Chapter 517
Chapter 517: The Civil War Has Ended. (1)
Gathros’s decision not to insist on authority and to leave it to each commander was commendable. Not many can assess their abilities objectively without overconfidence.
It was certainly the best choice, but as command was dispersed, cracks began to form within the Delphine Army. It was simply a massive army.
“Hmm, is everything going well?”
While retreating to the fortress, Gathros looked back several times, tilting his head. Something felt off.
Then one of the staff beside him said, “It’s because a large army is moving. Each unit’s pace varies, so it can be a bit troubling.”
“I see, will it be a big problem?”
The staff pondered for a moment. In truth, a lack of alignment was indeed a significant issue.
They couldn’t display proper combat effectiveness, and each unit couldn’t move organically. This meant they couldn’t fight tactically.
But it wasn’t a fighting situation at the moment.
“We have no enemies that could threaten us, so there’s no need for excessive worry.”
“Right, probably nothing to worry about.”
Gathros thought lightly of the matter. For now, the enemy reinforcements had not yet arrived, so there would be no battle.
All they needed to do was thoroughly secure the fortress.
Amelia saw through the slackening attitude.
She carefully observed the formation of the Delphine Army from the castle wall and remarked, “It’s a mess.”
The marching line was crumbling as it went further back. It was natural since there was no one overseeing the entire army.
The commanders of the Delphine Army were busy managing their own units. Since each unit had different types of troops, some units were lagging behind as they moved.
The once sharply coordinated army under Kayen’s command was no longer in sight.
Amelia spoke to Gillian, who was standing nearby.
“Arm them as lightly as possible. While the archer cavalry chase the enemy and hold them back, the rest will follow and maintain formation.”
Marching wasn’t just walking; it was about moving while maintaining combat effectiveness under the command of a superior.
That’s why there’s a saying that a commander’s skill can be judged by how well they conduct reconnaissance and marching.
Now, with the Delphine Army’s formation breaking down, it was the perfect time for an ambush.
Thud thud thud thud!
As the fortress gates opened, Lumina led the archer cavalry out. Behind them, soldiers poured out in droves.
Though collectively known as the Northern Army, they actually included the Allied Forces, Western Army, and forces of local lords. Their number now surpassed that of the Delphine Army.
“Let’s go.”
Following Amelia’s orders, the large army began to pursue the Delphine Army’s rear.
To pick up speed, the supply units and heavy weaponry didn’t move. They only grabbed the combat food and water supplied by Penris.
Thud thud thud thud!
The mobile archer cavalry quickly caught up to the rear of the Delphine Army.
Seeing the suddenly appearing archer cavalry, Gathros was taken aback.
“What’s this? Are they looking to fight now?”
The staff was also startled. If they valued their lives, they wouldn’t have done that. The number of archer cavalry only looked to be about 10,000.
Gathros felt insulted. It seemed like nothing more than a pathetic attempt to hinder their movement.
“Attack immediately! Kill those bastards!”
The marching Delphine Army all turned in the direction of the attack.
However, the attack couldn’t be executed right away. With each unit’s formation in disarray, the slower-moving infantry units were lagging behind.
Arrows from the 10,000 archer cavalry poured forth toward the bewildered infantry units.
Whiz!
“Ahhh!”
“Raise your shields! Block it for now!”
“Just block! We’ll provide support from behind!”
The soldiers at the very back were armored, so they were not injured. However, the light infantry in front suffered considerable damage.
Gathros gritted his teeth and shouted, “Archers! Mages! Counterattack now! Where are the priests?”
Superhumans scattered across the Delphine Army hurriedly moved into action.
Lumina drew her bow again, remembering Amelia’s order.
— Just two times.
‘Two times…’
Whiz!
Once again, a rain of arrows descended. Lumina quickly turned her horse’s head.
“Retreat!”
As the archer cavalry quickly changed direction and created distance,
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lightning and fire rained from the sky while black pillars shot up. Arrows fired from the Delphine archer units flew into the sky, darkening it.
But the archer cavalry, having already widened the distance, suffered no damage at all.
Amazingly, they had slipped through before the enemy could retaliate.
Lumina stuck her tongue out while retreating.
‘Impressive.’
Amelia, having fought up to this point, had perfectly gauged how long it would take for the enemy to counterattack.
The Delphine Army could not chase the retreating archer cavalry. Their formation was thrown into chaos due to the sudden attack from the rear.
Fortunately, they managed to place the supply units at the front so that the supplies were not damaged.
Gathros ground his teeth and summoned his staff officers.
“Those bastards are trying to delay our movement with cheap tricks. Strengthen the rear guard and prepare for ambush.”
“Understood.”
The Delphine Army reorganized their formation to mitigate the damage. They seemed to have positioned heavy infantry at the rear but placed the superhumans, mages, and archers a bit further back.
Due to the disruptive ambush, they couldn’t move right away, so they took a brief respite.
It was a standard response, but it bought some time for the Northern Army to arrive.
“Uh?”
“Th-there, the enemy!”
“The Northern Army has appeared!”
They shouted as they quickly spotted the large army that had shown up behind them. It wasn’t surprising to encounter the enemy so soon after the archer cavalry retreated.
Gathros raised his voice as if pleased.
“Those insignificant pests have come out without a shred of fear! Do they think they can defeat us just because Count Balzac is absent?”
While it was acknowledged that Count Balzac held great stature, his absence wouldn’t drastically weaken their strength.
They had already possessed a greater number of superhumans. The enemy hadn’t even come out from the fortress; they were just laying siege.
“Attack!”
At Gathros’s command, the Delphine Army moved. At the very front stood the Priests of the Salvation Society.
