The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 48.2

Judas, having released his magical power, moved forward.

One step at a time.

Towards Sallaman.

The people in Room 5 didn’t dare block his way.

Everyone saw it.

The spectacle of cutting a wooden sword with another wooden sword.

The fallen Zero bom lay unconscious.

Without any interference, Judas walked on.

Everyone stopped fighting and watched him.

Sallaman, frowning, drew his sword.

“You’re a nuisance.”

The fierce energy emanating from Judas.

It’s no illusion.

That’s magic.

Sallaman also drew upon his magic.

He had practiced for a long time and was now familiar with handling it.

Unlike Judas, Sallaman easily released his magic to enhance his body.

Judas vaguely noticed his change.

“He seems adept at releasing magic.”

That meant he was also skilled at handling an enhanced body.

But that wasn’t Judas’s primary concern right now.

Even if he died here, he was determined to land a blow on Sallaman.

“If you had just taken it quietly, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“…….”

“It’s your fault for escalating things. So don’t blame anyone if you get hurt. You brought this upon yourself….”

“Shut up.”

Judas cut him off.

At the same time, something flew swiftly.

Sallaman hurriedly raised his sword.

A heavy weight pressed down on his arm.

His vision was obscured by a round object.

“A shield?!”

Judas had thrown a shield.

Before he could deflect it, his vision flipped.

Judas, who had closed the distance in an instant, grabbed the shield and tripped him while pushing.

Sallaman rolled quickly after performing a breakfall.

As soon as he stood up, a sword strike came down on his head.

“When did he…!”

He hurriedly raised his sword to block it.

As he slid the sword, Judas smoothly changed his stance and thrust.

The continuity of his attacks was precise and fluid.

However, the weight and force carried by the sword were rough and violent.

Sallaman was barely managing to defend.

Internally, he was astonished.

A rookie who hasn’t even been learning the sword for half a year.

A child clearly much weaker than himself.

Yet, he’s being pushed back.

Despite being one of the top ten in the training center.

‘Don’t make me laugh…!’

Sallaman gritted his teeth.

He spotted a momentary gap in Judas’s stance.

Judas adjusted his stance, hooking his shield to his elbow and gripping his sword with both hands.

It was clear he was attempting a powerful attack.

Such movements tend to be large.

He didn’t miss that gap.

He quickly took his stance.

He struck with all his might to prevent Judas from continuing his offense.

He couldn’t just stay on the defensive.

Bang!

The two wooden swords clashed with a heavy sound.

Judas’s upper body lifted.

A perfect parry.

The next scene unfolded in Sallaman’s mind.

Taking a bold half-step forward and slashing horizontally.

Judas being helplessly struck.

He turned his imagination into reality.

The moment he took the half-step forward, his body came to a sudden halt.

As if snagged by something.

“Ugh…!”

A heavy pain surged through his abdomen.

As Judas’s upper body lifted, he extended his leg to block Sallaman.

It was a technique he learned while practicing with Gawain.

It didn’t matter if his body was lifted by the recoil.

The goal was to prevent the opponent’s approach.

The impact merely reversed the opponent’s advancing force.

The technique, honed through countless hits, worked perfectly.

Sallaman staggered, clutching his stomach.

Judas quickly stepped back and caught his breath.

“For all your show, you’re nothing special.”

Judas said, moving his neck side to side.

He hadn’t intended to provoke.

His pure impression slipped out without him realizing.

But seeing Sallaman’s expression, he decided to add a few more words.

“Were you hiding in the back to avoid exposing your lack of skill? Well, with such pathetic ability, I can see why you’d want to hide. I’d do the same if I were you.”

“…”

“But, I’m not as weak as you. Hmm.”

A clear provocation.

Yet, it was based on truth.

Sallaman gritted his teeth and glared.

He kicked the ground.

The spot where grass and soil erupted was deeply dented.

In one step, he was right in front of Judas’s nose.

He swung his sword with all his might.

Judas countered with a thrust.

The two swords crossed.

Crack!

With the sound of breaking, the wooden sword shattered.

Splinters of wood scattered into the air.

The broken sword was Judas’s.

For a brief moment, Sallaman smiled.

He had won.

He looked at Judas with eyes full of certainty in his victory.

But beyond the splintered sword, Judas was smiling.

Why?

The conclusion was simple.

‘He drew me into his range…’

It was too late when he realized.

The trajectory of his descending sword slid smoothly along Judas’s shield.

Judas had already grabbed Sallaman’s collar and sleeve end.

Instinctive fear brings back memories.

The day Gulliat was defeated.

The technique that shocked everyone, used by Judas.

‘No way…!’

Sallaman quickly tensed his body and braced himself.

He maintained his center of gravity backward.

He had no intention of falling for the same technique again.

