Chapter 276
Chapter 276 – I’ll Buy Some Time. (3)
“Uh?”
The soldiers of Desmond, who were about to exit the siege tower, faced a situation they had never encountered before.
Boom!
Gillian was the first to enter the siege tower and start swinging his axe.
One by one, the knights followed him into the tower.
Bang! Bang!
The screams of Desmond’s army echoed in all directions as they were suddenly attacked.
“Uwaaaah!”
“What the hell! These bastards!”
“Stop them! Stop them!”
The inside of the siege tower was narrower than expected. The soldiers had no choice but to crowd together.
Zing—!
As the Penris knights moved, bright light burst forth from their armor.
Using their suddenly increased strength and speed, they indiscriminately massacred the nearby soldiers.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
The speed of sword and spear movements became nearly invisible. Each time they moved, soldiers’ heads flew off, and their bodies were pierced.
In this moment, all the Penris knights exhibited power close to that of elite knights. No matter how elite Desmond’s soldiers were, they couldn’t stop them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Eventually, the sounds of bursting air could even be heard every time they swung their weapons.
The Penris knights spared no effort. Their mana exploded violently, affecting the surroundings.
— The first attack must be overwhelming. That’s how you break the enemy’s momentum. Especially when our numbers are fewer.
This was what Ghislaine always said during training. They had etched those words into their hearts.
And now was the time to faithfully follow that teaching.
‘If we give ground, they’ll keep coming!’
Everyone thought the same. Since it was a power with a time limit, they couldn’t afford to hold back.
Somehow, they had to sever the enemy’s momentum and force them to retreat temporarily. Otherwise, the enemy would just keep flooding in.
With that thought, the Penris knights summoned all their strength, disregarding their own lives.
Boom!
“Uwaaaah!”
Desmond’s soldiers fell one after another, unable to respond to the sudden attack.
The knights attacked with the resolve to give their lives. Thanks to their powers, which were close to those of elite knights, Desmond’s army couldn’t send even a single person out of the siege tower.
Among them, Gillian certainly stood out.
About ten knights entered a single siege tower. But he was in there alone.
Gillian was like a lion among sheep, a fearsome sight.
Swoosh!
Each time he swung his axe, several bodies were split apart in an instant. His strength was so great that even when he beheaded a soldier, his axe sometimes got stuck in the tower.
Bang! Bang!
The more intense his attacks grew, the more the siege tower seemed to tremble.
Desmond’s soldiers had worked hard to climb to the exit, only to be annihilated in an instant.
“W-what! What is this monster!”
“Push! Keep pushing!”
“Kraaaah! The knights need to come up!”
Gillian completely blocked the stairs and killed the approaching enemies.
The enemy had only just started moving the siege tower. To avoid enemy interference, it was standard procedure to first attach the siege tower to the castle walls and let the incoming soldiers buy time to set up the ladders.
In other words, if they blocked the exit of the siege tower, it meant the enemy had no way to attack.
A narrow pathway could be held by a small number of strong fighters. Gillian and the Penris knights blocked the openings where the enemies would emerge.
Meanwhile, the Penris soldiers weren’t idling around either.
“Fire! Keep firing!”
At the top of the siege tower, Desmond’s soldiers were firing arrows to keep the enemy in check.
But all the Penris troops were clad in full armor made of Galbarium. Even if they couldn’t fully block the arrows with their shields, they suffered minimal damage thanks to their full armor.
Realizing that they were just fine even after taking a few blind shots, the Penris soldiers began to respond with increasing confidence.
Twang!
The Penris troops also started firing arrows toward the top of the siege tower.
“They’re all wearing plate armor!”
“Our attacks aren’t getting through!”
“Duck! Get down!”
Just like inside the tower, the archers at the top were thrown into chaos.
It wasn’t easy to pierce full plate armor with simple arrows. They might deliver impact, but unless aimed at joints or vulnerable areas, the attacks wouldn’t have much effect.
One side could die from a hit, while the other would remain unharmed. The cost of engagement was mismatched, making the situation increasingly favorable for the Penris troops.
By the time the ladders were established and the Desmond soldiers began to climb, the archers at the top of the siege tower were nearly wiped out.
Even so, the Desmond soldiers seemed unfazed and continued their attacks.
“Climb up! Overwhelm them with numbers!”
At the commands from various commanders, the soldiers of Desmond let out a loud cheer.
“Waaaah!”
Desmond’s soldiers started climbing the ladders to swarm up like ants between the siege towers.
“Stop them!”