Gathros also didn’t intend to simply watch. Since their troops were somewhat lacking, he planned to lend a hand directly.
Amelia extended her hand. Following her orders, the Northern Army advanced to meet the challenge.
At the far rear of the Northern Army, a platform was hurriedly erected. Amelia ascended to get a clearer look at the battlefield.
“Conrad, seal off the magical power first.”
“Understood.”
Her aide, Conrad, stood beside her and conveyed the order.
Magical barriers unfolded across both battle formations, starting to seal off the opponent’s magic.
“Wooooo!”
As the mages were bound to each other, the frontlines of both armies collided.
Boom!
The forefront of the Northern Army was composed of Raybold’s heavy infantry. They defended their formation stoutly as trained elites.
Amelia’s orders followed rapidly.
“Tell the Great Chief to take charge of the right flank’s front.”
“The Saint will take the left flank’s front.”
“Gillian and Tenant will lead the Western Army troops and follow behind the Saint.”
“Kaor and the assault team will follow the Great Chief. The archer cavalry will provide support from behind.”
“Everyone in the Allied Forces should join the Raybold Army at the forefront and continue advancing. Just don’t get pushed back.”
Everyone moved according to Amelia’s orders without even properly scrutinizing the battlefield situation.
Seeing the moving soldiers, Amelia smirked.
“Their reactions are remarkably quick.”
Troops from Penris moved immediately upon receiving the order. It was evident how well-trained Ghislaine had them.
That’s why she entrusted them with the flank attack.
The numbers of the Allied Forces were large. While they were slower, combining with the Raybold Army made it perfect for taking on the enemies in numbers.
The newly joined lords were not pleased with Amelia commanding them, but given the importance of the battle, they complied for the time being.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Wooo! Kill them!”
“Don’t get pushed! Block them!”
“Get inside!”
It was the first clash of large troops since the civil war broke out. The Delphine Army’s numbers exceeded 150,000 while the Northern Army surpassed 200,000.
The battlefield was bound to become more intense than ever.
On the surface, the strengths of both sides seemed almost even. The total number of the Unified Northern Army was greater, but the levels of the Allied Forces and Western Army were lower than those of the Delphine Army.
But Gathros had overlooked something.
“What the hell! Why are we being surrounded?”
The flanks of the Delphine Army were being pushed inwards. At this point, even someone like Gathros, who had little knowledge of military strategy, quickly sensed the situation.
“Cavalry are crowding both sides!”
Almost half of the Delphine Army’s cavalry had followed Count Balzac. In contrast, the Northern Army’s cavalry hadn’t decreased in number.
To begin with, the Northern Army was structured mainly around cavalry. Amelia utilized her overwhelming numbers of cavalry to effectively pressure the Delphine Army.
On one side, the archer cavalry was relentlessly shooting arrows. While they should have been countered by the infantry, the Delphine Army’s infantry lacked the manpower to handle attacks coming from three sides.
Boom!
“Argh!”
The Delphine Army, whose formations had been disordered even before the battle began, quickly found themselves surrounded because they couldn’t move organically.
Even trying to break through was futile, as the Raybold Army and Allied Forces had tightly sealed their position.
Experts like Bernap and Ulkan from Raybold had also joined the frontlines, making it impossible to break through easily.
“Priests, move quickly to help!”
Gathros shouted loudly, but the priests couldn’t easily extricate themselves either.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
On both sides, Ereness and Parniel were rampaging.
The Priests of the Salvation Society focused more on killing the enemy superhumans rather than the soldiers.
“Kill them quickly!”
Three priests lunged at Parniel.
Crack!
The first priest to be struck by Parniel’s gigantic mace flew backward.
“You little…!”
Another priest took advantage of the gap and attacked her side. Parniel easily blocked the strike with her thick forearm and headbutted the priest.
Boom!
Though it was a headbutt, a sound of something bursting could be heard. The priest with an indented forehead staggered and momentarily lost consciousness.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Knights supporting Parniel rushed in and plunged their swords into the fallen priest’s body. Another priest tried to stop them, but Parniel blocked it with her body.
Boom!
The energy the priest desperately shot flew squarely into her abdomen.
“Y-you… insane…”
The priest had a look of incredulity.
Despite taking that powerful attack, Parniel merely bent over slightly. Although she had taken some internal damage as blood trickled from her mouth, she appeared to have no problem moving.
The massive mace tore through the air and fell toward the priest.
Boom!
“Grahhhh!”
The priest, emboldened, attempted to block but ended up shattering both arms.
This was why the Saint was terrifying. Possessing an energy that was in opposition to that of the Salvation Society, she exhibited tremendous power against the priests.
Thus, she was able to rise to the fourth position of the seven strongest on the continent during the Age of Turmoil.
Three priests found themselves overwhelmed by a single Parniel. In such a tangling situation with superhumans, archer cavalry led by Gillian and Tenant struck the left flank of the Delphine Army.
Boom!
“Ahhh!”
The side of the Delphine Army crumbled immediately. Without coordination between units, they had no hope of properly defending against the attack.
Gathros was left in complete confusion.
Undoubtedly, each unit’s commanders were doing their best to maneuver even amidst the current situation. Their ability to not completely collapse despite being assaulted was evidence of that.
Yet, they were issuing commands for only their own units. There was no one to oversee the entire battlefield.
“Wh-what is happening…?”
Gathros felt dizzy. He couldn’t figure out where to go to assist.
Initially, he intended to head toward the side where the presumed Saint was. Even with two other priests gone, another superhuman, Gillian, and Tenant, had captured them.
Seeing the rapidly faltering army, he couldn’t move in that direction.
Boom!
The other side was in chaos for a different reason.
