296 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 296 The Liberty army, marching from the borders of Liberty and capturing three successive fortresses straight toward the royal castle, had one glaring weakness: their supply lines were thin and stretched over a long distance. Karil Zamode was acutely aware of this vulnerability. Therefore, he left portions of his forces at each conquered fortress to safeguard and maintain their supply routes. Consequently, by the time the Liberty army neared Romen's royal castle, their total strength had diminished to approximately 1,400 knights and 40,000 soldiers—numbers that were even less than a single division of Macline's forces. Despite this, the strategic placements of their remaining forces had been calculated to still potentially overwhelm Romen’s army. Just when the royal castle came into view in the distance. Karil Zamode found himself letting out an involuntary groan at an unexpected sight. “What in the world... Oh, merciful heavens…” It was a sight that justified his reaction. The Romen forces, which he assumed would be hiding within the castle walls, were instead already arrayed in battle formation out on the plains. If that were the only obstacle, Karil would have gladly cheered, but it was the sight of two other flags flying alongside Romen’s that troubled him. The banners belonged to Romero and the Duchy of Tahiti. Three of the four nation coalition they faced had joined forces to meet them. Their combined strength easily exceeded 1.5 times that of Liberty’s forces. "Punish the invaders!" With a roar that echoed across the battlefield, the enemy began their advance, sending Liberty's ranks into a state of panic. "Why... why are there so many of them?" "Weren't we supposed to win?" "What's going on here!" This coalition had initially been formed to counter Grandia. With Grandia's downfall, the kingdom's army, having not seen war in centuries, was poorly trained and lacked resilience in unexpected situations. “Your Excellency! The enemy is advancing!” “The soldiers are in disarray!” “Damn it!” Even the commanders were in a state of confusion and disarray. “Tria, those damned fools, dawdled too long…!” Finally regaining his composure, Karil Zamode spit out a curse as he understood the situation. “Dispatch messengers immediately! Establish communication! Demand to know why the Kingdom of Tria hasn’t joined the battle!” The reasoning was straightforward. Apart from Karon, who was engaged with Teronan using the sea as its weapon, the rest of the coalition ignored Tria, focusing their forces on Liberty instead. 'All of them against us... Could it be that the people of Tria are stirring up trouble again? Are they trying to ruin the country?' Even though Loghain couldn’t understand the situation, he knew what needed to be done regardless of Tria’s circumstances. “Count Karil. Entrust the knights to me.” “An outsider cannot take the lead...!” “Be quiet! Do you think a single communication will resolve this situation? Get ahold of yourself!” Karil Zamode reflexively moved to dismiss Loghain, but recoiled instinctively at the sharp rebuke. It wasn’t merely because of his strong demeanor. The overwhelming aura of an aura user subtly penetrated Karil's mind. A general, paralyzed by panic at the sight of an overwhelming enemy force, couldn’t help but shrink back in the presence of such an unexpected formidable figure. “Remember His Majesty’s command, Count! I am the vanguard! Assemble the knights. I will lead them myself!” “Wha!? Yes! Understood!” Despite his frustration and face contorting with rage, Karil couldn’t bring himself to deny Loghain’s orders. “Get it together! Form the battle lines!” Liberty’s knights appeared bewildered as a stranger with brown hair suddenly rode out at the front. However, Karil Zamode’s ensuing shout left no room for doubt. “Behold, the new champion of our kingdom—Lord Gael the Slayer! Follow his command!” Loghain, forced into adopting a fabricated identity and an embellished title, stumbled momentarily at the absurdity of it all. 'Slayer? Really, Slayer?' It was a naming devoid of earnestness, which caused him to chuckle, though he understood the intention behind it. Despite the fact that any aura user was entitled to noble status anywhere on the continent, there was concern that knights might protest if they were to follow a mere commoner without a noble name. 'Why couldn't they introduce me properly beforehand?' While cursing Karil’s narrow-mindedness despite his cunning, Loghain zealously raised his sword. The moment a silver aura blade shot up from Loghain’s sword, “Hurrah!” Knights unleashed cries of exultation. “We only need to take down three flags to end this war! Follow me!” Enthralled by the scene bathed in silvery light, all on the battlefield turned their eyes to Loghain as he charged forward. “Charge!” In the likeness of a mythical war god, his appearance invigorated the Liberty knights, who charged with cries that were hard to distinguish between screams or battle cries. Thud, thud, thud. The two approaching formations rapidly closed the distance. The knights in the lead harnessed the growing momentum as they neared each other quickly. “Fear not! It's just bluster! There are no aura users among them!” An amplified shout saturated the noisy clatter of hooves, spreading across the battlefield. Hearing those words, Loghain’s expression contorted slightly. 'This means they have gathered information about Gunther Liberty.' “We outnumber them twofold! Charge!” The enemy leader denied the visible momentum of Loghain and inflated their numbers to appear doubled. Despite shortcomings in their assessment of him, it was a wise decision. It served to rapidly heighten the enemy's morale with a simple lie. Nonetheless, for some, such spur-of-the-moment tactics bore no significance. ‘A traditional cavalry charge, how quaint.’ To a young king who often utilized knights to bombard with crossbows and obliterate the enemy’s lines, this clash seemed humorously antiquated. 'If we seize the coalition, I need to start arming with rapid-fire crossbows.’ He was so devoid of tension that he found himself musing such idle thoughts. Because no knight in his sight seemed capable of withstanding even a single blow from him. However... “I’ll crush them thoroughly!” With the blade, not even his cherished sword Lux, Loghain extended a simple longsword bearing an aura blade over four meters long. “Your deception ends here!” Overconfident in their intelligence or perhaps genuinely unable to perceive aura, the force blade of the enemy commander charging recklessly at him was effortlessly sliced apart. Boom! With an explosive sound, the enemy commander struck by the silver aura blade exploded like a bomb. The remnants of his shattered body showered the knights trailing behind him in a gruesome rain of blood. This was beyond mere slicing; it was a skill that bestowed attributes upon the aura. Yet no one on this battlefield could comprehend the significance of this ability. Except for the one wielding it. “I will slay you all!” Each swing of the silver aura blade cut down everything within a 4-meter radius. Neither the enhanced physique of knights nor their armor could withstand it. Enveloped in a resplendent silver light, the rider charged through the enemy lines in a straight path, capturing all eyes on the battlefield without a single pause. This was the cost of their failure to prepare, or rather their disregard for an opponent possessing such extraordinary power. The coalition army of the three nations was paying dearly for it. “Aaaah!” “Monster! It’s a monster!” “Retreat!” A luminous entity, gleaming so brightly it was difficult to discern its form, left a trail of bloodied devastation wherever it passed. Watching the approaching figure from the rear of the enemy lines, soldiers began to waver. “What are you doing?! It’s just one enemy! Focus and take him down!” Surrounded by fluttering flags, Romen Kingdom’s commander, Baltar Grow, continued to shout. ‘An aura user? Gunther was supposed to be in the royal castle…’ Faced with an unanticipated scenario, frustration burned inside him. But no matter how superhuman, exhaustion would set in eventually. Once the silver aura faded, what remained was nothing more than an ordinary human. Without tiring himself out, his only hope was to keep pushing and bring him down—this was the only known strategy against an overwhelming solitary force. Nonetheless. “Ahh!” “Run!” “How can we fight that?!” The soldiers designated as ‘expendables’ refused their roles. The entire army had witnessed the knights, who formed the frontline in the most traditional manner, being utterly decimated by this silver monster. Ordinary soldiers couldn’t muster the courage to face a creature that easily crushed knights far stronger than themselves. To them, the brilliant shimmering silver seemed like nothing more than an invitation from the grim reaper. “Anyone who stands in my way will die!!” Adding to their terror, the inexplicably resonant shout drilled into their ears, paralyzing their movement and preventing them from standing firm. Even the elite soldiers chosen to guard the commanders were no exception. Passing by the crumpled soldiers, the silver monster swiftly beheaded the knights and charged directly at the commander. Slash. “The banner of Romen Kingdom has fallen!” After effortlessly beheading the commander and cutting down their flag, the monster disregarded the soldiers who had wet themselves in fear, instead heading toward the next flag. “Next! Romein!” The neighboring nation of Romein, sharing ancestral roots with Romen. Its flag bore a crescent moon emblem, contrasting with that of its twin country. As Loghain pointed to the banner, Liberty’s knights, spurred by courage, immediately followed in his wake. “Hooah!” “We will win!” “Follow Lord Gael!” These knights were, indeed, Liberty’s elite. Those less capable were trapped in the battle’s center, while only the skilled managed to carve through the enemy lines behind Loghain. Leading them, Loghain gauged his force levels and spurred his horse onward. Amid this chaos, he stumbled upon a ridiculous realization. ‘Wasting force like this might actually be efficient?' Coating even his horse with force, making it gleam absurdly, seemed overkill to him. For most knights, such a bold action would be akin to suicide, making them an instant target and leading to an abrupt death. Loghain, confident in his victory, had chosen this flashy performance for a show of displays and results, but it appeared to magnify the enemy’s fear. The enemy formations crumbled surprisingly easily, proving its effectiveness. 'Despite the strain, it might be worth continuing to use even when we return.' In such circumstances, limitations on his movement and skill due to changing aura colors didn’t matter. “Charge!” With each successive swing of the silvery aura blade, a river of blood widened behind him, rapidly clearing the battlefield of enemies. The silver reaper rushed to and fro, wreaking havoc and demolishing the enemy’s main force. Within less than three hours since the battle commenced, two of the three allied commanders had lost their lives. The remaining one cast aside his helmet and disappeared, abandoning his banner. This escape was considered less honorable than death for a commander of this era. Naturally, from that moment forward, the coalition forces crumbled, unable to withstand the relentless advance of Liberty’s forces. “Kill them all!” “Slaughter them!” “How dare they!” Liberty's soldiers, as if denying their earlier fears, wielded their spears and swords with ruthless ferocity. The alliance forces, whose morale had plummeted, couldn’t properly respond to the fierce attacks and were left with nothing but to flee. But at that moment. “Spare those who surrender!” The silvery reaper, who had turned the tides in their favor, quelled the battlefield’s madness. “Those who drop their weapons are prisoners! Honorable warriors of Liberty do not kill prisoners!” These words, though unfamiliar, didn’t matter. The silver figure, descending like a divine emissary, was a symbol of victory, a savior in their eyes. “Obey Lord Gael Slayer’s command!” “We are victorious!” “Show mercy!” Following the divine emissary who led them to victory, the knights’ voices echoed, calling for mercy. The bloodthirsty madness among soldiers finishing off wounded and fallen enemies quickly dissipated. Though more than half of the enemy managed to flee, it was without a doubt an overwhelming victory. Everyone on the battlefield knew who was responsible for this triumph. “Long live Liberty!” “Long live Gael Slayer!” “Long live the Silver Reaper!” However, the recipient of their praise, Loghain, was too preoccupied with envisioning the future developments of the battle as he watched the fleeing enemies.