Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 869

869. The safest place

The layered clouds were a fog that obscured vision. I hadn’t realized it until I entered, but now that I’ve experienced it, it’s true.
It didn’t matter much. Even in the fog that obscured my vision, the stray eyes were able to pinpoint the enemy’s location.
It wasn’t difficult for Encred either. The griffon’s wings were too noisy to be heard.

Quaaaa, quaaaa.

Even their movements in the wind left a lasting impression. The sound and smell pinpointed their location.

Kkaaaak!

Perhaps because he was a maniac or perhaps because he was relatively smart, two griffons hid behind the clouds and pounced on his left and right.
The eagle-eyed one flapped its wings and stopped dead in its tracks. It turned its wings to face the wind. It was a surprisingly sudden braking. The moment Encred faced the two griffons, he swung his thorny mace, Penna.

Bang! Bang!

The one on the left had its head blown off. The one on the right thrust its beak in the meantime, but it was useless.
Encred’s reaction speed was superior to that of monsters. Even One-Eyed wasn’t surprised.
He saw the direction the right griffon’s beak was swooping down and took a slight step back. There were no restrictions on movement, forward, backward, left, or right. Just because they were flying, it wasn’t all the same. One-Eyed was more agile than the griffon, and its maneuvers were more three-dimensional.
Encred stabbed Penna. The stab sent the enemy knight’s relic, wrapped around his sword, slamming into the griffon’s torso.

Cuckoo.
Kkueek.

The screams of the monsters that didn’t die instantly were heartbreaking.

“It’s noisy.”

Encred pulled Penna back and retrieved her sword, drawing Dawn and slashing past the bastard’s head.

Ping-. Wheeing.

Even though only the sound of the wind slicing remained, the griffon’s head floated into the air.
Encrid slaughtered twenty-six of the griffon riders in this battle.

* * *

“Hey, what’s that? Shimlaq is dead.”

The eyes of the three Southern Knights watching from the ground widened. Despite having anticipated and speculated on various scenarios, this was a sight they had never imagined before. There was no way they wouldn’t be surprised. Among them, the one who specialized in composure was the first to shift his thinking.
From surprise to response.

“All forces on combat alert.”

Unless the enemy is a crippled idiot, they wouldn’t miss this opportunity. They’ve been suppressing us for days.
Furthermore, the Southern Army was advancing for the “next time,” moving into a prime position for battle. In other words, they were preparing for all-out war. The situation is complicated. Normally, they would start fighting when and under the right circumstances.

‘The player was taken away.’

Suddenly, a flying horse leaped out of the sky and began a battle with the griffon rider for supremacy.
Simlak had just died, but even without a keen imagination, it wasn’t difficult to predict what would happen next.

‘Everyone dies.’

If the enemy hadn’t observed the main force’s movements, retreating like this would have been a viable option.
Despite the threat of griffons overhead, Naurilia didn’t neglect reconnaissance, even sending a few sub-knights.
A commander who fails in his operations is forgiven, but one who fails in his vigilance is unforgivable. Such a commander is unqualified.
Naurilia didn’t have such fools. There were only those who never missed an opportunity.

Know your enemy and know yourself.

It’s the fundamentals of military strategy. He knew it too. That’s why he knew they wouldn’t miss this opportunity. The Amethyst Knight raised his head. His name was Galut.

“Elma, Gellick. You two will intercept the enemy knights. When Cypress steps forward, you two will join forces.”
“Lien and Inggis are also here.”

Elma answered. She’s the only female of the four. But in terms of skill, she’s the most skilled of the four. She wanted to face Cypress alone.

“And there’s also the one who floated above the sky and killed Simlak. Some of the Mad Knights came.”

Predicting things isn’t difficult. Even in this dire situation, Galuto closed his eyes. He wasn’t being complacent. At a moment like this, he felt the need to calmly assess the situation. It was an old habit.
Did he think of a brilliant plan just because he stalled for a moment? That rarely happened. However, he found the time to breathe, and find some respite.
At least he wouldn’t do something stupid. Galuto opened his closed eyes. His dull, ivory eyes were filled with uncompromising determination.

