Chapter 612
One Big Thing is Settled (1)
“Waaaaahhh!”
The soldiers erupted in cheers at Ghislain’s generous promise. It felt as if newfound strength was surging through their weary bodies.
As the atmosphere grew even more electrified, Ghislain seized the moment and raised his voice further.
“The same rewards will be given to the families of those who have fallen in this battle! And these conditions will remain in place until the Monster Wave ends! I swear it upon my name!”
“Uwoooaaaahhh!”
Once again, a thunderous roar shook the battlefield.
For years, the continent had suffered ceaseless torment droughts, plagues, the emergence of rifts, the rise of the Salvation Church, and wars against the rebels.
Most of the soldiers had enlisted because making a living had become too difficult. More than the fear of dying, they worried about the survival of the families they would leave behind.
But now, they had been promised a substantial reward. Even if they perished, their families would be taken care of.
For the soldiers, this was a great relief.
‘If it were any other noble, I wouldn’t have believed it.’
‘But the Duke of Fenris is trustworthy.’
‘I heard he always delivers on his promises.’
Ghislain’s reputation for generous rewards had already spread across the entire continent. Whenever someone distinguished themselves in battle, no matter how minor the feat, he made sure they were properly rewarded.
There was no risk of him reneging due to financial constraints. Ghislain was known as the richest man on the continent. His endless supply of food alone could sustain the entire continent.
Hadn’t countless kingdoms already survived thanks to his support?
The tide of morale had turned. They had already secured victory in the most dangerous sector. Moreover, they wouldn’t be fighting alone, the fortress reinforcements would soon join them.
There was no reason to be afraid.
“Hell, let’s do this!”
“The first time was tough, but the second won’t be!”
“If fewer of them come, it’s an easy win!”
The soldiers raised their weapons, brimming with confidence. Their morale was at an all-time high.
Ghislain nodded in satisfaction, a pleased smile on his face. As expected, most problems could be solved with money. If something wasn’t working out, the first thing to consider was whether there was enough money involved.
However, unlike the content Ghislain, Marquis Alperen was flustered as he whispered urgently.
“Y-Your Grace! The allied forces’ treasury doesn’t have that kind of surplus funds!”
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not! I’m telling you, we don’t have enough funds!”
Ghislain might always claim that things were fine, but for everyone else, it was a serious issue.
The rewards he had just promised amounted to an astronomical sum. Even a powerful kingdom would struggle if it had to distribute such wealth in one go.
Let alone now, when every nation was already financially drained. Even the spoils of war they had planned to divide were meant to be used for stabilization.
But if the Supreme Commander made such a promise, the burden of securing the funds would ultimately fall on the allied forces.
“We’re barely managing to secure military rations as it is!”
Droughts and plagues had struck one after another. The war had dragged on for years. Most kingdoms were struggling just to procure food.
More than half of the allied forces’ rations currently came from the Ritania Kingdom.
Had Ritania failed to boost its production capacity, the war would have ended in the allied forces’ defeat.
Despite this, Ghislain maintained an expression that said there was no problem.
“I’m telling you, it’s fine.”
“B-but… Your Grace, do you really have that much money?”
“I am quite wealthy, but not that wealthy. Hahaha. Come now, how could I possibly afford to pay the wages of the entire allied army?”
“……”
“We’ll think about it when the time comes.”
“……”
“If we run out of money, we can just pay in goods instead.”
Ghislain never concerned himself with minor details. In truth, he had no idea how much was left in the treasury.
At the start, he had personally checked every detail and managed things himself, but now, his forces had grown too vast for him to oversee everything directly.
Claude would know the numbers, but he wasn’t present, so there was no way to check.
But it didn’t matter. If they ran out of funds, they could always take what they needed from somewhere else (?).
There was no need to explain all of that, so he simply glossed over the details.
Marquis Alperen eyed Ghislain skeptically.
‘He always finds a way to solve things in the end… but the methods he uses are terrifying.’
He was too afraid to ask for specifics. So, Marquis Alperen decided not to question it further. He didn’t even want to know.
All he could do was pray that the necessary funds would somehow be secured.
Regardless, thanks to Ghislain’s confident proclamation, the troops, now slightly more motivated, began moving quickly.
Before long, the newly reorganized army reached their respective fortresses, and soon after, the Monster Wave descended upon most of them.
KAAAAAAAHH!
As the overwhelming swarm of monsters surged forward, the soldiers who had fought on the front lines had only one thought.
‘The Duke of Fenris is a liar!’
Because the monsters were pouring in like a tidal wave.
