My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 251

251. The Meeting of Fates (2)

The edge of the dense forest.

A place where plains and forests met.

The green grasses were losing their vibrancy.

A drop of bright red blood fell onto the blades of grass.

A scene of carnage unfolded, blood staining the ground.

The calming scent of the forest was absent.

Only the stench of blood, sharp and piercing, filled the air.

“S, save me… Please, save me.”

The voice, filled with terror, was a natural reaction.

One figure was prostrate on the ground, trembling.
A canine person [a humanoid race with dog-like features].

“I, I offered the sacred object as promised…! So please, just spare my life…”

The canine person pleaded for his life, his face contorted with fear.

He held something out with both hands.

A shadow fell over the kneeling canine person.
A lone wolf-like man, separated from the pack.
The head of Elan Dur, Durak Elan Dur.

Durak quietly looked down at the canine person.

The sight of him trembling in fear…

He couldn’t help but find it pathetic.

He had even betrayed his own kind to save himself.

The canine people were known for their loyalty, but there were always exceptions.

Just as humans had all sorts of tendencies, so too did the canine people.

Some dogs would give their lives for their masters.

Others would bite their masters for their own gain.

From the beginning, dogs were descended from wolves.

And wolves never truly serve anyone as their master for life.
A species both the same as a wolf, and different.

That’s why they’re sometimes called sons of bitches.

Durak lowered his gaze.

He looked at the golden sphere held in the canine person’s hands.

The sphere, about the size of a human head, shone with a brilliant golden light.

Something moved within the transparent sphere.

It looked like a soul, or perhaps the remnants of some kind of power.

Whatever it was, the sphere was imbued with a mysterious energy.

And that power felt similar to divine power.

Perhaps that’s why…

“It’s unsettling.”

Durak felt uneasy.

He knew this was the sacred object of the beastmen he had been searching for.

Durak took the sacred object from the canine person.

He subtly gestured to one side.
The White Wolf Knights were positioned around him.

Soon, a man stepped forward.
A man like a noble wolf standing in a snowy field.
The eldest son of Elan Dur, Kai Elan Dur.

Kai walked forward slowly.

Swish─!

A chilling sound cut through the air.

The black sword, drawn in an instant, had already sliced through the canine person’s body.

“W, why…!”

With a final, short scream, the canine person collapsed.

Kai stared at the dying canine person with indifferent eyes.

As if a hunting dog was no longer needed once the hunt was over.

As if only the annoyance of dealing with unnecessary things remained.

Kai’s eyes were devoid of emotion.

Durak watched Kai.

Durak felt a strange unease from Kai.

Kai, the star of the Empire and a genius who would surpass even himself.

Kai’s current strength was beyond comparison to what it once was.

He had shown amazing growth.

But now, even those words felt inadequate.

Could he guarantee victory if he fought Kai right now?

Durak hesitated.

It was an absurd level of growth.

He could hardly be called human anymore.

Of course, there was one other being who had achieved similar growth.

That’s why Durak felt a sense of incongruity from Kai.

The outward appearance was clearly Kai.

However, something within felt foreign, not quite Kai.

And this feeling had started after Kai’s meeting with Rachel.

“What should we do with the remaining beastmen?”

Kai’s question snapped Durak out of his thoughts.

In any case, the sacred object was in his hands.
The purpose was achieved.

So…

“Kill them all.”

Only the cleanup remained.

“Understood.”

Kai bowed his head slightly.

Then he turned and took a step.

Following Kai, the White Wolf Knights, including the commander Aaron, followed.

Kai, Aaron, and the White Wolf Knights.

They would easily exterminate the remaining beastmen.

Durak turned his head.

And right then.

Swooooooosh─!

A sound like wind rushed past Durak’s ears.

In this boundary area where the dense forest and plains met, it was a common sound.

However, Durak didn’t think so.

He reacted instantly.

Clang!

Durak’s sword was drawn like lightning.

At the same time, flash!

A streak of black light shot towards Durak.

A gap opened in the blink of an eye.

Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!

A huge explosion erupted in front of Durak.

The explosion shook his vision, creating a thick cloud of dust.

The dust obscured everything.

The cloud subsided after a moment.

The figure of a man appeared.

“······!”

Durak’s eyes widened.

#

In the shaking vision…

Clang!

A terrible metallic sound rang out as swords clashed.

The collision of power against power.

Fragments shattered and scattered.

Amidst the debris, Durak looked at the man in front of him with surprise.

A man with a somewhat goofy air about him.

