It almost looked like someone was clearing away fallen leaves.
If one saw a person flying through the air so helplessly, they'd probably think the same.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Gah!"
The guards tasked with protecting the nobles could do nothing but scream in despair.
The creature was flaunting the might of the Transcendents without restraint.
"S-Sir Isaac!"
Jonathan shouted urgently as he stepped in front of Isaac.
"You have to run!"
Staying here meant death.
But Isaac's gaze was fixed entirely on the Transcendent in the form of a tiger.
"Wielding a greatsword?"
Isaac stared intently at the greatsword in the creature's hands, seemingly deaf to Jonathan's calls. Despite Jonathan shaking him repeatedly, Isaac didn't respond.
Thunk!
Silverna's spear plunged into the Transcendent's back.
"So, you do bleed, after all."
Twisting her lips into a forced smile, Silverna pulled her spear free.
Drip.
The creature's unusually heavy blood flowed down its back as it slowly turned to face Silverna.
"There's at least one human worth watching here."
Despite being pierced by the spear, the creature didn't seem particularly pained. Instead, it moved its greatsword gracefully through the air, as if only now warming up, preparing to face Silverna.
Meanwhile, the other nobles were fleeing.
Even a brief exchange had made it clear that victory was out of reach, and the innate fear the Transcendent evoked was unbearable for the inexperienced.
"Sir Isaac! Please, we need to run!"
Seeing Isaac frozen in place, Jonathan couldn't hold back any longer and tried to hoist him onto his back.
"Jonathan."
Isaac pushed him away and asked.
"You're confident in your stamina, aren't you?"
"W-What?! Why are you asking that all of a sudden?!"
"Can you carry me on your back and make it to the Malidan Wall?"
Hearing the question, Jonathan widened his eyes and pounded his chest with his fist.
"I will do it, no matter what. I am a knight sworn to protect you, Sir Isaac! So let's go right away—"
"Good. Then wait here."
"What?"
Jonathan, who had just been inwardly proud of how heroic he sounded, was stunned as he saw Isaac walk past him.
"Sir Isaac?!"
"Get ready to run. We'll be leaving immediately."
"What are you—!"
Jonathan's words were cut off.
Because Isaac was now standing in front of the two fierce combatants locked in a deadly exchange.
"Isaac?!"
Silverna, who was struggling to fend off the greatsword, looked at Isaac in shock.
Her eyes seemed to scream, "Why didn't you run?" But Isaac didn't answer.
'There's only one way to win here.'
The Transcendent would never leave a human it had seen alive.
Once it finished Silverna and started chasing the fleeing nobles, it would likely catch them in no time.
Even if they left now, the Transcendent could arrive at the Malidan Wall ahead of them and wait.
That's why—
Someone had to hold its attention.
Someone had to show it that not all humans were mere prey to be brushed aside.
Isaac stepped forward, deciding to take on that role himself.
How?
How could he make the Transcendent, who saw all humans as equal prey, view him as a unique challenge?
"Run away, Isaac! This thing is a monster! It's not just any ordinary beast!"
Despite Silverna's desperate cries, Isaac didn't stop walking.
He was methodically testing and cross-checking whether his judgment was correct until the very end.
And finally—
He spoke a single line.
As his breath scattered on the wind,
"...."
The transcendent halted his greatsword.
"What… what the hell!?"
Silverna, who had been struggling to parry the creature's strikes, was bewildered.
He hadn't heard what Isaac had said, nor understood why the creature suddenly stopped.
However, the transcendent's gaze was now fixed solely on Isaac.
"Just now."
Its grotesque face twisted, and a faint tremor, uncharacteristic of its kind, could be heard in its voice.
"What did you say?"
Isaac met the beast's predatory blue eyes with a mocking smile that seemed to chew through them.
"Raven Swordsmanship. A style taught exclusively by Blackson."
Blackson was one of the noble families of the kingdom, and one of their representatives was among the dispatched nobles.
"At first, I was confused. Your use of the greatsword made me consider traditional greatsword techniques. But no, considering your build and strength, I realized I needed to look into one-handed swordsmanship instead."
After all, a human greatsword was no different from a one-handed sword in the hands of the creature.
"There are specific traces unique to their swordsmanship. Particularly how you deliberately widen your stance excessively to maintain balance—that's identical."
"...."
"Want to know something? You don't even need to widen your stance like that. Your feet aren't shaped like a human's."
"Grgh."
Unconsciously, the transcendent glanced down at its stance, inspecting its footing.
"Do you understand what this means?"
