Chapter 97

97.

Under the dim sky, across the vast expanse of the plain, the Holy Liberation Army began their march at a leisurely pace.

The mud caused by the rain clung stubbornly to the boots with every step, yet no one voiced a single complaint.

There was but one thought that lingered in their minds.

This time, it’s different.

The monotonous battles in the Lud Plains under the relentless wind and rain had dragged on. Up until now, the focus had been on small-scale battles aimed at pushing back the well-defended Imperial Army.

But today, all forces moved together to trample over the Lud Plains with great force.

The Imperial Army, seemingly sensing an unusual momentum, stepped out of their makeshift fortress, shedding their defensive stance.

The methodical movement of the Imperial forces, with distances spread out, was in stark contrast to the Holy Liberation Army, whose armor was varied. The Imperial Army, with their unified equipment and disciplined movements, gradually began to occupy the Lud Plains.

The Holy Liberation Army felt intimidated by the cold spectacle of the name “Empire,” which evoked no emotion.

For three weeks of localized confrontations, the Empire stood immovable. Meanwhile, the Liberation Army suffered severe casualties.

In addition, the Royal Knights, waving the raven banner across the battlefield, were nothing short of a nightmare.

They were death incarnate, cutting down mana wielders and breaking through defensive arrays as if they didn’t exist.

Very few survived encounters with the knights and even the image of a raven was enough to trigger seizures in some.

In the situation where they had to confront these chilling slaughterers once more:

The Holy Liberation Army shook off their deep-seated fear.

This time. It’s different.

This time we can overthrow the harbinger of evil.

Boom.

The heavy sound resounded across the plain.

Catapults and ballistae, protected by the Liberation Army, were making their moves.

And among the Liberation Army, many mana wielders with glowing blue eyes stood out with an imposing presence.

The course of the holy war would be decided in this great battle.

May everything proceed according to God’s will. May our path be accompanied by a brilliant light.

As each of them silently prayed for victory, the commanders simultaneously blew their trumpets.

Fooo! Foooo!

“Shield troops, forward! Archers, draw your bows!”

“Close ranks! Retreat means death for all!”

“Load the catapults! Faster, move them!”

“Ballistae loaded! Over there! Spread out more!”

Urgent orders and shouts filled the air.

Tense and excited, the Liberation Army completed their preparations to meet the enemy.

“O Light, protect us!”

“Charge! Kill them all!”

The bloodshot eyes of the commanders, screaming in paroxysm, released orders.

Thousands of arrows and boulders covered the gray sky, and the battle between the Holy Liberation Army and the Imperial Army had begun.

*

High up on a vantage point, Jade Camelsson and the command staff were overwhelmed by the torrent of information coming from all directions.

Unaware of the reason, many of the commanders were dying and the rear supply lines were being attacked. To top it off, there was a sudden assault on the siege weapons being assembled in the safe zone.

As they were barely able to respond to these scattered issues, another troubling piece of information hit their ears hard.

“Aaah! They are coming!”

“That! That thing! The Raven Flag!”

“The Knights! The Demon Duke has appeared!”

“Imperial Knights sighted on the right rear flank! All units, take your positions! Spear units, form a line! Line up!”

Through the noise of the battle, cries of panic reached their ears.

Jade turned his head toward the particularly chaotic area and gritted his teeth upon seeing the approaching Royal Knights.

“Macbilian…!”

The clear target of the Royal Knights surging over the ridge was unmistakable.

Catapults and ballistae. Originally intended for use in the siege of the Empire’s borders.

However, the Empire’s front line deployed on the plains resembled an iron fortress, so the Liberation Army was struggling to deploy them, hoping to break through the front line.

The Empire deployed the knights with the aim of destroying these tools, and their shift from defense to offense likely supported the knights’ movements.

‘This is impossible.’

Jade had expected that the special forces would move.

He narrowed his eyes and made a gesture.

“Reinforce the rear. Form a siege!”

“Imperial Knights appear! I repeat, Imperial Knights appear! Everyone to their positions!”

Through signals from the messengers and drums, the orders spread quickly through the mouths of the commanders.

Though the Liberation Army was a ragtag group, this operation against the knights was their most meticulously planned strategy.

Mixed within the spear units aimed at blocking the charge were numerous mana wielders hiding their auras and waiting for the right moment.

With no more reserves left, the Liberation Army committed all of its remaining superhumans into this operation, creating, in truth, their greatest power force, specifically to suppress the Royal Knights.

