Chapter 406
Chapter 406: Let the Hunt Begin. (2)
Flap! Flap! Flap!
Roderick’s soldiers paused as they saw the fallen Penris knights holding onto the hot air balloon’s ropes.
It was no surprise they were taken aback by people suddenly falling from the sky.
Gillian tightened his grip on the axe with all his might and shouted.
“Kill them all!”
Disaster struck Roderick’s army, which had momentarily stopped moving.
Boom!
Gillian swung his axe wildly, slaughtering Roderick’s soldiers in front of him.
The Penris knights who stood up quickly followed his lead.
“Aaargh! What the hell!”
“Knights! Knights are appearing from the sky!”
“Move aside!”
Until now, Roderick’s forces had been able to push forward due to a lack of knights on the Penris side. But once Gillian and the knights stepped in, everything changed.
Boom! Boom!
They were all empowered beyond their previous state using Dragon Heart shards. Roderick’s soldiers were quickly pushed aside and fell from the castle wall.
Panic erupted among the Roderick knights who rushed up to the scene.
“Quickly, join in!”
“Kill that guy first!”
Roderick’s knights charged straight at Gillian because he was clearly the one killing the most soldiers.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
However, Roderick’s knights’ attacks were easily deflected.
Gillian was already at the peak of his abilities, having glimpsed mastery. Roderick’s knights couldn’t block his axe at all.
Boom!
Each time Gillian swung his axe, the knights’ armor tore like paper. Those who rushed at him trembled and fell apart in an instant.
“This insane….”
A surviving knight retreated, staggering back from Gillian’s terrifying display of power.
Even as Gillian stepped closer, the knight couldn’t even think of dodging. He was as frozen as an animal staring at a stronger predator.
Thud!
Gillian grabbed the knight’s neck and flashed a savage grin.
“This is no place for you to come.”
“W-wait a moment….”
Crack!
The knight couldn’t even put up a fight before his neck was snapped by Gillian.
Throwing the corpse to the side, Gillian shouted in an angry voice.
“What are you all doing? Push the enemies out of the castle now!”
Gillian, a mercenary by nature, treated the knights and soldiers with great brutality, much like Ghislaine.
The Penris knights, frightened by his roar, summoned more mana. After all, anyone on Ghislaine’s wrong side would face hellish training.
Gordon shoved Roderick’s soldiers aside and spoke to Lucas beside him.
“Hey, the old man’s pissed.”
“Ugh, I swear I’ll challenge him later and take that spot.”
“You’ll end up bending your back the wrong way.”
“I’m younger, you know?”
Gordon and Lucas, now good buddies, grumbled as they raised their mana. They were now aiming for advanced knights beyond intermediate ones.
Their rapid growth was due to the incredible Mana Circulation Method, but it was also because they risked their lives training in hell every day.
Roderick’s lazy soldiers and knights could not withstand their assault any longer.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Aaargh!”
Before they knew it, the castle wall was once again occupied by the Penris forces. Although Roderick’s side pressed from below, soldiers died the moment they tried to climb, making it impossible to seize the walls.
They had to conquer the castle without any siege equipment. The ladders were limited, so they couldn’t leverage their advantage of numbers.
Roderick’s archers couldn’t shoot arrows at the wall either. Their allied foot soldiers were so poorly armed they’d end up killing their own.
Even if they wanted to seize the hot air balloon, the wizards inside had already skillfully brought the balloon down long ago.
“Hey! Marquis Roderick! You idiot!”
Ascon’s voice echoed loudly from somewhere on the land after landing and hiding.
Eventually, new orders were issued to Roderick’s archers.
“Get everyone up on the walls! Hurry!”
Under the threat of Marquis Roderick, whose eyes were bloodshot, the archers hurried toward the walls. Of course, they were cut down as soon as they climbed up.
“Just a bit more! Put a little more strength into it! We can take it!”
They were right on the verge of capturing the castle wall. They just needed to fight a little longer.
A bit more, really just a tiny bit, was all they needed. Marquis Roderick couldn’t give up after coming so close to success.
“Aaargh!”
Though the battlefield atmosphere was fierce, only the screams of Roderick’s soldiers could be heard. From the Penris side, there were no sounds except the cries of their commanders.
At some point, Roderick’s command and soldiers realized this fact, causing a chill to run down their spines.
Tenant swallowed hard.
“Just how much did they train…”
They showed no fear. They weren’t flustered. They executed the war like a well-oiled machine.
Now, Roderick’s knights no longer appeared on the walls. More than a hundred knights had all been killed up there.
In fact, they had held out this long only because they were present. Roderick’s soldiers could now form no ranks on the walls.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Above the wall, a white-haired man was particularly noticeable. Tenant recognized who he was.
