Chapter 263 – Rip It (4)

Boom- boom-

The drumming noise continued, however, the visual shock was so much that the soldiers could not hear it at all.

Guardian Knight Clopeh Sekka.
The soldiers and knights of the Indomitable Alliance who were looking at him could not hide their shock.

"…Guardian Knight-nim is-"

One of the soldiers from Norland clenched his spear as he looked up at Clopeh.

Clopeh Sekka.
What kind of person was he?

Cale could easily answer that question.

'He is the Guardian Knight.'

He was the Guardian who was known not just in the Paerun Kingdom, but throughout the North. He was also a sword master, the person who created the Indomitable Alliance, and someone who gave off an arrogant aura.

In other words, he was a, 'hero,' or a, 'future hero.'

They had heard that such a person was defeated in the battle at the Henituse territory and had fallen.
But that person had returned.

'And he returned in a shocking and cool manner.'

Cale smiled at the sturdiness under his feet.

– Human! I have become even greater and mightier!

He could hear Raon's voice in his head. Although it looked as if they had come here on the crows, Raon was responsible for Cale and Clopeh floating in the air.

'And it's thanks to Mary that this crazy bastard is standing.'

Clopeh was holding a staff, however, he was standing on his own two feet. His cool clothes and the white cape that was fluttering behind his armor seemed to be shouting that this Guardian Knight was still the same person as in the past.

However, his legs would crumble if Cale just tapped him.
Even though he could use aura, the fact that his arms and legs were a mess meant that all he could do was stand.

However, he was causing enough chaos in the Indomitable Alliance just by standing.

'Shit!'

The Bear representative looked around as if he had forgotten something.
Clopeh Sekka. This person had reappeared looking fine. He did not seem like someone who had lost a battle.
The Bear looked toward the person who was standing next to Clopeh Sekka.

Cale Henituse.
The name of this person could be heard during this war no matter where they went. The person who was the center of their enemy forces. The North's greatest knight was standing next to that person.

Boom- boom-

The Bear representative finally figured out why the Paerun Kingdom was in the vanguard of the enemy forces.
How could they linger behind when their Guardian Knight was in front of them? The weight of that title was too heavy to easily reduce him to that of a traitor in the soldiers' minds.

People were already whispering to each other.
The soldiers who had been moving quickly were feeling chaotic.

''I can't let it continue like this!'

The Bear motioned to a mage who approached him and then quickly used amplification magic for the Bear. The Bear looked toward the sky and started to shout.

"Traitor! How dare you show yourself!"

His angry voice echoed throughout the Gorge of Death.
The Bear was pretending to be angry on purpose as he walked forward without any hesitation.
The Bear warrior, as well as the Norland and Askosan representatives and their subordinates, followed behind the Bear administrator.

The Bear administrator cut through the soldiers and headed toward the cliff.

"We came down through this vicious wind in order to claim the unfrozen lands!"

The Bear stopped walking. He could see the edge of the cliff.
He could also see the Paerun Kingdom, the Roan Kingdom, and the Breck Kingdom's soldiers on the other side.
Furthermore, he could also see the bridge between the two sides.

The bridge was narrow.
The area for the soldiers to fight was extremely small.

He was planning on defending against the enemy's magic spells using his soldiers while using the Norland and Askosan soldiers to fight against the Paerun Kingdom's knights and soldiers.
That was why the Bear administrator shouted as if he was the commander.

"Our goal for coming down south will not be defeated by betrayal and shady tactics!"

The Bear looked up to the sky and shouted.

"We have a mindset for victory that traitors like them will never understand!"

The Bear made eye contact with someone.
The white-haired Knight, Clopeh Sekka, was looking down at him.
Clopeh slowly started to speak. His voice was already amplified thanks to Raon's magic.

"How would the Bear tribe know the pain of the people who were born in the coldest regions of the Western continent?"

His confident voice filled the area.

"The freezing cold was the norm and we always had to do our best to farm in these desolate lands. It was hard to even find water in the winter because the ocean and the lakes would freeze."

The expressions on the faces of the Indomitable Alliance's warriors slowly changed.
Now that they were slowly recovering from their shock, they could clearly hear Clopeh's confident voice.

"How would a Bear know the mindset of us northerners who persisted through those conditions?"

The Bear did not hold back his sneer.

"Ha! Clopeh Sekka, do you think you are qualified to say these things?"

Joy briefly passed through Clopeh's eyes.
He recalled the conversation he had with Cale.

'Do you still dream of becoming a legend?'
'Cale-nim.'
'I will give you that opportunity.'

