Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1916 1888. The Forge Knight
Since the end of the War of the Giants, Alperish had somewhat forgotten how terrifying those Forge Knights were.

In fact, even during the Titan War, he couldn't really empathize with the situation.

After all, the Forge Knights were the royal guard of King Govre, and they were always at the forefront in every battle.

Alperish's fighting style was not the same as these fierce warriors on the battlefield, so he rarely had the opportunity to fight alongside the Forge Knights, let alone experience what it was like to be their enemy.

But there was one thing Alperish was certain of, even without much contact with the Forge Knights—they were definitely, definitely extremely strong!
As a Faded One, Alperish had little chance to witness the battles of the Forge Knights, but he must have seen the battles of the Gofuli!
After all, such unparalleled power would be difficult to ignore.

Those who can surround that power and charge into battle alongside it are definitely not weaklings!
With just one surprise attack, Alperish fully grasped the strength of the Forge Knights.

After he showed a guarded attitude that shouldn't have been there, the Forge Knight immediately adjusted himself to battle readiness without hesitation.

His sensitivity to the battlefield atmosphere has reached a terrifying level!

Moreover, they are not only perceptive, but also have the courage to make decisions!
After all, it's just a matter of being on guard; what if the other side doesn't notice anything amiss?
The wishful thinking and subconscious avoidance that are common among ordinary people do not exist in him!
As he unleashed the battle ash from his scythe, his upward slash was already in the works!

Alperich had long known that the Volcano Official Residence harbored ill intentions, so he had always been preparing to take action.

Meanwhile, the Forge Knight on the other side, unaware of the hostility from his opponent, was still able to prepare for a counterattack in an instant during the sudden attack!
He was at least two steps ahead of Alperich in terms of tactical planning!
In terms of combat skills and fighting power... they far surpass him by two steps!

The speed of his ground slash was always steady and unhurried, and the stability of his moves was simply frightening!
But this very sword strike came at just the right moment during Alperish's brief recovery period after releasing the Battle Ash, the blade aimed right at him!

There was no other possibility—the Forge Knights completely outmaneuvered Alperish in terms of timing!

The Forge Knight's sword was so heavy that it seemed to shake the rock beneath the ground.

When the sword tip sliced ​​through the ground, it gave people a sensation similar to a small earthquake.

Alperich's eyes were cold, following the approaching sword blade.

If that sword were to strike him, he would probably be cut in half.

Based on the direction of the blade and his position, he would most likely be cut open from the inside of his left thigh upwards to his left shoulder.

But they were all faded, and Alperish felt no panic or regret at this point.

Those who survive the war against the giants cannot be weak.

Alperish was known as the "mad tongue" because his words and attitude always made people feel uncomfortable.

But unlike the average person who is always sarcastic, he always puts the well-being of the group at the round table, and he fully accepts all the consequences of his sarcastic remarks.

Even now, he is only staring at the Forge Knight opposite him.

He showed no sign of turning his head in fright at the thought that he was about to be split into several pieces.

Instead, it seemed as if he was already planning how to retaliate after his body was cut in half by this sword.

But his plan immediately fell through.

"Bang!"

A loud bang! Suddenly, it pierced between the Forge Knight and Alperish!
At the same time, inserted between the two of them was a body about the same size as the Furnace Knight!

The Witcher's legs were wrapped in spiraling winds, and after the [Acceleration] spell was cast, he was like a wisp of green smoke, although he only started moving after Alperish's Battle Ashes were activated.

But it still suddenly appeared in this position.

Just like the Crucible Knights, with their overwhelming tactical awareness, saw through Alperish two steps ahead.

It's too early to determine who has the better combat experience between Lan En and the Forge Knight.

After all, while Lann was a powerful figure who had fought his way up through many worlds and battled against formidable enemies, the Forge Knights had also fought their way through the Age of Gods war that ushered in the Golden Dynasty.

It's unclear who killed the most of the demons and monsters.

As for combat experience, it's actually quite difficult to determine who is better without a real, prolonged contest.

However, Lann has another advantage.

—In his 'vision', the power surging around the Forge Knight was like a golden figure with red light!
That was a power in the form of a golden tree that was more ancient and closer to the nature of life than the current Golden Law Golden Tree.

Thus, a broad 'vision' combined with Lan En's insight and experience.

The Furnace Knight's upward slash was almost fully charged.

The moment before the earth is finally cut open!

The Witcher seized the fleeting moment, and Smaug's boots immediately stepped into the crimson-tinged golden blade!

The perfect timing and angle stopped the powerful sword strike!
But even so, the power will not disappear into thin air.

It was just that the condensed upward slash, stuck in the ground, turned into a diffuse burst.

"Boom!"

Before that sword strike, a cone-shaped shockwave suddenly unfolded in the direction where Lann and Alperish were located!

