Episode 144: Those Who Are Similar Yet Different

The battle between the Eastern Front Infantry Battalion and the Kingdom Knights Order was tilting in favor of the Kingdom Knights Order.

After all, the Kingdom Knights Order consisted of elites. Once Ricardo and the vampirized Serodonia soldiers could no longer fight, the difference in strength became unavoidable.

On the other hand, in the one-on-one duel between Leon and the Knights Order Vice Grandmaster Julius, Julius was overwhelming him.

What was unleashed were relentless spear thrusts without mercy—truly an onslaught laced with killing intent.

Julius’s spear technique itself wasn’t anything special.

It was called the Schweiger-style spear technique, commonly used within the Kirchhen Kingdom’s army.

But he had pursued and polished that ordinary spear technique to its limits. And finally, he became the kingdom’s top spear wielder—known as the “Kingdom’s Sharp Spear.”

“Guh…!”

Against Julius’s sharp attacks, Leon had no choice but to go on the defensive.

Even so, he somehow managed to hold on.

“Leon Vague… Your spear is similar to mine.”

In between attacks, Julius muttered suddenly.

“Your spear was born from straightforward training. …Isn’t that right?”

“So what if it is!”

“I’m the same. Just like you—I gained my current power through straightforward training. Because we’re similar… you can predict and endure my attacks.”

When he learned of Leon’s background, a thought crossed Julius’s mind.

—This man, isn’t he similar to me?

Julius was from commoner origins, an orphan who lost his parents at a young age.

Raised by foster parents in a certain rural village, he repelled monsters attacking the village as part of the vigilante group, which allowed him to enroll in the officer academy—his circumstances overlapped exactly with Leon’s.

And he too hit the wall of reality at the officer academy.

No matter how much effort he put in, those who rose to high positions were always the nobles.

Commoners were always the ones being stepped on—he was made to feel that painfully.

But Julius didn’t give up.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, he single-mindedly continued to hone his spear skills.

That effort bore fruit.

His abilities were recognized by Zefard, who was a knight battalion commander at the time, and he was selected as a knight.

Furthermore, when Prince Luverios, whom Zefard was assisting, became king, Zefard was promoted to Grandmaster of the Knights Order. Along with that, the path to promotion opened for Julius as well.

And by marrying into a noble family, he became a member of the noble class in both name and reality.

He was also blessed with luck.

Luverios originally had low succession rights, so he lacked people who could be called close aides. That’s why the position of Vice Grandmaster came to Julius, a commoner by birth.

In any case… the man who was once on the side being looked down upon was now on the side looking down on commoners.

(Leon Vague. You too rose to infantry battalion commander by being recognized by Count Creving. A man who honed himself and climbed up… just like me.)

The crude lance wrapped in magic was thrust at Leon. He barely avoided a fatal wound, but the blade tip grazed his armor, shattering that part into pieces.

“Guh…!”

Leon’s condition could now be called battered and bruised. His whole body’s armor was damaged in places, and blood was gushing out.

Even so, he held his spear on horseback, continuing to show his will to fight.

“But because we’re similar, I understand. —You can’t beat me. Since we’re fighting with the same type of technique, the one who wins in the end… is the stronger one.”

Julius didn’t try to finish the fight all at once.

Against the cornered Leon, he deliberately didn’t hurry the finishing blow.

That said, it’s not like he was enjoying tormenting and toying with Leon.

Not rushing, solidly grasping victory—that was Julius’s way of fighting.

(Of course, if I take time, there’s a risk that Count Creving will come with reinforcements. But—rushing and missing the chance to win would be foolish.)

Steadily, step by step, Julius advanced toward victory.

But against such him, Leon flashed a smile laced with irony.

“Hah… You and I are similar? —We ain’t!”

Leon sharply thrust his spear.

But Julius had completely read that move. With minimal movement, he evaded while immediately launching a counter strike.

“Guh…!”

The tip of the lance pierced Leon’s shoulder.

But without flinching from that intense pain, Leon turned to further attack.

“Oraaa!”

Leon’s spear swung down.

Julius calmly parried it, then thrust his lance into Leon’s abdomen, where a large opening had appeared.

Fresh blood danced on the battlefield.

“Gah… Hah!”

The deeply embedded strike. It pierced through Leon’s armor, deeply penetrating his abdomen. Undoubtedly a life-threatening wound.

But—even with that wound, Leon was smiling.

“Finally… gotcha.”

With the lance still pierced in his abdomen, Leon mustered his spirit and thrust his spear with all his might.

The heaviest and sharpest strike so far.

Julius tried to pull out the spear and take a defensive stance—but it wouldn’t come out.

Leon, who had reinforced his abdominal muscles with magic, was gripping the pierced spear with his own body.

“Tch…”

Reluctantly, Julius let go of the lance and tried to distance himself backward.

But Leon’s attack was faster.

“Oraaaa!!”

The thrust released by Leon—directly hit Julius’s chest.

“Guh…!”

That spear pierced the armor, deeply boring into Julius’s chest.

It had clearly pierced the heart—it was obvious to anyone’s eyes.

“Vice Grandmaster!”

Shouts rose from within the Kingdom Knights Order. The knights tried to rush to Julius—but.

“Like hell I’ll let you!”

Infantry Battalion Vice Commander Dominik led soldiers to intervene.

It was the winning chance Leon had finally grasped. He had no intention of letting it be disrupted easily.

“This is… my win.”

Leon muttered quietly.

He himself had suffered serious injuries, but Julius had a definite fatal wound.

Unless powerful healing magic was applied immediately, death was inevitable.

But what came back from Julius was a surprisingly calm voice.

“As expected. Just as predicted—huh.”

No anxiety or fear showed on his face.

And the next moment—from his body, an ominous magic power rose.

“Guh…”

Leon’s skin crawled from that overwhelming force.

It was clearly not something emitted by a human.

Having undergone Siegfried’s ‘human experiments,’ he knew. This was—the ominous magical aura possessed by those who harbored the power of the ‘Seven Great Calamities.’

“You’re probably vampirized too, right? Leon Vague. …I’m the same as you. I host the power of the necromancer Lugdura in my body.”

Julius’s eyes turned black, and from his body rose a white magic power like miasma.

“I wanted to conserve my power for when I face Count Creving if possible… but it can’t be helped.”

Julius gripped Leon’s spear that was pierced in his own chest.

With a dull cracking sound, the spear deformed as if crushing clay.

“Come, this is where… the real fight begins.”

That gaze, that presence… it was on a different level from the previous Julius.

However, Leon didn’t falter. He directed a cool gaze at Julius and declared.

“—Ain’t.”

“What?”

“There ain’t… no real fight!”

Along with that shout, Julius’s chest burst violently.

As if exploding from the inside, his body was blown away.

“…I told you, right. This is my win.”