How a Second Life Knight Lives

10. I, Rampage.

Bram thrust his shield forward and threw himself at the guard who was checking him. Then, using the staggering guard as a shield, he thrust his giant sword forward like a spear. As soon as he felt the familiar sensation in his hand, he retrieved his sword and swung it wide.

Two guards lost their lives in an instant.

It was the moment when a big hole was made in the formation of the guards blocking the path in front of Bram. And the formation of the guards shook greatly around that hole. It was because of Bram’s subordinates, who were pushing with their bodies and engaging in a brawl.

The guards of a commercial city are basically close to the police.

They catch thieves, maintain order, and manage hooligans. They are always used to dealing with criminals with overwhelming force. They do not fight to the death with the enemy, but rather intimidate or use limited violence.

And in unexpected cases, knights step in.

So when a war breaks out, the city hires additional mercenaries. Because soldiers, not police, are needed in war.

But what was happening here was not a hooligan cleanup, but close to a battle. No, it was not an exaggeration to say it was a small-scale skirmish that often occurs in war. It was not just about getting injured, but about possibly dying.

It became clear that they could not overwhelm the opponent with overwhelming force as they initially thought.

Everyone witnessed that the opponent had the power to resist to the death, and even to face knights, so it was natural to be cautious.

The mercenaries mobilized by the merchants were already scared, and even the city’s guards were hesitant.

In such a situation, Bram and his men charged.

A melee between opposing groups is akin to a test of strength.

They push and are pushed with shields in between.

In between, they stab with swords and spears, and those who fall are trampled or pulled back.

This goes on for quite some time until the side that is overpowered by strength, momentum, or numbers collapses.

That’s the basic pattern.

However, Bram’s strike dealt a significant blow to the formation of the guards. It was as powerful as a knight’s mounted charge.

As a result, the front row holding the shields was thrown into disarray, and a melee ensued. It became a fight where the side with better skills, better equipment, and more guts would win.

Ignoring their injuries, the frenzied group of Mil Yomsang overwhelmed the bewildered guards.

“Damn! What’s happening all of a sudden?”

“Let me assist you, Sir Hugo.”

“Embarrassing as it is, I ask for your help.”

Hugo drove his horse towards the scene that had turned into chaos in an instant. He saw other guards and knights who had been surrounding the building moving, but he was uneasy.

If left unattended, it wouldn’t be surprising if any part of the defense was breached at any moment.

The guards blocking other paths had to rush in and surround the Mil Yomsang bastards and crush them until they were subdued.

Especially that wrinkled guy swinging the big sword.

*

I followed Hugo towards the enemies.

I regretted my equipment.

If I had known this would happen, I would have brought a battle hammer or a throwing axe. But in a melee, anything can become a weapon, so I thought I could manage somehow.

I drew the short sword I always carried.

Just under 1 meter in length.

Long enough to kill a person with a stab.

The enemy was in front of me.

It was a battle involving only a few dozen people, but the atmosphere was intense.

There were still those who were pushing against each other with shields, and those who were exchanging fierce sword strikes.

However, there were also quite a few who were cautiously holding back. Most of those holding back were guards. That was why the Mil Yomsang, despite their relatively small numbers, could fight on equal terms.

I gently pushed aside the obstructing guards and moved forward. When I encountered a Mil Yomsang, I stabbed them with my sword and moved on.

It was so natural and without tension that even those who were stabbed only realized they had been attacked when they felt the pain.

Of course, further combat was impossible.

They say that when you become one with nature, birds perch on your head and wild animals fall asleep on your knees. This happens because they perceive you as a rock or tree, not as a human.

A similar thing happened briefly in the midst of battle.

In a place filled with excitement and fear, where everyone is exerting their strength to the fullest and clashing with their lives on the line, a presence walking quietly with its existence suppressed was no different from a ghost.

Those who were stabbed in the back, side, and neck fell to the ground. The chaos of the melee was quickly resolved.

The air on the battlefield trembled.

*

Christopher was catching his breath, planning to strike the knight facing Bram. The skill of a knight patrolling from the guard was obvious, so he expected a gap to appear once the two clashed.

Then, with a single blow, he could take down another knight.

But suddenly, something disturbed his senses.

He quickly looked around.

They weren’t surrounded yet, reinforcements were on the way, and Bram’s men were still fighting hard. What is it? Something’s strange.

Ah! The numbers, the noise has decreased!