* * *
Ghislain hadn’t lied.
It was just that, since so many monsters were coming at once, the soldiers couldn’t make an accurate comparison objectively, there were indeed fewer monsters than in the frontline fortresses.
Moreover, no more Cyclopses appeared. That meant they no longer had to worry about dealing with boulders hurled by those giant creatures.
KAAAAAAAHH!
Even so, the Monster Wave was no joke. Each fortress’s troops fought with everything they had.
Fortunately, unlike the frontline fortresses, they were able to hold the monsters off without suffering devastating losses. This was thanks to the Transcendents, including Ghislain, who had gone out to support the fortresses, as well as the mages and the reinforced frontline soldiers who had joined the battle.
However, there was one fortress that received no reinforcements at all.
Because they believed that even without support, that fortress would be able to hold its ground.
Kraaaahhh!
Even as a massive horde of monsters surged forward, the soldiers defending the fortress showed no signs of fear.
These were none other than the Ritania Army, recognized as the strongest force within the allied forces.
“Fire!”
At Tennant’s command, the catapults were the first to move.
Drdrdrdrdr!
“Fire!”
When Galbarik repeated Tennant’s order, nearly 300 catapults launched massive boulders into the sky.
In addition to the Galvaniium Catapults from the Mobile Corps, they had also brought over more than a hundred large catapults from their expedition.
Each time this overwhelming number of siege weapons fired, hundreds of monsters were obliterated.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of boulders crushing monsters echoed relentlessly. Even the flying monsters were struck midair and sent plummeting to the ground in droves.
The sight was immensely satisfying.
Galbarik, who commanded the siege forces, puffed out his chest with pride.
“As expected, our Dwarven-made catapults are the best on the continent.”
The Fenris catapults were unrivaled in both destructive power and precision.
On top of that, their rate of fire was twice as fast as conventional catapults.
Yet, despite their power, they had almost no mechanical failures, making it understandable why Galbarik and the Dwarves were so proud.
However, their pride quickly turned into tears.
“I swear, I thought I was gonna die from exhaustion. Look at how much weight I’ve lost.”
“We worked day and night for weeks, and the war still isn’t over. When the hell is it going to end?”
“If it weren’t for that stubborn bastard Alfoi, we could’ve escaped ages ago.”
“And Claude is another damn problem. It’s like he won’t be satisfied until he’s worked us to death.”
Though it was Ghislain who had devised the strategy and set the direction, the Dwarves’ complaints were directed at Claude and Alfoi.
After all, they were the ones who had personally pushed them to their limits.
Grumbling endlessly, the Dwarves continued commanding the siege forces.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Had their opponents been an ordinary human army, they would have been wiped out before even reaching the fortress.
But monsters were different. Somehow, they pushed through the barrage of boulders, sheer numbers making up for their losses.
The flying monsters, able to avoid the falling rocks, were the first to reach the fortress.
As soon as they entered range, the archers and mounted archers raised their bows.
Their leader, the Elf Lumina, let out a soft whistle.
Whiiiii !
Even amidst the deafening roars of the battlefield, her whistle pierced through, reaching every ear.
Gifted with extraordinary attunement, Lumina had been growing even more adept at communing with nature.
And then tens of thousands of arrows filled the sky.
Papapapapapapak!
Kraaahhh!
Every flying monster caught in range had their heads and bodies pierced through, plummeting to the ground.
The modified bows made in Fenris boasted exceptional power and range.
The flying monsters didn’t even come close to the fortress before being shot down.
Ascon, positioned among the archers, slowly drew his bowstring.
“Hoo… Damn it, today, I’m hitting my mark for sure.”
As an Elf, his pride had taken a massive hit after consistently placing last in archery training.
“There’s no way I can lose to some human archers.”
This was a matter of Elven pride.
Ascon aimed at the largest Wyvern approaching the fortress.
Creak…
He pulled back the bowstring, focusing intently. The battlefield was deafeningly loud and chaotic, but it didn’t matter.
His arrow would ride the wind and strike true.
A technique only an Elf could achieve.
It took longer to aim, but the sheer power of the attack made up for that drawback.
‘I can feel the wind.’
His entire body guided him toward the perfect moment. Now. If he released the arrow now, it would pierce right through that massive Wyvern the wind itself was telling him so.
‘Ride the wind.’
Pang!
Shwweeeeeek!
The arrow soared through the air, cutting through the wind with deadly precision before piercing into the incoming Wyvern’s body.
Kyaaaahhh!
