Chapter 195 — The Tempest Knight’s Last Stand
Caelum did not hesitate.
He dug his heels into Valeriant’s sides and charged once more.
But this time—
Silva charged as well.
A head-on clash.
The Beast General lowered his body, muscles coiling like a spring.
Then—
HOWL!
The thunderous wolf’s cry shook the battlefield.
Caelum remained steady.
But Valeriant was still a living creature.
And even the bravest warhorse could feel terror.
At the final moment, the steed shuddered.
Caelum’s lance shifted—
Just slightly.
That was enough.
BOOM!
“Gah!?”
The lance grazed Silva’s shoulder, carving a thin line of blood.
But Silva’s fist slammed into Caelum’s chest.
The impact blasted the knight from the saddle.
His body crashed across the battlefield while Valeriant galloped past the Beast General.
“CAELUM!”
Maris, Lysette, and Sylra shouted in unison.
Lysette rushed forward immediately.
“Hold still!”
Her Tome glowed as regenerative magic wrapped around Caelum’s shattered ribs.
Maris released another volley.
Sylra vanished into Silva’s blind spot.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Silva casually parried each arrow.
He spun backward, ears twitching.
“I can smell you.”
His leg lashed out in a backward roundhouse kick.
“Oh, I know.”
Sylra’s voice answered.
SPLAT!
A small bag burst against Silva’s face.
Red powder exploded into the air.
Paprika.
A trick Roderic and the Grim Vulture party had used before.
Beasts had sharper senses than humans.
Which meant they were also easier to overwhelm.
“—!”
Silva coughed violently.
His nose and eyes burned as the powder flooded his senses.
But the kick still connected.
“KYAH—!?”
Sylra’s body skidded across the ground.
Maris frowned.
That trick would not buy them long.
So she stepped forward.
And fired.
Arrow after arrow after arrow.
Silva had lost his sight and smell for the moment.
But his ears remained sharp.
The arrows whistled through the air.
“Fine.”
Silva leapt.
He followed the sound of the arrows and struck them aside one by one.
Each movement brought him closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Caelum tried to speak.
“Maris…!”
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But blood clogged his throat.
Lysette worked desperately to repair his shattered ribs.
Maris kept firing.
Step by step, she retreated.
Until—
Her hand reached the empty quiver.
“…Shi—”
“Got you.”
Silva lunged.
Then—
NYGHHHH!!!
Valeriant returned.
The warhorse slammed its entire body into the Beast General.
CRASH!
Silva was hurled across the battlefield.
But his claws struck during the collision.
SPLAT.
They pierced deep into Valeriant’s neck.
The steed staggered.
For a few seconds it stood proudly.
Then it turned.
Its dark eyes found Caelum.
One final time.
And the loyal steed collapsed.
“….”
Caelum slowly rose to his feet.
Lysette’s magic had barely held his body together.
Maris arrived at his side.
Sylra limped back as well, clutching her ribs.
Caelum transformed Aurelia Tempestum.
The lance shortened.
A blade formed along its edge.
A shield unfolded in his left hand.
Then he gave his order.
“All of you… fall back.”
“But we can still fight!” Lysette protested.
“Yes.”
Caelum smiled faintly.
“And you will die with me.”
The words struck them like a blade.
Maris glared.
Sylra clenched her fists.
Lysette shook her head.
“No. We—”
Caelum stepped forward.
And pulled all three of them into an embrace.
For a moment—
None of them moved.
Then he spoke softly.
“You are not alone anymore.”
Silence fell.
“…Think about our children.”
“…!!!”
All three women froze.
Their eyes widened.
Maris.
Lysette.
Sylra.
Slowly—
Almost unconsciously—
Each of their hands moved to their lower abdomen.
The realization struck them all at once.
Shock.
Embarrassment.
Fear.
Hope.
They glanced at each other.
No one said a word.
But all three understood.
Tears welled in Lysette’s eyes.
“…You knew.”
Caelum smiled gently.
“I had my suspicions.”
Sylra clenched her jaw.
“You bastard…”
Her voice trembled.
“You planned this.”
“No.”
Caelum shook his head.
“I hoped I was wrong.”
Maris wiped her eyes angrily.
“You’re asking us to abandon you.”
“I’m asking you to live.”
He looked at each of them.
One by one.
“My life buys a few minutes.”
“But your lives…”
He placed a hand over theirs.
“…carry the future.”
Silence hung over the burning battlefield.
Finally—
Maris stepped back.
“…We’ll come back for you.”
Caelum smiled.
“I know.”
Sylra wiped her tears.
“You better die gloriously.”
“I plan to.”
Lysette could barely speak.
“…We love you.”
Caelum nodded.
“I know.”
The three women turned.
And began to run.
None of them dared look back.
Because if they did—
They might never leave.
When they disappeared beyond the battlefield—
Silva rose from the crater.
His nose and eyes had already healed.
