Chapter 24: Big Trouble

Kaplan led the soldiers pouring out through the newly opened breach. His wild momentum lifted the Winston soldiers’ morale, and they launched a desperate counterattack. Wherever his great axe swung, flesh and blood became a mangled mess. No sailor had enough strength or courage to face his blow head-on. Three, five, seven, ten—people kept jumping out to slow him down, while the rest struggled to keep their formation. Fortunately, the breach that had just been opened was small, barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through. Not many enemies actually made it onto the forward deck, so the situation didn’t completely collapse. But it was already hanging by a thread.

Fortunately, we made it to the deck in time. Kelsey regained her calm and judgment as the leader of the water bandits. Seeing that there were already enough people to block Kaplan, she immediately directed the bandits to seal the breach in the cabin, pressing the Winstons into the rear hold. The water bandits howled as they blocked the gap, using their advantage in terrain and numbers to swiftly and efficiently clear the Winston soldiers off the forward deck. Her rapier became a nightmare the Winston soldiers couldn’t dodge in time, again and again drawing bright blood from their chests. The humiliation of being rescued by the merchant sailors stung their pride and made them fight even harder. At the same time, I now realized just how cunning and destructive these dangerous men could be once they boarded someone else’s ship. They threw oil jars lit with fire toward the rear deck and into the hold. Dangerous flames spread through the Winston ranks, and from time to time a figure covered in fire would leap miserably into the water. Some even pushed out the powerful ballista on the forward deck—normally used to attack enemy ships—and fired it backward, causing massive destruction. The Winston soldiers’ battle formation was thrown into chaos once again.

But Kaplan’s presence was still a huge threat. Wherever he charged, chaos erupted. Several times he nearly broke through the blockade. Although each time more than ten opponents forced him back, every time someone was badly wounded by him.

“Clang!” Finally someone blocked Kaplan’s crazy attack head-on. It was Dakla. Kelsey had just taken over his post and secured the port-side defense. Although Dakla, with his two-handed sword against a one-handed axe, was still knocked staggering backward, he was at least the first person to take a blow from Kaplan directly. More importantly, he bought the sailors behind him enough time to organize a stronger defensive formation.

“Again!” At this critical moment, Dakla showed the spirit of a true brave man. The usually simple and honest stonemason we loved to tease now stood tall and heroic. Despite the obvious gap in strength, he still swung his sword without hesitation at this giant of brute force. This was a task only he could handle. He had to keep Kaplan’s attention, to make him cause as little damage as possible. The sword and the axe clashed in a tremendous symphony, sending out fierce sparks.

“Die!” On the third exchange, Kaplan finally swung with both hands. After an ugly sound of metal breaking, Dakla, blood at the corner of his mouth, flew backward and landed on his back.

“Big Black Pillar!” Seeing Dakla in danger, Riley, in his urgency, threw his short sword at Kaplan, then immediately grabbed Dakla and rolled with him toward me. Kaplan knocked aside the flying short sword and strode over, wanting to finish both of them off with one axe blow.

At that moment, a short sword thrust toward his face.

It was my sword.

I knew this attack held no real threat. In the eyes of this crazy, invincible warrior, even my full-strength thrust was just a weak, feeble strike. I only hoped to delay him for a moment, to buy Dakla and Riley time to escape. Dakla had bought us time. Now it was my turn to buy him time.

It wasn’t until the great axe met my sword that I understood how much pressure Dakla had been carrying. A tremendous force traveled through the short sword into my body. I felt a suffocating surge of air rush into my chest, almost crushing my lungs, almost snapping my ribs. My breath carried a salty taste. As I breathed, my mouth filled with a liquid that smelled of blood. My right arm had completely lost all feeling. It was my eyes that told me my sword had obediently flown out of my hand. In desperation, I fell backward onto my back, dodging the axe that was swinging at my chest.

I wasn’t worried at all. I knew that dodging this one strike was enough.

