Chapter 471: If I Say It’ll happen, It Will. (1)
The mobile corps personally led by Ghislain numbered ten thousand.
The army assigned to Marquis Maurice McQuarrie was twenty thousand strong; Ghislain needed to assist the Marquis. During this urgent situation, Ghislain chose the ten thousand strong Fenris Mobile Corps to move ahead.
Dududududu!
The Fenris Mobile Corps moved at an astonishing pace. The only time they stopped was when their horses needed rest.
The powerful horses from the North required only short breaks. On top of that, the highly nutritious Fenris Combat Rations further reduced their downtime.
Dududududu!
Ghislain had roamed the kingdom as if it were his own home. The mobile corps, familiar with the roads and unburdened by uncertainty, increased their speed, quickly catching up to the Delfine Forces led by Count Fograin.
Dark, who had been following the Delfine Forces, sent a message through their mental link.
“They're marching hard.”
Ghislain looked up at the sky. There was still some time before nightfall.
“Good. They won’t even suspect we’re coming.”
Logically, no one would expect the Northern Army, having just finished a battle, to already be on the move.
Even the messenger sent by Count Mathes, who had lost the battle, had yet to reach the various military divisions.
The Fenris Mobile Corps was moving faster than the messengers.
“Rest up now. We’ll be marching all night.”
The mobile corps, which had been riding for days without proper rest, collapsed onto the ground the moment Ghislain gave the order. Even for the well-trained soldiers, a forced march was grueling.
They didn’t even bother setting up a proper camp. They simply tied their horses and lay down to rest.
Of course, they weren’t just lying around idly.
Fenris now had something in abundance besides food.
“Damn, being rich really does make a difference.”
“Can’t believe I’m drinking this even when I’m not injured.”
“In the past, this was too expensive for us to even consider buying.”
Everyone pulled out a potion from their pouches and drank it.
Potions didn’t just heal wounds; they also revitalized the body, artificially enhancing regeneration.
It was practically like pouring liquid gold into their mouths, but no one hesitated.
Thanks to the massive production output, every soldier had extra potions to spare.
Though discipline and training were strict, Ghislain always ensured that his troops received the best treatment.
Because of that, their morale soared higher with each battle.
Whoooosh…
As dusk settled and a chilling wind began to blow, Dark, who had gone on reconnaissance, sent another message.
“Just like you predicted, their pace is slowing down.”
“Mount up.”
At Ghislain’s command, everyone climbed onto their horses without a word of complaint.
“We move now.”
With a flick of his hand, Ghislain spurred Black King forward, and the mobile corps followed in formation.
Dark continued relaying updates through their mental link.
“Increase speed.”
Dududududu!
Their pace accelerated even further. Nothing stood in their way.
Of course, that was expected, Ghislain didn’t choose their resting spot randomly.
The enemy wasn’t foolish; they would surely deploy scouts, covering a wide range.
To avoid detection, Ghislain had chosen a location far from their range, one where they could immediately resume riding at full speed.
“They’re starting to set up camp, master.”
“Faster!”
Ghislain shouted, a savage grin spreading across his face. Dark energy coiled around Black King, flickering ominously.
Hiiiiiiiing!
With a piercing cry, Black King shot forward like a streak of light.
The distance between him and his forces widened, but Ghislain didn’t care.
His role had always been to arrive first at the most dangerous place.
Dududududu!
The mobile corps drove their horses even harder, chasing after their leader.
They always fought as if each battle would be their last. Because of that, they could pour every ounce of their strength into their charge.
Even for experienced soldiers, setting up camp for an army of thirty thousand took time.
Once the camp was nearly complete, Count Fograin turned to his adjutant.
“A superhuman-level individual has joined Marquis McQuarrie’s forces. They may attempt a raid due to their lack of numbers, so maintain the highest level of vigilance.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Just in case, set up stakes and blade traps around the perimeter.”
As a competent commander, Count Fograin did not grow complacent even after victory.
The weary soldiers, exhausted from the march, were grinning at the thought of resting once the camp was fully set up. However, when the order came to lay traps, some of them scowled in frustration.
Still, they were at war. They couldn't afford to neglect their defenses. As elite soldiers, they immediately moved to carry out the task.
"Come on, let's get this over with quickly so we can rest!"
