Chapter 287
Chapter 287 – Let’s Break Through Like This. (1)
Harold frowned as he watched the suddenly appeared army.
“These guys… they’ve coordinated and timed this perfectly.”
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have shown up so precisely.
The Kingdom Army and the noble coalition had around 8,000 troops, while the Perdium Army had about 3,000.
Together, that was more than 10,000. Ultimately, the situation Harold feared had come to pass.
“Sigh… So it comes to this.”
He had dragged things out too long because of that guy Gillian. Maybe he should have just ignored the Stonehaven Fortress, but Harold soon shook his head.
“If I had done that, they would have conducted guerrilla warfare from the rear.”
Regardless, they were now in a bind, and thanks to that, reinforcements that could help Ghislaine had arrived.
With the advantage of their numbers, they had to take down the enemy one by one, but it was now a situation where they couldn’t avoid taking damage.
The more he thought about it, the more his teeth ground and rage rose. But he needed to stay calm.
“In any case, they all have to fight.”
If he could crush them all right here, he would buy some time. Once he seized Penris, he would have to enforce forced conscription immediately.
He called upon the best commander from his territory. That would be Emerson, who had dealt with Baron Dorren’s 2nd Corps.
“Emerson.”
“Yes, Count.”
“Take 5,000 men and annihilate the 3rd Corps on the right.”
“Leave it to me.”
Thud thud thud thud!
Desmond’s Army’s right wing turned towards the 3rd Corps and the noble coalition.
Harold immediately issued orders to the left wing as well.
“Baron Garein.”
“Yes, Count.”
“Take 5,000 men and deal with the Perdium Army on the left.”
“Understood.”
“The Perdium Army is made up of those who have gained a lot of real battle experience in the north. Be careful in your fights. There’s no need to push it. Just hold them up while I deal with the other side.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Baron Garein was not particularly skilled at swordsmanship, but he was a rather competent commander. He was especially good at keeping the enemy in one place.
He led the troops assigned to the left wing towards Perdium.
Though 10,000 troops had split off, there were still about 16,000 soldiers waiting in the center of Desmond’s Army.
The Penris Army was charging straight at them, leading only about 3,000 troops.
Harold smiled coldly as he watched.
“Still a cocky brat.”
With the reinforcements arriving, the difference in numbers had shrunk significantly. That’s surely why they were acting so confidently.
But even if the reinforcements were combined, they barely made up a little over half of their forces. Ghislaine’s judgment was just an expression of reckless overconfidence.
All Penris’ knights and soldiers were charging ahead behind the Black King without hesitation.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The sound of hooves thundered, and the speed of the Penris Army increased. However, Desmond’s Army had already formed a proper formation.
Harold sneered as he observed the approaching Penris army.
“Trusting in that strange armor and charging forward, huh? They’ve even armored their horses.”
Indeed, the armor of the Perdium Army was excellent. Wearing that armor, one soldier could likely take on ten enemies.
Harold was surprised when he checked the weight of the armor on the deceased Penris soldier.
The fact that such armor could be equipped on the horses meant it was likely produced in bulk.
“Certainly, it’s outstanding armament, but…”
That was only possible when dealing with a certain number at a time. Even splitting their forces, there were still a whopping five times the number of Penris soldiers waiting on this side.
The terror of a large army grows exponentially with the increase in numbers.
Harold raised his hand as he gauged the distance to the incoming Penris Army.
“Prepare the spearmen.”
Whaaaaaaa!
Thousands of spearmen stepped forward, extending their spears forward.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Even while watching the Penris Army barreling towards them, they showed no signs of fear.
Their confidence was rooted in the belief that they could block anyone. That was the reason why Desmond’s elite troops were so strong.
“Archers.”
The archers lined up at the rear pulled their bows taut.
Since all of Penris’s cavalry were fully armored, and the horses were armored too, the arrow attacks wouldn’t have a direct effect.
But if the horses grew fearful and stopped or their formation was shaken, even for a moment, that would be enough. Harold sent a signal to the archers with a glimmer of hope.
Pwah!
Thak! Tapatap! Thak!
The Penris army raised small shields to block the incoming arrows.
A few blind arrows collided with bodies and armor, but the Penris army maintained their formation and speed as if nothing had happened.
“Just as expected, it’s useless.”
Harold frowned. It wasn’t too concerning given their numbers, but that mysterious material of the armor was indeed quite troublesome.
If the entire 10,000-strong army wore armor like that, they could never win.