If the charge was stopped, the Ten Swords and the Liberation Army’s numbers would annihilate the knights.

Jade ignored his sweat-soaked hands as he surveyed the battlefield.

‘Hmm?’

Jade’s narrowed gaze fixated on a knight charging fiercely.

Cain’s figure guiding the horse at the head of the knights.

Suddenly, he reversed his grip on the massive sword slung over his shoulder, stepped aside, and pulled his arm back. And then.

Screech!

The massive sword cleaved through the air with an intense tearing sound.

BOOM!

The insane splatter of brilliant crimson blood and chunks of flesh. Half of the spear unit caught in the backlash of the throw disappeared. Among them were mana wielders preparing for an ambush.

“That! That!”

“O Lord…”

The overwhelming sight caused the jaws of Jade and the command staff to drop open.

He had thrown his sword alone with power that matched siege weapons—a scene befitting the name ‘superhuman.’

Even more shocking was the fact that the mana wielders mixed among the unit couldn’t effectively respond and were killed.

Jade had witnessed a few superhuman battles himself, but this was the first time in this war where one side completely overwhelmed the other.

From the early skirmishes onwards …

Throughout the holy war, all the mana wielders died!

And Jade had to rub his eyes at the following sight.

“What?”

“The, the sword flew!”

The massive sword that had fallen amongst the spear unit suddenly rose and returned to Cain.

The strange spectacle was reminiscent of a ghost’s prank.

Cain grabbed the sword again and threw it.

This time, the target was a catapult that had just launched a rock. The massive sword traveled through the air like a straight line, shattering the catapult.

The proud blade that had been caught amidst the scattered debris and corpses returned once more to the owner’s hand.

“Grrr…”

The destroyed catapult was on the outer edge of the formation.

However, the remaining catapults were at the center of the formation.

With nearly 20,000 troops in close formation.

The distance was also an issue, and breaking through such a massive force was impossible.

Fortunately, the state of the ground due to the rain until now wasn’t favorable.

The speed of the warhorses galloping across the battlefield was significantly slower than the first sighting. Even if they were the knight corps, it was impossible to penetrate 20,000 troops in such a state.

And the middle ranks were returning to form a siege.

The front line of 20,000 soldiers was engaged with the Imperial Army, buying time.

‘Flee or be captured and killed.’

Jade suppressed his anxiety and tracked the movements of the knights closely.

Thankfully, he could overlook the entire battlefield. Jade felt reassured at the sight of troops preparing siege weapons.

However.

“What? What?”

“What the hell is he doing?”

The startled cries of the command staff overlooking the battlefield.

Jade barely managed to close his jaw and hurried to issue an order.

“Macbilian has jumped into our ranks! Quickly escort him!”

“Yes sir! Understood!”

Could this truly be called human?

Cain broke through the Liberation Army ranks with a tremendous leap, swinging his sword as he ran amok. The splattering bodies and blood were clearly visible even from afar.

“Huff…”

Three streaks of light advanced across the battlefield with a faint gust of wind.

Finally, the superhumans behind Sylvestor moved, and Jade surveyed the battlefield.

Cain’s relentless charge would be blocked by the Ten Swords. Now was the time to push back the Empire that had blocked the Lud Plains.

As he adjusted the battlefield amidst explosions, screams, and the clang of steel that turned it into an abyss, Jade felt an odd sensation.

‘The Empire is… retreating? No, they’re falling back.’

The subtle flow only noticeable by observing the entire battlefield from afar in the midst of madness and excitement.

The Imperial Army advancing in support of the knights was gradually pulling back the front line.

The knights, having destroyed the remaining catapults, were retreating to the main camp. Simultaneously with the knights, the Imperial Army was withdrawing slowly.

As the distance between the Imperial Army and the knights widened, Liberation Army forces began to fill the gap.

It was obvious to anyone that the knights were becoming isolated.

“…Indeed.”

Jade understood the quiet malice.

‘The commander of the army was undoubtedly Vanell Schrantz, wasn’t it?’

The two-horse chariot of Altin Empire.

One of the two dukes, the Iron Lion Vanell Schrantz.

A powerhouse who had subjugated the military of the Empire.

‘They’re like us too.’

The power struggle was no different for the Empire.

There wouldn’t be a better time to deal with the power of the Empress’s husband.

Using this situation to eliminate Cain Macbilian, the potential for a new Transcender…

Jade scolded the Empire’s decision to drive a pre-Transcender to death over mere power, and issued orders to each unit.

