“…!”
After turning the sword half a turn in his hand, Cain struck the jaws of the surrounding knights with the handle of his sword.
He didn’t aim to kill.
Adjusting the flow of his movements, he inflicted just enough blows to knock them out.
He held no grudge against the knights of the Duke of Decaraznan. There was no need to kill them.
Pluff!
The knights around Cain collapsed one after another.
To an uninformed observer, it would have seemed bizarre, as if Cain had merely brushed past them and they had fallen unconscious on their own.
Seeing the intruder’s astounding inaction, the knights couldn’t help but admire his skill.
Even though he was an enemy, he deserved respect.
It wasn’t perfect, but even while holding the kidnapped woman in one arm and with the other arm sealed, he displayed remarkable ability.
‘This should be enough.’
Cain’s goal wasn’t to cross swords with them. He knew that once the hounds surrounding Sarah noticed her disappearance, they would soon realize an unknown assailant had taken her.
After escaping from the territory of Decaraznan, the real ordeal would begin.
There was no need to waste excessive effort here.
Cain let out a small sigh and, preparing to flee, pressed strength into his toes, surveying the surroundings for a way out.
But just then—
“Everyone, get away from him!”
Whee ae ae ae—!
With a piercing shriek, something akin to a twisting thunderbolt rushed toward Cain.
It was so fast that Cain, noticing the attack a moment too late, hurriedly swung his sword at the incoming black lightning.
Aang—!
The impact shook the surroundings violently.
Raising his head, Cain identified the black lightning: it was a type of long sword, boasting an abnormally extended length.
Unlike a typical soft sword, it was built with mechanical devices and had a jagged, sawtooth-like blade that curved along the body. Even a slight touch from it could tear flesh apart.
‘Is this the famous Black Dragon Fang of House Decaraznan?’
Come to think of it, Cain had heard the rumors.
The Duke’s family was said to possess the Black Dragon Fang, one of the eight great treasures of the continent—a sword powerful enough to rival a warrior or a great mage who had reached the level of a master.
Cain had scoffed at those stories, thinking them exaggerated.
But seeing it now, he realized they were no exaggeration at all. Even fighting head-on against an auror-enhanced weapon, the Black Dragon Fang showed no sign of damage, and the immense pressure dormant in its side made his hands tingle.
‘I don’t think Lady Decaraznan herself reached the level of a master.’
Yet simply wielding that weapon temporarily granted her enough power to face someone as formidable as Cain!
It was indeed a weapon worthy of being called one of the eight major treasures of the continent.
Either way, Cain could not underestimate Noel wielding the Black Dragon Fang. His stance and gaze grew more serious.
“Now you’re finally looking at me. I’ve heard that warriors who have awakened their auras are arrogant, but you seem especially so. I must have seemed like a worm, not even worth your attention, right?”
Noel snorted, glaring at him with disdain.
Meanwhile, Cain’s mind was racing. He had no intention of clashing head-on with Noel. He was here to rescue Sarah, not to duel with royalty.
“…Are you ignoring me?”
Noel’s eyebrows twitched in irritation. In the next moment, a black tidal wave came crashing down toward Cain with a deafening roar.
Quaang—!
“Kuk!”
The Black Dragon Fang was so powerful and fast that even Cain, who used Flowing Star, barely managed to twist the weapon’s trajectory at the last second.
However, the Black Dragon Fang twisted again, as if it had a will of its own, striking at Cain once more.
Crrree–zrr-rrrock!
The Black Dragon Fang tore through the air.
A red aura flared along its blade, swirling like a coiled serpent toward Cain and Sarah, threatening to crush them in a vortex of overwhelming force.
If they were caught by it, Cain would be like a tomato crushed underfoot.
‘Is this woman insane?!’
Despite knowing that Sarah was in Cain’s arms, Noel still launched such a reckless, wide-range attack!
Cain realized he would not survive without using one of his hidden cards.
At that moment, Noel sensed something.
From the sky behind the intruder, terrifying magical energy burst forth.
‘Sniper!’
Aang—!
Almost simultaneously, a blinding white flash shot through the air, attacking Noel.
Feeling the lethal threat, she hastily withdrew the Black Dragon Fang and switched to a defensive posture.
Rumble—
The force of the attack was immense.
Even after absorbing most of the impact with the Black Dragon Fang, Noel was pushed back over ten meters.
The ground in a several-meter radius was ripped apart, upheaving violently.
“…Keugh!”
Her hands tingled from the impact. Turning her head, she realized the intruder and Sarah Cernard had vanished. They must have taken advantage of the chaos to escape.
“…Lady Noel! Are you all right?!”
“I’m fine. But the intruders—”
Noel trailed off, falling silent.
The sorcerer who had fired that magic had unmistakable killing intent directed at her.
‘No, it wasn’t just killing intent…’
It might have been her imagination, but that magic carried more than just the desire to kill.
It felt disturbingly personal—an intense malice directed solely at her, Noel.
Feeling that sinister intent run through her, Noel involuntarily trembled.
At the same time, she began to wonder: when had she made such a terrible enemy?