“Is that… Gillian, the White Lion of Penris?”
He indeed lived up to the rumors of his prowess. No knights or soldiers could land a hit on Gillian.
Tenant fiddled with his sword multiple times. As a knight, he wanted to fight the author.
But that was impossible. Capturing the castle was already out of the question. If he got up there like a moth to the flame, there would be no one left to protect Marquis Roderick.
“Aaargh!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ladders Roderick’s army had placed against the castle walls were all shattered or pushed back down, causing warriors to fall.
There was no meaning in trying to set up the ladders again. The tides had turned, and the soldiers’ morale had plummeted.
Only Marquis Roderick was roaring in anger.
“Wizards! What are the wizards doing? Sweep them all away now! I don’t care if our allies get caught up in it! I said sweep them away with magic!”
The wizards were sweating profusely and couldn’t even respond properly.
Even now, a massive amount of magic power was swirling around this battlefield. Even with all their might, they could only focus on holding that back.
Currently, the Penris side had dozens of wizards, including Vanessa and those who had piloted the hot air balloon.
That was enough to block Roderick’s wizards.
As all options failed and the situation worsened, Marquis Roderick let out another howling scream.
“Aaargh! How is this possible! How could a massive army of 100,000 and so many wizards be utterly ineffective!”
Tenant closed his eyes as he surveyed the battlefield.
“It’s over.”
The soldiers, frightened, were now unable to move properly. More than half of those who had come to conquer the castle were dead.
They should have come directly here from the start. Had they done so, they might at least have been able to capture this castle.
Losing 30,000 soldiers and siege equipment in the first battle was a bitter mistake.
It was too late now. Conquering that castle was impossible.
“Withdraw the troops.”
At a glance, nearly 20,000 soldiers lay dead. Just over 10,000 remained. They needed to protect whatever remained to survive and return from this north.
As Tenant ordered the soldiers to retreat, Marquis Roderick went berserk.
“Why! Why are you withdrawing the troops! Send them back! Go take that castle!”
“It’s impossible. We need to regroup the forces first…”
Booooooom!
Before Tenant could finish, a majestic horn echoed from the distance.
Roderick’s advisors found themselves panicking upon seeing the approaching army.
“It’s the Perdium flag!”
“It’s Marquis Perdium’s army!”
“It seems Count Penris had requested support!”
On the northern front, Perdium’s cavalry faced them in formation. A casual glance showed they numbered in the thousands.
If that cavalry charged normally, the already demoralized Roderick soldiers would be swept away without a chance.
And if the Penris knights and soldiers on the castle walls charged out too, it would be an unstoppable wave.
Tenant bit his lip as he witnessed this.
‘They knew to prepare to arrive here.’
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have shown up at such a moment. From start to finish, they had danced to the enemy’s tune in this war.
Whether that was Count Penris or Commander Silverlight, he couldn’t tell.
Drawing a deep breath, he bowed his head to Marquis Roderick.
“You must retreat.”
“What? Retreat? Are you telling me to retreat now? I can’t even conquer a small castle in the north! You want me to retreat as the overlord of the west! We have more troops than that support force!”
Tenant gritted his teeth and reiterated.
“You must run.”
Not retreating, but running. That is the precise term. In this war, Marquis Roderick’s house had been defeated.
Marquis Roderick shouted through his tears of blood.
“Where! Where are we supposed to run to!”
“You must go to the capital. Join the Crown Prince faction with your remaining forces and seek mediation and help from them.”
“You bastard! You want me to endure that humiliation!”
The one who had repeatedly rejected the mediation from the Crown Prince faction was Marquis Roderick himself. And now, he was being told to drag a bunch of defeated men and bow his head?
He no longer had a territory. He needed to plunder and seize control of any weaker territory that he could.
Even with an army of 100,000, he hadn’t accomplished anything substantial. He had just been dragged around by the Penris forces.
“Aaargh! Fight! We can win! We can win!”
Marquis Roderick couldn’t accept it. He still had nearly 10,000 troops left. That alone was enough to call him a great lord.
He thought that if they fought, they could indeed win.
But Tenant shook his head and spoke to the guard knights.
“Get the Marquis to safety. I’ll lead the charge.”
“Let go! Let me go!”
Tenant forced Marquis Roderick into the hands of the guard knights and mounted his horse. He looked around and shouted loudly.
“Gather our forces! We’re escaping the north without fighting! Our goal is to reach the capital as quickly as possible!”
The soldiers who had just rushed back from attacking the walls wore expressions of despair.
‘We’re supposed to run away when we can’t even walk properly?’
