Chapter 517
The Civil War Is Over. (1)
Gartros deserved praise for not being stubborn and instead entrusting command to his officers. Few people could objectively assess themselves without overestimating their abilities.
It was undoubtedly the best choice, but dispersing command caused small cracks to form within the Delfine forces. The sheer size of the army was to blame.
"Hmm, are we moving properly?"
As they retreated toward the fortress, Gartros glanced back several times, tilting his head. Something about it felt off.
One of the strategists beside him spoke up.
"It's because a massive army is on the move. Each unit marches at a different speed, so it may seem disorganized."
"I see. Will it be a problem?"
The strategist hesitated for a moment. In truth, an uneven formation was a serious issue.
Not only did it prevent the army from exerting its full combat potential, but it also made coordinated maneuvers between units impossible. In other words, they wouldn’t be able to fight tactically.
But this wasn’t a battle situation.
"There are no enemies who pose a threat to us, so you don’t need to worry too much."
"Right, it shouldn’t be a big deal."
Gartros dismissed it as a minor issue. The enemy reinforcements hadn’t arrived yet, so there was no chance of combat.
All they had to do was reach the fortress and strengthen their defenses.
It was in that moment of complacency that Amelia struck.
Standing atop the fortress walls, she carefully observed the formation of the Delfine forces and muttered,
"What a mess."
The marching formation was crumbling toward the rear. It was inevitable, as there was no one overseeing the army as a whole.
The commanders of the Delfine forces were too preoccupied managing their own units. With each unit consisting of different unit types, some inevitably fell behind as they advanced.
The massive army that once moved like a well-oiled machine under Kaiyen's command was nowhere to be seen.
Amelia turned to Gillian, who stood beside her.
"Have them travel as lightly as possible. The mounted archers will harass and slow the enemy while the rest maintain formation and follow behind."
Marching wasn’t just walking. It was about moving while maintaining as much combat readiness as possible under a commander’s leadership.
There was even a saying that a commander’s skill was revealed by how well they managed vigilance and marching.
With the Delfine forces’ formation unraveling, now was the perfect time to strike from behind.
Dududududu!
The fortress gates swung open as Lumina led the mounted archers out. Behind them, soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave.
Though they were collectively referred to as the Northern Army, they were, in reality, a mix of allied forces, western forces, and the troops of various local lords.
Their numbers now exceeded those of the Delfine forces.
"Let's go."
At Amelia’s command, the massive army began pursuing the Delfine forces from behind.
To maximize speed, supply units and siege weapons were left behind. They only carried the combat rations and water supplied by Fenris just enough for contingencies.
Dududududu!
The highly mobile mounted archers quickly caught up to the rear of the Delfine forces.
Gartros was startled at the sudden appearance of enemy cavalry.
"What is this? Are they trying to fight now?"
The strategist was equally taken aback. If they valued their lives, they wouldn’t have made such a move.
The mounted archers numbered only around ten thousand at best.
Gartros felt insulted. It seemed like nothing more than a petty attempt to disrupt their march.
"Crush them immediately! Kill them all!"
The marching Delfine forces all turned to face the enemy.
However, they couldn’t attack right away. Their formation was chaotic, and the infantry units, which moved at a slower pace, had fallen far behind.
As the disorganized infantry scrambled about in confusion, a storm of arrows rained down from the ten thousand mounted archers.
Paaaat!
"Aaaargh!"
"Raise your shields! Block it for now!"
"Just hold the line! Reinforcements are coming!"
The heavily armored soldiers at the very rear were largely unharmed. However, the light infantry positioned ahead of them suffered significant losses.
Gartros gritted his teeth and roared,
"Archers! Mages! Return fire immediately! What are the priests doing?!"
The elite soldiers scattered throughout the Delfine army hurried into action.
Meanwhile, Lumina nocked another arrow. She recalled Amelia’s orders.
— “Only two volleys.”
‘Two volleys…’
Paaaat!
Another wave of arrows rained down. Without hesitation, Lumina turned her horse around.
"Retreat!"
The mounted archers swiftly changed direction and widened the distance.
