Translator: AkazaTL
Pr/Ed: Sol IX
***
Chapter 60 : In The Battlefield (1)
“Bosmaaaaan!”
“A…… Ah…… Father?”
Did he hear Beverick’s voice? Bosman’s massive body, which was lying limp as if dead, wriggled bit by bit.
Seeing his son rolling on the ground, a bloodcurdling scream eventually burst from Beverick’s mouth.
“How can there be such lawless bastards! Even if you take a prisoner, there is such a thing as courtesy! Bosman, my son!”
Looking at Beverick jumping up and down in rage, Helkane bit his lip.
‘I kept silent fearing this.’
There was concern that the already hasty Beverick would act even more recklessly if he found out about Bosman’s injury.
So Helkane had kept this quiet.
However, that fact was revealed at the worst timing.
Of course, Beverick was well aware that Bosman was held as a prisoner.
But inwardly, he believed there would be no major injuries on Bosman’s body.
He had believed that Reichart would cherish his son, if only to use him as a negotiation card later.
But far from receiving VIP treatnt, his son, whom he wouldn't mind putting in his eye because it wouldn't hurt, was wriggling on the dusty ground with one hand cut off?
“What are you doing? Not imdiately rescuing my son from those vulgar bastards!”
Beverick pressed the knights with eyes full of bloodshot veins.
“We will obey the Commander’s order. Charge!”
“Hiyah!”
And just when the knights at the very front were about to leave the camp,
“It cannot be done.”
“Sir Helkane! Can’t you step aside right now! We are obeying the Commander’s order!”
The commander who was just about to charge glared at Helkane, but Helkane stood his ground without caring and shouted.
“It is the enemies’ low-level luring tactic! You must not go!”
“Can’t you step aside right now! Are you saying my son’s pitiful state over there is not visible in your eyes, Sir!”
“Your Excellency! Excitent is forbidden on the battlefield. Getting swept up in such an obviously visible luring tactic will only increase our allies’ damage!”
“Hmph! Do you take for a fool, Sir! I have also already prepared for the enemies’ luring tactics. So hurry up and step aside!”
Recalling the troops that executed the flanking ambush operation following his order last night, Beverick spoke in a triumphant voice.
“What are you doing! Why are the left and right wing knight orders not deploying imdiately to crush those bastards!”
The 1,500-strong knight order Beverick brought was deployed with 500 each in the left wing, right wing, and center army.
Since 100 knights were drafted from each force last night to attempt the flanking ambush operation, if both wings sortie like this, only four hundred knights will remain in the main camp.
“Your Excellency! Absolutely not. If the executives of both wings deploy hastily, our main camp could be in danger!”
“What kind of nonsensical talk do you keep spouting! Think about the distance between the enemies and us. And the highest-ranking mage Reichart possesses is Bolpar, rely a 6th Circle user. Then even if troops are dispatched from their main camp, they will be observed, and our main force that is deployed would return, so why do you say our main camp becos dangerous?”
Although it was funny considering the appearance Beverick had shown so far, his protest was correct at a glance.
To execute an extraordinary maneuvering operation on the battlefield, a mage’s assistance was essential.
However, Reichart did not possess many competent mages.
In Beverick’s view, it was clear there would be limits to executing a surprise attack operation.
“No. Your Excellency. In the Reichart camp, there is a mage recruited from the previous battle with the Sub-Dragon. Until precise information about that mage’s realm is revealed, we must not act hastily.”
“Hmph! Didn’t they say that female mage or whatever just passed 20 years old?”
“Although her appearance is so, in the Sub-Dragon war, she used extraordinary magic-!”
“That must have been good luck. Are you saying you will miss the opportunity that ca to us because you are scared of a 20-year-old girl right now, Sir?”
Despite Helkane’s persuasion, Beverick’s prejudice was stupidly solid.
“Your Excellency! If you insist, please give the left wing knight order. I will lead them……!”
“Eeeek, can’t you shut up! What do you intend to do with rely four hundred knights, a coward who abandoned my son and ca back! If a scratch even appears on my son’s body while doing that, will you take responsibility, Sir?!”
