Chapter 289
Chapter 289 – Breakthrough Like This. (3)
“Uaaaaah!”
With a charge like a beam of light, Ghislaine’s assault sent Desmond’s spearmen tumbling down like dominos.
Kwaaaang!
The following charges from the knights and cavalry were no less impactful than Ghislaine’s attack.
The shattered formation couldn’t hold back the cavalry charge at all. Desmond’s lines collapsed in an instant.
When the formation fell apart, the command structure crumbled as well. Desmond’s army fell into chaos and couldn’t respond properly.
All around, the voices of commanders overlapped.
“Stop them!”
“Attack the enemies in front of you first!”
“We have more numbers!”
The movements trained over a long time were ingrained in their bodies. Even with the formation broken, Desmond’s soldiers instinctively gathered and attacked the enemies before them.
“That guy is the lord! The one on the black horse!”
When someone shouted that, Desmond’s soldiers rushed to try and drag Ghislaine down. But it was useless.
Every time Ghislaine swung her spear, her red eyes flashing, the approaching soldiers from Desmond had their necks severed.
Some tried to attack the horse, but they were witnessing a bizarre scene for the first time.
Vroooom!
The Black King began to rampage with a fierce glint in its eyes.
When a weapon flew, it dodged with a jump, and when an enemy approached, it kicked with its hind legs. It fought without caring whether a rider was atop it, moving freely as it pleased.
In response, Ghislaine also let go of the Black King’s reins and swung her spear. Both insisted on being the first to slay the enemy.
Never would a master and steed match so perfectly in their uncontrollable nature.
Puhhh! Puhh! Thud!
“Uaaaaah! What the heck! That horse!”
“It’s too fast! I can’t even see the spear!”
“Get away! Don’t get close!”
Desmond’s army couldn’t regain their senses. The horse and rider’s movements were so erratic that they simply couldn’t get a grasp on it.
Every time they thought they saw an opening to strike, their heads were gone in an instant.
Puhhh! Thud! Thud!
With each heavy sound, the heads of Desmond’s soldiers flew in all directions.
The knights following Ghislaine poured their mana without holding back.
With the armor’s power activated, fighting on horseback was a disadvantage. The knights began to jump off their steeds one after another.
Especially Gordon, who shouted louder than anyone else as he dismounted.
“Today, I’ll wreck your lower half!”
Kwahng!
Mana surged into his legs, and his body extended explosively. The other knights also pulled out their weapons and charged into Desmond’s formation.
“Those black-armored guys!”
“There are even more than before!”
“We can’t let them have any openings!”
Desmond’s army screamed as they faced the black-armored knights of Penris.
They had suffered greatly at the hands of Gillian and the knights, experiencing their power firsthand.
Kwahng! Kwahng! Kwahng!
The power unleashed by the knights who had fully activated their armor was truly astonishing. In no time, hundreds of Desmond’s soldiers fell.
The late-arriving heavy infantry flooded in to try and push back the Penris army.
Desmond’s elite knights also began to intervene at intervals, trying to stop the knights of Penris.
Though the Penris army had broken through the front lines in a short time, their numbers were few, and their breakthrough power could only weaken.
At that moment, Ghislaine firmly grabbed the reins of the Black King and shouted.
“Step aside!”
As soon as the words were heard, the knights and soldiers of Penris moved aside without looking back.
Swoosh!
In an instant, a clear path as vast as the sea opened up.
Dudududu!
The Black King carrying Ghislaine charged forward without hesitation.
Ghislaine lowered her spear and unlocked the third tier of her core.
Dudududu!
Her eyes turned even more crimson.
Desmond’s soldiers, faced with the fierce gaze of the Black King and Ghislaine’s even fiercer eyes, stumbled back involuntarily.
“Stop her!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The massive shields of the heavy infantry planted into the ground formed a wall. The soldiers who had witnessed just how strong Ghislaine’s charge was clenched their teeth and braced themselves.
However, Ghislaine had no intention of colliding head-on with them.
Swoosh!
“Huh?”
Desmond’s army all looked up.
The Black King had leaped high over the wall of shields.
Kwahng!
When Ghislaine plunged into the center of Desmond’s formation and slammed her spear into the ground, a strong shockwave rippled out.
“Graaah!”
The soldiers closest to Ghislaine spewed blood and fell, while those slightly further back lost their footing and staggered.
But hesitation lasted only a moment. They couldn’t just watch the enemy lord who had jumped alone into their ranks.
