Chapter 193
Roooooooar!
A chill ran down their spines.
As the tremendous roar echoed from within Everblade, everyone outside instinctively felt their hair stand on end.
Cold sweat trickled down their backs, and for a fleeting moment, the battle seemed to pause entirely.
‘This… presence…?’
Even Alexandro turned with a hardened expression.
He hadn’t expected such an overwhelming surge of aura.
‘Who is it? This isn’t Celestine’s aura…’
Was there something he had overlooked?
Before he could finish the thought—
Boom!
Rumble!
A deafening explosion followed as Everblade’s eastern wall crumbled.
Though the breach wasn’t massive, at least twenty meters of the wall collapsed, leaving a gaping hole.
“Let’s go! I’ll cover you.”
Damian, his aura still crackling, turned toward the imperial soldiers alongside his black knight.
He had expended a significant amount of mana in his last strike, but—
‘I can still maintain the black knight.’
The sheer presence of the knight was enough to paralyze the imperial soldiers.
What kind of monstrosity was this?
Faced with an aura unlike anything they had seen before, they hesitated, stepping back instead of advancing.
“Damian! Hurry!”
Apel called out as he prepared to retreat from Everblade.
Celestine had already helped Vasili leap down the mountain path, leaving only Damian.
Hearing Apel, Damian stepped back.
“They’re escaping!”
“Damn it…!”
Even if they wanted to attack, that monstrous figure stood in their way.
Unless they had an Aura Master of similar caliber, engaging was suicide.
Realizing they had no means to stop him, Damian swiftly leaped away.
Swoosh.
With that, the black knight vanished.
The imperial soldiers, now free from its overwhelming presence, finally reacted and shouted after Damian.
“Damn it!”
“Where did they go?!”
But by then, they had disappeared into the dense foliage.
Navigating the mountainous terrain was treacherous even in ideal conditions.
Perhaps a seasoned warrior could manage, but for ordinary soldiers, one misstep meant tumbling down the steep slopes.
And at the very moment Everblade’s eastern wall fell—
Bwooooom!
A war horn blared from the allied forces.
“Retreat! All forces, fall back!”
“Move quickly! Retreat now!”
As if prearranged, the allied forces rapidly withdrew.
The sudden retreat baffled the imperial soldiers.
“Hold your positions! Do not pursue!”
Under the commanders’ orders, the imperial forces reformed their ranks and held their ground before Everblade’s gates.
Watching the distant retreating troops, Alexandro’s expression twisted.
It seemed their plan had always been to send a strike force inside to wreak havoc.
“…We’ve been had.”
Muttering under his breath, he looked at the crumbled wall.
With the breach, the next allied assault would be even more dangerous.
On top of that, they now had to keep watch for further infiltrators.
“We took a serious hit from the start.”
Something was off about this war.
The undisputed power of the continent—
The Cartelia Empire’s dominance was slipping.
Alexandro narrowed his eyes as he watched the retreating allied forces.
This could not continue.
Even if only slightly, the imperial soldiers were growing accustomed to the taste of defeat.
For the empire, the strongest force on the continent, further losses were unacceptable.
“…We’re going back.”
As Alexandro re-entered Everblade, a resolute determination settled in his gaze.
***
“Huff… Huff…!”
Count Vasili’s injuries were severe.
But with everyone making it out alive, the mission was a success.
“Count Vasili, can you endure?”
“Huff… I’ll be fine. I just need to return to camp… and get treated.”
“You did well.”
Celestine spoke sincerely. Then—
“You two as well.”
She turned to Damian and Apel.
Count Vasili Waker was one of Artian’s finest warriors.
His mastery of mana, swordsmanship, and experience were beyond question.
And yet—
‘These two young warriors have already surpassed him.’
Did they realize just how incredible that was?
Even across the continent, including the empire, they stood among the top ranks.
Especially Damian.
An Aura Master who had refrained from using aura yet still dominated the imperial forces inside Everblade.
It meant his fundamentals were exceptionally refined before even attaining aura mastery.
‘These are the most dangerous types.’
People assumed Aura Masters relied solely on aura in battle, but that was a misconception.
Using aura continuously was difficult, and its effectiveness depended greatly on one’s fundamentals and mana control.
For now, they were allies.
