Surviving as a Knight in a Trash Game

Chapter 162

Watching the surging waves, Sharif thought Karl’s appearance was strangely familiar.

‘Where have I seen him….’

Black hair and black eyes were uncommon in both the East Continent and the West Continent.

If he had seen him, it would be harder not to remember, but strangely, he couldn't recall well.

He had never been to the West Continent, and it had been five years since he settled on Saraban Island, so it was highly possible he had encountered him in the East Continent before that.

‘The East Continent, huh.’

Sharif himself was a Mamluk who had wandered many battlefields, so his thoughts led him to the possibility that they might have met on some battlefield.

“Black hair, black hair.”

At that moment, an unforgettable memory flashed through his mind.

“Ghost of Chevalier….”

His infamous name, which had made the East Continent tremble in fear, slipped from his lips.

It was always the first name mentioned when East Continent warriors were asked to name the West Continent knight they most dreaded to recall.

The name of a horrifying demon who had somehow survived and came to kill his opponents.

The West Continent demon with black hair and black eyes.

He had heard stories that he had vanished from the East Continent at some point; it seemed he had returned to the West Continent.

Fortunately, Sharif had no entanglement with Karl.

The faction that Karl and the Holy Knights, who were active in the East Continent at the time, had antagonized was on bad terms with the great lord Sharif served, so Sharif’s faction had actually been cheering for Karl from afar.

When Karl was actively operating in the East Continent, Sharif was not a particularly skilled Mamluk, so all he had done was see Karl from a distance.

“…Is this really a good idea?”

He suddenly began to worry whether bringing the Ghost of Chevalier, considered one of the East Continent’s greatest enemies and most terrifying adversaries in history, to the domain was truly a wise choice.

‘He seems much stronger than before.’

Perhaps he was a Mamluk beyond Khan-grade, maybe even Daekan-grade.

If he went to Saraban, there would probably be no one who could stop him.

Well, what was done was done.

There was nothing he could do to change it now.

“What are you thinking so intently about.”

Flinch.

Sharif flinched at the voice from behind and turned his head.

“You seem surprised.”

“Wouldn’t anyone be surprised with the Ghost of Chevalier behind them?”

“Do you know me?”

“I didn’t at first, but I realize it now.”

“Do you regret it now that you know?”

Saraban hesitated for a moment before answering.

Then, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“I’m not sure yet. However, if the Lord who is helping us is indeed that Ghost of Chevalier, then there could be nothing more reassuring. As long as Your Lordship doesn’t have other intentions, that is.”

“I tend not to make empty promises.”

At his short, simple, but firm answer, Sharif’s expression brightened considerably.

If Karl, who had become even more of a monster than the stories he had heard in the East Continent suggested, were to help them, it would be like gaining a heavenly army.

“Thank you.”

A very brief silence hung between the two men.

As the awkward silence flowed, the ship was already approaching Saraban Island.

“Approaching!”

As the ship neared the island, the knights on board drew their swords on deck.

They had already heard that the pier and the surrounding area had been overrun by monsters when they set out.

“I will go down first to assess the situation, then you disembark.”

Upon reaching the vicinity of the pier, he lightly leaped from the ship and landed on the pier, which was quite far away.

Despite wearing armor, he kicked off the deck and soared, looking as light as a bird.

Karl, who arrived at the pier first, expanded his Qi Sense and scanned the surroundings.

“Krrrrrrrrrr.”

“Kuuuuuooooooo.”

At that moment, sounds like the roars of beasts began to be heard from all directions.

“Quite a lot of them have gathered.”

The monsters here didn’t seem to be as intelligent as the Uruks that had settled in the West Continent.

Their instinctively emitted killing intent and their appearance, growling and baring teeth as if they had lost all reason, suggested as much.

Even the creatures that looked like Uruks had their eyes rolled back, glowing red.

While some Uruks in the West Continent occasionally appeared intelligent, there was no sign of that here.

“Kuuuuuooooooo!”

The Uruks and other monsters spotted Karl on the pier and roared.

Excited by the discovery of prey, they began to charge madly.