It was terrible, but there was no other choice.
“Waaargh!”
From afar, the Perdium army charged this way.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The castle gate opened, and the Penris forces burst out on horseback.
“Hurry! Move!”
Tenant had absolutely no intention of fighting back. In this exhausted state, there was no way they could win a battle.
The wizards remaining in the command were looking around nervously. Drenesi struggled to speak while continuing to hold back the fluctuating magic.
“What are we to do?”
Tenant looked at Drenesi with cold eyes and replied.
“Hold the enemy wizards at bay until the Marquis escapes. You’ve done nothing until now.”
“What? You’re abandoning us now!”
Enraged, Drenesi withdrew his magic and glared at Tenant.
And just as his powerful magic began to escape, it happened.
Flash!
Boom!
A streak of lightning struck Roderick’s formation.
“Aaargh!”
Hundreds of soldiers who weren’t aware of the situation were instantly killed.
“Ugh!”
Drenesi had no choice but to pour his magic back in.
That had come in the brief moment that the magic aimed to break through. If all the wizards decided to flee and withdrew their magic simultaneously, what would happen?
That immense magic would undoubtedly come crashing down on them first.
Thus, the remaining wizards couldn’t do anything in their quandary as Tenant led the guard knights and the remaining troops in quick movements.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Roderick’s cavalry, left to safeguard the command post, numbered about 5,000. They were able to escape relatively quickly.
But the foot soldiers who had just fought to return were not so fortunate. They were too exhausted to run properly.
Boom!
“Aaargh!”
With no way out, the only choice left for them was one.
“We surrender!”
“I’ll drop my weapon!”
“Please, spare us!”
Roderick’s soldiers were known to be weak and lack loyalty. With the command post retreating, there was no reason for them to keep fighting.
Perhaps they had already made arrangements because the Penris and Perdium armies left the surrendered soldiers behind.
A few remained to collect the surrendered soldiers, while the rest continued to chase Roderick’s forces.
The Penris knights charged toward the wizards, including Drenesi.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As the knights charged, the faces of the wizards paled. Those who couldn’t use magic were weaker than regular soldiers.
If they received that charge with their bodies, they would be torn apart in an instant. However, at the moment, they had no leisure to cast defensive magic.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Drenesi, breaking out in cold sweat, rolled his eyes in panic. They had been abandoned. They were doomed either way.
Having always lived in abundance, he didn’t want to die like this.
True to the individualistic nature typical of wizards, he made his choice immediately.
“I surrender! Please, spare me!”
He withdrew his magic and knelt down. As he did, other wizards also withdrew their magic and knelt.
“I also surrender!”
“I’m a 6th Circle mage! I could be of some use!”
“I’m just someone who focused on research!”
They all thought the same thing.
Flash!
As the sky lit up, the wizards closed their eyes. But no lightning fell.
In an instant, the opponent had withdrawn their magic.
Heheheh!
The Penris knights who had been charging also stopped their horses.
‘Phew! We’re alive!’
Drenesi lowered his head and smiled.
He was a rare 6th Circle mage. They could not afford to lose someone like him.
Sshh, sshh, sshh.
After a moment of bowing his head, a man approached. It was Gillian, known as the White Lion.
“Who is the leader of the wizards?”
At Gillian’s question, Drenesi cautiously stood up and cleared his throat.
“Ahem, I am a 6th Circle mage. If treated as a prisoner, my ransom will be substantial…”
Swoosh!
Drenesi couldn’t finish his sentence. Gillian’s axe had suddenly struck his neck.
“Gak, cough….”
‘Why?’
Though a 6th Circle mage, he couldn’t react to Gillian’s sudden attack and died with a head full of questions.
The other wizards of Roderick trembled in fear and pressed their faces to the ground even lower.
Gillian looked at them and said.
“You are now slaves of Penris. Don’t even think about talking about ransom or anything.”
“…….”
The wizards were appalled. There was no such law in the kingdom. Who dared to enslave a wizard?
But their lives were too precious, and none dared to protest.
It wouldn’t just be them; if the Penris wizards realized they were all slaves too, it would cause even greater horror.
Gillian looked around them and continued.
“This person will be your leader from now on.”
The wizards slowly raised their heads. Where Gillian pointed, a woman was standing.
It was Vanessa, the head of the Penris Magic Research Institute.
*
— Master, it has begun.
At Dark’s words, Ghislaine nodded. He had already led 10,000 troops of the Penris Mobile Army to the north.
However, he was waiting instead of heading directly to Roderick’s main force at Claude’s request.
Hearing Dark’s words, Ghislaine smiled.
“Alright, let’s start the hunt.”
