NOVPUBA knight who wields mana is on a completely different level compared to ordinary cavalrymen. And when those knights are the elite Royal Guard, serving directly under a great lord, their power is unparalleled.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The fifty Royal Guards charged forward, exuding an aura of overwhelming force, like a raging storm.
Desmond’s soldiers quickly scattered to clear the path for the Royal Guard’s advance. It was clear they had been trained for moments like this.
“Lord Ghislain!”
“My lord!”
Even the knights of Fenris, startled by the sheer presence of the oncoming Royal Guard, were ready to rush forward. However, Ghislain lowered his spear and shouted:
“Don’t worry about me. Keep pressing forward!”
The battlefield, apart from the area around Ghislain, was still teeming with Desmond’s soldiers. Every enemy killed made it easier to push forward.
His firm, commanding tone left no room for argument. The Fenris forces refocused on the enemies in front of them, trusting their lord to handle the situation.
Thud, thud, thud!
Even so, the Fenris knights could feel the strain on their bodies growing with every clash. There was no room for divided attention in a battle like this.
In times like these, the best course was to trust their leader and concentrate solely on their own fights.
This unwavering focus of the Fenris forces only added to the Royal Guards’ irritation. Reynos, the captain of the Royal Guard, scowled as he shouted:
“How arrogant!”
They were the finest knights of Desmond. No matter how skilled Baron Fenris might be, facing fifty of them alone was madness.
To them, Ghislain’s decision was nothing but hubris of the highest order.
Rumble!
The Royal Guards unleashed a powerful surge of mana, their intent clear: to crush Ghislain beneath their combined might.
Ghislain, undeterred, kicked his black steed into motion and charged toward them.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The sight of Ghislain charging alone toward fifty of the finest knights seemed reckless, even suicidal. Desmond’s soldiers were certain he wouldn’t last long.
But their assumptions shattered in an instant.
Vwoom!
Reynos, leading the charge, swung his halberd with immense force. Ghislain didn’t slow down—instead, he ducked under the swing and continued forward.
Two more Royal Guards immediately followed up with synchronized halberd strikes.
Clang!
Both halberds were deflected mid-swing, forced off course as Ghislain ignored them and pressed onward.
Clang! Clang!
The Royal Guards trailing behind Reynos attacked in quick succession, but none of their strikes could touch Ghislain. He effortlessly deflected or dodged each attack, never breaking his momentum.
‘Just a little more.’
In mounted combat, a single missed strike often meant losing the opportunity to attack again. Turning a horse for another strike required time, and with so many riders close together, retreating to reposition was even harder.
By the time the Royal Guards turned their mounts to pursue, Ghislain had already broken through their line and advanced further.
Reynos’s face twisted in shock as he yelled,
“Stop him! Stop him now!”
The appearance of the Royal Guards had been dramatic, with thousands of Desmond’s heavy infantry moving aside to make way. The soldiers forming the central line had pulled back, trusting the Royal Guards to deal with Ghislain.
However, with the Royal Guards failing to stop him, Desmond’s forces had unwittingly created a clear path straight to their vulnerable core.
Realizing their mistake, the Desmond soldiers scrambled to re-form their defensive lines, but Ghislain’s advance was faster than their reaction.
Boom!
“Arghhhh!”
Ghislain, his crimson eyes glowing and his spear flashing, unleashed another devastating attack. His sheer power and ferocity sent shockwaves through the enemy, cutting through their ranks like a storm of destruction.
Even with several layers of defenses, Desmond’s soldiers had struggled to hold Ghislain back. Now, with their formation in disarray, there was no stopping him.
The Royal Guards, who had turned their horses to chase him, quickly found themselves entangled with the reinforcements hastily rushing in from the flanks.
“Move aside! Clear the way!”
Reynos’s bellow rang out, but the chaos only worsened. Soldiers trying to retreat collided with those pushing forward, further breaking the formation.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Aaaargh!”
While the Desmond troops floundered, Ghislain continued carving his way forward, sending enemies flying in all directions.
‘Just a little more.’
Crash! Boom!
Ghislain’s body screamed in protest as his third-stage core approached its limit. He could feel his bones straining under the pressure. Swallowing the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat, he clenched his teeth and pressed on.
‘Just a little more.’
