Chapter 70 - Shared Responsibility (4)
Not long after the Detached Force led by Wilfried began their skirmish on the flank, the main force, under Ferdinand's command, also encountered the enemy.
"Baltracher."
Whether Marie had changed or not, Ferdinand showed no particular interest and continued to refer to her simply as 'Baltracher.'
For her part, Marie, who had once held a grudge against Ferdinand for pushing her to her limits, now felt nothing toward him—he was just someone irrelevant to her.
Marie stepped forward, and at the same time, the Baltracher from the Third Year side did as well.
The expressions of the two Baltrachers, both from Fiders, were strikingly different.
The large, well-built eighteen-year-old Fiders, who was watching Marie—the girl who had grown rapidly at a young age, was excused from Mental Fortification Training, and had even been praised enthusiastically by Instructor Max Baltracher—had a face twisted with jealousy.
Marie, on the other hand, remained impassive.
A deep rumbling sound…
In the blink of an eye, a blue current swirled between the two as they collided.
A powerful Balt Wind shot toward the opponent, crashed, and the tremendous recoil exploded in all directions, whipping into a tempest.
"Ugh…."
Marie clenched her teeth tightly.
Even though she was using her Balt Wind to its fullest, Marie's strength was gradually being pushed back.
She was still young and inexperienced.
She lacked both the overall amount of power and the skill to control it.
On the other hand, her opponent, now eighteen, had faced many battles against baltrachers in mock combat and was quite accustomed to this kind of situation.
For Baltrachers, the most bewildering part of fighting each other for the first time is the tremendous recoil that occurs when Balt attacks collide. Balt is an intangible force derived from one's mind. In the moment when your Balt crashes into the opponent's and is blocked, it feels as if you've been struck hard on the head.
Marie was experiencing this situation for the first time, and, with her head ringing and dizzy, she staggered and nearly fell.
"Hmph…!"
Seeing Marie falter, her opponent pressed forward even harder with his Balt Wind.
His Balt Wind shot straight toward Marie, then at the point of collision, it began to twist into a vortex, spiraling from both sides toward the center.
Crash!
As the winds swirled, they shaved away at Marie's Balt Wind, and then, fueled by the force that erupted in the center where they'd clashed, he drove Marie back even more relentlessly.
"Ugh…"
In the end, Marie collapsed helplessly to the ground.
Regardless, Ferdinand continued maneuvering his troops exactly as planned, not sparing so much as a glance in Marie's direction.
Even if Ferdinand had been gentle and offered her a hand, it wasn't as if Marie would suddenly awaken to her power, defeat her opponent, and take control of the battlefield.
What really mattered was making the enemy suffer as much as possible while Marie held out.
"Hang in there, Marie! I know I'm not Ernest, but still!"
At that moment, Robert, who was part of the main force, called out with a mischievous laugh.
Then, following Ferdinand's orders, he dashed away from the tempest of Balt Wind at the center toward the flank.
Robert's encouragement didn't actually help at all. Even if Ernest himself had been there to cheer for Marie, nothing would have changed.
In other words, even without Robert's support, Marie wouldn't have been completely overwhelmed here without a fight.
Suddenly, Marie's body, which had been slumped on the ground, was flung sideways through the air.
Marie had thrown herself into the air using her own strength.
Whoosh!
"Ugh!"
Right after Marie was flung aside, her Balt Wind suddenly burst open in the center.
The opponent's Balt Wind, which had been swirling from the outside in and battering against Marie's, now came crashing through the gap all at once.
It felt to her opponent as if he'd been pushing a heavy cart with all his might, only for the cart to vanish in an instant.
His focus wavered, and his Balt Wind weakened.
Immediately after, Marie—still sprawled on the ground from hurling herself—swung both hands with all her strength.
The full-force Balt Psychokinesis she unleashed cut through the Balt Wind, reaching her opponent, the Baltracher.
Because Balt Wind is most powerful the closer it is to its caster, Marie's Balt Psychokinesis was like a salmon fighting its way upstream: it lost almost all its speed resisting the torrent, and her opponent was quick to respond, throwing up a shield just in time.
Crash!
"Mm!"
"Argh!"
