Bale, the vice-captain of the Crimson Eagle Knights, was a member of a branch of the Tristan family.

However, this did not mean he had been appointed vice-captain simply because of his family ties. In fact, being from a branch family had pushed him to work even harder, and the marquis himself acknowledged the grueling efforts Bale had undertaken to reach his position solely through his own abilities.

The title of vice-captain of the Crimson Eagles wasn’t a rank that could be claimed through connections or heritage. It was a position earned solely through personal strength and honor.

In that regard, Bale took pride in his skills, and the public often referred to him as the "Red Owl of Tristan," a knight poised to represent not only a generation but an era.

…Though he wasn’t the only one with such a title; there were seven such representatives.

Galahad's Fierce Wolf,
Lionel's Black Lion,
Pendragon's White Lion,
Lohengrin's Swan,
Tristan's Owl,
Mordred's Bulldog,
Agravaine's Wild Horse.

People who loved ranking warriors would say these seven knights were the leading young representatives of the era. However, Bale knew all of that was nonsense.

Having met a few of them—the White Lion, the Swan, and the Wild Horse—Bale was left only with disappointment.

To him, they were nothing more than arrogant fools who merely served as pretty faces.

The only ones he truly respected, the only ones he considered more talented than himself, were the Fierce Wolf and the Black Lion. They had a strength and talent that surpassed anything other knights could hope to achieve.

Yet, despite this, Bale was undeterred.

Though he might currently be behind those two, he firmly believed that his talent was comparable and that he would one day reach their level. Perhaps his unyielding spirit and confidence were even more impressive than his talent.

But now, this very man—

‘What… what is that?’

—was rendered speechless, overwhelmed by an unprecedented sight.

"He… he broke the energy net?!"

The Energy Net.

It was a technique that only prestigious knight orders possessed, a web of concentrated energy that could only be deployed when more than thirty knights were gathered. It ensnared, suppressed, and ultimately strangled the life out of its target.

The sheer pressure of this technique alone was enough to make most monsters suffocate to death.

In theory, when deployed by a hundred knights, this net of energy could pressure an entire army.

And yet.

"He broke through the Energy Net?!" "This is insane!" "Hold the line! Throw your spears!"

The shock reverberated through the knights, but it only caused a brief moment of disorder.

The Crimson Eagles suppressed their surprise, desperately throwing their spears.

Even though the Energy Net was broken, they were still in control.

But then—

Thunk!

"…??" "…What?"

"Is this… a dream?"

How many times had they been astonished already today?

The knights stared up blankly—not at the sky, but at the air.

-[Can humans, apart from wizards, truly fly?]

It was a question once posed by a philosopher, a statement imbued with profound thought, suggesting that humans should not dare to defy the laws of nature.

And yet…

"So, walking would do, huh."

Bale muttered absentmindedly, feeling foolish, yet he couldn’t help it.

Thunk! Thunk!!

A man was walking through the air.

In the face of this mysterious spectacle, Bale felt something akin to awe for the first time.

He was witnessing a great feat—an impossible act turned possible.

"Damn it!"

Bale drew his sword, feeling both humiliation and amazement that he’d experienced such admiration for someone other than the marquis.

And he thought—

‘If this weren’t such a situation, I’d want to have a real conversation with him.’

The man’s unconventional ideas and refreshingly unique skills struck a chord in his heart, unlike the raw talent of the Fierce Wolf or the Black Lion.

A part of him even wanted to learn from this man…

But of course—

‘This is not the time.’

Swoosh!

Bale swung his sword at the man who walked in the air.

 

Swoosh!!
Slice!
Swish-!

Blades and spears flew toward him.

For a moment, he thought of Do Sang’s Blade Forest.

Seeing the deadly weapons converging on him brought back memories of similar scenes.

But he—

Thunk!

—had no intention of dying easily.

He kicked off the air, moving freely between four to five meters above ground, giving his opponents no time to measure his distance or position.

-Sky Stride.

He leaped nimbly over the throngs of knights, feeling as if he were unrestricted by distance or obstacles.

He had shaken off the shackles of the world, soaring freely.

However, he knew it wouldn’t last long.

‘The energy drain is massive.’

Though not as demanding as the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, the Sky Stride consumed a great deal of stamina. Rather than simply exerting force, he dispersed his energy widely to create a stable foothold in the air, making it appear as though he was walking on air when, in reality, he was constantly creating temporary platforms to push off from.

It was a technique that couldn’t be maintained for long, so now…

‘I’ll smash through from here!’

Ihan suddenly spun his body midair and forcefully kicked off.

Whoosh!

His aim was to catch his opponents off guard with acceleration and a tightly clenched, energy-packed fist.

The method was the same as before—

just like with Sky Stride, he dispersed his energy widely, except this time—

‘Strike!’

It was for offense rather than evasion.

Roar…!

Expanding the range of Hundred Step Divine Fist to its utmost, Ihan extended his fist, which caused an astonishing phenomenon even before it struck the ground.

Boom!!

"Ugh?!" "M-my body…!" "What is this pressure?!"

Under the influence of the Hundred Step Divine Fist, about twenty knights momentarily lost control of their bodies.

A sensation as though their shoulders and heads were being crushed!

It was reminiscent of the "Buddha's Palm" from an old martial arts film, but delivered with a fist instead.

However, the force lacked the full power of concentrated energy—it was merely a blow meant to disperse force, so its destructive power was sacrificed. His punch only managed to halt the knights' movements for a couple of seconds.

"Aren’t you going to dodge?"

"!!!"

But those two seconds were all he needed to wreak havoc.