In the instant Kaplan swung his axe, I saw a blade light flash behind him—a black blade light!

There was nothing to worry about anymore. Fred was here. That was the only thought in my mind after I hit the ground.

The metal armor was like a piece of rough cloth in front of Ink Shadow, torn apart easily. With a roar from Kaplan, blood flowed out from the gash.

“Ah!” Kaplan cried out in pain and turned to slash at Fred. The madness after severe injury fully stirred his beast-like bloodthirsty nature. His two great axes came at Fred one after another like two whirlwinds. Everything caught in those two whirlwinds—whether flesh and blood or wood, stone, and iron—was shredded into pieces.

Fred moved through the whirlwinds, calmly dodging. In his hands, Ink Shadow fluttered like a butterfly between the two huge axes, threatening its opponent, yet never once touching them.

“Come on! Fight me like a real man, you sissy bastard! You actually dared to sneak-attack and wound me, Lord Kaplan! I will wash away my shame with your blood!” Kaplan roared as he pressed forward step by step, completely unaware that he was walking step by step under the main sail, where the mast and ropes were tangled together.

“Big idiot, being wounded by this blade is an honor for you. You mad dog—weren’t you trembling in fear inside our encirclement three months ago? The women and children you slaughtered have come to claim your life!” Fred moved across the deck with his agile body, trying his best to lead Kaplan to a place with fewer people.

When he raided Delanmaya, he was ambushed and surrounded, and nearly his entire force was wiped out. That was perhaps the greatest shame in the life of Kaplan, the man known as the “Brave General.” Now being brought up publicly by Fred like this, he was so furious that he roared again and again. Anger blinded Kaplan’s eyes, making him see and think of nothing but Fred at this moment. He followed Fred in big strides, rushing under the mast of the main sail.

Among the tangled ropes and mast wood, Kaplan’s great axes could no longer swing freely. Every move he made was restricted. Fred nimbly wove between the upright mast and the crossbeams, and Ink Shadow in his hand struck out again and again like a poisonous snake, leaving wound after wound on Kaplan’s body.

I truly began to wonder whether Kaplan carried some kind of demonic beast blood in him. Blood poured from his whole body. Especially the knife wound on his back had dyed the armor on his back red. Yet he seemed to feel no pain at all, fighting even more wildly, as if the blood inside him could never run out. If the injuries had any effect on him at all, it was without a doubt to make him even more ferocious and dangerous.

“Who are you? Who are you people?” Forced into a narrow area where he couldn’t fully use his skills, Kaplan was furious enough to go mad, slashing wildly with both axes and no technique at all. It would obviously be unwise to clash with him head-on at a time like this. Fred dodged skillfully, keeping his distance from Kaplan through layers of barriers.

“We are the Seventh Legion Infantry Special Mobile Unit of the Delanmaya Army. We’ve come to take your life.” Fred’s clear voice rang out. Although this unofficial unit name “Special Mobile Unit” made even us want to laugh, it made the still-desperately-fighting Winston soldiers’ morale sink even lower. They became more and more convinced that they had been ambushed by a fully organized regular army. That thought gave them a deep feeling of helplessness, as if they could never win.

“Seventh Legion? Impossible. You were already completely wiped out in Dragon Valley. Impossible!” Kaplan shouted wildly. “I cannot be defeated by a defeated army. This is too shameful! Attack! Kill them all! Don’t let a single one escape!” The deeply humiliated commander screamed with all his strength. Sadly, he didn’t have a single one of his own men beside him. Most of his soldiers were busy thinking about whether we might spare their lives, so they paid no attention to his order to “not let a single one escape.”

Kaplan’s eyes were bloodshot. He chased again and again, slashing at the figure Fred left on the sail. Fred moved agilely, making every slash miss. Finally, Kaplan’s right-handed great axe chopped into the crossbeam of the main sail. It sank deep into the wood, and for a moment he couldn’t pull it out.

