800 chapter - The Goal Is the Imperial Capital (2)
800 chapter - The Goal Is the Imperial Capital (2)
Viscount Horento swallowed hard.
No matter how calmly he tried to act, deceiving the eyes of a superhuman was proving impossible.
Well, if he couldn’t even sense someone’s tension, would he still be called a superhuman?
Suddenly, Count Braxian’s nickname came to mind.
“The Ruthless Mad Dog.”
Count Braxian had been born a ruined noble.
Starting from the very bottom, he had clawed his way up without sparing any means.
In the end, he ascended to the rank of superhuman, grasping both wealth and honor. But it was said that the number of people he had killed along the way could fill a river.
Even so, he had been blocked from rising further by nobles who used his humble origins as an excuse to keep him in check. For him, this great war was nothing less than the chance of a lifetime.
Such a man could never be oblivious. He would latch on to even the smallest slip.
'He’s suspicious. He’s already suspicious.'
Horento wanted to spur his horse and put distance between them. He wanted to cry out for Braxian to attack the Julien Mercenary Corps.
But behind him was another mad superhuman—Ghislain. That was far more terrifying.
If he wanted to live, he had to somehow get through this crisis.
He steadied himself and forced a stern expression.
“Yes, I admit I’m a little tense. With these grim ranks of soldiers standing on both sides, how could I not be? That’s just human instinct, isn’t it? And I’m no military man.”
“Hmm…”
“And besides, the Imperial Army has just failed its mission. I too will have to take responsibility. Wouldn’t it be stranger if I were perfectly at ease?”
Horento acted with all the strength he had left. It was nothing short of a desperate struggle to survive.
Of course, deep down, he wanted to shout right now for Braxian to cut the mercenaries down.
Even so, his words had reason.
Count Braxian nodded.
“I understand what you’re saying. But there is something a little strange.”
“Then speak quickly. Don’t you realize how serious it is to delay an Imperial messenger?”
“I know well. So I’ll say it.”
Braxian looked Horento and the mercenaries over once more before continuing.
“Not long ago, I heard something interesting.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Several years ago, in our kingdom, some cooks and servants were kidnapped by a dragon. They returned just a few days ago.”
“…”
“And so our kingdom was able to learn quite a bit about the Julien Mercenary Corps. A curious coincidence, really.”
“W-What coincidence?”
With a cold look in his eyes, Braxian pointed at the mercenaries.
“Other than you, viscount… the number of them matches exactly what those people saw.”
“What nonsense? The number reported to us by the Empire was clearly—”
“No. The Julien Mercenary Corps’s numbers differ from the Empire’s first report. We know the truth.”
The Empire’s information had excluded Marika and her subordinates—because Darentz, fearing the Pope’s punishment, had concealed the truth.
So the Empire never had an accurate count.
But the Snowbur Kingdom had gotten it recently. Their cooks and servants had given them the exact numbers.
Of course, they hadn’t thought it important enough to share. After all, the mercenaries would just be killed by the Imperial Army as soon as they landed.
But Count Braxian had remembered, and compared the two.
“Hkk.”
Startled, Horento hiccuped. He clutched his chest and stammered,
“T-That’s absurd! Do you think it makes sense for me to be traveling with the Julien Mercenary Corps? Do you take Marquis Pherington and ten thousand Imperial soldiers for fools?”
From a common-sense perspective, it was impossible. Horento seized on that point.
Even if that very impossibility was unfolding right before them.
Count Braxian’s lips twisted into a grin.
“I know. It doesn’t make sense. But the world is full of things I don’t know, isn’t it? So wait here a while.”
“Wait? You dare detain an Imperial messenger?”
“I’ll send my knights to the Imperial Army to confirm. It won’t take long.”
“What! At such a critical time, you’d do this? Even for a superhuman, do you think you can bear the responsibility?”
Horento pressed hard. Even a superhuman couldn’t lightly oppose the Empire.
But Count Braxian was not easily cowed.
“I’ll take that responsibility. Escort the viscount to a safe place.”
Clank, clank.
Several knights stepped out of formation and moved toward Horento.
Horento turned a stricken face toward Ghislain. Without realizing it, he muttered,
“W-What should I do?”
The words had left his lips—there was no taking them back.
Count Braxian’s brow furrowed, and his hand moved to his sword.
At the same time, Ghislain spoke.
“Break through.”
Kwaaaang!
Ghislain instantly charged at Count Braxian.
His sword flashed, drawn in a heartbeat, and swung for Braxian’s neck.
Kaaang!
Braxian blocked it—he had been ready. He bared his teeth in a grin.
“The Julien Mercenary Corps?”
“That’s right.”
“Then I’ve already earned my glory.”
Count Braxian was truly overjoyed.