But—
“…”
Celestine’s thoughts grew complicated as she studied Damian.
Then—
“General Celestine?”
“Ah, let’s hurry.”
Damian’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
Quickly, she helped Vasili to his feet, but—
“We’ll take him.”
Damian and Apel moved to support Vasili on either side.
And so, the four returned to the allied camp.
“Damian! Apel!”
At the front, Kiaran rushed forward, eyes locking onto the two supporting Vasili.
The moment she saw Vasili’s injuries, she called for medics immediately.
“The wounds are deep. He was lucky to survive.”
“I’ll use a potion first.”
Celestine poured a potion onto Vasili’s wounds.
As it foamed, his injuries began healing rapidly.
Of course, it was only emergency treatment, but Count Vasili was no longer in immediate danger.
As Vasili was being treated, Kiaran looked at those who had played a crucial role in the special operation inside Everblade and spared no praise.
“You all did an incredible job. General Celestine, you’ve been through a lot as well.”
“We did this together. More importantly, what is the situation outside Everblade?”
Kiaran spoke calmly about the battle that had unfolded outside the fortress.
“As expected, Alexandro and the imperial forces attacked with great intensity. Even with all our preparations… it wasn’t easy.”
Particularly, she hadn’t anticipated how quickly the vanguard shield-bearers would fall.
It was a testament to the sheer destructive power of Alexandro’s aura.
“However, we still achieved significant results.”
Kiaran let out a small breath as she glanced at the sun rising higher in the sky.
For now, resting the troops was the top priority.
“We can’t predict how Everblade will respond now. Deploy watchmen thoroughly and ensure the soldiers receive rations and rest.”
“Understood.”
Edmund, standing beside Kiaran, quickly relayed orders to the officers to allow the soldiers to rest.
This was only the first day.
No one had expected to conquer Everblade in a single day.
However, with the wall breached, the enemy would likely feel a growing sense of urgency.
“For the time being, they will be preoccupied with repairing the wall. During that period, we will rest and conserve our strength while they remain active and exhaust themselves.”
It was a strategy similar to what they had employed in the Battle of Narden.
Henry, standing next to Kiaran, nodded. However, he then spoke up.
“But we must also prepare for their counterattack.”
“You expect Everblade to send out their forces?”
“Yes. They still have a formidable blade at their disposal.”
The empire’s strongest warrior.
As long as Alexandro stood, they had numerous tactical options.
Even if Alexandro led just ten thousand soldiers in an assault, it would pose an enormous threat to the allied forces.
To put it bluntly—
“There is no one here who can stop Alexandro’s aura.”
“…That is true.”
“Furthermore, Alexandro can use his aura repeatedly. General Kiaran, you understand how significant that is, don’t you?”
“I do.”
Kiaran’s expression darkened.
As Henry pointed out, Alexandro possessed the ability to unleash aura consecutively.
And if that aura was so powerful that it was nearly impossible to block, the situation was dire.
A few strikes of his aura could wipe out ten thousand soldiers in an instant.
Such was the nature of an Aura Master.
Then, at that moment, Celestine approached Kiaran and Henry, speaking decisively.
“We can stop Alexandro’s aura.”
“…General Celestine?”
Henry looked at her with a slightly pitying expression.
Although he was not a warrior himself, he had met many powerful ones and understood their capabilities.
He shook his head.
“With all due respect, General Celestine, your aura is not enough to counter Alexandro’s. Have you perhaps advanced a level without my knowledge?”
He had already heard that Celestine had suffered serious injuries from Alexandro in a previous battle.
And she had struggled to use her aura even twice in succession.
Celestine shook her head at Henry’s words.
“There is no sudden growth now. And I know it well—I cannot stop Alexandro.”
“Then… Why did you say we can stop his aura?”
Henry’s gaze focused on Celestine.
At that moment, Kiaran’s pupils wavered slightly.
“…Surely, General Celestine, you’re not suggesting… that?”
“…?”
Henry looked at her quizzically.
Celestine saw Kiaran’s expression and smiled faintly before nodding.
“Yes, that.”
“…What?”
“What are you two talking about?” Henry asked impatiently.
Celestine turned to him and spoke clearly.
“It is not I who will stop Alexandro—
It is Damian, the Aura Master of the Baroque Kingdom.”