Despite Isaac's enigmatic smile, the creature remained silent.
It didn't require much thought.
"It means the Blackson family taught you swordsmanship. They were probably the ones trying to trade Holstein's relics with you."
However, it seemed Blackson had no intention of conducting a fair trade.
The fact that they sent a transcendent instead of gold coins spoke volumes.
Even if the grave robber hadn't disturbed the beast's lair, the same outcome would've likely ensued.
"I've always wondered how transcendents managed to gather information and act against the kingdom. Now I understand."
A question Isaac had pondered in his previous life was finally answered.
"There's a traitor in the kingdom."
The transcendent gripped its greatsword tighter, veins bulging, and its long tongue flicking across its sharp teeth.
This man was no longer just prey.
He was a threat that had to be eliminated.
"You figured all that… from watching me swing a sword."
The transcendent muttered, almost in disbelief.
It had taken deliberate measures to conceal its identity.
Its words were brief, and its swordsmanship, deliberately imprecise, made it nearly impossible to trace.
"And yet, with just that, you identified our origins and even uncovered a traitor?"
Isaac crossed his arms and smirked.
"If you think that's all it took, then you've already reached your limits."
"Hah."
The transcendent let out a hollow laugh.
It admitted it.
This man was, without a doubt…
"A sage—A Sword Sage."
With nothing more than a few swings of a sword, he had effortlessly uncovered the truth.
"I am in awe of your profound wisdom and insight. May I ask your name?"
"Isaac."
"Isaac."
A clear distinction from the other prey, mere riffraff by comparison.
"You must die."
"Isaac!"
Silverna's urgent voice rang out.
She frantically thrust her spear toward the transcendent's back, but it only pierced the empty air.
The creature had already leapt forward, charging straight at Isaac.
It didn't matter if the others escaped. This man, however, had to die.
In a single battle, he had deduced this much.
With mere swings of a sword, he had uncovered dozens of truths.
"I must kill him!"
The thought of letting him live, and the countless ways he might obstruct them in the future, was terrifying.
The transcendents weren't ready yet.
For their kin to drive humans out and consume the continent, they needed more time!
"Sir Isaac!"
But, just like Silverna's spear, the transcendent's greatsword also sliced through empty air.
Jonathan, exuding a faint red aura from his entire body, had already hoisted Isaac onto his shoulder and started running.
"Jonathan, what kind of shoddy aura is this?!"
"This… this is not the time for that, sir!"
Isaac couldn't help but lament at the pitiful state of Jonathan's aura.
How could a knight of Helmut wield Helmut's signature "Crimson Aura" so poorly?
"Get it together! Right now, you're the only one who can outrun that thing!"
Helmut's direct lineage possessed overwhelming physical prowess.
Among humans, they were the only ones who could stand toe-to-toe with transcendents.
Training with such a lineage and wielding the Crimson Aura defined what it meant to be a knight of Helmut.
"Y-yes, sir!"
Hearing Jonathan's reply, Isaac glanced back.
The transcendent was now charging on all fours, holding its greatsword in its mouth.
"Damn it."
Isaac cursed at the sheer speed of the creature.
It was much faster than he had anticipated.
Jonathan, though a knight of Helmut with considerable speed and stamina, was now in a dire situation where the creature might catch up at any moment.
The snow-covered ground posed no hindrance to the beast, and even the trees scattered around seemed like mere toys to it.
"Jonathan! Head for the rear Wall! That's the right way!"
"Huff… huff… what?! What are you saying?!"
"The rear Wall! The area where the beasts swarmed! We have to go there!"
"What?! But… huff… that place is crawling with beasts!"
"It's the only way we survive!"
"Huff… huff…"
Jonathan looked like he wanted to argue but was too exhausted to form coherent words.
As Isaac turned to check how far the creature had closed the distance-
"Grrr."
"… …!"
It was already right behind them.
Close enough to touch if it reached out.
Isaac instinctively gasped, choking on his breath.
"This fast?!"
Unable to conceal his shock, Isaac drew his sword.
Even if swinging from Jonathan's back wouldn't generate much force, he had to at least try something.
"Grrr!"
The creature, gripping the greatsword it had carried in its mouth, swung it downward with devastating force.
The strike was poised to cleave both Jonathan and Isaac in a single blow.
However, Isaac managed to tilt his sword diagonally, narrowly deflecting the greatsword.
"Ghhk!"
By bracing the blade with his opposite arm, he managed to withstand the attack once, but-
"Ah, damn it-!"
His grip faltered, and he dropped his sword.
