Chapter 325: Knowing Doesn’t Make It Easier (1)
Kwaaang!
“Kiieeeek!”
As Gillian swung his dual axes, the Grexes that swarmed him dissolved into sprays of blood and vanished.
Crack.
Gritting his teeth, Gillian’s eyes emitted a fierce blue light. His bulging muscles were so tense that veins seemed ready to burst.
He channeled all his strength in an instant. There was no way to break through the overwhelming numbers of Grexes without unleashing every ounce of power.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With just a few swings of his axes, dozens of Grexes were reduced to pulp.
Yet, Gillian had only managed to take a few steps forward. The Grexes were swarming endlessly, leaving him barely any room to move.
Taking a deep breath, Gillian felt a suffocating sense of despair. Even during the battle against Desmond’s army, he had never encountered such hopelessness.
The individual weakness of the Grexes was meaningless. It was like fighting an army that disregarded death entirely.
Kwaaaang!
Like a rampaging ogre, Gillian mowed down everything blocking his path.
His overwhelming power left the soldiers fighting atop the fortress walls in awe, their gazes frozen on him.
“What are you doing?! Don’t stop attacking!”
“Stay focused!”
“The more we kill, the safer Gillian will be!”
The commanders shouted orders from every direction. These seasoned veterans, who had followed Ghislain for so long, expertly maintained order amidst the chaos.
Fwoosh!
A barrage of arrows rained down beside Gillian, fired by the soldiers supporting him. Thanks to their efforts, the Grexes couldn’t swarm him beyond a certain threshold.
But the situation was far from secure.
Rumble. Rumble.
The forest trembled louder than before. From the distance, an even greater horde of Grexes surged forward, incomparable to the numbers they had faced so far.
‘My Lord…’
Ghislain hadn’t even emerged from the forest yet. If he were to be engulfed by that crimson tide, even someone of his skill wouldn’t survive.
Knowing this, Gillian pushed himself forward with all his might.
Whoosh!
“Kieeeek!”
The Grexes swarming before him were indeed cut down. Yet, as if slashing through illusions, the moment the space cleared, it was immediately filled again with more Grexes.
At some point, Gillian found himself unable to move even a single step forward. No matter how many he struck down, the path ahead remained packed with Grexes.
Bang! Bang!
“Grrr…”
It felt as though he was swinging his axes in vain, stuck in place despite slaughtering countless foes.
Even for someone like Gillian renowned as one of the most destructive knights in Fenris progress seemed impossible.
This was no ordinary battle. It was more akin to a natural disaster, an overwhelming force beyond human control.
Just as despair began to choke him, dozens of daggers flew from behind.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
“Kieeeek!”
Even without looking, Gillian knew who it was. Belinda had joined the fray, fighting alongside him from behind.
“Whew!”
Finally, he felt a slight relief, the suffocating tension in his chest easing.
She was fighting with remarkable precision. The dozens of daggers connected to her seemed almost alive as they moved.
While attacking the monsters blocking the path, Belinda’s daggers also drew the surrounding Grexes away.
With their focus divided, Gillian could slowly but steadily press forward once more.
Behind him, her breathless voice called out.
“We’re surprisingly in sync, aren’t we?”
“…I can’t deny that.”
Gillian muttered curtly, focusing entirely on swinging his axes.
Belinda, already fatigued from a grueling operation, was showing clear signs of strain even in her short reply. Her rhythm faltered slightly, but she pushed on.
Together, the two of them gradually advanced.
It seemed reckless, even foolish, but they had no other choice. No matter how exceptional Ghislain was, being surrounded by such overwhelming numbers would inevitably exhaust him.
To offer any meaningful help, they had to break through the horde of monsters and reach him.
Even the fortress soldiers understood this, dedicating themselves to providing cover for the two.
“Keep firing without pause!”
“Kill any that reach the walls with spears!”
“Close ranks! Don’t back off tighten the line!”
The trebuchets and magic couldn’t be used while their lord was still in the forest. The risk of hitting allies was too great. All they could do now was use arrows to hold the Grexes at bay.
But no matter how tirelessly they shot, the monstrous wave showed no sign of abating.
“Kieeeek!”
The Grexes climbed the walls relentlessly, sinking their sharp claws into the wooden barricades.
Even the corpses piling up below served as footholds for the climbing Grexes.
“Put your backs into it!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Amid the commanders’ shouts, soldiers stabbed and struck at the clinging Grexes with their spears. Without the fortifications, they wouldn’t have lasted this long.
The intensity of the battle left no time to marvel at the lord’s foresight in constructing the fortress.
Vanessa, observing the scene, spoke grimly, her expression hardening.
“We need to create a path.”
