NOVPUB“Aaaaargh!”
The charging figure of Ghislain cut through Desmond’s spearmen like a beam of light, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
BOOM!
Following closely behind him, Fenris’s knights and cavalry launched their own charge, rivaling Ghislain’s in its ferocity. Against such devastating momentum, the disorganized ranks of Desmond’s soldiers had no chance. Their formation crumbled in an instant, and with it, the chain of command.
Chaos erupted among Desmond’s forces. Shouts from commanders overlapped in a desperate attempt to restore order.
“Hold them back!”
“Attack the nearest enemies first!”
“We outnumber them! Fight back!”
Though their formation was shattered, Desmond’s soldiers instinctively regrouped, years of drilled discipline compelling them to engage the enemies directly in front of them.
“That’s their lord! The one on the black horse!”
Someone shouted, pointing at Ghislain. Desmond’s soldiers rushed toward him en masse, determined to pull him from his saddle. But their efforts were futile.
With eyes glowing crimson, Ghislain swung his spear. Each strike reaped lives, severing the heads of soldiers who dared to approach him.
Some tried to attack his horse instead, but what they saw next froze them in their tracks.
Frrrrrrh!
Black King, Ghislain’s warhorse, fought with a ferocity that rivaled its rider. Its wild eyes burned with a savage light as it lunged and kicked at the attacking soldiers. It evaded incoming weapons with startling agility and retaliated with bone-shattering blows from its hind legs. It fought with such reckless abandon that it seemed oblivious to the rider on its back.
Matching his steed’s wild energy, Ghislain let go of the reins and wielded his spear with both hands. Horse and rider moved as if competing to kill more enemies, their violent synergy unmatched.
Thud! Crunch! Smash!
“What is this horse?!”
“It’s too fast! I can’t even see the spear!”
“Stay away! Don’t get close to him!”
Desmond’s soldiers were paralyzed, unable to anticipate the erratic and unpredictable movements of the horse and its rider. Each attempt to exploit an opening ended in failure, with the unlucky attackers losing their heads.
Thud! Smash! Crack!
With every strike, the sound of blunt impacts reverberated through the battlefield, accompanied by the gruesome sight of heads flying through the air.
Behind Ghislain, Fenris’s knights dismounted one after another, unleashing their mana to devastating effect.
Now that their armor’s full power had been activated, staying on horseback was inefficient. The knights disembarked and waded into battle on foot, cutting through Desmond’s forces like reapers in a field of wheat.
Among them, Gordon stood out, his booming voice echoing across the battlefield.
“It’s leg day!”
BOOM!
His legs, empowered by mana, extended and flexed with inhuman strength, propelling him through Desmond’s ranks. The other knights, wielding their own unique weapons, followed suit, launching an all-out assault on Desmond’s formation.
“It’s the black-armored bastards!”
“There are more of them this time!”
“Don’t let them break through!”
Desmond’s soldiers screamed in panic at the sight of Fenris’s knights. They had learned to dread these black-armored warriors through bitter experience, having been relentlessly harassed and overpowered by them in previous skirmishes.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The knights, with their armor fully activated, unleashed an overwhelming display of power. Hundreds of Desmond’s soldiers fell within moments.
Realizing the danger, Desmond’s heavy infantry surged forward, determined to halt the Fenris advance. Their elite knights joined the fray, clashing with Fenris’s knights in a desperate effort to regain control.
Despite their progress, Fenris’s forces were beginning to falter. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, their breakthrough momentum was waning.
It was then that Ghislain grabbed Black King’s reins and bellowed, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
“Out of the way!”
At his command, Fenris’s knights and soldiers immediately moved to the sides, opening a clear path in the center of the battlefield.
Schwaaaaaaash!
The army parted like the sea, leaving an open lane for Ghislain and Black King.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Black King surged forward, galloping without hesitation. Ghislain lowered his spear, its tip glowing with an intense crimson light as he opened his Core to the third stage once more.
Rrrrrrummmble!
Ghislain’s eyes burned an even deeper shade of red, his entire body pulsating with raw power. His aura radiated an oppressive heat, forcing Desmond’s soldiers to hesitate, their instinct for survival overriding their orders.
“Stop him!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Desmond’s heavy infantry raised their massive shields, forming a nearly impenetrable wall. The soldiers at the front braced themselves, having witnessed the devastation Ghislain’s charge had wrought earlier.
But Ghislain had no intention of colliding with the wall head-on.
“Huh?”
Desmond’s soldiers looked up in disbelief. Black King leaped high into the air, effortlessly clearing the shield wall.