Clink.

With a sword in his right hand and an axe in his left, Ihan swung both with merciless abandon.

It was a chaotic slash, no elegance or form to it. But who—

"Block it!"

—could possibly withstand such an onslaught?

Those struck by his sword and axe were sent flying. Despite the blow landing on their armor and shields, they were knocked back as if struck by a giant war hammer, and the impact left them collapsing, their bodies utterly shaken.

"Ugh!" "Oouugh…"

Some knights attempted to rise, but the impact was too severe to recover quickly, leaving over five combatants neutralized instantly.

"You wretch!!"

But they were still knights. The ones who recovered quickly unleashed their swords and spears.

Their movements were anything but ordinary.

One knight’s sword swung in a serpentine curve, while another’s spear drilled forward with terrifying precision.

These were peak techniques, honed through relentless, painstaking training.

Ihan faced off against these formidable warriors with—

"Aaaargh!"

—all his might, roaring as he charged.

The knights delivering strikes to Ihan felt their bodies tingle, momentarily dulled by his overwhelming energy.

Woooosh!

Ihan unleashed a mighty blow with the force of a lion’s roar, colliding with the incoming swords and spears head-on without the slightest intention of dodging.

Boom!

The simultaneous strikes of six knights clashed against Ihan’s sword and axe, creating a massive shockwave.

Rumble…!

The collision of power, skill, and will caused the ground to tremble, a thick cloud of dust rising to obscure the view, making it nearly impossible to see. Soldiers watching from afar felt their knees weaken and collapse.

"F-fall back!"

With visibility cut off by the dust cloud, the knights retreated to avoid accidentally striking one another, and a silence fell as the skirmish came to a temporary halt.

…Fwoosh.

As the dust slowly settled, Ihan’s form emerged along with the six knights who had faced him, and the Crimson Eagles narrowed their eyes.

For there—

"Hah…"

—stood the six knights, falling one by one.

Among them was Zeon, a knight ranking third within the order, adding to the shock.

These were not men to be defeated so easily.

Thud…

Zeon staggered, falling to his knees, yet he alone struggled to keep his head up, refusing to give in.

And strangely, there was no humiliation on his face.

Instead, there was—

"…Why didn’t you dodge?"

—bewilderment.

Zeon, experiencing Ihan’s strength firsthand, couldn’t understand why he hadn’t chosen to evade. He was not only strong but also nimble, fully capable of avoiding a direct clash with them.

And yet, he had chosen to face their combined assault head-on.

Because of that—

…drip.

—a thin line of blood trailed down from his lips.

A sign that he hadn’t entirely deflected the impact of their attacks.

In this moment, Zeon viewed Ihan not as an enemy who had insulted the marquis but as a fellow knight, compelled to ask.

Why had he fought so recklessly?

In response—

"That’s a pointless question. I said I came to ‘fight.’ And when a man fights, he shouldn’t dodge each other’s blows. With full force… like a lion or a tiger, you face it head-on. That’s what makes it meaningful."

"……."

As if chiding Zeon for asking something so obvious, Ihan’s words left him speechless.

…But he understood.

"Haha, yes, that’s right! That’s what a fight is. That’s what a knight’s duel is…!!"

"Brave as a lion." "Clever as a wolf."
"Bold as a bear." "Relentless as an eagle."

"…Honorable as a dragon."

These were the countless phrases defining a knight’s duel, phrases that Zeon had grown up with.

But how many actually lived up to them? How many used cowardly tactics, disregarding honor, their treacherous methods befitting assassins?

And here stood a man who embodied those ideals.

Not with the honor of a dragon or the cleverness of a wolf. But with courage, boldness, and relentlessness.

A man—or rather, a "knight"—possessing the heart of a lion, the straightforwardness of a bear, and the tenacity of an eagle.

Thus, Zeon said—

"…Let’s meet one-on-one next time. There are too many people now." "Fine, but sharpen your spear by then. It’s too rigid right now." "Haha! I’ll show you an even sharper one then. Ahahaha…."

Thud…

Zeon collapsed, but his lips still bore a smile, a smile of satisfaction at having fought to his fullest.

"………."

Gulp.

An unusual silence fell, different from the dust-filled quiet of before.

Something was changing.

Thump! Thump!

The heartbeat of those who had witnessed the exchange surged, their grip tightening around their weapons, metal bending beneath their hands.

When was the last time they’d faced such a powerful foe?

Perhaps it was the first time they had encountered such relentless spirit.

In that moment, like a tale from knightly lore or an epic turned real…

"─Well, aren’t you coming?"

"Ha…."

If a knight or a warrior’s heart wasn’t pounding now, then he was unworthy of the title.

Although the Crimson Eagles faced an enemy they should despise, they found it nearly impossible to hate this fearless man.

He stirred something within them, reminding them of what it meant to be a "knight."

Fwoosh!

"…?"

The air shifted suddenly.

Ihan wetted his dry lips, his eyes half-closing.

These guys… Their "complacency" had vanished.

‘What’s gotten into them?’

When he’d clashed with them earlier, they’d faced him with anger, yet held a sense of superiority. After all, what reason did a hundred knights have to fear one man? So Ihan had planned to exploit that carelessness, gradually taking them down one by one.

But now, something was different.

For some unknown reason…

‘The flames have been stoked.’

Their eyes now burned with an intensity that couldn’t be ignored. No longer underestimating him, they would wield their weapons with full force, or even beyond, to defeat him.

All to take him down.

Hmmm…

Perhaps it was because they were incensed by what had happened to their comrade.