"Tremble before the Sword Saint!"

Hesitation Equals Defeat

A full moon quietly rose, hanging in the sky and casting its vast silver light upon the calm surface of Lake Liyenia.

The towering golden tree, reaching toward the heavens, appeared dimmer, its faint golden glow contending with the silver moonlight, creating the strange nightscape of the Borderlands.

Splash—

A small boat floated on the lake, without torches or magical lights, relying solely on the eerie night to navigate forward in the darkness.

To the right, a continuous military camp stretched out, the light from fire pits dispersing the moonlight, making the area as bright as day. Outside its wooden walls, high lookout towers stood, with cuckoo soldiers in dark blue cloaks searching the lake’s surface.

Fortunately, the boat was following the steep cliff along the lakeshore, just within a blind spot of sight.

Don looked left; in addition to the various islands on the lake, he could see a massive ‘city’ built on an island in the center of Lake Liyenia. The towering buildings ascended the mountain, and the bell tower at the top was likely several hundred meters high.

This was the Rayalucalia Academy of Magic, also known as the Kalia Royal Academy of Magic. Since the 'Full Moon Queen' Reina conquered it, it had belonged to the Kalia royal family.

However, the queen had now been imprisoned, the two sides had parted ways, and a war that engulfed all of Liyenia had broken out.

The overthrowing of the upper class was nothing new to Don. He merely watched the ripples created by the boat, lost in thought.

‘This is different from what I remember. I recall that Lake Liyenia could be crossed on horseback, no need for a boat.’

The Borderlands didn’t have a tradition of keeping chronologies, which made things quite troublesome. It was impossible to tell how long it had been since the Arrival of the Fading Fate. From the natural scenery, it seemed quite distant.

Because of the temporal discrepancies, many things and people could not be judged by experience. One could only trust what their own eyes saw.

Thus, Don stopped overthinking. While the others aboard the boat held their breath, he began calculating how many cards he had in hand.

'This body is in decent shape. As expected of a high-magic world blessed by gods, even a mage's power is impressive.'

His fingers on the straight sword opened and clenched again, as if activating every muscle, simulating the deadly techniques honed through countless trials in his mind.

As long as the body’s fitness was at a certain level, technique could make up for some shortcomings. A thrust of this straight sword would still take a life.

Of course, aside from swordsmanship, this body of a magic apprentice also came with some innate skills.

0The academy is responsible for magical crystal dust, and then the royal family taught him the Kalia Swift Sword? Well, a fish is still a fish, but this person has decent talent, at least his intelligence is above 9.

To summarize briefly, Donn Wright is indeed a fairly talented magic apprentice, a mere cannon fodder in the war, but the other Donn is different.

"I won't hesitate when I chop people."

The former left and right hand of the Sword Saint, Ishi Minamoto, smiled and showed his sharp white teeth, feeling that everything was still under control, even eager to try and see if his sword was sharp enough.

"Attention, we have broken through the blockade."

A dull sound came from the bow, and Blaize slightly raised his body, his fur cloak fluttering in the night wind.

Several people on the boat breathed a sigh of relief. Besides Donn, there were a few soldiers, two holding sword and shield, one using a spear, and one with a short bow. They looked quite formidable.

"Lord Blaize, what are we here to scout this time?" asked a soldier with a sword and shield.

"Go around to the back and intercept the supply convoy of the Cuckoo." The werewolf answered in a low voice, then glanced sideways, "What's the matter, are you afraid?"

Donn clearly heard the sound of someone swallowing. In fact, just looking at the map shows that the land around the Lienia Lake is not very vast.

Several miles away, there was a high cliff, and the bell tower on top could oversee the entire surrounding area, making it the high ground on the west coast.

It's likely that as soon as we make a move, the Cuckoo cavalry will come to support, posing a significant risk.

"We aren't afraid, as long as Lord Blaize is here. Unless we are surrounded by Cuckoo knights, there is no place we cannot go in Lienia!"

"Right, as long as we take out the supply convoy, those damned Cuckoos might retreat."

