Marquis Pherington’s eyes widened. He felt the strength draining from his entire body.

Clang.

The sound of his sword slipping from his hand and falling echoed all the clearer amid the noisy battlefield.

“Grrk……”

Blood boiled up from his throat. Hot, sticky blood ran down past his lips.

In his dizzying vision he saw the Imperial Army collapsing. The screams of the soldiers he had fought alongside, the ground dyed red. All of those sights grew farther and farther away, fading into dimness.

‘This can’t be. I am of the Empire…….’

Resentment crushed down upon him. He did not want to acknowledge that he had failed.

‘It isn’t…… over yet…….’

He tried to move, but his legs lost strength and his knees gave out. Marquis Pherington clenched his teeth and lifted his head. On horseback above him was the man staring down arrogantly.

In that instant, a sinister premonition seized him. If there was truly someone who would bring about the Empire’s downfall…… it would be this man standing before him now.

With that thought, Marquis Pherington’s head dropped forward.

Ghislain looked at the fallen Marquis Pherington for a moment, then raised his head.

“Hm.”

KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAANG!

Several fireballs rained down from the sky, striking the Imperial Army. Naktura was drilling his magic relentlessly into the gaps of the Imperial Army’s mana field. Though no longer as powerful as at the beginning, it was still a fatal blow to an army already thrown into confusion.

Ghislain turned his eyes back to the Imperial Army. They were still fighting desperately against the hundreds of weapons rampaging on all sides. And the Imperial soldiers nearest to Ghislain and Marquis Pherington had gone completely slack with shock.

“Th-The Supreme Commander has been killed.”

“H-How could such a thing……”

“Sh-Should we… flee?”

Terrified, they drew back step by step in unsteady postures.

Marquis Pherington had been the Empire’s proud superhuman. That such a man could die without inflicting any real damage upon his opponent—this fact alone utterly crushed the morale of the Imperial Army.

Ghislain ignored them and turned his head back once more.

KWAANG! KWAAAANG! KWAANG!

What he saw was Julien and Kyle locked in battle. The two of them, facing Imperial champions who had long since reached the realm of the superhuman, did not yield a single step. On the contrary, in some respects they even displayed superior prowess.

Even if left alone, the two would surely prevail, but dragging the battle out this long would gain nothing. Ghislain immediately spurred his horse toward the rear.

Dudududududu!

The Julien Mercenary Corps, with Deneb at its center, had already pulled back far enough to establish a defensive ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) line. Death Knights held the front, advancing slowly. The Imperial Army could not break through that wall and continued dying in droves.

And then, when Ghislain—who had broken through the center—struck from behind, the Imperial Army collapsed in an instant.

KWAAAAANG!

“Uaaagh!”

Ghislain broke through the Imperial soldiers blocking his way and rode first toward where Kyle was fighting. Kyle and the Imperial superhuman were locked in an even match. Around them there was no one.

KAAANG!

The Imperial superhuman clashing with Kyle stepped back for a moment to catch his breath. He glared at Kyle and spoke.

“Young one, you’re impressive. Truly, you were fit to have saved the dwarves. But your little tricks end here. I’ve already seen through them all……”

The superhuman suddenly turned his body in haste. He had felt an immense force surging up from behind.

What entered his eyes was a man on horseback thrusting a spear at him.

‘A sneak attack, how dare you…….’

The superhuman sneered. He was a superhuman. Unless the enemy was the same, he would not be felled by something so cheap as an ambush. Look now: the foe’s attack was so slow it was enough to make him yawn.

He shifted his body lightly to the side. He intended to cut down both the horse’s neck and the rider’s body in one stroke. The only one worth minding was Kyle, who might strike in that opening from behind.

And then——

‘Hm?’

His body would not move properly. The body that should be moving faster than anyone else’s felt as heavy as if sunk deep under the sea. It had been a long, long time since he’d felt such a thing. Not since his youth, training in a heavy suit of armor.

‘W-What…….’

And still the enemy’s spear drew closer.

The superhuman thought something was wrong. And at last, dimly realized it. His body was not heavy, nor was the foe slow. It was the world itself that had slowed.

‘Th-That’s impossible…….’

He could not understand what was happening. He could not even tell what had gone wrong. Even now, countless thoughts streamed through his head.

And then he saw the spear closing in right before his eyes and thought:

‘I’m dead.’

KWAAAAANG!