“No way. If we capture Cypress and escape, it’s our victory. Leave the other knights to the main force and mobilize all remaining resources.”

In terms of sheer numbers, this side has twice as many soldiers. While the outcome of the battle will likely depend on the knight’s performance, numbers are undeniable.
However, what Galutto just mentioned is a radical measure. He intends to use some of the doubled number of soldiers to hold back the knight.

“i get it.”

The four, including Simlak, who died in the amethyst, were of equal rank, but Galuto was actually treated as the next vice-captain. Elma and Gellick nodded.
Dividing command before battle was the worst possible course of action. They were knights, skilled combat weapons trained and honed from childhood. However, what they hadn’t anticipated was the presence of the barbarian and his companions, obsessed with battle.
Some waited, others reacted, and still others marveled.
Galuto, Elma, and Gellick were knights. All three sensed something ominous at the same time. Their intuition reacted before their hearing. They scattered in three directions simultaneously.
The sound was delayed. Before that, a heavy object traced a line across the spot where they had been. The
projectile was so fast that the knights’ kinetic vision struggled to discern its precise shape.
The three knights felt a gust of wind gather around them, creating a gust. For a moment, the sound faded. A moment ago, a projectile so powerful it obliterated all sound and air, vanishing into thin air. It was like the calm before a typhoon. The calm was over in an instant.

Kwaaaaaaaah!

A loud noise and a cloud of dust rose from behind. It was where some of the main force had been.
When people are so startled, they don’t even scream. Galuto knew this from experience.
Screams are a little late. Just as sounds are always a little late. As
the surprise wears off, and they confirm and realize that their own limbs or the comrades who were speaking right next to them have disappeared, the human screams involuntarily.

“……Kwaaaaak!”

Just like now.

“What? What is it?”
“It’s an attack, an assault!”
“It’s magic!”

It was a moment when years of training seemed meaningless. Some of the humans facing this disaster panicked. Knights were a disaster, specialized in neutralizing the fighting power of ordinary soldiers. But not everyone collapsed. A small number of soldiers, those who, despite not being knights, possessed a heroic air, responded.

“Get your heads together!”
“Line up! Scatter!”
“Even in hell!”
“Just fight!”

The southern slogan rang out. Even in hell, they fought, and some of the commanders reorganized their units.
Galuto emerged from the dust cloud and walked forward.

“Can you see it?”

Of the three, Gellick has the best eyes. He answered with narrowed eyes.

“There are four.”

Whether the main force of Naurilia moved or not, whether my captain fought in the skies or not, they moved as they pleased. They didn’t know about the madman named Rem.
The continent’s proverb struck them: if you don’t know, you will be punished.

* * *

“Kill them all, Enki.”

Instead of crying, Bunyan pounded his right fist against my heart and spoke. Their role as bait was over. They all tilted their heads back and looked up at the sky.
They seemed like dots, playing among the vast expanse of clouds dotting the deep blue sky. The rocks and spells falling on their heads stopped.
They became spectators. They watched the falling griffon and witnessed the heavenly good fortune that subdued them.

“Goddess of the Scales.”

“Bunion muttered. She never weighs the scales on one side, so she gave him something of equal value.”
Right next to him, Raffield muttered.

“The god of war has taken care of it.”

Encrid, soaring through the sky, captured everyone’s attention.
Now, who has the advantage?

“Devilish!”
“Mad!”

Some soldiers roared.
Separately, the so-called veterans and the Knights of the Red Cloak nodded, but didn’t roar loudly.
They knew of a knight who had accomplished even greater feats than Encred had just displayed. They had endured his battles, and honed their skills by watching him fight. It sent shivers down their spines
, but they knew. Cyprus would have done it anyway.
They could vividly picture him performing actions that seemed even more reckless than those fighting up there now. Had
he earned the nickname “the one who can do anything” for nothing?
That’s why the Knights didn’t cheer loudly. Only the two lighthearted ones spoke.

“You fight well!”
“I feel refreshed.”

