Chapter 547
Chapter 547: Changing the Route (2)
Thud, thud, thud!
Following Gathros, who flew ahead, the knights of Atrode galloped on horseback.
There were about a hundred of them. Even though they were all knights, it was a small number to assault a fortress, but they moved forward without hesitation.
Boom!
Gathros, who arrived first, unleashed an explosion without holding back.
The fortress had already been half-devastated from the attacks of the priests and wizards. The fortress’s troops couldn’t properly defend against Gathros’s assault.
“Aaargh!”
“Block them! Hurry and kill them!”
“What are the wizards doing?”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gathros was strong enough to fight on par with Ereness. As he rampaged, ordinary soldiers and knights fell one after another.
Reluctantly, the wizards released their mana barriers again and cast spells towards Gathros.
Booom!
Because of their allies, they couldn’t use area of effect magic. The wizards concentrated their mana to target only Gathros.
“That won’t be enough to kill me!”
Fwoosh!
Gathros’s body was enveloped in black energy. He endured all the magic directed at him.
Boom! Boom!
No matter how strong Gathros was, taking numerous spells head-on wouldn’t be good for him. Yet, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
His mind was filled with rage against Ghislaine. The defeat he experienced in Ruthania had completely changed him.
“Grr…”
Gathros gave it his all. Standing at the forefront, he slaughtered the enemies around him while taking magic hits.
He charged forward, enduring the pain to kill the wizards. Being the strongest, he could withstand those tremendous attacks.
Watching from above the fortress, Count Bifenbelt reached out again.
“Now.”
Taking advantage of the moment when the mana blockage was lifted, the wizards of Atrode cast their spells once more.
Boom!
Even though Gathros was fighting, no one cared. They cast spells while avoiding his current position as much as possible, but they believed he could endure that much even if they were hit by it.
Boom!
Numerous spells rained down on the fortress. The indiscriminate magical attacks effortlessly killed the enemies.
“B-Block!”
“Reestablish the magic barrier!”
“The enemy is rushing in!”
The fortress’s wizards fell into chaos. They were still safe in the rearmost area, but the enemy’s magic exploded everywhere around them.
If their allies all died, they could no longer be protected. They had to protect their allies at all costs.
Some wizards deployed their mana barriers, but by then, it was already too late.
Crack!
“Graaah!”
Before long, Gathros, drenched in blood, forced his way through the enemies and smiled, revealing his teeth.
“You insignificant rats. Prepare to face the wrath of the gods.”
Boom!
Gathros’s black energy spread out, piercing through the bodies of the wizards.
Magic is deadlier than attacks from knights or soldiers. Therefore, wizards pay the utmost attention to blocking each other’s spells.
In other words, wizards who cannot receive proper protection from their allies can’t do anything.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Aaargh!”
In the blink of an eye, numerous wizards were killed. A few wizards attempted to attack Gathros again, but most were overwhelmed by his presence, rendering their efforts useless.
“M-monster…”
“How can someone like this…”
“Why is he using such tactics?”
The wizards of Grimwell were completely taken aback by the destructive fighting style that shattered their common sense.
It was terrifying to see Gathros, rampaging while exuding black energy as he charged in alone.
Their own allies were also suffering from the enemy’s explosions.
“T-this is wrong.”
The wizards of Grimwell, who always fought safely, had never experienced such a mad tactic of using a superhuman as bait while bombarding with magic.
They lacked the experience to deal with Gathros, who had endured so much humiliation in Ruthania.
“R-run away!”
The wizards of Grimwell’s wills crumbled in an instant.
Even though their allies rushed to protect them, it seemed impossible to stop the rampaging priest.
The ranks of the wizards had completely broken down. The attacks directed at Gathros were rapidly declining.
Around that time, the magical attacks of the Army of Atrode also stopped. About a hundred knights had arrived in front of the fortress.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The knights took out their hooks and swiftly climbed up the fortress walls.
There weren’t any soldiers properly blocking them. Most had died from magic, and the survivors had fled to avoid it.