And a man who strangely resembled himself, Cyan.

“How did you…”

Durak’s eyes were fixed on Cyan.

However, Cyan was looking at something else.

The golden sphere held in Durak’s hand.

The sphere emitted a brilliant light and trembled.

A mysterious power emanated from within.

Cyan knew what that power was.

Muriel’s divinity.

Cyan had experienced Muriel’s divinity before.

That’s why he was sure.

The power within that sphere was definitely Muriel’s divinity.

Therefore, Cyan was convinced that this was Muriel’s sacred object he had been searching for.

Clang!

Cyan’s sword and Durak’s sword locked together.

The remnants of power scattered in all directions from the violent collision.

The force of the impact tore up the ground.

Boom!

A heavy sound echoed as Cyan was thrown back.

His body swayed, struggling against the force.

He barely managed to regain his balance.

He looked up.

Durak had also been pushed back.

Durak slid back, leaving a long gouge in the ground.

“······!”

Embarrassment flickered in Durak’s eyes.

And he wasn’t the only one surprised.

Cyan’s sudden intrusion…

“Y, you are…!”

“How did you get here…!”

The White Wolf Knights seemed stunned.

Cyan calmly scanned his surroundings.

The forest stained with blood.
The sacred object in Durak’s hand.

He was a step late.

But fortunately, not completely.

The situation could still be salvaged.

There was still a chance to turn things around.

Cyan looked at Durak.

Durak’s eyes, wide with surprise moments ago, had narrowed.

The expression of shock had vanished, replaced by calm resolve.

“How are you here?”

Durak asked in his usual calm tone.

Cyan didn’t answer.

There was no need to.

Besides, Durak’s question confirmed that Ruben didn’t know about his retreat.

Cyan met Durak’s gaze and said.

“Why is the Marquis here?”

Durak’s eyebrows twitched.

Marquis, not the head of the family.

He understood the implication.

“Don’t you know that Elan Dur is in chaos?”

Durak’s twitching eyebrows contorted.

His expression revealed a clear sense of dismay.

Cyan’s presence here meant that Elan Dur had already fallen.

In other words, they were too late.

But only for a moment.

“Nonsense.”

Durak spat out the word.

His distorted expression smoothed out.

He’s quick to adapt.

Cyan shook his head inwardly.

“I don’t know how you got here…”

Durak’s voice cut through the air.

“It saved me the trouble of finding you.”

A tremendous pressure emanated from Durak’s body.

Cyan felt a crushing force.

Durak, known as the number one swordsman on the continent.

The aura he exuded was more than just simple pressure.

The intent to kill, crushing and destroying the target.

A power that could kill with sheer force of will.

But…

“I feel the same way.”

Cyan remained unaffected.

He was not suppressed by Durak’s aura.

He had achieved 100% mastery of the Mahon Jebeop [a martial art technique], and…

The last dragon, Karze, exuded Dragon Pressure.

Compared to Dragon Pressure, Durak’s aura was nothing.

Durak’s eyebrows twitched again at Cyan’s nonchalant appearance.

Finally, he spoke, his tone laced with anger.

“What do you think you can do alone?”

He had a point.

Honestly, even Durak alone was too much for Cyan.

But Durak wasn’t alone.

The elite force of Elan Dur, the White Wolf Knights.

They were hidden amongst the trees.

But the senses could detect more than just what was visible.

There were thirteen White Wolf Knights.

The elite of Elan Dur and the strongest knights in the Empire.

Even Cyan couldn’t fight them all.

To be exact, even Durak alone was too much.

But…

“Don’t tell me you think I came alone.”

Cyan wasn’t the only one here.

As Cyan spoke, a powerful presence arose behind him.

Not just one or two people.

Not dozens or hundreds.

About 1,000 soldiers of Ruben.

100 Black Lion Knights.

The force approached like a spreading darkness.

“Th, they are…!”

“How on earth did they get here…!?’

The White Wolf Knights began to panic.

However, Cyan calmly lowered his head.

At first glance, it seemed like the tables had turned.

The forces seemed evenly matched.

But, realistically, that was far from the truth.

First of all, the absence of Masters was too significant.

Currently, Elan Dur had three Master Knights.

Durak, Kai, and Eren.

On the other hand, Ruben only had Cyan.

Lucas was present, but he wasn’t a Master yet.

He was knocking on the door to Mastery, but he wasn’t quite there.

Still, Lucas could buy some time.

He could stall Eren, though Kai was another matter.