The defensive line was thinning rapidly, and the Royal Guards were still scrambling behind him. This was the only chance he would get to strike.
Ignoring everyone except the enemies directly in his path, Ghislain advanced relentlessly.
Boom!
Breaking through the final layer of the central defense, Ghislain finally laid eyes on his target.
“Found you.”
Ahead, a peculiar formation stood out, surrounded by heavy infantry and knights.
Willow stood at its center, her gaze fixed on the sky, tracking the flow of mana emanating from afar. Red and blue ripples shimmered in the air like heat mirages, appearing and disappearing in rhythmic waves.
The energy seemed unnatural, as though it didn’t belong to this world, tearing through space to manifest.
Willow’s hand moved fluidly, chasing the anomalies, her gestures precise and deliberate. This was the world of magic—an abstract, surreal plane of existence that only mages could perceive.
Each mage visualized mana differently, but they all understood its essence and manipulated it to impose their will.
By restoring distorted principles to their natural state, the world regained stability. Left unchecked, however, those distortions would take shape and materialize.
Vanessa and Willow were locked in this delicate tug-of-war, each countering the other’s spells with unwavering focus.
‘Looks like Vanessa’s doing well,’ Ghislain thought, noticing how Willow’s attention was entirely consumed by their magical duel. A wicked grin spread across his face.
Raising his spear high, Ghislain poured every last ounce of his mana into it. The weapon ignited in a blazing crimson glow.
Boom!
The soldiers surrounding Willow braced themselves, shields raised in a tightly packed formation.
Ghislain charged forward, fending off attackers on either side as he closed the distance.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
As Black King neared the formation, the shields suddenly parted, and dozens of spears thrust out from the gaps.
In that instant, Ghislain yanked hard on the reins, twisting his body to the side. Black King mirrored the motion, skidding to a halt, its hooves carving deep grooves into the ground.
Thud!
In the same fluid motion, Ghislain leapt from the saddle.
Whoosh!
The soldiers instinctively tilted their heads back to follow his trajectory. Before they could react, Ghislain, now airborne, infused his spear with an overwhelming surge of mana and hurled it directly at Willow.
Screech!
The spear tore through the air, emitting a piercing sound that seemed to rip the very atmosphere apart.
Willow, startled by the sudden shadow blocking her view, looked up in shock.
‘This can’t be!’
The blazing spear hurtled toward her with lethal precision, a streak of crimson light aimed straight for her heart.
Willow had known for some time that an enemy was targeting her. Still, she had chosen to trust her allies and focus entirely on countering the opposing mage.
But the fact that the enemy had gotten this close meant she could no longer rely on her allies.
She couldn’t afford to divert her mana. She didn’t know who the opposing mage was, but their control over mana clearly exceeded her own.
She was only barely holding on. By all rights, she should have already lost this battle of magic, yet she managed to persist—perhaps because of support from her allied mages or some instability in her opponent’s mana flow.
In this delicate balance, if Willow broke her concentration, the enemy mage’s assault would come immediately.
But if she died, it would make no difference.
“Shield!”
In the end, Willow redirected her mana to protect herself.
A dense sphere of mana materialized, enveloping her body in a protective barrier.
Zing―!
BOOOOM!
The ground trembled, and a deafening explosion erupted, sending a massive cloud of dust billowing out from where Willow stood.
Ssssshhhhh...
As the dust settled, the sight that emerged left everyone speechless.
“L-Lady Willow...”
“How could a 6th-circle mage fall so easily...?”
“This can’t be...”
Thud.
Willow’s body, now missing its head, swayed briefly before collapsing to the ground.
Ghislain, landing gracefully, straightened his back and spat out the blood that had gathered in his mouth.
The enemies surrounding him remained frozen, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Neigh!
Thud! 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Black King leapt over the stunned soldiers, landing directly in front of Ghislain.
Ghislain mounted the steed, grabbed the reins, and used a thread of mana to retrieve his fallen spear from the ground.
“Phew...”
He lowered his core from the third stage to the second. Keeping the third stage active any longer would have been a death sentence.
Despite the sharp reduction in his mana reserves, Ghislain wore a confident smile.
“It’s over now.”
Thud, thud, thud!
