The Nature of Possession

380 – EP.13 99th End

***

The direction of the cavalry that was charging forward with the momentum of a charge changed.

The soldiers, bracing themselves for the impact, moved into position, following the cavalry visible between their shields.

Clad in heavy armor, they breathed heavily and raised their shields again.

Sweat was dripping down from inside the helmet, but no soldier wiped it away.

This was because an arrow hit the forehead of a soldier who had just taken off his helmet to wipe off the sweat.

WHEEK- BAM! A creepy sound of cutting through the air rang out, and at the same time, my colleague standing next to me fell backwards.

“One guy.”

Agnes muttered as she fired her longbow while riding her horse.

The imperial archers also returned fire, but the cavalrymen who had already drawn their shields blocked them as if they were nothing.

Sword, shield, bow.

Even while freely changing between various weapons, the horse’s speed did not decrease.

“4th Cavalry….”

A look of fear appeared on the face of one of the officers in command of the archers.

He turned his gaze toward the command post. There was no order to stop returning fire, so he continued to harass the archers.

“Shoot, shoot! Hit at least one of them!”

As I shouted at the soldiers who were hurriedly holding up the demonstration, another sound was heard tearing through the air.

WHEEK – BAM!

When an arrow flew past the shield bearer and pierced the archer’s neck, the soldier fell down with a scream of blood boiling.

“Two guys.”

“Agnes, are you doing well today?”

Johan, who had been running in the lead, slowed down and followed Agnes’ side.

“I’m the best at shooting a bow, right?”

Agnes said with a sly smile.

“Hey, you punk. Don’t fall in love with this guy’s skills.”

John, revealing his teeth, took out his longbow.

He put an arrow on the bow and pulled the string with all his might.

And as he let go of the string, the arrow flew out with a terrible sound.

An arrow slipped through the gap between the shields and struck one shield bearer in the neck.

Thud, as the thickly armored shield bearers fell to the ground, they began to regroup and clear away their fallen comrades.

“how is it?”

“Just like that?”

“You’re in love but you’re pretending not to be.”

When John winked, Agnes pretended to vomit.

Imperial arrows rained down on their thumping heads.

– Empty

“Focus on the battle.”

Dorian, a large man who had blocked the arrows with his shield, blurted out a word and struck out.

Johan and Agnes, who were watching the large back receding, silently hung their arrows on the bow.

Every time the cavalrymen fire their arrows, Imperial soldiers fall.

However, the number did not seem to decrease significantly.

***

“What about the damage?”

As Anna stood next to him, the cavalry captain asked.

“None. However, we are almost out of arrows.”

“It seems we must approach. Let’s keep some distance for a moment.”

“All right.”

As Anna blew her whistle, the cavalry slowly moved away from the imperial army.

The cavalry captain looked at the imperial formation. Although the men had done their best to inflict damage, it felt like they were scraping a huge rock with a chisel.

‘You can leave traces, but you can’t destroy them.’

The cavalry captain clicked his tongue as he confirmed with his own eyes what he already knew.

“Hey, it’s hard. If you shake it this much, it usually falls off.”

Even the sweaty John stuck out his tongue.

“I guess there’s a capable commander over there too.”

The cavalry captain recalled the faces of the officers he had seen when he entered the barracks for the Emperor’s tea time.

“What should we do now?”

“Charge to the right.”

The cavalry captain pointed to the wall that seemed the thinnest, the side that was receiving the most attention from the men’s attacks.

As soon as he pulled the reins, the horses moved and the cavalrymen lined up.

“Hey!”

At the commander’s shout, the cavalry began to gallop.

The subtle slope picked up speed. The wind whistled past my ears.

When the speed was so fast that even the skilled cavalrymen could not easily turn, an ominous sound was heard.

Fighting-

Gilbert, who was running halfway, raised his head at the sound of something heavy bouncing.

Something like a pillar of a building was flying towards them.

Gilbert, who had figured out its true identity, shouted with eyes as bright as lanterns.

“Damage! Valis–“

Boom! The dirt on the ground flew up with a sound.

“Fuck, Gilbert!”

The sight of Gilbert’s torso pierced by his horse and the rest of the men were momentarily shaken, but another huge column flew towards the rear of the cavalry.

bang!

“Captain, ballista in the rear.”

Anna turned around at the loud noise and quickly relayed the situation.

“It’s too late to turn around. Let’s increase our speed.”

“All right.”

