Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 33

Chapter 33
  『Uooooooooo!』
  『Kyauu-━!』
  
  Immediately after feeling the physical strain of high-speed movement, the roaring flame bullet that the enemy fired, aiming for the chest, was blocked by the distorted left strong arm and shattered.
  
  The gust blade that flew towards the lower abdomen a moment later also sliced through the arm shield on the right arm and vanished into the void.
  
  While expressing gratitude for Nina Valer’s treasured knight, which is more robust than its appearance suggests, we accelerate, leaving behind Aynst’s Begalta, which likely suffered a similar magical attack.
  
  『Ku! I’ll make you regret leaving me behind!』
  『Do as you please!』
  
  Being used as a shield is somewhat irritating, but… Since we can’t exchange fire in the city and have no choice but to engage in close combat, I accept it as a tactic and close the distance between us.
  
  Since we were about 500 meters apart when we encountered them, even with this knight’s boost mechanism and its theoretical top speed of 120 km/h, it will take more than ten seconds to land a blow on the enemy.
  
  Common sense dictates that the enemy wouldn’t miss that opportunity, so we had to brace ourselves for one more ranged attack.
  
  『Ugh, I don’t want to anymore…』
  
  I hear Revia’s involuntary whimper, but the enemy knights, having finished their s*ooting preparations, fire their magic without hesitation.
  
  『Eat this, new model!』
  『We’ll finish you here!』
  
  『Kyaaa!』
  『Ku! D*mn it!』
  
  I protect the knight’s vital points with my left strong arm and the right arm’s arm shield, and with determination, I charge into the magical barrage in a low stance.
  
  Naturally, there’s a limit to how much I can cover with both arms. The leg armor that takes a hit bursts, scattering fragments, and the shield, which has accumulated damage, partially breaks.
  
  In addition, the impact is transmitted through the armor to the artificial muscles, causing a dull pain in my limbs through sensory sharing, but I endure it with willpower and dash through the remaining distance.
  
  In the meantime, I grab the scabbard at my waist with my left palm, grip the hilt of the magically forged saber with my right palm, and slide into sword-fighting range.
  
  『What the-━!?』
  『Uraaaaaah!』
  
  With a burst of energy, I draw and strike with my sword in a single motion, hitting the enemy knight on the left flank directly and cutting through half of its chest armor with the combined force of speed and the artificial muscles’ strength.
  
  The dedicated knight and mage who were likely aboard must be dead… But without a moment to spare, the rear enemy knight, whose comrade has been killed, recovers from their shock and draws a longsword and dagger from their waist.
  
  『How dare you, to Sidre and the others!』
  
  They try to thrust their sword over the fallen knight with rage, but I preemptively thrust out my left strong arm and activate the built-in launch mechanism.
  The moment a roaring sound echoes from the magical burst, the normally folded parts instantly unfold and the arm extends, piercing the enemy knight’s abdomen with the sharp claws on its left palm.
  
  『!? Uwa… Guuu… a…』
  『…Sorry, I didn’t have the luxury to hold back.』
  
  Even though the torso is a large and easy target, I lightly apologize for the fact that I deliberately aimed for the cockpit, knowing that if my hand slipped, I would have hit it directly.
  
  However, this is the limit of gaining an advantage with a surprise attack. I abandon the weapon deeply embedded in the enemy I silenced with the first strike and retreat, blocking the mace swung down by the enemy’s right flank, who has launched an attack, with my damaged arm shield.
  
  Simultaneously, Aynst’s knight dashes out diagonally from behind and thrusts sharply at the flank of the enemy knight, who is exposed due to the attack, with the crude iron swords he holds in both palms.
  
  『I’ve got you!』
  『Tch, Uooooooh!?』
  
  The full-force blow, amplified by the weight of the knight, penetrates the chest armor, causing red magical fluid, the lifeblood of the giant knight, to spurt out. Furthermore, the Knight Captain kicks the opponent with his left leg and pulls out the embedded iron swords.
  
  Meanwhile, the last enemy knight, who has backstepped to avoid their fallen comrade, reaches for their waist and throws a cylindrical object that fits in their palm.
  
  The moment my attention is instinctively drawn to it, a blinding flash erupts with a roar in the dim light illuminated only by the moon and magic lamps, temporarily disabling the knight’s pseudo eyeballs.
  
  『Guuu! An acoustic flashbang!?』
  『D*mn it, Claude-sama, brace for defense!』
  
  I instinctively cross my left strong arm and the broken arm shield on my right arm in front of my chest, but there’s no attack… When my vision recovers, the enemy has already disappeared from the main street.
  
  Once they blend into the darkness, their dark green knight color makes them difficult to track. Inside the Clawsolas Nightshade that attacked the central city of Zephyrus Domain, the mage Elnea breathes a sigh of relief.
  
  『Nn, it looks like we can escape.』
  『…Regrettably, yes.』
  
  Although he’s concerned about the subordinates he sent towards the west gate of the city walls, Leonardo accepts the reality of their disgraceful retreat, reaffirming that it would be meaningless to d*e here.
  
  Incidentally, giant knights are equipped with Magic Sealing Stones for teleportation to allow the escape of valuable personnel who are compatible with them. Even if they had tried to take the enemy down with them in the city battle just now, their partners would have thrown them out of the knights without question.
  
  The teleportation by the Sealing Stone only covers a short distance, and they would have to endure hardships to return to their own territory from enemy territory, but knowing Elnea’s caring nature, she might have done it.
  
  ‘Is it an advantage of a two-seater that you can’t act recklessly out of desperation…’
  
  He smiles wryly, thinking that it’s also a disadvantage because you carry the life of your partner, and hides the knight in a sparse forest, the rendezvous point for their retreat, a good distance away from the central city.
  
  The two of their brethren waiting there… A little earlier, near the west gate of the city walls, anticipating a pincer attack, they encountered Clawsolas belonging to Zephyrus Domain and the knights piloted by the Lunavadis siblings of the Lizel Knight Kingdom.