Chapter 569
Chapter 569: Could You Play with Me for a Bit? (2)
Ghislaine assigned a specific mission to Jerome.
— They’re definitely splitting some of their troops to wait. Find them and slow them down by any means necessary.
And there was no one more suited for this task than Jerome.
With the vision-expanding magic, he could see farther than anyone else, and using space-moving magic allowed him to strike and dodge effectively.
Without resting, Jerome moved swiftly to the anticipated location Ghislaine had pointed out. It was quite a distance, but he had to find the enemies as quickly as possible.
“I got it. They really are here.”
After days of travel, Jerome finally found the Army of Atrode.
The area suitable for the Army of Atrode to set up camp was limited. Although they were hiding now, they would have to spread out sooner or later.
Since Ghislaine highlighted this aspect, he was able to find them more quickly than expected.
“Ghislaine said I need to hold them at least in two places.”
He had to create some chaos here and quickly find the other legions.
Finding the other legions wouldn’t be difficult now; he had seen the direction the messengers were moving.
In truth, Jerome didn’t quite understand the strategic implications of this. Ghislaine handled all that.
He simply had to do his best in the mission he was assigned.
“Hmm!”
As his vision expanded, he clearly saw the enemy legion. At the very back was someone who appeared to be their commander.
Zing—!
The space shimmered, engulfing Jerome’s body. Soon, he moved right in front of Count Bifenbelt.
Boom!
As soon as Jerome appeared, he unleashed his magic power, but it was blocked. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.
In particular, the energy radiating from the old man who stood in his way seemed stronger than anyone he had encountered.
Troops rushed in from all sides, and a magic barrier was drawn. Now Jerome couldn’t exert the full power of his true strength.
But it was fine. He had no intention of fighting to the death here.
Zing—!
Mana blades surged from both of his hands.
Jerome smirked.
“I’ll just play for a bit.”
Bang!
In an instant, Jerome darted to the side and slashed the throat of the wizard who was casting the magic barrier.
At the same time, priests gathered around Jerome.
“That guy!”
Clang!
Jerome blocked the priests’ attacks and stepped back. He wasn’t genuinely interested in fighting superhumans right now.
Crash!
“Uaaagh!”
Instead, he focused on killing knights, wizards, and soldiers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It would be nice to unleash area-of-effect magic, but it wasn’t that simple. The enemy wizards were fully devoted to dispelling their spells just before the magic could be unleashed.
‘There’s a 6th Circle Mage. There are quite a few high-level wizards as well.’
He could forcefully cast magic if he wanted, but in this situation, the power would be considerably weaker relative to the mana consumed.
So Jerome channeled mana only within his body. This internal manifestation meant he faced hardly any interference.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Jerome was also excellent at hand-to-hand combat. His mana blades indiscriminately sliced through anyone nearby.
He moved so rapidly that the gathered troops’ lines quickly crumbled, and casualties began to increase.
“Everyone back! Make way!”
The priests, realizing Jerome’s intentions, quickly surrounded him. Superhumans needed to be dealt with as superhumans.
Although they could exhaust themselves and kill him with a large force, doing so right before a battle was madness.
“Tch.”
Due to their surprisingly quick response, Jerome had no choice but to engage with the priests.
Clang clang clang!
Watching Jerome hold his own against six priests, Gathros’s expression hardened.
‘That guy…’
Even with a magic barrier up, he was showing superhuman strength. No matter how incomplete their magical might was, wasn’t it remarkable?
He had heard that the opponent had managed to hold off Helgenik’s undead army for quite some time. But he just assumed it was because that wizard had powerful area attacks.
But who would have thought such excellent skills lay within him?
His hand-to-hand combat abilities were also suspicious. The priests’ relatively poor combat skills meant they could break through their encirclement multiple times.
Boom!
Every time this happened, Jerome slipped away, reducing the numbers of nearby wizards or knights. Soldiers were easy to deal with.
With every wizard that died, the magic barrier weakened. The more it weakened, the stronger Jerome’s mana blades became.
Gathros couldn’t watch any longer.
“He’s not an ordinary fellow!”
At this point, Jerome’s combat power was on par with that of a battle saint. No, he could even be considered more troublesome than a saint.
“Make way!”
Boom!
Gathros stepped in to swing a hand at Jerome. Jerome couldn’t ignore that attack either and raised his arm to block.
Whooosh!
The energies of the two collided, spreading out widely.
