Turning-Chapter 843

It must have been the same for Kishiar. Despite the gloves, the heat radiating through the thin leather from Kishiar’s nape was unmistakable.

Everything around them was chaos and illusion, but the warmth of their contact alone felt real.

Yuder steadied his breath and spoke toward those red eyes.

“Do you... remember the experience in the arena?”

“There’s nothing we shared that I’ve forgotten.”

“...I think this might help me recover, in the same way that did. I can’t do much more right now, but please hold on.”

Mumbling the words like chewing them, he finally stepped back. Kishiar, who had been staring blankly at him, suddenly burst into a laugh.

“I thought you did it just because you wanted to... but that’s a good reason. If Gakein or the others ask, I’ll tell them that.”

“It is also true that I wanted to.”

Yuder admitted bluntly, and Kishiar’s smile abruptly vanished.

The man, uncharacteristically covering his mouth and falling silent as if unsure what to say, finally let out a long sigh and murmured.

“...I hope that didn’t affect your strength.”

“It doesn’t matter. If something like this weakens me, then let it.”

If that’s all his power was worth, he didn’t need it.

He had done it because he wanted to. He would take responsibility for whatever came of it.

Still watching the darkness that might be watching him back, Yuder spoke again.

“I don’t know what power you used on me, Commander, but I’ll make sure it isn’t wasted.”

“It protects both body and mind. Even without me near, you’ll be able to fight like normal for a while.”

“I see. Understood.”

Yuder drew his sword and turned his back to Kishiar.

“You’ll know the signal without me saying it. I’ll see you again soon.”

The eyes they met for the last time softened.

Yuder burned the image into his mind and launched himself in the direction of the violently trembling shadow around his wrist. The moment he left the protection of Kishiar’s power, his body instantly grew heavy, as if soaked in water.

—Uuuuuu...!

‘Here.’

Following the guiding sense and his own ingrained experience, Yuder cut through the darkness with his blade.

—Kang!

The sword met resistance with a sharp metallic clash.

A golden vision, drawn out by the power he’d summoned, pierced the darkness and revealed what had been hidden within.

A vague but solid human figure. A knight with a sword.

He was someone Yuder—or rather, Yudrain—had known.

‘...The one they called the Frost Knight.’

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The Frost Knight. A Swordmaster from a small northern country. In his past life, he was the first case of a Swordmaster-level fighter becoming an Awakener, which earned him enormous attention. Only a few people matched his fame—like the King of Ezein, a ruler with six stars and a shield-bearing guardian of the Wall, and Yuder himself, considered the greatest Awakener in the world.

While no one dared challenge the King of Ezein for political reasons, a mere knight was another story.

The Orr Empire, which had founded the first Awakener organization—the Cavalry—wanted to know if this new powerhouse might rival their own prestige. Naturally, Yuder was sent to find out.

Under the guise of friendly relations, the Emperor of Kachian pressured the knight’s country into sending him over, prompting a match between him and Yuder.

Though it was a grueling battle, Yuder won in the end. He’d fought without holding back against one of the greatest enemies he’d ever faced, so the cost was natural.

But the Frost Knight’s homeland lost much as a result. Though Yudrain’s strength was well-known, Yuder gained nothing personally. Later, it was revealed that one of the Emperor’s men had secretly poisoned the Frost Knight’s aide before the match—further sullying Yuder’s name with accusations of being a dog who’d stoop to anything.

Before the match, the Frost Knight had shown Yuder some warmth, saying he’d heard much about the Cavalry Commander. But afterward, he spat at Yuder’s feet and left.

—You’re a dog who knows neither honor nor pride. Who would mourn losing to a dog?

Yeah. That’s what he said...

Later, when Yuder began investigating the world’s impending ruin, he tried to contact the Frost Knight again—but the man wouldn’t even take the call. It was a predictable end. There were a few others like him. Nothing special.

‘Anyway... the point is, the Frost Knight in front of me is clearly an illusion drawn from my memory.’

But something about this one was different.

The clash of blades had felt too real, and the way the knight blocked Yuder’s strike seemed entirely genuine. And most of all...

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Yuder’s gaze shifted from the Frost Knight’s face, locked in combat with him, to the shadowy figure standing behind him.

A man dangled within a swirling, distorted energy. Limbs twisted, eyes vacant. The surge of madness had left his face unrecognizable—but the burn scar on one side was unmistakable.

“Naham.”

“...”

Naham didn’t respond. But Yuder could feel it clearly—he was being targeted. The sensation of massive hostility and killing intent made the hairs on his neck stand up.

At the same time, the Frost Knight illusion shuddered violently in response.

That gave Yuder all the information he needed.

‘As I thought, this is an illusion of the strongest enemy I remember.’

If he were to name the most powerful person he’d ever met, it would undoubtedly be Kishiar. But since they’d never truly fought, the one summoned instead was this man.

The Frost Knight had been the most difficult opponent Yudrain Aile ever faced in battle—excluding monsters.

A near-physical illusion, fully realized.

If not for Naham’s rampage, Yuder wouldn’t have imagined such a thing could exist. The power was tremendous.

But Yuder wasn’t afraid. He had suspected Naham might resort to something like this.

“So you’ve no combat ability left °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° and decided to throw tricks like this instead. Fine. You think I can’t cut through it?”

He’d already beaten this man once. No reason he couldn’t do it again.

Yuder calmly lowered his sword and began facing the Frost Knight, who lunged at him first.

In an instant, the sound of blades clashing echoed through the darkness. With each strike, icy shards flared from the Frost Knight’s blade, brushing Yuder’s sword.

Attacks formed through transparent ice channeled via the sword. That was the Awakener ability that earned the Frost Knight his title.