Chapter 290
Chapter 290 – Breaking Through Like This (4)
As soon as Kaor and the knights in the Shadow Mountain Range received Ghislaine’s summons, they rushed to the Territory of Penris with the contracted hunters in tow.
There were some who resisted and said they wouldn’t go, but thanks to Kaor’s strong coaxing, who was known as the ‘King of Ironcliff’, they changed their minds.
Since the Kingdom of Turian guaranteed Ghislaine’s contract, the hunters with nowhere to go had no choice but to comply.
The other knights were reassigned to the knight order and moved alongside Ghislaine, while Kaor was tasked with leading the hunters to protect the wizards.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Hiiiiiing!
“Uwaaaah!”
Desmond’s cavalry, who had no prior experience fighting hunters, fell helplessly to the sudden attack.
“Wow! This is easier than fighting monsters!”
To these hunters, cavalry were just bigger monsters with four legs.
And those “monsters” could only charge in a straight line with brute force.
Hunters, used to battling monsters with all kinds of bizarre body structures, found it wasn’t too difficult to face off against the cavalry.
“Ah! They got past us!”
Of course, they couldn’t stop all one thousand cavalry. Some cavalry broke through the clumsy formations of hunters and charged directly at the wizards.
Thud thud thud thud!
Vanessa, who was casting spells with her hands outstretched into the air, turned her head to look at the advancing cavalry. She extended her empty hand towards the charging foes.
“Earth Wall.”
Growwwwwl!
A wall made of earth shot up in an instant. The rushing Desmond cavalry slammed right into the wall.
Boom! Bam! Boom!
“Uwaaaah!”
Hiiiiiing!
The horses, struck by the strong impact, screamed and fell. A few cavalrymen rolled right through the wall.
The cavalry following behind had no choice but to halt their mounts.
Seeing this, Kaor exclaimed in a panic.
“You fools! Protect the wizards! This isn’t monster hunting!”
Kaor, who had just been posing heroically, rushed over to take down the cavalry. Only then did the other hunters form back into double line formations to block the cavalry.
“Phew… that was close.”
Kaor was sweating profusely. If anything happened to the wizards—especially Vanessa—Ghislaine wouldn’t let him or the hunters off the hook.
No, if that occurred, it wouldn’t just be Ghislaine they had to worry about; they might end up having to flee after losing the war.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the momentary distraction caused by the cavalry, magical spells began to rain down from Desmond’s ranks.
Vanessa hurriedly turned around and began to dispel the incoming spells, but some spells already hit the Penris army.
As it was lower circle magic, it didn’t inflict severe damage due to armor, but if this situation continued, it would become dangerous.
“Tsk!”
Vanessa unleashed a wide-area attack spell toward Desmond’s forces.
She didn’t expect it to succeed, as there were also 6th Circle mages on the other side. She simply poured her magic into it, knowing it would likely fail, just to draw the attention of the enemy wizards.
“Cough!”
Not only was Vanessa bleeding from her nose, but she also started to spit blood from her mouth. Yet she gritted her teeth and endured.
In the meantime, hunters, having been blocked by the earthen wall, immediately charged at Desmond’s cavalry. The cavalry was unable to evade and were caught up in a chaotic melee with the hunters.
And that was a fight much more favorable to the hunters. They were used to haphazard fights without proper formations.
Boom! Bam!
“Die! You bastards!”
“Kreeeah!”
The cavalrymen struggled against the hunters from their mounts but were losing ground due to their restricted movements.
The hunters teamed up, swinging their swords with all their might to suppress the cavalry.
“Hahaha! I’m the strongest!”
Among them, the one boasting exceptional skill was undoubtedly Kaor. He swung his sword wildly, boasting his now stronger abilities, cutting down cavalrymen.
“Krack! What the hell is this guy!”
“Weren’t the main forces all rushing in recklessly?”
“Kill this guy first!”
Kaor grinned in satisfaction as the enemies surrounded him.
“Ha, you all come to stop me, huh? Bring it on!”
Kaor became even more excited and began to rampage. Though they were all enemies, he couldn’t help but enjoy being the center of attention.
As Kaor went wild, the cavalry moving toward other directions dwindled, making it much easier for the hunters to fight.
Among the hunters, a somewhat young-looking man took down a horse by cutting its legs. As the horse fell, he immediately lifted his sword and struck the rider.
Swish!
A clean strike, devoid of any unnecessary moves. It was Arel, who had followed Ghislaine to the Territory of Penris after being saved.