The Royal Guards, having closed the distance, charged toward Ghislain once again.
Leading the charge, Reynos bellowed with fury,
“You dishonorable cur! Do you call yourself a noble?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“You barbarian, without even a shred of honor!”
“And fifty knights ganging up on one man is honorable?”
“You wretch!”
Reynos, unable to contain his rage, swung his halberd with all his might.
Clang!
Ghislain deflected the blow effortlessly and, without hesitation, drove his spear into the side of a nearby Royal Guard.
Thud!
“Urgh!”
Ghislain immediately pulled his spear free and slashed at another guard, severing their head in one fluid motion.
As he moved seamlessly with Black King, Ghislain wielded his spear as though he were dancing, a twisted grin etched across his face.
“So, you wanted to play with me? Fine, I’ll humor you. After I kill all of you, I’ll deal with Harold.”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Ghislain clashed with the Royal Guard, Vanessa, who had been focusing on countering Willow’s magic, sensed the shift in the mana around her. Her eyes lit up.
“Lord Ghislain succeeded.”
While dozens of Desmond’s mages still remained to suppress her, the loss of Willow made their efforts largely meaningless.
Vanessa had been preparing to unleash a large-scale area spell that would devastate Desmond’s forces, but she quickly reconsidered. Such a spell would harm both enemy and ally alike.
Thud, thud, thud!
Her new target became clear: Emerson’s cavalry, which was still pursuing Fenris’s cavalry archers.
“Fire Lance.”
Vanessa’s voice was calm as she chanted, her hands moving gracefully through the air. Dozens of fiery lances materialized in the sky and shot down toward Emerson’s cavalry.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Aaaargh!”
Caught mid-turn as they prepared to redirect their charge, the cavalry were unable to avoid the fiery assault. Horses and riders collided, collapsing into a chaotic heap. Their once-pristine formation fell into total disarray.
Thanks to Vanessa’s magic, Fenris’s cavalry archers were free to redirect their efforts, moving to support Perdium and the kingdom’s army.
Vanessa turned to Kaor and shouted,
“Lord Ghislain succeeded! We need to move now!”
“I get it, I get it! But are you okay?”
Her face was covered in blood, streaming down from her nose and staining her mouth. Yet she bellowed with unwavering determination,
“Quickly!”
“Fine, fine! No need to yell. Honestly, you don’t look like it, but you’ve got quite the temper.”
Kaor quickly mounted his horse and pulled Vanessa up behind him. A few hunters followed suit, carrying the remaining mages with them.
The rest of the hunters focused on dealing with the remnants of Emerson’s cavalry, while a small group of about ten stayed behind to transport the wounded mages to safety.
Up until now, the mages had been fighting from a distance, wary of exposing themselves too much. But to better protect their allies and launch more precise attacks on the enemy, they needed to move closer.
Thud, thud, thud!
Kaor and Vanessa galloped toward the heart of Desmond’s formation. As they moved, the battlefield began to shift drastically.
Once close enough, Vanessa unleashed her magic on the concentration of Desmond’s mages.
“Explosion.”
BOOOOOM!
A massive 6th-circle fire spell erupted within Desmond’s formation. The mages and soldiers caught in the blast were obliterated before they could even scream.
Some of the remaining Desmond mages attempted to counterattack, turning their focus to Vanessa. But it was futile. Their coordination crumbled as some targeted Fenris’s forces while others focused on Vanessa herself.
Desmond’s mages, far weaker in circle rank, couldn’t hope to dispel Vanessa’s magic with just one or two individuals.
Boom! Boom!
“Aaaargh!”
“Help us!”
“The enemy mage is advancing!”
Vanessa unleashed a relentless barrage of spells, her attacks unyielding even as she coughed up blood. Using the mana provided by the other mages accompanying her, she maintained her momentum, steadily breaking through Desmond’s rear line.
With their most skilled knights occupied fighting Ghislain and Willow dead, there was no one left capable of withstanding the devastating assault of a 6th-circle mage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Flames erupted in all directions, scattering the focus of Desmond’s forces. Soldiers scrambled to avoid the onslaught, unable to maintain their positions. Panic spread like wildfire, further breaking their ranks.
Thanks to Vanessa’s relentless assault, the Fenris forces could now push back the enemy with much greater ease.