Gillian shouted, and some of the Penris knights sprang out of the siege tower. Other knights entered the tower where Gillian had been.
Half of the knights blocked the exit of the siege tower, while the others faced the enemies climbing the ladders.
Bang! Bang!
“Uwaaaah!”
The enemies who climbed up were no match either. Gillian was drenched in blood from head to toe, continuously killing enemies.
He didn’t wear the new-style armor like the knights. Thanks to Ghislaine’s teachings, he had already surpassed that level.
Unlike Gillian, whose rampage showed no signs of stopping, the knights’ momentum was beginning to wane. The light bursting forth from the gaps in their armor had dimmed a bit.
‘Damn it, my hands are starting to shake.’
‘My mana is running low.’
‘I can’t hold out much longer.’
They had used up too much mana defending against the early magical assaults. They could clearly feel that their movements had become slower than before.
If just a little more time passed like this, they would end up collapsing from exhaustion.
“Waaaah!”
But the gaps created by the weakened knights were filled by the soldiers. The soldiers freed from the siege tower began to organize themselves and push the enemies off the battlements.
Lucas, who was stabbing enemies with his spear, laughed loudly at the sight.
“Haha! These bastards are actually pretty useful!”
The Galbarium full armor was truly impressive. Even the elite Desmond soldiers couldn’t penetrate the armor of the Penris soldiers effectively.
Thanks to their exceptional defense, the Penris army could overpower the numerically superior Desmond troops.
Feeling the vigor of the attacking forces begin to wane, several of Desmond’s knights hopped up the ladders onto the battlements.
Clang clang clang!
“Ugh!”
As a Desmond knight swung his mana-infused sword, a deep gash appeared in the armor of a Penris soldier.
Following the stumbling soldier, the knight prepared to swing his sword again.
Bang!
Gillian’s axe flew in from somewhere, instantly decapitating the knight.
“Focus on the knights first! Leave the soldiers alone!”
With Gillian’s thunderous shout, the Penris knights charged at Desmond’s knights.
In any case, the fights between foot soldiers were overwhelmingly in their favor.
Zing—!
Again, the bright light burst forth from the armor of the Penris knights.
‘Thinking is a hassle. Let’s just die today.’
They all spared no mana. Their original goal was to buy as much time as possible, but now they abandoned that notion.
With that mindset, they wouldn’t hold their ground anyway. The enemy numbers were far too great.
‘Instead, it’s better to kill at least one more bastard. They’re not going to just let us die.’
The Penris knights, filled with deadly intent, unleashed immense power to the maximum.
Boom!
“Ugh! What the hell are these bastards!”
The Desmond knights were pushed back continuously. Some had their heads sliced off in an instant.
No matter how elite their forces were, not everyone reached the level of elite knights.
With the help of their armor, all the Penris knights had risen to the level of near elite knights, and the Desmond knights stood no chance against that force.
Had they calmly bought time, they would easily have won, but none of the Desmond soldiers knew that.
“More! Keep pushing harder! Don’t let a single one escape!”
Gillian’s face looked monstrous. Flames seemed to pour from his eyes.
‘No matter what, I have to hold on a little longer and push them back.’
He knew well that the time-limited powers of the Penris knights had their limits. Although the time of use had increased, it was feeling like they were nearing their limit.
But right now, they couldn’t afford to stop. If they faltered from the very first battle, there would be no meaning to their remaining.
‘If we give ground now, it’s over.’
Once they fell back, that huge army would come crashing down like a storm. They wouldn’t be able to buy any time.
To endure just a bit longer, they needed to show their strongest power right now.
That way, the enemies would move more cautiously in the next battle.
‘The more they hesitate, the more time the Lord will have.’
They couldn’t stop or win. No matter how strong they were, facing those numbers was impossible. The only thing they could do was—
‘Hold out until the Lord arrives.’
With that thought, Gillian continued killing enemies.
“Hold strong! We can definitely defend this!”
Gillian, shouting loudly to encourage the knights, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side.
Thwokk!
Turning his head, he saw a soldier from Desmond stealthily approaching him, stabbing him with a sword.
Even in the chaos, they found a chance to sneak in. Truly formidable foes.
Gillian’s lips twitched slightly.
The Desmond knight, thinking he had succeeded in his attack, twisted his mouth in a smirk.
“You arrogant…”
Gillian immediately turned his body and firmly grabbed the knight’s neck.
“Ggah!”
Swoosh!
That was the knight’s final cry. Gillian, still holding the knight’s neck, brought his axe down.
