Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 378

Aileen and her friends thought they knew what to expect when they met the Sword Saint. But they were wrong, just like they were wrong about the Saintess.

The Sword Saint looked at each of them. “Aran, Aaron, and Miller,” he said, using their fake names. “Are you really Roph and Amil?”

Was he trying to make it obvious they were using aliases?

His eyes were sharp and thoughtful as he looked at each person in the group.

But then, with a bitter smile, the Sword Saint forced himself to rise.

“Ugh…”

“Captain, you don’t have to push yourself…”

“No, no. We have honored guests; I must show them at least minimal courtesy.”

The Sword Saint was almost hidden under layers of white bandages. Only his face was visible, pale and thin, but his eyes were sharp and intelligent. He groaned as he bowed to the group.

“I apologize for showing you such a pathetic sight. I am Harmon Killbrew,” he said. Harmon Killbrew is the most famous swordsman in the Holy Kingdom.

“Not at all. I have heard much of the Sword Saint’s renown. It is an honor to meet you.”

Aileen responded very politely. Behind her, her friends bowed, but their eyes sparkled with excitement. They had heard a rumor just before they came here.

The Sword Saint had defeated the Sword Demon.

The true greatest swordsman on the continent was the Sword Saint.

Even though he was still hurt, it seemed like a badge of honor for the world’s strongest swordsman.

“Even so, I am now but a commoner in need of your help. Thank you for coming.”

“Not at all. Everyone feels a sense of crisis from the Empire’s tyranny.”

“Still, you are the only ones… to offer a helping hand directly. I thank you once again.”

The Sword Saint staggered as he got out of bed and bowed respectfully.

He didn’t mention the country’s name because the paladins were listening. The Sword Saint was very respectful.

“No, you really don’t have to go that far…”

“No, I am merely showing the minimum courtesy. Please, accept it.”

As the group bowed back, a comfortable silence fell. It was filled with a sense of shared purpose and hope.

“You may leave now. I have matters to discuss with these people regarding the war.”

The paladins were hesitant. They did not want to leave their captain. He was badly hurt, and they cared for him deeply. Their reluctance was clear.

Only after repeated urging did the paladins finally close the door and leave.

Once they were alone, the Sword Saint turned back to the group.

“But that person over there… I believe I’ve met him before?”

The Sword Saint pointed at Viktor. He looked utterly gaunt, but his eyes were sharp.

Viktor suddenly felt like everyone was looking at him. He couldn’t help but think something strange.

‘Was Lia not a genius after all, but just a clever fool?’

Two important people they’d met as soon as they arrived in the Holy Kingdom had seen through their disguises right away. Viktor’s head was spinning from the strange things the Saintess had said earlier. He shot a quick, sharp look at Victoria, his sister.

His sister understood what he meant with just a look.

“That’s not true! It’s the Saintess and this person, ah, no, this gentleman who are strange!?” Victoria retorted.

Harmon chuckled and nodded.

“I didn’t see through the magic trick. But I remembered the *feeling*, the *aura* of your magical power. It’s like everyone has a unique magical signature, and I recognized yours, Viktor. Anyway, so McLaine was involved back then too. I’m receiving a great deal of help in many ways, haha.”

Remember the feeling and aura of the Force? Force is a special energy.

Was that even possible?

Aileen simply sighed, looking at the Sword Saint with an expression of utter resignation.

“With so many people recognizing us, I’m very worried about whether we can really be effective.”

In the Small Kingdom Alliance, even just the artifacts were enough for perfect disguise. But here, even with Victoria’s concealment magic, their identities were being exposed.

It was enough to make one sigh.

But the Sword Saint dismissed the group’s concerns.

“You can rest assured about that. Among the Imperial Army, only that Sword Demon fellow would be able to tell. Besides, even if they recognize the disguise, there’s no way to know who you are, is there? Perhaps someone here is personally acquainted with him?”

At those words, the group shook their heads in unison. Logan was the only one who had met the Sword Demon in McLaine.

Seeing this, Harmon nodded with a small sigh and immediately got to the point.

“Once again, I thank you for coming to the Holy Kingdom. However, even with your help, we are still at a disadvantage. In that sense, there is something I would like to ask of you…”

At the words that followed, faces of bewilderment spread across the faces of Aileen and the group.

The Empire’s attack began again two days after Aileen and her group arrived.

In the meantime, the Holy Kingdom had roughly guessed what the Empire was aiming for by stalling for time.

The abnormally powerful magic circle sealing the Great Heaven Barrier, a powerful magical shield protecting the Holy City, was an essential element for conquering the Holy City.

“From the start, they were pushing themselves with that in mind.”

The Sword Saint had not recovered from his serious injuries. The Saintess, who had pushed herself to save him and restore the barrier, had also failed to recover her depleted divine power.

The fact that two of the Holy Kingdom’s greatest forces could no longer participate in the war was a truly devastating blow. But the face of the Holy Kingdom’s leader remained calm. They now had sufficient replacements.

One of them, Viktor, using the alias Miller, smiled wryly and took Ilia’s words.

“The Sword Saint Captain asked me to escort the Saintess out if the worst-case scenario occurs.”

“He is such a devout man. But if that situation really arises, it would be better for the future of the Holy Kingdom if Captain Harmon survived rather than me.”

Do you really think so?

Viktor questioned inwardly, looking at the Saintess’s calm expression.

The sword of the Holy Kingdom and the spiritual pillar of the Holy Kingdom.

If only one of them could survive to rebuild the Holy Kingdom, it was right for the spiritual pillar to survive.

Viktor thought it was right, even if he put aside his personal feelings.

“…So put aside the thoughts you had last time, and take care of yourself. Of course, as long as we’re here, we won’t let it collapse so easily.”

