Chapter 292
Chapter 292 – This will be the end. (2)
The tide of battle quickly tilted towards Penris and the Allied Forces.
The archer cavalry, having shaken off Emerson’s pursuit, incessantly rained arrows on the rear of the divided Desmond’s Army.
“Uwaaaaah!”
Surrounded and attacked from both the front and back, Desmond’s Army began to crumble hopelessly.
Even with a smaller number, the Perdium Army, bolstered by the archer cavalry, had completely seized the momentum.
“Now’s the time! Let’s push them hard!”
Particularly, Zvalter fought at the forefront, slaying enemies with fervor. Those who typically seemed calm could be even scarier when enraged.
“Waaah!”
As the Perdium Army surged forward, the Desmond’s Army led by Baron Garein could no longer hold their ground.
Fear spreads like contagion. Desmond’s soldiers began to flee one by one, and their formation collapsed with astonishing ease.
“Don’t run away! You fools!”
Baron Garein urged them on vigorously, but there was no turning back from the already tilted scales of battle.
The knights of Perdium, even while spitting blood, maintained their focus till the end. They realized victory was within their grasp.
This phenomenon was true for the Kingdom Army as well. They pressured the weakened Desmond forces, taking advantage of their numerical superiority.
Though they didn’t fight as aggressively as Perdium, they steadily pushed the enemy back in an orderly manner.
With both flanks collapsing, the center of Desmond’s Army found itself besieged.
The central forces could no longer provide support to either side. They had already been thrown into disarray thanks to Ghislaine and Vanessa’s efforts.
Engaging in a charge against the central forces, Penris’s knights and cavalry overwhelmed the enemy, using their superior defenses to eliminate foes.
Among them were three standout figures.
“Whew! I’m gonna die from this heat!”
“Just hold on a little longer! We’ve completely seized the initiative!”
“Look at those guys running away!”
For the enemies losing their fighting spirit, even numerical superiority meant nothing now. The three members of the Labor Assault Corps opened their helmet visors for even a moment’s respite.
“Ah, I think I can breathe!”
The middle-aged man shouted loudly. He was none other than the head of the Desmond spies who had entered the Penris territory and was now dragged into the Labor Assault Corps.
The other two also opened their visors, sharing expressions of relief. Their faces were drenched in sweat.
No matter how strong the armor’s defense, it was no match for the magic used by knights, so the internal temperature only climbed as time went on.
Though their bodies felt heavy like soaked cotton, their faces brimmed with joy.
“Hehe, who would’ve thought ‘our Penris’ would defeat Desmond?”
The head spy’s words brought nods of agreement from the other two.
“I was just going to wait for an opportunity to run away or find a way back to the other side, but this has turned out quite nicely.”
“Come on, let’s quickly deal with those ‘enemies.’ There’s not much time left. This armor is really something!”
They were already better than average soldiers, and wearing the Galbarium Full Armor, they weren’t going to be easily killed.
The head spy raised his spear, whispering energetically.
“Alright! It’s tough, but let’s push just a little harder! And then we’ll make a fresh start!”
They had fully resolved to switch allegiance to Penris.
Penris had a house and plenty of money saved up. If they could just crush Desmond, there would be no immediate threats to them.
Raybold might be on par with Desmond, but he too was caught up in rebellion and internal strife, in a bad state.
If Penris took over Desmond, their families in Desmond would also be safe. This was truly a definitive opportunity for a fresh start and a change of identity. They couldn’t let it slip away.
When they were all fired up to fight again, a Desmond officer spotted their faces and shouted.
“You, you three!”
The three turned their heads sharply. Upon recognizing the adversary, their faces went pale as they cried out.
“Wh-where is that guy?”
They hastily lowered their helmet visors, but it was already too late.
The officer pointed at them with fervor.
“What are you fools doing here!”
He was an instructor in charge of training and managing spies in Desmond. With Harold having brought in all the guards, he had been forced to join the current conflict.
In a commanding position with some troops, he was shocked to find the spies he had raised and sent to Penris before his eyes.