A huge volley of arrows fired by the ballista begins to fall upon the cavalry.

They were effective in halting the charge of fast-moving cavalry, firing indiscriminately without any aim for accuracy.

But the cavalry’s will was not broken.

“Ugh!”

The cavalry captain’s horse stretched forward, crushing the shield bearer’s body.

The soldier who screamed in pain from the massive impact died immediately, and was hit by the horse and rolled over several more times.

The charge of the cavalry, shaped like arrowheads, was enough to shatter the imperial formation.

The cavalry that entered from the east came out from the south.

The cavalrymen in their blood-stained armor gasped for breath, and behind them, tattered Imperial troops fell to the ground, flinching.

“Go back in.”

The cavalry captain rode his horse to rescue the rearguard who had not yet escaped.

“Brace yourself for impact… Kkaaak!!”

The Imperial officer’s voice was heard, and Anna shot her last remaining arrow, piercing its eye.

Even though they trampled on them with words and beheaded dozens with cold weapons, the number of imperial troops did not decrease.

***

“Can you see it?”

The Emperor spoke as he looked at the cavalry wielding their swords, surrounded by soldiers.

“That was the sight. That sight was beautiful. His face, dripping blood and sweat and gritting his teeth, was so beautiful. I wanted it.”

The emperor, filled with joy, rose from his seat.

The wine glass he was holding broke, injuring the Emperor’s hand.

“Your Majesty, the wound on your hand…”

The royal physician rushed over and began to bandage the emperor’s hand.

Regardless, the Emperor’s eyes were turned to the cavalry captain in the distance.

“Ahhh – how beautiful. That sight that captivated me.”

The emperor smiled broadly as he looked at the wounded beast.

“Your Majesty, if we delay any longer, the cavalry captain’s injuries will worsen.”

As the Knight Commander spoke cautiously, the Emperor nodded as if he understood.

“Yes, the cavalry captain must have realized now. That further resistance is pointless.”

***

The soldiers fall one by one.

Agnes, who was playing the lute and laughing, fell from her horse after being hit by an arrow shot by Ballista, breaking her neck.

Dorian, a large man, was turned into a hedgehog by an arrow, and while swinging his mace, he was struck in the heart by a spear and fell from his horse.

The group members who had been laughing and chatting at the campsite gradually became silent.

One, two, three.

They, who were sitting proudly on their horses, fell to the ground like fallen leaves.

There was no fear in their eyes, which had not yet been detected.

“Hey, you all lack grit. I guess you lacked training.”

Even in this situation, Johan, who had been joking, looked at his empty left arm.

“Are you okay?”

When Anna asked absentmindedly, John revealed his teeth.

“Let’s say it was given to a new era.”

The imperial army presses them with spears.

“You two will be back in a bit, right? I’ll go first?”

John jumps down from his horse and swings his sword with his remaining arm. Several of his men follow him.

And soon after, he gets impaled on a window and falls down.

The cavalry captain did not cry.

Anna didn’t cry.

“Captain. We’re the only ones left.”

As the siege slowly tightened, I noticed soldiers carrying nets coming from behind.

“Emperor, that crazy b*tch is amazing. She tried to capture her somehow… For some reason, the ballista only shot backwards.”

Now I could understand why the Imperial Army had been strangely reluctant to attack me and my captain.

“Anna Irwena.”

The cavalry captain said.

“yes.”

“I will take the lead.”

The cavalry captain jumped down from his horse.

“I will follow you.”

Anna also dismounted from her horse and took up her sword with both hands.

Huffed, the cavalry captain took a deep breath and threw his sword forward.

The cavalry captain’s sword flew around and split the soldier’s head in half, helmet included.

The cavalry captain’s fist sank into the soldier’s jaw, sending him flying into the air with a bone-crunching sound.

“What, what is it?”

While the soldiers were shaken by the sudden attack, the cavalry captain knocked the four to the ground.

After that, Anna moved quickly and confirmed the kill with her sword.

“What are you doing? Throw the net!”

Nets were thrown from all sides, but they were out of sync and could not catch the two.

The cavalry captain and Anna advanced, killing the soldiers.

The soldiers were helpless at the sight of the incredible force and the Emperor’s order to capture them alive.

However, that did not mean that the cavalry captain and Anna were safe.

Their bodies were slowly inflicting injuries as the soldiers, gripped by fear, swung their swords indiscriminately.

Anna suddenly felt dizzy and her vision went black.

