Chapter 703

“Listen and behold! Your Kagan, Ai-shan Gi-or Or-han, and War Chief Hatan have met their demise! Now, all that remains is you lot!”

Upon returning to the battlefield, I raised the enemy’s sword high and shouted, my voice echoing not only within the city but also beyond the city walls.

“Sir Median has defeated Or-han! This is our victory, the Empire’s victory!”

Following my lead, knights and messengers emerged from the command center, spreading the same news loudly in all directions.

“We’ve won! We’re alive now!”

“Elpinel, bless the Radiant Emperor and the Sword of the Starry Sky!”

The sudden good news brought a wave of hope to the battlefield that was on the brink of collapse. The morale of the Imperial Army soared at the unbelievable tidings.

Even those who had been sighing in despair sprang to their feet, shouting hurrahs.

They swung their swords and spears, rejoicing as if they had already won, filled with courage and determination bestowed by hope.

—

On the other hand, the reaction of the Ka`har was sheer horror.

“Did he just say… the Kagan has fallen…?!”

“No way… that can’t be…!”

They seemed to forget they were even fighting, staring at me with eyes filled with fear, confusion, doubt, and shock.

Though they must have guessed that the outcome was decided as the destructive rampage between Or-han and me had subsided… they likely never imagined that Or-han could have been defeated.

“Don’t fall for it! It’s clearly a trick to confuse us! It must be a lie to throw us into chaos. How dare they spread such falsehoods…!”

A warrior who seemed to be a high-ranking officer pointed at me and shouted angrily. Whether he was trying to deny reality or somehow manage the confusion among the soldiers, his tone was desperate.

“But… Gulmahai, sir… that sword…!”

“What about the sword?!”

However, a warrior standing beside him refuted, his voice trembling as he couldn’t take his eyes off the red blade I held.

“Sir Gulmahai, you know it too! That sword, that Slaughter Sword, is the Red Blade! The fact that the Traitor Wolf is holding his beloved weapon means…!”

The warrior trailed off, unable to bring himself to say it, but all the grassland people who heard him seemed to understand what he meant.

Though it wasn’t as convincing as holding up Or-han’s head… the fact that his beloved Red Blade was in my hands and that Or-han hadn’t appeared despite my words clearly proved his death.

Though they reflexively denied it due to the shock, the warriors must have realized it too. That their Kagan had truly met his end at my hands.

Now… how will they react?

I watched their reactions, sharpening my senses despite the fatigue weighing me down.

Will they surrender, resist to the end, or retreat, vowing to fight another day?

In the end, the result will be the same.

—

“…I don’t believe it! I won’t believe it!”

The warrior named Gulmahai shook his head violently and shouted. Was he determined to deny it to the end?

No, judging by his expression, I could tell. He too had already accepted Or-han’s death in his mind.

He was just lying to himself, fearing that admitting it out loud would break his will.

“Traitor Wolf! I won’t fall for your lies-!”

Gulmahai hurled a spear at me. He must have been confident in his throwing skills, as the spear flew like lightning.

Though it was nothing compared to Frederick’s.

“Go and see for yourself.”

I set down the Red Blade and caught his spear, throwing it back at him.

The spear pierced through the air like a cannonball, and with a deafening roar, Gulmahai’s upper body was obliterated upon impact, taking the warriors behind him with him.

A mist of blood droplets covered the alley, swaying in the air.

—

Various reactions erupted all around.

Some denied reality and raged, others retreated with tears of frustration, and some vowed to take as many enemies with them as they could.

Personally, I wished they would all surrender or retreat, but it seemed it wouldn’t end so easily.

“Fight! That despicable woman must be exhausted! She’s missing an arm, isn’t she?!”

“Offer the heads of the Empire’s soldiers to the Kagan’s spirit!”

Most of the warriors chose to fight on.

The news of Or-han’s death had filled their hearts with sorrow and rage, and they rampaged like mad dogs, tearing and crushing the heads of Imperial soldiers.

In their brutal hands, the skulls of Imperial soldiers with their faces torn off rolled everywhere.

Of course, their resistance was nothing more than a last desperate struggle. For every Imperial soldier killed, ten Ka`har soldiers fell.

ᚲ

“Kenaz-!”

My outstretched right arm spewed fierce flames.

– Whoosh…!