Realizing their cover was blown, the head spy shouted in a panic.
“We’ve gotta kill that guy before he runs his mouth!”
If he made a fuss, they would be in serious trouble. They could not let their dreams of a fresh start shatter. The spy straightened up and shouted.
“I’m going in for a Stream Attack!”
With a loud shout, he swiftly hurled his spear.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
The officer, startled by the sudden attack, deflected the spear. But that wasn’t the end of it.
Seizing the moment, another member closed in and jabbed with a spear.
Spear!
Still, the well-trained officer quickly regained his composure and blocked the second attack. But that was his final resistance.
“Haah!”
Crack!
Another member pulled out an axe from his waist and struck the officer’s neck.
The officer, already in a disarray from two consecutive attacks, could not defend against the third strike.
A seamless combination of long-range, mid-range, and close-combat tactics—this was the three’s finishing move, ‘Stream Attack.’
“Grrr… These traitorous bastards…”
The officer could no longer speak, foaming at the mouth as he collapsed.
The three looked around to confirm there was no one else before letting out a huge sigh of relief.
“Phew… That was close. If he’d shouted anymore, we would’ve been in real trouble. He used to torment us during training; this feels great.”
Just then, Gordon, who had been taking down the royal guards and pushing back the enemy formations, approached the three. He was taken aback upon recognizing the outfit of the fallen officer.
“Wow! You three took down an enemy officer! If he’s from Desmond, he must have been quite skilled; you’re amazing!”
The higher the rank of the ones you kill, the more glory you gain. Gordon laughed heartily as he spoke to the three.
“I can’t believe you fought so hard and even killed an enemy officer! I had my doubts thinking you were spies in the Labor Assault Corps! Sorry for suspecting you! I’ll make sure to let the higher-ups know your merits!”
“Hahaha…”
“We’re not bad people, I swear…”
“You don’t really have to tell them…”
The three laughed awkwardly. They didn’t want to attract attention for receiving praise. After all, if they ran into a prisoner who knew their true identities later on, it could spell disaster.
But Gordon, oblivious to their true feelings, shook his head and said.
“Our lord is someone who provides definite rewards! Don’t worry and just fight hard! We’re almost there!”
“Hahaha…”
The three kept awkwardly laughing as they continued their battle.
‘That guy just bulks up; he’s way too nosy!’
They made a silent vow that anyone who recognized their faces would be killed on sight.
Including the position of the Labor Assault Corps, Desmond’s Army was collapsing from all sides.
Harold, who was watching the scene unfold from the highest and safest point, bit his lips so hard they bled.
“My army… my army…”
He couldn’t believe it. His army, said to be the strongest in the North, was made up entirely of elites.
Despite bringing them in overwhelming numbers, they were nearing defeat. In fact, it was almost equivalent to already being defeated.
The line had completely shattered, and deserters were emerging from all sides.
Even Emerson’s cavalry, who had been holding their ground, were now unable to escape and were being slain as the Perdium and Kingdom armies successfully surrounded them.
And the one who had made all this possible was running towards him.
“Harold—!”
Ghislaine charged with the force of a storm, filled with both fury and jubilation.
“Ghislaine! You brat!”
Harold stood, full of anger. It was his fault. The reason he was failing despite always succeeding was because of that bum.
Putting everything into this final confrontation, he had still ended in failure.
He would no longer be known as the Great Lord of the North.
Everything he had built was crumbling today. And all his wealth and high reputation would be taken by that brat.
Born into only the best, he had lost to a lowly youth known for being the worst in the North.
His name would forever be ridiculed in history.
He could never forgive this. How could he tolerate such humiliation?
“Uwaaaaah!”
With bloodshot eyes, Harold screamed.
Nearby, his officers grabbed his arms, shouting out.
“Count! It’s over! You must surrender!”
“There are no more royal guards! You need to escape!”
“You can run to the territory of the nearest Duke faction!”
Swaash!
“Gah!”
The officers who spoke about fleeing and surrender all had their heads severed by Harold’s sword.
Then the other officers and a handful of soldiers around him began to quietly retreat.
