464 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 464: The Tide of the Battle With a thunderous halt, half of the 300,000-strong army froze in place, while the remaining half began to maneuver against their original sovereign. As if to punish these traitors, blue meteors rained down, leaving the western plains as nothing more than ruins. "Boom!" "Crash!" "Rumble." "Ahhhhh!" "What is this?" "It's divine wrath!" "Spare us!" Conflicting commands shattered the soldiers’ brainwashing, and the screams of imperial troops who had rediscovered their identities filled the fields. Amidst the devastation, soldiers of MacLaine, who had been observing with wide-eyed horror, soon noticed several streaks of blue meteors heading their way, and were seized with panic. Of the dozen meteors, four continued their course towards the fortress of Loospellheim. One streak each sped toward the northern and southern walls. Two streaks aimed for the main forces at the western wall. Each meteor was as large as a decent-sized mansion. "No, this can't be!" "Damn it!" "Oh, God!" The catastrophic spectacle was now poised to engulf them. Most soldiers, anticipating a gruesome end, squeezed their eyes shut. — "Screeeeeeech!" Alongside a bone-chilling shriek, beams of crimson light shot towards the incoming meteors. While soldiers were still bewildered, the two meteors aimed at the north and south collided with the crimson beams and exploded in midair. A flash. "Boom!" The two meteors that veered towards the western wall were intercepted just before impact by thin streaks of red, orange, and gray hues that emerged unexpectedly. — "Boom!" "Rumble." Amidst the shock that shook the wall and flashes of light threatening to blind, the descendant of divine beasts and a king of monsters bellowed a victorious roar, silhouetted against the twilight sky. There stood a three-headed wolf larger than most men, accompanied by superhumans. As their shadows etched onto the walls, soldiers began to cheer loudly. "It's a divine beast!" "The commanders are here!" "Woo-hoo!" Surmounting this crisis led to a resurgence in morale. "We will triumph!" "Let's crush the empire!" "Fire!" "Throw!" The Imperial army, now in disarray, faced an even fiercer assault. An unmitigated chaos ensued. The imperial knights, witnessing their forces split in two, found themselves similarly divided right at the wall's front. Some attempted to return to protect the emperor; others endeavored to press the attack on the fortress as originally ordered. Seeing their foes in disarray, the MacLaine army seized the opportunity and unleashed a heavy barrage. "Boom!" "Crash!" "Clatter." "Break them apart!" "Let's end the empire!" "Kill them all!" A concentrated downpour of red stones and quarrels. "You damned fools!" Taking forceful swings to repel the onslaught of quarrels and spells aimed his way, Greg Patterson, the First Legion Commander of the West, finally snapped back to his senses, raising his voice. "Capture the wall first!" His force-imbued command reached the imperial knights even amidst the cacophony of battle. And it was Field Commander Phirless Delphione who took up his words. "His Majesty is divine! We just need to perform our duty!" Words from Greg, the highest-ranking general, and Phirless, a revered icon among imperial ladies, quickly calmed the panicking knights. Yet, despite their resolve, the unfavorable battlefield situation remained unchanged. The western cavalry, despite suffering losses in previous wars, still numbered over ten thousand and was undeniably formidable. In normal circumstances, they could hold their own against several foreign legions. However, with MacLaine’s forces bolstered by superhumans and powerful new weapons, they could not triumph alone. All they could do was trust that "if we pave the way, His Majesty will bring victory." The emperor's recent reappearance and performance were the basis of their unwavering belief. Greg's command, though nearly unreasonable, was fueled by the knights’ innate loyalty to the emperor—an essential virtue. Thus, that audacious faith rapidly found supporters. "Attack!" "Capture the wall!" Reforming under Greg's leadership, the imperial knights began scaling the fortress walls. Having received a message from Logan, the Swordmaster's brow furrowed, sensing something off. ‘…He’s lost his composure.’ Even in communications meant solely for superhumans, the Logan of recent times would have meticulously customized his messages using spiritual transmission. The staggering blow that eliminated the initial assailing meteors, coupled with the turmoil now twisting the imperial army, seemed to have left their mark on him. ‘A decisive advantage is ours.’ Yet, an unsettling feeling lingered. He did not doubt his disciple’s—a sovereign—strength, which had surpassed known limits. His expanded senses, honed to wield even fractions of soul power, allowed him to estimate the potency of those azure meteors and their conjurer who had upended the battlefield. ‘His Majesty would have expended his special abilities on that first strike. And if….’ Were the emperor to deploy such spells again, a sharp reversal of fortunes would not be outside the realm of possibility. The emperor undoubtedly reached an astonishing pinnacle. Reflecting on the effort required to deflect just one of the dozens of meteors, even with the support of fellow warriors, made his insides churn. What significance does an army hold against such powers? ‘No, it can't be. He won’t cast it again.’ Surely, that's why he brought an army in the first place. That was the logical inference. Swordmaster endeavored to quell his anxiety as he prepared to focus on the imperial knights scaling the fortress. Specifically, the five enemy commanders converging towards him. ‘Two High-grade Aura Users, three Mid-grade.’ None appeared overwhelmingly powerful, thankfully. Among the Western Legion commanders, only the First Legion Commander and the female knight commander of the Fourth Legion were classified as elite superiors. It was crucial to swiftly deal with those two first. "I'll handle the First Legion Commander. As for the Blood Flower, as agreed, Your Majesty will handle her..." "Swordmaster, I must go to His Majesty." In the midst of warfare, a dissenting opinion was unexpected and momentarily troubling, but he couldn't reprimand her. The red-haired queen who stood before him was, after all, his superior. Moreover, her assumption regarding the king's state was likely accurate. He had an inkling of what she wanted to say; as his wife, she might have sensed something similar. Additionally, the divine beast Tyr, persistently glancing toward the king's location, nudged the queen with his snout, urging her to move swiftly in that direction. "Your Majesty's intention was for the Queen to defeat Phirless Delphione, the symbol of the Imperial women, thereby boosting our troops' morale. You agreed to it as well." Advertisements "But there's no sign of Saghwind or the mages from the Kassel Tower. If it's just them, can't I be excused?" Though the queen, as a former knight, clearly understood the importance of military discipline, her insistence disturbed him. Her piercing blue eyes met his unyieldingly until another voice interjected. "I too must see Lord Logan. My duty lies with the Kassel Tower, not the imperial army." Revealing himself under the alias Heyman, the Sacred Swordmaster spoke. The Swordmaster knew that he also wielded the power of the soul. ‘He might have sensed something I didn’t.’ The vague unease was growing, shifting his resolve. ‘When the sovereign acts on intuition instead of plans, do the vassals follow?’ Though it left him sighing, it was indeed better than risking any harm to His Majesty. ‘We are not lacking in strength.’ Ultimately, the Swordmaster nodded in agreement. "Very well, go." "Thank you!" A radiant smile spread across Ailene's face as she dashed toward where her husband was stationed. Watching the Sacred Beast and Heyman follow closely, the Swordmaster turned away, focusing elsewhere. "We'll handle matters here. Does anyone feel we're insufficient?" "No concerns." "We're more than enough." "We exceed expectations." "Leave it to us!" "We shall comply." Including Viktor, Ronian, Luther, Wiken, and Bourdel, the team was formidable without even counting the foreign allies Latin and Gustav commanding other sections of their forces. With one supreme and two high-grade supers among them, they had more than enough power to counter the Western Legion commanders. "Bourdel, provide support from a distance. The rest, go after your assigned opponents. Let's finish this swiftly." "Understood!" The seasoned supers of MacLaine dispersed, moving to confront the imperial legion commanders surging over the fortress wall. * * * Upon scaling the fortress wall, Greg immediately sensed some constraints on the force that filled his body. Yet, this didn’t alarm him. His Majesty, who had revealed his divine side at Legal, had anticipated such circumstances. To counter this, His Majesty had equipped Greg, the commanders, other supers, and top-tier knights with artifacts capable of nullifying the magic circle's influence. Though only a hundred or so existed, having those in the hands of the empire's elite was key. Buzz. Activating the artifact lifted the binding force. Despite this, Greg pretended to be affected, stumbling intentionally. "Ugh!" Hoping to deceive the approaching Swordmaster into underestimating him, thinking he was hindered by the magic circle. And appearing as though he wasn't fooled, the Swordmaster accelerated, moving toward Greg with unwavering speed. 'Come.' Greg himself was at the pinnacle of high-grade Aura User power. Even the known supreme Swordmaster was not assuredly beyond his grasp if he miscalculated. He didn't expect it to be straightforward, of course. 'I'll sacrifice a side or an arm to claim the victory.' Resolved to end the confrontation with a decisive strike. ‘Hmm?’ The Swordmaster's approaching figure continued to gain speed, morphing into a blur of reddish aura, leaving Greg unable to track it with his eyes. ‘Damn!’ In an instant that seemed to freeze time, a feeling akin to burning coursed through his neck. The crimson lightning. It was the last thing Greg Patterson beheld alive. Phirless Delphione, infamous as the Blood Flower, had a similar plan to Greg's. In truth, all the legion commanders harbored the same strategy. Compared to MacLaine, the empire had far fewer supers. Hence, striking swiftly when the enemy was off guard seemed a viable strategy. Therefore, when the red-haired and red-eyed young knight approached, Phirless felt a surge of glee. ‘Ronian MacLaine.’ The king's younger brother and another prodigious Aura User. Judging by estimations, his power ranged around mid-grade at least, possibly high-grade at most, not making him her match either way. ‘Although it’s not the Swordmaster, it’s still a noteworthy accomplishment.’ Securing victory safely was indeed favorable. "Ugh!" Feigning clumsiness, Phirless smirked inwardly as Ronian slowed his advance. From a measured distance, Ronian raised his hand, and seven orange giant swords, each stretching several meters, shot forth. Advertisements ‘What!’ Sensing the impending peril, Phirless gathered her strength with futile haste. Boom! The orange swords eradicated every inch of the space Phirless occupied, leaving her no room for survival. Similar fates awaited all five imperial legion commanders facing defeat. Among them, Dakota Allen, the Third Legion Commander, evaporated into dust, leaving no remnants after being struck by a gray aura orb. Even the likes of the 2nd Legion Commander Terry Godwin and the 7th Legion Commander Alex Bowman managed to hold their ground against the Aura Users of giants and wind for a while. However, even they eventually succumbed to the concerted assault of crimson aura arrows and coordinated attacks. "This... this can't be happening." "Our commanders, brought down so easily..." The imperial knights, who had fought their way up to the fortress wall amidst a deluge of red stones and crossbow bolts, found their morale plummeting rapidly.