“Is it you? The one who committed these heinous acts?”
The voice of Marquis Greer, filled with anger, echoed as No. 5 twisted his lips beneath his mask and laughed loudly.
“Pfffft, hahahaha! This is quite a sight, quite a sight indeed! Hahahahaha!”
“What a madman!”
“I just can’t suppress my laughter, Marquis. The revival of your family? Restoring the pride of your noble house? After all that training and seclusion, what do you have to show for it?”
No. 5 gestured broadly toward the arena, then clasped his hands before making a ‘pop’ sound with his lips.
“You insolent dog! Do you dare mock the Marquis family with your cowardly tricks?”
“The head of the house who doesn’t even know what’s happening under his own feet. Knights foolish enough to accept unverified procedures under the guise of reaching new heights. Who is to blame here, really?”
While Marquis Greer and No. 5 exchanged heated words, the battle entered a brief lull. Soldiers and some knights of the family were protecting the spectators in the upper stands, while armored soldiers targeted them.
In the arena below, imperial knights in black armor and agents faced off against the Marquis’s knights in blue armor.
And around the barrier set up by Raul, Raul and the First Knights were standing guard.
‘So, they finally brought in the Type-3 soldiers.’
Raul’s expression hardened.
<Imperial Soldier>
『Level』: 61
*Type: Cranen Empire Type-3 Soldier
『Affiliation』: Imperial Hound Greer Branch
*Status: Berserk, hardened
*Traits: Camouflage, Mana Transformation, Armor Integration
Type-2 soldiers couldn’t act autonomously without a commanding master near them. And their appearance clearly marked them as something other than human.
‘But Type-3s are different.’
They looked almost identical to ordinary people, though a bit suspicious. They could operate autonomously without a master’s commands.
They had the special ability to integrate with their weapons and armor. And considering they used mana, they were formidable opponents. Fortunately, there weren’t many Type-3 soldiers yet.
Only about thirty had appeared here. But their numbers and frequency of appearance would likely increase.
‘When the war with the empire begins, they will be a core part of the Imperial forces.’
The Cranen Empire did not have the population or land mass to boldly declare war on the continent without such soldiers.
「Kane, what’s the status of external reinforcements?」
「No more are heading towards the arena.」
「I see. What about the movements of the Marquis’s knights and soldiers?」
「After receiving our message, they are rushing to gather at the arena. However, it will take some time to breach the barrier.」
Raul furrowed his brows, hearing the report.
‘Something’s odd.’
Given the current situation, it was true that the Imperial Hound’s forces had a slight advantage. The Marquis’s knight forces numbered around 150, excluding those incapacitated by inscriptions.
In contrast, the Imperial Hound had about 100 knights, 30 Type-3 soldiers, and over 200 Type-2 soldiers who could use mana blades.
Considering that regular soldiers were almost irrelevant in this battle, they were outnumbered.
‘Qualitatively, the empire can’t be certain of victory either. And the barrier can’t hold indefinitely, so reinforcements from the Marquis will join eventually.’
But the demeanor of that brass-masked man was baffling. It felt like they were the ones dragging their feet, not the Imperial Hound.
‘There must be some other hidden intentions…’
Recalling the various strategies employed by the empire in his past life, Raul began issuing commands through the guild communication network.
***
‘Foolish things!’
Marquis Fidel de Greer, despite his enraged appearance as he looked at the Imperial soldiers in the arena, was coolly assessing the situation in his mind.
To be honest, when his subordinates started exploding, he was too shocked to think clearly. If the explosions had continued and the Imperial forces had appeared then,
‘It really could have been dangerous.’
But thanks to Viscount Raul and the First Knights, their ploy was thwarted midway. Though their forces were significantly weakened by the underhanded tactics, the family’s strength remained sufficient.
He believed the Greer family wasn’t so weak as to be undone by a few Imperial dogs lurking in the shadows.
‘You should have never revealed yourselves.’
If they had continued to secretly erode the Greer family with tattoos and waited for an opportunity, things might have been different.
But now that it had come to a direct confrontation, Marquis believed none of them would escape alive.
“I’ve heard enough nonsense. Brave knights of the Greer Marquisate! Annihilate the enemies!”
“At your command!”
The knights in blue armor brandished their spears and charged at the enemies.
As their spears emitted a blue mana spear and gathered together, a faint charge mantle, similar to a knightly charge despite being on foot, formed.
The intense flow of mana seemed capable of sweeping away the Imperial knights.
Rumble.
Boom!
“Gurgh!”
“What in the world is that?”
The ground in the knights’ path shook, and a massive figure suddenly emerged, taking the charge mantle head-on.
Whoosh!
Thud! Bang!
The figure swung a battle axe, sending the lead knights flinging back, spilling blood.
“Huff. Gurgh!”
The monstrous creature swung its battle axe in the air, displaying its presence.
Standing five meters tall, it was a grotesque creature with the head of a toad, the upper body of a human, and the lower body of a lion.
‘Toadlion! Have they already tamed a dungeon guardian?’
Raul bit his lip as he looked at the massive creature. An Imperial beast soldier. A term for weapons created by capturing and utilizing monsters from dungeons and gates.
Beast soldiers, enhanced by various Imperial techniques, had powers surpassing their original ranks and, depending on the controller’s skill, could move like knights.
In essence, they were “anti-superhuman weapons” developed to counter superhuman beings like the kingdom’s masters. The Toadlion before them, a guardian from C or B-rank dungeons, exhibited a presence matching at least an A-rank monster.
“Don’t be intimidated by its appearance! Stay calm and confront it! It’s just a monster!”
