---

Operation Name: Gehenna.

The operation name for this encirclement and annihilation battle was chosen by Princess Seraphina, who believed that the enemies deserved to fall into the fires of hell.

Although the operation name was filled with resentment, it was fitting for Gehenna, an annihilation battle that did not consider capture.

The Gehenna operation, modeled after the name of hell from the sacred codex of the Holy Empire, which stands shoulder to shoulder with the Infractus Empire, was designed from the outset as an annihilation battle.

There was a possibility that the Slaves, operating as a decentralized organization, might not be completely eradicated and could grow their forces again.

Therefore, the motto of the Gehenna operation was an encirclement and annihilation battle aimed at the complete eradication of the Slaves.

However, since the Gehenna operation aimed for the complete annihilation of the Slaves, mobility to prevent them from having time to react and secrecy to keep them unaware of the encirclement were of utmost importance.

Mobilizing a large number of troops was a bad move. The larger the troop size, the more mobility and secrecy would inevitably suffer.

But the basic premise of an encirclement and annihilation battle was that the allied forces must outnumber the enemy by at least ten to one. This was similar to the principle that siege forces must outnumber the defenders by at least three to one.

So, Seraphina chose to replace the insufficient troops with building exteriors to block any escape routes.

If they couldn’t encircle the Slaves with superior numbers, they could use the characteristics of urban warfare to preemptively block escape routes and create a pseudo-encirclement.

Fortunately, the Slaves’ headquarters was not in the center of Byzantium but in a slum where buildings were crammed together. Although there were many escape routes due to the large urban area, it wasn’t difficult to occupy all the expected points.

[This is Polaris. Commencing the operation.]

The voice of Seraphina, who was leading the vanguard, echoed through the small communication magic device.

The battle situation was transmitted in real-time through a device that visualized the location-tracking magic.

This was to ensure that the reserve forces, on standby, could be deployed immediately upon Seraphina’s command.

Gilbert took a deep breath.

May this battlefield pass safely.

He prayed like that.

***

“Kekeke. Hey, follow me more!”

“Crazy bastard, you’ll die eating like that.”

“If money overflows, just throw it away if you think you’ll die eating. What’s the big deal?”

The Slaves’ central headquarters was as noisy as ever today, with people throwing money around and holding drinking parties.

The huge profits from human trafficking were like an inexhaustible spring of gold coins.

Alcohol, drugs, and women.

The Slaves members gathered here were indulging in all possible luxuries and pleasures.

For them, money was no longer a concern. If they ran short, they could just hunt for good prey and deliver it to noble houses, earning more money than they could in a lifetime of hard work.

Not everyone was like that at first.

Mercenaries who had lived a life of ruin, knights who had squandered their money and been excommunicated, or those who had joined the Slaves out of debt, kept their distance and watched.

They intended to hold on to their last shred of conscience.

But that was only in the very beginning. After all, no one who joined this place had a life that wasn’t already in ruins.

Given that they had committed crimes serious enough to be excommunicated from their knightly titles or were living in debt, what could they do when handed a fortune they could never earn in a lifetime?

The masks of those who had been pretending to be noble and reserved were quickly stripped away upon seeing the mountain of gold coins.

After that, it was a time of indulgence in pleasure.

They used the people they captured at will like slaves, stuffing their mouths with expensive food and drink.

They revealed perverse tendencies that were hard to watch and unleashed their violent inclinations to their heart’s content.

Hell on earth.

Anyone who saw the Slaves’ central headquarters would have no choice but to say that.

“By the way, I heard the Empire caught wind of us?”

“What? How much bribe have we paid so far for them to catch wind?”

“Princess Seraphina seems to have noticed.”

“Damn. How did that bitch find out?”

A mercenary with wide eyes cursed and grumbled. They had been bribing high-ranking nobles of the Empire to establish themselves in the capital, Byzantium.

It was thanks to such connections that they had managed to evade the Empire’s surveillance and grow their forces until now.

But with Seraphina suddenly intervening, those who had been enjoying a comfortable life were extremely dissatisfied.

Bribes didn’t work on Seraphina, who prioritized the Empire’s safety above all else. In fact, offering bribes often led to immediate execution, so the Slaves had been doing their best to blind her.

Of course, they didn’t think this situation would last forever. They knew that the current peace was only temporary since there was no place in the Empire that Seraphina’s eyes didn’t reach.

But human nature being what it is…

Those who had already become accustomed to a life of comfort and indulgence were not pleased with the current situation. The thought of rebuilding the central headquarters, which already had everything they needed, was also a headache.

“So when is that bitch going to attack? If she caught wind, wouldn’t she bite right away?”

“I don’t know. The higher-ups say we still have some time, but it won’t be long.”

“Damn. I hope it’s not today.”

The man with torn eyes chuckled as he looked at a slave crawling near his groin. Once a fugitive before joining the Slaves, he had now risen to a position where he could wield absolute power.

Alcohol, food, drugs, and women.

He desperately wanted to enjoy his current life, where all of that was within easy reach, for just a little longer.

“Same here…”

-Beep beep

The man who was speaking suddenly froze at the loud alarm from the magic device.

Everyone in the room who had been giggling did the same.

The Slaves’ alarm magic device was designed to sound only in one situation.

Code Zero.

