With a resounding explosion, the arrow began ruthlessly piercing through the Artrode Army. Everyone in its path was torn apart and killed.
"Argh!"
"What is this! Who is it?"
"It's from behind! The enemy is behind us!"
Startled, everyone turned to look back.
A single arrow demonstrated an unbelievable level of power. Already shaken by Jerome's magic, the Artrode Army was left utterly dazed by yet another inexplicable phenomenon.
Even Ghislain, who had displayed such power, was not unscathed. He clutched his forehead and staggered, a trickle of blood beginning to flow from his nose.
"Ugh, this is exhausting. I'm feeling dizzy."
He had only attacked twice, yet he was already drained. Using the new power he had acquired was still extremely difficult.
He was severely injured and fatigued from his battle with Idun. It wasn't the right situation to use the power of his will.
However, to draw the enemy's attention to himself, he had no choice but to push his limits.
Count Bipenbelt also turned to look back, narrowing his eyes.
"Duke Fenris."
Though the figure wasn't clear, it was obvious. There were very few individuals capable of such power.
The black horse he rode made his identity even easier to guess.
"How reckless."
Count Bipenbelt twisted the corner of his mouth. How could someone dare to appear alone in a place like this? He must have realized the fortress was in danger and came rushing over.
Bipenbelt immediately extended his hand toward the rear.
"Kill him first!"
Killing Duke Fenris alone would be as good as securing victory in the war. Now, while he was alone, it was the perfect opportunity.
Clang!
The Artrode Army, which had been advancing toward the fortress, quickly turned around. The high-level knights followed suit.
"Kill him!"
"If we kill him, the war is as good as won!"
"Charge!"
Nearly half of the Artrode Army moved. That was how significant a target Ghislain was.
Seeing the Artrode Army charging toward him, Ghislain smirked.
Even he couldn't handle that many with the strength he had left. But he wasn't too worried.
"You're all undertrained. Run faster, for goodness' sake. Tsk, tsk."
Clicking his tongue, Ghislain turned to look behind him. A faint cloud of dust was beginning to rise.
The Artrode Army charging at Ghislain soon had to halt their advance.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Stretching across the horizon, a long line of soldiers appeared.
It wasn't hard to recognize which army it was.
At the forefront stood the black-armored knights of Fenris. Behind them, nearly 20,000 soldiers marched into view.
The overwhelming presence of the cavalry exuded ferocity. The thunderous sound of their hooves echoed, and the earth seemed to tremble with their vibrations.
Ghislain looked back, smiling. The magnificent scene behind him was enough to crush the enemy's morale.
The sudden appearance of the massive army caused the Artrode Army to grow tense.
"It's the Lutania Army."
"It's Duke Fenris's Mobile Army."
"How did they get here so quickly…?"
The Fenris Mobile Army was renowned for its might. Even the elite Artrode Army could not guarantee victory against them in a direct confrontation.
Moreover, the priests were already drained, and troops remained inside the fortress. The Artrode Army had no way to withstand a combined assault from both sides.
The tide of the battle turned in an instant. The Artrode Army, which had been aggressively attacking the fortress, suddenly found itself surrounded on both sides.
The fortress troops reacted in the opposite manner.
Marquis Gidion, trembling, lowered his sword.
"They're here… The Lutania Army has arrived."
At the same time, a massive cheer erupted from the fortress.
"Waahhhhh!"
"It's the Fenris Mobile Army!"
"His Grace the Grand Duke has come!"
The soldiers couldn't hold back their emotions and shouted with wild joy. They had been saved from the brink of death, so it was understandable.
Tears of joy streamed down the faces of the soldiers, who had found hope in the depths of despair.
Marquis Gidion seized the moment.
"Cheer louder! Louder! Even louder!"
"Waahhhhh!"
"We've won!"
"The goddess's blessing is with us!"
Even though the battle's outcome had not yet been decided, they celebrated as if victory were already theirs, shouting and jumping in delight.
Their cheers spread across the battlefield, boosting their allies' morale.
As the fortress soldiers' cheers grew louder, the Artrode Army's morale plummeted. Their confident march slowed to a crawl.
In an instant, the atmosphere on the battlefield had flipped.
"Raise the flag!"
At Marquis Gidion's command, the soldiers hoisted the victory flag high. Their spirits had already swept over the battlefield.
The once-relentless advance of the Artrode Army was now retreating into formation.
Count Bipenbelt ordered the troops to pull back.
He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
"These bastards…"
Was the Duke Fenris's presence truly this overwhelming?
Despite no physical clash, the direction of the battle seemed already decided.
Morale was critically important in battle. Yet, even before fighting, the tide had shifted.
The fortress troops' cheers became an intangible weapon, stabbing into the hearts of the Artrode Army.
The conviction of victory shown by the fortress soldiers slowly eroded the Artrode Army's fighting spirit.
Clop, clop.
Unlike usual, Ghislain and the Mobile Army didn't charge immediately.
They slowed as they approached, eventually coming to a stop.
Now, the Artrode Army was surrounded front and back. If they tried to engage the Mobile Army, the fortress troops would pour out.
Gartros grabbed Count Bipenbelt's arm, his voice panicked.
"W-What should we do?"
"…"
"Say something, quickly!"
If they fought now, they were doomed. The priests were completely drained.
There was only one hope left: Duke Fenris, known for his boldness, had not yet made a move.
It seemed clear what the enemy was waiting for.
Count Bipenbelt slowly opened his mouth.
"You must wait."
"For what?"
"A messenger has already been sent to the other corps. If they halt their operations and rush here, we can encircle them instead."
"What if they attack before that?"
"They seem to be waiting for their forces too, so we'll wait alongside them."
Both sides maintained a tense standoff, glaring at each other.
