Half of the Artrode Army's mages had already been wiped out by Vanessa's magic.
As the mana field weakened, other Fenris mages began to join the attack one by one.
Kwaaang!
Flames and lightning rained down, and rocky walls erupted from the ground around them.
On top of that, even Ghislain joined in, starting a massacre of the enemies.
"Uwaaaah!"
The Artrode Army could do nothing but scream as they died.
The order to retreat had already been given. Even those who initially intended to fight to the end lost their fighting spirit.
Their sole remaining goal was to deliver this news to their allies. However, the enemy's attack was too intense for them to even attempt to flee.
They were surrounded on all sides. The Artrode Army collapsed in an instant.
Count Gyruss trembled as he merely watched the scene unfold.
"Uh, uh...."
He couldn't escape either. Crimson flames roared and surged around him.
He had made a mistake. Even if it had delayed them slightly, they should have waited for the 2nd Corps.
Duke Fenris and the Lutania Army he had now faced were nothing like the rumors.
He had heard they were strong, but to display such overwhelming power was beyond what anyone could imagine.
Thud, thud, thud.
Duke Fenris approached, riding a black horse radiating fierce energy.
Their army was nearly annihilated. There was no one left to protect him.
Even the few remaining allies were helplessly dying.
He couldn't escape death. Realizing his grim fate, Count Gyruss steadied himself.
Before he died, he wanted at least one of his questions answered.
"Duke Fenris, why are you here?"
He should have been fighting in a different region. How did he even know they were here?
Ghislain gave a sly smile as he replied.
"Why? Am I not allowed to come here?"
"...."
"I devised quite an elaborate strategy, you know. Infiltrating spies, deceiving even my allies. I laid out a plan to catch you no matter what decision you made. Isn't that right?"
"...."
Duke Fenris was correct. If he hadn't responded until the very end, they would have fled the Grimwell Kingdom and wreaked havoc across the continent.
If that had happened, the war would have turned into a prolonged affair, increasingly unfavorable to their side. But it would also have fractured the allied forces, buying them more time.
They had even prepared new strategies for that scenario.
Still, the best course of action was to eliminate Duke Fenris here.
Even if it required a risky gamble, they were confident that victory in a prolonged war was assured if they could eliminate Duke Fenris and the Lutania Army.
Tap.
Ghislain rested the shaft of his spear on Count Gyruss's shoulder and continued.
"But there's something you all misunderstood."
"W-What do you mean?"
"You're slower than me."
It was an utterly arrogant remark, but Count Gyruss couldn't refute it.
They had laid traps everywhere to ensure that Duke Fenris would have no choice but to be dragged around. Yet, he had arrived here before them.
How he had seen through their strategies and reached this point, no one could fathom.
"Did you really think I'd just let you drag me around? I could just rush in and smash everything, you know."
"How, how did you know?"
It had been an intricately woven strategy. They had even prepared countermeasures for any potential responses.
Yet, the enemy had seen through everything and arrived here. A single mistake could have exposed another area to an attack, but they hadn't faltered.
Ghislain slowly moved the spear shaft to the side.
"I know Count Bipenbelt quite well. Though, of course, you wouldn't understand."
Count Gyruss bit his lip. Duke Fenris's reputation for spouting nonsense was well known.
Feeling mocked, Count Gyruss glared and said, "You seem so confident. Don't you think your presence here puts others in danger? You must have overextended yourself coming here."
That was the only explanation that made sense in the current situation.
Duke Fenris had a reputation as a war fanatic. It was likely he had charged at their main forces, ignoring the risk to his allies and the allied forces' cohesion.
Confident he could kill them all by himself, driven by his arrogance.
Ghislain smirked and shifted the spear slightly farther to the side.
"Yeah, go ahead and think about it if it makes you feel better."
"Don't be so cocky! The remaining corps are different from us! Your arrogance will eventually—"
Thud!
The spear, enveloped in red light, passed through Count Gyruss's neck, bursting it as it went. It wasn't even the blade but the shaft that struck, and it caused his head to explode.
Boom!
As the corpse hit the ground, Ghislain muttered as he looked down at it.
"They'll all die anyway."
Because he would make sure of it.