“Today, I need to trample them for sure. And I’ll get my hands on that new material’s manufacturing method.”
If that happens, he would surely be able to extend his power across the entire kingdom, beyond the north.
Attacking Ghislaine at this time really was a stroke of luck.
Harold waved his hand at Willow again.
“Go.”
With the firepower of the wizards, they should be able to deal a meaningful blow. Although reports indicated that the enemy wizard looked to be a stronger individual than Willow, it was hard to judge until he witnessed their full strength firsthand.
The wizards of Desmond gathered their mana and aimed at the Penris Army. Willow once again cast a high-circle area of effect spell.
“Fire Rain.”
Gooaaaah!
Mighty mana gathered in the sky, forming fireballs.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Simultaneously, dozens of attack spells were fired from Desmond’s formation. All aimed at the charging Penris army.
If all those spells hit, they would suffer considerable damage.
The wizards, some escort troops waiting in the rear of the Penris Army, sensed the massive movement of mana from Desmond’s side and glanced up in alarm.
Alfoy pulled his hair back and stepped forward.
“Finally… is it my time to shine?”
Until now, Alfoy hadn’t even properly cast a single fireball in the war. In a way, this war was akin to his true debut.
He intended to showcase his power to the world and gain fame and popularity.
“Fire Man Alfoy will show these guys a fiery taste! I will burn them all to ashes!”
Alfoy proclaimed heroically as he extended a hand forward.
Tap.
Vanessa grabbed his wrist. Alfoy blushed a little and said,
“Quit suddenly grabbing people’s hands like that… AAAAAAH!”
With his mana being drained all at once, Alfoy trembled with his cheeks sunken in.
‘I wanted to showcase my magical abilities this time!’
However, Vanessa drained all his mana, robbing Alfoy of that opportunity.
Having absorbed Alfoy’s mana, Vanessa raised her hand to the sky.
“I’ll reverse the twisted laws. Dispel.”
Swooooooosh…
At her command, the hundreds of fireballs that had started forming in the sky vanished before they could fall. All attack spells aimed at Penris Army scattered into nothing.
It was truly an incredible feat.
With remarkable focus, she was capturing all the mana surging across this vast battlefield.
Willow watched in shock, exclaiming,
“T-This can’t be! It’s not that she spaced it out, but to dispel all that magic at once? Could it possibly be that a 7th Circle mage has arrived? N-No, if that were the case, she would have already used a 7th Circle spell…”
The other mages of Desmond were just as flustered, running around. It was impossible to gauge the strength of the opposing mage.
The moment Vanessa dispelled the enemy’s magic, she seized the wrist of another mage standing opposite Alfoy again.
That mage gripped his wrist tightly, saying,
“Did I mention I have a girlfriend, or not AAAAAAH!”
Vanessa ignored the mage’s words, extracting his mana while casting a 6th Circle spell.
“Twin Cyclone.”
Swish.
Small whirlwinds began to form on both sides of Desmond’s army. A weak wind that no one could easily notice.
But as a 6th Circle mage, Willow grasped the subtle movements of mana and shouted in horror.
“Dispel it now! Quickly!”
The whirlwinds had formed quite a distance from both armies. They needed to get closer to dispel the magic.
The mages scrambled in haste, but the speed at which the wind gathered was even quicker.
Kuh-oh-oh-oh!
The wind gradually increased its rotational speed, eventually transforming into a massive vortex. The two rotating whirlwinds approached like they were going to swallow everything in their path.
Willow wore a horrified expression.
“W-What is this! How can the same magic be cast so far apart…?”
Twin Cyclone is a magic that creates two whirlwinds simultaneously. Even Willow couldn’t pull off two spells like that from such a distance.
When it was just a faint breeze, a lower-circle mage could easily dispel it, but now that it was growing larger, dispelling it was quite difficult.
“Stop it! I’ll block the right side!”
Willow reached out while casting Dispel. Since he was a 6th Circle mage, he could dispel a 6th Circle spell, provided he had enough mana.
Boom!
“Ugh…”
Huge amounts of mana leaked from his body as one of the whirlwinds vanished.
The remaining mages focused on dispelling the left whirlwind.
Those who had not reached the 6th Circle could never dispel that magic alone, but if they pooled their efforts, success was possible.
Kuh-ahhhh!
The whirlwinds surged wildly, aiming to sweep away one side of Desmond’s formation.
Despite the approaching whirlwinds, Desmond’s soldiers showed no signs of faltering. They were all sweating profusely but held their ground as they gritted their teeth, maintaining their positions as commanded.