More soldiers began to reinforce the perimeter guards. Some moved to rotate shifts.
The troops assigned to the task chose appropriate locations and started digging into the ground.
And just as their tension eased the moment their vigilance was at its weakest...
Dududududu…
A few soldiers looked up as they heard the sound of approaching hooves from somewhere.
The noise wasn’t particularly loud. From experience, they could tell it was just a single rider.
"A messenger?"
They wore puzzled expressions, but their confusion quickly turned to horror.
Dudududududu!
A thunderous storm of hooves swallowed the solitary sound, growing louder and louder.
The surroundings weren’t yet completely dark. Though the sky was dimming, a knight with sharp eyes could make out the approaching figure clutching a spear.
"Enemy attack! We're under attack!"
"Grab your weapons!"
"Form up, quickly!"
Panic spread through the ranks. The soldiers who had been digging threw aside their tools and scrambled for their weapons.
It wasn’t as though they were unprepared. They had followed the battle manual precisely and executed their duties with diligence.
But Ghislain had exploited the perfect opening in their defenses.
Ghislain pulled back his spear, now trembling with black energy.
"Let's have some fun."
With that, his crimson eyes gleamed as he hurled the spear.
Kwaaaaaang!
The mana-infused spear shot forward like a bolt of lightning, detonating with a massive shockwave.
The nearby soldiers didn’t even have time to scream as their bodies were torn apart.
But even with this attack, the thirty thousand-strong army was enormous. Ghislain had only wiped out a fraction of them.
There were still far too many enemies left.
Hiiiiiiiing!
Fwoosh!
With a piercing cry, Black King surged into the Delfine Forces' camp, where chaos had taken hold.
Ghislain seized a spare spear from his saddle.
"Good."
The enemy was still scrambling in confusion. He had arrived at just the right moment.
They needed to be struck before they could form up. They needed to be kept disoriented.
Until the mobile corps arrived, he would take on that role himself.
"Let's go!"
Fwoooosh!
As Ghislain shouted, the dark energy surrounding Black King expanded. At the same time, dozens of mana spears materialized around him.
Paaaaaaaah!
The spears shot out in all directions, impaling soldiers in their wake.
"Graaaagh!"
"Stop him! Stop him!"
"Form up! Form up, damn it!"
Dududududu!
Boom! Boom! Booooom!
Ghislain and Black King rampaged through the enemy ranks, cutting down soldiers with wild abandon. They stormed through the camp, leaving chaos in their wake.
Some soldiers barely had time to arm themselves before charging out. Others simply ran for their lives.
Commanders shouted orders, but their voices were lost in the chaos; no one could form proper lines.
Paaaaah!
"Uwaaah!"
Whenever someone tried to regain control, another mana spear would tear through the air, shattering any semblance of order. The Delfine Forces spiraled into terror and confusion.
"What the hell is going on?! Who's attacking us?!"
"Regroup! Everyone, regroup!"
"Shit! There's a damn monster in the camp!"
Not a single soldier suspected that the attacker was Count Fenris himself. It was simply too absurd to believe.
Even so, they were elite troops, and a thirty-thousand-strong force couldn’t be completely broken so easily. Those stationed at the perimeter began forming up.
Meanwhile, those at the camp’s center quickly gathered to protect the commanders.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Mages clustered around Count Fograin, while knights formed a shield wall around them.
The best of the elite forces encircled them further. They didn’t know what was happening yet, but their priority was to protect their commander.
Count Fograin snarled in irritation.
"What the hell?! How were our defenses breached?! We're under attack! Who is it?! Who in the world is attacking us?!"
"S-Sir, it's just one person! But we don’t yet know who…!"
By now, the darkness had thickened, obscuring the enemy’s emblem and figure.
The attacker was also shrouded in swirling black energy, making it even harder to discern his identity.
The priests of the Salvation Church and Count Fenris were the two most famous wielders of dark energy.
Since the priests of the Salvation Church would never attack their own forces, the enemy could only be on the Royalist’s side. However, no one imagined that Count Fenris had come here alone.
"Stop him! Stop him now!"
"Don't worry! We were just caught off guard! Our forces will surround him soon"
The knight who was reporting abruptly cut off.
Dudududududu!
The very ground trembled with the pounding of hooves. Such vibrations meant only one thing: a massive cavalry charge was coming.