Gathros revealed his teeth as he shouted.
“Priests! Envelop him widely!”
Gathros would deal with Jerome directly while the priests protected their allies.
Only then did Jerome lick his lips.
“You moved quicker than I thought. I wanted to deal a bit more damage.”
“Don’t mess around. You’re going to die here.”
Whooosh!
The black energy surged violently from Gathros’s entire body, making it incredibly difficult for Jerome to deal with the pressure of the magic barrier.
“Still, shall we play a bit more?”
Jerome grinned as he swung his mana blade.
Clang!
Gathros lightly blocked it and reached out. The two began to engage at amazing speeds.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their movements were so fast they were scarcely visible. The surrounding forces had to step back further to avoid the impact.
The nearby priests began to unleash their power at every opportunity.
In this state, no one would be able to withstand them. Jerome would surely die if he delayed any longer.
Estimating his remaining mana, Jerome started to think about backing off.
‘If I use more mana here, it will get dangerous.’
He could continue fighting, but it was meaningless. It would be akin to acting out alone, as Ghislaine said.
Jerome gathered his mana and concentrated it into one point.
The magical barrier spread widely to catch him. He needed to pierce through it sharply and use the gap to escape.
‘Hehe, I’ve been training in new techniques this whole time.’
The work he did in the mobile workshop had a remarkable effect.
It cultivated his unwavering focus and patience to repeat the same task without rest.
‘That’s why Alfoy’s mana control skills were so impressive. It felt just like training in a place where time had stopped.’
Now it was time to demonstrate the effects of his training.
With a concentration that surpassed any he had ever had, Jerome pierced through the magic barrier’s gap.
“Blink.”
Wham!
As the gap opened, the mana reconfigured to identify Jerome’s next teleporting coordinates.
Jerome’s body, engaged with Gathros, shimmered before moving through space.
Jerome thought he had opened up ample distance and smiled widely.
“Everyone! I’m leaving now. See you next time!”
If he performed a few more blinks, he could escape the magic barrier’s range. Once he did, he would fold space and distance himself completely.
But then—
“Huh?”
Gathros was just a few steps ahead. The priests and troops were still surrounding him.
He hadn’t moved as far as he thought. It wasn’t a complete failure, but it indicated that his mana wasn’t arranged properly.
So he was positioned in the safest closest place.
Jerome scratched the back of his head and let out an embarrassed laugh.
“Hahaha, wow, you all are incredible.”
The magic barrier was denser and stronger than anticipated. The 6th Circle mages and wizards of the Army of Atrode managed to block Jerome’s magic.
“……”
Gathros tilted his head and glared at Jerome. He had felt this way every time he fought the Ruthania army, but there were always strange fellows around.
To think he had to flee after being defeated by such a guy.
His insides boiled again.
“Kill him.”
At Gathros’s furious command, the priests charged again. Gathros too radiated intent to kill as he moved.
“Damn!”
Jerome immediately gave up on blinking and leaped away. He had to escape the range of the magic barrier by any means possible.
“Get out of the way!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Jerome charged through the surrounding troops, sprinting desperately. Though he intended to escape, Gathros’s skills were too exceptional.
“That guy!”
“Guh!”
Boom!
When Gathros attacked from behind, Jerome had no choice but to turn his body.
The two engaged once more. Gathros desperately tried to kill his opponent quickly while Jerome continued to retreat.
He didn’t forget to use Blink now and then to widen the distance. Although he could only cover very short distances.
Nonetheless, it had an effect. He was gradually moving further away from the enemy lines.
But continually fighting like this made it hard to escape. If he lost strength, the consequence that followed would be obvious.
He had to escape the magic barrier’s range somehow.
Jerome was saved by Count Bifenbelt’s shout.
“Stop chasing him!”
Count Bifenbelt understood the enemy’s intentions. The enemy was trying to delay them as much as possible while dealing damage.
This also meant that his strategies were correct.
He should let such insignificant fellows be and move faster.
At Count Bifenbelt’s shout, Gathros and the priests hesitated. Taking advantage of this, Jerome fled the battlefield at an incredible speed.
“Tch.”
Gathros clicked his tongue. The opponent’s power was too formidable; he couldn’t simply kill him in one blow.
He would be a nuisance in the future, and killing him here might have been better.
Thoughts like that crossed his mind, but it was already too late. While they were contemplating, the enemy had escaped.
Feeling uneasy, Gathros heard Count Bifenbelt speak.