The power of the Forge Knight surged forth instantly through the blocked sword strike!
The ground of the square, and the rocks beneath it, all the land within the alluvial fan area, collapsed, pushed, and piled up in an instant, so that the terrain immediately changed from regular to uneven!

The air currents generated by the collision and compression of these rocks and soil can only be ejected upwards along the cracks in the ground.

The air gushing from the crack distorted even the light. Within the erupting shockwave, a golden glint flashed – that was the very power of the Forge Knight, blocked by Lan En and forced to plunge into the ground!
In an instant, the square where they had been having friendly conversations just seconds before, a perfectly neat circle, looked as if a slice of pizza had been ripped off.

A large fan-shaped area of ​​the ground was turned into gravel and clods of earth.

The fact that his sword was cut off midway through his attack didn't seem to move the Forge Knight at all.

Almost without pause, the Forge Knight's right hand, which had been slashing the ground with his half-sword, was blocked. But then, with remarkable ease, he took another step forward, while the shield with large horns embedded in his left hand swept towards the Witcher in front of him with a howling wind!

"when!"

With a crisp sound, sparks burst from the large horn on the shield. Somehow, the shield, even with a simple forward thrust, was bent at an angle in the hands of the Furnace Knight.

However, Lan En's body was forced to slide away from the ground behind him, which had already shattered into pieces.

His weight is normally quite high, but in a battle of this level, he has become as thin as a paper doll.

The Forge Knight stood on a flat, easy-to-strike ground, beneath which lay shattered pebbles.

Even with this slight advantage, top-tier warriors can make good use of it.

In that brief moment, although Alperish didn't see exactly how Lann blocked the opponent's shield, he focused on doing one thing.

He showed no relief at not being cut in half; instead, he immediately used the tail of his long-handled scythe to whip Ditika away from the Forge Knight.

These two people from the volcano's official residence might still have some value, so it's best if they don't lose their lives in the aftermath of the battle.

After Lann was pushed two steps away, Alperish instantly drew his staff with his left hand.

He has now fully experienced the strength of the Forge Knights, this legendary order of knights.

His meager close-combat skills were simply useless against such a top-tier warrior, only revealing his weaknesses.

Let's use magic instead.

With a 'ding' sound, the crisp sound of ice crystals condensing came from mid-air.

As Alperish swung his staff, a pure white block of ice the size of a human head appeared in the spell inscription in front of his staff.

Sparkling starlight imbued with the magic of the radiant stone, along with a chilling white mist, flew toward the Forge Knight.

And this magic was cast three times in a row.

With a series of cracking sounds, ice blocks carrying starlight and white mist slammed into the Furnace Knight.

On the copper-colored golden armor, the freezing effect of the magic seemed unusually strong, quickly spreading out a patch of cold white icicles.

Furthermore, it appears that the icicles are inclined to spread and pierce into the gaps in the armor.

Lan En's eyes quickly swept over Alperish.

This kind of ice magic is quite rare in border areas.

The magic of the borderlands mostly studies stars, brilliance stones, the moon... In short, its origin is stargazing, not fireballs or ice balls from the regular world.

So far, Lann has only seen one person use the freezing magic, and that person even froze him inside a shell.

The emblem that appeared in front of Alperish's staff was largely similar to that of the Realucaria Academy, with the most significant change being that the 'two crossed staffs' had been replaced by 'one crossed staff and one knight's sword'.

The latter is a characteristic of the coat of arms of the Caria royal family!
However, the relationship between Alperish and the Caria royal family can be discussed later.

The Forge Knights, however, have already begun to move!
Seemingly aware of the danger, or perhaps also familiar with ice magic, the Furnace Knight knew very well what the consequences would be if he were to take a few more hits.

So he suddenly raised one foot and stomped on the ground!
This time, the target was Alperish, who was still waving his staff.

With a stomp, the Furnace Knight's power spread from the ground to a fan-shaped area in front of him.

In the blink of an eye, another 'pizza' appeared on the circular plaza.

Unlike the power that was forcibly interrupted and dissipated by Lan En, this time the Furnace Knight actively directed the power to the ground, spreading it far away through the soil and rocks.

The ground cracked open, and golden light shot upwards from the cracks.

Alperish's body was suddenly thrown into the air, like a rag doll.

Blood splattered from his body mid-air.

After stomping his foot, the Forge Knight placed his sword and shield in front of him, and two wings suddenly condensed from his shoulder blades in golden light!
He slightly bent his knees, preparing to jump and take flight!

Opposite him, an equally tall figure seemed to have anticipated his plan and jumped up in advance, attempting to intercept his soaring flight path.

However, the wings on the back of the Forge Knight appeared for only a brief moment, almost like a phantom.

He didn't actually fly at all.

Instead, he started to turn around after seeing the person opposite him jump.

For some reason, the movement resembled the way some kind of animal with a tail was flicking its tail.

(End of this chapter)