Both the defender and Marie, who launched the attack, felt a tremendous shock.
The difference was, Marie was already lying flat on the ground and couldn't fall any further, while her opponent, standing on his own two feet, could.
When she saw her opponent topple, Marie quickly pushed herself up onto her knees, bracing her left hand on the earth.
"Ha!"
Rumble!
She swept her right hand upward from below with all her might.
The ground flipped, sending grass and dirt flying up to obscure their view.
Boom!
At the same moment, her opponent brought his hand down from above.
Marie held out for a moment, but in the end, she couldn't overcome the difference in strength.
The grass and dirt that had shot up were pressed flat to the ground, and once again, their eyes locked.
"Fire!"
Ferdinand's order to fire rang out.
At the same time, Marie whipped up her Balt Wind, thrusting it forward with all her might.
Her opponent also summoned his own Balt Wind in defense, and as the two forces clashed, Wooden Bolts caught between them trembled and shattered.
But Ferdinand had already split his troops to both flanks, and now fired from zones untouched by the Balt Wind, encountering no interference.
The other side did the same, and fierce fighting broke out everywhere except where the two Baltrachers were locked in battle.
"..."
Ferdinand stood tall behind Marie, his gaze razor-sharp as he assessed the battle situation.
The second years greatly outnumbered the enemy.
Thanks to that damn Ernest Krieger, they were also far more familiar with the forest terrain.
However, in a frontal clash like this, the more experienced and physically dominant third years clearly had the upper hand.
Even in the fight between the Baltrachers, Marie was being clearly overwhelmed.
Just holding the line was her limit.
"We're sweeping in from the right. Get ready."
Ferdinand spoke in a low, resonant, and resolute voice.
The enemy beyond the Balt Wind couldn't hear him, but his voice was just loud enough for nearby allies to understand.
His orders spread quickly.
They reached not only the right wing that would go on the attack, but also the left wing without any trouble.
"We need to create an opening for our allies to break through. Push the point of engagement to the left, then focus the offensive on the right."
Ferdinand gave Marie specific instructions.
He didn't trust Marie Fiders as a Baltracher, so—unlike when commanding his reliable peers—he chose his words very carefully to avoid any misunderstanding.
"Draw them left, then attack right."
Though she was struggling and gasping for breath in her first battle as a Baltracher, Marie repeated the order back to Ferdinand in short, clear words. After hearing her response, Ferdinand waited a moment before shouting decisively,
"Now!"
The clash point of the Balt Winds, which had been slowly pressing toward Marie, suddenly shifted diagonally to the front left. Marie had forced the axis of her attack in a new direction. Now, both sides' right wings would be exposed to the opposing Baltracher.
Neither Ferdinand nor the third-year commander wanted this situation.
But there was one crucial difference between them.
Ferdinand viewed the event as the execution of a tactic, while the third-year commander saw it as a move to preserve his outnumbered allies—they were responding to the same development from completely different perspectives.
So, in this urgent moment, instead of initiating a change on his own, the third-year commander followed Ferdinand's intended flow and responded passively.
Crash!
As Marie twisted and moved the axis of her Balt Wind to the left, her opponent followed suit, twisting the axis of his Balt Wind in the same direction.
Thus, on the left side of the second years and the right side of the third years, the Balt Wind raged violently, creating a complete barrier.
The blue hues of the swirling Balt Wind blew so fiercely that you could barely see a thing.
In contrast, on the right side of the second years and the left side of the third years, the influence of the Balt Wind vanished; both sides could see each other clearly, the only thing separating them being the trees of the forest.
"Charge!"
In that moment, Ferdinand gave the order to charge.
The second years' right wing, who had been waiting, charged forward without hesitation, while the third years' left wing hurled wooden bolts from behind cover among the trees.
Though the second years' right wing had the advantage of numbers, charging in the forest was a somewhat reckless move.
As the third years maintained their formation and fired, the second years on the right wing began to fall one after another.
Splat!
"Oh!"
At that moment, the balance of the opposing Balt Winds, which had been locked in struggle, suddenly collapsed.
"Left wing, retreat!"
Before the balance could be completely lost, Ferdinand quickly ordered a retreat.