Despite twisting his body just once, he had already lost his weapon.
"I won't deny your exceptional knowledge."
The transcendent muttered with venom in its voice, realizing that Isaac's mastery of Blackson's Raven Swordsmanship was why its attack had been blocked.
"However, this is the end."
As the transcendent prepared to swing its greatsword again-
"Apologies, Sir Isaac!"
Jonathan released the hand supporting Isaac's lower body.
Then, raising both arms to grip under Isaac's armpits, he shouted:
"Glory to Helmutttttt!"
"Whaaaa?!"
And with that, Jonathan hurled Isaac forward.
The single strike infused with all of Jonathan's Crimson Aura was truly formidable.
Isaac soared through the air like a bird.
Though he almost collided with several tree branches mid-flight, he managed to avoid falling by curling his body.
However-
"Jonathan!"
Isaac was now worried about Jonathan, who had been left behind alone.
Though the transcendent might not focus much on him, it would have enough time to swing its greatsword and decapitate him.
Given the transcendent's overwhelming hatred for humans, it seemed unlikely Jonathan would survive.
As Isaac wrestled with the thought of Jonathan's sacrifice, he finally hit the ground.
"Ugh!"
He didn't crash directly onto the ground, however.
Instead, he landed in something sticky and soft, which he quickly realized was-
"Beast blood…"
Corpses of beasts lay scattered all around him.
In the distance, Isaac saw the Malidan Wall.
It seemed they had successfully repelled the beasts' assault.
"Grrr!"
At that moment, the transcendent appeared, descending the mountain.
Charging on all fours, it quickly began to close the distance again.
It seemed intent on killing Isaac before he could reach the wall.
To make Jonathan's sacrifice meaningful, Isaac sprinted toward the wall with urgency.
Not to survive-
But to kill that creature.
***
Transcendent, Beom Baek.
(TLN: Beom means Tiger and Baek means White in Korean)
That was its name.
It was called such because of its strikingly pure white fur.
"Grrr!"
Under the moonlight, it sprinted across the snowfield.
Its sole goal was to catch and kill the black-haired man in the distance.
"The wall is still far. I can kill him in time!"
It pushed itself to run faster.
That man could not be allowed to live.
Even if he were to die here, Beom Baek vowed to sink his teeth into that man's throat.
As he reached the ground, softened by the beast corpses and melted snow soaked with blood, his speed noticeably increased.
The distance between them shrank rapidly-
Then, arrows began raining down on him from above.
"They noticed me from the wall, huh."
It seemed they were providing covering fire to protect that man.
"These pathetic arrows."
His thick, leathery hide deflected the arrows with ease. Once he closed the gap to a certain distance,
The transcendent halted his sprint, grabbed the greatsword clamped between his jaws, and wielded it in his hands.
"Kraaaagh!"
With a ferocious roar, he pulled the greatsword back and hurled it straight ahead.
The spinning blade, like a windmill, flew directly at Isaac.
Just as it was about to strike-
Whooosh!
BOOM!
A massive spear descended from the sky, splitting the greatsword in two and sending the pieces flying.
"What…?"
His blue eyes filled with shock.
A single spear was embedded in the ground before him.
When the transcendent slowly raised his gaze toward the wall-
There stood a towering man with his arms crossed, staring down at him.
"Ah."
Before coming here, the nobles of Blackson had repeatedly warned him:
"Under no circumstances should you encounter him."
"He is said to rival the head of Helmut."
"The Hero of the North. The Guardian of the wall."
The warden of the North.
"Uldren Caldias…"
For the first time in his life, the transcendent realized he was trembling in the presence of a human.
The man's cold, unwavering gaze viewed him as nothing more than the countless beast corpses littered around.
"Kraaaaagh!"
With a defiant roar, the transcendent charged forward once more.
Even if he died, he was determined to kill Isaac at all costs.
Thud! Thud!
The force of his strides caused the ground beneath his feet to quake with every step.
As he saw Uldren gripping another spear, he pushed himself harder, sprinting with reckless abandon.
"Kraaaagh!"
As the distance to Isaac closed, he leaped with all his might-
Whooosh!
Once again, a spear sliced through the northern night's air.
Thud!
Something entered his field of vision.
A spear shaft.
It had pierced through his body, impaling his heart.
"Ah… ah…"
He stretched out his hand in despair.
"I… Isaac!"
Because he had failed to kill him now-
How many of his kin would die because of this failure?
With a mixture of regret and bitterness, he exhaled his final breath.
Beom Baek's strength faded, his head slumping forward with unseeing eyes.