Truly a sight worthy of being called elite.
“Everyone gather here! Hurry!”
“Damn! Who the hell is their mage?”
“Quick! Quickly dispel it!”
Fortunately, as dozens of mages pooled their mana, the whirlwinds began to gradually subside.
Willow shouted in urgency.
“Attack again! Don’t stop! We have to strike before the enemy casts their spells!”
Bang bang bang!
Once again, spells shot out from Desmond’s formation.
Vanessa immediately held onto another mage’s hand to dispel spells.
She was different from Desmond’s mages. She was managing the entire battlefield on her own.
Drip.
Blood flowed continuously from her nose.
Having attained the realization to reach the 6th Circle through outstanding talent and relentless effort, the accumulated mana in her body was still merely at the 2nd Circle level.
While she utilized her own body as a medium to draw the mana of other mages, it wasn’t without its burden to use the mana of others.
Alfoy, who was slumped down, his body looking emaciated, muttered with a pitiful gaze.
“Fool… You’re going to die like this… You won’t last long…”
But she said nothing, only pursuing the mana on the battlefield.
‘I won’t let anyone die.’
At least there would be no deaths among allies due to her spells. That was the resolve she held.
‘A little more…’
Vanessa gritted her teeth and cast her spells.
She couldn’t be comfortable in this situation either. Fighting together would have been much better.
However, there were many more mages in Desmond’s army, including 6th Circle mages, compared to their side. If she were to face them alone, she needed the mana of other mages.
Therefore, she had no choice but to fight alone.
“I’m sorry… If only I could normally accumulate mana…”
If that were the case, other mages would have participated in battle too. Perhaps the magical strength of the Penris army could have overwhelmed the enemy.
But right now, that was impossible, so she had no choice but to adopt this distorted method.
The only one capable of blocking the enemy’s 6th Circle magic was herself.
Drip.
More blood leaked from Vanessa’s nose. But she never lost focus, instead moving even closer.
‘I can’t stop…!’
There was no time to rest until the enemy was fully pushed back. They had to keep pressing hard so the allies wouldn’t be able to act.
Ghislaine also trusted Vanessa and dove into the battlefield.
‘I can do more…’
More than twenty mages were still left to fill her mana. She could hold out.
So, magic surged overhead on both sides as if fireworks were being generated in the sky, then disappearing repeatedly.
Harold bit his lip as he watched that scene.
“It seems there really is a 6th Circle mage. Could it possibly be that the Lord of the Tower of the Bloody Flame is secretly helping them?”
A warning rang in his head. If the tower had intervened, it wouldn’t be a simple matter.
Looking at how evenly matched his army of magic was, it was clear the key forces of the tower had all come.
“How the hell did this guy get the mages involved…?”
He was curious, but there was no way to find out now. After the war, he’d slowly investigate and ensure those who helped Penris paid the price.
Nevertheless, if both sides’ magic had been blocked, there was no choice but to engage directly in combat.
“Cavalry.”
As Harold gestured, the cavalry standing on either side moved.
They began to draw a large semicircle, aiming for the rear of the Penris Army.
As long as the frontline spearmen held their ground, the Penris army would crumble from behind.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The spearmen of Desmond eyed the rapidly approaching cavalry of Penris, gripping their spears tightly.
‘Fast.’
Even though the entire Penris Army was fully armored and the horses were also armored, they were moving at speeds comparable to cavalry. If they collided, it would cause an enormous shock.
Perhaps those who first clashed with the Penris army would be pushed back significantly, but that would also reduce the enemy’s breakthrough power.
Thousands of soldiers were on line, maintaining their formation with enough spacing. They surely wouldn’t be able to break through half as effectively, thus losing speed.
Once they were tied down, they could be completely surrounded and annihilated.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The distance continued to shrink. In just a few blinks, they would collide. The spearmen lowered their stances to attack the horses and knock the riders off.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Just before the armies of both sides clashed, Ghislaine suddenly shouted loudly.
“Spread out!”
Whaaaaaa!
The leading knights and cavalry began to split left and right. It looked as if they were avoiding the spearmen.
Through the space that opened up, cavalry holding weapons other than spears revealed themselves.
Leading that group was Elf Lumina.
Creeeak…
Lumina released the reins of her horse and drew back her bowstring with both hands. The elves and cavalry following her did the same, also releasing their reins and drawing their bows.
Harold murmured as he spotted them suddenly emerging between the split armies.
“…Archer Cavalry?”
A unit he had never even considered had appeared.
