A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, a sharp spear tip descended from above.

A vertical thrust.

Rem kicked off the ground, launching himself sideways.

Yet the spear followed him, almost as if it had eyes.

It adjusted midair, changing direction unnaturally.@@novelbin@@

"A falling weapon?"

The thought barely formed before Rem swung his axes.

With his right-hand axe, he struck the spear shaft.

With his left-hand axe, he rotated it to block the blade’s impact with its flat side.

Clang! Crack!

Half success. Half failure.

He had managed to block the blade.

But his already fractured rib snapped completely.

Still, he had broken the spear shaft, so it wasn’t a total loss.

"I was tricked."

It hadn’t been a falling weapon.

That was a relic of the Western tribes, a type of weapon bound to its wielder, capable of independent movement.

But true falling weapons didn’t break this easily.

He had assumed it was one and struck accordingly, intending to sever the link between the weapon and its owner.

After all, such weapons required a connection to their wielder.

"You’re tough."

The stranger’s words trailed off, as if the phrase "to have withstood that" was simply implied.

Rem’s eyes focused on the Westerner.

"Who the hell are you?"

He asked.

The answer was already obvious.

He could tell just from that last attack.

Strong.

Power, speed, precision—all refined to the level of an elite warrior.

This wasn’t some random mercenary.

"You stand on a battlefield where men kill or die. What kind of question is that?"

The stranger responded casually, tapping his shoulder with the butt of his spear.

Completely at ease.

His appearance was peculiar.

A leather cuirass covered his chest.

Greaves wrapped his shins and thighs.

The same protective leather armor extended from his hands to his shoulders.

His entire body was clad in tanned hides.

His hair was a mix of gray and white, yet his face was bizarre—one side lined with deep wrinkles, the other smooth and youthful.