I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 83: Knights of the Round Table (2)

Balakai recognized the presence of the arrow rushing toward him.

Even within the seal of the Sword of Binding, he forcibly extended his hand to block the arrow but it was futile.

Tristan’s chivalry was an absolute piercing strike that penetrated everything in its trajectory.

It wasn’t simply because the arrow was strong.

It was because Tristan’s idea of “absolute penetration” was imbued within the arrow.

The violet aura that Balakai urgently extended was instantly split apart.

The arrow pierced through the palm of his outstretched hand and went straight into his chest.

“Graaaagh!”

The divine power of the Goddess of the Lake overwhelmed the strength of the Forgotten Rat God in an instant.

As the violet aura faded, Balakai’s bare body was revealed, and the golden seal of the Sword of Binding tightened around him even more.

And then, another shot.

The second sacred arrow, released from Vanadain’s bowstring, pierced the wailing Balakai’s chest—his heart.

“Ugh…kuh…”

This time, he couldn’t even scream.

Balakai coughed up dark crimson blood, and the power of the Forgotten Rat God that had enveloped his entire body disappeared.

The violet-stained sky cleared once more.

Balakai, stripped of his incarnation status, lost the magical limbs he had formed and collapsed helplessly.

Yoo Seong looked at the fallen Balakai.

Even though the power of the Sword of Binding that restrained him had disappeared, it didn’t matter.

Balakai no longer had the strength to fight.

“The Knight of the Round Table…”

Balakai spoke in a lifeless voice.

He understood.

The elf mixed with human blood was an incomplete Knight of the Round Table.

Surely, the true Knights of the Round Table that the aged and weary Rat Lord feared would be far stronger.

Yet, even so, a Knight of the Round Table.

He had seen a fragment.

Only now did he truly realize why King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table could defeat all the other races and ultimately usher in the age of humanity.

Cracks began to form all over Balakai’s body.

From his fingertips and toes, his form started to crumble.

“The King of Humans.”

Balakai looked at Yoo Seong.

With a faint smile, he spoke.

“The kings will come.”

The seven kings beyond the barrier.

To claim the fire of civilization.

To take away the warmth of the fire you monopolized.

It wasn’t mockery, nor was it advice, it was merely a small gesture of respect for the victor.

A minor warning to the King of Humans, who knew nothing of the world beyond the barrier, just as those beyond the barrier knew nothing of the world within.

Balakai turned toward the direction of the human fire.

And then, he realized.

It was thanks to the memories of the Forgotten Rat God he had momentarily acquired while holding the status of an incarnation.

“So, that’s it… ‘the fire of humanity’…”

That was as far as it went.

The light in Balakai’s eyes faded as his massive body crumbled completely into ash and disappeared.

“Uwaaahhh!”

“Oooooh!”

Thunderous cheers erupted from the walls.

Balakai’s presence as an incarnation had disrupted the entire flow of the battlefield, causing both humans and ratmen to stop fighting and watch the battle with him instead.

“Oh, my! Oh, my!”

“I knew it would happen!”

Baron Robert and Baron Laval, clad in ill-fitting armor, leapt and cheered atop the walls, while Baron Anjou, Robin, Edgar, and Ruan, their swords and armor soaked with blood from the fierce battle on the walls, wore smiles of relief.

“Haaah…”

Jillian, who had been stationed at the battlements just above the gate, slumped down, letting out a long sigh before collapsing entirely.

She had no energy left even to sit upright, let alone stand, due to the release of her tension.

They had won.

Victory was theirs.

They had defeated the Rat Lord who had overtaken Legion.

Rene helped support Vanadain, who had returned to being a Knight of Camelot after the effect of the Round Table Oath ended, with a bright smile.

“You were so amazing, do you know that?”

The Knight of the Round Table, Tristan.

The sight of the divine archer drawing his bowstring was nothing short of a scene from a myth.

Vanadain also smiled at Rene’s grin but only for a moment.

