Episode 4: Northern Front (3)
Thanks to the nobel lady’s care, I recovered enough to move within three weeks.
Without delay, I picked up my sword. This world was a ticking time bomb, ready to collapse at any moment.
Wasting time in a daze could mean missing the end until it was too late. I had to master the use of the visible wave as quickly as possible.
I swung my sword, blindly following the wave.
Each time I did, an indescribable vibration coursed through my body.
It wasn’t just a vibration. When I swung along the wave’s path, the blade trembled, its power amplifying dramatically—nearly doubling in strength.
My sluggish sword clashed with Sir Dolfin’s, a regular knight. The sound wasn’t the dull clang of steel on steel but a clear, resonant chime.
Ping!
Sir Dolfin’s sword was the one knocked back.
He looked at me, stunned.
“Ian, what did you do with that strike?”
“I’m not sure myself. Since the Bephart battle, I’ve had some kind of realization, but I don’t fully understand what it is…”
“Your talent never ceases to amaze me.”
The sword swung along the wave amplified its power regardless of speed or strength.
I continued sparring with other knights to understand what the wave was.
With each training session, the vibration I’d felt during the Bephart fight deepened.
At first, it resonated through my muscles, then my bones, nerves, and sensory organs.
As it expanded, the wave became clearer, transitioning from a vague splatter of paint on a canvas to distinct lines.
I decided to name it “Wave.”
***
Once fully recovered, I returned to the special task force and took over as team leader.
With Crim’s death, I, the next most senior member, naturally assumed the role.
The Bephart battle had wiped out the entire special task force except me, and new members filled the vacant spots.
I felt a pang of sadness for Yulen and Crim but forced myself to shake it off.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ian. What’s your name?”
A cheerful blonde woman with a healthy tan—rare in the north—saluted me.
“I’m Rei. I’ve heard the rumors. Are you really the charming guy who’s got the duke’s daughter and the commander wrapped around your finger?”
“…?”
“Why do you look like you have no idea? Don’t tell me it’s not true?”
“I don’t know why these rumors keep spreading. For the record, no.”
“But isn’t it true the duke’s daughter visited you every day?”
Freya Nordelheim.
The nobel lady had indeed come to my bedside daily, bringing bundles of herbs. Thanks to her, I recovered quickly, but it sparked yet another rumor, separate from the fiancée nonsense.
“Well… that part’s true.”
“See? You can’t deny you’ve got them charmed.”
“…”
Leading the special task force, I hunted monsters and demonic beasts while relentlessly training in Wave.
At some point, I began focusing more on Wave than Aura. Unless you reached true Aura, Wave was far more efficient.
My efforts paid off—I could now project Wave into my weapon.
A Wave-infused sword pierced the armor of a demonic beast resembling an armored werewolf, punching a hole through its chest.
It was a destructive force impossible with Aura alone.
Only a Wave-infused strike could kill a demonic beast instantly.
Beyond the hole in its chest, I saw part of the snow-covered mountain devastated.
Rie and Nazar, my squadmates, stared at me in shock.
“Mr. Ian… what was that just now?”
“We came to assist —whoa! Do we even need to be here anymore?”
***
As I trained in Wave, I grew stronger and saw more. It wasn’t just about amplifying power anymore—I could now anticipate attacks by reading the wave, which shifted with an opponent’s thoughts and emotions. I reached a level where I could hold my own against regular knights.
“I yield.”
A training sword shattered, its fragments scattering across the training ground.
That was my eleventh victory. Using Wave to anticipate attacks and amplify power, my win rate had jumped from 20% to nearly 80%.
“How’d you do that, Ian?”
“It’s a phenomenon I call Wave. I can’t fully explain it yet, but it lets me read attacks in advance or amplify my strikes.”
“What is that, some kind of cheat?”
I developed several techniques using Wave—anticipating attacks and infusing weapons with it.
I collectively named them “Wave Techniques.”
Once I reached a certain mastery, I decided to teach them to my squadmates. If I could pass on Wave Techniques, they could replace Aura Technique.
Teaching Wave Techniques was a struggle from the start.
Rie, Nazar, and the others couldn’t even sense the Wave, let alone use it.
Even I had awakened it by chance, so I didn’t know how to teach them to feel it.
“Come on, paint splatters or lines? There’s no way we’d see that. Didn’t you say you only saw it when you were on the brink of death?”
“I-I can’t see it either.”
If I couldn’t pass it on, Wave Techniques would remain mine alone.
But that wouldn’t do. This wasn’t my fight alone—it was a war we all had to face together.
As I grappled with this, time passed, and the second great demonic beast subjugation began.
***
Lycoris Radiata.
This great demonic beast, which began appearing six years ago, was unlike others that hid their faces behind helmets—it revealed its face openly. With a visage stained by agony, it swept through the front lines.
This subjugation was structured around surrounding Radiata with troops and deploying elite forces.
The plan was to trap Radiata, preventing its escape, and take it down with a small, specialized team.
Eight of us, including Irena and me, formed the elite force. Since Radiata could regenerate by absorbing the blood of its victims, a small, precise team was necessary.
“Encirclement complete…!!”
Irena planted a massive imperial flag and shouted,
“Commence the subjugation!!”
At her signal, the eight of us, hidden among the encircling troops, charged toward Radiata.
We dodged its sweeping blood-thorns and spikes, breaking through its coagulated blood-iron armor.
Only six of us reached striking distance—Senric Veilhart and Rowenfall died breaching its defenses.
The six of us attacked Radiata from all sides with our weapons: frost spear, heavy hammer, double-edged axe, short spear, sword, and great scythe.
Veterans of countless battles, we had trained together before the subjugation, and our coordination shone.
We parried attacks, created openings, and took turns striking.
Radiata, adept at multi-opponent combat, clashed with us for dozens of exchanges.
Then, Lunet Carewin, wielding the heavy hammer, lost his head.
Ignoring his collapsing body, a great scythe sliced through a gap in Radiata’s shoulder armor.
For a moment, its right arm faltered. Seizing the chance, a frost spear and my steel sword pierced its armor, tearing into the flesh beneath.
“Kill it!!”
“Galvard!!”
As Galvard’s double-edged axe swung to decapitate Radiata—
Thud!!
Galvard’s headless body crashed to the ground, killed instantly without a scream. A half-transparent great beast emerged, trampling his corpse.
“What the hell is that—!!”
“Damn it…!”
Screams echoed from the encircling troops.
Another great demonic beast, leading a horde of monsters, launched an assault on the front.
Radiata absorbed the blood of Carewin and Galvard, regenerating.
Irena bit her lip and glanced back. I stepped in front of her, gripping my sword and taking a stance.
“…Commander, go help the others. I’ll handle this.”
Her eyes flickered with unease, heavy with the guilt of potentially letting more comrades die. I gave her a faint smile and added,
“It’s fine. I’ll survive.”
It was comfort—for her and for myself.
Irena muttered softly,
“…I’m counting on you.”
No reply came. As Irena rushed to aid the other soldiers, I charged at the two great beasts.
Unlike the Bephart battle, where I survived alone to buy time, this time was different. I wouldn’t just stall—I’d take them down.