“Phew…”
Arel took a deep breath and gripped his sword tightly again.
Having only received basic training, he couldn’t join the cavalry. Instead, he was tasked with escorting the wizards alongside Kaor.
He had been working hard to build his stamina and participated in training to become stronger. Though still lacking in skills, his desire to protect the territory was unmatched.
‘This can’t happen again.’
Many had died from being raided by barbarians, and entire villages had been wiped out. He never wanted to go through such an experience again.
His younger sibling was intelligent and studying administrative tasks. Now Penris had become his second home, one he had to protect.
“Gah!”
Arel swung his sword without pause. Though his muscles were tense from the stress and fatigue setting in, he didn’t lose focus.
Wielding his weapon accurately in any situation, that was the first lesson Ghislaine had taught him.
Watching Arel’s precisely clean stance, Kaor rubbed his chin.
“Oh… not bad for a newbie, huh? It feels like I’m looking at my younger self. I see you’re training hard like I used to.”
That was a lie. At Arel’s age, Kaor was busy drinking and partying, never properly training at all.
While Kaor chuckled and boasted about himself, the hunters steadily continued to whittle down the cavalry.
Thanks to their efforts, Desmond’s cavalry couldn’t reach the wizards. The remaining cavalry was now too busy running away.
Those who fled would either rejoin another group or escape the battlefield completely.
As the hunters chased after the cavalry that were fleeing, Kaor shouted.
“Don’t chase! I said don’t chase, you idiots!”
The hunters finally regained their senses and surrounded the wizards while keeping an eye on the surroundings. Just as it seemed the situation was under control, Kaor approached Arel.
“Hey, rookie. You did some fighting?”
“Thank you!”
“Did you see me fight? How was it?”
“It was truly amazing!”
To Arel, Kaor was also an incredibly skilled warrior. He had single-handedly slaughtered dozens of cavalrymen; how could he not envy that skill?
Kaor, smirking proudly, asked again.
“Who do you think is stronger, me or the old man?”
“……”
Arel couldn’t respond and slightly turned his head to the side. Kaor moved along with his gaze, asking again.
“Who do you think is stronger?”
Feeling pressured by his face, Arel turned his head the other way again, but that face still followed him.
“Who?”
It was childish. It was so childish it drove him mad, but he couldn’t avoid answering. In the end, Arel had to compromise with reality.
“……I think Kaor is stronger.”
“Hahaha! See? The old man is back there groaning in pain, right? Weaklings are like that, haha!”
Gillian and the injured were already long gone from the battlefield. They were likely receiving treatment from Piote and the servants at the temporary stronghold a distance away.
Thud thud thud thud!
Emerson, following in the wake of the archer cavalry, glanced back at the now quiet rear of the Penris army and furrowed his brow.
‘Did we fail?’
He had briefly hoped when he saw magic being cast from his own ranks, but it seemed like it was just a slight distraction.
‘Make a decision.’
Whether to keep pursuing the archer cavalry or attack the wizards.
After contemplating for a moment, Emerson looked ahead.
The archer cavalry, while dodging the cavalry, continued to flee while continuously shooting arrows at Desmond’s forces fighting off to the side.
They were truly optimized for taunting the enemy.
If they didn’t deal with those archers, the allies would continue being led around. However…
‘I’ll deal with the wizards first.’
Despite having a 6th Circle mage like Willow, they were struggling because they couldn’t initiate proper magical attacks against the Desmond army.
If they took out the wizards on the Penris side, the tide of battle would change in an instant. One reason for the archers’ ineffectiveness was indeed the presence of the wizards.
Thus, there was no need to be drawn into chasing the archers.
Though he resolved to deal with the wizards first, he couldn’t immediately head toward them. If he let the archers leave right now, they would rush to aid their central Penris army.
For now, they had to be pushed as far from the center as possible.
“Keep it up!”
Emerson shouted loudly as he urged his horse on. However, the cavalry’s speed was making it difficult to direct them as desired.
Despite wearing full plate armor, the cavalry didn’t seem all that heavy. And their horses were surprisingly strong, evidently obtained from somewhere.
Since they had the upper hand in numbers, they didn’t even want to clash and simply kept shooting arrows while dodging. In the end, Emerson had no choice but to predict their direction and herd them.
Thud thud thud thud!
‘Just a bit more!’
Drawing on his experiences, Emerson gradually adjusted his approach to anticipate the movements of the cavalry.