They were knights of at least mid-level status. Once they reached the top of the fortress, they slaughtered the remaining soldiers and secured a breach.
Then, following the earlier knights, the Army of Atrode rushed in with ladders.
“Waaaaah!”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The soldiers of the Army of Atrode quickly climbed up the fortress walls using the ladders. They were the elite among the elite assigned to a special mission.
“Open the gate!”
The soldiers who climbed up via the secured breach quickly formed ranks and pushed the fortress defenders back.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The fortress’s doors swung open. Although the Grimwell army still had quite a few troops left, they couldn’t function cohesively in their scattered state against organized enemies.
Once again, Count Bifenbelt’s hand reached forward.
“Finish it.”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The cavalry of Atrode, waiting at the front, charged out. The remaining forces followed closely behind.
The fortress commander shouted hoarsely as he witnessed this.
“Block them! What are the archers doing? I said block them!”
But no attacks were unleashed from the fortress walls. The already disorganized and chaotic Grimwell army could not be controlled.
The Army of Atrode, having swiftly entered the fortress, began to massacre the remaining forces of Grimwell.
“Aaargh!”
The screams of the Grimwell soldiers echoed everywhere. The fortress commander clenched his lips tightly.
They had totally fallen for the opponent’s absurd strategy. They couldn’t even fight back properly and were being dragged around.
“Urrg! Retreat!”
The fortress commander gave his last command and turned his body. However, he couldn’t manage to escape.
Crack!
Gathros, who appeared out of nowhere, grabbed his neck and snapped it.
“Ehehehe…”
Despite being covered in blood, Gathros was laughing. Memories of the past came back to him.
“Duke of Penris, you must have always felt this way during war.”
War was a distant story for Gathros. His role was to decide the direction of things from the back. He had never fought on the front lines like this.
That was the difference between him and the Duke of Penris. To realize this now felt strange.
“Good job.”
When Gathros turned around, Count Bifenbelt was standing there.
“As you wished, we quickly seized the fortress. I will move to the next stronghold immediately.”
“Alright, I trust you.”
Gathros smiled again.
He had heard that he was an excellent commander, but witnessing it firsthand was beyond his imagination. Their side had barely taken any damage.
He struck like lightning with the strongest forces to catch the opponent off guard and claim victory. Gathros knew someone who employed such tactics.
‘Doesn’t it feel like watching the Duke of Penris in battle?’
And he was playing the role of the Duke of Penris in that strategy. The one charging with the strongest force towards the enemy first.
Gathros didn’t know, but there was a reason their strategies and tactics were similar.
In Ghislaine’s past life, the Kingdom of Atrode acted undercover as the Human Alliance. Ghislaine, the King of Mercenaries, had often worked together with Count Bifenbelt.
Both were deeply impressed by each other’s military capabilities. It was only natural for them to influence each other.
Gathros clicked his tongue in regret.
‘If Ruthania had interest…’
Then, Ghislaine and Amelia wouldn’t have easily gotten the better of him. That was a bittersweet thought.
However, Count Bifenbelt had to conquer the Kingdom of Atrode, so even if he had realized Gathros’s abilities, he wouldn’t have been able to recruit him to Ruthania.
Shaking off his regrets, Gathros bit his lip and smiled.
‘Wait for me, Duke of Penris. After I find our king, I will repay the humiliation I endured.’
He hoped that day would come soon.
When it did, he would definitely offer the Duke of Penris’s head to the gods.
*
The Army of Atrode was divided into three corps to strike the Kingdom of Grimwell.
Count Bifenbelt was leading the 1st Corps, attacking the most critical strongholds.
And the person leading the 2nd Corps, advancing from another direction to surround the royal castle, was—
“Hmm, looking good today as well.”
A handsome man grinned while looking into a mirror. It was Aiden.
“Waaaaah!”
In the broad plain before him, fierce battles were raging.
Yet, he busied himself at the back, adjusting his hair while admiring his reflection.