The Julien Mercenary Corps was a treasure chest the entire continent coveted.
If he captured them, the Pope would shower him with praise, and he would rise even higher.
How they had slipped from the Imperial Army’s grasp, and why Horento had been taken—he didn’t know.
But now that they were here, the mercenaries were as good as dead.
Braxian swung his sword fiercely at Ghislain and roared,
“Kill them all! Leave none alive!”
The Sacred Stones could be found on their corpses. Surely they had them.
If they had made it this far without carrying them, that would make no sense at all.
Kwaaang!
Ghislain’s sword clashed with Braxian’s again, shockwaves rippling out.
The Snowbur army surged forward, spears thrusting at the mercenaries. Their encirclement let them react with terrifying speed.
At that moment, black shadows flickered around the Julien Mercenary Corps.
Flaaash!
Death Knights appeared, summoned in an instant, and blocked the soldiers’ assault.
Julien and Kyle charged to the front, their swords slashing wide.
Kwaaaang!
“Guaaahhh!”
The soldiers in their path screamed and fell.
Immediately, Ereneth called forth spirits, while Marika unleashed dozens of flying daggers to strike at all sides.
Bang! Bang! Baaang!
In moments, a path began to open. The mercenaries didn’t stop—they only charged forward.
They didn’t spare a thought for their flanks or rear. Ghislain had told them to break through, so that’s what they did.
Viscount Horento was wedged against Osvald’s side.
Trembling, he shut his eyes tight.
'Please, just let me live…'
He had hoped someone would realize—but not like this. He had wanted to be safe first.
But now Count Braxian had ordered them all to be slaughtered.
His only hope was for the mercenaries to break through alive.
The Snowbur troops swarmed in, trying to block the charge.
“Catch them!”
“Don’t let them slip past!”
“Block them with your bodies if you must!”
Pressed from every side like this, not even the Julien Mercenary Corps would find it easy—especially not while still worn out from before.
Then, in midair, black smoke coalesced, and Naktura appeared.
“Haa… This damned mercenary corps. You guys are incredible, you know that? Are you insane?”
They fought nonstop, without pause. It was enough to drive him wild with delight.
The Julien Mercenary Corps had to live long. That was the only way this bliss could continue.
Naktura raised his staff and pointed carefully forward.
Kwaaang!
A bolt of lightning struck the kingdom army camp blocking the mercenaries’ path.
For a moment, a gap opened. Julien and Kyle rushed forward again, cutting down the soldiers.
Naktura’s barrage of lightning spells rained down on the battlefield.
Baaang! Baaang! Baaang!
Each time a bolt fell, the kingdom soldiers turned to ash. And with each strike, the Julien Mercenary Corps’s speed only increased.
The enemy mages scrambled to raise mana barriers, but they were fewer in number than the Imperial Army’s had been.
There wasn’t even a single 7th-circle mage. Six-circle was the highest. So their barriers could only slightly weaken the lightning.
The soldiers swarming in from the sides were held back by Death Knights. Those undead didn’t care about being wounded; all they did was shield the mercenaries.
And when a breach appeared, Ereneth’s spirits filled the gap and stopped the advance.
It was flawless coordination, but the sheer number of enemy troops meant gaps kept opening again and again.
The kingdom commanders and knights pounced on those openings.
“Target the horses! Kill the mounts first!”
Neighhh!
Several mercenaries’ horses were finally brought down by spears.
The riders leapt to their feet, swinging their swords, but were quickly surrounded by waves of soldiers.
They needed to keep up with Julien and Kyle breaking through the front, but the wall of bodies had blocked them off.
That was the terror of encirclement.
The Julien Mercenary Corps had always tried to avoid being surrounded—but this time, they had walked straight into the middle of the enemy from the start.
Naktura quickly hurled spells to the sides, opening space again. But in that short time, the front had filled with fresh troops.
“Tsk, if only I could just wipe them all out at once.”
He muttered with frustration.
This wasn’t like fighting the Imperial Army. Now he had to be careful not to sweep up his own allies in the blasts.
A single mistake could see them trapped again. And his new master looked every bit as short-tempered as a dragon.
Another problem—his mana was running out.
“Damn it… If I’d known, I would’ve conserved a little back then.”
In the battle with the Imperials, he had blasted spells nonstop, clashing head-on with their mana barriers, burning through even more mana to resist their holy power.
It would take days to replenish, but he hadn’t had that chance. Of course he was running low.
And the longer this dragged on, the more problems cropped up.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Arrows rained down from behind, aimed at Naktura.
“Grhhk… these worthless mortals…”
He was enraged. Every arrow that struck him burned more mana.
And now the enemy mages, realizing barriers were useless, poured all their mana into attacking him as well.
Boom! Thunk! Tatatatang! Kwooom!
Each impact drained him further.