The crimson flames, fueled by mana, erupted like a dragon’s breath, engulfing the entire alley.

Though I was nearly drained from the fight with Or-han, I could still unleash rune magic by drawing mana from the atmosphere.

“Gyaaaaah!”

“It’s the Traitor Wolf’s cursed sorcery! Evade!”

“Evade where…?! Aaaaah!”

The enemy soldiers caught in the flames turned to ash. The intense heat and the smell of burning flesh filled the street.

“Ha-shal-leur!”

A warrior who had quickly taken cover inside a building smashed through a second-floor window and lunged at me, swinging an axe like a guillotine blade.

Since my right arm was still spewing flames, I tried to catch the axe blade with my left arm as usual… but then I remembered that my arm was gone and simply opened my mouth wide.

– Crunch!

“What…?!”

The warrior’s eyes widened in shock. He must have never seen someone stop an axe blade with their teeth before.

“What kind of nonsense is this…!”

What’s so impossible about it?

The difference in strength is like that of an ant and an elephant.

I grinned and clenched my teeth.

– Crack!

The teeth infused with the Power of Feats tore through the steel, shattering it like glass. The warrior stared in disbelief at the shattered axe blade.

“You… monster…!”

“Spit.”

The steel shard I spat out pierced the warrior’s forehead. He convulsed, his eyes rolling back.

Leaving behind the warrior’s corpse and the ashes of the soldiers, I leaped onto the buildings, searching for new prey.

—

As I roamed the alleys, turning Ka`har soldiers into barbecue, I occasionally ran into familiar faces.

“Miss? Wait, where did you leave your arm?!”

Leonor, who had been locked in combat with a warrior, was startled when I appeared behind the enemy and decapitated him in one swift motion. She didn’t even glance at the warrior’s collapsing body.

“I used it to send Or-han off.”

I grinned and held up my left arm, tightly bandaged.

“I blew his heart away with just one arm, so I guess it was a bargain.”

Leonor sighed, muttering something I couldn’t ignore.

“Rana’s going to faint when she sees this.”

…Oh right, I forgot about Rana.

I told her not to get hurt, and now I’ve lost an arm. Not just cut off, but completely gone.

Hmm… hmmmm…

“…Maybe I should cover it with a prosthetic and armor.”

“Her eyes aren’t just for decoration, you know. She’ll notice.”

True, even the best prosthetic would be obvious. This is a problem.

—

“Where do you think you’re running?! Pay the price for attacking the barrier!”

Nigel, blocking an alley, was more aggressively slaughtering the Ka`har after the news of Or-han’s death spread throughout the city.

Mounted on a masterless horse, she hurled her lightning-wrapped holy spear wildly.

“Ah, Sir Ha-shal-leur! I knew you wouldn’t be late!”

She smiled brightly and nodded in greeting as soon as she saw me, all while continuing to hurl spears with her right hand.

“I heard you defeated Or-han. As expected of Sir Ha-shal-leur. You’ve finally achieved victory! We must hold a grand celebration!”

“Uh… yeah. That’s right.”

I nodded awkwardly. I had originally intended to deliver the news of Ludwig’s death… but it seemed better to postpone that.

After all, they would naturally find out once the battle was completely over.

—

“Congratulations. You’ve taken the first step in your revenge.”

Jahan offered only a brief remark. Though he wore a smile, the corners of his eyes were slightly stiff.

Though the situation had become tangled and we had become enemies, perhaps he couldn’t fully rejoice at the death of the lord he had once sworn loyalty to. I’m not sure.

Hersela, who was close to Jahan, might have understood his inner thoughts at a glance, but I always felt a bit distant from him.

Though he seemed to show deep loyalty to me, almost on par with Nigel, fundamentally, his loyalty was to Hersela within me.

—

In any case, thanks to the emboldened Imperial Army and my efforts, the Ka`har rampaging inside the city were quickly suppressed.

Most of them fought to the death, but some high-ranking warriors turned their horses and fled swiftly. They were likely not those who had originally been loyal to Or-han but had submitted to him after the Great Plains Unification War.

After cleaning up the interior, I climbed onto the city walls and looked outside.

The battlefield where the main forces of Ai-shan, the Enemy Army and the Black Armies, clashed with the Dane defense forces. The situation there was still a chaotic melee.