Harold, with a disheveled look and dripping tears of blood, was not in his right mind.
What had sustained him till now was his pride and honor as the Great Lord of the North. Having lost everything, he saw no meaning in life.
There was only one way to recover. To eliminate that brat approaching him.
Thunk.
Ghislaine, having descended from the Black King, approached Harold with sword in hand.
“Harold.”
“Ghislaine.”
The two glared at each other, calling out each other’s names.
Though it was under orders from the Duke faction, Harold intended to annihilate Perdium, and in his previous life, he had truly destroyed it.
Therefore, Ghislaine and Harold couldn’t avoid colliding. Just as Ghislaine’s connection with the Duke faction signified, one of them had to die to end this curse.
And now, the time had come to sever this curse.
Blood-soaked, Ghislaine smiled with exhilaration.
“Finally, it’s time to kill you.”
“Fufu…”
Harold merely chuckled like a madman, not uttering another word. His eyes burned with hatred, matching Ghislaine’s.
Just by looking into each other’s eyes, they could sense how deeply they hated one another.
Stepping forward, Harold finally spoke.
“Back then, I should have just led my army to trample Perdium instead of going after your sister.”
That was his first regret.
“When you obtained the Runestone, I should’ve led the whole army myself instead of sending Viktor. I should’ve discarded all notions of justification.”
That was his second regret.
“When I struck Count Cabaldy, I should have pushed the Kingdom’s forces aside and gone to kill you.”
That was his third regret.
Harold had many opportunities. He could have killed Ghislaine, multiple times. But due to orders from the Duke faction, justifications, and the surrounding situation, he had too much to consider.
While hesitating in such conditions, Ghislaine had grown strong enough to bring him down.
“But I can’t miss this last opportunity.”
Ghislaine was now charging towards him, blood-soaked. After prolonged combat, it was clear he was not in optimal shape. His breath was irregular, and wounds were scattered all over.
Harold was also a high-ranking knight. He had learned high-level swordsmanship passed down through the Desmond line and was equally skilled.
Having inherited the lordship with age, he naturally had become negligent in his sword training, but he wasn’t weak enough to be taken down by an injured beast.
Boom!
Harold summoned all his mana. That wasn’t all. He even began to tap into his life force, to the point of destroying his mana core.
Now he had only one goal.
To kill Ghislaine and salvage what little pride he had left.
Even if it cost him his life.
“Die.”
With that one word overflowing with hatred, Harold charged straight at Ghislaine.
Clang!
Harold’s fiery momentum was no joke. Even Ghislaine, blocking his sword, nearly staggered.
But still, Ghislaine couldn’t wipe the look of exhilaration off his face. Blocking Harold’s sword, he opened his mouth.
“I still can’t forget how it felt to kill you.”
“Fufu… I knew you were crazy, but you’re worse than I thought. Today, you die by my hand.”
“No amount of slicing your corpse will ever quell my anger. If anything, the emptiness just deepens. Killing you, no one would return. It would just be venting my frustration.”
Harold’s brows twitched. While the words seemed absurd, there was a deep emotion contained within that felt almost true.
Ghislaine, still smiling, continued.
“I’m certain this moment is different from that time. That’s why I’m happier than ever.”
Boom!
In an instant, a storm of mana erupted. Harold couldn’t withstand the shock and staggered back several steps.
Ghislaine opened the third stage of his core. With mana flowing more powerfully than ever, even his hair began to sway in the currents.
Thud thud thud!
Ghislaine’s body was already at its limits. Blood spilled from various wounds, and his body twisted painfully, but through the agony, Ghislaine smiled more joyfully than ever.
This little pain—
Was nothing compared to the torment of losing everything in his past life.
“I won’t leave even a corpse this time, Harold Desmond.”
“Yes, that’s right. You should scream like that. The joy of killing you will be greater that way.”
Harold also smiled brightly, as madly as Ghislaine. What remained in his mind was an overflowing fury and hatred.
As they both showed their respective grins toward each other,
Boom!
Without knowing who struck first, they both swung their swords simultaneously.