Ghislain surveyed the battlefield. It was perfectly cleaned up.
Not a single member of the Artrode Army had escaped.
"One part is done. Just as I expected."
Ghislain had suspected Count Bipenbelt would target him and Yulian.
It was his specialty to confuse the enemy and take them down piece by piece.
"But he wouldn't have seen this coming."
Ghislain had instead moved to strike at the Artrode Army's main forces. It was something the enemy would never have expected.
Because to do so, Ghislain had to abandon too much. They likely assumed he had recklessly charged in alone, much like Count Gyruss thought.
But Ghislain hadn't simply discarded everything. He had crafted a strategy and moved contrary to the enemy's expectations.
Like Count Bipenbelt, Ghislain had to think and act faster than his opponents.
Summoning Dark, Ghislain spoke.
"Dark, go in the direction these guys came from. There must be more corps there."
Count Gyruss's corps alone wouldn't have been enough to stop him. There had to be corps that were truly meant to fight him.
Dark nodded and began to fly off.
"Where's Yulian?"
"He's moving in the direction you mentioned."
"Good. Let me know immediately if there's any complication. It's fortunate Yulian can maintain your clone. Really, he's quite something."
"Yeah, seriously. He's amazing. But I won't betray you, Master. I'm more comfortable staying with you, after all. You know that, right?"
"...."
"Ugh, Yulian barely speaks. He's so cold and unfeeling, really."
"... Just go already."
Dark winked with one eye, spread his wings wide, and flew away.
Ghislain planned to wait here and deal with the remaining corps as well.
"Count Bipenbelt, Gartros, Idun, Leonard... None of them were here, huh."
That meant at least one of them would surely be in the next corps he encountered.
A cruel smile flickered across Ghislain's face.
"It's time to take down some big names. Hopefully, it'll be Idun."
Ghislain and his Mobile Army turned back in the direction they came. Their goal was to rest while staying as close to the main force as possible.
And the commander of the approaching 2nd Corps was—
Just as Ghislain had hoped, Idun.
***
Idun had been tasked with merging with the 4th Corps.
He didn't think it would be too difficult. Two corps working together should be enough to eliminate any pursuing force detached from the main army.
Be it Duke Fenris or the Prince of Turian.
"Finally, some action. This has been so tedious."
Idun chuckled, his mood bright. He didn't care about the strategic objectives of this war.
Duke Fenris and the Prince of Turian had been rapidly gaining fame. Even Parniel, who had been with the Lutania Army for a long time, was no exception.
Killing them would skyrocket his own reputation. That was Idun's only concern.
"I hope Duke Fenris is on that side. I'd hate to share this with anyone else."
He licked his lips. Duke Fenris's fame was unmatched, and he didn't want anyone else to claim the glory.
Idun began to mobilize the 2nd Corps—or rather, he tried to.
Zing—!
Suddenly, the space before him began to ripple. Sensing something amiss, Idun immediately drew his sword and swung down.
Kwaaang!
A powerful mana storm erupted in the area. But there was no damage.
The weaker troops were far away, and only the Silver Knight Order surrounded Idun.
The knights absorbed the shock with their bodies and stepped back.
Idun scowled at the figure that appeared before him.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm Jerome. I just have some business here for a moment."
"What? Business? You insolent bastard."
Idun twisted his lips into a bizarre grin. How dare someone appear here, alone?
But Jerome wasn't interested in Idun. His purpose here was merely to play around for a moment.
"Well, before you head off, why don't you play with me for a bit?"
Having caused chaos in the 1st Corps, Jerome had recovered his mana and now appeared before the 2nd Corps.
His goal was to stall for time here as well.
But Idun's face distorted and he immediately swung his sword. How dare someone come here to assassinate him and spout such nonsense?
It was an act of blatant disrespect towards his noble self!
Kwaaaang!
Thus, the fight between the two began. Of course, Idun, who didn't particularly enjoy one-on-one duels, immediately summoned his subordinates.
"Kill this bastard at once!"
Four priests and the Silver Knight Order joined the fray. Watching this, Jerome clicked his tongue.
The 1st Corps' Gartros and its priests had been formidable. But fighting here was proving even more challenging.
