Chapter 577
You Will Become a Legend. (4)
Thud.
Ghislain collapsed onto the ground. Blood continued to stream from his mouth, nose, and ears.
With sheer will, he had been able to cut through the world itself, but the recoil had been immense. His mental fortitude had been drained to an extreme degree.
But what mattered most was that he had ultimately ascended to a new realm.
His mana reserves were lacking compared to his past life, but his level of enlightenment had surpassed what he had achieved before.
Ghislain gazed at Aiden’s corpse with a deeply emotional look.
"Aiden."
No answer came from the lifeless body. The ever-arrogant Aiden was now nothing more than a cold corpse.
Ghislain let out a faint breath and murmured,
"At last, I’ve got you."
As expected from someone who had been one of the Seven Strongest on the Continent, he had been an incredibly difficult opponent.
Just as he had grown stronger, Aiden had also continuously progressed. Surprisingly, that bastard had been diligent in his training.
He had been so in love with himself that, ironically, he had been meticulous in maintaining his own form.
But regardless, Ghislain had now severed one of the most persistent ties of enmity from his past life. The very man who had once beheaded him.
It was only natural that he felt a measure of relief.
"Hah… Still, I didn’t get to tear you apart."
He had no particular hobby of mutilating corpses. Besides, Aiden had been too formidable for such an ending.
In the end, Aiden had even managed to mimic his level of mastery. So Ghislain had to be content with having killed him in the same way he himself had died in his past life.
"Lordshiiiiiip!"
"Your Graaace!"
"Waaaaah! His Highness, the Grand Duke, has won!"
The Fenris Knights and the soldiers of the Mobile Corps rushed forward, their cheers filling the battlefield.
To have fought such a terrifying opponent and emerged victorious!
And that final moment none of them could comprehend what had happened. The Grand Duke had swung his sword ever so slowly, yet his enemy had taken the strike head-on.
Even the knights assumed that their lord’s opponent had simply been too exhausted to react.
"Whatever! He won, didn’t he?! That’s all that matters!"
Gordon shouted joyfully.
Ultimately, victory was all that mattered. Ghislain’s martial prowess was the greatest weapon that upheld Fenris.
The knights all took out potions and began dousing him in them. By now, this had become something of a ritual.
"Sploosh, sploosh, sploosh!"
They once again poured the liquid all over his face. Ghislain, drained of strength, had no choice but to endure it.
Vanessa, clutching her own wounds, rushed over and shouted,
"Lord! Are you alright? You mustn’t lose consciousness! Focus on my words. There are four times as many chickens as ducks, and the ducks are nine fewer than the pigs…"
"…I’m fine. Stop that."
Ghislain had no desire to solve that problem.
Forcing himself to stand, he looked around at everyone and spoke.
"Leave the battlefield cleanup. We need to move immediately."
Vanessa tried to stop him.
"Lord, you need to receive treatment and rest right now."
Ghislain’s condition was truly dire. Though the potions had healed his external wounds, traces of Aiden’s mana still lingered within him.
With his energy completely drained, it was impossible to expel it all immediately.
But Ghislain shook his head.
"Count Biphenbelt will be moving quickly. I can recover on the way."
Unable to oppose his stubbornness, everyone reluctantly performed only a brief reorganization before mounting their horses.
Exhaustion weighed heavily on him, and Ghislain, his eyes half-closed, spoke in a voice thick with drowsiness.
"Let's go. We’re almost there."
There was no need to worry about anything else. All that remained was to take down Count Biphenbelt’s army.
At last, the end of this war was in sight.
Dudududu!
Ghislain and the Mobile Corps galloped forward once more.
There was much to be gained from the battlefield, but to move quickly, they had to leave it all behind.
The painters who had been observing from behind the Atrodean army had long since fled in terror.
The only thing they had taken with them was Aiden’s prized white steed.
* * *
Count Biphenbelt, advancing swiftly with his troops, frowned upon hearing the messenger’s report.
"They’re unresponsive?"
"Yes, we haven’t been able to find any trace of them. Their location is unknown."
Count Biphenbelt halted his march.
He had been planning to rendezvous with the army led by his infiltrator, but even communication had been cut off.
There was only one possible reason for such a thing.
"They must have been taken out first."
Even if the infiltrator’s identity had been exposed, for them to be eliminated so quickly was surprising.
Deep in thought, he soon nodded.
"The army that had split into two must have moved faster than expected."
He was certain that the Ritania forces had taken care of the 9th and 10th Legions. Otherwise, why else would they be heading toward the remaining Ritania forces?
Most likely, the Ritania troops who had defeated the 9th and 10th Legions had moved swiftly and wiped out the infiltrator’s army as well.
"Tch, what a waste."
Even if he hadn’t been able to bring his entire legion, he could have at least used the infiltrator’s army.
They would have made excellent cannon fodder.
"Still, either the Duke of Fenris or the Turian prince will die soon."