The Imperial superhuman’s head burst apart on Ghislain’s spear. Blood and bone fragments scattered through the air, pouring down like crimson rain.

Hiiiiiing!

Ghislain pulled the reins, and the horse neighed loudly, coming to a stop.

Kyle, watching Ghislain appear out of nowhere and shatter the superhuman in an instant, opened and closed his mouth several times.

‘Gods, that monster…….’

The Imperial superhuman had indeed been strong. Kyle’s technique may have been sharper, but the maturity of one who had long since reached the realm of the superhuman was still out of reach. So he had been struggling——and yet Ghislain had simply appeared, closed the distance, and smashed his head apart. Even considering the foe’s exhaustion and the surprise attack, it was unbelievable to see a superhuman so utterly overpowered.

Kyle realized he was still far from that level. He would need to train harder and grow stronger.

Still, it was a little frustrating. He had been confident he could finish the man off himself.

“Hey! I was going to take him down, why did you butt in!”

“Let’s wrap this up quickly. Go help the others.”

“Tch.”

Kyle pouted his lips several times, then went to join the mercenaries’ fight. For now, ending this battle quickly was more important.

As Kyle vanished from sight, Ghislain rubbed beneath his nose. A trace of blood stained his finger.

‘Tch, so it’s already at the limit.’

He had pushed the power of Will to its utmost to kill the enemy superhuman swiftly. That was the problem.

This was the chronic issue with moving in Astion’s body.

Though Astion’s level continued to rise, Ghislain’s own reached even higher. And so the disparity between them only widened. The greater it grew, the more quickly his balance collapsed. Now, even a brief exertion left his body destabilized.

Though his level had risen, the time he could maintain the power of Will had only shortened.

Ghislain muttered unconsciously.

“I don’t know how much longer I can remain here.”

Only his grasp of magic allowed him to hold a fragile balance. But the day would come when it would collapse. The stronger the foe, the faster the balance would crumble.

Ghislain let out a small laugh.

‘Well, I’ll think about that when the time comes.’

In some ways, now was the most crucial moment for the Julien Mercenary Corps. They had gained fame, expanded their power, even won the support of many races. But as long as the Pope lived, Julien and Deneb could never be safe. If only this matter could be settled safely, then——

The Julien Mercenary Corps could become the core of the human alliance.

With cold eyes, Ghislain spurred his horse once more.

Dudududududu!

This time, his target was the superhuman fighting Julien. Ghislain swept aside the Imperial soldiers barring his way and without hesitation thrust his spear at the superhuman dueling with Julien.

KAAANG!

“Kh, you cowardly—!”

The Imperial Army’s superhuman blocked Ghislain’s spear and fell back. But Ghislain’s spear pursued him with relentless precision.

Kagagagagagagang!

Ghislain’s spear moved like lightning, driving his opponent without pause. The Imperial superhuman was barely managing to block the sudden assault. And Julien did not miss that opening.

Skaak!

Julien’s sword tore open the man’s abdomen in a deep gash.

“Kuugh……”

Chiiiiik!

Divine power slowly closed his wound, but before it could fully heal, Ghislain’s spear came flying in again.

Kaaang!

The superhuman barely managed to deflect the spear again, but Julien’s sword carved deep into his back.

At last, the superhuman’s stance collapsed completely.

In that moment, Ghislain’s spear pierced his heart.

Puk!

Chiiiik……

His life ebbed away faster than divine power could restore the wound.

The Imperial superhuman glared hollow-eyed at Ghislain and spoke.

“You coward…… do you mean you don’t even know what the Great Tournament of Knights is……”

Ghislain answered with an indifferent expression.

“We’re mercenaries.”

For mercenaries, what mattered was not the process, but the result. No matter the circumstances, what mattered was completing the mission and achieving the objective. That alone was the mercenary’s code and their very reason for existence.

“……”

Only then did the superhuman’s expression show realization. Slowly he turned his head, looked at Julien, and smiled.

“Yes…… your skill was so exceptional…… I forgot for a moment…… splendid.”

With those final words, the Imperial Army’s superhuman collapsed.

A little weary, Ghislain brushed back his hair and spoke briefly.

“It’s almost over. Just hold on a little longer.”

“Right.”

Julien nodded firmly.

