398 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 398 “How on earth did things end up like this…?” Jamie Gillan muttered in a mix of frustration and disbelief, staggering slightly. The newly-built fortress, still showing clear signs of dry earth. And the 200,000-strong army that attacked it. The Empire's Northern Conquest Army, consisting of four legions and seven superhumans, was completely annihilated. The black sky filled with a hail of arrows was anticipated to some extent, but the crimson stones that cascaded amidst them were the real issue. The field was engulfed in a spectacle of second-circle level explosive magic like a carpet, a sight so absurd that it ground his nerves just thinking about it now. “Aaahh!” “Spare me!” “Boom!” The screams of the empire's elite still echoed vividly in his ears. ‘It's insane. None of this makes sense at all.’ Particularly when considering the outrageous price of those scrolls. No nation, not even the Empire, had ever squandered disposable artifacts in war to such an extent. It was something only possible if one planned to ruin their country in a single conflict. Another thing: the Empire’s knights, who should have somehow pierced through the overwhelming barrage, were struck down by the 'Red Aura Arrows' before even reaching the fortress walls. Even the knights that managed to scale the walls succumbed to a strange sense of powerlessness and crumbled feebly. The seven superhumans who leapt onto the wall to turn the tide faced unexpectedly fierce resistance amidst a mysterious oppressive magic. For instance, “This blasted hulk…!” “Hahaha. How’s that, sly guy! I’m not the same person you met before!” “You're brazen for relying on magic!” “Isn’t it brazen of you two to attack together? You’re still the same sly bastards!” A giant of enormous stature confronted Legion Commander Ji’fen and the Third Legion Commander Blake. “What is this crest I’ve never seen before? Whose side are you on?” “I am Gunther Liberty, Grand Duke of Liberty! Remember my name well, superhuman of the Empire!” An old knight faced the Imperial Guard's Chappaville. Even if he could let that slide a hundred times, it wasn’t the primary issue. The Fourth Legion Commander Drexler was being pushed back by an archery aura user he'd never encountered before. Yet, the gravest issue lay right before his eyes, something he couldn’t simply ignore. A man with more white than blonde in his hair, approaching his senior years. He already knew his identity. The strongest superhuman of McLine, known to be over seventy years old this year. Sword Master, Felix Esperanza. “A monstrous old man…” Jamie had been moved from the Imperial Guard to the Empire’s Eastern First Legion Commander after the death of Grit Einzehein, the spear. This was due to his exceptional ability to fill the void left by the spear as a top-tier aura user. But now, his armor was nearly shredded to rags, and his entire body bore numerous sword marks. Among these, the most severe wound was on his abdomen. Blood was gushing incessantly from the gash that threatened to spill his guts unless tightly held. And the enemy who inflicted such damage stood relatively unscathed. His complexion was somewhat pale, but only a few scratches on his limbs were visible. Remarkably, this wasn’t Jamie’s doing alone but the result of combining the efforts of three superhumans. “Jamie, retreat!” “The losses are too great. Fall back!” He could see his former comrades from the Imperial Guard, Miles and Melvin, doing their utmost to hold back the ancient monster, trying to protect him in his critically injured state. Yet, knowing this, he found it hard to turn away. If he retreated now, one or possibly both of his comrades would surely lose their lives. Their struggles were mainly due to the bizarre magic sapping the strength of even superhumans, but more so, because the opponent’s skill was overwhelmingly superior to the intel they had. ‘The Sword Master was ranked low even among the high ranks in assessments, right?’ But the truth was, the enemy was a top-tier aura user, not merely on the threshold but well advanced in mastery. Information was off, way off. Not just one or two details, but everything. Such discrepancies led to this disaster. Clang! Clang! “Ugh, what is this…?” Bang! “Aaargh!” Scream after scream resounded, all seemingly belonging to the Empire's forces. “We were too arrogant…” Regret now was meaningless, but an involuntary sigh escaped. ‘I can’t face His Majesty like this.’ The only solace was that ‘the archery aura user’ and ‘the strongest superhuman of McLine’ were engaged here. With such formidable forces concentrated on this site, the central army or southern troops were likely facing less resistance. Coming to this conclusion, Jamie steeled himself. ‘If this old man's combination with that inexplicable magic circle manages to hinder Lord Tris Honsby…’ Rumors had it that Tris Honsby was gravely injured in the Sacred Kingdom, so no possibility could be ignored. The encirclement of the Imperial Grand Army was his responsibility. If he had to atone with his life, he must undertake even the smallest role. “Miles, Melvin! Create an opening!” His resolve to remove the Empire's last obstacle even at the cost of his life. His allies responded to this determination. “Raaah!” Miles, known by his moniker, the Grim Reaper, swung his great scythe, Soul Taker, powerfully. Despite the long slash left on his waist, his slash released an explosive aura blade that diagonally sliced through the entire space that contained the Sword Master. Simultaneously, Melvin’s explosive sword detonated, sending fragments of aura-infused blade cascading across the field. A convergence of ferocious secret arts seemed to destroy any space for the Sword Master to dodge. From the Sword Master’s body, a red lightning-like aura flashed, and in an instant, his figure turned into crimson lightning that traversed the space. BOOM! ‘Even after all this, he still has such power…’ Remarkable as it was that even with superhuman visual acuity, they could barely track his movements; there was no time for admiration. Jamie gathered all the energy he had been using to staunch the bleeding from his abdomen and channeled it into his spear. With every fiber of his being committed to this final charge, he rushed forward. A lifetime of training for mounted assaults surged through him. Though his loyal steed was left behind at the fortress base, in this life-or-death moment, his legs propelled him with the force beyond any mount he had ever ridden. Everything of Lance Master Jamie Gillan transformed into a blazing red comet, hurling towards the crimson lightning that had stealthily moved behind Melvin. His spear thrust into the Sword Master’s back. ‘I did it…!’ BOOM! A fleeting smile crossed Jamie's rapidly paling face, but something about the sensation at the spear’s tip felt off. It had pierced a bit deeper than expected. That unsettling realization quickly transformed into a voice screaming in despair, ringing through Jamie’s ears like Miles' shout. “Melvin!!!!!” Melvin? At that instant, the Sword Master’s form faded away to reveal the pale face of Melvin, impaled on his spear. The shock of having killed a comrade was overwhelming. Far outweighing the ebbing life from his body, the mental shock paralyzed him, rendering him thoughtless. “Tch. Did you shout that loudly hoping no one would notice?” A fiery sensation erupted in Jamie’s throat as the enemy, who had masterfully conjured a realistic afterimage with aura like red lightning, spoke. Those were the last thoughts of Jamie Gillan, Commander of the Eastern Legion of the Empire. Moments later, “We’ve taken down their commander!” A resounding announcement of the battle’s end echoed across Shield, the fortress in McLine’s northwest. * * * “Kahahaha! How's that, you bastard!” Located at the southern fortress, Armor, a collective cheer erupted from Matt Dickerson, the commander responsible for leading the Fourth to Eighth Legions, and a superhuman from the Imperial Guard. He had succeeded in piercing a sizeable hole in the belly of the cross-eyed foe who had doggedly pursued him. “Relentless bastard.” Were it not for the restrictive force he felt upon reaching the fortress, this should have been achieved much earlier. But given how tenacious the enemy had been, at least in this moment, he could savor a pure sense of victory. Momentarily, even the significant losses his forces suffered before scaling the walls faded from his mind in his excitement. ‘We’ll clear out the remaining superhumans and turn the tide. It’s still possible!’ That’s what it meant to have overwhelming superhuman prowess; it could reverse even the worst of situations in an instant. Yet it seemed that his jubilant roar came too early. Sshhhk. “Cough, c-cough. You, you insane….” The enemy, who should have fallen dead, somehow approached unnoticed and embedded a knife into his abdomen. Despite the gaping wound in his own belly, how could it move? No, before all that. 'He was still alive?' Though the injury was relatively minor compared to his opponent’s, the sensation of his insides catching fire, coupled with an abrupt drain of strength and his legs buckling, was quite profound. “...Bastard!” Thwack. The enemy failed to evade his desperate punch and tumbled over, yet he felt no satisfaction. “What a lunatic...” A suicidal attack by an aura user, of all things. How had such a deranged person survived to become a superhuman? ‘No, he looked young. Impossibly so.’ While his blurred consciousness wandered into errant thoughts. Something appeared that shouldn’t have. The corpse with a hole in its belly was rising unsteadily to its feet once more. A grotesque sight as the wound began to seal itself. “If you concentrate... even... this... is possible.” The crazy gleam in those mismatched eyes started to become frightening. “Ha, haha. What the hell... is this hellscape...?” A situation more maddening than any cursed magic. It was like witnessing the stories of monstrous creatures from myth and legend in his childhood come to life. ‘What the hell!’ Slap. Matt slapped his own face in an attempt to regain his composure. Pssst. ‘Yeah. It’s an awakened unique trait. Something like that could exist. For an aura user...’ Though it made absolutely no sense for someone with such mid-tier combat capabilities to keep up with his attacks and defenses. ‘Ah, it must be due to this filthy weakening magic.’ There was an attempt at rationalizing it. Moreover, if they were to recount who had suffered more, clearly, it was the foe. If the battle resumed now, undoubtedly, he would win. So long as that creature doesn’t come back to life even after being decapitated. ‘Yes. I can do it.’ However, the scene unfolding before him once more unraveled Matt’s resolve. “What on earth…!?” Facing off against the Seventh Legion Commander Graem was a middle-aged superhuman of considerable build, clad in attire different from McLine's knights. Until this point, he could reason it away. He’d heard the alias “Iron Wall of Terronan” before. However, beyond that, his allies were being one-sidedly overpowered. A mage wielding water magic and a bizarre, wispy figure using wind powers were overwhelmingly pressing the Eighth Legion Commander Bering. And then there was the youthful figure with red hair, dispatching countless aura swords, closing in on the Sixth Legion’s commander with ease. Though it was baffling, seeing that striking red hair brought an understanding to Matt. ‘It must be McLine’s royal secret weapon.’ A 2-on-1 situation, McLine’s secret weapon. Framed in that context, it was barely comprehensible. But the real problem lay elsewhere. The three members of the Imperial Guard were all high-tier aura users. Yet, among them, besides himself, two were being overpowered along with the mid-tier Fifth Legion Commander, Maxwell. A sight his own eyes struggled to believe. “What is that!!!!! What the hell!!” Am I dreaming? Matt Dickinson, despair flickering in his eyes, screamed in a voice tinged with primal fear. “Why!! Why is this happening to me!?” It had to be cursed magic. An illusion. But no simple illusion spell should have any effect on an aura user, and he knew it well. Still, the reason for Matt Dickinson’s vocal outburst as commander of the Southern Conquest Army was because the opponent was utterly confounding. The adversary pressing against illusions like Christian Miller the Mirage Sword, Anthony Brown the Berserker, and Maxwell Cutter the Wind Shadow Spear was nothing more than a dog—a mere mongrel pup.