The second years' left wing hurriedly fell back, and just after they did, the balance of the Balt Winds completely collapsed.
Crash!
The enemy's Balt Wind surged into where the second years' left wing had just been.
Trees were lashed by force, leaves fell in showers, and those second-year cadets who hadn't retreated in time were knocked down and huddled on the ground.
"Aaah!"
Conversely, Marie's Balt Wind completely swept over the third years' left wing.
The wooden bolts they had been firing were caught up as soon as they left their crossbows, reversing course and flying backward.
The third years' left wing cadets couldn't even open their eyes; all they could do was crouch behind the trees, completely helpless.
"Charge!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Baltracher! Defend the right wing!"
With shouts, the second years' right wing charged forward.
At the same time, Ferdinand urgently shouted orders.
There wasn't time to give detailed instructions in this desperate situation.
However, after all the mental torment at the hands of the wicked and ruthless Ernest Krieger, Marie didn't hesitate for a moment about what she needed to do.
To protect the right wing from a stronger opponent, Marie extended her Balt Shield diagonally in a long line.
The enemy struck Marie's Balt Shield once with Balt Psychokinesis, but when she didn't go down easily, they skillfully unleashed a barrage of Balt Wind, quickly wearing down her shield.
Meanwhile, the second years' right wing had already reached the enemy line.
They fired wooden bolts as they ran, and the third years' left wing, pinned down by Marie's Balt Wind, couldn't even poke their heads up from behind cover.
Continuing their suppressive fire, the second years' right wing closed in on the trees where the enemy hid, then swung the bayonets mounted to their crossbows, overwhelming the cowering third years and taking them out one by one.
Even though the third years were physically superior, they stood no chance when two or three second years rushed at them, swinging and thrusting with bayonets.
Belatedly, third years began to pop up and fire back, shooting down some second years.
They quickly ran to support their own side, and a chaotic melee broke out.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
As the fight devolved into close quarters, the much bigger, broader, and more muscular third years began overpowering and knocking down the second years by sheer physical strength.
With the unusually fast-growing third years facing off against the noticeably smaller second years, the scene could have been mistaken for burly adults fighting little children.
Hard to believe there's only a year between them.
Even so, the second year right wing, having capitalized on the opening Marie created, had already taken down many of the third years.
Using their numbers to their advantage, they completely broke through and overwhelmed the third years' left wing.
"What do we do now?"
Gasping for breath, Marie—on the verge of collapse, after seeing their right wing penetrate the enemy's ranks—called out to Ferdinand.
"Just hold the enemy Baltracher in place. That's all you need to do."
Ferdinand replied calmly, then, picking up the crossbow he'd never even used before, strode purposefully toward the left.
"Reform the line!"
Ferdinand gathered the retreating troops and restored their formation.
Off to the left front, beyond Marie's Balt Shield and the enemy's Balt Wind, the third year right wing sat poised to attack, their eyes sharp and brimming with hostility.
Ferdinand stood at the center vanguard, crossbow aimed steadily at the enemy, waiting in silence.
Marie's shield would collapse soon.
Even then, she wouldn't be completely incapacitated.
Since Marie still remained, the opposing Baltracher would have no choice but to keep focusing on her.
That meant the second year left wing had to protect Marie—no matter if it cost every one of them—to keep her locking down the enemy Baltracher.
All while hoping their right wing, having infiltrated the enemy lines, would secure the victory before that happened.
The outcome of the battle rested entirely on how long Marie could hold out.
As for Ferdinand, the supreme commander, there was nothing more he could do to influence the fight.
So Ferdinand made a cold-blooded decision: he would use his own life as bait to protect Marie.
Swoooosh!
"…Fire!"
At last, Marie's Balt Shield collapsed, and the enemy's Balt Wind surged in.
Ferdinand didn't give the order to fire right away; he waited for a brief moment, then called for the attack.
Rather than maintaining Balt Wind at full strength, the enemy Baltracher focused all the power on pressuring Marie even more, allowing Ferdinand's second-year cadets to fire with less interference from Balt Wind.
The second-year left wing didn't last much longer and was quickly wiped out.