In truth, this battle was not easy for the Julien Mercenary Corps either. They too were gritting their teeth and giving their utmost. It was only because they had so many strong fighters here and had prepared in advance that they could gain the upper hand. The Imperial Army was indeed powerful and numerous.

Julien immediately turned and rejoined the mercenaries.

The Imperial mages were being held in check by Naktura and Ereneth. Divine power, in any case, only worked to their side’s advantage. So the only ones left to deal with were the Imperial knights. But once Julien and Kyle stepped in, they collapsed quickly.

As long as the leading Imperial knights were defeated, the battle would be as good as finished. The ordinary soldiers could hardly even scratch the Death Knights blocking their way.

KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAAAANG!

“Uaaaagh!”

The battlefield resounded with the screams of the Imperial Army. With no superhuman left to stop Julien and Kyle, the Imperial forces collapsed rapidly.

Ghislain sensed that the end of this battle was near. But there were still those whose duel remained undecided.

Skaak! Skaak! Skaak!

Marika and Darentz were still locked in combat, each relentlessly aiming at the other. Around them the battlefield lay empty, like a clearing. Part of it was the Imperial Army scattering in confusion, but mostly it was because everyone realized stepping into that space meant death.

Skaak!

Darentz’s dagger grazed Marika’s neck. He did not stop, continuing to aim for her vital points.

Though Marika’s body already bore many wounds large and small, not a single one was fatal.

Darentz’s face twisted.

“You’ve improved greatly in just a few years. Seems the dragon gave you quite the support.”

“……”

Darentz believed Marika’s growth was all thanks to the dragon. Otherwise, how could an assassin who had once been nothing more than a low-ranking squad leader fight him, a superhuman, on equal terms?

But he was a superhuman. And after losing his left arm, he had trained relentlessly, becoming even stronger. Even now, Marika was finding it hard to withstand him, her wounds multiplying. Whatever vision the dragon had given her, she could not hope to surpass him.

Honestly, the very fact that it had taken this long against someone like Marika was humiliating.

Skaak!

A dagger flew at Darentz’s back. But when he cut the string attached to it, the dagger clattered to the ground.

He gave a cold grin.

“Did you think your trick would keep working?”

The dagger he had just dropped had been the last one tethered to Marika.

Of course, at first it had unsettled him. Daggers slithering like serpents from all directions had been quite a threat. But he was an experienced assassin and a superhuman besides. He had quickly figured out how to deal with it.

“As long as they’re tethered to your body, I just have to get close and cut them.”

The farther the distance, the harder it was to track the movement of the strings. So whenever he approached, Darentz swiftly cut them one by one, reducing the number of daggers.

“A technique the dragon taught you? It wasn’t bad, but against a superhuman it’s useless. As a stalling tactic, though, it was excellent.”

Because of that strange skill, he had failed to kill Marika instantly. But now that all the daggers had fallen, he would finish her quickly.

Tok.

At Darentz’s jeer, Marika stopped moving. Darentz halted before her, sneering.

“Now you have no choice but to face me directly. Which means you can’t drag this out any longer.”

“You cut all the strings.”

“That’s right. Now you die.”

“……”

“After all the trouble you’ve caused me, I’d love to tear you apart here and now…… but the situation is too unfavorable, so I’ll just take your life.”

Darentz wasn’t a fool. He could see clearly that the tide of battle had turned heavily against the Empire. The Julien Mercenary Corps was stronger than expected. He would need to bring this information back to the Empire to prepare properly.

So his plan was simple: kill the traitor Marika quickly, then escape.

Marika stared at him intently and asked.

“This is all you’ve got?”

“What?”

“What you’re showing me—is this really all you’ve got?”

“What are you talking about.”

“If this is all, then you’re dead right now.”

“You arrogant bitch, what nonsense are you spouting!”

Darentz moved without a sound, closing in instantly to slash her throat. That was what he thought as he thrust his dagger——

Cheng!

With a sharp metallic clang, his attack was blocked. Darentz started to launch another strike but froze.

“What the……”

Marika hadn’t moved an inch.

It wasn’t her that had blocked him. Something else had stopped his dagger before it touched her.

Darentz’s face was filled with disbelief.

A dagger floated in midair. From its blade extended a glowing blue aura blade.

“That’s impossible……”

Darentz blinked several times, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him.

But it wasn’t an illusion. The shining dagger still hovered before him.

Cold sweat ran down his back.

Because all around him…… dozens of radiant daggers were rising into the air.