Last night. Cale made eye contact with Clopeh, who was in his wheelchair, and gently started to speak. However, Clopeh knew that Cale was the coldest when he was speaking gently.
However, Cale told Clopeh what Clopeh wanted to hear.

'Rise.'

Mary controlled the dead mana at that moment to change Clopeh's arms and legs.
Clopeh slowly stood up from the wheelchair. He swayed a bit, however, he could stand straight once he held onto the staff that Cale handed him.
Cale spoke as if he was that white-haired priest from before.

'You will become the legend of the North from this moment onward.'

Legend.
That word had made Clopeh start to smile.
His heart was beating fast.

Of course, Cale coldly continued to speak to him.

'However, do not forget that your life is still in my hand.'
'I will definitely keep that in mind, Cale-nim.'

He had been correct.
Following a true legend would give him a chance at survival while also giving him a chance to leave his name behind as well.

Clopeh started to speak toward the Bear who was asking him for his qualifications.
He couldn't use any aura with his limbs and he couldn't use any strength at all either, however…
He was someone who had worked extremely hard to become a sword master.

That experience and majestic presence would not disappear.
In fact, the fact that he had a stronger belief in something made his aura even stronger and full of certainty.

A voice as cold as the Northern winds echoed throughout the sky.

Did he have the qualifications?
The answer to that question was simple.

"I do."

The Paerun Kingdom's soldiers and knights, as well as the Norland and Askosan soldiers and knights, looked up at the man who used to be their role model.
That person looked down as he continued to speak.

"I am the Paerun Kingdom's Guardian Knight as well as the North's Guardian Knight."

The weight of that title was heavy.
Cale smiled for a moment before returning to a stoic expression and recalling the conversation he had with crown prince Alberu.

'Cale.'
'Yes, your highness.'
'Will you be putting Clopeh to use?'
'Of course. Wouldn't it be easier for us if someone we can control becomes the central figure for the North?'
'I guess it'll be easy to control him since his life is in your hands.'

There was no reason for the Roan Kingdom nor the Breck Kingdom to invade the three northern kingdoms.
There wouldn't be many benefits, even if their territory became larger.
There was almost nothing to take from those lands.

However, it was home for the people of the North. They could not look down on the value of their home.

The Roan Kingdom had offered to trade food with the people who were devastated that they would need to return to those desolate lands after the war.
The Roan Kingdom was giving them a way to live even without taking over unfrozen lands.
Furthermore, they had also done something else right now.

It was regarding the pride of the North.
Yes, pride.
Although that land might be desolate, they still had pride that it was their home.

That was the reason Cale put this person whose life was in his hands to work.
Clopeh Sekka started to speak.

"I am the Guardian Knight of the North. I will never throw that title away."

He was doing this, not to pressure the leadership of the three northern kingdoms, but to instill pride in the soldiers and knights who were here.
The soldiers and knights were looking at Clopeh with different expressions. However, all of the people of the North were looking at him.
The Guardian Knight confidently continued to speak as they watched.

"The North is where I will forever exist, not the Indomitable Alliance."

The Bear felt his back getting cold as he looked into Clopeh's cold gaze.

There was a reason that Cale was instilling this sense of pride in the hearts of the people.
It was so that the people of the North would not envy the southern lands nor hate the southern people.
He was also trying to create a common enemy between the two.

The Guardian Knight named this new common enemy.

"The Bear tribe, the Flame Dwarf tribe, and Arm. I cannot let you all take my existence, no, I cannot let you all take away our North."

The soldiers' and knights' expressions changed.
The Bear started to frown. Although it was a chaotic situation, he could feel that things were starting to change for the worse.
Clopeh was about to say the last things he needed to say.

"That is the reason I returned."

Clopeh then turned toward Cale, who did a quick short nod so that others would not notice.
He then shouted out Cale's order.

"Rip the flag!"

The energetic voice could be heard throughout the entire battlefield.

Boom- boom-

The sound of the drum started up again as well.

The Bear had an ominous feeling.
Clopeh's absurd speech, the changed atmosphere, and even the sudden order as well as the drums.
He could not figure out what was going on.

'Rip it? Is that another signal to attack?'

He remembered how the enemy had attacked last time.

'Is it another magic attack?'

The spells that Commander Rosalyn had cast were amazing.

'Or is it the Whales?
Maybe the Tigers?'

The enemy had too many strong individuals.
The Bear representative made up his mind right away.

The Bears will be in the rear.

He turned toward the Askosan and Norland representatives in order to give them an order.

"The enemy seems to be starting their attack, so let's prepare as well. We just need to hit them with overwhelming numbers."

