Chapter 569
"Stay and Play with Me for a Bit?" (2)
Ghislain had given Jerome a special mission.
— They must have left some troops behind in reserve. Find them and slow them down however you can.
And if anyone could pull that off, it was Jerome.
With his magic that expanded his field of vision, he could see farther than anyone. On top of that, his spatial teleportation allowed him to strike and retreat at will.
Without rest, Jerome moved toward the location Ghislain had pointed out. It was quite a distance away, but he had to find the enemy as quickly as possible.
"Found them. They’re really here."
After several days of travel, Jerome finally discovered the Atrodean army.
The areas suitable for their encampment were limited. Right now, they might be hiding, but sooner or later, they would have to spread out in all directions.
Thanks to Ghislain's precise prediction, he found them faster than expected.
"I need to stall at least two of their divisions."
He had to cause enough havoc here and then quickly move on to the next target.
Finding the other divisions wouldn’t be difficult anymore he had already seen the messengers moving between them.
Strategically, he wasn’t exactly sure what impact this would have. But that wasn’t his concern.
Ghislain would handle all of that.
Jerome’s only job was to carry out his mission to the best of his ability.
"Hup!"
His vision expanded, allowing him to see the enemy forces in their entirety. At the very rear, he spotted someone who looked like a commander.
Ziiing—!
The space around him rippled, swallowing his body whole. In an instant, he teleported right in front of Count Biphenbelt.
Kwaaaang!
The moment he arrived, Jerome unleashed a surge of mana but it was blocked.
Of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy.
Especially not with the old man standing in his way. The aura radiating from him was stronger than anyone Jerome had ever faced.
Troops swarmed from all directions, and a magic barrier spread out around him.
Now, Jerome wouldn't be able to use his full strength.
But that was fine.
He had never planned on fighting to the death here in the first place.
Ziiing—!
Mana blades erupted from both of his hands.
Jerome grinned.
"I’ll really just play for a little bit."
Fwaaang!
In a flash, he darted to the side and slashed through the neck of a mage maintaining the magic barrier.
At the same time, the priests around him surged forward.
"You bastard!"
Kaaang!
Jerome deflected their attacks and swiftly retreated.
He had no intention of going all out against these superhumans.
Kagagagak!
"Aaargh!"
Instead, he focused his efforts on cutting down knights, mages, and soldiers.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
Using large-scale magic would have been ideal, but it wasn’t easy.
Every time he tried to cast a spell, the enemy mages desperately disrupted his formulas before the magic could fully manifest.
"A 6th-Circle Mage, huh? And quite a few high-level mages too."
Forcing himself to cast magic was possible, but in his current state, the power would be significantly weakened compared to the mana consumption.
So, Jerome circulated mana only within his body. Since it didn’t manifest externally, it was hardly affected by interference.
Boom! Boom! Booom!
Jerome was also highly skilled in martial arts. His Mana Blade indiscriminately slashed through those nearby.
He moved so fast that the gathered troops’ formation collapsed in an instant, increasing the number of casualties.
"Everyone, fall back! Move aside!"
The priests, realizing Jerome’s intent, quickly surrounded him. A superhuman must be dealt with by another superhuman.
They could wear him down and kill him with sheer numbers, but doing so right before battle would have been sheer madness.
"Tch."
Faced with their faster-than-expected response, Jerome had no choice but to engage the priests.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Even as he fought six priests at once, Jerome did not falter. Seeing this, Gartros’ expression hardened.
‘That bastard…’
Even within the Mana Field, he was exerting superhuman strength. While their mage forces weren’t at full capacity, this was still an impressive feat.
He had heard reports that the man had held back Helgenik’s Undead Legion for quite some time. But he had assumed it was because, as a mage, he could unleash large-scale attacks.
He hadn’t expected Jerome to have such remarkable combat prowess.
His martial arts skills, unbefitting of a mage, were also a problem. The priests, who were relatively lacking in combat technique, repeatedly failed to maintain their encirclement.
Boom!
Each time he found a gap, Jerome would escape and eliminate nearby mages and knights. The soldiers, of course, stood no chance.
Every time a mage died, the Mana Field weakened. And the weaker it got, the stronger Jerome’s Mana Blade became.
Gartros could no longer stand idly by.
"You’re no ordinary man!"
At this level, Jerome’s combat power rivaled that of the Saint of Battle. No, in terms of sheer difficulty, he might have been even trickier to deal with than her.
"Move aside!"
Boom!
Gartros personally stepped forward and swung his hand at Jerome. Even Jerome couldn’t ignore that attack he raised his arm to block it.
Thud!
Their energies clashed, spreading outward in a powerful shockwave.