“The Empire’s knights.

Judge the great evil, Cain Macbilian.”

*

‘There’s nothing but Liberation troops around me. This seems strange.’

After cleaving a soldier rushing in with a reverse grip, I quickly surveyed the surroundings.

The Liberation Army pressing forward violently.

And the sight of the knight corps holding a defensive formation and swinging their swords amidst the Liberation Army.

Nowhere could I see the flag or soldiers representing the Empire.

The destruction of siege weapons was complete, and the knight corps was retreating while maintaining this formation.

According to the plan, it was time for the Imperial army to join in to support the knights’ retreat.

Even if just the cavalry was supposed to distract by striking from the side…

‘The eyes of all are on me.’

There was no thought of being attacked from behind or the sides.

Ten thousand troops rushing in with the sole purpose of the knight corps’ deaths.

The situation is strangely unfolding.

Just as I was about to mount my warhorse again to survey the battlefield,

“There! Macbilian is there!”

“Die, demon!”

“For Sora! O Sun, save me!”

Thud!

A Liberation soldier charging with bloodshot eyes exploded under Calion’s sword strike.

Someone kept pinpointing my location, and the Liberation troops rushed in disregarding their lives.

While hundreds or thousands of ordinary soldiers charging would not have made me flinch, there were annoying elements mixed in between.

Whiss-hiss…

A stealthy movement and aura creeping like a snake through the grass.

In the moment I deflected another Liberation soldier, the sword empowered by mana pierced toward my side.

Clang!

I intended to split the sword in two with Calion, but the foe lightly deflected it and disappeared instantly amongst the Liberation soldiers.

Mana flow cannot be hidden even if one tries to conceal.

So, I tried to immediately follow the flow of it but was distracted by the mad charge of the Liberation soldiers.

‘Tsk.’

The detected traces amounted to three.

An unusual aura among other mana wielders on the battlefield. They were no doubt Sylvestor’s Ten Swords.

Judging by the battles fought so far, they seemed to have given up on direct confrontations.

There were only sparse, sporadic attacks like an assassin’s strike. They focused on dodging or deflecting Calion’s strikes.

‘Tougher competition than expected.’

If it were just the three of them, I could have quickly severed their heads.

But they hovered around the madly charging Liberation Army and the knight corps retreating while holding a defensive formation, waiting for their chance.

“…Vanell.”

The knight corps is isolated. The cause was obvious.

It seemed like they intended to make some sort of move, and this was the moment.

Slick-slick…

While I was momentarily lost in thought, I sensed an approach through the Liberation troops.

One of the three Ten Swords.

It seemed like they saw an opportunity in my moment of consideration.

‘Will it work with just this much, Vanell?’

While sensing the slowly radiating mana force, I flung myself into the Liberation forces.

“Kaaahh!”

“Ugh!”

Amidst the intoxicating stench of blood and the aimless scattering of bodies,

I swung Calion at a Ten Sword glaring with wide eyes.

Snip!

The unnamed superhuman’s body split in half.

“…”

While suppressing the explosively absorbing mana, I took a step back, and an ephemeral calm enveloped the area.

The soldiers hesitate to move hastily, startled by the blood-covered me.

‘Two days until the arrival of the Holy Maiden.’

Either penetrating the siege to return to the main camp or enduring for two days until Myna arrives – the war will end then.

When I turned my head while resting Calion on my shoulder,

“Master!”

A blond-haired member, drenched in blood, rushed in.

The name… was it Russell?

“Russell, Novice Knight.”

“Yes! Russell and the entire Three Swords Team. We’ve assembled.”

It seems they managed to join through the gap created after I slaughtered one of the Ten Swords.

Looking around, the Three Swords aside, the rest were still maintaining the defensive formation and repelling the Liberation Army’s attacks.

“Russell. The entire Three Swords Team! Now we will break through the Liberation Army while maintaining the formation. I’ll cover the rear. You all, pave the way to the Imperial Army! Do you understand?”

“Yes! Three Swords Team! Deploy!”

“Form formation!”

Clang!

The Three Swords Team simultaneously adjusted their grip on their swords, showing a unified stance.

The Liberation Army flinched and stepped back one step at the movement.

While trusting their backs, I slowly advanced ahead and turned my head to shout.

“Hear this, Knights!”

Holding Calion high above, a pure white light enveloping the blade illuminated the dull surroundings.

“Everyone, gather here!”

Taking a brief look at the world of mana glowing blue and casting Calion towards the Liberation Army.

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