Yulian quickly located the Artrode Army's 5th Corps. They were also moving to link up with the 6th Corps.
There was no need for words. As always, Yulian plunged into the enemy forces alone and began slaughtering them.
Slash!
"Aaargh!"
A priest charged at him confidently, only to have his neck severed.
Yulian turned his head. From experience, he knew there was never just one priest.
But then…
Whoosh!
A priest was fleeing at a tremendous speed, already putting a significant distance between them. His retreat was so swift it seemed unnatural.
That priest was none other than Flaccus, who had fled the Kingdom of Lutania.
The moment Flaccus saw Yulian, he recognized him immediately and made a quick judgment.
'He's the one rumored to rival Duke Fenris. I can't win against him!'
Since his ordeal in Lutania, Flaccus had memorized portraits and information about every superhuman. This knowledge allowed him to make rational decisions.
'Even Count Palantz and Count Balzac from the Kingdom of Lutania died to Duke Fenris. Why would I fight someone on his level? Not unless Lord Gartros himself is here.'
He justified his decision to himself. For a brief moment, he considered engaging, but it was impossible no matter how he looked at it.
The fact that he had encountered an enemy here at all suggested something had gone wrong. His forces were vastly outnumbered.
It was better to flee and report this to the higher-ups.
Flaccus fled with all his might, glancing back only briefly to confirm.
'See? I knew it!'
Another priest from his side had been decapitated in a single stroke. Deciding not to look back again, he swore to keep running forward like a man, without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Count Poleno, commander of the 5th Corps, stared in disbelief.
"W-What is this…?"
They had been moving to link up with the 6th Corps to block the enemy's supply line and intercept reinforcements.
At first, they thought the unexpected encounter with an enemy force was just bad luck.
Despite being outnumbered, Poleno had been confident, as their side had a superhuman.
But then, one of their two priests suddenly turned and fled.
And not just any priest—one who always acted arrogantly and underestimated their enemies.
As Poleno watched in astonishment, the remaining priest was killed with absurd ease, his head severed in a single strike.
Then the massacre began.
Slash!
"Aaagh!"
No one could stop the approaching figure. Those who tried were struck down instantly.
Poleno, supposed to be commanding the forces, was already mentally frozen. He was beginning to doubt whether this was reality or some kind of nightmare.
Was there any meaning to strategy or tactics against such an overwhelming force?
'No… we can't handle this. We need stronger superhumans and more troops.'
They had lost their superhuman too quickly. With fewer soldiers and no superhuman, victory was impossible.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
As allied cavalry joined the fray, the 6th Corps of the Artrode Army fell apart with startling ease.
Count Poleno could do nothing but watch his troops being slaughtered.
And before he knew it, a man stood before him.
Seeing the man's emotionless face, Poleno immediately knew who he was.
"The Prince of Turian…"
Slash.
Before he could finish speaking, Yulian's sword severed Poleno's neck.
With their commander dead, the remaining forces of the 5th Corps scattered and fled in all directions.
The battle ended almost anticlimactically quickly, thanks to Yulian's overwhelming presence.
To stop him, the enemy would need a much stronger superhuman and significantly larger forces.
"Phew…"
Yulian let out a shallow sigh.
It was rare for him to sigh, but he had been pushing himself to reduce allied casualties, exhausting his strength in the process.
In truth, his mana reserves were considerably depleted. One of Yulian's strengths, however, was his ability to mask any signs of weakness.
He glanced at the now robust-looking Dark and asked, "Where is Ghislain?"
"He's on the move."
"It's all taken care of here. What should I do next?"
Dark closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment, communicating with Ghislain through their shared consciousness.
After a while, Dark whispered something to Yulian. Listening to Dark's words, Yulian nodded.
"Understood. I'll do that."
The forces accompanying Yulian rested for a day before moving toward their next objective.
***
Count Bipenbelt, commander of the Artrode Army's 1st Corps, was deep in thought.
"There's been no regular contact."
To maximize mobility, the corps had been divided, though they still operated in pairs across different regions.
The 5th and 6th Corps, the 7th and 8th Corps, the 9th and 10th Corps—all moving as three separate groups.
Their mission was to cut off enemy supply lines and intercept reinforcements.
But their hidden objective was to use the spy's information to weaken the allied forces' strength and morale.
"It all went according to plan at first…"
A short while ago, the 5th and 6th Corps had reported destroying two allied corps. The 7th and 8th Corps had also reported success.
But now, significant time has passed. New reports should have arrived by now.
Messengers were dispatched regularly to ensure updates on the strategic situation. Even in the absence of major events, reports were mandatory.
And yet, no word had come.
"No contact at all…"
In war, information often travels slowly. Decisions had to be made based on conjecture and judgment of the situation.
As Count Bipenbelt contemplated the situation, a smile suddenly spread across his face.
"We've been hit."
He had been waiting for contact to be cut off.
It was known that Duke Fenris and the Prince of Turian were leading the pursuit. If they had indeed engaged, it made sense that communications would cease.
Count Bipenbelt couldn't contain his laughter.
"At last, the strategy is coming to fruition."
The battlefield Duke Fenris and the prince had moved to was far from Lutania's main force—a situation Bipenbelt had deliberately sought.
The tasks of cutting off supply lines and intercepting reinforcements were merely decoys. Even his own troops had been used as bait to mislead.
Bipenbelt's true goal was simple: to isolate and kill both Duke Fenris and the prince by luring them far from their main forces.
For this, the remaining four corps had been lying in wait in different regions.
Yet, one question lingered.
"Why were three locations hit?"