I lost so much blood.

She gritted her teeth and followed the captain’s back.

“I will definitely go later than the captain.”

***

The final struggle of the cavalry captain and Anna, who had been breaking through the encirclement like a hot knife through butter, stopped in front of the emperor.

The injuries they had accumulated were too great for them to move their bodies by will alone.

“You look quite unsightly, Captain.”

The emperor said with a look of regret.

The cavalry captain nodded as if agreeing with those words.

“You realize now, don’t you? You can’t win. You confidently declared victory, but look at the situation now. Who is the winner?”

The cavalry captain answered with silence.

“Now that the conclusion has been reached, be mine as promised. I will take care of your body with the best doctors and give you the most precious clothes.”

The emperor laughed.

“your majesty.”

The cavalry captain opened his mouth.

“huh?”

“I have not yet admitted defeat, and my declaration of victory still stands.”

“Hoo… Are you saying there are hidden numbers? You’re not talking about a special force that was set aside separately, are you?”

“Your Majesty, what is the reason for starting this war?”

The cavalry captain asked.

“To have you. If not for you, why would I have brought my army all the way to Gernoa?”

The emperor answered, as if asking an obvious question.

“Yes, Your Majesty started a war to have me.”

The emperor narrowed his eyes.

“Your Majesty has won the battle, but you will not win the war.”

“…What are you talking about now?”

“Anna Irwena.”

“yes.”

When the cavalry captain called Anna, Anna, who had been catching her breath next to him, cut off the cavalry captain’s head with her sword.

Before the cavalry captain’s head, which had fallen cleanly, could even hit the ground, Anna Irwena pointed the tip of her sword at my neck and said.

“You’re a loser, you fucking b*tch.”

Anna’s hand, which was holding the hilt of the knife, moved towards her neck.

“No… No!!!!”

What I saw through my closing eyes was the pale emperor running towards me, out of breath.

Anna Irwena closed her eyes with a satisfied smile.

It was to meet colleagues who were waiting at the shelter.

***

The man limped and opened the door to the cabin.

The cabin was located in a forest with few people.

He held the hard bread in his arms, grabbed it with trembling hands, and tore at it desperately.

“Ugh… ugh….”

Sounds that could not even form a sentence escaped his mouth.

Wheein-

When he heard the wind blowing outside, he jumped with a start and shivered.

Squeak- squeak-

An ominous sound was heard.

Squeak- squeak-

The sound of the rotten stairs grew louder and louder.

“Who, who are you…?”

A man with a sunken face trembled and shouted outside.

Squeak- squeak- thump- thump-

I felt a presence outside the door.

And. Woojikkeun.

Something black ripped the door apart.

“Eek!”

The man curled up as tightly as he could against the wall.

The cold air from outside came in and froze his body.

“Judas Schiller. Is that right?”

A calm voice. It was a woman’s.

Judas opened his eyes cautiously.

A woman in unfamiliar attire stood before him.

“Judas Schiller. Is that right?”

The woman asked again, pressing her temple.

“Right, right. Who the hell are you?”

Judah nodded under the pressure.

“You came to the right place… It was hard to find because it was so well hidden.”

“How did you get here… Seriously!”

Judah pressed himself against the wall again.

He swung his trembling hand at the woman.

“Ah, the Emperor’s assassin…? He killed everyone associated with the cavalry?”

“You know very well. Then you also know why I came here?”

“S-save me. I, I just wanted to live. That’s why I handed over the information. They said they’d kill all of the members except the captain, so how could I not hand over the information? S-think about it logically.”

“Is that so? And yet, all your former colleagues chose death.”

When the woman asked with an innocent face, Judah had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

“What’s your business! People are trying to live! Are you saying that trying to live is wrong? Who are you! What on earth are you that makes you do this!!”

Then he suddenly got angry.

The woman repeatedly pressed her temples with her fingers, as if she was uncomfortable with the screams that were spitting out blood.

And then he snapped his fingers.

Exactly!

With a cheerful sound, her shadow grew larger and larger.

And the shadow opened its eyes.

“Eek!”

Judas, who had been shouting at the appearance of the monster, screamed.

“Have you finished what you wanted to say?”

“You, what the hell are you!!!”

Judah cried out as he struggled to shake off the approaching shadow, and those were to be his last words.

As the shadows rippled and swallowed the traitor’s corpse, a graceful woman muttered.

“I don’t know who I am anymore.”