“It always strikes me how dirty war is. There’s just so much dust.”
Aiden clicked his tongue, showing an annoyed expression. Hadn’t he just gone through trouble meeting Helgenik and the revolutionary leader?
He truly disliked such things but had no choice. Only someone of his caliber could handle what needed to be done.
“Being so perfect can be exhausting.”
Muttering this, maids surrounded him, diligently polishing his armor.
Aiden couldn’t stand even a spec of dust on his armor. He had to be immaculate at all times.
The aides beside him exchanged nervous glances before carefully speaking up.
“C-Corps Commander.”
“What?”
“The fighting is getting intense.”
“So?”
“…Please give us an order.”
“Tell them to keep fighting.”
“The damage is escalating.”
The Grimwell army had come out to intercept the 2nd Corps. While not as considerable as the 2nd Corps, they had a significant force.
Given they were clashing head-on, the casualties could only increase. No, without commands from the Corps Commander, their losses were mounting even more.
Still, Aiden spoke nonchalantly.
“They can die if they have to.”
“…”
“I brought them here to serve as cannon fodder anyway. What’s the problem?”
As Aiden had said, they were rebels gathered from each kingdom. That was why their numbers were high.
It didn’t matter if they died a little. After all, they were brought to deplete the enemy’s forces.
The more fiercely they fought and died, the better. As long as the forces of Atrode and his knight order survived.
Aiden continued speaking while still looking in the mirror.
“I learned something from Helgenik, that guy.”
“…”
“He sends nothing but corpses to fight while he barely lifts a finger. Do you know how envious I was watching that? I was really tired back then.”
“…”
“So I think of these guys as corpses. They’re helping to wear down the enemy’s strength, right?”
“…”
The aides could only stare grimly and said nothing. His words weren’t wrong, but losing troops like this didn’t seem beneficial either.
Sensing their displeasure, Aiden chuckled.
“Everyone’s really so scared. What’s there to worry about with me around?”
“…”
They could only hang their heads. Aiden shook his head a few times and said.
“Yeah, having more disposable units isn’t a bad thing. If you’re that worried, why don’t you take command for a bit? I’ll allow it.”
“Ah, understood.”
It was a relief that he even granted permission for that. As long as they didn’t touch his looks and cleanliness, Aiden wasn’t a particularly uptight superior.
The aides rushed out, discussing among themselves to relay orders. Thus, the situation improved somewhat.
After all, their numbers were still greater.
“Waaaaah!”
“Kill them!”
Cheers erupted and many people fell. Both sides were caught in the throes of anger.
As time passed, even with greater numbers, the Army of Atrode began to falter again. It was because a monstrous figure was among the opposition.
The aides couldn’t stop that monster with their commands. The situation was getting progressively worse.
Amidst that, Aiden elegantly sat, busy eating fruit while gazing into the mirror.
After a while, Aiden asked a knight beside him.
“How many do you think have died over there?”
“Hmm… Since we have more troops, their numbers have significantly decreased compared to the beginning. But there are still quite a few left. The enemy’s superhuman is just too strong.”
“They’ve fought this much; they must be a bit tired.”
“They probably are. They’ve been at the forefront this whole time.”
“Well then, shall we make our move?”
Aiden preferred to let the enemy exhaust themselves before fighting. Naturally, it was by using disposable pawns.
While it might not be useful for him, if too many died, it would hurt his reputation. It was about time to step in now.
As Aiden stood, maids rushed to him, once again polishing and buffing his armor.
“Alright, get ready.”
Aiden smiled as he mounted his white horse.
Overwhelming a disadvantageous situation with overwhelming force was his favorite scenario.
It gave him the thrill of being a savior. Even as others fell, his reputation would rise spectacularly.
“Let’s go.”
Clop, clop, clop.
The white horse, resembling its master, gracefully trotted out with Aiden.
And behind him, the elite knight order, the ‘White Silver Knight Order,’ and the Army of Atrode began to move.