Christopher noticed that while Bram’s men were still fighting like demons, their numbers had significantly decreased in a short time. His surroundings were still the same, but many of those on the left were no longer standing.

What is it? What is it?

Desperately searching for the cause, Christopher saw one of Bram’s men fall.

A man in plain clothes, not a guard, passed by and naturally retrieved the knife he had stabbed, moving smoothly again. If he hadn’t seen Bram’s man fall, he might not have noticed him at all.

Christopher gripped his war hammer tightly.

If he left that alone, they would all die.

Even if reinforcements arrived, he had a bad feeling that escape would be impossible, so he rushed out without looking back.

*

As expected, Christopher.

He was a perceptive one.

Without that level of awareness, one would die instantly in the forest.

There are ambush spots everywhere.

I gauged the distance as Christopher charged at me. He liked to deliver a single blow, so I would treat him with one.

Although we had played hide and seek in the forest for a few days, there was no grudge.

We had both done our best from our perspectives, so I had no particular complaints.

But I couldn’t just let him go. It was something that hadn’t happened yet and wouldn’t happen in the future, but I still had a sense of loyalty to those I had shared meals with.

Unlike Bram, who was struggling over there, he wasn’t a customer who had paid money.

Christopher charged at an incredible speed like a wild boar, swinging his war hammer with terrifying force.

It was an attack that made you feel like you would be shattered if you got hit. It was an attack that made you instinctively dodge out of fear, knowing that no human could possibly block it.

Bang!

A sound that seemed to be dozens of times louder than a blacksmith’s hammer striking an anvil echoed through the battlefield.

“Ugh!”

Christopher, who swung the battle hammer, groaned instead. The impact on his hand gripping the hammer’s handle was enough to momentarily paralyze it.

I blocked the battle hammer with a short sword. If I had tried to block it normally, both my sword and my bones would have been shattered by that ridiculously large battle hammer, so I supported the blade with my palm to absorb the impact of the hammerhead’s strike.

Of course, the sword was shattered. In a normal situation, my hand would have been shattered too, but my palm was intact. Instead, I grabbed the handle of the battle hammer and pulled.

It was light.

Gripping strength? It was nothing.

I was definitely much stronger.

Even though his hand was momentarily paralyzed from the impact, Christopher was absurdly easily disarmed.

What kind of strength is this!

That was Christopher’s last thought.

As soon as I snatched Christopher’s battle hammer, I swung it and struck Christopher’s head.

Even though he was wearing a helmet, it was useless. The helmet bent in the shape of the hammer, and Christopher’s head ended up in a similar state. Christopher sprawled on the ground like those who had been pierced by my sword before.

It was then.

Only then did the rescuers Bram had been waiting for arrive.

The crew of the ship Bram operated noticed that Bram was in a dangerous situation and rushed to rescue him.

They were somewhere between merchants, sailors, and pirates, no different from Bram’s subordinates who were trying to escape.

They were violent and rough people.

I moved towards the path they were coming from.

I liked the feel of the stolen battle hammer in my hand, so I was ready to warmly welcome those who stood in my way.

I bared my teeth and smiled at the newcomers.

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

The sailors, who saw the signal for help from Bram’s comrades, ran like mad. And as soon as they reached the vicinity of Bram’s building, they witnessed their comrades being driven by guards several times their number.

They were still holding on, but no one could guarantee how much longer they would last.

That only fueled the sailors’ anger.

They whistled and shouted, boosting their fierce momentum. Anyone standing in their way would have no choice but to shrink back.

But I stood calmly in their way.

In the middle of a path wide enough for four or five people to pass comfortably, I was ready to smash the enemy with their own weapon.

The feeling that it could be done uplifted me.

There was no anxiety.

The battle hammer in my hand was aimed at the enemy.

And then it spun.

That huge battle hammer, that heavy battle hammer, swung as if it had no weight at all.

The sound of tearing through the air echoed sharply from the hammerhead.

It smashed everything in its path, drawing a large circle.

It was more like a disaster.

Sailors do not wear armor.

Even when hand-to-hand combat breaks out on the ship, they often fight without wearing armor.

It’s not that they don’t know that wearing armor can protect their bodies.

They don’t wear armor because if they fall into the sea with it on, they will drown, with very few exceptions.

And it became a habit for the sailors.

And it became a disaster.

No, perhaps it wouldn’t have made much difference even if they had worn armor.

Under the violence of this monstrous battle hammer, everything would have been smashed equally.