For a moment, everyone was filled with battle spirit, rubbing their fists in anticipation. Blaize nodded in satisfaction. If breaking through the blockade line hadn't been so difficult, he would have already suggested to the princess to lead an assault. The gap in numbers between the two sides was too large, so they could only win by surprise.

Even if the strategist Iji tries to stop them, they still have to give it a try.

Thinking of this, he glanced sideways at the magic apprentice at the back of the boat. Seeing that the latter was silently staring at the lake, he snorted softly and turned his head away.

This Donn Wright has always been sneaky. If he doesn't shed some Cuckoo blood this time, he would inevitably be suspected of being a spy.

No one said a word. Amid the faint sound of oars stirring the water, the small boat headed south along the lakeshore. Around midnight, a shallow bank finally appeared ahead. Blaize took the lead, stepping onto the land, commanding everyone to hide the boat in the grass, and then crouching by the shore to take out his binoculars and observe.

In the distance, the fire baskets on the four bell towers burned fiercely. That was the Cuckoo's sentry post, and no battle movement could escape notice. Just below the cliff with the bell tower, a supply convoy was slowly moving forward.

At the front were two mountain monsters bound by chains, standing nearly ten meters tall. They were dragging heavy carts, and behind the carts were soldiers holding torches. It seemed to be a small team of about twenty people. A Cuckoo knight, holding a long spear and riding a warhorse, was patrolling back and forth.

"The defense force is normal, but we must finish this quickly." Blaize immediately set the tone for the upcoming battle and turned to say, "Leave the knight to me. Vera, Duke, you two prepare the fire pots and oil flasks."

"Understood."

"Karin, use the bow to suppress them, don't let them form a battle formation. Leila, once the fire starts, cut the chains of the mountain monsters. These giant descendants have little intelligence left and will block for us for a while. Then, we’ll retreat in the chaos.

"Understood!"

Truly, as the Moon Princess’s guards, they are battle-hardened, and the Kalia soldiers are also elite; after assigning roles, they immediately began preparations.

The round fire pots were placed on the ground, the quiver opened, and the red-feathered arrows were nocked on the string. Amidst the tense atmosphere, a voice was heard.

"Lord Blaize, what should I do?" Donn raised his hand and asked.

"You?" The werewolf glanced at him, having originally brought him along to test his stance, and waved his hand. "As long as you don't drag us down, do as you wish."

"Alright." Donn said no more, holding the crystal staff in his left hand and gripping the hilt of his sword with his right, lying on the ground to suppress his breathing.

Seeing that the apprentice not only remained calm but was rather professional, Blaize was momentarily stunned. However, with the sound of the wheels growing closer, he didn’t think much more and refocused his gaze on the road.

The squeaking sound of the wheels grew louder, and the chatter of the Cuckoo soldiers became increasingly clear. They were talking about which village they had plundered today, accompanied by crude laughter. As they reached a turn, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out in the pitch-black sky, followed by the sound of something shattering.

Boom! Boom!

With two loud crashes, the mountain monsters pulling the cart stepped on the oil flasks and slipped. Their backsides smashed two shallow pits into the ground. The sound of the taut chains clattering was heard as the several-ton cart overturned, spilling heaps of white grain onto the ground.

"Now, kill!!"

Blaize leaped up and sprinted forward, each step covering several meters. He fixed his gaze firmly on the knight turning his horse’s head and drew his giant sword from his back.

Clang—

A pale, cold aura wrapped around the sword. He leapt into the air, landing just before the warhorse, and the royal greatsword plunged into the ground before him.

Wolf Strike!

The ground exploded, and a surge of ice mist blasted out, toppling both the knight and his horse. Even the heavy armor was coated in a thin layer of ice.

"'Half-wolf' Blaize?" The knight gasped, raising his massive shield above his head. Instinctively, he thrust his long spear forward.

Whoosh—

Blaize sidestepped, ignoring the spear that grazed his face. As Lani's ‘shadow’, even a highly skilled knight would be no match for him in three moves. Yet, with a twist of his wrist, the giant sword he swung suddenly curved in mid-air.