The Wyvern let out a scream of agony before plummeting to the ground.
“Heh.”
Ascon swept back his hair, flashing an arrogant smirk.
…Of course, the actual target had been much farther away. What he hit was a much smaller Wyvern.
But did that really matter?
“Shit, as long as I hit something, it’s fine. Right, Shibara? …Ah, right. Shibari’s not here.”
Shibari was probably down at the stables, lazily chewing on fodder.
With that, Ascon continued firing arrows mindlessly.
With so many monsters charging in, even random shots would hit something.
And that was a great feeling.
Thanks to the relentless barrage of catapults and arrows, an enormous number of monsters perished before even reaching the fortress.
But even that wasn’t enough to stop them all.
Kraaaahhh!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Ogres, Trolls, Bugbears, and other massive monsters charged toward the fortress.
Alongside them, countless smaller monsters followed in their wake.
And there were still many more behind them. It was too soon to redirect the catapults and arrows toward the ones closer to the fortress.
Instead, the mages took over handling the monsters that had reached the fortress walls.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Pillars of fire erupted, and lightning bolts crashed down, shaking the earth and burying monsters beneath it.
The Ritania Army had a considerable number of mages.
This was because Ghislain had captured enemy mages as prisoners every time he won a civil war.
Additionally, any mage who arrived in Fenris’s territory was swiftly bound by contracts to serve.
Now, as members of the Fenris Mage Battalion, they poured their mana into eradicating the monsters.
Boom! Boom! Boooomb!
Kraaaaahhh!
The overwhelming onslaught from the Ritania Army rapidly thinned the monsters’ numbers.
However, even the mighty Ritania Army couldn’t exterminate them all - not when they kept swarming in endlessly.
Eventually, some of the monsters reached the fortress walls.
The larger monsters smashed against the walls, while the smaller ones climbed up, using the larger creatures as footholds.
“Hold the line!”
At Tennant’s command, the soldiers raised their shields in unison.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In an instant, a wall of shields was erected. Some monsters, unable to find footing, slipped and fell.
However, a few managed to leap over the shields.
Kraaaahhh!
The monsters, consumed by madness, let out ecstatic shrieks.
At last, they could slaughter the living beings before them.
But even as the monsters vaulted over, the soldiers did not flinch. They didn’t even turn their heads.
They gripped their shields tightly, staring only forward, their backs entrusted to their comrades.
And that trust did not betray them.
From behind the shields, a forest of spears shot out into the air.
Papapapapapak!
Kraaaahhh!
Most monsters were skewered before they could even land.
Even those that successfully slipped through were swiftly overwhelmed and slain before they could do anything.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The soldiers waiting at the back quickly used long poles and hooks to drag the monster corpses away.
This allowed the frontline formation to remain intact, without breaking rank.
The movements were astonishingly precise and seamless.
This was the result of Ghislain’s relentless training, the very reason why the Ritania Army had become an elite force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Despite the mages’ suppression efforts, the number of monsters gathering below the fortress continued to grow.
Surveying the battlefield, Tennant issued new orders to the mages.
“Leave the center alone and focus your attacks on the flanks.”
The mages immediately complied.
As their magic concentrated on the fortress’s flanks, the monsters began to funnel toward the center.
And then—
A single figure, who had been silently observing the battle, leaped down from the fortress walls.
Thud!
Kraaaahhh!
The monsters let out ear-piercing screeches as they rushed toward their prey, delighted that their meal had come to them on its own.
The first to strike was a massive Ogre, swinging down a club so powerful it could instantly turn a person into pulp.
However, the one who had leaped down was no ordinary human.
Crack.
Parniel tightened her grip. Veins bulged along her thick, muscular forearms.
Her massive mace swung toward the Ogre’s club.
BOOOOOM!
The club that the Ogre had so confidently swung was shattered into splinters in an instant.
Before the Ogre could even react, Parniel’s mace struck again.
BOOOOOM!
CRACK!
The Ogre’s side was completely obliterated.
The impact was so devastating that for a moment, its thick torso seemed to shrink inward.
It collapsed without even letting out a final scream.
Not only were its ribs completely shattered, but the shockwave had ruptured its internal organs, killing it instantly.
Kraaaahhh!
The force of Parniel’s strike sent a shockwave rippling outward, briefly pushing back the surrounding monsters.
She closed her eyes and traced a holy symbol in the air.
“Oh, Goddess, today I shall cleanse all that is impure. Grant me the strength to drive out this darkness.”
FLASH!
As she opened her eyes, a blinding wave of divine power surged from within her.