He gently pushed Rene, who was half-holding him up, away and spoke.

“Go to the King. No, you must go.”

“Aw, you don’t have to push yourself. You can come too…”

That was as far as she got.

Rene, who had been speaking with a smile, suddenly fell silent.

She realized why Vanadain, with a suddenly grim expression, had repeated the same words.

They had defeated Balakai.

They had vanquished the Rat Lord but the battle wasn’t over.

There were still countless ratmen remaining on the battlefield.

When the Kobold Prince had died, the kobolds had scattered.

When the necromancer had been defeated, the army of corpses had crumbled but not the ratmen.

Even with the death of the Rat Lord, many Red-Eyes and Black-Eyes still remained on the battlefield.

Rene reflexively turned to look where Yoo Seong stood.

Beside Yoo Seong, who was standing with his eyes closed, catching his breath, was only Kate, who was using her banner as a crutch to stand.

There were no soldiers or forces to protect them.

“Kill! Kill him! Take the castle!”

The ratmen launched another offensive.

While the Blue-Eyes and ordinary ratmen cowered in fear at Balakai’s death, the Red-Eyes and Black-Eyes did not.

They coldly assessed the situation.

Though Balakai had died, the human king and knights who defeated him were also far from normal.

Most of the knights were incapacitated, and the divine archer could barely stand, leaning on a female mage for support.

The human king and his knights were exhausted.

They could no longer display the divine majesty they had shown in defeating Balakai.

Balakai’s death didn’t mean the collapse of the army.

Their side still had twice as many troops as the humans.

The momentum that had shifted with Balakai’s death could return to them if they managed to kill the human king.

Smiles spread across the faces of the Red-Eyes.

The eyes of the Black-Eyes gleamed with determination.

They could win.

Victory would ultimately be theirs!

“Charge! Charge! Take the humans’ castle!”

The ratmen swarmed toward the walls.

Belatedly realizing the situation, the Blue-Eyes screamed and unleashed a barrage of magic, while the humans, caught in the euphoria of victory, hurriedly resumed their battle.

And in the rear, the ratmen charged toward Yoo Seong and the knights.

At the forefront was the Black-Eye, Jarakal.

His eyes glimmered with ambition.

He would slay the human king and knights who defeated Balakai.

He would claim the human king’s head himself.

It wasn’t impossible.

It was entirely achievable.

And if he accomplished it, becoming the new Rat Lord would no longer be a mere dream.

“Rene!”

Rene, who had mounted her horse again, galloped swiftly.

Vanadain, having exhausted his strength, returned to Yoo Seong Castle as light, and Kate gritted her teeth as she watched the ratmen charge toward them.

“Elite infantry, assemble.”

It wasn’t Yoo Seong who called out—it was Kate.

At her summons, her elite infantry, her direct subordinates, appeared.

They were valiant warriors befitting the title of elite, but their opponents numbered over a thousand.

Facing them with only about fifty soldiers was overwhelmingly disadvantageous.

“I’ll buy us some time.”

Kate spoke, her gaze fixed on the front.

To summon another unit, a battle had to end first, and even then, some time was required.

Diana, Hector, and Roland had already returned, and Vanadain’s forces were on the walls.

The only ones who could fight here and now were Kate herself and her elite infantry.

So, they would fight.

Even if it meant Kate and her entire infantry were annihilated, they had to buy time for Yoo Seong to retreat.

“Successor!”

Rene had arrived.

The distance between them and the Ratmen led by the Black Eye, Jarakal, was now merely a few hundred meters.

Yoo Seong turned with labored breaths. The aftermath of exerting the power of the Sealed Sword had left him unable even to summon his steed.

What should he do now?

Kate’s plan to retreat while she and the elite infantry bought time was dismissed. Though only hundreds were currently in sight, over a thousand followed behind them.

If it were a narrow pass, it might have been possible, but in this open space, fifty men couldn’t possibly hold them all.