Boom!

A Cuckoo crystal was directly sliced in half, and the sharp, icy air cut through the incoming cloak, revealing the luxurious plate armor underneath.

"Two Cuckoo knights?" The werewolf's face remained expressionless, his grip tightening on his greatsword.

"Kalia, trapped in a lonely fortress, do you think such despicable tactics are hard to guess?" The knight sneered, ripping off his cloak and raising his greatsword to strike.

"We all know your abilities. Now, let’s see if you can slay hundreds of people!"

Just as Blaize charged out, the five-person team also sprang into action. Their arrows were accurate and powerful, striking two soldiers in the forehead, while the warrior holding the fire pots rushed past and set the spilled grain ablaze.

The plan was going smoothly, and it was time to grab the buckets and flee. However, Donn sensed something was wrong. The enemy didn’t scatter in panic; instead, they started to counterattack. Looking towards the ice mist, he immediately understood.

‘Has it been seen through?’

Three Cuckoo knights were besieging the werewolf, who was fiercely holding the upper hand. However, it was futile. The horn on the four bell towers had already sounded, and the barracks at the foot of the mountain were in disarray.

There was no traitor to betray them, and the Cuckoos didn’t expect it to be today, but they had been preparing every day. Reinforcements would arrive soon.

"That’s why I hate smart enemies." Donn raised an eyebrow, analyzing the situation in just a fraction of a second.

These people only wanted to kill Blaize, who was desperately holding them back. Should they escape?

If it were a magic apprentice, there would be no need to consider; similarly, as a sword demon, there was no need for consideration—

Help him break through, and kill our way back!

"Cover me."

Donn left those words behind and charged forward, holding his staff, leaving the bewildered archer behind. The archer had received secret orders to shoot any magic apprentice attempting to flee, yet this man didn’t run. Shouldn’t a mage be hiding in the distance to cast spells?

The night wind howled past Donn’s ears as he had no time to familiarize himself with a mage’s combat style; instead, old methods were more useful.

The rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed...

The delicate steps pressed into the soil, and Donn saw soldiers countering the charge. Most of them were besieging two sword-and-shield soldiers, while a few others were distracted by the long pike soldiers cutting chains. The two soldiers on the outer side turned around upon hearing the footsteps and froze in place.

A man in a mage’s robe charged straight at him, holding a short staff, looking as though he was courting death. As he raised his spear to strike, the mage suddenly sank down.

Donn slid forward, feeling the cold air as the long spear brushed past his hair, kicking up dust. He darted between the two soldiers, planting his staff into the ground to halt his momentum, his right hand gripping the sword hilt.

Clang—

With the sound of metal scraping, the straight sword was drawn. The soldier on the right turned around, feeling a sharp pain in his calf, losing balance and falling to the ground. Before he could comprehend what had happened, he saw a staff pressed against his face, its top radiating blue light.

Crystal magic stone!

The emblem illuminated the surroundings, and a fist-sized orb of light smashed directly into the soldier’s face, causing his head to explode like a watermelon. Red and white fluids splattered across the face of a nearby soldier, who blinked instinctively.

Who would cast a spell so close to the face?

However, he didn’t have time to think, as Donn leapt from the ground. The straight sword pierced through the soldier’s chin, knocking his helmet off, and with a twist of his wrist, Donn split the bewildered face in half. The body wobbled and fell heavily to the ground.

What is this?

After severing the lives of the two soldiers, Donn paused for a moment, sensing some power flowing into his body. Perhaps it was an illusion, but he felt a slight increase in his strength.

However, on the battlefield, he didn’t have time to ponder. He gave the straight sword a slight shake, sending a line of blood splattering, his pale blue eyes full of curiosity, turning to the nearby soldier.

As they crossed paths, two bodies lay on the ground. The first kill at the junction made Donn realize:

Sword combined with magic is still swordsmanship, and the Iga style remains undefeated!