As a cavalry commander, Emerson had accumulated a long experience. He slowly closed the gap and caught up to the Penris archer cavalry.
Ascon, positioned at the very back of the fleeing injured cavalry, kept looking back and shouting.
“Hey, you bastard! Hurry up and run! I’m gonna die here!”
An enemy was charging at them with overwhelming force. They needed to run fast, but his horse was unnaturally slower than the others.
He was lagging behind, already out of line, yet his horse was trotting like it was out for a stroll.
“Damn it! Come on! You piece of crap!”
No matter how much he cursed, his speed didn’t pick up. At this rate, he was going to be the first one to die.
Eventually, Ascon gritted his teeth and grabbed his bow.
“If I take that guy down first, I’ll be alright, right?”
Turning his body, he spotted the commander, who was galloping hard at the front.
Desmond’s cavalry didn’t wear full plate armor like Penris. The commander chasing him was also wearing chainmail and a helmet with a hole near the eyes.
If he could hit that tiny opening in the helmet, he might be able to take out the commander in one shot.
Elves were known for their exceptional archery skills, capable of hitting the tiniest opening with focus. They harnessed the power of nature.
Kiiik…
Ascon drew his bowstring with determination. His body wobbled, but he didn’t care. The arrow would ride the wind and hit the target accurately.
It was a skill only elves could see.
Though it took a bit of time to aim, it was a devastatingly powerful strike.
‘I can feel the wind.’
Every sense in his body told him the way. Now was the time; the wind was indicating he could pierce through that commander’s face.
‘Ride the wind.’
Swoosh!
Emerson, trailing behind Ascon, raised his shield as a flash of light shot forth.
Fwoosh!
The arrow soared into the sky, disappearing high above.
“Damn it, it didn’t work after all.”
As his horse galloped along, Ascon couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.
On the other hand, Emerson twisted his face in anger as he watched the arrow fly high above.
“How dare you toy with me!”
It was an insult. There was no way the archery of the cavalry was that poor.
Even falling behind and not keeping pace, Ascon had clearly shot the arrow to mock him.
If only he could keep up, he would like to see him try.
In this urgent situation of war, to throw such a taunt at him…
Emerson gritted his teeth in frustration.
“I will definitely hunt you down and kill you.”
Just a bit more, and he’d be able to pivot straight toward the wizards.
The heat of battle intensified. Both sides put their all into breaking the other, but neither found that decisive blow.
The Penris soldiers had exceptional individual abilities, but they were far too few, while the Desmond army was holding on against overwhelming numbers but still couldn’t seize the initiative.
This was why both sides were focused on getting rid of the wizards first to change the battle’s momentum.
However, as the fighting dragged on, it was the Penris side that found themselves at a disadvantage. Even now, it couldn’t be said that they were in a favorable situation at all. If it weren’t for Ghislaine’s efforts, the situation might have already swung in the opposite direction.
Boom! Bam!
With his red eyes gleaming, Ghislaine swung his spear with overwhelming force.
The Desmond heavy infantry, continuously charging in, couldn’t properly defend themselves against his attacks and were sent flying.
Shields and armor shattered gruesomely, and bodies piled up. Spears whirled through the air, attacking any openings.
“Uwaaaah! This monster!”
“The knights, hurry up and block him!”
“Stop him! He’s targeting Willow!”
Shouts erupted from all over, but no one could hinder Ghislaine’s steadily advancing momentum.
They couldn’t completely surround him and pin him down. The knights and soldiers from Penris were fighting back fiercely, providing formidable defense for Ghislaine’s rear.
Drum drum drum!
Ghislaine began to feel the strain in his body. As he approached the wizards, stronger knights began attaching themselves to him, and soldiers were desperately throwing themselves at him.
‘Just a bit more.’
But there wasn’t much time left. If he could break through the lines just a few more times, he could strike at the wizard’s neck.
Boom! Bam!
Every time Ghislaine and the Black King advanced, enemies were knocked back, and paths were opened. Their appearance resembled that of a dominating evil spirit on the battlefield.
While Desmond’s defense was being breached, a loud shout came from one side.
“Clear the way!”
Swoosh!
The soldiers facing Ghislaine instantly fell back and retreated.
Thud thud thud thud!
Simultaneously, a group of knights wearing silver armor riding horses appeared. All of them wielded halberds with axe blades attached.
Leading the group, Rones shouted.
“Assassinate Count Penris!”
Desmond’s Royal Guard, the elite knights, charged straight at Ghislaine!