But Judas thought the same.

He assumed his opponent wouldn’t fall for a move that had already been revealed.

Pretending to pull Sallaman by the collar, Judas instead leaned in and struck with his shoulder.

He hooked one leg behind Sallaman’s knee and pulled.

‘Inside leg trip.’

“Ugh…!”

Sallaman’s view flipped upside down.

The weight pressing on his solar plexus knocked the wind out of him.

As they fell together, Judas struck Sallaman’s face with his elbow.

Then he immediately stood up.

Judging that a pure strength fight would be disadvantageous due to the size difference.

He grabbed Sallaman’s sleeve with one hand, pinning him in place.

With the shield in his other hand, he struck down with all his might.

The target was the wrist.

Crunch!

“Aaah-!”

With a scream, Sallaman dropped his sword.

Judas immediately kicked the sword away.

Using the shield like a fist, he slammed it into Sallaman’s face.

A heavy sound echoed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sallaman struggled to get up, but it was no use.

He couldn’t break free from Judas’s grip.

It wasn’t just a matter of strength, but of technique.

Bang! Bang!

He tried to cover his face with his remaining hand.

A futile defense.

His face was crushed along with his hand.

Bang-!

“Hah, hah….”

Judas stopped, panting.

Sallaman’s face was drenched in blood.

Only his blue eyes remained clear.

His furious gaze looked up at Judas.

“Why…! Why! How can this be happening-!”

He cried out in frustration.

An unbelievable reality.

No, a reality he didn’t want to believe.

Sallaman had suspected that his opponent was no ordinary person.

But he hadn’t imagined his own defeat.

He believed he would ultimately win.

Just as his opponent wasn’t ordinary, he too wasn’t ordinary.

He believed that.

A scion of a fallen noble family.

He saw this place as a chance to rise in status.

He wasn’t just aiming to be a Escort knight.

Despite being a fallen noble, he had remarkable personal capabilities.

He had awakened his magical power at a young age.

He hoped to catch Eliza’s eye.

It didn’t matter to him that she was illegitimate.

Even among illegitimate children, there are different levels.

If she was a direct descendant of the Bevel family, she was on a different level entirely.

The destined meeting of a fallen noble and a grand noble’s illegitimate child.

He believed that she would rise to a high position and become a true noble.

As a member of one of the forces that divided the continent.

A proper noble.

The delusions he had cultivated alone turned into a belief through self-assurance.

Judas, who appeared before him, shattered that belief.

“I, I-! Before a lowly trash like you…!”

Resentful feelings spilled out uncontrollably.

But Judas didn’t allow him to continue.

“What’s the big deal?”

He brushed it off curtly and struck with his shield.

The solid side hit his jaw squarely.

Sallaman bit his tongue and shut his mouth.

“I’m not interested in your excuses.”

Whatever Sallaman’s motives were.

Whether he had a valid reason or not.

It doesn’t matter anymore.

Only the outcome remains.

Sallaman crossed the line.

He didn’t want to understand or care about his situation.

“So just shut up.”

He struck with the shield again.

Crack-!

Sallaman’s consciousness faded.

His fading mind clung to a sliver of hope.

The offer from Gaston.

At least that should still be valid.

He had done his best, after all.

Finally, he passed out.

Judas checked on him and looked around.

The area around them was shallowly sunken in a circular shape.

A part of the resonance phenomenon that occurs when magic users fight intensely.

And beyond that circle, the remaining people were visible.

They had forgotten they were still in the middle of a battle while watching the fight between the two.

As Judas’s gaze met theirs, reactions varied.

Room 13 smiled, while Room 5 was terrified.

“It’s time to wrap this up.”

He had taken down Sallaman.

But would this training end in victory?

He couldn’t be sure.

The enemy was still out there, and he didn’t know what had happened to his side’s flag.

Maybe it had been taken already.

“Pick up your weapons or surrender. Choose quickly. We don’t have time.”

Judas muttered as he took a step forward.

The cold warning made their legs tremble.

As the members of Room 5 began to drop their weapons one by one, someone approached quickly.

He was one of the knights overseeing the training.

“Everyone stop! Freeze! The training is over.”

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

His next words were unexpected by anyone there.

“I confirm that this group combat training has just ended with Room 13’s victory.”

“…”

“The white flag of Room 5 has been placed in Room 13’s flagpole. Everyone, clean up.”

“…What?”

The sharply honed magical senses quickly dissipated.

Judas blinked in disbelief and looked around.

Zero Bomb, who had fallen to him.

The white flag that should have been on his back was missing.

‘Huh?’

He then looked at the remaining members of Room 13.

He remembered all who stood with him.

Dyke and Argon, and nine others besides himself.

One was missing.

Judas quickly thought of the name.

‘…No way, was it him? When did he?!’