The mage beside her spoke respectfully. As the head of the Fenris Magic Research Institute, Vanessa commanded a level of respect that no one dared to defy.
“If I use magic now, I’ll need time to gather mana again. The soldiers will have to hold out during that time.”
“If the lord doesn’t arrive, no amount of preparation will matter. It’s better to resolve this situation quickly.”
“…Understood.”
Gwoooong!
As Vanessa extended her hand, light began to emanate from the magic array engraved on the ground.
For this operation, all the Runestones left in the estate had been gathered. Some were even embedded around the magic array to facilitate mana collection.
In addition, dozens of mages had been pouring their mana into the magic array, channeling it into Vanessa.
Soon, a crystalline voice escaped her lips.
“Ice Spear.”
Drdrdrdrrrk.
In the empty air, water coalesced and solidified into spears of ice.
The immense mana, combined with the enlightenment of a 6th-circle mage, produced hundreds of ice spears in an instant.
“Go.”
At her single command, the ice spears shot forward.
Kwakwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-boom!
“Kieeeek!”
The enormous spears of ice swept through the flanks of Gillian and Belinda, obliterating the Grexes.
Before the monsters could regroup, Vanessa swiftly cast another spell.
“Earth Wall.”
Kukukukung!
Massive walls of earth rose on either side of Gillian and Belinda, blocking the Grexes from overwhelming them.
“They won’t hold for long.”
With those words, Vanessa withdrew her magic. She couldn’t expend any more mana; it would leave her unable to cast the prepared spells.
She seated herself, closed her eyes, and began meditating to recover mana. The other mages followed suit, gathering their strength in preparation for the next assault.
Thanks to Vanessa, Gillian and Belinda could advance more quickly.
The walls on either side prevented the Grexes from immediately swarming them.
“Vanessa saved us. Honestly, why is the Young Lord always so reckless?!”
Even while fighting, Belinda muttered complaints. Hearing her familiar grumbling, Gillian couldn’t help but chuckle.
That chuckle, however, carried a deeper meaning.
“It’s the lord.”
Kwoooom!
Ahead of them, Grexes were hurled aside in every direction. Ghislain was fighting his way toward the fortress, cutting down monsters with great effort.
Ghislain faced far more Grexes than Gillian and Belinda combined.
“Kieeeek!”
Hundreds of Grexes swarmed Ghislain at once, their sheer numbers obscuring his figure completely.
Kwakwaang!
The Grexes exploded the moment they engulfed him, their bodies scattering in pieces. But before long, more Grexes swarmed him again as if nothing had happened.
Kwakwaang!
Once again, Grexes were blasted apart in all directions. In the chaos, Ghislain rolled swiftly to escape the encirclement, but the monsters relentlessly charged at him.
“Phew, this is no joke.”
Even as he fought, Ghislain clicked his tongue in exasperation.
With his current abilities, he could decimate an army of thousands in an instant. Yet, the relentless physical onslaught of the Grexes was proving to be an unprecedented challenge.
Humans are heavily influenced by morale. Killing a few hundred soldiers at the frontlines is enough to shatter the resolve of those behind them.
Even when dealing with non-human foes, instilling fear can be a valuable weapon. Monsters driven by instinct still feared death to some extent.
But the Grexes were different. They didn’t fear death, such a concept seemed alien to them.
They were an army driven solely by the command of Queen Grex, united under a single purpose.
This was the most ideal yet terrifying type of army imaginable.
“Even knowing that doesn’t make it any easier.”
Covered in blood and sweat, Ghislain swung his sword without pause, a bitter smile forming on his lips.
He had anticipated how difficult this battle would be based on his knowledge from his past life… yet experiencing it firsthand was entirely different.
“This is thrilling.”
Hisss!
Red smoke began to emanate from Ghislain’s body. Despite the peril, a smile crept across his face.
Ghislain was someone who thrived in battle. He especially relished fights that pushed him to his absolute limits.
Kwakwaang!
His crimson eyes gleamed as he swung his sword with wild abandon. His newly developed defensive techniques were proving invaluable in this battle.
No matter how fiercely the Grexes clawed and scratched at him, they couldn’t leave a significant wound.
But there was one issue.
‘Can I hold out until I reach the fortress?’
In the current situation, he couldn’t be certain.
There seemed to be at least 100,000 Grexes swarming toward them. Worse, their numbers continued to grow.
Despite cutting down countless Grexes, moving forward felt almost impossible. It was as if a wall made entirely of Grexes stretched endlessly in front of him, layer upon layer.
Judging by the strength he had left, his chances of safely reaching his destination were less than fifty percent.
‘Still, I have to go.’
No matter what, he had to make it. He hadn’t entered the forest only to die here.