Dududududu!

With the sound of numerous creatures kicking off the ground, nearly 200 monsters, including those from the forest, burst out from various buildings around the pier and rushed towards Karl.

“Quite a rough welcome.”

[Karl Meyer Style. First Form. Vortex]

Aura filled the area in front, becoming a swirling wind that swept away the monsters who had come out for a welcome.

A storm raged around Karl’s body, his synchronization rate with the wind spirit now higher than before.

Witnessing a large number of monsters being swept away by a single attack, Rogério, along with the knights, kicked off the deck and launched himself towards the pier.

“All hands, disembark!”

Following Rogério’s command, the remaining knights also landed on the deck.

“Everyone! Charge!”

Thanks to Karl diverting their attention, the knights, who had disembarked onto the pier with ease, began to charge towards the monsters at high speed.

[Hexler Axe Technique, Thunderbolt Strike.]

Tuva, who had newly joined the knights, leaped into the air, imbued his axe with a large amount of aura, and struck the ground.

Kwaaaaang!

An explosion erupted, and the area where Tuva landed caved in, creating a huge crater.

“Breakthrough!”

Next to Tuva, who had created a massive shockwave, Kelvin and Rogério, cloaked in brightly shining white aura, began to advance rapidly towards the front.

A path was forged as monsters were cut down where the two, now like beams of light, passed.

The Lighthouse Knights, formed up in formation, followed the path created by the two men.

Seogeok! Seogeok!

Crisp cutting sounds were heard from all around as monsters’ heads rolled to the ground.

While the knights cleared the surroundings, the ship that had transported them docked at the pier, followed by a transport ship, and all the horses disembarked onto the pier.

“Everyone, mount!”

The knights, who had already cleared the surrounding monsters, mounted their horses, and Karl also called Silver and mounted.

“We move directly to Saraban Castle. Sharif, lead the way.”

As Karl was about to ride off, another large group of monsters was caught by his Qi Sense.

“It seems we won’t be bored on the way.”

Golden aura once again bloomed from the sword of Karl, who was at the forefront, and the monsters blocking his path were all cut down by a crescent-shaped aura.

As Karl galloped ahead along the wide-open path, Sharif drew close beside him, and the knights followed behind.

The knights advanced towards Saraban Castle, slaughtering monsters at an incredible speed.

“Stick close to the Commander! Anyone who falls behind will face the consequences!”

When Rogério shouted, the knights following behind also braced themselves and tried hard to stick close to Karl.

***

Ashad, the lord of Saraban, was gradually losing hope as he watched the relentlessly advancing monsters.

“Where in the world are these monsters continuously appearing from!”

This was an island.

How could so many monsters suddenly appear?

The number of dead monsters scattered around already seemed to exceed fifteen hundred, and yet, there were still that many more remaining.

Ashad and the Mamluks of Saraban could no longer hold out.

Saraban was a fairly large island, and although it didn't possess the military strength of a great lord, it did have forces and Mamluks equivalent to at least half of that.

Approximately 50 Mamluks and nearly 1,000 elite soldiers had firmly defended Saraban, but now that had become meaningless.

“My Lord… I don’t think we can hold out much longer. Even if it’s just you, Your Lordship, you must take a boat and flee to the mainland….”

“…”

It had been over 500 years since the Saraban family settled on this island.

There had been major and minor disputes during that time, but no lord had ever abandoned the castle and fled.

“There’s no time, Your Lordship.”

The continuously advancing monsters, the Mamluks and soldiers desperately trying to fend them off, and behind them, the citizens of Saraban carrying stones and oiling arrowheads came into view.

Was a lord to abandon his people and flee?

Ashad, watching them, tightly closed his eyes and turned his body.

“Escort the Lord!”

The captain of the lord’s guard began to escort Ashad Saraban out through a secret passage in the lord’s castle.

Zaved, the leader of the Mamluks, who was in the midst of decapitating an Uruk on the castle wall, sensed that the atmosphere in the central part of the wall was strange.

“Where has the Lord gone!”

By the time he hurriedly ascended to the top of the lord’s castle, Ashad had already abandoned the castle and fled.

