415 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 415: 'Alright!' The more confident a person is, the more easily they crumble when what they believed in shatters. In that sense, tearing through the veil of wind and resuming the bombardment was the best choice. “What... what is all this?!” “Ugh, spare us!” Boom! “Aaaaah!” The panic-stricken vanguard of the Imperial army was visibly disorganized and unable to wield even half of their actual strength. ‘The mages will be regulating the grand magic, so they won’t be able to come here immediately.’ It would be ideal if the collapse could render even one or two mages combat-incapable, but that might be expecting too much. Regardless, now was the opportunity. ‘Kill the Emperor. Now!’ Zap! A golden aura surged into the sky, drawing the attention of the battlefield once again. “Come, dogs of the Empire! I, Logan McLine, am here!” Boom! The aura unleashed into the air was both a performance to intimidate the enemies and a signal to his allies. The moment Logan confirmed Victoria and Clayton stealthily slipping away from the fortress walls, his heart began to beat a little faster. ‘Please, Lord Clayton. I’m counting on you, Ria.’ Thump, thump. The plan, in a sense, was simple. Harmon and Logan would draw the enemies’ focus, while Clayton and Victoria prepared the dagger where they couldn’t be seen. Eileen would assist and guard them. The enemy mages would be stationed in the rear to maintain the grand magic, so they wouldn’t directly attack. Jerome and possibly one or two other superhumans could be handled by Logan, Harmon, and the vigilante Jay Palson. As Harmon radiated holy aura and Logan and Jay ran rampant on the battlefield, the presence of the two mages would be erased. In a usual battlefield, the prepared dagger would be inefficient and meaningless, but to the current Imperial army with the ‘weakness’ named the Emperor, it could be a fatal move. The likelihood was deemed sufficient. ‘All that needs to be done is to kill the Emperor.’ To achieve that, the battlefield's gaze had to remain tied to the walls. Logan exaggeratedly swung his sword. “Enemy commander... guh.” Slice. “The king... aaack!” Slash. “Come at me all of you! I am here!” With a resounding shout, the golden whip-blade sliced through the air, cutting through enemies within a twenty-meter radius. “Someone stop him!” “Ahhh!” “Guuuuh.” The unpredictably moving whip-blade was nothing short of a calamity for the Imperial army, who couldn’t even block a single sword strike. While razing the surroundings, Logan’s gaze intermittently scanned the battlefield. The eyes of a predator searching for any unforeseen variables. Those eyes finally caught sight of Harmon, who was just beginning to move. ‘Has he come to his senses now?’ Though his pale complexion seemed a bit concerning, thankfully, he didn’t appear to be messing around. His expression remained blank as he slashed through the attacking enemies. Slice. Slash. “Aaaah!” “Aura!?” “He’s a superhuman!” The unfortunate thing was that, unlike what had been intended, he wasn’t displaying his holy aura. The aura in Harmon’s sword strikes was so faint that his restraint was evident, reflecting a far cry from the bold confidence he had exuded before the battle. With a face as pale as if he had suffered a grave injury, Logan pondered. ‘Is he hiding something or has something really happened...?’ Even though his aura was astonishing enough for those around him, it seemed pitiful compared to the explosive divine power he had shown before the war. It appeared doubtful that the Empire would even notice the holy aura. The only relief was the unexpected distraction coming from a different direction, not from Harmon. “Caesar! Show your face! Is the Emperor of the Empire just going to hide?!” A blond, blue-eyed middle-aged man shouted until his lungs could burst. Enraged Imperial knights charged at him, but the peculiar flame magic swirling around him left no openings for their advance. Woosh. “Aaaaah!” With a simple gesture, he incinerated several knights or a dozen soldiers. Slice. “What a rat!” Even attacks infused with the knights’ force bounced off the shield of red flames or were dodged with speed uncharacteristic of a wizard. His combat style, a mix of wizard and knight, demonstrated an efficiency that transcended realms, drawing everyone’s attention. In that chaotic scene. “...The Eastern King!?” “It’s the traitor Gerard!” “Kill him!” Once some of the knights realized his identity, nearly every Imperial knight in the area focused their gaze on him. The Imperial knights charged at him insanely. – The credit for killing the traitor is mine! Even without seeing their expressions inside their helmets, the air was filled with a murderous atmosphere. “Chop off the traitor’s head!” “That head is mine!” “Not if I have anything to say about it!” At least five elite knights, their force blazing in competition, rushed towards him. Yet, a knight with glowing red aura stood beside Gerard, intercepting every deadly attack directed at him. “A-Aura!?” “There’s another aura user!” “Damn it!” The former Southern King, now a traitor. Gerard and the aura user next to him attracted attention perhaps more than even Logan. ‘More than the continent's best swordsman.’ ‘This one’s easier.’ ‘I’ll definitely capture them!’ The reward compared to the effort required. That was what drew so many moths to the flame. Woosh. Boom. “Aaaaah!” “Kill them!” “Die!” Though the main characters were different from what was expected, the scene was developing in lines similar to their plans, offering a sense of reassurance. Now, only one thing remained. ‘Please, Ria.’ Thinking of the three who would be heading underground within the inner castle by now, Logan refocused. “Target.” “Confirmed.” Before him, pitch-black knights started to charge. ‘What are those guys?’ Initially, they appeared to be ordinary knights, but as they drew closer, their speed and momentum increased alarmingly, hinting at something more sinister. And just as they entered Logan's space. Wooom. “Emperor.” “Your Majesty.” “Long live the Emperor.” Suddenly, an intense, dark crimson aura erupted simultaneously from the bodies of fifteen knights clad in black armor. * * * “Q-Queen, please slow down... ugh.” “Queen, faster! More! More!” The differing voices of two priests echoed in Eileen's ears as she ran. Naturally, Eileen chose to heed the younger priest's plea, increasing her pace even further. “Ahhh!” “Just a bit longer!” The mages she was dragging by the neck grew paler and redder as they struggled to keep up. Despite being mages skilled enough in Mana Force to move like knights, they were no match for someone with true superhuman abilities. Moreover, Eileen's unique skill, the Feather Step, had evolved to a point where nearly no one in McLine could match her speed. Despite this, her sense of urgency only grew. ‘Faster!’ In the unpredictable chaos of battle, constantly checking the status of the battlefield was crucial. There was a chance enemy mages might not be supporting the grand spell and could have slipped out already, or there might be more superhumans than anticipated joining the fray. In such a scenario, she had promised her husband that they would abandon the current plan and focus on defense instead. However, with fewer enemy superhumans than expected, she felt it had been unnecessary to ascend the fortress initially. Regardless, Logan's unexpected strike had quickly tilted the battle in McLine's favor. This advantage allowed them to implement their final strategy, and she was running determinedly towards it. ‘...Why do I feel so uneasy?’ It might just be her nerves. Though undoubtedly the vigilantes were outmatched by the Empire’s central army, even shooting crossbows from the wall could serve multiple strategic purposes. Reassuring herself with this thought, Eileen increased her speed and dashed past scores of elite knights steadfastly guarding their posts, entering the underground plaza of the inner castle. The plaza, once a prison, had been cleared of all structures and exclusively repurposed for the grand spell array. “Hurry!” After sprinting several kilometers with the two mages in her grasp, Eileen tossed them into the center of the spell array, gasping for breath. “Aaaah!” “Master, focus!” Clayton landed in a panic, proving the saying that courage is inversely proportional to size, while Victoria's face brightened as she swiftly donned a crown from her belongings. The Crown of Ruler. Treasure of the Grandia Kingdom and symbol of the king. An artifact that the current McLine king had used only during his coronation and then set aside. Equipped with a built-in 5th Circle Barrier and a 4th Circle fatigue reduction and detoxification spell, the artifact had recently revealed yet another feature. Namely, the ability to partially harness the power of the Grand Spell Array. Victoria gritted her teeth and raised her mana. The spell array, a direct replica of the Grand Spell Array, would be affected by the crown’s effects. Though the power would be just a fraction of the array's full potential, it would still enable the crown’s wearer to wield magic of a magus’ caliber as needed. Moreover, if the one borrowing this power were a mage to begin with, and used it directly above the grand spell array, the potential burst of strength would be manifold. Advertisements ‘Don't touch the main reinforcement spell array, vitalizing array, or weakening array. Just draw a bit of strength from the mental defense array, just in case.’ Wooom. Following Victoria's guidance, vast amounts of mana converged. She received it all, refining it with her power. An immense surge of temporary power coursed through her, straining her body. Crack. Victoria clenched her jaw to endure the pain and focused her mind. When she nodded, her solemn-faced mentor, Clayton, placed his hand on her shoulder. “Never, absolutely do not overdo it. Understand?” Nod. She couldn’t muster the strength to verbally respond. Seeing the determined eyes of his bloodshot disciple, Clayton quietly channeled his mana to guide her consciousness. Shortly after, the mage, who had mastered attributes of ‘wind’ and ‘earth,’ experienced his consciousness journey through the earth and wind to the rear of enemy lines. The vast and deep formation. Amidst it, the largest and most ornate tent, shrouded in a blue glow of mana. Guarding its entrance was a solitary, eye-patched knight. The duo clearly perceived this in their shared vision. ‘Jerome Decade.’ ‘As expected.’ There was no need to face a superhuman directly. More precisely, they had to engage a superhuman for their purpose anyway, but they didn't need to confront one preemptively. Just then, they noticed a group bypassing the tent and moving past them. More than a thousand, robed figures. ‘Empire’s Magic Battalion.’ As they filed past, one of them halted in front of Jerome. ‘Galen Decade.’ The mage of the cutting wind tapped Jerome's shoulder, said something, then left his nephew to head quickly towards the battlefield. ‘Perfect.’ As soon as they were a fair distance away. ‘Now!’ ‘Yes!’ Before Jerome Decade, a golem the size of a person sprung forth.