“Like last time…?”

“Yes. What you told me last time…”

Viktor stopped talking and stared intently at the Saintess’s face.

The Saintess looked back at him, her pretty face full of curiosity.

That face, so different from the haggard appearance he had seen a few days ago, felt somehow a little unfamiliar.

“…That you were always sorry for causing so much trouble.”

“Ah… that’s right. I am always grateful to Sir Viktor.”

The Saintess nodded as if she had just remembered.

Viktor’s expression hardened as he watched her.

‘…She doesn’t remember?!’

It wasn’t something to forget, was it?

The moment goosebumps rose all over his body, Ilia’s expression also hardened, as if she had sensed his awkward expression.

Viktor was frantically trying to think of an excuse when he suddenly felt a murderous aura nearby.

Scritch.

Crack!

A figure in black appeared as if from nowhere. He wore a mask, but Viktor could see blood spreading across his chest.

“Holy Maiden, step back!”

“Ugh! Y-yes!”

The attack was not a surprise. It had been predicted. Everyone knew the Empire would target the Holy Maiden and the Sacred Sword as soon as the war started again, especially now that she had lost her power.

Grey aura blades flashed through the air, sharp and quick as lightning, leaving trails of shimmering light.

Viktor was glad he could feel the wraiths nearby, even if he couldn’t sense them as well as Logan McLain, his master.

He almost welcomed their attack. It saved him the trouble of having to come up with an excuse.

But a feeling of unease stayed with Viktor.

“Something is wrong,” he thought, glancing back at the Holy Maiden. “Are you alright?”

As Viktor’s mind raced with concern for the Holy Maiden hidden behind him, the main clash between the two armies began in earnest outside.

However, the start was quite different from what most people, especially the Empire, had expected.

Whoosh!

Bang!

A powerful surge rippled through the barrier maintaining the great magic circle at the rear of the Imperial formation. The shield had deflected a sudden attack.

The power behind the attack was far from ordinary, and Galen, who was guiding the flow of magic, naturally turned his gaze towards the barrier. Though weak, such force could not have come from a typical Force Blade.

“Aura?!”

It made no sense.

The great magic circle was at the very rear of the Imperial formation. How could there suddenly be an aura-infused attack on the shield?

Even the attacker was nowhere to be seen, and the escort was unharmed.

Only the commander of the 5th Legion, Argent Tusat, seemed to grasp what had happened, staring into the empty air.

“Could it be….”

In Galen’s mind, there was only one possible explanation.

“Does the Holy Kingdom have an assassin on par with the leaders of the wraiths?”

It was an absurd thought.

But he quickly realized he was mistaken.

Bang!

A powerful force struck the barrier again. He could now see what it was.

The result, however, was very surprising.

An object that had flown like a shooting star from a great distance to strike the barrier. It was a common object seen countless times on the battlefield.

“An arrow?!”

An ultra-human who could imbue an arrow with aura and fire it?

Galen’s face went blank at the sight of something he had never heard of in his life, but after those two shots, no more aura arrows came flying.

Harmon chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. ‘So, you thought you were clever,’ he said, his voice raspy. ‘I’m afraid your little magic trick won’t work here.’

He was only on the wall to boost the morale of the soldiers, but his Force showed no signs of recovery.

Even though Harmon felt weak, his sharp mind was still working. He quickly understood the importance of this superhuman working for McLain, the one called Amil.

‘An aura arrow that strikes a target 3km away.’

It was such a shocking sight that he wanted to see his true form, not this false one.

And, as if to meet his expectations, Amil, or rather Burdel, gifted the rushing Imperial troops with disaster.

“All knights, prepare to dismount! Straight over the wall…!”

Wham!

Lecton Anes, leading the Imperial troops at the head of the army, felt an attack coming and frantically swung his sword.

“Ugh!”

The heavy, powerful impact staggered both him and his horse, but that wasn’t the real problem.

The moment he knocked away whatever had flown at him with his sword, his Force vanished like the tide receding.

The meaning was clear.

The power of destruction that brings despair to those of a lower rank. The power he had failed to obtain even after 40 years of constant effort.

“Aura!?”

And as if in response to that scream-like shout, a lightning-like red light pierced his forehead.

Thud.

“Lord Lecton!”

It was only two arrows that took the life of Lecton Anes, the commander of the 10,000-man unit of the 1st Western Legion.

“Arrows?!”

Tris sensed the anomaly immediately after the second commander fell futilely after Lecton.

Arrows imbued with aura.

Even the Sword Demon, the greatest under the heavens, was shocked by the sight, but he reacted quickly.

“Red arrows! Don’t block them, dodge them!”

It was an amazing skill, but its limitations were clear.

No matter how much aura was imbued in the arrows, they were still long-range weapons. If they were prepared, even the highest-ranking knights could avoid them.

The countermeasure, conveyed from mouth to mouth past the frantically waving flags, quickly reached the commanders at the front.

In the meantime, another commander and several high-ranking officers had fallen, but after that, the Empire reacted quickly.

Whizz!

“Not a chance!”

Thwack!

“Hap!”

The moment the next two attacks missed in succession, the red arrows began to target the lower-ranking sentinel knights instead of the commanders or captains.

And most of them did not have the skill to dodge the red lightning that flew as if shot right before their eyes.

“Aaaargh!”

“Guh, guh!”

“Sir Knight!”

In the short time it took to charge towards the wall, a dozen sentinel knights, the core personnel who commanded the command and elite soldiers of the Imperial Legion, including three commanders, fell dead.

And the massacre continued unabated.

Tris’s bloodshot eyes, faced with an unexpected disaster, turned towards the top of the wall.