Kwaang! Kwaaaang! Kwaang!
Lightning, fire, and dark energy erupted from the sky. At the same time, the arrows of the Delfine archers darkened the sky as they shot toward them.
But the mounted archers had already retreated far enough to escape harm.
Astonishingly, they had timed their attack to exploit the brief moment before the enemy could counterattack.
As she withdrew, Lumina clicked her tongue in admiration.
‘Incredible.’
Amelia had perfectly grasped how long it would take for the enemy to counterattack, based on the information she had accumulated through battle.
The Delfine forces were unable to pursue the retreating mounted archers. Their formation had been thrown into disarray due to the sudden rear assault.
Fortunately, the supply units had been positioned at the front, preventing their provisions from being damaged.
Gartros ground his teeth and summoned his strategists.
“Those bastards are using petty tricks to slow down our advance. Strengthen the rear guard and prepare for ambushes.”
“Understood.”
The Delfine forces reorganized their formation and dealt with the aftermath of the attack. While they still placed heavy infantry at the rear, this time, they positioned more superhumans, mages, and archers further back.
With the surprise attack having disrupted their momentum, they took a brief rest before resuming movement.
It was a standard response, but it ended up buying time for the Northern Army to arrive.
“Huh?”
“T-The enemy!”
“The Northern Army has appeared!”
Soon, they spotted a massive army approaching from the rear and shouted in alarm. Since it hadn’t been long since the mounted archers had retreated, it wasn’t surprising to encounter the enemy.
Gartros shouted, as if relishing the moment.
“Those insignificant wretches dare to charge at us without fear! Do they think they can defeat us just because Count Balzac isn’t here?!”
While it was true that Count Balzac held immense prestige, his absence had not significantly weakened their forces.
Even from the start, they had more superhumans on their side. The only reason they had launched a siege was because the enemy had remained holed up inside the fortress.
“Attack!”
At Gartros’ command, the Delfine forces surged forward. At the very front stood the priests of the Salvation Church.
Gartros had no intention of merely standing back and watching. Since their forces were somewhat lacking, he planned to reinforce them with his own strength.
Amelia also extended her hand. In response to her command, the Northern Army advanced to meet the enemy.
At the very rear of the Northern Army, a platform was hastily erected. Amelia climbed to the elevated position to oversee the battlefield.
“Conrad, seal the enemy’s magical power first.”
“Understood.”
Her strategist, Conrad, stood beside her and relayed the order.
Immediately, magical fields spread across both armies, restricting each side’s spellcasting.
“Waaaaahhh!”
With the mages neutralized, the frontlines of both armies clashed.
Boom!
Leading the charge for the Northern Army were Raypold’s heavy infantry. As trained elites, they held their formation with solid discipline.
Amelia issued a series of rapid commands.
“Relay the order for the Great Chieftain to take charge of the right flank.”
“The Holy Maiden will take the lead on the left flank.”
“Gillian and Tennant will lead the Western Army and follow behind the Saintess.”
“Kaor and the assault troops will support the Great Chieftain. The mounted archers will provide cover from the rear.”
“The entire coalition force will join Raypold’s troops at the front line and continue advancing. As long as we don’t get pushed back, we’ll be fine.”
Without even fully grasping the battlefield situation, everyone followed Amelia’s orders.
Watching the soldiers move, Amelia twisted her lips into a smirk.
“Their response is quite swift.”
The Fenris troops obeyed her commands immediately, a testament to how well Ghislain had trained them.
That was precisely why she entrusted them with the flanking maneuvers.
The coalition forces had large numbers. Though slower, their sheer numbers made them well-suited for engaging the enemy alongside Raypold’s forces.
The newly joined lords weren’t pleased about taking orders from Amelia, but given the importance of this battle, they complied for now.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Waaaaah! Kill them!”
“Don’t retreat! Hold the line!”
“Break through them!”
It was the first large-scale battle since the start of the civil war. The Delfine forces numbered over 150,000, while the Northern Army exceeded 200,000.
The battlefield could not help but erupt into utter chaos.