BOOM!
Ghislain landed in the center of Desmond’s formation, driving his spear into the ground with tremendous force. A massive shockwave erupted from the impact, sending soldiers flying and creating a crater beneath him.
“Gaaaahhh!”
The soldiers closest to him coughed up blood and collapsed, while those farther away stumbled, struggling to regain their footing.
Their hesitation didn’t last long. Seeing their foe surrounded and isolated, Desmond’s soldiers regrouped, closing in on Ghislain from all sides. Even Desmond’s knights shifted their focus, converging on him.
But what happened next defied all logic.
Rrrrrumble.
The spears of fallen soldiers began to rise into the air, levitating as if guided by an unseen force. The sight left Desmond’s troops paralyzed with shock.
Before they could comprehend what was happening, the spears shot toward them with deadly precision.
Thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk!
“Aaaaargh!”
Chaos erupted as the spears tore through Desmond’s ranks. The knights managed to deflect most of the projectiles, but the soldiers were not so fortunate. Some were impaled, their bodies skewered by the flying spears, while others were thrown into disarray.
“The spears are moving on their own?!”
“It’s magic! The Fenris lord is using magic!”
“Where are our mages?!”
The soldiers’ cries of panic filled the air. They had no way of knowing that Ghislain’s abilities were not magic but a skill born of his unparalleled mastery. Even Fenris’s knights and soldiers were momentarily stunned by the spectacle.
“That’s the skill they talked about...”
“I told you it’s insane. It’s like something out of a legend.”
“Why does he even need us? He could probably win this battle on his own!”
But their awe didn’t last long, as Ghislain, already deep within the enemy lines and disrupting their formation, let out a thunderous roar.
“Get it together!”
The booming command echoed across the battlefield, snapping the Fenris knights out of their brief stupor.
Rrrrrrummmble!
Ghislain’s third-stage Core release was nearing its limit. Veins bulged across his body, and his eyes burned with intensity as blood vessels threatened to burst. The immense strain was evident.
Feeling the weight of their leader’s urgency, Gordon, one of Fenris’s senior knights, waved his hand and shouted to rally the troops.
“Let’s go! Move in now!”
Even with the power of their enchanted armor, breaking through the thick shield formations of Desmond’s heavy infantry was no small feat. Yet, Ghislain’s initial charge had already wreaked havoc, shattering the enemy’s organization and leaving gaps wide enough for the Fenris forces to exploit.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Fenris knights and soldiers surged forward, plunging into the fragmented ranks of Desmond’s troops. Weapons slashed and hammered down with brutal efficiency, carving paths through the enemy lines.
“This reckless and unconventional tactic has utterly dismantled us,” Harold muttered under his breath.
The Desmond forces still had the advantage in numbers, and they maintained a strong rear guard. But at this rate, even the rear troops would eventually be overrun. For the first time, fear began to creep into the eyes of Desmond’s soldiers.
However, not even Ghislain felt entirely at ease.
“We need to push through faster.”
Fenris's main force had a time limit. Their strength and tactics were overwhelming, but the sheer number of enemy troops made it unlikely they could eliminate them all before their energy was depleted.
“Disgusting bastards,” Ghislain thought, his eyes narrowing.
He and his Fenris knights were cutting through the Desmond formation in a straight line, annihilating anyone who stood in their path. But more soldiers continually poured in from the flanks, reinforcing the line and slowing their advance.
This was the terrifying nature of an army of this size. No matter how many fell, the tide of soldiers never seemed to wane. And the individual skill level of Desmond’s troops was no joke. Despite Fenris’s apparent superiority, their speed of breaking through was steadily declining.
Ghislain’s crimson gaze scanned the battlefield with sharp focus.
The Desmond cavalry that had been battling the royal army, led by Emerson, was now redirecting its attention toward Fenris’s archers. The once-disruptive Fenris archers were now retreating to avoid being overtaken.
“We need to take out their mages first.”
For Fenris to secure a decisive victory, Desmond’s mages had to be eliminated. Only then could their own mages focus on attacking the remaining forces. The side-positioned mages were less of a priority. Ghislain’s target was the high-circle mage stationed in the rear, protected by Desmond’s strongest guard.
BOOM! BOOM!
Ghislain unleashed his mana without restraint, hammering the center of Desmond’s formation. Behind him, the Fenris troops pressed forward with relentless focus, following his lead.
The Fenris forces advanced in a single, concentrated thrust, forcing Desmond’s army to split apart. Onlookers from a distance could see the division forming.
Harold, watching from afar, exhaled heavily, his face grim.