The paprika dust fell from his fur.
Golden eyes locked onto Caelum.
The knight stood alone.
Armor cracked.
Blood covering his chest.
Shield raised.
Sword ready.
Behind him—
The retreating army.
Before him—
The Beast General.
Silva studied him for a moment.
“…I see.”
The werewolf flexed his claws.
“You are the banner they follow.”
Caelum planted his sword into the ground.
Wind began gathering once more.
“Yeah.”
His voice was steady.
“So come and tear it down.”
Silva smiled.
Then he stepped forward.
The Tempest Knight’s Last Stand had begun.
Silence settled over the battlefield.
The fires still burned.
Distant screams and clashing steel faded as the human army retreated.
Only two figures remained in the center of the ruined plain.
Caelum.
Silva.
The Tempest Knight raised his weapon.
The sacred lance Aurelia Tempestum shifted once more.
A longsword of silver wind rested in his grip.
A shield of stormlight formed around his left arm.
Silva watched quietly.
“…A defensive form.”
Caelum rolled his shoulders.
His ribs screamed in protest.
“Had to adapt.”
Blood dripped from his mouth.
Wind gathered around him.
“I’m not riding anymore.”
Silva nodded once.
“Very well.”
Then he vanished.
Caelum moved instinctively.
CLANG!
Claws crashed against his shield.
The impact blasted him backward several steps.
Silva struck again.
Faster.
Sharper.
A storm of claws rained down.
Caelum held the line.
Steel screamed against fur harder than armor.
Each blow sent shockwaves through his already shattered body.
Silva spoke calmly between strikes.
“Your formation earlier was excellent.”
CLANG.
“Your coordination—commendable.”
CLANG.
“But alone?”
BOOM.
Silva’s fist slammed into Caelum’s shield.
The ground cracked beneath the knight’s boots.
“You cannot win.”
Caelum spat blood.
“Never planned to.”
Wind exploded from his blade.
“Tempest Break!”
His sword carved upward in a spiraling arc of storm.
Silva twisted aside—
Too slow.
The blade cut across his ribs.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Silva landed several meters away.
For the first time—
The Beast General looked down at his wound.
A deep cut across his torso.
Not fatal.
But real.
“…Impressive.”
Caelum lunged forward.
His body moved purely on willpower now.
Sword and shield moving in perfect rhythm.
A veteran knight’s final technique.
Strike.
Block.
Step.
Turn.
Wind roared around him like a living storm.
Silva answered with raw brutality.
Claws slashed through the gale.
His strikes grew heavier.
Faster.
More violent.
The ground shattered beneath their movements.
Shockwaves tore across the battlefield.
Silva drove a claw toward Caelum’s throat.
The knight twisted.
The claw tore through his shoulder instead.
Blood sprayed.
But Caelum did not stop.
His sword thrust forward.
“Tempest—”
The blade pierced Silva’s side.
Deep.
The Beast General’s eyes widened slightly.
Wind detonated from the wound.
“—Piercer!”
BOOM!
Silva was blasted backward across the battlefield.
His body tore through the earth before finally stopping.
Silence fell.
Caelum stood alone.
Barely.
His shield arm hung useless.
Blood poured from half a dozen wounds.
Yet he was still standing.
Wind still circled him.
In the distance—
The retreating army watched.
For a moment—
Hope surged.
Then Silva rose.
Slowly.
The Beast General placed a clawed hand over the bleeding wound in his side.
Golden eyes lifted toward Caelum.
“…So this is humanity’s banner.”
His voice remained calm.
But something had changed.
The air around him grew heavier.
More dangerous.
“You have done well.”
Silva lowered his hand.
Blood still dripped from the injury.
“You will be remembered.”
Then he stepped forward.
And disappeared.
Caelum raised his shield—
Too late.
Silva’s fist crashed into his stomach.
The impact folded the knight in half.
Before Caelum could fall—
A second strike shattered his guard.
A third crushed his ribs.
The Tempest Knight collapsed to one knee.
His sword barely kept him upright.
Silva stood over him.
“…It is over.”
Caelum laughed weakly.
Blood ran down his chin.
“Not yet.”
He lifted his head.
Wind gathered around him one final time.
His eyes burned with stubborn defiance.
“Humanity…”
He forced himself to stand.
“…is stronger than you think.”
Silva struck.
The battlefield fell silent.
The storm faded.
And the Tempest Knight fell.
But far away—
The human army had escaped.
And deep across Silva’s torso—
Two wounds bled steadily.
Scars that would remain for the rest of his life.
A reminder.
That even the greatest beast of the Demon King’s army…
Had once been wounded
By a single human knight.
Aurelia Tempestum returned to its lance form.
It fell beside its fallen master.
Yet even in that final moment—
Not a single crack appeared upon its gleaming surface.
Proof that the Tempest Knight had fallen.
But the hope he carried for humanity
Never broke.