Idun's skills were exceptional, and the knights' coordinated attacks were nothing short of menacing.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
Jerome caused havoc for quite some time before fleeing.
Of course, he didn't manage to escape completely unscathed.
Having already fought with the 1st Corps, Jerome was not in his best condition.
Though he had been recovering mana here and there, his exhaustion hadn't fully dissipated.
In the end, he was slashed across the chest by Idun's sword, bleeding heavily as he fled.
"You bastard! Where do you think you're going?!"
Idun, disheveled and furious after his battle with Jerome, screamed.
He was consumed by uncontrollable rage.
It was infuriating enough that someone dared to blatantly confront him, but to let the fleeing enemy escape?
Never in his life had he been treated like this. It was a tremendous shock to his pride.
"I'll kill that bastard first before anything else! Bring me the mirror!"
Though the mage had fled across spatial boundaries, Idun was confident he could catch him. As long as he knew the direction, he could keep pursuing. He was that skilled.
He could trace the lingering mana's aftereffects. With the trail of blood left behind, it would be even easier.
He had to chase him down before the mana dissipated. No, even if it did, Idun would find him and kill him no matter what.
Even amidst his anger, Idun adjusted his attire and tidied his hair before mounting his white horse.
"What are you all doing? Hurry and prepare to give chase!"
His strategists hurriedly ran over, bowing their heads.
"Commander, you mustn't. We're in the middle of an important operation."
"We need to capture Duke Fenris and the Prince of Turian first."
"That mage came from the Lutania Army. We'll eventually catch and kill him."
Despite their attempts to dissuade him, Idun glared at them.
"You're telling me to just let the one who humiliated me go?"
For the first time in his life, he had been humiliated in front of so many people. It was an unbearable disgrace.
Right now, nothing else mattered to Idun. Protecting his pride was far more important.
As Idun ground his teeth in anger, the vice-commander of the Silver Knight Order approached and said, "Commander, if the operation fails, it will greatly damage your reputation. Duke Fenris will only grow more rampant."
Idun stared at the vice-commander for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
"Haa...."
It was his first time experiencing such a situation, and he was extremely agitated. Yet, deep down, he knew what was more important.
If the operation failed, Duke Fenris's reputation would soar, and his own would plummet.
That would only lead to an even greater disgrace than now.
"Bring me a chair."
The waiting maids quickly brought over a chair.
Idun sat down with a thud and said, "Bring me some cold water. I'll calm myself down before we move."
While Idun was self-centered, he wasn't foolish.
His subordinates waited patiently until Idun's mood improved. The entire corps ground to a halt because of his temperament.
But no one was overly concerned. The 4th Corps had departed first, so they believed they could buy enough time even if they encountered the enemy.
Besides, the 2nd Corps was considered the most elite among the Artrode Army. If they were serious, they could reach the battlefield in no time.
After calming down for a considerable time, Idun finally stood up.
"Let's go. We need to catch up to the 4th Corps, so we should leave now. We can catch up in half a day if we pick up the pace."
Having regained his composure, Idun mounted his horse again. Of course, he was still determined to find and kill that mage named Jerome.
The 2nd Corps began to move. Idun sent a few scouts ahead.
"Find the 4th Corps and tell them to wait for us. It seems better to move together."
If that mage found the 4th Corps, they could suffer considerable damage. That was how powerful he was.
The scouts departed, and the 2nd Corps picked up their pace.
They had been traveling for quite some time when one of the scouts returned in haste.
The scout moved so frantically that even his horse was panting heavily.
"C-Commander! This is bad, very bad!"
Hearing the scout's urgent voice, Idun furrowed his brow. Could that mage have already reached the 4th Corps and caused chaos?
Clicking his tongue, Idun asked, "That mage appeared already? How much damage?"
Though not as strong as the 2nd Corps, the 4th Corps still had four priests and a significant number of knights. Not to mention their considerable number of troops.
There would have been damage, but it shouldn't have been too severe. After all, the mage was already injured.
But the news that came from the scout's mouth was shocking.
"The 4th Corps has been annihilated! All were found dead! Not a single person survived!"
"....."
The unbelievable news left Idun momentarily stunned, his eyes blank.
[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 ]