Future Knight

Chapter 24

Due to his amplified metabolism and the rotation of mana, which was dozens of times more vigorous than usual, a tremendous amount of mana surged into his body, making his aura sword powerful beyond recognition.

Moreover, his movements were incomparably faster than when he had run while carrying Jaina.

Kang Chan utilized his enhanced speed to target Urkanta’s vital points, employing a hit-and-run tactic.

It was reminiscent of a fighter plane intercepting a battleship armed with massive naval guns during World War II.

Even though Urkanta, a sword master, wasn’t slow, Kang Chan was so fast that he was practically invisible.

“Grr! Damn mosquito! Die!”

Unable to keep up with Kang Chan’s movements, Urkanta swung his Hurricane Blade wildly in furious anger.

As a result, an aura blade of immense power was unleashed in all directions.

“Ugh!”

Kang Chan retreated in shock, halting his offensive to evade.

No matter how much his speed overwhelmed Urkanta, in terms of strength, Kang Chan was no more than a child compared to him.

Kang Chan didn’t have the confidence to withstand the terrifying power of the aura blade again.

The surrounding area was engulfed by the bombardment of his aura blades, and Kang Chan worried about Jaina’s safety.

‘Damn it! Jaina is in danger!’

Amidst the earth-shaking impact, Kang Chan tried to lure Urkanta away as far as possible to keep the aura blade from reaching Jaina.

“Cough! You! Don’t run away! Grr!”

Bursting through the dust, the gigantic Urkanta flew at him like lightning and swung the Hurricane Blade with all his might.

As the terrifying aura blade, boasting immense weight, sliced through the air, the surrounding dust was instantly split and disappeared from view. Standing before it, Kang Chan’s vision momentarily went dark.

The fearsome attack wielded by the monster in front of him was beyond his ability to counter directly.

Kang Chan mustered all his strength to deflect Urkanta’s Hurricane Blade diagonally, following the principles of Thunderbolt Dual Wielding, rather than meeting it head-on.

He then quickly spun to target Urkanta’s throat.

His seamless transition between attack and defense was truly impressive.

However, Urkanta was not an easy opponent.

The greatest warrior of the Orc race.

To Urkanta, who ruled over millions of orcs, that level of skill was no threat at all.

“Pathetic.”

Wham!

“Ugh!”

Urkanta instantly twisted the Hurricane Blade that Kang Chan had deflected, striking Kang Chan’s side with the flat of the blade.

It was as if he was swatting a fly.

Crack!

A sound of ribs shattering echoed from Kang Chan’s side, hit by the giant metal mass. Kang Chan was flung far away and crashed into the bushes without even a chance to scream.

“Pugh! Cough! Cough! Ugh…”

Blood kept spurting from Kang Chan’s mouth as he lay there.

Urkanta, the one responsible for Kang Chan’s state, approached and asked,

“What are you?”

“Ptoo! What do you mean?”

“I’ve never heard of a young sword master like you among the human race. Grr…”

From Urkanta’s perspective, Kang Chan’s skills were beyond those of a sword expert, leading him to assume he was a sword master.

“I’ve never heard of a monster like you either.”

“Grr, for such a young one, your skills are impressive, and so is your boldness. Grr, it’s a shame to kill such talent. But the price for angering me is only death! Grr!”

As Urkanta charged at him again with terrifying momentum, Kang Chan, though battered and bruised, did not lose his fighting spirit and swung his sword at Urkanta.

“Hiyaah!”

Urkanta, watching him, smirked mockingly.

“Grr! It’s useless.”

As Kang Chan made a reckless thrust, Urkanta raised his Hurricane Blade to his shoulder and used it as a shield while charging.

Screeeech!

The sound echoed through the entire forest as Kang Chan was once again sent flying dozens of meters, sprawling on the ground.

Urkanta had met Kang Chan’s reckless charge head-on.

