Chapter 101 – Retreat (2)

The charging zombies were cut in half and scattered on the ground.

The zombies cut by the sword energy, by mana, didn’t move again.

After the zombies fell, the brightly glowing sword returned to normal.

The mana bursting out from the sword circled back inside the sword again.

“Only enough to use once.”

I clicked my tongue looking at the returned sword.

Unfortunately it was impossible to use freely like when Count Schoppenheim sliced the octopus monster.

Mana was insufficient and skill to maintain mana outside the sword was lacking too.

Though disappointing, still being able to burst mana out from the sword meant I could advance one step beyond an ordinary free knight.

This technique was one that only some known knight order commanders could use.

Being able to use this technique too, if I kept developing like this maybe I could become as strong as Sword Masters.

“If I get a bit stronger, might be able to aim for a lord with a small territory instead of an estate…”

A knight commander of a noble family above count rank could receive a baron or viscount title.

After working hard for several years then retiring could receive a rural territory.

“But that’s something to think about later.”

It wasn’t something to worry about while fighting undead in another world.

Now I had to handle charging zombies.

Though I swept away dozens of charging zombies at once, that didn’t even buy a moment’s time.

If the enemy were human they would have been shocked and retreated, but the opponent was undead.

Though dozens of zombies were swept away in an instant, more zombies came running through the corpses.

I handled approaching zombies while jumping back.

As expected, rather than techniques cutting dozens at once, handling them one by one made it difficult to stop zombies pouring like a tsunami.

My backward steps gradually quickened to avoid being surrounded, and I got closer to the people running ahead.

As I got closer to people, words from Korean soldiers running at the front of the group were heard.

“Huff, huff, we, we should fight now. You know right? Running like this we’ll be caught soon.”

Though a soldier advised the sergeant running beside while gasping for breath, the sergeant didn’t listen to his junior.

“If we were going to be caught we’d have been caught already. Look. We still haven’t been caught.”

At the sergeant’s words the soldier turned back with a puzzled face.

The soldier’s surprised voice was heard.

“Good heavens… The knight is blocking the zombie horde. Taking down ones that charge.”

“Huff, huff, really? Really amazing. As expected of people who could fly over that zombie field in a helicopter? Since they’re superhumans who raise earth walls by making ground rise, and silence zombies at once shooting guns and arrows, they could block zombie hordes too?”

“Really like a one-man army knight from movies.”

At his junior’s words the sergeant was felt turning back slightly too.

“Good lord. Those things could be cut down so easily?”

He seemed very surprised seeing me fight too.

He was so surprised his desperately running feet slowed for a moment.

“Don’t look back and run! We’ll be surrounded if we’re late!”

When the group’s speed slowed, Hoffman shouted.

The two talking were startled and started running again, and the slowed group’s speed quickened again.

Running behind people like that, the earthen walls made on both sides were seen gradually lowering.

The thickness seemed thinner too, as zombies running beside the group were breaking through the earthen walls and pouncing toward the group in places.

Though still blocked by Hoffman’s arrows and bullets shot by US and Korean soldiers, the distance between charging zombies and the group was gradually getting closer.

Fortunately we could reach the truck hidden by Korean soldiers before the earthen walls completely broke, before zombies covered the group.

The army truck parked beside the road seemed not even hidden with just a few branches placed on it, but there was no one here to say anything about that.

Other undead wouldn’t recognize it, and the lich had returned to earth, so there was no problem even abandoning the truck.

“Start the engine!”

At the officer’s words one soldier quickly got in the driver’s seat, and the sergeant jumped onto the cargo bed first and shouted toward approaching people.

“Quickly get on!”

“Damn, have to clear this. That’s why I said not to do camouflage!”

When one soldier grumbled while clearing branches placed on the truck, the squad leader burst out shouting.

“If you have time to talk, quickly move! It’s over if we’re late!”

Vroom. Vroooom.

With rattling diesel engine startup sound, the truck’s engine started.

Simultaneously US soldiers arrived at the truck and jumped onto the cargo bed.

Hoffman got on the truck too, and Yerim and Zahina got on the cargo bed too.

Zahina who got on the cargo bed spread her ability once more with a sweat-drenched face.

Rumble.

High earthen walls rose on the truck’s left, right and rear.

After confirming the earthen walls rose Zahina collapsed sitting on the cargo bed floor, and soldiers watching that sight beside opened their eyes wide seeing Zahina’s face.

Though some were surprised by her long ears, most were surprised by her beautiful face.

“Depart immediately!”

When Zahina blocked the truck’s sides and rear with earthen walls, Hoffman shouted.

“The armored person following behind hasn’t gotten on yet!”

Though one soldier shouted in surprise at his words, Hoffman shook his head.

“Don’t worry.”

As Hoffman said there was no need to worry.

