In the tense silence of the Strange mansion, an unexpected event occurred.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed, shaking the ground with its intensity.
"Ughhh!"
The guards stumbled, losing their balance.
Amidst the chaos, the commanders of various squads quickly began assessing the situation, their nerves on edge.
This was the Strange family, renowned for being the best swordsmen on the continent. How could such incidents occur so frequently?
The intrusion of an assassin and the ongoing purge of traitors among the castle's guardian knights were still unresolved.
If another incident were to follow, someone would surely be held accountable.
The most likely candidates were the captain of the guardian knights, Beth, and the commanders under him.
As the explosion's roar subsided, all eyes turned toward the source of the disturbance within the castle.
"Over there."
The origin of the explosive energy was deep within the basement of the Strange mansion, where Gunther's knights were stationed.
"Make way."
Beth ordered Gunther's knights.
But before him stood Giselle, a knight so tall and thin he looked like a monster.
"Lord Gunther has ordered that no one enters until the interrogation is complete."
"Step aside."
"..."
Giselle did not comply with Beth's order, maintaining a resolute silence.
Had this been the battlefield, disobeying orders would have cost him his life.
'Damn bastard.'
Beth restrained himself. As the captain of the castle's guardian knights, he couldn't afford to antagonize Gunther's closest aides.
Giselle, unyielding, crossed his arms. Beth, clutching his sword's handle, glared at him.
Their respective followers were ready to clash at any moment.
"I command you once more. This is not Gunther's castle, but Lord Lois's. If you do not step aside, I will be forced to execute you according to the laws of Strange."
"Sir Beth, consider my position. If I step aside now, you know what punishment awaits me later."
"..."
"Whether I die now or later, it makes no difference."
"Your death is none of my concern. What I need to know is if there has been an enemy infiltration."
"There hasn't."
"What?"
"I said there hasn't been any infiltration. We've been guarding this place the whole time, and no one but Lord Gunther has entered."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
A giant figure, Gernot, wearing a horned helmet, stepped beside Giselle, his expression filled with displeasure.
"Hey, Beth. If Lord Gunther said not to come down, why are you pushing it?"
"You're talking like a savage despite being a knight."
"What does it matter if I'm a knight or a savage? What's important is that we're following Lord Gunther's orders."
"And I am following Lord Lois's orders. For the last time, if you do not step aside, I will use force to make a way."
Swoosh.
Beth drew his sword.
Giselle, in response, drew a long-handled sword, almost resembling a spear, while Gernot unsheathed his thick, large two-handed sword.
"So you want to fight."
Giselle and Gernot smiled, their lips curling under their helmets.
They approached Beth slowly, the air thick with tension as they emitted killing intent.
They seemed ready to strike at any moment, yet none of them moved first.
The Strange mansion had rules that everyone had to follow, and breaking them would mean taking responsibility.
As they were locked in a standoff...
Thud thud thud—
Suddenly, a small figure, Rox, emerged and charged at Gernot.
"Ahhhh!"
"What the... this kid!"
Taken aback, Gernot instinctively swung his sword. At this range, it was a fatal blow, not just an injury.
Bang!
Rox didn't dodge; he took the hit head-on.
'Damn it!'
Gernot cursed internally.
His attack had just given the guardian knights a reason to retaliate.
With that, a direct confrontation between the guardian knights of Strange and Gunther's Golden Tiger knights seemed inevitable.
Creak— Bang.
With a powerful aura, Verdin emerged from the mansion.
"Everyone, lower your weapons. Anyone holding a weapon from now on will not be forgiven."
Giselle and Gernot unconsciously stepped back, intimidated by Verdin's imposing presence.
Though only five in number...
'...He's dangerous.'
This man's sword could reach Lord Gunther. Leaving him alive would endanger Lord Gunther's throne in the future.
If possible, he had to be killed now.
"Ahhhh!"
Giselle lunged at Verdin. Verdin glanced at him and drew a dagger from his waist.
"I clearly stated, those who wield weapons will not be forgiven."
Clang!
No matter how skilled Giselle was with a sword, his limits were evident.
Being from a collateral line, his talent for swordsmanship was diluted compared to the direct descendants, making his skills incomparable.
Clang! Clang clang! Clang!
Giselle's swordsmanship was highly regarded on the continent, but to Verdin, it was nothing.
Having faced them in a previous life, Verdin could dodge his attacks with his eyes closed.
Swoosh, swoosh, slash!
Verdin effortlessly dodged all of Giselle's attacks, then struck his abdomen with the hilt of his sword.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
The aura-infused blow pierced his armor and struck internally.
The precise hit to his liver caused Giselle to kneel in agony.
Thud.
"Move aside."
Giselle spat blood-tinged saliva onto the ground and forced a smile.
"Young Master Dean, I'm carrying out Lord Gunther's orders. Can you handle the consequences?"
Slash—
Verdin's blade glinted coldly.
Giselle couldn't react; he could only watch as Verdin's strike approached.
Before he could move, Verdin had already sheathed his sword.
Clink.