The sheer power behind Urkanta’s strike was monstrous, and with a dull metallic sound, blood flowed from Kang Chan’s mouth as he flew through the air.

The arm that had swung his blade was now twisted in an unnatural direction.

“Ugh! Ack! Cough! Damn it!”

Having taken two massive impacts that would have killed an ordinary person, Kang Chan struggled to stay conscious despite his unparalleled recovery ability.

He managed to remain somewhat lucid only because he had preemptively numbed all his nerves to the pain.

“Damn it, he’s incredibly strong. Damn it all!”

Kang Chan despaired inwardly. The monster standing before him was a true monster, like facing a towering cliff, his existence felt utterly insignificant.

“Grr, hey, kid. You’ve fought with all your might, so now you can die without regrets, right? Hiss!”

Watching Urkanta approach, trimming branches with his Hurricane Blade, despair clouded Kang Chan’s eyes.

‘No! Is this how I die? I can’t! I have to protect Jaina!’

As Kang Chan desperately tried to rise, worried about Jaina, Urkanta seemed to understand his concerns and addressed them.

“Hiss! Don’t worry, I’ll send that girl to follow you soon. Grr.”

Urkanta’s words made Kang Chan feel as if the sky were falling.

“No! You bastard! Don’t touch Jaina! Cough! Cough!”

“Grr, it was fun. Now die. Grr.”

“Don’t touch Jaina! If you do, I’ll kill you!”

With his body in tatters, Kang Chan struggled to his feet, swinging his broken arm at Urkanta in a desperate attack.

His appearance was beyond horrific, almost tragic.

To a human observer, it would have been enough to make their legs tremble.

But Urkanta was not human; he was a bloodthirsty orc.

“Grr! Oh, my. Hahaha…”

Laughing at Kang Chan’s pitiful state, Urkanta raised his Hurricane Blade high, ready to deliver the final blow.

But at that moment.

Something shot toward Urkanta like a bolt of lightning.

Instinctively sensing the threat, Urkanta leaped back from Kang Chan.

Arrows rained down where Urkanta had stood.

The ground trembled repeatedly.

The arrows struck with such force that their shafts were buried deep into the ground, with only the ends of the feathers visible.

This was the fearsome power of the elven bow that all races dreaded.

“Stop it, Urkanta!”

A voice, filled with anger, echoed through the forest.

“Grr, who are you?”

Experts recognize experts.

From the direction Urkanta had turned his head, Elradian was charging at an incredible speed.

Riding the Sylph of the Wind, Elradian seemed to be the very embodiment of the wind itself, and in an instant, he was standing before Urkanta, his eyes blazing with fury.

“Urkanta, what do you think you’re doing to my disciples!”

Elradian’s overwhelming presence bore down on Urkanta. However, Urkanta, showing no reaction, absorbed his aura and countered with his own, shouting,

“Grr! Whether they’re your disciples or not is none of my concern! That guy killed my wyvern. Therefore, he must die too! Kaaargh!”

As an immense killing intent and aura emanated from Urkanta, the surrounding leaves scattered in all directions.

His ferocity felt almost like that of a dragon.

‘Indeed, Hurricane Blade Urkanta. Not an easy opponent at all.’

Elradian, himself one of the five great martial gods representing the five races, was facing Urkanta directly for the first time.

Elradian instinctively knew that Urkanta was not beneath him.

He realized that if he were alone, it would be difficult to guarantee victory.

Fortunately, he was not alone.

He had come with Leysion, the elven archer, just in case.

The massive arrow assault earlier had been her doing, and she was likely still somewhere in the forest, aiming at Urkanta’s head.

“If my disciple caused the death of your wyvern, I apologize on his behalf. I’ll also provide appropriate compensation. So how about you let go of your anger?”

“Grr, and if I refuse?”

“In that case, despite being allies, one of us will have to bury our bones here over a mere wyvern.”