At the Marquis’s command, the knights reformed their ranks and attacked the Toadlion.
Boom! Bang!
Mana spears from the knights clashed with mana blades from the beast soldier’s weapons, creating a fierce aftershock. And it wasn’t a good omen.
“Urgh!”
“What strength?”
“Its hide can block our mana spears?”
Despite simultaneously facing over a dozen knights, the beast soldier wasn’t being pushed back. No, it was overwhelming them.
Thud.
“Gah!”
A Blue Spear knight, struck by the weapon, was flung like a pebble and rolled on the ground, spitting blood. Even as an intermediate expert, he couldn’t withstand the simple impact.
“Knights, step back and engage other enemies! Commander, deputy commander, follow me.”
Finally, the Marquis himself moved, leading the top experts of the Greer family. Though they no longer had masters, the martial prowess of the noble house hadn’t disappeared.
The Marquis, along with five knights at the top expert level, charged at the beast soldier.
“Fall, you monster!”
An old knight with a white beard leaped into the air, thrusting a massive, spinning mana spear into the Toadlion’s neck.
The knights were confident that the formidable mana spear conjured by the old knight would fell the beast soldier. However,
Rumble! Clang!
“What’s that? A defensive barrier!”
A precisely formed defensive barrier blocked the spear right in front of the monster.
The same barrier absorbed the Marquis’s and the other knights’ attacks as well.
A thick mana defense shield formed at the point of impact, thwarting their strikes.
“Kekekeke. Bwahahahaha! Do you think you can defeat a weapon designed to fight masters?”
No. 5 laughed heartily with his arms crossed.
“This is a gift! Become the first sacrifices to the beast soldiers!”
With a slight gesture from his hand,
Rumble, boom! Bang!
Two more Toadlions burst through the ground and entered the battlefield.
“…!”
The Marquis’s face darkened slightly. But he quickly issued another command.
“Divide into pairs and confront them. I’ll handle this one.”
While it might be difficult to bring them down quickly, the beast soldiers also wouldn’t easily defeat the knights of the Greer Marquisate.
No matter how enhanced or special the monsters were, they wouldn’t easily overcome the top-tier knights who had trained in martial arts for decades.
‘There’s still much room for improvement.’
Contrary to his boastful words, no. 5 calmly observed the battle and mentally noted the beast soldiers’ shortcomings.
-Although designed as anti-superhuman weapons, he didn’t expect them to actually capture a master just yet.
For now, they were doing their job by holding off the top-tier experts.
‘And will time really be on your side?’
No. 5’s expression was one of confidence.
—
「Do not lift the barrier?」
「Yes. It’s better to keep the arena isolated as it is.」
Rabel was about to deactivate the barrier blocking people’s entry, but Raul stopped her. At first glance, it seemed wise to open the barrier, evacuate the spectators, and allow external reinforcements to enter.
‘But that would be a trap card.’
There was no way to know which of the support troops outside had the Emperor’s brand on their bodies. Having just isolated the dangerous individuals, allowing mana bombs disguised as humans back into the arena could lead to unforeseen consequences.
While the Marquis and the knights fought fiercely, Raul and the First Knights guarded the barrier, effectively preventing enemy approaches.
The Empire, seemingly uninterested in marked sacrificial pawns now exposed, did not press aggressively.
「What about the task I assigned?」
「The counter-magic array? It’s prepared, but will it be useful? The Marquis’s forces barricaded the carriages.」
「That problem will solve itself.」
「… What?」
Rabel tilted her head in confusion, but Raul was already certain.
‘I’ve already assessed your numbers.’
A change would soon sweep the battlefield. And that moment would mark the end of this vile assault. Raul’s eyes burned with a golden flame.
At the same time, somewhere within the castle of the Greer Marquisate,
“Damn it. Why do I have to run these errands…!”
Travis, who had foolishly challenged Raul and lost consciousness, woke up in the castle’s infirmary. Following instructions from an individual he met there, he was now walking somewhere.
‘No matter how much my father ordered it, can’t these kinds of tasks be given to the lower ranks?’
Normally, he wouldn’t have moved unless the Marquis himself commanded it, but having committed an offense, he had no choice.
Grumbling all the way, Travis arrived at the ‘Magic Circle Management Room’ responsible for various magic arrays and devices within the inner castle.
Passing through the heavily guarded checkpoint, he entered the room and spoke to the supervising mage.
“Orders from my father. Immediately disable the coordinate disruption magic circles and barriers set up in the Marquisate to allow portal travel.”
“What? I haven’t received such instructions.”
The mage looked hesitant, and Travis’s irritation grew.
“I told you, I received the command! Marquis McNeil’s guests need to use the portal urgently, so disable it now!”
However, not only the mage but also the knight responsible for security were unyielding.
“Without an order stamped with the seal, or unless the Marquis himself comes, we cannot tamper with the barrier. Even if you’re the eldest son, there are no exceptions!”
“What the hell! Are you saying you don’t trust me?”
Feeling disrespected, Travis reached out to grab the mage by the collar.
Crackle.
“Ugh…? Ouch, it hurts! It hurts!!”
A tattoo on the back of Travis’s hand suddenly swelled up, quickly spreading to his wrist, arm, and shoulder.
“Ouch! It hurts!”
“Sir, please calm down…”
“Call a healer!”
The sudden turn of events left those in the management room at a loss for how to respond. If something happened to Travis, they too might be held accountable.
However, what they feared did not happen. No, it couldn’t happen.
Boom!
Travis’s body exploded, blowing the magic circle management room apart.
(To be continued…)