Chapter 585
Annihilate the Enemy. (2)
With a thunderous explosion, arrows mercilessly tore through the Atrodean Army. Those unfortunate enough to be in their path were ripped apart and killed instantly.
“Arghhh!”
“What the hell! Who is it?!”
“They’re behind us! The enemy appeared from behind!”
Everyone turned around in shock.
A single arrow displayed unimaginable power. Already shaken by Jerome’s magic, the Atrodean Army found themselves unable to comprehend the series of bizarre phenomena unfolding before them.
Even Ghislain, who had unleashed such power, was not unscathed. He clutched his forehead and staggered. Blood had begun to trickle from his nose.
“Damn, this is exhausting. I feel dizzy.”
He had only attacked twice, yet he was already drained. Using this newfound power was still incredibly taxing.
He was already gravely injured and exhausted from his battle with Aiden. This was not a situation where he could rely on sheer willpower.
However, if he wanted to draw the enemy’s attention toward himself, he had no choice but to push himself.
Count Biphenbelt also turned to look behind him, narrowing his eyes.
“Duke of Fenris.”
Though he couldn't see clearly, it was obvious. There were only a handful of people capable of displaying such power.
The fact that the figure was riding a black horse made his identity even easier to discern.
“What a reckless fool.”
Count Biphenbelt twisted the corner of his mouth into a smirk. Did he not realize where he had just barged in alone? It was clear he had rushed over upon sensing the fortress was in danger.
Without hesitation, he stretched out his hand toward the rear.
“Kill him first!”
If they could just take down the Duke of Fenris, the war would essentially be won. Now that he had foolishly appeared alone, this was their chance.
Swish!
The Atrodean Army, which had been charging toward the fortress, swiftly turned around. Their elite knights did the same.
“Kill him!”
“If we take him down, the war is as good as over!”
“Waaaahhh!”
Nearly half of the Atrodean Army moved. That was how significant a target Ghislain was.
Watching them charge toward him, Ghislain smiled.
Even with his strength, he couldn’t possibly handle that many enemies in his current state. But he wasn’t worried.
“You all lack proper training. You should be running faster. Tsk tsk.”
Clicking his tongue, he turned to look behind him. Dust clouds were beginning to rise in the distance.
The Atrodean Army, who had been charging toward Ghislain, were soon forced to halt.
Thududududu!
Stretching across the horizon, a massive army appeared.
It wasn’t hard to tell who they were.
Leading the front were the Fenris Knights, clad in black armor. Behind them, a force nearly twenty thousand strong emerged.
Their overwhelming presence sent a ferocious aura crashing down upon the battlefield. The thunderous sound of galloping hooves echoed, making the very ground tremble.
Ghislain glanced back and smiled.
The sight behind him was more than enough to shatter the enemy’s morale.
The sudden appearance of a massive army caused the Atrodean forces to tense up significantly.
"It's the Ritanian army."
"It's the Duke of Fenris' Mobile Corps."
"They've already arrived…."
The Duke of Fenris' Mobile Corps was renowned. No matter how elite the Atrodean army was, they couldn't guarantee victory in a direct confrontation.
Moreover, the priests were already drained of power, and troops remained stationed within the fortress. In their current state, the Atrodean army couldn't possibly withstand an assault from both sides.
The tide of battle shifted in an instant. The attackers who had been fiercely assaulting the fortress suddenly found themselves surrounded from both the front and rear.
The fortress troops reacted in stark contrast to the Atrodean forces.
Marquis Gideon lowered his sword with trembling eyes.
"They've come… The Ritanian army has come."
At that moment, a thunderous cheer erupted from within the fortress.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"It's the Fenris Mobile Corps!"
"His Highness the Grand Duke has arrived!"
The soldiers screamed wildly, unable to contain themselves. It was only natural they had been saved at the brink of death.
Tears of joy streamed down their faces as they glimpsed hope at the very edge of despair.
Marquis Gideon seized the opportunity.
"Shout louder! Louder! Even louder!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"We've won!"
"The goddess' blessing is with us!"