The Norland representative started to speak when the Bear representative looked at him.

"Do you remember?"
"…What are you trying to say in such urgent times?"

The Bear was angry and wondered why the Norland representative was so calm, however, he calmed himself down and waited for a response.
The Norland representative and commander quickly continued.

"'You said, 'We must make it happen, regardless of how we get it done. That determines victory or defeat in war.' "
"Of course, I remember. I said something similar."

'I guess he needed a reminder. Either that or Clopeh's words made him nervous.'

The Bear smiled and put his hand on the Norland representative's shoulder. As he was in his berserk state, it was easy to place his hand there given his height.

"Do not worry about it. We will win. There is no reason to listen to that traitor. The Bear tribe and you are all part of the Indomitable Alliance."
"You are correct. We will be victorious."

The Norland representative finally smiled and nodded his head.
He then continued to speak with a chilly gaze.

"We decided not to care about the means or methods."

It was at that moment.

Clang-

The Bear flinched at the sound of a sword and immediately moved the hand that was on the Norland representative's shoulder.

Bang!

A loud noise occurred as the sword and fist clashed.
It was the Askosan commander's sword. The sword broke after striking against the Bear's fist.
The Bear heard the Norland representative's voice at that moment.

"Rip the flag!"

'What?'

He then heard the Askosan representative's voice as well.

"Rip the flag!"

Riiiiiiip-
Riiiip- riiip.

The Bear raised his head.

There were flags being ripped.

The flags of the Indomitable Alliance that were located between groups of knights and soldiers were being ripped.
The ones to rip these flags were none other than the Norland and Askosan soldiers.

"Raise the flag!"

This voice came from the ground and not the sky.
Rosalyn was the one to start the chant, however, many other people shouting to raise the flag soon appeared.
Finally, the Bear saw the flags rising up in front of him.

The Paerun Kingdom, the Norland Kingdom, and the Askosan Kingdom.
The Breck Kingdom as well.

All four kingdoms' flags were being raised to the sky.

"…What the-"

The two northern kingdoms that had ripped down the alliance flag raised their respective kingdom flags.
The Bear's eyes started to fill with anger.

'We decided not to care about the means or methods.'

He finally understood what the Norland commander meant.
The Bear tribe was not part of his, 'we.'

The Bear representative remembered what the Norland representative had said.

'A victor who has nothing to show for it. I'm afraid of becoming someone like that.'

He finally understood the meaning behind that as well.
The two kingdoms changed sides so that they would not end up empty victors. They chose to stick with the true victors so that they could gain even the smallest of benefits.

The Bear tribe was betrayed.
The Bear tribe and Arm were betrayed before they had a chance to do it themselves.

"You, you-!"

The angry berserk Bear's body started to shake. The Bear representative subconsciously raised his fist. He needed to let out this anger somehow.

His body was about to move. However, at that moment.

Clang-

He heard the sound of a sword being drawn.
At the same time, the soldiers who had been guarding the central tents appeared.

'…So annoying. Never a chance for the lights to go out.'
'Quiet. Let's just focus on our work.'

These two soldiers had been chatting as they waited for morning to arrive.
One of the soldiers removed his helmet while the other removed the cloth covering his head.

"…What the…"

The Bear's angry fist instantly lost all strength.

Clang.

The tip of a sword stopped right in front of his neck. At the same time, a fist stopped right before it hit his back.
The Bear representative could hear the voice of the individual whose fist was right at his back.

"It was so easy to infiltrate into your base."

The Killer Whale Archie was smiling as he made that comment. The soldier who removed the cloth covering his head was none other than Choi Han, whose sword was still pointed at the Bear's neck.

"It will be difficult for you to escape this time."

The Bear representative and a mid-level administrator.
He had escaped Choi Han in the air last time. However, there was nowhere to run now. In front of him, behind him, and above him. All directions were blocked.

It was the moment the Bear started to frown.
Cale started to speak.

"Capture the enemies."

The Bear closed his eyes.
The tens of thousands of soldiers who had been their allies not too long ago were aiming for the Bear tribe and the Flame Dwarf tribe.

The Bear opened his eyes again and looked up at the sky.
The red-haired man was leisurely laughing.

A person who does not care about the means or methods.
The Bear realized that the person who truly did that was the commander in the sky and not himself.

Cale watched as the sun came up and started to smile. His mouth slowly opened again.

"Looks like this is the end."

The first war was now over.
The name of the Indomitable Alliance was gone and the flags of the kingdoms that had lasted a long time on the Western continent were fluttering in the air.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]