There was no way for Gazef to beat that monster. Even being able to delay it for a second was worthy of praise.
Even a man hailed as the Warrior-Captain of the Kingdom, —a warrior renowned throughout the nations— could only do so much.
“Take his Majesty and flee. Pave his way home with your lives.”
These orders were whispered —almost like a prayer— to his subordinates who were not here. The strongest soldiers in the Kingdom had stayed behind to protect their King. However, even if they stayed behind, they would not be strong enough to as a shield for the King in the face of those monsters. Even putting their lives on the line would only allow them to take a single hit from their enemies before crumbling.
However, that was enough.
They would die if the enemy hit them, but as long as they could make sure that hit was wasted on them, the King’s life could be extended just a little more. Maybe it would work if 80 men were there to be shields, he thought optimistically.
“I’m sorry.”
Gazef apologized to his subordinates as the monster approached with uncanny speed, churning up sprays of flesh and gore in its wake. He knew that an apology to absent comrades was nothing more than satisfying his own ego. Even so, he did not want to die without having spoken those words.
As he felt the earth trembling under his feet, Gazef exhaled forcefully.
He gripped the sword in his hands tightly, and raised it.
His sword seemed so useless in front of that vast body that crushed humans into red paste.
If it were a runaway horse cart, he could easily get control of it. If a ferocious tiger pounced him, he could evade its first blow and strike off its head.
Yet, in front of the Dark Young, his chances of survival seemed very low indeed.
“Huuuuu—”
As Gazef breathed out, a dramatic change appeared in the flow of people around him. Until now they had gone in all directions, but now it seemed like they were moving to avoid Gazef. It looked as though they were creating a clear path between Gazef and the Dark Young.
The Dark Young drew ever closer, splattering humans under its hooves with every step it took.
As Gazef raised his sword, he studied its body. Where could he attack for the best results?
He activated a martial art — ‘Sense Weakness’.
However—
“—It has no weaknesses.”
Whether it truly had no weaknesses, or any which appeared could not be seen because of the overwhelming difference in strength, Gazef did not know.
Still, he did not despair. He had expected an outcome like this, after all/
He activated another martial art.
This was a secret move that was truly worthy of being called a secret move, a technique that would strengthen his extrasensory perceptions, ‘Possibility Sense’.
With the astronomical difference in their physical abilities, it made no difference if he shrunk a gap of miles by an inch or two through augmenting his own physical attributes. In that case, he decided to rely on something else — if it was his sixth sense, it might be more effective.
“Come, beast.”
The Dark Young seemed to have heard the challenge, and set a course straight for Gazef. The distance between the two shrank dramatically.
To tell the truth—
—Gazef was afraid.
If he could, he really wanted to flee with the surrounding soldiers.
Even after activating ‘Possibility Sense’ he couldn’t feel anything. It was like he was enveloped by an impenetrable wall of night.
As the Dark Young closed in, he studied its form in greater detail.
Judging by the way its hooves remained undamaged, it was likely that normal swords would not be able to deal any harm to it. From the deep prints it left in the ground where it stepped, its weight would instantly kill anyone it was applied to.
As his understanding of the beast deepened, so did his fear of it grow.
Right now, Gazef was exposed to a terror far more intense than those of the soldiers fleeing willy-nilly around him.
But he could not turn back.
The Kingdom’s strongest warrior could not flee. He cancelled ‘Possibility Sense’, and calmed his breathing.
The Dark Young pressed closer.
As he said that, Gazef smiled, as though he were mocking himself.