There had been no contact from the 9th and 10th Corps either—not even routine reports. It wasn't possible for Duke Fenris or the prince to have taken out all three corps due to their locations.
This meant someone else had handled the 9th and 10th Corps.
But as far as he knew, aside from Lutania's forces, the only remaining allied troops were those led by Marquis Gidion.
"Marquis Gidion isn't a bad commander, but…"
In the prince's absence, Marquis Gidion didn't have the strength to take on both the 9th and 10th Corps.
So who could it have been?
Bipenbelt fell into deeper contemplation. The spy had mentioned nothing about other allied forces.
But what if, during the first battle, Duke Fenris had discovered the spy's identity and used it for a counter-intelligence operation?
'If he had already found out.... does that mean he had suspected it from the beginning?'
That seemed the most plausible explanation. The 9th and 10th Corps must have fallen victim to a counter-intelligence operation.
The real question was—who carried it out?
"Could it be…"
After much deliberation, Count Bipenbelt arrived at an answer.
"The Lutania Army is on the move!"
It made sense. The Lutania Army had split into two forces.
Even divided, their combat power was formidable. One of those forces must have moved.
If that was the case, then regardless of which direction Duke Fenris moved, one of those Lutania forces could engage him.
"The best move now is…"
After a long pause, Count Bipenbelt made his decision. It was a bold change to the original strategy.
"Send orders to the remaining corps."
His command was quickly relayed.
"The 3rd Corps is to move to the area where the 5th and 6th Corps were stationed. Find either Duke Fenris or the Prince of Turian, and delay them at all costs. Kill them if possible."
"The 2nd and 4th Corps are to head to the location of the 7th and 8th Corps. There, you will find either Duke Fenris or the Prince. Make sure to kill them."
"Contact the spy. Their identity has been exposed, so tell them to join my forces."
Count Bipenbelt's eyes gleamed as he declared, "We'll strike at the Lutania Army's main force as quickly as possible."
Initially, his 1st Corps was meant to move with the 3rd Corps to ensure one of their primary targets—either Duke Fenris or the prince—was killed.
But strategies must adapt to the circumstances.
"This is the best-case scenario we could have hoped for."
One of them—either Duke Fenris or the prince—would inevitably fall. Their pursuers alone could never defeat two corps.
The remaining core corps now carried at least four superhumans each. Even priests from other regions had been summoned during their campaign against the Kingdom of Grimwell.
In addition, both Idun and Leonard were immensely powerful superhumans who had joined their ranks.
"No matter how strong Duke Fenris or the Prince of Turian may be, they won't survive this."
The same applied to the Lutania Army. While they had several known superhumans besides the two, a split force meant their superhumans were also divided.
In a halved state, they would be no match for the corps under Bipenbelt's command, reinforced by the priests and led by the most powerful of them all, Gartros.
With the spy's corps joining them, they would also have numerical superiority.
"If this works, half of the Lutania Army will be destroyed. One of our main targets—Duke Fenris or the Prince—will be eliminated as well."
With the remaining forces, the allied army wouldn't stand a chance. Even in a head-on clash, they would achieve an overwhelming victory.
The enemy had taken the bait. This was a fight they couldn't lose.
But they had to act before the pursuing allied corps could regroup.
"Prepare at once! We march immediately!"
The 1st through 4th Corps consisted entirely of elite cavalry, capable of moving faster than any other units.
Though currently stationed far from the battlefield to coordinate their plans, they could arrive quickly at full speed.
It wasn't hard to predict the location of the Lutania Army's stationary base.
"The units closer to the 9th and 10th Corps would have moved. That leaves only one place where the rest could be."
As the four corps prepared to march, the space before Count Bipenbelt suddenly began to ripple violently.
"Hmm?"
"It's dangerous!"
Gartros stepped in front of Bipenbelt and extended his hand.
At that moment, someone burst out of the distorted space, releasing a massive surge of mana.
Boom!
The mana clashed with Gartros' energy, scattering violently in all directions, as if deliberately targeting the surrounding area.
The superhuman priests easily blocked the energy. The high-level escort knights suffered a strong shock but only stumbled back, sustaining no serious injuries.
However, the weaker strategists were not so fortunate.
Boom!
Unprotected, their bodies burst apart, killed instantly by the sudden attack.
Gartros frowned. A young man stood before him, grinning brightly.
"Who are you?"
"Ah, my name is Jerome. I work for the Lutania Army… or rather, I'm an advisor to their magic corps."
Jerome briefly showed a hint of melancholy before quickly brightening up again. Best to forget unpleasant memories as soon as possible.
The onlookers' eyes widened. For a mage from the Lutania Army to appear right as they were about to march against them!
Gartros smirked, his face full of mockery.
"Your magic abilities are impressive. To use spatial magic to this extent…"
"I do dabble a bit in magic," Jerome replied with a casual grin.
"Quite confident, aren't you? But you've picked the wrong place to show off."
At Gartros' gesture, the knights escorted Bipenbelt far to the rear. The remaining troops encircled the area.
Every mage in the 1st Corps released their mana, forming a barrier. Meanwhile, the six priests unleashed their energy and approached Jerome.
Gartros sneered as he spoke again.
"Even Duke Fenris would die if he came here alone. Are you prepared to meet your end?"
Jerome glanced around. Indeed, taking on all of them alone would mean risking his life.
But he wasn't here to die.
Buzz—!
From both of Jerome's hands, massive mana blades erupted.
With a relaxed smile, he said, "Looks like you're in a hurry. How about you stay and play with me for a bit?"
He really wasn't here to die.
Just to cause a little chaos.
[T/L: I need your support, dear readers. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]