He intentionally killed the enemies in a more violent and brutal manner. The horrifying sight of a blood-soaked savage made Desmond’s army lose their nerve.
“Any bastard who wants to die, come at me!”
Boom!
Every step Gillian took caused the ground to crack. His shout filled with mana seemed to burst the surrounding air.
As Gillian approached, the Desmond soldiers—knights and foot soldiers alike—shuffled back.
They looked at Gillian with dumbfounded eyes. It felt like they were facing an insurmountable wall.
Not only Gillian, but the knights in black armor were equally strong. It was a world filled with monsters.
“T-These monster-like guys…”
“With just this number…”
“How are there such beings in Penris…”
Desmond’s troops let out hollow laughs. They couldn’t believe it. Despite pushing forward with overwhelming numbers, they felt themselves being pushed back instead.
They had never imagined that there would be such strong figures in addition to Count Penris. Thanks to their armor, each soldier was showing the skill level of a junior knight.
There had been rumors that the Penris army was quite exceptional, so they assumed they would be at the level of elite troops. They had prepared themselves well, determined that their opponents wouldn’t be easy.
But this was not a typical army. It was downright beyond imagination.
Harold, who was watching the battlefield from afar, was equally shocked.
‘What…the… how… is that even…’
Words failed him. They had thrown in a whopping 5,000 troops for this attack, intending to quickly capture the fortress.
Yet that massive army couldn’t even kill the enemies effectively, much less capture the fortress.
‘Is this even possible? Did Ghislaine create such an army?’
Those in black armor definitely appeared to be knight-level warriors. At the very least, they were of intermediate level.
Moreover, all the soldiers were equipped with full plate armor. Under these circumstances, it would be exceedingly difficult to kill the ordinary soldiers.
Additionally, it was a mistake to assume that the enemy was composed entirely of archers. They were also exceptionally good in close combat.
They could take on a thousand against ten thousand effectively.
‘Was I really almost killed by that guy?.’
Harold was filled with dread. Recently, large-scale forces had been recruited in the Penris territory.
What would have happened if he had been just a bit later?
Even with 100,000 troops, he couldn’t be certain he could kill that guy.
It was astonishing enough that he had managed to recruit knights of that caliber, but the commander also seemed to be extraordinarily capable.
He appeared to be on par or possibly even surpassing Viktor, the foremost sword in the North, whom he had nurtured with great effort.
It wasn’t just his skill—it was his willingness to fight ferociously to the point of his snow-white hair staining red with blood.
That was an action that could only be seen if one was willing to risk their life.
With remarkable talents and soldiers equipped with powerful gear. When did that guy gather and nurture such a formidable force?
Harold closed his eyes.
‘It’s a stroke of luck. Heaven has helped me.’
He acted without considering the Duke’s orders or his relationship with the Crown Prince faction. Not considering the future was atypical of him, but had he not, he would have surely walked right into that guy’s trap.
‘He wasn’t just a rookie.’
After losing Viktor, Harold changed his evaluation of Ghislaine Perdium. Though lucky, he also seemed to possess some ability. But that was a gross understatement. Even the thought of him having talent was an understatement.
He was a monster. That Ghislaine was a monster capable of turning the kingdom upside down. He was deep enough to prepare and nurture such military power step by step.
Neither the Duke faction nor Harold himself had a proper understanding of what Ghislaine was capable of. That was why they kept falling behind.
‘Thank goodness.’
It was a relief to realize it now. Finally, he could grasp that guy. He could now understand what he had been preparing for and what he had been waiting for.
‘In fact, he must have been waiting for a civil war.’
No one knew when a civil war would break out. That was the Duke’s decision.
But if it were Ghislaine, as soon as his preparations were finished, he would surely be the one to instigate a civil war.
To swallow the North with that terrifying army.
‘It’s done. That guy will be finished with this war.’
The foes before him were certainly formidable, but they were only a thousand. Against overwhelming numbers, they had no choice but to fall.
Having finished his thoughts and steeling his resolve, Harold raised his hand.
“Baron Hutton.”
“Yes, Count.”
At Harold’s call, a middle-aged man approached and slightly bowed his head. He was the ruler of Hutton Barony, a vassal of Desmond, and a knight showcasing exceptional skill.
“Can you kill their commander? That man with the white mane, I mean.”
Baron Hutton narrowed his eyes and looked toward the castle walls. For a moment, he tracked Gillian’s movements before bowing slightly again and saying,
“Leave it to me.”