If it were the usual Helkane, he would have backed down around here.
Because the mont he confird Bosman’s appearance, Beverick was not in a state capable of normal judgnt.
However…….
‘This is not right. It cannot be like this!’
An instinct close to intuition was warning that sothing was going wrong.
That was why he was clinging on so persistently.
“Hey, hey. What to do? That person called your father only hesitates and doesn't seem to have the heart to save you?”
Just then, sothing happened that turned Beverick’s last remaining patience into dust.
“Ah shit, just heavily dirty and useless! Maggot-like bastard. Eat this!”
Pierce reached out, lifted up the wriggling Bosman like an earthworm, and struck Bosman’s plump left cheek with his gauntleted hand.
Pop!
Bosman’s lip, caught between the steel gauntlet, burst.
Three or four white teeth spewed out from between those lips scattered into the air.
“Sortie! The left and right wings sortie imdiately and cut off all the heads of those beast-like bastards!”
At that mont, Beverick’s patience also beca completely zero.
“Your Excellency! It cannot be done. Please, my words…….”
“Shut up! If you hinder from going to save my son one more ti, I will break your neck first!”
Eventually, Beverick kicked the commander’s seat, ca out, and grabbed Helkane’s neck.
And drawing his sword, he shouted.
“Knights of both wings, sortie imdiately! If there is anyone hesitating, I will cut his neck first!”
At the sortie order close to coercion by Beverick, the knights of both wings pulled their horses' reins in unison.
Hiii-ing!
Helkane rely watched the backs of the knights leaving the military camp with a devastated expression.
“Bastards, being so damn slow, can you even lick our tails? Kuhaha!”
Pierce burst into hearty laughter toward the Subjugation Force knights charging at him, then hoisted Bosman onto his shoulder.
“Hiyah!”
And then he began to retreat toward the Reichart main camp.
***
Dudududu-
A mont later, a chase unfolded between the two military camps.
Three hundred retreating Haken and eight hundred pursuers chasing behind them.
Was it because they had already run a considerable distance a while ago?
The distance between the two forces narrowed little by little.
Watching that sight, Beverick clenched his fist tight.
‘Done! Just need to catch up a little more now!’
In fact, the reckless confidence Beverick showed a while ago was not completely groundless.
Actually, victory or defeat in wars of this era was ultimately decided by the level of knights and mages possessed, and their numbers.
Soldiers were rely tools needed to maintain formation, handle the situation before and after, and perform direct occupation tasks.
The ones who thrust swords into the enemy’s heart were mana users.
‘According to the spies’ report, other knight orders excluding Hein that guy’s Royal Guard Knight Order are out on expeditions in other regions. Ultimately, regarding the number of knights possessed, I am overwhelmingly advantageous.’
Beverick’s confidence, which was already soaring toward the sky.
“We were waiting!”
“Dogs of Reichart who betrayed Your Majesty’s grace! We will condemn you!”
It reached its peak the mont the three hundred knights who executed the ambush operation last night blocked Haken’s retreat path.
“Hiiing!”
Seeing the Subjugation Force knight order rushing out from the forest and blocking the retreat path, Haken hurriedly stopped their horses.
Haken, already nurically inferior, ended up surrounded front and back in an instant.
“Now is the ti, proud warriors of His Majesty! You must absolutely not forgive those wicked rebellious groups!”
Enemy forces are three hundred, friendly forces are eight hundred. On top of that, troops blocking the enemy’s retreat are another three hundred.
At this level, convinced that only grinding the enemy remained, the Commander-in-Chief of the Subjugation Force jumped up and down shouting.
And.
“Shall I ask a question?”
Another Commander-in-Chief who was similarly examining the battlefield situation—I, Hein Reichart—asked in a calm voice contrasting with Beverick.
“In your view, what level do you think my realm is?”
“Um…… That is.”
At my unexpected question, Ismael could not answer readily.
Thinking with common sense, it was reasonable to view my realm as just having passed the mid-6th Star level.
