Turning Chapter 727 (Patreon)

Chapter 727

"Madness... How can he be...!"

"Is he even human?"

'If not human, then what?'

Yuder, deemed by others as a monstrous non-human, maintained an indifferent expression and pressed forward silently despite the trembling words of disdain. Such remarks had become so commonplace to him that they now felt like a validation of his efficacy.

'But indeed, those who have undergone proper training are far more challenging than the soft, worthless fighters of the underground illegal fighting rings.'

The challenge was greater when facing fellow Awakeners, as opposed to non-Awakeners. The greatest difficulty lay in predicting the abilities and fighting style of an Awakener until faced in person.

The Awakeners from the Star of Nagran, particularly those with unique abilities, were notoriously unpredictable and lacked any discernible pattern in their fighting styles, making them even more formidable.

However, the difficulty in combating diverse abilities mainly troubled those inexperienced with Awakener.

Yuder could quickly deduce the nature of an opponent's abilities at the slightest hint of their use.

'This one must be of the natural attribute. If it's fire, just quench it with water.'

Before the Awakener could even unleash fire, he was drenched and sent flying with a scream by a surge of water.

'Why does this one continually rely on his ability to instantaneously enhance his physique without efficiently distributing it? Even a served meal wouldn't be this easy.'

The physically-enhanced Awakener, who tried to attack Yuder from the side, was effortlessly struck in a weakened vital spot by his casually swung scabbard and fell backwards.

Another Awakener, crouching behind and morphing into a winged beast, charged at Yuder. But as soon as Yuder twisted his scabbard between the creature's wings, the attacker collapsed, unconscious.

"What kind of monster are you...!"

'He wields sound control. Impressive, but... try screaming while swallowing a dust storm.'

The one causing turmoil with his piercing screams, making his comrades struggle, was promptly overwhelmed by Yuder's wind-conjured dust, coughing miserably before collapsing from a scabbard blow.

The abilities of the Awakener, though seemingly unique at a glance, ultimately stemmed from the same human origin and shared similar vulnerabilities.

The Awakeners from the Star of Nagran, intent on targeting the renowned Yuder Aile, were astounded by his rapid, mechanical-like precision, which left them incapacitated.

Kishiar La Orr, who induced a ghost-like fear by never allowing an attack with his mysterious power, was different from Yuder Aile, whose power, although clearly visible, was unavoidably terrifying.

Who called them the indulgent and incompetent Duke Peletta and his toy-like Cavalry?

His mere existence posed a threat like a weapon, causing the enemies' morale to wane steadily.

This was no mere fight of a twenty-year-old youth. Those who had underestimated him as an equal Awakener experienced a daunting disparity in skill and an inexplicable maturity, stirring both awe and fear.

Among them, the Awakener from the southern stronghold who had ambushed Kishiar felt an intensified fear. They knew someone with such overwhelming power would not mercifully spare those who dared attack their master. Had they known earlier that a monster like Yuder was with Duke Peletta, they would not have left their stronghold so easily.

Among them, there were those who had believed that Nahan's repeated defeats against the Cavalry were due to collusion. Only now did they realize that it was a miracle Nahan had managed to return each time from facing a monster like Yuder Aile.

'That guy Awakened around the same time as us, but what accounts for this difference?'

The Cavalry had been formed barely a year ago. Even if he had Awakened earlier, he had only gained his powers about two years ago. How could he fight like this?

As fellow Awakeners, they were even more acutely aware of Yuder Aile's absurd strength. Those who possessed similar attributes of power felt it even more intensely.

Those who had been smug about their strong abilities, and those who had underestimated the young Yuder, were all equally shocked, as if their world had been turned upside down.

"This can't be..."

The sage who had sent them here had not warned them about the strength of the Cavalry.

Having already experienced a group of Awakeners in the Star of Nagran, they thought a second encounter would be no different.

But this was nothing like that. They were like in the belly of a gaping lion.

The demoralized men hesitated and retreated. But instead of an escape, they found the smiling members of the Cavalry guarding the encirclement. Yuder had been so overwhelmingly dominant that it overshadowed the fact that the others were also experienced and adept in handling their powers.

"Hey, looking at Yuder, we seem pretty easy, huh?"

"You dare to infiltrate our branch? I'll show you exactly where you tried to enter. What? You won't look? No refusal accepted. Your chance to leave is over!"

As the attackers targeting Yuder began to scatter in fear, he leisurely moved towards the location of the southern merchants he had trapped with his earth abilities. Initially, he had planned to head straight to them upon landing, but he was delayed by the unexpectedly large number of the Star of Nagran’s Awakener who, fearlessly, had targeted him first.

If it weren't for the comrades assigned by Kishiar, even after capturing them, he would have been concerned about their escape, preventing him from fighting so freely. Initially, he had thought Kishiar's concern excessive, but his decision had proven to be significantly helpful.

This demonstrated Kishiar's exceptional ability to read the flow of the battlefield.

'He must have predicted how I would fight and who I would target first. Maybe even more accurately than I could...'

It's not pleasant to know that others can predict one's actions. Being predictable means being vulnerable to defeat at any time.

But if the other party was Kishiar, it was different. Far from being displeased, Yuder felt a sense of gratification and slightly lifted his head.

He felt as if he caught Kishiar’s gaze from a distance. It was probably true.

Even though Kishiar’s face was hardly visible from such a distance, Yuder could clearly feel those red eyes not missing a single move of his. A warm heat overflowed in his heart.

However, separate from that, the crack that hung over their heads still remained, maintaining its ominous appearance.

'I'm not sure if it's just my imagination... but it seems to have grown larger than before.'

"Yuder!"

As Yuder frowned and tried to observe the crack more closely, one of the members holding the southern merchant called out. Yuder resumed his steps and headed towards them.

Yergin Schiller, the Awakener with wind and air attributes, was sweating but did not lessen her grip on the subdued southern merchant. As Yuder approached, she spoke.

"I was wondering when you'd come, what with everyone clinging to you. Whew, finally some relief."

"The one you caught?"

"I took their weapons and belongings and buried them in a pit. I'll dig them out now."

As Yergin used her powers, the face of a semi-conscious person emerged from the pit. Yuder grabbed the person by the scruff and pulled them up. A woman's face with red skin was revealed as her robe flipped over her head, her short hair framing her vaguely focused eyes, shimmering with an indiscernible emotion.

It was a chilling gaze, but Yuder wouldn't have come this far if he were afraid of such things. Yergin, standing beside him, was not frightened either, whistling while inspecting the confiscated weapons. Yuder, still holding the woman by the scruff, looked straight into her eyes and asked.

"That crack. It's your doing, isn't it?"

"..."

"How could humans have caused such a crack?"

"..."

No matter what he asked, no answer came back. There was no response, as if her tongue had been cut out.

'Well, I didn't expect a cordial response anyway.'

But the actual leader of these people, Aton, wasn't so reticent, having spewed quite a bit of nonsense. Perhaps mentioning what he had said would provoke a reaction. Yuder recalled a particularly noteworthy phrase from Aton's ramblings.

"Is this the result of your nonsense about 'repercussions of imbalance' turning this into the land of the black moon?"

"..."

Indeed. For the first time, the woman blinked and showed a reaction. A hint of emotion flickered in her distinctly southern, dark eyes.