The 2nd and 4th Legions were moving together. No matter how strong those two were, they couldn’t withstand an attack from both legions at once.
He had a feeling that good news would arrive soon.
The only concern was the 3rd Legion, but as long as they bought enough time, that would be enough.
"Let’s go. It’s unfortunate, but there’s no helping it."
He had intended to use the army led by the infiltrator as mere cannon fodder anyway. Even with just the 1st Legion, he was confident they could easily defeat the weakened Ritania forces.
Dudududu!
The 1st Legion pushed their speed to the limit.
They were a massive force of thirty thousand strong. With such numbers, no matter how quickly they tried to move, there was still a lot that needed to be accounted for.
Yet, they maintained an impressive pace. It was precisely because of this ability that Count Biphenbelt had boldly chosen to engage in a mobile warfare strategy.
At this rate, they would arrive at the expected time so long as nothing interfered.
"Stop immediately!"
A 6th-Circle mage of the 1st Legion suddenly shouted in alarm.
Before anyone could question him, he released his mana. The other mages, recognizing the urgency, followed suit and unleashed their magic as well.
Seeing this, Count Biphenbelt swiftly gave the order.
"Halt! Everyone, stop!"
Hiiiiiing!
With the abrupt command, the army, which had been charging forward at full speed, fell into disarray.
The mages, however, paid no mind and continued to channel their mana.
Soon, the ground ahead trembled slightly, and flames erupted.
Fwoooosh.
The flames were rather feeble. Clearly, their original intensity had been significantly weakened.
Similar flames began sprouting up in multiple locations.
Count Biphenbelt narrowed his eyes and asked,
"What’s going on?"
Clicking his tongue, the mage responded,
"It’s a trap. I can sense a considerable amount of mana underground. It seems they’ve used runestones to set up an ambush."
"In that case…"
The mage’s eyes sharpened as he surveyed the surroundings.
"Yes. There’s a mage hiding nearby. Whoever activated this spell formation must be close."
"Search the area immediately! Check if there are more traps!"
The mages and soldiers meticulously examined the path ahead. The sheer number of runestones buried in the ground was staggering.
With time being of the essence, getting caught up in such nuisances was infuriating.
Count Biphenbelt ground his teeth.
"Those bastards are really going all out."
The only ones who used runestones as if they were mere pebbles were the Ritania forces.
The mastermind behind this trap was obvious.
"That damned Jerome."
He was deliberately obstructing their advance. Count Biphenbelt regretted not dealing with him sooner.
Finding the hidden mage didn’t take long.
"There he is!"
"Catch him, now!"
"Deploy the mana barrier!"
Sure enough, it was Jerome.
The moment his position was discovered, he bolted. After gaining some distance, he even used spatial magic to teleport away.
Count Biphenbelt and Gartros clenched their jaws.
What an insufferable pest. He was proving to be a major nuisance.
While the 1st Legion fumed in frustration, Jerome wasn’t having an easy time either.
"Huff, huff… Damn it, this is exhausting."
He glanced at the long gash across his chest and grimaced.
"Wow, I really lasted longer than I thought."
The wound on Jerome’s chest, inflicted by Aiden, had only just begun to heal. That was how violently the residual mana within it had been rampaging.
He had only performed emergency treatment, conserving as much of his mana as possible.
Though he had reached a level where he could recover mana simply through breathing, the enemies he had to face were far too powerful.
"I should rest for a bit before continuing."
Jerome’s task was to hinder the enemy’s advance and buy time.
The problem was that no one had told him for how long.
He had no way of knowing how the war was progressing, so he simply repeated the same task over and over.
Fortunately, he had grown accustomed to such work. His persistence had been honed through countless artifact modifications.
"Ugh, guess it’s time to go again."
After taking a short break, Jerome moved once more.
He traveled ahead in the direction of the 1st Legion’s march and diligently set up more traps.
There were still a few runestones left in his subspace inventory. While he could absorb the mana stored within them, it was far more convenient to use them for traps.
Quickly engraving new formations, he buried the runestones throughout the ground. Now, all he had to do was activate the magic when the enemy arrived.
As he hid and waited, the 1st Legion appeared. Jerome calculated the distance and activated the formation.
The runestones would now explode on a delayed timer.
"They’ll just dispel it again, huh?"
It didn’t matter if he failed. All he needed to do was stall for time.
However, the enemy’s approach had changed.
Kwoooooom!
At the forefront was Gartros. As he moved, a dark aura seeped into the ground.
Boom! Boom!
The runestones began detonating as they collided with Gartros’ energy. Once he was close enough to detect the magic, he unleashed his aura in all directions.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, the traps that Jerome had painstakingly set were rendered useless.
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Jerome watched the scene unfold.
"…Wow, what a brute-force solution."
If Gartros kept fighting like that, he would be considerably drained by the time he reached the battlefield. Yet, despite that, he was still willing to expend such energy meaning he was confident in winning regardless.