“Thud!” Fred saw his chance. While Kaplan was stunned, he swung his blade. A red light flashed, and Kaplan’s right arm was cut cleanly off at the elbow. The severed hand was still gripping the axe handle, standing upright on the crossbeam. Blood ran along the arm onto the great axe, forming a bloody pattern on the shining blade.

Then a sudden change happened. Kaplan completely ignored that his right arm had been cut off. With his left hand, he swung his great axe at Fred’s head and chest. It was the full-power strike of this invincible brave general. The great axe came at Fred with the sound of wind and overwhelming force, so terrifying that it made people think there was no way to dodge. Fred only thought to raise his blade to block at the very last moment. Fortunately, he blocked the deadly axe edge, but he was still hit like he’d been struck by a huge iron hammer and flew backward, landing right in front of me. I saw blood on his face and on the skin between his thumbs and index fingers. He had completely passed out.

I didn’t doubt that my friend Fred could beat his opponent—but that was only against a rational person. The Kaplan in front of me now had completely left the bounds of normal humanity. He didn’t even treat his own arm as anything important. There was a dangerous light in his eyes that only beasts had. He stared hard at Fred, not seeing anyone around him at all. Unless someone blocked his line of sight, his great axe would cut that person aside—dead or wounded. A few water bandits hoped to block his path while he was injured. They were wrong. This man, completely divorced from reason, did not become weaker because of his wounds. On the contrary, he poured out his anger and brute strength on them without any hesitation, and in an instant he destroyed their lives.

Kaplan was roaring, angry at the shame of being defeated by a defeated army. He shouted again and again, “You are not the Seventh Legion!” “I cannot be defeated by you!” and kept charging at Fred without stopping.

I struggled to my feet, holding my sword crosswise in front of Fred. I knew I had no strength left to block even a light blow from this madman, let alone now, when he was determined to win and would certainly strike with full force. But I still had to block this axe. People must do what they must do at the right time. Just like Red Flame had to take Kelsey’s sword for the sake of the Winstons who surrendered, Dakla had to stop Kaplan, Riley had to save Dakla, Fred had to save me… This was the strongest part of the faith in our hearts. Maybe it had something to do with courage, maybe something to do with greatness. I didn’t know. I only knew I had to take this axe—for Fred!

Kaplan charged close. I could even see his eyes clearly. His eyes carried the madness and frenzy that appeared only when one burned through one’s life force too fiercely. If no one paid attention to him now and he kept draining his strength and blood like this, he would burn out his own life soon enough. But at this very moment, he had plenty of time—enough time to add another axe blow to Fred’s head. And I had too little time—so little that the numbness in my right hand hadn’t even gone away yet.

I saw myself in his eyes. I never knew my face could be so calm and fearless. I aimed at the incoming great axe, swung my sword to meet it. At the instant they collided, I closed my eyes…

“Clang!” I couldn’t believe it. I felt like I had knocked Kaplan’s great axe away. The terrifying force on that axe disappeared at the moment of impact. It was true. I was still alive!

I opened my eyes and saw the dying Kaplan. He was muttering to himself, “I will not be defeated by a defeated army…”

A longsword had pierced all the way through his chest from behind. This thrust finally drained away all his courage and energy. For the first and last time, his eyes were filled with fear and despair, gradually losing the light of life.

The last thing he heard was Carlson’s cold, bitter voice:

“We are the revengeful ghosts of the Seventh Legion. We send you greetings from hell.”

Kaplan stared at the sword tip sticking out of his chest, shivered, and slowly slumped down. This brutal, bloodthirsty, and invincible general finally closed his eyes forever, paying with his life for the countless lives he had killed.

Carlson looked at Fred lying on the ground, then looked at me. As if lecturing, and also as if sighing, he said, “How many times have I told you? A life is not something to gamble with. On the battlefield, nothing is more important than your own life. Sigh…”

He was blaming us, but on his face, I saw no blame at all.

At that moment, although quite a few Winston soldiers were still resisting, in truth, the battle was already over.