Chapter 621

After Or-han returned to the capital of Ai-shan, Ordos, with half of his forces, following his departure leading the Blue Army of 60,000, the city was thrown into chaos and outrage for several days.

The warriors who had achieved the historic feat of conquering the Great Plains were now filled with despair and humiliation due to the massive losses they had suffered, dousing the joy and pride that had once filled their hearts.

The casualties from the Empire’s meddling and Ha-shal-leur’s interference alone amounted to a staggering 12,000. On top of that, thirteen Paladins had fallen in vain.

For the unified Ai-shan, which had a total force of 75,000 and a deployable force of 60,000, this was a loss that could not be laughed off.

Even the civilian casualties were beyond calculation. While the western tribes managed to save the lives of women and the elderly, the southern tribes were left with not a single child surviving.

“Those stinking westerners dare…!”

“To think Kagan couldn’t finish them off… Is this the extent of the traitor Ha-shal-leur’s incompetence…?”

The losses inflicted by the Empire sparked outrage, and the retreat of Or-han, once thought invincible, caused confusion.

Amidst this, rumors began to spread through the returning soldiers of the Blue Army that Ai-shan Gi-or was from a sorcerous clan.

All these events unfolded in less than half a month, so it was only natural that the warriors, plunged into chaos, were in turmoil.

—

Upon his return, Or-han dismissed the suspicions about sorcery as mere rumors spread by Ludwig and declared that the retreat of the Blue Army was not a retreat but a feint that the enemy had seen through, calming the warriors’ unrest.

Though his explanation was somewhat insufficient to dispel all doubts, the warriors accepted it without any resistance.

After all, who could dare to refute the words of the strongest warrior of the grasslands, who had now begun to fly through the skies?

Or-han’s decades of achievements and prowess were not so easily shaken by a single retreat and baseless rumors.

Unless they suffered an irreparable defeat… then the story might change.

In any case, having calmed the restless warriors and bolstered their morale, Or-han declared the mobilization of all available forces, except for Sahallyeon’s troops, who were busy eliminating the remnants of the Tribal Alliance and stabilizing the occupied territories.

The existing armies of the Red, Blue, White, and Black Banners, along with the newly reorganized Green and Yellow Armies formed from surrendered soldiers of the Tribal Alliance, were gathered, even at the cost of abandoning the defense and public order of the Great Plains.

“The last battle… I was too hasty. Trying to make up for the loss of thousands by rushing in, only to add three thousand more deaths. But there won’t be a second time.”

In the Political Meeting Room, where the War Chiefs and Paladins had gathered.

Or-han, seated obliquely on the throne, looked down at the three War Chiefs, fifteen Paladins, and his eldest son Targien, and declared a full-scale war against the Empire.

“The law of the grasslands is to repay kindness twofold and grudges tenfold. Tens of thousands of our people have lost their lives to the Empire’s hands, and we shall repay this with the blood of hundreds of thousands to appease the spirits of the dead!”

“Long live Ai-shan Gi-or! Long live Kagan Or-han!”

Starting with the cheers of the three War Chiefs, everyone present at the Political Meeting shouted “Long live!” at the top of their lungs.

Warriors seeking to hone their prowess through war.

Generals aiming to elevate their status through achievements.

Even murderers who simply loved blood and slaughter.

All of them, their eyes gleaming with ambition and excitement, praised Or-han’s decision.

Three days later, a grand army of 47,000 from Ai-shan marched towards the Barrier.

The festival of blood and death.

The prelude had begun.

—

=====[ Ha-shal-leur ]======

While the Imperial Army and the Landenburg Army were preparing for defense and training day and night, awaiting the invasion of the Ka`har, I wandered near the Barrier, pondering how to stop Or-han.

If Ludwig’s strategy succeeded, that would be the end of it, but if it failed, I needed to have a backup plan.

Though no good ideas came to mind.

[Spatial Severance Swordsmanship. Unless I grasp its essence, I’ll have to hold out until his energy runs out.]

It was a valid point.

But it was also a repetitive and obvious one.

‘You’re the one who needs to figure it out. You said you’d fight yourself.’

[…That’s true. A very reasonable point.]

Hersela, after a moment of hesitation, agreed as if it were obvious.