As always, it only mattered if he succeeded in the end.
Kwaaang!
Ghislain cast aside all idle thoughts and focused solely on swinging his sword. Before long, he noticed figures approaching from ahead.
He had been so engrossed in the battle that he only realized someone was coming much later than he should have.
“My lord!”
“Young lord!”
“Gillian? Belinda?”
He had told them not to come, yet they never listened. Even so, Ghislain smiled.
“Now we’re at fifty percent.”
His chances of survival increased significantly. With the three of them together, their pace through the Grexes’ ranks quickened noticeably.
Kwaang! Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!
“Kieeeek!”
The sounds of mana bursting and the Grexes’ screams echoed ceaselessly.
The walls Vanessa had created proved incredibly helpful. However, magic didn’t last forever.
Krrrrumble!
As the mana sustaining the walls was depleted, they quickly began to crumble. The Grexes that had been blocked by the walls now swarmed the trio.
The moment they entered an open clearing, they were once again engulfed by a tide of Grexes, their advance stalling.
From the fortress, the sight of the trio struggling caused a flurry of activity.
“It’s the lord! The lord is here!”
“Shoot faster! Clear a path!”
“Prepare the trebuchets!”
Now that Ghislain’s location was confirmed, there was no need to hold back the trebuchets.
Galbarik, alongside the dwarves, adjusted the trebuchets and set their aim.
As skilled engineers, they had already completed a detailed survey of the area beforehand.
Galbarik gauged the distance and shouted.
“Release!!!”
Pang! Pang! Pang!
Dozens of trebuchets launched massive boulders into the air.
The dwarves immediately saw why Ghislain had told them that precision wasn’t necessary.
Kwakwaang! Kwaaaaang! Kwaaaaang!
“Kieeeek!”
The Grexes chasing Ghislain and his group were obliterated by the falling boulders. The dense clusters of Grexes ensured that every strike landed.
The trebuchet barrage caused a noticeable drop in the Grexes’ momentum. The falling boulders obstructed their movement, and the piling corpses began to slow them down.
However, the effect wasn’t enough. A massive horde still surrounded Ghislain’s group, swarming from every direction.
Kwaang! Kwaaang! Kwaang!
Even from the fortress, the Grexes being thrown aside and torn apart by the trio’s attacks were clearly visible.
Yet, despite their efforts, the three could hardly advance. With their skills, they would reach the fortress swiftly if only a path could be cleared, but the sheer numbers overwhelmed them.
Vanessa had no choice but to rise again.
“I’ll create another path.”
Her declaration made the mages pale. The number of Grexes had increased since earlier. This meant more mana would be needed.
“The magic array and Runestones are already reaching their limits.”
“If we use the mana gathered now, the spell the lord planned won’t be possible.”
“Perhaps we should wait a bit longer…”
If they couldn’t cast the prepared spell, they might end up fighting the endless Grexes for days, resulting in countless casualties.
But Vanessa shook her head firmly.
“We can’t wait any longer. The situation is too dangerous.”
The mages couldn’t argue. They couldn’t stand by and let their lord perish.
As they hesitated, torn between choices, Kaor having taken a brief rest approached them.
“From what I hear, it’s not a good idea to use magic right now, is it?”
“We have no choice. Look over there. If we delay any longer, it’ll be too late to do anything.”
Vanessa gestured toward the forest, which was now entirely dyed crimson.
An unthinkable number of Grexes were swarming out of it.
Kaor spat on the ground at the sight and spoke.
“So, all you need is a temporary path, right?”
“Do you have a way?”
“We were trained by the lord himself to excel at charges. Clearing a path, even briefly, is what we do best.”
The shock tactics of 400 knights were unstoppable. It was a power that could break through anything, though only for a short while.
Kaor gestured, and a few soldiers brought over his armor.
“Didn’t want to wear this thing because it’s embarrassing, but I guess I don’t have a choice. The old man did me a favor, after all.”
The reason Kaor rarely wore his new armor was simple, Gillian didn’t wear his. But now, he had no choice.
Kaor’s armor, like the others’, bore the insignia of Fenris on the chest.
However, his armor had an additional design: a ferocious black dog baring its fangs was also crafted on the back.
“Hey! Gather up!”
Kaor, now fully armored, called out, and the knights who had been holding back Grexes near the barricades quickly assembled.
They were already prepared for the charge.
“Let’s go clear a path.”
Clink.
As Kaor lowered his helmet, the knights drew on their mana to its fullest extent.
As half-knights, they were accustomed to rationing their strength and fighting efficiently. But now was the time to unleash everything.
Ziiing!
Bright light began to emanate from the gaps in the knights’ armor.