But he wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

Eren was an intermediate-level Master Knight.

It wouldn’t work here unless it was Ruben, where he could receive all sorts of buffs [temporary enhancements].

The same went for Ruben’s soldiers and the Black Lion Knights.

Even so, the White Wolf Knights were still the White Wolf Knights.

The Empire’s premier knight order, composed entirely of Experts.

All thirteen White Wolf Knight orders were present here.

To be precise, it was twelve orders, as Vice-Captain Cayden was absent.

But it was practically the entire force of the White Wolf Knights.

Unless Ruben had also brought their entire force.

With their current strength, they couldn’t stand against the White Wolf Knights.

In terms of power, they were clearly at a disadvantage.

Therefore, they were bound to lose this fight.

But Cyan had something other than power.

Cyan immediately pulled out his smartphone.

Ding!

《System! Are you watching! You are watching, right!!》

《I didn’t faint this time, you know!》

As if waiting for it, the Mobile Lord notification window popped up on the screen.

Even in this situation, that cheeky attitude…

Cyan chuckled and went to the Arnaize special perks section.

【Arnaize’s Blessing】

③【: A blessing of eternal glory to you.】

.

.

『《Muriel’s Blessing》

[Enhancement Effect 1](+5) – For 1 minute, all physical abilities of the achievement holder are increased by +7,000%!

[Enhancement Effect 2](+5) – Within a 100-meter radius, all allies’ physical abilities are increased by +450% for 10 minutes!

《[Enhancement Effect 1] and [Enhancement Effect 2] cannot be used simultaneously!》

.

.

.

《Would you like to use Muriel’s Blessing?》

The notification window blinked.

Without hesitation, Cyan pressed the Y button.

And this time, he pressed the [Effect 2] option instead of [Effect 1].

[Enhancement Effect 2](+5) – Within a 100-meter radius, all allies’ physical abilities are increased by +450% for 10 minutes!

Whoooooosh!

With a brilliant light, Muriel’s divinity permeated the surroundings.

The divinity soon settled upon Ruben’s soldiers.

The darkness of mana grew even denser.

Cyan put his smartphone back into his pocket and said to Lucas,

“Lucas. I’ll leave the command to you.”

“Understood.”

Lucas bowed sharply.

Then, he slowly drew his sword and stepped forward.

“By order of the Lord, I will take command of the battlefield from this moment on. I will also temporarily command the Black Lion Knights in the absence of Commander Kendrick.”

Lucas spoke in a low voice.

At the same time, Ruben’s soldiers and the Black Lion Knights bowed sharply.

Then, they drew their weapons and lined up in an orderly fashion behind Lucas.

The dark aura of darkness bloomed.

“…”

“…”

The White Wolf Knights flinched at the exploding momentum.

But only for a moment.

“Who do you think we are?”

The White Wolf Knights also did not back down.

The twelve knight orders, led by their commander Eren, lined up.

The exploding blue aura.

It began to intertwine with the encroaching dark aura.

The clashing momentum led to a standoff.

And within the standoff that seemed to last forever.

Clash! Crack!

Lucas and Eren charged towards each other first.

At the same time, Ruben’s soldiers and the White Wolf Knights collided.

Conflicting forces collided.

The true war between Ruben and Elan Dur had begun.

KWAHHHHHHHH!

And with a huge explosion that followed.

“…!!”

Durak’s eyes widened.

#

Durak’s wide eyes were watching the scene of the clashing war.

Durak didn’t say anything.

However, a hint of bewilderment was etched on his face.

The clash between Ruben and the White Wolf Knights.

“Ugh…!”

“These guys…!”

They were being pushed back.

The White Wolf Knights were being pushed back.

The knight order, known as the strongest on the continent beyond the empire, was faltering.

Even with all twelve orders present, they were being pushed back.

It was an impossible situation.

It shouldn’t be happening in terms of level or anything else.

But the scene unfolding before his eyes.

It was an undeniable reality.

“…!”

The shock was not easily shaken off.

But, ironically, Durak couldn’t dwell on the shock for long.

Kwaang!

With the burst of an explosion, Durak’s body flew far back.

Durak crashed into the trunk of a tree, and the huge tree snapped with a loud crash!

Soon, Durak slowly rose from the broken debris.

Durak’s eyes turned forward.

In Durak’s gaze stood Cyan.

Armor forged from darkness.

A sword tempered with black lightning.

Cyan’s entire body gave the illusion of being covered in a dense aura of darkness.