He couldn’t send Kate and the elite infantry into a meaningless death.

“Hurry!”

Rene reached out a hand to Yoo Seong.

Yoo Seong looked at her hand and thought. He would have Kate and the elite infantry retreat. That left only Rene as the problem.

How could he save Rene? What could he do to ensure her survival?

The Black Eye Jarakal and the Ratmen let out war cries.

And then, at that moment.

The ground shook.

The sound of countless hooves reverberated through the battlefield.

What was this?

What was happening?

The charging Ratmen involuntarily halted their steps.

Yoo Seong and Rene turned to look in the same direction, and Rene’s eyes widened.

Her face, filled with despair, blossomed into a radiant smile, and an exultant cry burst from her lips.

“It’s the banner of Baltois!”

The crest of a sword and shield.

The army of Count Baltois, renowned as the strongest in the west.

With violet banners fluttering, five hundred elite cavalry appeared on the battlefield.

“Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!”

Cheers erupted again from the castle walls.

The forces of Jarakal and the Ratmen, charging toward Yoo Seong, faltered.

Tears of joy streaked down Rene’s face as she laughed.

Even Kate, who had resolved herself for a last stand, found her face breaking into a smile.

“Full charge.”

The figure leading the cavalry spoke in a low voice.

The command spread instantly, and the five hundred elite cavalry charged toward Jarakal and his forces.

“Trample them!”

“Trample them!”

The charge of the Baltois cavalry was like a storm.

Jarakal, caught off guard, turned to flee, while the disarrayed ratmen were trampled underfoot without offering proper resistance.

The chaos in the rear spread to the front.

Even the Red Eyes, who had remained steadfast despite the castle walls’ resistance, now contemplated retreat as they saw the cavalry in the rear.

Some had already turned and fled.

From atop the walls, the soldiers tore into the Ratmen with cries of victory.

Watching it all unfold, Rene laughed.

With pride and joy, she cheered, her eyes fixed on the Baltois banner.

But then, in a fleeting moment Rene blinked again.

Her eyes widened as she saw the knight leading the cavalry, cutting through the Ratmen.

“Sister?”

Juliet Baltois, the eldest daughter of Count Baltois.

Though her face wasn’t visible under her helmet, Rene knew it instinctively.

The armor and cape were unmistakably her sister’s, and the white horse she rode was her beloved mount, Henri.

“Your sister is here?”

“Yes, it seems to be my sister.”

The Rose of Baltois.

The prodigy of Baltois, renowned since childhood.

Juliet, after brilliantly routing the Ratmen, turned her gaze toward where Yoo Seong and Rene stood.

“Juliet!”

Rene smiled brightly, waving her hand vigorously, but Juliet neither approached nor called out in return. Instead, she gave a slight bow to Yoo Seong before turning her horse and commanding the cavalry.

“Charge! To the walls!”

“To the walls!”

“To the walls!”

The cavalry moved again.

It was a bold, unrestrained advance.

“She’s the same as always.”

Rene spoke with a slightly awkward expression. Yoo Seong chuckled softly, and Kate and the elite infantry disappeared in radiant light, their duty fulfilled.

The Ratmen attacking the walls had collapsed.

The Baltois cavalry swept through the battlefield, trampling the Ratmen, while the allied forces poured out from the gates to pursue the fleeing enemies.

Though the Ratmen still outnumbered the humans, they were no longer an army.

The victory of the humans was now unmistakable.

“My lady!”

In the distance, Robin approached, leading a small unit of soldiers.

Rene waved repeatedly at Robin before turning to Yoo Seong.

“We’ve won.”

Tears and laughter mingled on her face as she spoke.

Yoo Seong nodded in agreement, holding the hand of the steadfast royal mage who had been by his side, and together, they gazed across the battlefield.

In the autumn of the year 506 of the Kingdom of Silatein, in the Barony of Robert the victory cries of the Western Lords’ allied forces echoed high into the heavens.