At a glance, the forces appeared evenly matched. The Northern Army had superior numbers, but the coalition and Western forces were of lower quality compared to the Delfine troops.
However, Gartros had overlooked a crucial factor.
“Damn it! What the hell?! Why are we getting surrounded?!”
The Delfine forces' flanks were steadily collapsing. At this point, even someone like Gartros, who lacked deep military knowledge, quickly realized the situation.
“The cavalry is concentrated on both flanks!”
Nearly half of the Delfine forces' cavalry had followed Count Balzac. In contrast, the Northern Army's cavalry had not diminished at all.
From the beginning, the Northern Army was structured primarily around cavalry. Amelia effectively utilized her overwhelming number of cavalry to put immense pressure on the Delfine forces.
On one side, mounted archers were relentlessly firing their arrows. To counter them, archers were needed, but the archers of the Delfine forces were too preoccupied fending off attacks from three directions to deal with the mounted archers.
Kwaaaang!
"Uwaaaah!"
Even before the battle had begun, the Delfine forces had already fallen out of formation. Unable to maneuver in unison, they were quickly surrounded on both sides.
Even attempts to break through the front were futile, as Raypold’s forces and the allied army had firmly blocked their path.
Raypold's strongest warriors, such as Bernarf and Vulcan, had also joined the front lines, making it nearly impossible to break through.
"The priests, help us now!"
Gartros shouted loudly, but the priests couldn't easily free themselves.
Kwaang! Kwaaaang! Kwaang!
That was because Ereneth and Parniel were wreaking havoc on both flanks.
The priests of the Salvation Church shifted their focus away from killing ordinary soldiers and instead concentrated on taking down the opposing superhumans.
"Kill her now!"
Three priests lunged at Parniel.
Kwajijik!
The first priest was sent flying backward after being struck by Parniel’s massive mace.
"You wretch!"
Another priest seized the opening and attacked her from the side. Parniel easily blocked the strike with her thick forearm and immediately rammed her head into the priest.
Kwaaaang!
Despite being a mere headbutt, the impact sounded as if something had exploded. The priest, whose forehead had caved in, staggered and momentarily lost consciousness.
Puk! Puk! Puk!
The knights assisting Parniel pounced at the same time, driving their swords into the fallen priest’s body.
Another priest tried to intervene, but Parniel blocked them with her own body.
Kwaaaaang!
The priest gathered all their strength and unleashed a powerful strike, landing a direct hit on her stomach.
"You… insane…"
The priest’s face twisted in sheer disbelief.
Despite taking such a devastating attack, Parniel only bent slightly at the waist. A thin trickle of blood ran from the corner of her lips, indicating some internal damage, but she seemed otherwise unaffected.
Her massive mace tore through the air, crashing down toward the priest.
Kwaaaaang!
"Graaaah!"
The priest, foolishly trying to block it, had both arms utterly crushed.
This was why the Saintess was so terrifying. As someone with a power diametrically opposed to the Salvation Church, she wielded overwhelming strength against the priests.
It was for this very reason that, during the time of great turmoil, she had risen to claim the fourth seat among the Seven Strongest on the Continent.
Three priests had already fallen to Parniel alone.
With the superhumans being tied down, the cavalry led by Gillian and Tennant struck the left flank of the Delfine forces.
Kwaaaaang!
"Uwaaaah!"
The Delfine forces' flank was immediately breached. Lacking proper coordination between units, they had no way to properly defend against the assault.
Gartros was at a complete loss.
The commanders of each unit were undoubtedly doing their best, as evidenced by the fact that despite suffering heavy losses, the army had not yet been completely annihilated.
However, each commander was only issuing orders to their own unit. There was no one overseeing the battlefield as a whole.
"Th-this…"
Gartros felt dizzy. He had no idea where he should go to provide support.
Originally, he had intended to head toward the area where the supposed Saintess was fighting. However, even after two more priests had rushed in, they were immediately intercepted by Gillian and Tennant, preventing them from reaching their target.
Despite witnessing his army crumbling rapidly, Gartros still couldn’t move in that direction.
Kwaaaaaang!
Because on the opposite side, an entirely different kind of disaster was unfolding.