Even though the battle had yet to be decided, they roared as if they had already seized victory.
Their cries spread across the battlefield, uplifting their allies' morale.
The louder the fortress troops cheered, the more the Atrodean army's morale plummeted. Those who had charged in with certainty of victory began to falter, their steps slowing.
In an instant, the atmosphere of the battlefield had completely shifted.
"Raise the banner!"
At Marquis Gideon's command, the fortress soldiers hoisted the banner of victory high into the sky. Their energy now dominated the battlefield.
The Atrodean forces, who had been advancing relentlessly, were now withdrawing to their formation.
It was Count Biphenbelt who had ordered the retreat.
He clenched his teeth, his expression twisted in frustration.
"These bastards…."
Was the Duke of Fenris truly this formidable?
The enemy hadn't even clashed blades with them, yet it already felt as though the outcome had been decided.
Morale was a critical factor in battle. And yet, before they had even fought, the atmosphere had shifted against them.
The cheers of the fortress troops became an invisible weapon, piercing into the hearts of the Atrodean soldiers.
The unwavering belief in their own victory gradually chipped away at the Atrodean army's fighting spirit.
Clatter, clatter.
Unlike usual, Ghislain and the Mobile Corps did not charge in immediately.
Upon arrival, they slowed their pace, gradually advancing before coming to a halt.
Now, the Atrodean army was completely surrounded. If they turned to face the Mobile Corps, the fortress troops would strike from behind.
Gartros clutched Count Biphenbelt's arm, his voice filled with panic.
"W-What do we do?"
"……."
"Say something, quickly!"
It was a guaranteed defeat if they fought like this. The priests had completely exhausted their energy.
However, if there was a single ray of hope, it was that the Duke of Fenris known for his reckless aggression had yet to make a move.
He could tell what the other side was aiming for.
Count Biphenbelt slowly opened his mouth.
“We must wait.”
“For what?”
“A messenger has already been sent to the other legions. If they abandon their current operations and rush here, we can turn the tables and encircle them instead.”
“What if they attack first?”
“They seem to be waiting for their allies as well, so we should do the same.”
Both sides maintained a tense standoff, staring each other down.
It was clear that the Duke of Fenris, too, wanted to minimize losses and was waiting for reinforcements. The outcome would depend on which side’s allies arrived first.
Gartros let out a frustrated shout.
“Jerome! That bastard ruined everything! How could we be this unlucky?!”
If not for Jerome, they would have already arrived and taken the fortress.
No, even if they hadn’t captured the fortress by now, it wouldn’t have mattered. They could have gathered the priests’ energy and faced the Duke of Fenris head-on.
But because of Jerome, they had failed to seize the fortress and had been forced to use up all their trump cards.
Count Biphenbelt shook his head.
“This wasn’t luck.”
“What?”
“That mage has been hindering us from the very beginning. This was all part of their strategy.”
And that strategy had likely been devised by the Duke of Fenris.
This was a war where speed was everything. The Duke of Fenris had moved swiftly while simultaneously sabotaging their advance.
As a result, they had been delayed by the slimmest of margins.
“There’s still a chance. The fact that the Duke of Fenris has appeared means that he must have confronted the Third Legion, which was operating alone. That means the Second and Fourth Legions are still intact. If they arrive first, we will win.”
“Hmm…”
“You must recover the priests’ energy as quickly as possible. Only the final battle remains.”
“Understood.”
Gartros nodded. It wouldn’t be easy to recover quickly, but they needed to rest, even if just for a moment.
Gartros and the priests struggled to construct a temporary magic circle. They intended to absorb whatever lingering energy remained from the dead.
However, the amount of energy they could extract was far less than expected. After all, the power they harnessed came from killing the living.
There was little to be gained from those who had already died.
Still, they had to recover somehow, so they continued to struggle.
Just as Count Biphenbelt had predicted, Ghislain did not make a move. He simply stood firm, exerting immense pressure on the Atrodean forces.
However, he did send Dark to carry Vanessa and check on Jerome.
As Dark flew with Vanessa in tow, he grumbled.