The enemy Baltracher possessed enough strength to simultaneously suppress Marie and unleash Balt Wind against the second years, and, in a firefight, Balt Wind's impact was absolute.
Having been utterly overpowered by the opposing Baltracher, Marie struggled just to protect herself.
The enemy was pressing her far more ruthlessly than necessary—probably because Marie had been knocked out of Mental Fortification Training so early.
"What can I do if I'm not good enough?"
So, even as her face turned pale, Marie managed a derisive laugh and spoke those words; and though the enemy Baltracher may not have heard what she said, he couldn't miss that mocking grin, which put a crack in the look of absolute victory on his face.
With his features twisted in rage, he stepped toward Marie, momentarily unable to focus on anything else.
"No! Stop them!"
At that moment, the third-year cadets at the center screamed out.
They were struggling to repel the second-year right wing that had broken through their own left.
The fighting there was fierce and it seemed impossible to know which side would win.
As the third-year center wavered and the Baltracher stepped forward, riled by Marie's mockery, that exact instant—the moment the responsible party for the sorry state of the third years, damn Ernest Krieger himself, was waiting for—finally arrived.
Three second-year cadets taken from Wilfried's Detached Force charged toward the enemy center's rear, and, as they held the line, Ernest darted forward like a squirrel, swiftly closing in behind the enemy Baltracher.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Ernest aimed his crossbow at the Baltracher's back and pulled the trigger.
Two steps away.
At this range, there was no way he could miss.
Whoosh!
But startled, the Baltracher's concentration broke, and the Balt Wind lashed out wildly, sending the wooden bolt Ernest had fired spinning off into the woods.
If it had been a lead bullet, even with a powder gun, it would have definitely hit.
Without hesitation, Ernest dashed forward, closing the final two steps, and drove his wooden bayonet in with all his strength.
Thud.
But a wooden bayonet, thrust with the strength of just a single officer cadet, couldn't pierce the Balt Shield.
The enemy Baltracher, face pale from shock, turned around and locked eyes with Ernest.
Unfortunately, Marie was too exhausted to take advantage of this golden opportunity.
She mustered her remaining strength and attacked with telekinesis, but couldn't break through the enemy's Balt Shield.
Still conscious of Marie, the enemy Baltracher kept up her shield and swiftly took down the second-year cadets who had infiltrated the rear with telekinesis.
Naturally, Ernest—who was standing right next to him—was the first to be struck down and couldn't do anything more.
The battle ended quickly after that.
The main forces clashed, with the third years emerging victorious, and Wilfried's Detached Force was wiped out by the third years as well.
However, in the end, only six of the third year main force survived, including the Baltracher, and just two additional soldiers arrived late after defeating Wilfried's Detached Force.
A total of eight third-year survivors.
Second years, wiped out.
"...Damn."
The defeated second years were helping each other up, checking on their injured and supporting one another as they made their way out of the forest.
In contrast, the third years just stood there, stunned and dazed, unable to do anything but sigh in disbelief.
"We lost…"
Even though they had technically won, it felt like a loss. They had been beaten in tactics, in psychological warfare, and even in the use of the Baltracher.
If Ernest had been holding a real gun instead of a crossbow firing wooden bolts at the end, the Baltracher would have been killed and Marie would have seized control of the battlefield.
The third years' victory had relied on nothing but their physical superiority and the pathetic performance of their weapons.
There wasn't a single fool at the Imperial Military Academy dumb enough to celebrate a victory like that, so of course, none of them could feel happy.
This was an utter defeat, with not a single excuse left to make.
And next, the roles would be reversed: the second years would defend the forest, and the third years would be forced to attack.
Nobody here was ignorant of how much an advantage the defending side held.
For the third years, who had managed to scrape out a victory only by relying on their physical strength in the previous, much more favorable battle, this was nothing short of an emergency—like a fire suddenly burning at their feet.
"Heh heh heh…"
"Robert, I'm begging you—could you not laugh like that? It's… kind of unsettling."
When the second-year cadets grinned wickedly, the third years realized, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that something had gone very, very wrong.
With Ernest having taught them firsthand the terrors that lurked in the forest, who could possibly predict what kind of crazy tricks the second-year cadets would pull next