These are the people whose temperament remains unchanged even after rigorous training.
Cypress, their leader, also showed a faint smile. The corners of his mouth slightly turned up, and his eyes slanted in a smirk.

“It looks good.”

There’s no evaluation. He simply blurts out a single word. At the same time, he gestures to Aurelia. He’s identified the enemy’s position. It’s time to fight.

“Ah, those, Master, the madmen moved first.”

Their official name is the Mad Knights. Aurelia forgot the three letters “Knights.” It was understandable.

“That’s fast.”

Did the old knight recall the harshness of time? His eyes deepened. They were thoughtful.
He must fight now. He too had read the time to fight.
The madmen were simply a little quicker. He moved as if he had anticipated his captain’s overwhelming victory from above. Suddenly, the king’s words came to mind. ”
Krang,” the king he would serve said.

“Everyone seems to think I’ve come to a dangerous place. It’s the opposite. I’ve fled to the safest place in this war. A place where, even if the power of the Sun Water imprinted on my body fades, there’s someone who will protect me.”

How brilliant were the blue eyes of the speaking Krang. His blond hair reflected the sunlight, and his eyes were like the azure sky. A vast, boundless vessel. And what a brilliant idea.

“If where my knight is is not the safest, where can it be?”

What is the implication of his words?
He staked his life on the victory of his allies. Even if he lost here, he wouldn’t beg for his life. He would fight to the end, and he’d stake everything on the fight with the highest probability.

‘The South was stalling and playing tricks with the Griffin.’

Originally, the Knights of the Red Cloak should have been split and sent to the capital and other places to uncover their tricks, but the king had them stay here.

“Protect yourself. Do whatever you want. Do whatever you want.”

The king swore, though he had not asked for it. He swore, though he was not a knight.

“Fight and protect what you want, sir. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

That’s right. That’s what I hope. The soldiers of the South are my brothers and family. If I were ordered to, I would throw them into the fire and run away. That was his oath and his pledge.
But the heart, the pledge, and the pledge couldn’t always look in the same direction.
Krang pointed that out. He said they could look in the same direction. The king said so casually and changed the subject. Instead, he revealed his own intention. He revealed what he wanted.

“Who will benefit from this prolonged war? The Empire? The Demon Realm? I don’t know. One thing is certain: if this war drags on, many will suffer and be saddened.”

He wasn’t speaking solely with the confines of Naurilia in mind. Cyprus felt anew the king’s capacity. He was a size beyond measure.

‘That would be a political weakness, though.’

In Naurilia today, there aren’t any foolish nobles who would dare challenge the crown. The Council of Ten, I think? Six of them are royalists, while four are the king’s lackeys disguised as nobles. It’s brilliant politics.
Krang explained all of this.

“I intend to fight it out. Against that damned demonic realm, against the empire, against everything on the continent, against everything that causes war.”

Cyprus nodded at the king’s speech.
Let me add one more interesting point.

‘It’s not me.’

The safest place the king spoke of wasn’t by his own side. It was beside Encred, a mad knight.

“It’s fun and fun again.”

Cypress hummed like poetry. His speech was melodious. He was naturally a talented singer. Had he not become a knight, he would have been a great bard.
Only a few close associates knew that he had personally composed the song that had made his name known.
Aurelia knew her grandfather. He wasn’t the type to feel resentment. Indeed, he felt no such shallow emotions.
His eyes, momentarily still, were filled with interest.

“Aurelia.”
“Yes.”
“These remaining men won’t be the last. Focus on reconnaissance. Use the main force to locate any additional enemy forces. A few detachments may have already crossed the border, but we’re looking ahead, not behind. Our king has commanded. Strike forward.”

Also, it matches what you want.

“I trust you’ll take care of the rest, and just deal with the ones coming from the front. Yes, I will do that.”

Aurelia briefly thought of her friend, Asia. She wasn’t the only one who protected the royal family.
The gentle Cypress, as she was also called, looked ahead.
Some of the mad knights were fighting. They were a sight to behold. How well they fought.