“That bastard... Is he really this powerful?”
Even witnessing it with his own eyes, it was hard to believe. This was beyond the rumors. Harold had already held Ghislain in high regard, but even that estimation had been far too low.
The preparations Ghislain had made were shocking enough, but his sheer individual combat power was almost at the level of a top-tier knight. He was worthy of the title Northern Sword of Legend.
He could single-handedly face thousands of soldiers and hold his ground.
“But why... why is he doing this?”
Ghislain’s movements seemed off. He was charging forward with brute force, ignoring any other tactics that might be more effective. His relentless advance left Fenris’s troops increasingly surrounded.
If Harold could drag this out until the Fenris knights exhausted themselves, he could reverse the situation and crush them entirely.
“What’s he aiming for?” Harold muttered, his sharp gaze locking onto Ghislain’s movements.
Though Harold didn’t know about Fenris’s limitations or the time constraints on their power, he quickly pieced together Ghislain’s objective based on his trajectory.
Biting his lip, Harold growled, “He’s going after the mages.”
The direction Ghislain was headed led directly to Willow, the high-circle mage capable of neutralizing Fenris’s sixth-circle mages. To Ghislain, Willow was an obstacle that had to be removed.
Harold’s forces were gradually forming a defensive encirclement around Willow, but at Ghislain’s current pace, he would reach the mage before it was complete.
Pulling Willow further back wasn’t an option either. For Willow to cast and counter spells effectively, a certain distance had to be maintained.
Harold clenched his fists. He had no choice but to deploy his trump card.
“Reynos,” he called.
A figure stepped forward, clad in gleaming armor. “Yes, my lord.”
“Take the royal guard and stop him. Emerson will deal with their archers and mages.”
Reynos hesitated. “Our duty is to protect you, my lord.”
“If Willow falls, our position will collapse. The enemy has no more hidden tricks—this is their final gamble. Go now and block him.”
Reynos nodded after a moment of hesitation. “Understood.”
The Earl of Desmond commanded an elite royal guard, comprised of fifty knights handpicked for their exceptional skills. These guards, known as the Royal Guard, were his ultimate defense.
Reynos, their leader, was a knight of superior rank, and every member was at least mid-tier in their mastery. Together, they were capable of defeating even a rogue baron without casualties.
“Let’s move.”
At Reynose’s command, the royal guards mounted their warhorses and began to ride. Their formation was perfect, designed to defend and neutralize any threat.
Harold watched them go, his expression a mix of determination and desperation.
At the same time, Emerson’s cavalry had finally broken free of the royal forces they had been engaging and were now pursuing Fenris’s archers.
The Fenris archers, realizing the danger, began to withdraw, abandoning their harassment of Desmond’s rear lines.
Emerson issued another command to his lieutenant. “Take a thousand men. Crush their rear mages.”
“Understood.”
The lieutenant quickly split off with a thousand cavalrymen, charging toward Fenris’s mages stationed in the rear.
Fenris’s mages were guarded by about 300 soldiers. These soldiers wore tattered gray robes and wielded oversized swords with long hilts, designed specifically to cut through cavalry.
As Desmond’s cavalry charged closer, these guards stepped forward, their enormous swords glinting ominously.
Dududududu!
Desmond’s cavalry surged forward, spears lowered, ready to trample over the ragged-looking soldiers.
The cavalry lieutenant sneered. “A bunch of ragged fools think they can block us? Pathetic.”
But as they closed in, one of the robed figures stepped forward. His pace quickened until he was sprinting toward the charging cavalry.
The lieutenant laughed, shouting as he lowered his spear. “Die, you reckless bastard!”
Swoosh!
The robed figure swung his massive sword.
BOOOM!
The lieutenant’s spear never made contact. Instead, he and his horse were split in half, sent flying by the enormous blade.
The robed figure didn’t stop. He swung again and again, cutting down several more charging cavalrymen.
BOOM! BOOM!
Horses screamed as their riders were brutally slaughtered.
Behind the figure, the rest of the robed guards stepped forward, their heavy blades cutting down any cavalry that dared approach.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
“Aaaargh!”
“What the hell are these guys?!”
“Get away! Avoid them!”
The cavalry, unable to stop their momentum, crashed into the wall of deadly swords and were slaughtered.
As the battlefield momentarily quieted, the leading figure pulled back his hood, revealing a wild mane of red hair.
With a cocky grin, Kaor, the Ogre Slayer, declared, “And now, I make my entrance.”
The robed figures were none other than Kaor and his hunters, the infamous slayers from the Shadow Mountain Range.