The tightly packed heavy infantry all turned to try and pressure Ghislaine. Desmond’s knights also switched targets, moving toward Ghislaine.
At that moment, something they could never have imagined took place.
Dudududu.
The spears held by the fallen soldiers rose from all around. Seeing that, Desmond’s army wore faces like ghosts.
As they all stood there confused, hundreds of spears rained down on the soldiers surrounding Ghislaine.
Puhpuhpuhpuhp!
“Uaaaaah!”
The spears moved of their own accord, and everyone was thrown into panic. The knights easily deflected the indiscriminate barrage of spears, but the soldiers were in dire straits.
Each spear contained different forces; some soldiers repelled them with their armor and shields, while others were pierced through and died.
“W-What? The spears are flying around?”
“It’s magic! Count Penris is using magic!”
“What are our wizards doing?”
It wasn’t magic, but there was no one here capable of recognizing Ghislaine’s technique.
Not just the Desmond’s army, but the knights and soldiers of Penris were momentarily left stunned.
With the exception of a few knights dispatched to the Shadow Mountain Range, most had never seen this technique before today and couldn’t help but be surprised.
“That’s what I heard about… that technique.”
“I told you, right? It’s a crazy technique.”
“If you have something like that, can’t you fight by yourself?”
But their admiration didn’t last long. Ghislaine, who had disrupted the formation, shouted loudly.
“Get it together!”
Dudududu!
The third-tier unlocked state couldn’t be maintained long. Blood vessels popped in Ghislaine’s eyes, and tendons bulged all over her body.
The Penris knight Gordon, who was a bit stunned by Ghislaine’s shout, gestured and called out loudly.
“Alright, let’s get back in there quickly!”
No matter how much they relied on the power of armor, breaking through the thick shield wall of heavy infantry wouldn’t be an easy task.
However, thanks to Ghislaine’s prior chaos, it became much easier to breach the lines than before.
Kwahng! Kwahng! Kwahng!
The knights and soldiers of Penris once again leaped into the gaps of Desmond’s army, swinging their weapons.
This bizarre and reckless tactic left Desmond’s army utterly defenseless.
Though Desmond still had the numerical advantage in the rear, if this continued, the rear guards would all be taken down as well.
Fear began to creep into the eyes of Desmond’s soldiers.
But Ghislaine wasn’t feeling so at ease either.
“I need to get in there faster.”
The primary forces of the Penris army had limitations on how long they could exert their strength. With the enemy’s sheer numbers, if they continued like this, they would exhaust their strength before killing all the enemies.
“Disgusting bastards.”
Ghislaine and the Penris army charged straight through Desmond’s lines. They killed anyone blocking their path, yet fresh troops were continuously funneling in from the flanks.
Such is the terror of a grand army. No matter how many you kill, the fighting power doesn’t diminish.
Even the individual abilities of Desmond’s soldiers were not to be underestimated. Despite Ghislaine and the Penris knights having the upper hand, their speed in breaking through the lines was slowing down.
Ghislaine’s gaze swiftly scanned the battlefield.
Emerson’s cavalry, engaged against the Kingdom army, began to target the enemy archers. The allied archers, who had been tormenting and controlling Desmond’s rear, were now busy dodging oncoming enemies.
“We need to take out the enemy wizards first.”
For the Penris army to solidify their victory, they needed to capture Desmond’s wizards. Only then could their own wizards attack the remaining enemies.
There was no need to worry about the wizards positioned on either side. They needed to capture the high-circle wizards who were most heavily protected at the rear of the formation.
Kwahng! Kwahng!
Ghislaine poured out her mana without holding back, relentlessly hammering away at the center of the enemy formation.
The Penris army, having received orders in advance, was busy following her lead and pushing forward.
Thanks to the ruthlessly focused advance of the Penris army at one location, Desmond’s army began to split left and right.
And Harold, who was watching this scene from the farthest point, exhaled heavily.
“That guy… was at that level…?”
It was hard to believe even with his own eyes. This was more than mere rumors. Having suffered all this time, he had rated Ghislaine highly, but even that was an underestimation of her abilities.
With what Ghislaine had prepared alone, she was already on the verge of collapsing, and now her raw power was nearing that of a top-tier knight!
At that level, calling her the greatest sword of the North wouldn’t be an exaggeration. She could easily handle thousands of soldiers by herself.
“Then why… like this?”
Her movements were strange. They were stupidly advancing forward. If she had such abilities, using different tactics would surely be more effective.