When Elradian drew his cherished sword, Shining Flare, a dazzling light radiated, and a blue flame began to burn from the hilt.

This was the Aura Blade, a power exclusive to sword masters.

“Grr! Are you threatening me, Hurricane Blade Urkanta?”

The playful demeanor Urkanta had when dealing with Kang Chan disappeared entirely.

A red aura blade began to burn like flames from Urkanta’s Hurricane Blade, indicating that he was also tense about Elradian’s abilities.

As they both elevated their mana to its peak, the fierce energy they emitted began to rage violently around them.

Their clashing energies caused the surrounding leaves and grass to be shredded.

Their psychological battle was intense, with neither willing to concede. Meanwhile, Kang Chan, caught in the middle, felt like a shrimp caught in a fight between whales, struggling to breathe under the immense pressure of their mana.

‘Wow! This is a sword master! They can become this strong just with their bodies….’

In awe, Kang Chan widened his eyes, trying not to miss a single moment as he witnessed the pinnacle of power in this new world.

Breaking the tense silence, Elradian spoke,

“Do we really need to go this far over a single wyvern? As a lord of your race, can’t you show leniency just this once and forgive my disciple’s mistake?”

“Grrr…”

Urkanta hesitated, unable to respond immediately.

He, too, did not want to fight to the death with Elradian, a top-tier warrior who was said to be his equal on the continent, over a mere wyvern.

His pride had escalated the situation, but the idea of risking his life over such a trivial matter was disgraceful for the leader of the orc tribe.

If it had been a battlefield duel, he would have fought to the end, no matter what.

Moreover, there was the elf hiding in the forest, aiming for the back of his head.

The earlier strike had shown that she could infuse her arrows with Aura Arrow, indicating her exceptional skill.

With such an elf targeting him, this fight would undoubtedly be disadvantageous for him.

Realizing that if one of them had to be buried here, it would likely be him, Urkanta, who had lost his reason in anger, began to calm down.

“Grr… I don’t want to fight you over just one wyvern.”

“Thank you. I will definitely compensate you for the wyvern.”

“Hiss! I don’t need compensation! Forgiveness will only be granted this once! Grr, next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield, elf. Kaaargh!”

After directing his furious outburst at Elradian, Urkanta swiftly gathered his aura and turned away, disappearing towards his troops.

As Urkanta retreated, Elradian also calmed his aura and hurried to check on Kang Chan’s condition.

“What on earth…”

Seeing Kang Chan’s grievous state, unconscious and severely injured, Elradian’s expression grew more serious.

Kang Chan’s left arm was unnaturally twisted, his right arm was shredded, several ribs appeared to be broken, and the blood flowing from his mouth indicated significant internal damage.

In short, it was a miracle that Kang Chan was still alive.

He was in such critical condition that without urgent treatment, his life was at risk. Even if he recovered, it was uncertain whether he could ever wield a sword again.

Elradian took out a healing potion he always carried and carefully poured it over Kang Chan’s entire body. Then, he swiftly lifted Kang Chan and called out into the forest,

“Leysion, take care of Jaina!”

A cold female voice responded from an unknown location.

“Yes, Elradian. I will look after her. Please hurry.”

With Leysion’s assurance, Elradian wasted no time and ran towards Arteon, the greatest healer, to get Kang Chan treated.

As Kang Chan was being carried on Elradian’s back, hovering between life and death, Urkanta was flying towards the orc camp on another wyvern, deep in thought.

The reason for his contemplation was the fact that Elradian’s disciple was human.

‘Grr, how did an elf take a human as a disciple? Well, life is full of surprises. Grr.’

In his lifetime, Urkanta had never heard of an elf taking a disciple from another race.

Especially a human, one of the races they despised the most.

“Grr, whatever. Whoever they take as a disciple is none of my concern. Both of them will still die by my hand. Hahaha.”

With a cruel smile, Urkanta, along with the dozens of orc riders he led, vanished into the sunset.