Turning
chapter-232

Yuder leisurely watched those charging at him, not moving until they came close. A flurry of swords ruthlessly descended on him all at once.

"Yuder!"

Despite knowing his strength, his companions screamed in surprise from behind, but the horrendous scene they imagined did not materialize. The steel swords, failing to penetrate Yuder's body, paused in mid-air as if struck against the void. At his casual gesture, they exploded outwards.

"Ugh, damn!"

The clash of steel against steel sounded as those who lost their grip on their swords appeared one after another. Their weapons, too, bounced away, scattering in all directions before tumbling to the ground.

"Ah, it hurts. My wrist... my wrist..."

"This can't be... it's a nightmare... it's not true...!"

There were those who, writhing in pain from their broken wrists, rolled on the ground clutching their arms. Some, terrified, scrambled backward, and some murmured in denial, shaking their heads. No one dared to pick up their fallen swords. As they frantically retreated, more knights charged forward, but their movements were bereft of vigor.

"You, insolent cur!"

‘Who's the insolent one here,’ Yuder thought, as he deftly dodged an incoming sword with a slight duck of his head. He swiftly cut at the exposed wrist of the knight, sending his sword flying.

"You can't blame others when you can't even master the basics."

The knights who had charged so far were all riddled with flaws, their bodies stiff from inadequate training. They lacked even the determination to fight till the end. They were worse than Kiolle, who at least fought fiercely till the end. The name of the Imperial Knights was laughable. He had suspected it since they began their pointless exercises in the name of training. Most seemed to be idle nobles who had joined the Knights just for their lineage.

Yuder coolly addressed the remaining knights, who were hesitating to charge at him.

"Do you not even have the courage to charge?"

"..."

"If you won't come, I will. Is that fine with you?"

At his cold, uncompromising tone, as if training subordinates, the knights charged again, their faces filled with rage.

"You, damn you, you think I'm standing still out of fear? Ah, aaargh!"

However, in the end, no one's sword could land a proper attack on Yuder. The ludicrous confrontation, unprecedented, insulting, and relentless, continued. The knights stumbled around, falling between their uncontrollable swords and the rebellious ground, their screams echoing as they rolled and writhed.

In this process, where all twenty-three of them were impartially struck down, Yuder made sure to deal a slightly more heartfelt blow to those whose faces he had taken care to remember.

Those who had insulted Kishiar, those who had looked down on him, those who had threatened to make Yuder kneel and lick the ground, all were taken aback by the force from behind, and screamed as their faces hit the ground. They couldn't regain their senses as the ground shook when they tried to escape, the wind blinded them, water and fire charged at them, and their weapons refused to obey.

"Ah, please, save me!"

Witnessing the scene, the Cavalry members were newly immersed in a surge of emotion. Everything they had imagined, everything they had swallowed down in irritation and anger, was unfolding into reality before their eyes.

None of them would have lost against the knights if they had stepped forward, but none could have manipulated their opponent and made them look so ridiculous as Yuder. The knights, stumbling about and shouting, did not look noble in the slightest. It was doubtful they would ever witness such a hilarious spectacle again in their lives.

"Ah... haha. Hahaha."

At first, they had remained on edge, ready to assist Yuder if necessary. Gradually, however, they began to laugh, one by one. The laughter grew, and as time passed, they transformed into something akin to a cheering squad.

"Watch out, Yuder! One's coming from behind! Yes! That's it!"

"Where's that cockiness they showed when they were laughing at us earlier?"

"Hang on a little more! Is that all you can do after boasting about your daily training and swinging your swords around? Even Jimmy, the youngest in the Cavalry, would do better than ten of you!"

"..."

But the knights no longer had the spirit to even hear their taunts.

'That monstrous guy...!'

Watching from afar, Kiolle shivered privately at the chilling sensation running down his spine. He was tremendously relieved he had made the pretense of retreating. If he had stepped forward, he would have ended up just like the others, groveling on the ground. When he had faced Yuder before, he had passed out instantly and had not known what had happened. Now, watching from a distance, it seemed like the ones charging at Yuder were like small insects rushing into a great natural disaster and falling.

