The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: The Reapers’ Arrival

The forest grew darker the farther they traveled from the main road.

Frederick rode at the front of the formation, his horse moving at a steady pace beneath the thick canopy while the captain followed several steps behind with the remaining knights spread across the road. Fifteen knights had accompanied them when they left the estate, enough to handle an ordinary group of corrupted creatures, or so they had believed.

That assumption had already begun to feel foolish.

The first signs appeared less than an hour into their journey.

A foul smell lingered between the trees, faint at first, but unmistakable once the wind carried it toward them. The vegetation along the roadside had begun to decay, with patches of blackened grass spreading across the soil and thin, dark veins running through the trunks of several trees.

Frederick raised his hand.

The entire formation stopped.

"Hold."

The knights immediately tightened their formation, hands moving toward their weapons as they scanned the surrounding forest.

Something moved beyond the trees.

Then another.

A low growl came from somewhere ahead.

"Contact."

The word had barely left the captain’s mouth when three figures burst from the undergrowth.

Their bodies still resembled humans, but only barely. Blackened veins covered their exposed skin, pulsing faintly beneath the surface as corrupted energy circulated through their bodies. Their movements were unnaturally quick, their eyes devoid of reason as they charged directly toward the formation.

"Brace!"

Steel was drawn almost simultaneously.

The first creature slammed into the shield wall.

CLANG!

The impact forced one of the knights backward, but before the creature could recover, another knight stepped forward and drove his sword through its chest.

SHNK!

Black blood spilled across the blade.

The creature convulsed, yet instead of collapsing immediately, it seized the knight’s arm and attempted to drag him down with it.

"Get it off him!"

Two knights struck together.

SLASH!

THUD!

The corrupted creature finally fell.

"Don’t let them break formation!" the captain shouted. "Keep the wounded behind the second line!"

More creatures emerged from the trees.

Five.

Then eight.

The knights responded immediately, moving with the discipline expected of trained soldiers. The first wave was manageable, and within several minutes the road was littered with corrupted corpses.

Frederick lowered his sword.

"Continue forward."

The knights obeyed.

None of them noticed that the forest had become unnaturally quiet again.

They continued deeper.

And that was when the real trouble began.

The trees became thicker, blocking out much of the remaining daylight. The corruption here was far more concentrated than what they had encountered earlier, spreading across the roots and staining the ground with a dark, almost oily substance.

The captain’s expression hardened.

"This is considerably worse than the reports suggested."

Frederick looked ahead.

"We’ll determine the cause and eliminate it before it reaches the settlements."

A scream suddenly erupted from their right.

"Captain!"

The formation turned.

A knight was thrown through the bushes and crashed heavily against a tree.

BAM!

He fell to the ground, blood running from his forehead.

Something stepped out from behind him.

It was larger than the creatures they had fought before, its body distorted by corruption. Thick black veins covered its arms and neck, while its movements carried a frightening degree of control.

Frederick immediately recognized the difference.

"That one is stronger."

The captain raised his sword.

"All units, defensive formation! Do not engage it alone!"

The creature lunged.

BOOM!

The captain intercepted it, his sword meeting the creature’s claws with enough force to shake the surrounding branches.

He gritted his teeth.

"Too strong..."

Frederick joined him from the side, striking toward the creature’s exposed ribs.

CLANG!

The blow connected, but the creature merely twisted its body and retaliated.

Frederick barely avoided the claws.

WHOOSH!

They tore through the space where his head had been moments earlier.

"My lord!"

"I’m fine. Keep the others together."

The knights attempted to assist, but more figures emerged from the darkness.

Their numbers continued increasing.

Blackveined.

Hollowborn.

Mourners.

Some still possessed enough human appearance to make the sight unsettling, while others had already become almost completely distorted by corruption.

"More incoming!"

"Hold the line!"

The knights fought desperately.

Steel rang throughout the forest.

CLANG!

SLASH!

THUD!

One knight managed to cut down a Hollowborn, only for another creature to strike him from the side.

CRACK!

He collapsed with a cry of pain.

"Pull him back!"

"We’re being surrounded!"

The captain’s expression changed.

They had been moving through the forest expecting to find a small outbreak.

Instead, they had walked directly into a nest.

Frederick cut down another creature and glanced around.

There were too many.

"We cannot remain here."

"I agree," the captain replied, breathing heavily. "But retreating through that formation will expose our wounded."

A Mourners suddenly charged toward them.

Frederick stepped forward.

CLANG!

His sword stopped its attack.

The creature pushed against him with overwhelming strength.

His boots slid backward through the dirt.

"This strength..."

He forced the creature away and struck again, but even his swordsmanship was becoming insufficient against these advanced creatures.

The captain saw it as well.

"Everyone, concentrate your attacks on one target at a time! Do not waste your strength!"

The knights followed the order, but their condition was deteriorating rapidly.

Even a shallow wound was becoming dangerous.

Black veins began spreading from their injuries.

One knight looked down at his arm in horror.

"Captain... the corruption is spreading."

"Fall back immediately."

"I can still fight."

"That’s an order."

The knight reluctantly retreated.

Frederick’s expression became grim.

They were losing strength while the creatures showed no sign of slowing down.

Then—

BOOM!

Something struck the ground behind the monsters.

The impact sent several corrupted creatures flying.

Everyone froze.

A massive weapon spun through the air.

A double-ended war axe.

The weapon rotated once before returning to its wielder’s hand.

A young man stood between the knights and the approaching creatures.

His dark-red hair was partially concealed beneath a hood, and his face remained mostly hidden in shadow. He rested the single war axe against his shoulder, the two opposing axe blades catching what little light reached the forest floor.

Beside him stood a young woman with black hair.

She held a katana loosely at her side.

Neither of them looked toward the knights.

Their attention remained fixed on the corrupted creatures.

The captain tightened his grip.

"Who are—"

The young woman disappeared.

Not moved.

Disappeared.

SHING!

A flash of steel passed through the nearest creature.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the creature’s upper body slid away from its lower half.

THUD.

Before the corpse had even reached the ground, she was already somewhere else.

SHING!

Another creature fell.

The movements were so precise that the knights struggled to follow them.

No wasted swings.

No unnecessary movement.

Every strike was placed exactly where it needed to be.

The dark-red-haired man moved differently.

He stepped directly into the advancing creatures.

His war axe came down.

BOOM!

The impact crushed the ground beneath the target and sent the creature sprawling.

He twisted the weapon in his hands and used the opposite blade.

SLASH!

Another creature was thrown aside.

A Blackveined charged from his blind spot.

He didn’t even turn.

The rear blade of his axe swept backward.

CRACK!

The creature’s attack was stopped before it reached him.

The man glanced over his shoulder.

"You’re getting predictable."

He pulled the weapon free and continued forward.

The battlefield changed almost immediately.

The creatures that had forced Frederick and the knights into a desperate struggle were being cut down one after another.

Yet the two strangers never once fought recklessly.

They moved around each other naturally, each covering the other’s blind spots without needing to exchange a single word.

The woman stepped past a creature.

SHING!

The man’s axe struck another.

BOOM!

A third tried to escape.

The woman appeared behind it.

SHING!

Silence followed.

The final corrupted creature collapsed.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

The knights stared at the two strangers standing among the bodies.

Frederick slowly lowered his sword.

Even he had to admit it.

Those two were far beyond ordinary swordsmen.

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