Reynos, locked in combat with Ghislain, began to sense the shifting tides of battle. His heart sank as he realized what was happening.
“You bastard! Die!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
No matter how fiercely Reynos attacked, his opponent refused to fall. Ghislain’s body was already bloodied, riddled with wounds from multiple strikes, yet he still held on.
Worse, every time the Royal Guard left an opening, Ghislain capitalized, taking one of them down with deadly precision. Of the fifty knights who had originally charged, only thirty remained.
Whizz!
“Ugh!”
Each time Reynos thought he had a chance to land a decisive blow, a spear would come flying out of nowhere, disrupting his focus. The strikes weren’t powerful enough to cause damage but were more than enough to scatter his concentration.
He’d lost count of how many times Ghislain had used this strange tactic to foil their attacks.
Clang!
Even as Ghislain deflected another halberd strike, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the skill of the Royal Guard. With his core at the second stage, defeating them all was impossible.
Ghislain was fatigued, his mana reserves depleted after his relentless advance. His current strategy was simple: block critical attacks and avoid unnecessary engagements.
His body bore countless cuts and bruises. If not for the exceptional movements of his steed, Black King, he would have been far worse off.
Though Ghislain was steadily thinning their numbers, the coordinated techniques of the Royal Guard were dangerously effective.
If this dragged on, Ghislain knew he might fall before taking them all down.
Yet, despite the dire situation, Ghislain grinned.
“I’m not alone.”
Clang!
As Ghislain blocked another incoming attack, the Royal Guard formation began to crumble.
Thud!
“Argh!”
The Fenris knights, battered and bloodied like their lord, had arrived.
“Lord Ghislain! Are you unharmed?”
“We’ll take care of the rest!”
“Kill them all!”
The knights swiftly mounted the horses of fallen Royal Guards and attacked.
Focused entirely on Ghislain, the Royal Guard failed to react in time. Several of them were cut down with ease, their throats slashed or their armor pierced.
Now forced to deal with the Fenris knights, the Royal Guard lost the numerical advantage. While the Fenris knights were exhausted, they still outnumbered the remaining Royal Guard.
Reynos ground his teeth in frustration, surveying the battlefield. His soldiers were being pushed back and slaughtered, and even his elite knights were overwhelmed.
“You’re all alone now,” Ghislain said with a smirk, lowering his spear.
Reynos said nothing. Instead, he spurred his horse forward, raising his halberd high.
“Die!”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Reynos unleashed all his mana, even burning his lifeforce to fuel his final attack.
This would be his last strike. He knew it. His opponent was stronger, but Ghislain was wounded and exhausted. Perhaps this time, even an impossible attack might land.
If he could kill Ghislain here, the war would end.
Ghislain, seeing Reynos’s charge, spurred Black King into motion.
The mighty steed snorted and bolted forward, closing the gap with terrifying speed.
As Ghislain came into range, Reynos roared and swung his halberd with all his might.
“DIE!”
Whoosh!
The powerful strike tore through the air, aimed directly at Ghislain.
In that split second, Ghislain activated the third stage of his core.
Crack!
The sudden surge of mana twisted his bones and muscles, forcing him to grit his teeth in pain. Lowering his body, he thrust his spear forward.
Shunk!
Reynos’s halberd barely missed Ghislain, grazing over his head.
Ghislain’s spear, however, found its mark, piercing Reynos’s neck.
“Grrrk...”
As their horses passed each other, Reynos coughed up blood and slowly turned his head, his eyes filled with regret.
If only he’d had more time.
If only Vanessa’s magic had been delayed just a moment longer.
He could have killed Ghislain. He could have ended the war.
That regret was his final thought.
Thud.
Reynos’s lifeless body fell from his horse, crashing to the ground.
Ghislain turned his steed and watched for a moment before raising his gaze.
In the distance, seated at the rear command post, was Harold Desmond.
The remnants of Desmond’s army were still engaged with Perdium and the kingdom’s forces.
There was no one left to stop Ghislain.
Just like in his previous life.
Now, in this life as well, the time had come to kill Harold.
“HAROLD―!”
Ghislain’s thunderous roar echoed across the battlefield.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Black King surged forward, carrying Ghislain toward Harold Desmond, the final target.