"Why wouldn't I? I am also a Strange."
As Giselle tried to respond, his world flipped, and his view shifted to the ground.
In that split second, as his vision turned sideways, Giselle realized. The legendary sword master had finally been born.
Thud.
***
Boom!
In the underground of Strange Castle, two colossal auras collided. The combatants were Gunter, who wielded a yellow aura, and Hysteria, who wielded a blue aura.
"Hey, Gunter. Finally, I get to see you without your lackeys around," Hysteria said, crossing his arms and wearing a wide grin.
Gunter took a deep breath to calm himself.
"Huuu... I told you if we fought again, I wouldn't hold back."
"Hold back? You, against me? Hahaha!"
"I'm not joking. This isn't a game. Go back. You can't defeat me."
"Is that so?"
"You've never won against me."
Hysteria snapped his fingers above his head.
Snap!
"You're right, I haven't. But today, I intend to win. I've come prepared."
Upon Hysteria's signal, the prisoners in the underground dungeon began to move.
Step, step, step.
Most of them were those who had opposed the Strange family or their enemies. They were all seasoned warriors or mages, none of them weak.
"Some of them can even use aura," Hysteria said.
"Hysteria..."
"Gunter, I'm serious. Let's fight to the best of our abilities. Today, I've come to kill you."
Exchanging meaningful glances with his puppet, Hysteria stepped back. The prisoners, with crazed expressions, began charging at Gunter.
"Screeeech!"
Gunter prepared himself, drawing his two-handed sword from his back.
"You really wish to die?"
"Hah..."
Gunter swung his sword in a wide arc, centering himself.
Whoosh!
Dozens of prisoners were flung away by the sheer force of the swing.
"Arghhh!"
Despite being slashed by his sword aura, some prisoners stood back up, trembling uncontrollably. Even with their ghastly wounds, they seemed to be possessed as they rushed at Gunter again.
Pat, pat, pat!
"Screech!"
Gunter shouted to his puppet while fighting off the prisoners.
"Light!"
He channeled aura into his sword and drove it into the ground.
Boom!
From the cracks that spread out like a spiderweb, intense light began to emanate.
Swoosh!
As the light radiated heat, the strings attached to the prisoners' heads snapped.
Snap, snap, snap.
The prisoners, controlled by Hysteria's clown puppet, collapsed one by one as their connection was severed.
Thud, thud, thud.
"I'll say it again: you cannot defeat me. Your clown puppet cannot bear the weight of a true knight's resolve."
Hysteria shrugged as he watched the battle from the rear.
"Oh, is that so? I think I'm going to win."
He drew his twin swords and, exuding a misty blue aura, charged at Gunter.
Whoosh—
"Where do you think you're going?"
Gunter quickly pulled his sword from the ground.
Clang!
The light from the cracks ceased. The prisoners, who had collapsed, began to move again.
"Let's pick up the pace."
"Indeed. Let's end this tiresome battle once and for all."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
They exchanged countless blows.
Initially, Hysteria, with his numerical advantage, had the upper hand. However, his momentum didn't last. As time passed, most of the prisoners controlled by the clown puppet were too damaged to stand. Only a few who could use aura were still barely holding on.
"No matter how many of those weaklings you gather, they won't be enough. Trash remains trash, no matter how much you collect."
Hysteria chuckled and nodded.
"You're right. Trash remains trash. But do you know what? Soon, you'll be killed by this trash."
Clang!
"Stop spouting nonsense."
Clang!
"Am I really spouting nonsense?"
Clang!
As Gunter and Hysteria continued their fierce battle, an endgame move emerged. Hysteria's twin swords grazed Gunter's cheeks while Gunter's two-handed sword embedded itself in Hysteria's abdomen.
"Gah!"
Hysteria spat blood.
Gunter, with a cold expression, looked down at him.
"It's over."
Hysteria, looking at the blood-soaked fabric and Gunter's sword, smirked.
"Amusing."
"Amusing? From someone about to die?"
"Gunter, do you know?"
"Know what?"
"When we first met."
Gunter, puzzled by Hysteria's sudden remark, fell silent for a moment. He then met Hysteria's eyes, which were dimming, and answered.
"When we first met? Wasn't it when you came to the castle when I was seven?"
"That's right. I did come to the castle that day. But that wasn't our first meeting."
"What?"
"Think hard."
Hysteria's eyes slowly closed, and blood continued to drip from his abdomen, soaking the ground.
Gunter seemed to recall something, his eyes shifting.
"As far as I remember, that was the first time."
"Lies. I remember everything."
"What do you mean?"
"On the day those unknown bandits came and killed my mother."
"..."
"I clearly saw you among those black-masked men, giving orders."
With that, Hysteria closed his eyes.
Gunter placed his hand on Hysteria's chest, checking his pulse. He then released the sword and wiped the blood from his face.
"Huuu..."
"Yes, I killed your mother. But it was her fault."
Gunter pulled out the sword from Hysteria's chest.
Thud.
"If she wanted to live, she shouldn't have attached the Strange name to her lowly bloodline."