Her slight hesitation before agreeing… seemed to suggest that she had planned to mimic and learn the sensation of Spatial Severance if I mastered it first.

Why do I think that?

Because I had the same thought. If Hersela reached Spatial Severance before me, I planned to copy her. Of course, both of us were still stuck in a stalemate.

Since I had already succeeded once, I thought understanding the principle wouldn’t be too hard… but it’s not easy.

Well, trying to replicate someone else’s Heroic Tale with just the manipulation of Feats and swordsmanship… it’s not going to be easy.

—

Over the next few days, I focused on improving my own skills. Not that I trained all day, but I did meet with other heroes and masters from time to time.

Joshua Blake, the hero of Landenburg, was a middle-aged man who had changed Nigel’s gender, adding a spoonful of experience and flexibility.

In short, he was a typical knight.

Perhaps because I was the heir to his lord, he greeted me with utmost respect, calling me “Miss,” to the point where I felt awkward.

After a brief greeting, he asked me how I had defeated the Ghost Sword.

If it weren’t for Valenstein, he would have been called the Empire’s Greatest Sword, but he couldn’t defeat the Ghost Sword and remained the Empire’s second-best.

“The Ghost Sword? To defeat it, you need to be able to project the Power of Feats outside your body. Like this.”

I created tentacles of Life Force Technique at my fingertips and waved them around.

“The Ghost Sword hides sound, smell, and even presence, but it can’t hide the sensation of Feats colliding. So, if you spread the Power of Feats around like this, you can sense his movements no matter what.”

“That’s… an impossible method for me.”

Joshua immediately grasped the core of my explanation.

“Right. I’m a special case. The Power of Feats isn’t something that can normally be projected like this.”

The Power of Feats is a blessing that resides in the soul and body, protecting its owner.

Projecting the Power of Feats outside the body is akin to forcing your blood or muscles out of your skin with just your will.

It’s not something easily done.

Of course, there were exceptions. Those born with the ability to manipulate tangible Feats, like me… or the Unity of Man and Horse Technique used by the Ka`har Paladins.

If you can perceive something other than your own body as part of yourself, it’s possible to infuse it with the Power of Feats.

It was impossible for me, but other Paladins did it just fine.

To perceive a horse as part of your own body… they must be mentally one with their horses, as expected of a horse-crazy tribe.

Maybe one of their parents was a horse. Or they were centaurs in a past life. Something like that.

Yeah, that must be it.

Either they were part horse, or they were completely one with horses. Otherwise, how could they perceive a horse as part of themselves?

[…I suddenly feel a bit uncomfortable… Did you just insult me in your mind?]

‘No way. Must be your imagination.’

Hersela, with a suspicious tone, made a baseless accusation. I denied her absurd slander and shook my head inwardly.

I was merely speculating that the Ka`har bloodline might have horse blood, not insulting Hersela.

[Weird…]

What’s weird is your ancestors.

—

Anyway, if you can’t manipulate tangible Feats and aren’t a hybrid of human and horse like the Ka`har, there are only two exceptions left.

Either possess a Divine Artifact like Durandal that uses the Power of Feats as fuel, or reach the Realm of Heroes and cause anomalies in the world with your own Feats.

Like Joshua’s Heroic Tale, the Giant Hunting Sword.

Though it was a vague explanation, according to Joshua, the Giant Hunting Sword was a technique that infused his beloved sword with Feats.

Infusing the hero’s Feats, soul, and spirit entirely into the blade, similar to the sensation of inflating your chest while taking a breath, to enlarge the blade.

It was a bizarre technique, but it did involve infusing the Feats within the body into the sword.

The problem was, even that couldn’t catch the Ghost Sword. It wasn’t a matter of power but of compatibility.

Joshua couldn’t project the Power of Feats in all directions like I could; he could only infuse it into the enlarged blade.

If Valenstein avoided contact with his sword, Joshua had no way to detect the Ghost Sword.

Though, with a human swinging a sword over ten meters long, would he really need to detect the Ghost Sword’s presence?

“Wouldn’t he just swing it around wildly and end up hitting and killing him anyway?”

A proper hero might be able to block the Giant Hunting Sword, but Valenstein died before becoming a hero. At his level, it would be impossible.

“Ahem… Indeed, that might be the case.”

Joshua, as if seeing the light, stroked his chin and nodded.