“Isn’t our master seriously annoying?”
“……”
“All he ever does is give me these menial errands. Why doesn’t he let me do something grander?”
“……”
“The way he uses me is just pathetic. He should just channel all his mana into me, right? Then I could grow massive and wipe everything out by myself, and he could just relax. Wouldn’t that be way more efficient? But no, he won’t do it. Man, he’s so damn stubborn… so damn stubborn…”
Dark was deeply impressed upon seeing Gartros grow massive. If he could monopolize all of Ghislain’s mana, he might not become that large, but he could certainly grow quite a bit.
Of course, his combat sense was a complete mess, so he wouldn’t be able to utilize even half of that power but he just wanted to be big.
“……”
Vanessa didn’t respond. She had learned from experience that it was best not to engage in conversation with Dark.
“Hey, wanna run away together? With your skills, Vanessa, you could probably extract my consciousness from our master, right?”
“……”
“Ha, should I just ask Julien instead?”
“……”
“Why do women always ignore me? Why do they always say they’re busy and reject me? Are they all like this? Are they just shy?”
Vanessa wanted to tell him the truth, but she endured with superhuman patience.
The Atrodean forces also saw Vanessa soaring through the sky but didn’t interfere. They had no intention of provoking a battle at this moment.
And so, the battle entered a temporary lull. Both sides were openly waiting for reinforcements.
It was a brief period of respite. The fortress troops took a breather and focused on healing Jerome alongside Vanessa.
The Fenris Mobile Corps, exhausted from their forced march, also managed to get some rest, though uncomfortably so.
The Atrodean forces rested as well, but they could not relax. With enemies on both sides, a battle could break out at any moment.
A tense day passed. The priests, having recovered some energy, anxiously awaited their allies.
And finally—
A force emerged from one direction.
“Waaaaaaah!”
A deafening cheer erupted from the fortress troops.
The newly arrived force was the Ritania army led by Gillian.
Beside him, Kaor bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“SHIIIIIIIT! I’M A TRANSCENDENT NOW, TOO!”
Belinda, embarrassed, covered her face and took a step away from him.
The Atrodean forces all looked on in shock. Instead of reinforcements, more enemies had arrived.
At this point, it was fair to say their chances of victory had completely vanished. They gripped their weapons tightly, their bodies tense.
Gartros turned to Count Biphenbelt in a panic.
“W-What should we do? The enemy has increased in number!”
Count Biphenbelt’s eyes twitched. No amount of brilliant tactics could turn the tide in this situation.
And yet, the Duke of Fenris still did not move. The newly arrived army, too, remained on standby.
‘Are they trying to completely crush us?!’
They were openly blocking every escape route, ensuring their complete annihilation.
Grit.
Count Biphenbelt ground his teeth, debating whether to escape through the one remaining open path.
‘Impossible.’
It was meaningless. The enemies were among the fastest on the entire continent, second to none in speed.
On top of that, they had rested.
Even if they fled, they would be caught, and most of them would be slaughtered.
Only one hope remained.
Their allies had to arrive before the enemy made a move.
Count Biphenbelt clung to that hope and waited.
But—
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
The cheers grew even louder.
On the opposite side of Gillian’s force, another Ritania army had appeared this one led by Tennant and Parniel.
With that, the Atrodean forces were completely surrounded.
Boom!
Parniel strode forward with a fierce grin.
“There are so many to kill today.”
A bright light began to radiate from her mace.
At the same time, Tennant’s Ritania army assumed a battle stance.
As if responding to the Saintess’s Light, Gillian’s forces on the other side also completed their preparations to charge.
The fortress troops gathered at the main gate. No one needed to say anything everyone knew exactly what they had to do.
Ghislain slowly angled his spear.
All eyes turned to him.
“All troops—”
Hiiiiing!
With a sharp cry, the Black King charged forward.
A crimson light flared from Ghislain’s spear, swiftly engulfing the entire weapon.
His voice rang out, low and commanding, carrying across the battlefield for all to hear.
“Annihilate the enemy.”
At that command, the ground trembled as the final battle began.