"Well, can’t be helped. I guess I’ll have to entertain him a little longer."
Kwooooosh!
Jerome’s body shot forward like a flash of light. Glowing mana blades extended from both of his hands.
Gartros narrowed his eyes and shouted.
"You’ve come!"
"Don’t be in such a hurry."
Boom!
Without further words, the two clashed.
Priests from the 1st Legion flew in, joining the assault against Jerome.
As one of the Seven Strongest on the Continent, Jerome fought magnificently even against their combined attacks.
Though his wounds from Aiden had not fully healed and he was already fatigued from continuously stalling the Atrodean forces, he could still fight for a little while longer.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
An immense pressure closed in from all directions.
While fending off attacks, Jerome gradually widened the gap between himself and his pursuers. The moment he found an opening, he bolted to the side.
Then, in a taunting voice, he shouted,
"If you chase me, you’ll just be wasting time! Follow me if you’re fine with that!"
It was a reckless provocation, but it was worth attempting if it meant buying more time.
By constantly fleeing, Jerome made it even harder for Gartros and the priests to keep up.
One man was single-handedly delaying an entire army.
Jerome barely engaged in direct combat, making it all the more difficult to catch him.
Of course, if the Atrodean forces decided to focus entirely on killing him, they could likely succeed but they weren’t in a position to afford that kind of commitment.
"You damned pest…!"
Gartros, unable to properly pursue him, repeatedly spat curses in frustration.
Now, Gartros, the priests, and elite knights led the charge at the vanguard, while even the mages had moved up to the middle ranks of their formation.
Although Jerome returned multiple times to obstruct their advance, his tactics became less effective. The Atrodean forces had begun responding with greater force.
In the end, Jerome, his body exhausted, had no choice but to retreat.
"I’ve done my part."
A battle would soon break out. If he wanted to support his allies, he needed to recover his mana properly.
Thus, he slipped away to a hidden location to rest.
This allowed the Atrodean forces to resume their advance at full speed, but they had already lost considerable time.
Count Biphenbelt continuously urged his troops forward.
"Faster! We must eliminate one side before the Ritania forces regroup!"
That was the key to ending this war quickly. The Duke of Fenris and the Turian prince whichever one encountered the 3rd Legion would be the only one left alive to return.
Dudududududu!
They rode at full speed until they finally reached the coalition forces' most crucial stronghold.
There was a reason why this location was so important. It was the central hub of all supply routes, making it the easiest place to receive reinforcements and provisions.
More critically, it was the direct path to the Kingdom of Sardina, the heart of the coalition forces.
All supplies and troops from the various kingdoms first gathered in Sardina before being distributed. Losing this stronghold would be catastrophic for the coalition forces.
If the Atrodean army managed to seize it, they could cut off all reinforcements and supplies while sweeping through the surrounding areas unchallenged.
"If we take this place, victory is ours!"
Count Biphenbelt roared.
Capturing this stronghold would make everything else effortless. The remaining coalition forces could be starved out or completely trapped.
Thus, they had to take it no matter what.
Naturally, the Ritania forces would be stationed here. The importance of this location guaranteed that much.
That was what they had assumed as they charged forward.
But then—
"…Why?"
The army stationed at the stronghold was not the Ritania forces.
It was a legion led by Marquis Gideon of Turian.
"What… Why?"
Count Biphenbelt was struck by confusion.
There was no way Marquis Gideon could defend this place. At most, he could stall for time.
And yet, he had made such a dangerous decision?
If their opponent wasn’t a fool, this could only mean one thing there was another scheme at play.
A tremor ran through Biphenbelt’s eyes. If the Ritania army wasn’t here, he needed to reevaluate everything from the beginning.
"The 5th and 6th Legions, the 7th and 8th Legions, the 9th and 10th Legions…"
The Atrodean forces had divided their attack into three fronts.
One front had faced half of the Ritania army.
Another had fought against the Turian prince.
The last had been handled by the Duke of Fenris.
On the coalition side, two legions had already been wiped out by Atrodean forces, and another had been under the command of their infiltrator.
The last remaining legion was now in front of them Marquis Gideon’s forces.
Which meant…
Where had the other half of the Ritania army gone?
A foreboding realization struck Count Biphenbelt’s mind.
"If… the Ritania forces all moved together from the start…."
That would leave only one battlefield.
Whether it was the Turian prince or the Duke of Fenris who had taken that battlefield, one of them would now be free.
If that person had separately moved to ambush the main Atrodean army, which had been standing by—
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Count Biphenbelt bellowed,
"Everyone! Attack immediately! We must capture this place as fast as possible! And send word to the other legions abort all missions and regroup here!"
The 3rd Legion was operating alone.
The 2nd and 4th Legions would take time to rendezvous.
He prayed it wasn’t the case, but…
By now, at least one legion had likely been ambushed.