“They’ll continue to try to hold us back, but it’s a futile endeavor. It just shows that the enemy is anxious. We must move quickly.”
“Understood. I’ll do as you say.”
The war was left to Count Bifenbelt. Regrettably, following his orders was the correct choice.
Thanks to that, the operation was progressing smoothly and not damaging the Allied Forces.
After Jerome disappeared, the 1st Corps couldn’t move immediately; they needed a moment to regroup. They had lost quite a few men.
In particular, several of the dead wizards were a painful loss. Capturing the base in the current divided state required a significant magical power.
Count Bifenbelt did not hide his cold expression.
‘Duke of Penris, it seems you anticipated this to a certain extent. But you won’t be able to respond in time. The other legions have already departed.’
He had unintentionally informed Count Bifenbelt that he was the one feeling anxious. Now it was truly a contest of who could move faster.
“Let’s go! Move at full speed!”
The reorganized 1st Corps started rushing forward like a tempest.
*
Count Zyrus of the 4th Legion of the Army of Atrode finally realized it was time.
“Yes, the 1st Corps has moved.”
“Yes, Count, please take charge of one flank along with the 2nd Corps.”
At the messenger’s words, Count Zyrus nodded.
He wasn’t sure if the Duke of Penris or Prince Turian was in the direction he was heading.
But one of them was certainly there. He just had to kill them upon finding them.
It would obviously be impossible alone. No matter how strong their forces were, the Duke of Penris and Prince Turian were extraordinary powerhouses.
However, it was a different story with the 2nd Corps.
The one leading the 2nd Corps was none other than the ‘Noble Knight’ Aiden, known as one of the strongest in the area.
With two legions combined, there would also be eight priests. It would be hard to lose with this setup.
“Speed is crucial. Got it. I’ll depart first, so tell the 2nd Corps to hurry up and follow.”
“Understood.”
In a mobility battle, merely being fast in travel was meaningless. It wasn’t a running contest.
What mattered more was accomplishing strategic goals before the enemy could prepare.
Intercepting the Duke of Penris or Prince Turian before they could join forces with the other legions was of the utmost importance.
“Let’s go! We’ll move at full speed from here on out!”
The 4th Legion had been waiting to move according to the situation. Naturally, everyone was in such high spirits they looked ready to explode.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The entire 4th Legion, composed entirely of cavalry, charged forward. The 2nd Corps would follow closely behind.
With confidence, they noticed a cloud of dust far away. A contingent of troops was approaching them.
“Hmm? What’s that?”
Count Zyrus tilted his head. There shouldn’t be any troops coming from the direction they were headed.
The 2nd Corps was positioned behind them. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t discern which troops they were.
“Everyone, stop!”
Wondering if it might be troops from another area engaged in battle, Count Zyrus decided to pause briefly and assess the situation.
As the approaching troops drew closer, Count Zyrus frowned.
They were far too fast. They showed no intention of slowing down and were charging at full speed.
As he scrutinized the opposing forces, Count Zyrus’s eyes began to widen.
“T-That army is…”
Thud thud thud thud thud!
They were all heavily armored cavalry. Despite not being lightly equipped, they were maintaining incredible speed.
An army with such absurd equipment only existed in this continent.
“Are those… the Ruthania Army?”
Only the elite Penris Mobile Army could don such armor and maintain such speed.
There was one more reason he was so sure.
Hee-haw!
At the forefront rode a vicious black horse, on which sat a figure with shining red eyes.
“The Duke of Penris!”
This was absurd. Why was the Duke of Penris suddenly appearing here?
Something was amiss. The Duke of Penris was supposed to be engaging in a pursuit in another area.
“Prepare for battle! Get ready for combat!”
Count Zyrus shouted loudly and hurriedly retreated behind the lines. It felt like a clash was imminent.
Boom!
The spear Ghislaine held flared with a strong red light. Simultaneously, the Black King was enveloped in red, starting to accelerate further.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Before long, Ghislaine was racing ahead of the mobile army, leaving them far behind.
The Army of Atrode was bewildered by this sudden encounter with the enemy.
While they too were cavalry, they had already come to a halt. In contrast, Ghislaine and the mobile army were ramping up their speed and charging forward.
Count Zyrus shouted in shock.
“Block them!”
Soon, four priests burst out from the Army of Atrode.
Boom!
Enveloped in red light, Ghislaine crashed into the formation of the Army of Atrode.