A final directive known only to the central headquarters and seven branches.

Code Zero was issued only when the Slaves’ existence was deemed in jeopardy. Despite facing many dangerous situations, Code Zero had never been issued before.

They had simply abandoned their headquarters or branches and moved elsewhere.

But now, Code Zero, which had never been issued before, was activated. It was as if the higher-ups had given up on the Slaves.

The minds of those who had been drunk and dazed were suddenly jolted awake as if doused with cold water.

The man with torn eyes, who had been cursing, pushed away the female slave in front of him and jumped up from his seat.

“Damn it! Bad luck! Hey, you bastards, get up! It’s an emergency!”

With that as the starting point, all the men in the room grabbed their clothes and got up. They picked up their weapons, stuffed their pockets with scattered gold coin pouches, and rushed outside.

“Ah! Damn it!”

The bald man who had gone out first screamed and fell.

One of the escape routes they had prepared for easy escape had been discovered.

The fleeing men cursed and turned back to find another exit. Some had already been occupied by the invaders, and people started falling, cut down by swords.

But some managed to escape through exits that hadn’t been discovered yet. They gasped for breath as they ran through the winding alleys.

What the hell is this in the middle of the night!

The complaints burst out, perhaps due to the relief of having survived.

At least they had broken through the encirclement, so they could afford to complain.

“You’re here, you bugs.”

But soon, they encountered a blonde knight guarding the alley entrance.

A red-haired knight with golden hair tied tightly.

Princess Knight Seraphina.

“Damn it! How did you know about this place!”

“Stupid as bugs, aren’t you? You’re all in the palm of my hand. Did you really think I wouldn’t know about your escape routes?”

“Damn bitch, I knew it!”

“Frivolous fool. Whatever. I don’t have the hobby of explaining things in detail. I’m just here to execute the rats hiding in the Empire’s shadows. The only judgment I’ll give you is death.”

Her eyes, glowing like blood, were filled with anger.

The mercenaries and excommunicated knights, who had pissed themselves, ground their teeth.

With their skills, defeating Seraphina, one of the successors to the Winter Sword, was impossible. Moreover, it had been ages since they last held a sword.

And Princess Seraphina wasn’t guarding the alley entrance alone. Behind her, her fully armed knights were watching them with emotionless eyes.

They couldn’t stop their hands from trembling.

Meanwhile, similar situations were happening all around the Slaves’ central headquarters.

The Slaves’ executives, panicked by the Code Zero situation, were caught in Seraphina’s encirclement as they tried to escape, leading to battles. Some, who hadn’t completely given up their swords, were putting up a fight against Seraphina’s knights.

Others were trying to break through the encirclement using numerical superiority. It seemed like they were attempting a single-point breakthrough, which Seraphina had initially worried about.

“Special forces, deploy.”

But the reserve forces were prepared for just such a moment.

Gilbert, upon receiving a request for support via radio, immediately led the special forces to the requested location. Upon arrival, he saw the knights engaged in a tense struggle.

Gilbert drew his sword and quickly issued orders.

“Brynhild, take the left flank. Ilene, take the right. The rest, follow me to the center!”

He deployed the two most skilled members of the special forces, excluding himself, to the flanks and quickly joined the center with the rest. Some Slaves executives were trying to break through the central encirclement.

The already precarious balance of power tilted sharply in favor of the Empire with the deployment of Gilbert’s special forces. Gilbert, who had already received the title of 5th Grade Knight, was at a level where he could handle these small fry without breaking a sweat.

Especially since Gilbert, who was stepping into the realm of superhumans, was most confident in one-on-one combat. His body had already diverged from that of an ordinary human, and his martial skills had deepened, filling in any gaps.

With a divine sword as his weapon and secret techniques to wield it, there was no one here who could stop Gilbert.

“These bastards are really something!”

Finally, unable to break through the encirclement, a one-eyed excommunicated knight charged at Gilbert like an angry bull. Wielding a massive greatsword, he was a man of great strength, capable of splitting a person in half.

If an average knight had been in front of him, it might not have been a problem, but unfortunately, it was Gilbert.

– Bang!

Gilbert deflected the man’s greatsword with one hand and thrust his sword into the man’s mouth, tearing it sideways.

“Ugh!”

The man let out a grotesque scream and died.

The excommunicated knight, who had relied on his natural strength, met Gilbert, who surpassed him in strength, and died in vain.

Looking for his next opponent, Gilbert quickly assessed the situation of his special forces members.

Brynhild, who was seasoned in battle, was handling three or four opponents simultaneously without issue.

Ilene, from the north, was using her robust physique to swiftly cut down the Slaves’ throats.

The other members deployed to the center were also working together to easily deal with the Slaves’ slave traders. Camilla, who had been a concern, had suddenly improved her skills and was elegantly targeting vital points with her sword.

Good, no problems yet.

Gilbert, who had just severed the arms of two charging mercenaries, refocused on the battle.

Although the team members were doing well, war was always full of unpredictable variables that could cost lives in an instant.

The best he could do was minimize those variables, and the best way to do that in this situation was to end the battle quickly.

Lost in the heat of battle, Gilbert cut down everyone in sight and finally let out a long breath.

Around him, the Slaves’ slave hunters, either dead or with limbs severed, groaned in pain.

The fierce first battle had come to an end.

 

---