“The Lord… has taken refuge….”

A young adjutant who had remained in his post even after the lord fled, stammered out the words.

“Huh… Are you saying the Lord abandoned his people and ran away?”

“…”

The expressions of the soldiers and a few Mamluks located in the center of the castle wall darkened.

“Under no circumstances must the fact that the Lord has taken refuge be revealed. The soldiers’ morale will plummet.”

“But… won’t it be known soon enough?”

“But not now.”

Those present nodded with grim expressions.

“I will hold this place, so go elsewhere!”

Zaved, the leader of the Mamluks, raised the curved sword in his hand and lightly lopped off the head of an Uruk climbing the castle wall.

“I am Zaved, the Iron Wall of Saraban, you bastards!”

Although it was unlikely the monster understood his words, he let out a fierce roar and relentlessly cut down the necks of the charging monsters.

Zaved’s spirit was indeed strong, but contrary to his will, the number of monsters swarming from the surroundings continued to pile up, and the number of falling soldiers increased.

“The Lord has fled…!”

“The Lord has run away!”

“Lord Ashad!?”

While the situation was worsening, the news that the lord had fled, its origin unknown, quickly spread among the soldiers.

“No…! We’re all going to die….”

“If even the Lord is fleeing, why should we die a dog’s death here!”

As unrest spread from the soldiers to even some Mamluks, the situation became uncontrollably serious.

It was then, when everyone had fallen into despair, and deserters mixed with soldiers desperately fighting off monsters, turning the surroundings into a scene of pandemonium.

“We worship you and pray to you alone for salvation!”

Breaking through the agitated soldiers, Zaved’s thunderous voice struck the castle wall like a lightning bolt.

“Please guide us onto the righteous path!”

With a fierce roar, he unleashed streams of blue Chakra.

His entire body swirled with Chakra, creating the illusion that blue light was emanating from his eyes.

The sight of Zaved, with monsters being swept away by the current of air and him standing firm, wielding his sword, was truly overwhelming.

Zaved, who at first glance seemed to possess the divine authority of a god of war, was nevertheless accumulating more and more wounds in the face of the relentlessly advancing monsters.

Despite this, he shouted like a thunderbolt, just as he had at the beginning.

“That path is the one you have bestowed, the most righteous path for us wanderers to walk!”

Perhaps due to Zaved’s desperate appearance, wounded and bleeding yet never falling and continuing to wield his sword, the confusion among the soldiers, who had been agitated until just moments before, gradually subsided.

“Oh, merciful and benevolent Malua!”

When the third roar struck the castle wall, some of the soldiers who knew the prayer turned their fleeing bodies and returned to their posts, reciting the next part of the prayer.

“Please guide us onto the righteous path!”

When the fourth prayer echoed across the castle wall, miraculously, a large number of soldiers turned their bodies back towards the monsters.

Then, all the soldiers, filled with desperation, shouted the prayer.

With trembling hands, they picked up the weapons they had dropped on the ground and advanced towards the oncoming monsters.

Their legs trembled, and their bodies shook like aspen leaves, but they never retreated and walked forward.

“My flesh! And my blood, I offer to you!”

Their shouted prayer was like a desperate roar.

Leaning on each other’s shoulders to overcome their fear, they advanced one step at a time.

Reaching the monsters, they plunged their spears of judgment into the monsters’ bodies, even as they fell.

“That path is the one you have bestowed, the most righteous path for us wanderers to walk!”

Those who had been wandering in death and fear, as if it had never happened, gradually overcame their terror.

Separate from their noble efforts, the situation grew increasingly dire.

Then, a brilliant golden light burst forth from afar in the eyes of the soldiers standing on the castle wall.

Kwaaaaaaaaang!

“Ah…!”

The massive golden light crushed the monsters like a divine mace, and behind it, a white light flashed, sweeping away the monsters that had been raging until moments before.

“Oh, Malua… Therefore, us… Therefore, us… look down upon and care for us….”

With someone’s murmur, a black-haired stranger wielding a golden aura saved them.