him. Instead, it had grazed the area just beside his neck.

Russ lowered his sword. His expression was indifferent as he spoke.

“I won’t kill you.”

Bloodshot eyes stared back at him. Eusus’s teeth chattered in rage.

“...Won’t… won’t kill me?”

“That’s right. Eldrad should have healing magic inscribed, doesn’t it? Tend to your wounds. While you won’t be able to reattach your legs, you can at least avoid bleeding to death.”

Eusus’s entire body trembled violently.

How dare he? How dare this wretched spawn of a filthy wench look down on him? The way Russ gazed at him—full of pity and condescension—made his blood boil.

“You… you dare pity me?”

“I’m not sparing you because I like you.”

Russ’s reply was as cold as ice.

“It’s for the Tenes family. If you die, what will happen to your wife? You’re a noble; you understand the gravity of this, don’t you?”

At that, Eusus’s expression stiffened slightly.  

At present, Eusus had no children. If he were to die, the only bloodline remaining in the Tenes family would be Russ. However, Russ was an illegitimate child, his lineage tarnished. Even if Russ were to have children, the noble bloodline would be diluted, weakening the authority of the Tenes Countship.

“I heard you’ve been away from the family for quite some time,” Russ said. “Poor sister-in-law… She’s been living like a widow, alone and waiting all this time.”

With a mocking tone, Russ turned and walked away, showing his back to Eusus. His voice was indifferent as he continued.

“Now that you’ve lost both legs, you won’t be coming after me anymore, will you? Go and have a child. Even as a cripple, I doubt that will stop you from performing your duties in the bedroom.”

Leaving Eusus behind, sprawled on the ground, Russ disappeared into the darkness. From behind him, a scream filled with hatred rang out.

“Russ! You bastard! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you no matter what!”

*         *         *

Cutting through the night breeze, Russ leaped forward. In the distance, he could see Malroid struggling against the Zeppelin Knights. There was no time to waste. He needed to regroup with Malroid and deal with them quickly.

As Russ pushed off the ground and ran, he let out a brief chuckle.

‘When did I ever care enough about my sister-in-law to make an excuse like that?’

To be honest, he barely remembered her face. After all, when would he have had the chance to meet her?

Eusus’s wife, for a noblewoman, had been gentle and kind. She neither despised nor mistreated Russ. However, she also didn’t go against her husband’s wishes to treat him as a younger brother or show him any affection. Out of respect for Eusus, she had treated Russ with indifference, as if he didn’t exist. Naturally, they rarely saw each other.

And despite his words, Russ realized he no longer cared much about the family.

For a while, he had tried to return to the family. Becoming a renowned swordsman and a celebrated aura user, returning to the family, and being proudly acknowledged as part of it—that had been Russ’s goal.

But once he had earned that recognition, he realized how small the family truly was.

A countship?

The title Russ received from Yubel II during the Crovence civil war was also that of a count. Though he had refused it at the time, claiming he wanted to return to his family, he knew that he could easily take up the title whenever he wanted.

Family recognition?

Russ had already made a name for himself as the youngest aura user in the continent's history. (Technically, Repenhardt held that record, but for some reason, no one believed Repenhardt was actually younger than Russ.) Even without the recognition of the Tenes family, the world already acknowledged Russ as one of the strongest among the strong, a swordmaster among swordmasters.

He was in no position to feel regret. If anything, it was the Tenes Countship, having lost its path to aura awakening, that would have more reason to lament his absence.

‘Not that I have no intention of returning to the family someday.’

It was, after all, still his roots—and the place where his mother resided. That was why he made a point of keeping tabs on the family’s affairs, employing messengers to provide regular updates.

But there was no pressing reason to rush back.

If his mother, Eiri, who came from humble origins, were being cruelly mistreated in the family as in some tragic tale of old, Russ would have returned immediately to rescue her.

However, his father, Count Fault Tenes, genuinely loved and cherished her. Whenever the cold and imposing man stood before Russ’s mother, his face would blossom with smiles, to the point of embarrassment. Even Russ, as his son, found it awkward to watch. (No wonder Eusus ground his teeth in frustration over it.)

Russ’s mother, being gentle and quiet, was not popular among the family’s nobles. Yet the servants and maids respected and cared for her. She lived a quiet and comfortable life, full of love with her husband, with no cause for concern. (The only person to pity in this situation was Eusus’s mother, who likely died of frustration.)

On the other hand, Russ thoroughly enjoyed his time by Repenhardt’s side.

There, he had companions who treated him like a brother and sparring partners who were always ready to cross blades. He even found those he could call friends. The place was brimming with strong individuals who helped fill in the gaps in his abilities.

If not for the fact that they were all of different races, they would have been the very image of the ideal family Russ had always dreamed of.

To Russ, who had already found a new home, the Tenes family no longer meant anything more than a place of origin. Keeping Eusus alive despite knowing the repercussions it might bring was irrational.

‘Yeah, there’s really no reason to keep Eusus alive.’

And yet, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to kill him. Even though he had a strong premonition that he would regret it greatly in the future, his hand simply refused to strike.

‘Should I have killed him after all?’

Russ sighed inwardly.

‘No, if that were the case, I would’ve gone for his neck from the start.’

With the Void Sword, which could cut through space, there was little difference between severing legs or a neck. If he had truly intended, he could have aimed directly for Eusus’s throat and ended it instantly.

Then why hadn’t he killed him?

Why?

He didn’t know.

‘They say the hardest thing to understand is the human heart. It must be true. I can’t even understand my own feelings.’

Shaking his head, Russ hurled himself toward the Zeppelin Knights. A flash of blue blade aura carved arcs through the air as Russ struck at the knights who were locked in battle with Malroid.

The Zeppelin Knights had barely managed to hold their ground against Malroid. With Russ joining the fray, the situation was resolved in an instant. Within moments of the two aura users launching their combined assault, five of the Zeppelin Knights collapsed onto the street, bleeding.

Malroid turned to Russ with a broad grin.

“Thanks, Russ. These guys were tougher than I thought.”

“We don’t have time, Sir Malroid. Let’s keep moving.”

“Right.”

With their golden knights and the Zeppelin Knights defeated, the morale of the Chatan soldiers fighting against the Antares warriors vanished instantly. Not just diminished, completely disappeared.

It was no surprise; the phrase “a Chatan army” had become a byword for this exact kind of behavior. Sensing even a slight disadvantage, they all fled in panic, as if on cue, without waiting for orders.

As the escape route cleared, the Antares warriors began guiding the runaway slaves forward once again. Russ followed closely, keeping his guard up and scanning their surroundings.

While doing so, Russ suddenly furrowed his brows.

“Hm?”

In the chaos of battle, he hadn’t noticed until now. But one of their group was missing.

“Wait a second. Where’s Sillan?”