A throbbing wrist.

Durak replayed the events of just now.

The sudden strike just now was clearly Cyan’s doing.

Also, the first thing Durak recognized was a stab. However, the trajectory of the sword changed in an instant.

A huge slash was swung. The claws of a hideous beast were raking towards Durak.

He couldn’t see what happened after that… That’s why it was difficult to even react.

The moment to dodge wasn’t recognized, and even when he tried to find an opening for a counterattack, he still couldn’t see it.

The result was this.

Drip.

Red blood flowed down Durak’s cheek.

Durak’s gaze turned back to Cyan.

“…How impertinent.”

Durak’s momentum exploded.

Anger pierced through his senses. Urging Cyan to die.

“Do you think you can do it?”

Cyan didn’t answer. There was no need to answer.

It wasn’t a question that required an answer.

Their eyes met.

Kwaaaang!

Durak kicked off the ground first.

The ground Durak stepped on cracked like a spider web with the burst of the explosion.

Durak’s body shot forward, leaving a long afterimage.

Khaaaaaaa─!

A powerful force exploded, and Durak’s sword was swung.

Even his breath was cut off by the lightning-like strike.

Kwaaaang!!

The earth beneath Cyan’s feet collapsed entirely from the fragments of the colliding forces.

Durak didn’t care about the terrible force.

Durak’s sword raged through the exploding forces.

Clang! Clang clang! Kakakakak!

Invisible strikes were being made.

There was no opening to escape.

Cyan clenched his sword tightly.

It was true that he was feeling a pressure without any gaps.

But it wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t respond.

It wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t confront it.

He could see it and feel it.

The realm he thought he would never reach.

Kang─!

That Durak’s sword, he could see it.

Drip.

Cyan’s breath stopped. The sound of the battlefield covered him.

But Cyan couldn’t hear any sound.

No noise was heard, and his vision narrowed.

Only Durak’s figure was clearly visible.

Kha──gaga──gagak!

The sound was cut off.

The sound that couldn’t keep up with the speed followed behind the action.

It was cut off and slashed again.

Kha──ga─gak!

In the afterimage being created, strikes that shouldn’t be connected were being connected.

The fragments of force that were deflected scattered in all directions, tearing through the earth.

“…!”

Durak’s eyes widened.

He couldn’t tell how many strikes had been made in this fleeting moment.

His face contorted, and Durak staggered back.

In the meantime, Cyan’s strikes continued and continued.

The aggressive offensive had become a defensive one, blocking Cyan’s strikes.

Kha─gaga──gagak!

Crack─!

A breaking sound. A shallow cutting sound rang out in between.

What was that? Before he could even think, a tingling pain ran through his shoulder.

The scattering blood flashed past like an afterimage.

Did he miss an attack…?

Durak’s expression twisted.

At the same time, Rachel’s words from a while ago came to mind.

‘Marquis, you won’t be able to defeat that man, Cyan.’

At first, he ignored it as nonsense.

He didn’t listen, saying it was ridiculous.

But now.

The world was slowly darkening.

The sky wasn’t very clear. But it wasn’t that dark either.

Although hidden by clouds, the sun was clearly high in the sky.

But the time of night was coming to the surroundings.

The darkness that Cyan was creating was making the world dark.

Durak recognized Cyan’s darkness.

Power exploded in all directions. The scenery containing Cyan began to distort violently.

Some thought flashed through Durak’s mind.

That he might be defeated if he made a mistake─.

Defeated? Me?

The thought reached that point.

But it was impossible. Defeat was impossible.

The title of the continent’s number one sword was such a position.

An absolute being who reigns over everyone.

Anger was contained in his bloodshot eyes.

Durak’s momentum was sharpened.

But why?

‘How many people have held the title of the continent’s number one sword so far?’

The memory of what Rachel had said kept flashing through his mind.

‘There have been as many as there are in the history of the continent. And the history of the continent is very long.’

Rachel had said.

That throughout all time, past and present, there was only one being who could be called the number one.

He thought it was nonsense.

‘The true number one sword on the continent was only one person.’

He thought it was absurd.

But why on earth.

‘That man, Cyan, is walking the path that that being walked.’

The thought turned into a premonition and couldn’t be shaken off in his head.

Even if he tried to shake it off, it stuck like a membrane and stretched out.

“This is…”

The anxiety grew thicker.

It spread into an ominous and very unpleasant premonition.

Rising from deep within his chest.

That he might die here.

Flash!

Truly a very ominous premonition.