I was already on the truck.

When the earthen walls rose, I put my feet on them, shot up to the sky with them then landed on the driver’s cab roof.

The reason for landing on the driver’s cab roof was partly because the cargo bed was full, but there was a bigger reason.

At that moment when I landed on the roof, the soldier about to start the truck saw ahead and screamed.

“Damn! They’re gathering from the front too! This number is hard to break through!”

As he said zombies were gathering from the front too where earthen walls weren’t blocking.

The zombies had somehow surrounded the group.

I took a deep breath seeing approaching zombies.

And pushed mana into the sword again.

“Seems it’ll be too much though…”

Mana movement wasn’t smooth like when pushing mana in earlier.

Maybe problems arose in the mana movement circuit too, as pain rose in various places whenever mana moved.

Trying to use again the technique barely succeeded earlier, my body was strained.

Mana insufficient too yet trying to use that technique again.

It was really reckless and stupid.

“But it’s not the first time being reckless…”

There was no way to have leeway fighting undead and the Demon King’s army.

I had been reckless many times until now, and done crazy things many times.

Honestly being fine until now was because I was extremely lucky.

A knight insanely strong against bad luck.

This might be my special privilege from previous life.

Moreover this time I didn’t need to rely on potions.

Before I always rolled in pain drinking potions after being reckless and doing crazy things, but this time Yerim was here.

The problem was this kind of strain was the first time but…

“This time too if I don’t die something will work out.”

Thinking that I drew out mana from the sword.

With bright light, mana started being drawn out from the sword.

The pain grew bigger, and the light wasn’t steady like the first time.

Light shaking with constantly changing brightness.

Still, succeeded in drawing out mana.

I endured the pain and swung the sword.

Slash!

One rough glowing line was drawn in front of the truck.

Centered on that line, charging undead were torn apart up and down.

Arms, legs and flesh flew everywhere, and dead blood sprayed all around.

Though not clean like when used first, anyway the truck’s front was cleared.

I hit the roof with my sword and shouted.

Bang bang!

“Run right now!”

“Y-Yes sir!”

The driver heard my words and reflexively started the vehicle.

The truck burst forward with a loud noise.

Crack, crack, crunch.

The truck kept running forward trampling broken zombies.

The truck escaped the earthen walls, passed the corpse field and got onto the road.

Zombies gathered seeing the truck escape the earthen walls, but zombie speed couldn’t catch up to a truck that had gained speed.

The truck kept rushing south leaving charging zombies behind.

Shortly after, seeing zombies couldn’t follow, I went down to the cargo bed too.

The 2.5 ton army truck’s cargo bed was small for over ten large soldiers to sit, but somehow making space everyone could sit.

When I went down, people’s gazes focused on me.

US soldiers’ expressions had changed too, and Korean soldiers had expressions like seeing something amazing.

Even Hoffman and Zahina were looking at me with surprised faces.

Among them only Yerim treated me like before.

“Good heavens, your body inside is a mess! Muscles twisted and blood vessels all burst! Just what did you do!”

Yerim grabbed my arm and snapped at me with an angry face.

To notice right after grabbing my arm, seems her skill had increased a lot in that time too.

Soldiers whispered quietly at Yerim’s words.

“He did do something amazing.”

“Did you see? When he swung his sword, dozens of zombies blocking the truck front were cut in half!”

At the officer’s words one soldier gesticulated wildly speaking passionately.

“Sword energy, what is this some martial arts novel!”

The sergeant objected to his words but no one agreed with the sergeant.

Seems everyone except the sergeant had seen me swing the sword.

While I received treatment from Yerim, the Korean army officer approached hesitantly.

He looked back and forth between US military and me with a troubled face, then just spoke toward everyone.

“We couldn’t introduce ourselves due to urgency. We are 52nd Division 2nd Regiment Reconnaissance Company. I am platoon leader Lieutenant Lim Ha-in.”

When the lieutenant’s words ended, the sergeant’s quiet muttering was heard from behind.

“No, when did 52nd Division collapse. Only the lieutenant here is from 2nd Regiment. Only two from reconnaissance company too.”

Hearing those words the lieutenant clicked his tongue quietly, and a soldier beside the sergeant said something to him too.

“Won’t you be quiet!”

“Sergeant was wrong this time.”

At the lieutenant’s words I glanced at David. David raised both hands when I looked.

It meant for me to greet.

I opened my mouth looking at the lieutenant.

“I am Knight Jansen Eger, and we are an expedition army from another world who came chasing the Demon King who caused the zombie outbreak. We met US military recently and came here together to scout this Nakdong River line.”

At my words the lieutenant who greeted first, the sergeant who kept objecting, and other soldiers all gaped looking at me.

While everyone looked at me with dumbfounded faces like that, the truck rushed toward the forest of tall buildings, Busan.