Gartros bared his teeth and shouted, "Priests, spread out and surround him!"
His plan was to personally engage Jerome while the priests focused on protecting their allies.
Only then did Jerome click his tongue.
"You moved faster than I expected. I wanted to cause more damage."
"Enough nonsense. You die here."
Boom!
A surge of black energy erupted from Gartros' entire body. For Jerome, who was still under the Mana Field’s suppression, this would be no easy opponent.
"Still, why not push a little further?"
Jerome grinned and swung his Mana Blade.
Clang!
Gartros casually deflected the attack and extended his hand. The two of them clashed, moving at astonishing speeds.
Boom! Boom! Booom!
Their battle was so fast it became nearly invisible to the naked eye. Even the encircling troops had to retreat further just to avoid the shockwaves.
The priests nearby released their energy whenever they spotted an opening.
At this rate, no one would be able to endure much longer. If the fight dragged on, Jerome's death was inevitable.
Sensing his dwindling mana, Jerome decided it was time to retreat.
‘If I expend any more mana here, it’ll be dangerous.’
He could keep fighting, but it would be pointless. Just as Ghislain had warned, he was simply acting recklessly on his own.
Jerome gathered his mana and focused it into a single point.
The Mana Field was spread out widely to trap him. If he could pierce through a weak spot, he could use that gap to escape.
‘Heh, I’ve been training something new.’
The work he had done while trapped in the Mobile Workshop had yielded incredible results.
It had honed his unwavering concentration and developed his endurance to repeat the same action tirelessly.
‘Now I understand why Alfoi’s mana control is so exceptional.’
It felt like he had undergone endless repetitive training in a place where time stood still.
Now, it was time to show the fruits of that training.
With greater focus than ever before, Jerome tore open a gap in the Mana Field.
"Blink."
Fwoosh!
As the gap widened, mana rearranged itself, setting a coordinate for Jerome’s teleportation.
His body blurred as he moved through space, escaping from Gartros.
Thinking he had widened the distance, Jerome beamed and called out, "Everyone! I’ll be taking my leave now. See you next time!"
A few more Blinks, and he would be out of the Mana Field’s range. Once clear, he could fully fold space and disappear.
However—
"Huh?"
Gartros was a few steps ahead. The priests and soldiers were still surrounding them.
They hadn't managed to move as far as he had hoped. It wasn’t a complete failure, but it meant that the mana had not been properly arranged.
That was why they had ended up in the closest and safest location.
Jerome scratched the back of his head and let out an awkward laugh.
“Haha, ah, you guys are really something.”
The mana field was denser and stronger than expected. The Atrodean Army's 6th-Circle mage and their wizards had successfully blocked Jerome’s spell.
"……."
Gartros tilted his head to the side and glared at Jerome. He felt this every time he fought against the Ritania Army there were far too many strange people among them.
To think he had lost to someone like that and was even forced to flee.
His insides boiled over with rage once more.
"Kill him."
At Gartros’ furious command, the priests rushed in again. Gartros himself moved forward, exuding a murderous aura.
“Damn it!”
Jerome immediately abandoned the idea of using Blink and sprinted forward. He had to get out of the range of the mana field, even if just by a little.
“Out of the way!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Jerome forcefully struck down the surrounding soldiers as he ran. He had fully committed to escaping, but Gartros was simply too skilled.
"You bastard!"
“Ugh!”
Boom!
Gartros struck from behind, forcing Jerome to turn around.
The two clashed once again. Gartros was trying to kill his opponent as quickly as possible, while Jerome kept retreating.
He didn’t forget to use Blink whenever possible to widen the distance. Though he could only teleport short distances, it was still effective.
Bit by bit, he was moving away from the enemy lines.
But continuing to fight like this wouldn’t make escaping easy. If he exhausted his strength, the outcome would be obvious.
He had to escape the range of the mana field no matter what.
The one who saved Jerome from this predicament was Count Biphenbelt.
"Come back at once!"
Count Biphenbelt understood his opponent’s intentions. Their enemy was deliberately trying to stall for time while inflicting as much damage as possible.
That only confirmed that his own strategy was the correct one.
There was no point wasting time on such a minor distraction. They had to move as quickly as possible.
At Count Biphenbelt’s command, Gartros and the priests hesitated. Seizing that moment, Jerome bolted out of the battlefield at an incredible speed.
“Tsk.”
Gartros clicked his tongue. His opponent was too skilled he hadn’t been able to finish him off in a single blow.
That bastard would undoubtedly continue to be a nuisance. Wouldn't it be better to kill him now?
That thought crossed his mind, but it was already too late. While they were hesitating, the enemy had escaped.