Duke Fenris was clearly waiting for reinforcements to minimize losses. The result would depend on who arrived first.
Gartros vented his frustration.
"Jerome! That bastard ruined everything! Such terrible luck!"
If not for Jerome, they would've taken the fortress by now.
Even if they hadn't captured it yet, it wouldn't have mattered. With the priests' energy gathered, they could have confronted Duke Fenris.
But because of Jerome, they had failed to capture the fortress and had expended all their trump cards.
Count Bipenbelt shook his head.
"It wasn't luck."
"What did you say?"
"That mage has been obstructing us from the start. It was all part of their plan."
And that plan was undoubtedly devised by Duke Fenris.
This was a war where speed was critical. While moving swiftly, Duke Fenris had also hindered their progress.
As a result, they were delayed by the slimmest of margins.
"There's still a chance. The fact that Duke Fenris has appeared means he dealt with the 3rd Corps that moved separately. The 2nd Corps and 4th Corps are still out there. If they arrive first, we'll win."
"Hmm…"
"You must focus on restoring the priests' energy, even just a little. The final battle is all that remains now."
"Understood."
Gartros nodded. Rapid recovery was unlikely, but he had to rest as much as possible.
Gartros and the priests struggled to create a makeshift magic circle, attempting to absorb the energy of the dead in the area.
However, the amount of energy they could extract was far less than expected. Their techniques relied on energy released when living beings were killed.
From the already deceased, there was little energy to be gained.
Even so, they had to do whatever it took to recover some strength.
As Count Bipenbelt predicted, Ghislain did not move. He simply held his ground, applying pressure on the Artrode Army.
However, he sent Dark carrying Vanessa to check on Jerome.
As Dark flew with Vanessa, he grumbled.
"The master completely pisses me off."
"…"
"Always giving me these grunt jobs. Can't he give me something more grandiose?"
"…"
"Is the way he uses me for real? He should just pour all his mana into me, huh? I could grow enormous, wipe out everything by myself, and he could just lie back and relax. I'd smash everything for him, but no! He doesn't do it! What a stubborn guy…"
Dark was deeply impressed by Gartros's massive transformation. If he could monopolize all of Ghislain's mana, he figured he could grow significantly larger too—maybe not as big as Gartros, but close enough.
Of course, his combat sense was terrible, so he wouldn't be able to use half his power effectively. But he still wanted to grow huge, just for the sake of it.
"…"
Vanessa didn't reply. Her past experiences had taught her not to engage in conversation with Dark.
"Do you want to run away together? With your skills, Vanessa, you could probably extract my consciousness from the master."
"…"
"Ugh, should I ask Yulian instead?"
"…"
"Why don't women ever answer me? Why do they always say they're busy and reject me? Is it just a girl thing? Are they shy or something?"
Vanessa wanted to speak the truth, but she endured with superhuman patience.
The Artrode Army also saw Vanessa flying across the sky, but they did not engage. They had no desire to start a fight at this moment.
Thus, the battle entered a lull. Both sides were openly waiting for reinforcements.
It was a brief respite. The fortress forces took a moment to breathe and focused on treating Jerome alongside Vanessa.
Even the Fenris Mobile Army, having pushed themselves to their limits to reach here, was able to rest, albeit uncomfortably.
The Artrode Army also rested, though uneasily. With enemies on both sides, they couldn't relax, as a battle could erupt at any moment.
The tense standoff continued for an entire day. The slightly recovered priests anxiously awaited reinforcements.
And finally.
From one direction, an army appeared.
"Waahhh!"
A massive cheer erupted from the fortress troops. The newcomers were the Lutania Army, led by Gillian.
Beside him, Kaor shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Hiyaaaa! I'm a superhuman now toooo!"
Belinda covered her face in embarrassment and stepped slightly away from Kaor.
The Artrode Army wore looks of shock. Instead of dwindling, their enemies had increased.
At this point, it was no exaggeration to say their chances of winning had vanished. Everyone nervously tightened their grips on their weapons.
Gartros asked Count Bipenbelt in a panic.
"W-What do we do now? The enemy's numbers have grown!"
Count Bipenbelt's eyes twitched. In such a situation, no brilliant tactic could lead to victory.
And yet, Duke Fenris still hadn't moved. The newly arrived army was also merely waiting.
'They're trying to crush us completely!'
The intent was clear: to corner and annihilate them entirely. They weren't even hiding it.
Crunch.
Count Bipenbelt ground his teeth as he considered whether they should try to escape through the open side.
'It's impossible.'
There was no point. The enemy forces were among the fastest on the continent. On top of that, they had rested.
Even if they fled, they would be caught and most of their forces slaughtered.
There was only one hope left.
For their reinforcements to arrive before the enemy attacked.
Count Bipenbelt clung to that hope and waited.
However,
"Waahhhhh!"
The cheers grew even louder. From the opposite side of Gillian's army, another Lutania force appeared, led by Tenant and Parniel.
The Artrode Army was now completely surrounded.
Boom!
Parniel stepped forward with a fierce grin.
"So many to kill today."
Bright light began to emanate from her mace. At the same time, the Lutania Army led by Tenant assumed battle positions.
As if signaled by the Saintess's light, Gillian's forces on the other side also prepared to charge.
The fortress troops gathered at the gates. Without needing orders, everyone knew what had to be done.
Ghislain slowly tilted his spear to the side. All eyes on the battlefield focused on his movements.
"All troops…"
Hiiiiiing!
With a sharp cry, his black steed surged forward.
A red light bloomed at the tip of Ghislain's spear, quickly enveloping it entirely.
His deep, resonant voice rang out, loud and clear across the battlefield.
"Exterminate the enemy."
With those words, the earth began to tremble.
[T/L: I need your support, dear readers. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]