'No matter how I look at it, he's not doing his best. He's intentionally showing weakness to let those on the receiving end feel their powerlessness.'

Those on the receiving end might not realize, but from the outside, it was clear that Yuder was purposefully showing vulnerabilities so they wouldn't completely lose hope. When a desperate man rushed in, the gap would disappear in an instant, and all that would return was punishment as if he had been waiting.

"Why are you doing this? We haven't done anything to you! What have I done wrong?"

Finally, a knight who had fallen into utter despair cried out in terror. Yuder, who had been exerting his strength, momentarily halted and looked down at him with a blank expression. The knight, guessing that Yuder had stopped moving due to his words, shouted even louder.

"Do you think might makes right?! Or are you prancing around because you trust the Duke of Peletta behind you?! Either way, doing this without clear reasons is cowardly!"

"Why do you think they did it then?"

"What?"

"Isn't that what my comrades should have said to you guys? Even when we endured it numerous times and tried to let it pass, you kept insulting us just because you were part of the Imperial Knight. Now you're saying that me, a member of the Cavalry, shouldn't do this to you? Why?"

For a moment, the knight's mouth hung open, his face resembling someone who had been hit over the head. He seemed to want to respond but couldn't find the words. A cold air settled over Yuder's face.

"If I weren't stronger than you, you wouldn't be saying any of this now. Am I wrong?"

"No, no..."

"I have no intention of listening to the words of weaklings who, with nothing but the title of an Imperial Knight, mistake the prestige built up by their predecessors as their own."

"Do you honestly believe that a mere Cavalry deserves to be compared to the Imperial Knights? Don't insult us!"

"Insult?"

As Yuder snapped his fingers, water formed from thin air and smacked the knight across his face.

"Splutter, ugh!"

"I'm not sure who's insulting who here. The real insult to the Imperial Knights seems to be you, who've forgotten both your knightly code and your honor."

"..."

"And the Cavalry has no need to stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone else. We'll make sure of that."

Kiolle swallowed his dry saliva. The way Yuder paid back any insult several times over was terrifyingly devilish. Yet, he couldn't help but be drawn to the man who was devilish in his own right.

He absentmindedly gazed at the small mark, a testament to the oath, imprinted on his hand. The restrictive symbol left by the man before him didn't cause much practical inconvenience, but it tormented him effectively nonetheless. At first, he couldn't reveal this shameful proof to anyone, then he couldn't find anyone capable enough to release the oath without crossing his father, and he didn't dare free the oath against such a monster, not knowing what kind of repercussion he'd face. Now looking at the mark, the harsh words Yuder had thrown at him came flooding back.

'Do you always have to offer something to persuade others, is that it?'

'All I asked for was a reason for you to survive here, not unnecessary wealth or status. Can't you even provide that? Are you really more exceptional than a corpse?'

'Those who know neither knightly code nor honor.'

Watching the knights struggling and thrashing before him, he felt an odd sensation. But no matter how much he pondered, he couldn't pinpoint the reason for his confusion. All that remained was his profound question about Yuder.

How could that man go so far for the Cavalry?

Was there something so prideful about working under a powerless Duke Peletta that he could reject an enticing recruitment offer from Diarca Family and relentlessly beat down noble knights as if there was no tomorrow?

Up until now, he'd thought him to be a madman, but somehow, his words carried a certain consistency. The man was speaking of a value unknown to Kiolle, who had grown up in Diarca Family.

While Kiolle was still puzzled by this newfound question, Yuder finally paused and scanned the area. No knights stood on their own two feet. Only the 23 defeated, trembling in fear, sprawled on the ground.

'I intended to prolong their humiliation as long as possible, yet the resilience of the Imperial Knights is merely this?'

"Stand up. Is this all you've got?"

He nudged a fallen knight's side with the tip of his foot. The knight gasped and violently shook his head.

"S-stop. Enough! Please, n-no more!"

His speech was muddled due to a broken tooth, sounding like a child with a lisp. The immense humiliation and shock reduced him to tears. It was truly pitiful, but there was no one there to feel sorry for him.