As Gartros stewed in frustration, Count Biphenbelt spoke.
“They’ll keep trying to slow us down, but it’s a futile trick. It only means they’re just as desperate. We need to move faster.”
"Understood. Let’s do as you say."
The war had been entrusted to Count Biphenbelt. It was unfortunate, but following his lead was the right decision.
Thanks to that, the operation had progressed smoothly without causing damage to the allied forces.
Even after Jerome disappeared, the 1st Legion couldn’t move immediately and had to reorganize. Too many had died.
The loss of several mages, in particular, was a painful blow. In their current state, with forces divided, securing strategic positions required magical support.
Count Biphenbelt didn’t bother to hide his cold expression.
‘Duke of Fenris, I see you expected this to some extent. But you won’t be able to respond in time. The other legions have already set out.’
If anything, he had only revealed his own impatience to Count Biphenbelt. Now, it was truly a race to see who could move faster.
"Let’s go! Move at full speed!"
With only a brief moment to regroup, the 1st Legion took off like a raging storm.
* * *
The 4th Legion commander of the Atrodean Army, Count Zyrus, knew that the time had finally come.
"So, the 1st Legion has moved?"
"Yes, sir. If you and the 2nd Legion take charge of one flank, we’ll be in position."
At the messenger’s words, Count Zyrus nodded.
He didn’t know whether Duke of Fenris was in his path or if it was the Prince of Turian.
But one of them was there for sure. And once found, they had to be eliminated.
Of course, doing so alone was impossible. No matter how strong their forces were, both the Duke of Fenris and the Prince of Turian were in a league of their own.
However, with the 2nd Legion, things would be different.
After all, leading the 2nd Legion was none other than Aiden, the Noble Knight, one of the strongest warriors in this battlefield.
On top of that, between both legions, they had a total of eight priests. With that much support, it would be difficult to lose even if they wanted to.
"Speed is key. Understood. I’ll depart first tell the 2nd Legion to follow closely behind."
"Yes, sir!"
In maneuver warfare, simply moving fast wasn’t enough. This wasn’t a footrace.
What mattered more was achieving strategic objectives before the enemy could react.
Intercepting the Duke of Fenris or the Prince of Turian before they could regroup with other legions was of utmost importance.
"Move out! From now on, we ride at full speed without rest!"
The 4th Legion had been on standby, waiting for the right moment. Now, they were overflowing with so much pent-up energy it felt like they would explode.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The 4th Legion, entirely composed of cavalry, charged forward with tremendous force. The 2nd Legion wouldn’t be far behind.
Brimming with confidence, they galloped across the field until, in the distance, they saw a thick cloud of dust rising.
A force was charging straight toward them.
"Hmm? What is that?"
Count Zyrus tilted his head. There was no army that should have been approaching from the direction they were headed.
The Second Legion was stationed behind them. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out which army this was.
"Everyone, halt!"
Wondering if it might be a legion that had been fighting in another region, Count Zyrus decided to stop and assess the situation.
As the approaching army came into clearer view, Count Zyrus frowned.
They were too fast. They weren’t even attempting to slow down, charging forward like madmen.
As he observed them more closely, Count Zyrus’s eyes began to widen.
"Th-That army is…!"
Dudududududu!
They were all heavily armored cavalry. Despite their full gear, they were moving at an astonishing speed.
There was only one army on the entire continent equipped with such absurd gear.
"R-Ritania’s army?"
Among them, only the Fenris Mobile Corps, known to be the strongest, could wear such equipment and maintain that speed.
There was another reason he was certain.
Hiiiiiing!
At the front, riding a ferocious black horse, was a man whose red eyes gleamed menacingly.
"The Duke of Fenris!"
Impossible. Why was the Duke of Fenris suddenly appearing here?!
Something was wrong. The Duke of Fenris was supposed to be elsewhere, locked in a pursuit.
"Prepare for battle! Battle formation!"
Count Zyrus shouted urgently, retreating toward the rear of the formation. A collision was imminent.
Fwaaaah!
A crimson light flared intensely from the spear in Ghislain’s grasp. At the same time, the Black King was also engulfed in a red aura, accelerating even further.
Dududududu!
Before anyone realized it, Ghislain had already pulled far ahead of the Mobile Corps, charging alone.
The Atrodean Army was caught off guard by the sudden encounter with an enemy.
They, too, were cavalry, but they had already come to a stop. Meanwhile, Ghislain and the Mobile Corps were instead gaining even more speed.
Count Zyrus screamed in horror.
"Stop himmm!"
Four priests rushed out from the Atrodean Army—
Kwaaaaang!
—only for Ghislain, now a streak of crimson light, to tear through their formation.