Furious, Naktura roared,
“You ignorant mortals who know not fear! I shall carve true terror [N O V E L I G H T] into your very souls!”
But in truth, there was nothing more he could do now.
He focused only on conserving mana and shielding the mercenaries.
Thunk! Thunk! Kwooom!
Taking blow after blow, he muttered through clenched teeth,
“Just wait… I will never forget this humiliation…”
Everyone was exhausted, weaker than they’d been against the Imperial Army. Their pace slowed, their breakthrough faltering.
As the encirclement tightened and danger closed in—
A clear, radiant voice rang out. Deneb’s voice, lifted in prayer.
“O Goddess, beneath Your blessing we know no fear. With walls of light, shield us steadfastly, that within them our breath shall not falter.”
Flaaash!
Blinding light burst forth from her body.
Divine power was a force of protection. With it, allies could be shielded from attack.
And when that force spread wide—
“W-What is this!”
“A wall! A wall of light just appeared!”
“She’s insane! Deneb’s insane!”
The mercenaries shouted in awe.
On both flanks, towering walls of radiant light rose, blocking the kingdom soldiers’ assault.
The shining walls stretched endlessly. Soldiers trapped inside with the mercenaries had no idea what was happening before they were struck down.
Even the Death Knights shielding the corps burned in the holy radiance, their movements slowing.
The soldiers outside the walls panicked, striking desperately at the glowing barrier.
Bang! Baaang! Bang!
“What is this! What the hell is this!”
“You’re telling me divine power can do this?”
“This big? No way! It’s impossible!”
They had known divine power could block strong attacks—but never had they imagined such colossal walls.
Kyle swung his sword with wild glee.
“Did you see that? This is the Saintess’s power! Kneel, all of you!”
Inside the glowing barrier, only a handful of enemy troops remained.
Julien and Kyle tore through them at breakneck speed, while the speechless mercenaries followed close behind.
They might have been dumbstruck, but they were already beyond ordinary knights in skill. Escaping this place would not be a problem.
Above, Naktura shuddered and tried to climb higher into the air. The waves of holy power were reaching him now.
“Ghh… What kind of divine power is this…”
Not even in the great war of ages past had anyone but the Pope displayed such power.
“Is she really a saintess? Damn… these bastards are such a nuisance!”
But he couldn’t climb further. Enemy mages, disrupting his mana, dragged him down while pelting him with spells.
Weakened by his losses, he could hardly remain aloft.
So Naktura slipped away, fleeing along the path carved by divine light. If he stayed, he might truly be dragged down.
“Miserable mortals… be grateful for the fortune granted you today. One day I shall return to this place and show you the terror left unfinished…”
He had to get the last word in. That was simply his nature.
The Death Knights had taken some damage, but thanks to Deneb, the mercenaries broke the encirclement and surged forward.
The distance between them and the kingdom army widened rapidly.
Then Deneb, pale-faced, swayed atop her horse.
Whish!
Marika darted forward and caught her before she could fall, pulling her onto her own mount.
No matter how fast Deneb’s divine power had been growing, producing such a phenomenon wasn’t easy.
She had unleashed too much at once, and her body couldn’t withstand it.
Marika held the sagging Deneb tight, then shot a sharp glare at Lionel.
“Lionel, get a grip.”
“Y-Yeah. You’re right. Sorry.”
His duty was to protect Deneb.
Yet even while closest to her, he had failed to react. His thoughts were too tangled, his mind adrift.
Marika sighed at the sight.
'I understand what you’re feeling…'
The shock must have been immense. But losing himself even in such a critical moment only endangered them all.
Didn’t he realize such feelings only made him weaker?
Marika said no more. Nagging wouldn’t fix it.
'He has to realize it himself.'
She focused only on clutching Deneb and riding on.
Dududududu!
The Julien Mercenary Corps widened the gap with the enemy. The dismounted mercenaries had already mounted up behind others.
At this rate, they would escape safely.
The Death Knights, weakened by the divine power, had vanished.
But not everyone had escaped yet.
Ereneth kept glancing back as she rode.
'Ghislain…'
He had stayed behind, facing a superhuman alone for their sake. Now the soldiers who had failed to catch the others would surely descend on him.
Ereneth swallowed her urge to turn back again and again.
'Endure. Ghislain will make it out. He always does.'
If she returned, exhausted as she was, she would be no help—only a burden.
When Ghislain said “break through,” that was always the right answer. It always had been.
But even as they fled, the mercenaries could not shake their worry for him.
No matter how strong he was, the situation looked dire.
And Ghislain, bearing all their concern, was—
Clang! Baaang! Kaga-ga-ga-gang!
“Oh, not bad. The superhumans of this era really do give me a good fight.”
—fighting Count Braxian, grinning with excitement.