Hard Carried by My Sword-Chapter 57

Chapter 57
A panicked shout rang out through the night.
“It’s the Forest Trolls! They’re throwing rocks!”
The stones had been hurled from hundreds of meters away—perhaps even farther. Each one had enough force to obliterate a cargo wagon in a single hit, making them comparable to siege catapults in destructive power.
With two waves of raining boulders, the formation began to fall apart. Even the most seasoned merchants couldn’t stay calm with death barreling toward them. The startled horses thrashed in fear from the noise and vibration, rocking the wagons and stirring chaos among the traders.
Amidst that chaos and panic, a voice came cutting through.
“Quiet!”
It was Gustav, captain of the caravan’s escort, roaring as he swung his sword, shattering a boulder in midair. It was a reckless act—blocking a catapult strike head-on—but his presence was overwhelming. Those on the verge of panic instinctively turned to look at him.
Gustav was the definition of reliable. Towering over two meters tall, wielding a zweihander most people couldn’t lift, with a face hardened by countless battles.
Having captured everyone's attention in a single blow, he bellowed, “Formation C! Blue-Headed Eagle, Crimson Lotus Blade, and Bullseye mercenaries, move the wagons to cover! Adventurers, be on alert for monster attacks from any direction!”
The three mercenary groups quickly began repositioning the wagons. They calmed the panicking horses and moved toward terrain where the rocks couldn’t reach. Securing the merchants and protecting the cargo was the highest priority during an uphill journey like this.
The rest of the escort force wasn’t idle. They surrounded the repositioned wagons, weapons drawn, watching all directions.
They’re coming...!
Leon could sense the chaos ahead, and the stench of monsters smeared with blood and filth approaching fast. Hamel, who picked up on it beside Leon, loosed a fire arrow high into the air, illuminating the landscape hidden by the night.
Seeing the sight revealed by the light, panicked voices followed.
“M-monsters!”
“Goblins, gnolls, kobolds—all of them...!”
A horde of monsters was charging, a mix of all species. It seemed the trolls were throwing in all remaining forces, but their numbers weren’t all that great—because so many had already died over the past four days. At maybe three hundred at most, it was the smallest assault yet.
Gustav assessed the situation and changed tactics immediately.
“Focus on exterminating the Forest Trolls! Hansen! Leonik! Take four mercenaries and engage one of them! Hamel, you’re on suppression duty! Don’t let the other one escape or throw more boulders at us!”
“Understood!”
“Don’t be late, Captain!”
The members of Steel Claw charged into the forest. One troll was more dangerous than dozens of low-tier monsters. If they kept throwing boulders from afar, the casualties would skyrocket.
The trolls were clever, and they were scattered. If even one fell, the rest would likely flee. Their best option was to launch simultaneous strikes with small elite teams.
But Forest Trolls are strong even individually.
In Guild rank terms, they were upper-mid B-rank. And inside a forest, their threat level multiplied.
Even B-rank mercs like Hansen and Leonik couldn’t handle them one-on-one, and even someone like Hamel—skilled at hit-and-run—could only stall them. The only ones capable of defeating a troll solo were likely only Gustav and Karen.
Thinking that, Leon drew his sword and said, “Karen, we should get going too.”
“Shall we?” Without a hint of tension, she shouted, “Hey, Captain! We’ll take the one furthest out! You take care of the last one!”
“Got it!” Gustav replied.
That should take care of all four trolls. Leon gave Gustav a nod and sprinted after Karen into the forest.
The woods after nightfall were pitch black. Even with Rodrick’s Vision, he could only sense silhouettes. If he lit the way, the trolls might notice their approach.
These monsters are a pain...
Clicking his tongue, Leon watched a slaughter unfold ahead.
“
Hahaha
! You little shits are just asking to be killed,
huh
?!”
Ahead, Karen was tearing through the horde. Goblins, gnolls, kobolds—it didn’t matter. All were cut down indiscriminately. Her twin daggers flashed faster than the eye could follow.
Every single kill took only one hit, and every strike carved out a vital point. Without even using Aura, her blades bathed everything in blood.
“Karen! Go a bit easier,
blegh
!”
Leon was instantly sprayed with gore. He couldn’t even use El-Cid’s purifying light in this situation, which made it all the worse.
Wiping the filth from his clothes did little good. It was more of his way of coping. Still, thanks to Karen, their advance was incredibly fast.
“We’re almost there! Get ready!” Karen shouted.
“Already?!”
The monster horde was already long gone. Almost immediately after Karen’s warning, a massive shadow, roughly four meters tall, came into view. Leon raised his sword as he saw the figure clearly.
A troll!
The closer they got, the more distinct it became, looking just like the mercenaries had described. Unlike the illustrations he’d seen in Academy textbooks, Forest Trolls had long limbs and lean bodies. Their glowing red eyes glared through the darkness, brimming with savage malice.
Then Karen tapped his back and whispered, “I’ll make sure it can’t run. Go crazy, Mr. Hero.”
Leon nodded, and in that instant, Karen’s presence vanished like a ghost. If the troll realized who she was, it would run without a fight, so she’d disappeared using stealth. In the same moment, Leon stepped into the troll’s sensory range.
“Grrrk?!”
The troll turned, startled by the sudden presence. And Leon finally released the light he’d been holding back.
The brilliance of the purifying light cleansed the filth on his body and drove away the darkness, flooding the forest in white radiance. To the troll, eyes wide open in the dark, it was a sudden and blinding ambush.
“Graaaaugh!”
The creature dropped the rock in its hand, shrieking and stumbling backward, covering its face. Their night vision worked against them.
Blinded, the Forest Troll staggered, but Leon didn’t charge. Not because of some noble idea of a fair fight. He simply felt something was off.