"W-What…?"
Before they could even comprehend the situation…
A ten-thousand-strong cavalry force stormed into the Delfine Forces' encampment.
KWAHAAAAAANG!
"Uwaaaagh!"
The soldiers who had barely managed to form ranks were shredded apart in an instant.
The Delfine Forces had neither mounted their horses nor fully organized their formations. There was no way they could withstand a sudden cavalry charge.
Fires erupted across the camp, and the Delfine Forces were slaughtered by the rampaging cavalry.
"This… This is impossible…"
Even as Count Fograin witnessed the massacre unfolding before his eyes, he couldn't believe it.
They hadn't been careless. In fact, they had been preparing traps specifically to counter a night raid.
Yet somehow, their enemy had exploited the brief moment of vulnerability perfectly.
To accomplish such a feat, one would need to track their position in real time, evade their scouts' vision, and precisely calculate the distance and timing for the charge.
It was impossible. The only explanation was that the enemy had simply been extraordinarily lucky.
Then, suddenly, Count Fograin remembered a name one infamous for such unrivaled mobility.
"N-No… It can't be…"
It was impossible. The timing made it impossible.
Yet, no other explanation made sense. The remnants of Marquis McQuarrie's forces could never launch an attack of this scale.
A warrior who fought entire armies alone.
A massive black warhorse cloaked in dark energy.
Mana spears flying in all directions.
The undisputed strongest warrior of the North acknowledged by the entire kingdom.
"COUNT FENRIS!"
At Count Fograin’s horrified scream, Ghislain responded.
"Yes. I am Count Fenris."
PAAAAANG!
With lightning speed, Ghislain charged straight at Count Fograin.
Even though the enemy had been ambushed, they were still thirty thousand strong. If they resisted until the end, his side would suffer losses as well.
The 6th-Circle Mages were especially dangerous. Their destructive power was immense.
He had to make sure all attention was focused on him.
Just as he predicted, Count Fograin pointed a trembling finger at him and roared.
"Kill him! Everyone, attack that bastard! If we take him down, this war is ours!"
‘How had he defeated the 2nd Legion already?’
‘How had he arrived so quickly?’
‘How had he timed this attack so perfectly?’
Count Fograin didn’t know.
But he did know one thing.
Even if everyone here died, that man must be slain.
"G-General, our allies are everywhere! If we cast our magic now"
The mages hesitated.
Count Fenris was a Master. To harm him, they had to use only their most powerful spells.
But such large-scale magic would inevitably kill their own allies as well.
However, Count Fograin grabbed one of the mages by the collar and shrieked.
"DO IT NOW! KILL HIM IMMEDIATELY! You idiots! If we let him be, we’re all dead anyway!"
Their momentum was crushed, their formation destroyed.
Their enemy had overwhelming mobility, tearing through the camp like a hurricane.
The only reason they hadn’t already lost was because of their sheer numbers.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!
Ghislain blew away the soldiers blocking his path as he surged toward Count Fograin.
The knights had gathered around their commander, but Ghislain carved through them with ease.
He needed to keep their focus on him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!
"Uwaaaaagh!"
The endless massacre left the mages with grim expressions.
Count Fograin was right. They could no longer hold back for the sake of their own men.
That monster had to die no matter what it took.
GOOOOOOOO…!
The 6th-Circle Mages, the 5th-Circle Mages, and the rest of their spellcasters gathered all their mana.
RUMBLING!
The 6th Circle was just below the 7th Circle, the level of superhumans.
They weren’t quite "superhuman", but they were still war machines capable of changing the course of a war.
Though fewer than in the 2nd Legion, this camp still had two 6th-Circle Mages and six 5th-Circle Mages.
In addition, there were fifty lower-ranking mages under their command.
Now, they were all preparing their most destructive spells.
They were prepared to kill their own allies just to kill one man.
The overwhelming torrent of mana gathered around Ghislain.
As he gripped Black King’s reins tightly, he muttered under his breath.
"Hold on."
PAAAAAH!
Darkness completely engulfed Ghislain’s body. Within it, his crimson eyes glowed ominously.
HIIIIIIING!
Black King was also consumed by the writhing black energy, his eyes shining the same crimson light as his rider.
Then
BOOOOOOOM!
A storm of destruction the combined magic of countless mages exploded against Ghislain.