Because the realm I showed in the battle with the Sub-Dragon a while ago was about that level.
Even though I was showing a growth rate of a nonsensical level, surely I couldn't have crossed the wall of the 7th Star in that ti, right?
Reaching the realm of the 7th Star from the 6th Star required dozens of tis more effort than becoming 6th Star from 5th Star.
Would the alias referring to a 7th Star knight be ‘Superhuman’ for no reason?
“…….”
However, Ismael could not easily answer about my realm.
For so reason, the thought that arbitrarily judging his liege’s realm with his own judgnt was rude kept occurring to him.
“That’s a relief.”
Looking at Ismael who rarely couldn't answer, I suddenly smiled.
“If you, who watched by my side all this ti, still do not know my exact realm, their surprise will be even greater.”
“Commander?”
“I prepared a surprise gift after a long ti, so it would be disappointing if the reaction is lackluster, right?”
I got off the black horse I was riding, took out the family sword tied to the saddle, and tied it to my waist as I spoke.
“You lead the remaining mbers and join the isolated mbers.”
“I will obey the order. Commander!”
As Ismael bowed his head, the 200 or so Haken lined up behind him bowed their heads in unison.
“A person I knew quite a long ti ago said this.”
I turned my body in the exact opposite direction to Ismael and the Haken Knight Order as I spoke.
“That a 7th Star knight alone can decide the direction of a war.”
Chaaeng-
As I drew Axion, a sharp light soon emitted from Axion’s blade.
With a smile slightly cooler than the light, I spoke in a low voice.
“Let’s test whether those words are true or not.”
***
“Waaaaah!”
Perhaps because the Commander who should be an example was heavily excited, the Subjugation Force’s tent was a crucible of excitent.
This was no exception for the center army knights who were given the mission to guard the main camp; they were running wild as if they themselves were engaged in the chase.
“Good! Just smash them completely!”
Finally, the mont the Subjugation Force was about to execute the siege warfare on Haken, their excitent reached its peak.
Trudge.
Thanks to that, the center army knight did not even notice a black-haired knight approaching his side.
“Is it that fun?”
“What-! Who are you?”
The knight, belatedly realizing the uninvited guest’s existence, snorted.
Because the Reichart emblem was engraved on the black-haired young man’s breastplate.
The knight thought the black-haired young man was a Reichart knight who followed Helkane and surrendered to the Nobles’ Alliance.
“Hmph! Why do you want to watch a bit too? But what to do? Looking at it, the Young Master you serve has been restless since a while ago.”
The knight spitting out sarcasm was from a branch family of the Alphonse family.
The knight believed without doubt that he had the right to ridicule Reichart with just that fact alone.
“……?”
However, before the Alphonse knight could even spit out all the sarcasm, a dazzling flash burst out.
“Uh!”
The first thing seen was light.
The next thing seen was a thin line drawn diagonally across his upper body.
Next was a stream of blood seeping out from between the thin line.
And next was…….
“Kkeuk!”
Nothing was visible.
“What! Aaargh!”
“E-Enem- kkeuk!”
Before the shout that there was a surprise attack even finished, one upper body and two heads of knights composing the center army were cut off.
“Surpri- keuk!”
“Enemy! Kkuek!”
I clearly revealed that I had appeared on the battlefield with two swords.
“Uaargh!”
The center army knights had no choice but to announce the enemy’s surprise attack not with whistles or promised signals, but with severed heads soaring into the air.
“W-What! What happened!”
“Your Excellency, the enemy has ambushed!”
Beverick, who was focusing his gaze on the battlefield hoping Bosman would be rescued as soon as possible, made a startled expression.
“How-how many in total are the personnel attacking our forces? What is Randolph, who is operating the strike team, doing?”
“T-That is, because it is such a sudden surprise attack, the enemy’s scale is not being grasped. And Sir Randolph is…….”
“Randolph is?”
“……Already killed in action.”
Beverick was appalled.
Because the death of the strike team commander ant the surprise attack response system had completely collapsed.
To succeed in a surprise attack aningful to this extent, at least one hundred personnel would have to be mobilized.