By simply moving straight ahead, they appeared to be getting increasingly surrounded by their own allies. If the Penris knights tired out, they could be trampled in return.
“What on earth is she aiming at?”
Harold didn’t realize that the more Ghislaine and the Penris knights exerted themselves, the faster they would tire out; there was a time limitation to their exertion.
However, looking at the direction they moved, their aim became clear.
Following Ghislaine’s movements with sharp eyes, Harold bit his lip.
“She’s targeting the wizards.”
In the direction Ghislaine was heading was Willow. As a being capable of holding back Penris’s 6th Circle Mage, Ghislaine certainly had a reason to be wary of Willow.
The allies were also forming a surrounding formation gradually, but seeing Ghislaine’s power, it was certain that Willow would be captured before the formation was completed.
That said, they couldn’t pull Willow further back. They needed to maintain a certain distance to either counter the enemy’s magic or use their magic against enemy forces.
It was only because she reached the level of a 6th Circle mage that she could maintain a countering position at this distance.
Ultimately, Harold brought out his trump card, which he had been reluctant to use until now.
“Lenos.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Lead the entire guard to block that one. Emerson will deal with the enemy cavalry and wizards.”
“…Our mission is to protect you, my lord.”
“If Willow dies, we’ll be at a disadvantage. It seems they have no hidden cards left, so it’s fine. Block that one first.”
“…Understood.”
A great lord like Desmond commands a multitude of knights. Among them, those with particularly outstanding skills are assigned as guard knights to protect the lord.
The royal guard referred to the guards of the great lord, and Count Desmond’s royal guard consisted of fifty men.
Not just dozens followed; the captain, Lenos, was a high-level knight, and the others were all elite knights at a minimum of mid-level.
In order to block Ghislaine, Harold had moved even those who never acted recklessly.
Lenos opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“Let’s go.”
Clad in magnificent armor, they charged on horseback.
Due to their nature, they had mastered exceptional tactics for blocking enemies and protecting others.
With fifty royal guards, they could subdue someone like Baron Hutton without killing him.
Therefore, Harold believed that no matter how skilled Ghislaine was, they wouldn’t let her approach Willow.
Dudududu!
These weren’t the only ones galloping with vigor. Emerson, who had completely shaken off the pursuit of the Kingdom army, began to chase down Penris’s archers.
The archer cavalry also seemed aware, tormenting Desmond’s rear while gradually slipping back.
Emerson surveyed the battlefield and issued new orders to his deputy.
“I’ll spare a thousand. Crush the enemy wizards in the rear.”
“Understood.”
The deputy immediately led a thousand cavalrymen toward Penris’s wizards.
Currently, the wizards at the rear of the Penris army were guarded by about three hundred knights.
They all wore tattered gray robes and wielded massive greatswords, which were not of ordinary design but were double-edged swords with long handles made for decapitating foes from horseback.
As the knights surrounding the wizards approached, they slowly stepped forward upon seeing the advancing Desmond cavalry.
Dudududu!
Desmond’s cavalry clutched their spears tightly and increased their speed. They intended to trample those who dared to block their way.
“What a bunch of beggars blocking our path.”
The deputy of the cavalry scoffed. With their numbers, they could easily crush and kill the wizards.
One of the robed figures stepped forward, eyeing the rushing cavalrymen.
As he began slowly, he gradually quickened his pace and sprinted forward.
As he closed in, the cavalry deputy shouted and thrust his spear.
“Die! You reckless fool!”
Whoosh!
The robed man swung the massive greatsword at the charging horse.
Kwahng!
The deputy’s spear did not touch the man. Instead, he was the one who was split in two along with his horse.
The robed man swung his greatsword at the following cavalrymen multiple times.
Kwahng! Kwahng!
Hiiiiiiing!
As the leading cavalrymen fell, the remaining knights waiting behind surged into the fray.
They too swung their greatswords, mercilessly slaughtering the enemy cavalry.
Kwahng! Kwahng! Kwahng!
“Uaaaaah!”
“What the heck are these guys!”
“Get out of the way!”
Desmond’s cavalry were sliced by the robed figures as they approached. Many who couldn’t slow their speed tumbled over the bodies.
As a brief reprieve came, the first robed man flipped back his hood in annoyance.
Shaking free his tousled red hair, the “Ogre Slayer” Kaor grinned arrogantly.
“Here I come.”
The robed figures were none other than Kaor and the hunters who had been hunting monsters in the Shadow Mountain Range.