And he was right.
“What the?!”
Leon jumped back in alarm. The troll, blinded and enraged, suddenly dropped its arms and began thrashing violently, digging up the ground with both hands.
The Forest Troll was already much larger than a human, but even considering that, its palms were enormous—broad enough to easily grasp thick trees.
As it hurled piles of earth with those massive hands, it created an impassable wall of dirt and debris. And it wasn’t just dirt—there were rocks mixed in, and even one hit could easily shatter bones.
This ugly bastard...!
Leon tried to maneuver around the dirt storm, but even blinded, the troll tracked his movements. Whether it was hearing or smell, its non-visual senses were clearly well-developed.
It was a cheap trick, but a cunning one. After blocking Leon’s several breakthrough attempts, the Forest Troll had fully recovered its sight.
“Grhuhu!”
With a mocking growl, it picked up its weapon.
“A club,
huh
.”
It was a log, over three meters long, barely hewn. It looked crude, but the sheer weight made it deadly. If Leon tried to block it head-on, his wrist would snap instantly.
He lowered his sword to mid-guard, exhaling deeply. From now on, there was no room for even a single mistake.
Let’s do this.
As if forcing himself forward, he took a step. Immediately after, the Forest Troll let out a thunderous roar. Even with the air trembling under the pressure, Leon charged ahead.
The club slammed down. If Leon’s evasion had been just half a beat slower, he would have been pulverized. It was a shock that sent chills down his spine.
Faster than I expected. I need to get a little closer to counter.
Regular trolls possessed regenerative abilities that came from their immense body fat. Forest Trolls, on the other hand, traded that for several times more agility. Even in Leon’s slowed-down perception, it moved surprisingly fast.
The club’s reach of three meters was a nuisance too. Its size and power made it nearly impossible to deflect or parry, making it hard to get in close.
\The troll fought with no technique—only brute force, but that also meant its attacks were predictable enough to evade. Leon dodged, dodged again, and kept dodging.
Each swing of the club kicked up thick dust clouds. Gustav might’ve met those blows head-on, but Leon wasn’t Gustav.
I need to find another way.
Every half-step forward made his neck crawl. The moment he crouched, the club whooshed over his head. If he paused even briefly, the troll would step back, refusing to give up its optimal range. It was frustratingly cagey.
More than that, the troll’s fighting style was downright unorthodox.
It’s coming!
Leon saw its shoulder twitch and dove left just as a heap of dirt grazed past where he’d been. Not from the club-wielding left hand, but the troll’s right—tossing a fistful of dirt.
It was crude but effective. The dirt attack was still wide in range and powerful enough to break bones, so Leon’s only option was to dodge. And when he did dodge, the club followed immediately, crashing down on the path Leon had taken to evade.
This time, Leon barely got out of the way. It was getting dangerous. The closer he got, the harder it became to avoid the attacks. And yet, to strike back, he still needed to close another two steps.
Guess I’ve got no choice.
Leon’s eyes sank as he made up his mind. The destructive power of the incomplete technique could turn the tide here. He’d hoped to win without relying on it, but he still lacked the strength to overpower the Forest Troll.
As he gathered Aura, his movements slowed momentarily—only a third of a second—but that was enough to provoke the troll’s destructive nature.
“Guooooh!”
The troll acted on instinct, leaping high and bringing its full weight down in a crushing blow with enough force to turn even a knight in full plate into a bloody smear.
Yes, a finishing strike. And this was Leon’s chance.
Of course.
No matter how cunning, a troll was still just a monster. A creature like this couldn’t recognize a trap when the prey it had been narrowly missing showed an opening. Leon had used that moment to bait it in.
Golden Aura blazed along his blade. He could swing his Sword of Eclipse up to four times, three if conserving energy.
Activating Eclipse, Leon swung upward. With a clean sound, the log club was sliced in two and spun past Leon, crashing to the ground behind him.
The troll froze, unable to understand. Why had its club been so cleanly cut? And why was this puny human daring to bear its fangs?
Leon answered those questions with a second slash. A horizontal arc of golden Aura cut through the troll’s thick kneecap without resistance. The wound sizzled with heat, charring the stump and leaving a burn that was the most effective counter to any regenerative ability.
Aura Weapon wasn’t just concentrated power. It was the physical manifestation of Aura’s elemental nature. In the case of the Sun attribute, that meant light and heat—and Leon’s Eclipse focused heavily on heat.
With both cutting force and searing temperature, it gave the troll no chance to use its regeneration.
“Gruuuargh?!”
The troll screamed as it lost a leg. Agonizing pain. A wound that wouldn’t regenerate. For the first time in its life, it was experiencing fear and panic.
And yet, its survival instinct was overpowering. Jumping up using its remaining leg and using both arms, it began climbing into the trees.
“You’re running away?! After all that?!”
Leon was stunned, but the troll was fast. Without one leg, its body was lighter, and it moved with terrifying speed, swinging through the forest.
It scaled several trees in seconds, rapidly disappearing. A troll’s survival instinct, once triggered, was a force of nature. At this rate, it’d vanish from sight in mere seconds.
“You think I’ll let you go...?”
Leon recalled the faces of the three mercenaries who’d died earlier. He hadn’t known them well, but none of them deserved to die like that.
The thought of that troll using blind, one-sided violence without being willing to take the consequences ignited a furious rage.
Unconsciously, Leon raised his sword. He poured in enough Aura for two more Eclipse strikes into the blade, enduring the searing pain that felt like his blood was boiling.
“You son of a biiiiiitch!”
With a desperate swing, a wave of light erupted from his holy sword.
And for the first time on his own, he succeeded in unleashing Heavenly Jade Second Form: Merak.