However, to do that, a high-ranking mage’s assistance was essential.
Did those guys possibly have a hidden high-ranking mage?
“F-First, tell Mason to lead the knight order and block the guys who ambushed!”
Beverick, who couldn't even imagine that the personnel attempting the surprise attack was just a single person, hurriedly gave a response order.
However,
“Your Excellency, Sir Mason who was deployed to the left wing sortied a while ago to follow Your Excellency’s order.”
At the sudden urgent report, the Subjugation Force commanders including Beverick were just running around in confusion.
There was no way Beverick, who had already lost his cool, would have the judgnt to handle the current situation.
Alphonse’s main camp, with over a thousand knights missing, looked far too empty.
“Aaargh!”
“S-Save…….”
And at the end of the commanders’ continuous incompetence, what unfolded in the Subjugation Force camp was a picture of hell.
Crunch- Clang!
The knight’s sword that clashed with the sword I swung shortly shattered with spiderweb-like cracks.
“Kruk…….”
The head behind the broken blade also rolled on the ground.
Thwack!
The knight swinging a dagger aiming for my ankle, as I floated my body in the air, rolled over with his chin kicked just like that, and-
Thud!
-I plunged my sword deep into the fallen knight’s abdon without hesitation.
Squish!
From the knight’s abdon pierced by Axion along with the armor, a stream of blood mixed with visceral fat surged up.
“U-U-Uaaah!”
A scream filled with terror burst from the mouth of another knight covered in the bursting blood.
“S-Save . Please…….”
The panicked knight was busy waving his hands, forgetting even the basic fact that he should block the front by lifting his sword.
Slice.
Another head ended up separated from the torso like that.
Clatter!
Neigh-!
Mixed with the screams the knights were vomiting, the sound of horses’ hooves and rough snorting mixed in.
However, I threw the family sword in the direction the sound ca from without even turning my gaze.
Whoosh-
Thud!
The sword laden with blade aura flew through the air with light-like speed.
“Kruk-”
The sword pierced the knight attempting a lance charge riding a huge black horse simultaneously with the horse.
The knight trembled once and then hardened on the spot like a statue.
“U-Uyah!”
“D-Die!”
Did they think it was an opportunity seeing the left hand that was holding the family sword empty?
Two knights surrounding gripped their weapons simultaneously and rushed in.
Crunch-
Soon, one had his jaw crushed by the elbow swung by who lightly ducked and straightened my body, and-
“Uh, uh!”
-the remaining one ended up in a state of screaming while struggling with his whole body, his helt caught by my left hand.
Thick tendons stood out on the back of my left hand gripping the helt.
Creak-
The iron helt the knight was wearing crumpled like a sheet of paper and pressured the knight’s glabella.
“Ah…… Ah…….”
The knight vomited a suppressed scream for a mont and struggled with his whole body.
Crunch.
But a mont later.
The knight’s struggle subsided like a lie.
Drip.
Liquid emitting a foul sll flowed down from inside the helt.
Trudge, trudge.
I, roaming the battlefield unopposed, pulled out the family sword I threw a while ago just like that.
Then, spinning the sword once in the air, I swung it diagonally toward the rear flank just like that.
Clang!!
Since I jumped into the Subjugation Force center army camp, the loudest roar burst out.
“Keuk!”
In the spot where the roar subsided, the figure of a white-clad knight competing in strength with while gripping the sword handle with both hands was seen.
“Ha!”
Feeling a competitive spirit at the appearance of an opponent who received my sword strike for the first ti, I let out an exclamation once and swung Axion’s blade widely.
Squish!
Then a fountain of blood burst from another knight’s breastplate.
The knight collapsed vainly as if that was a predetermined fate.
Grind-
Was his pride hurt by my appearance committing a massacre with an indifferent expression even while clashing swords with him?
The white-clad knight bit his lip tight and applied strength to both hands.
Soon, intense sparks flew between the two touching swords.
Toward the white-clad knight looking at revealing hostility as fierce as those sparks, I spoke in a cold voice.
“Long ti no see. Helkane.”
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