The night deepened.
Around 300 soldiers arrived at the Imperial Army’s camp.
It was the Imperial Second Seat, Haigelt, along with the strongest mercenary group in the Empire, the Hollow, personally led by him.
Haigelt towered at least 2 meters tall, sporting a warrior-like face that radiated a fierce impression. A noticeable scar from a blade crossed over his right eyebrow.
Duke Yuma observed Haigelt through the Search Eye.
[Lv.145] Haigelt
Race: Human
Alignment: Neutral-Good
Class: Swordsman
Level: Sword Master
A whopping level of 145.
“God of War… I’ve heard a lot about you, Grand Duke.”
Haigelt extended a thick hand, rough as if it were a testament to someone who had traversed the battlefield with every weapon imaginable. Yuma felt a relentless determination in the warrior’s eyes.
“How about we grab a hearty meal together once this war is over?”
Along with that fierce gaze, he also sensed a certain innocence.
“…Sure.”
Yuma grasped that hefty hand.
Haigelt grinned.
“What would you like my mercenary group and me to do on the battlefield tomorrow? Just give the orders, as you are the commander here.”
Before having deep talks with Cassiela, the leader of the Dawn Revolutionary Army, Yuma recalled the strategic meeting he had with Marquis Tornel, the three of them discussing where reinforcements were lacking and what must be seized for victory.
“We need to retake the southern walls.”
“Understood.”
And so another night passed, giving way to dawn.
Yuma gazed at the legion arrayed before him.
A legion close to 30,000, tightly lined with soldiers and knights.
He had never intended to stand on this commanding platform.
– Even as a Grand Duke, would it not be right to say something?
He had only stepped up due to Marquis Tornel’s request.
Yuma felt the numerous eyes on him. He sensed the atmosphere of the legion. No matter how hard he tried to shake it off, there was an inescapable feeling of defeat that had infected the entire force.
They hadn’t won; they had merely regained what they had lost yesterday.
Step, step.
Standing on the platform, Yuma met the gaze of countless soldiers. He slowly opened his mouth.
He didn’t have the confidence to give a long, meaningful speech. He lacked the ability to inspire their fighting spirit like magic. So he planned to say whatever he could.
He couldn’t muster the confidence to inspire them. So he just planned to say what he could.
“The Grand Marshal of the Empire, Yuma.”
Yuma.
The two characters of that name were etched into the minds of the soldiers lined up in formation.
And then one figure came to mind.
God of War, Yuma.
“So those crazy bastards weren’t just talking nonsense!”
A flurry of words erupted from between the soldiers. The knights were receiving reports about who was above the former Commander-in-Chief, Marquis Tornel.
But only about half of the regular soldiers had received that news.
At this moment, the people they learned about from their own mouths were just half.
“Is it true that the God of War has come as our Grand Marshal?!”
“Is it true that he wiped out 30 men with just a single gesture yesterday?!”
The fact that the most famous person in the empire had become their Grand Marshal naturally boosted morale.
Yuma, unaware of the sudden lift in the troops’ spirits, continued to speak.
“Today, the Empire will achieve victory. Don’t doubt it for a second.”
At that declaration, all the soldiers shouted loudly in cheers.
Yuma had one more line to add.
It was a request from a revolutionary leader.
“For the Empire!”
And as soon as those words ended, a voice echoed from the front of the lined-up soldiers, just like Yuma’s shout.
“For the Empire!!”
In just a day, the revolutionary group, known as the Dawn, became heroes among the soldiers. And that shout spread like a wave.
Yuma stepped down from the platform.
Clop, clop—
Yuma fixed his gaze on the black horse before him.
It was the military horse prepared by Marquis Tornel.
“This one’s called Hector. He’s a rough one, but once he’s tamed, he’ll be fiercely loyal.”
Whether taming him was even possible was the big question.
Yuma decided to revive the feeling of riding in the VR game “Loop Blood.”
He slowly mounted the horse.
“Let’s go.”
He gently tugged on the reins.
Clop—
Hector’s hooves, which had stopped momentarily, began to move again.
“You seem to be getting the hang of it….”
Tornel followed alongside Yuma on his own horse. Behind the two, an army of thirty thousand followed.
The plains.
Two national armies stood on the plains.
Yuma felt the heat of the blazing sun on his body.
The thirty thousand troops stared at each other. The air of the battlefield was oppressively thick. The eyes of the Pineon Warriors, brandishing their weapons, glimmered with madness. The tension soared like it would pierce the sky.
The air was thick with tension. Madness flickered in the eyes of the weapon-wielding Pineon Warriors. Their rage surged as if to pierce the sky.
Conqueror King Kament stepped forward, his brown hair flowing like a lion’s mane.
His thick eyebrows twitched.
“Oh ho, a face I’ve never seen before.”
Duke Yuma stared at Kament.
[Lv.146] Kament
Race: Human
Skill Level: Sword Master
Trait: Mixed Blood of the Lion Tribe
Note: The mixed blood element of the Lion Tribe can create variables.
Even Marquis Tornel ranked higher than the Imperial Second Seat, Haigelt.
He certainly possessed the aura and strength worthy of being called a Conqueror King.
Kament raised his sword high above his shoulder.
“I am Kament, the king of Pineon.”
Yuma slowly opened his mouth.
“Imperial battlefield Grand Marshal, Yuma.”
A grin spread across Kament’s face.
The spark in his eyes intensified.
“So, you’re that God of War? The monster who swept my men from the ridgeline in an instant?”
Yuma nodded while atop Hector.
“That’s right.”
A red aura enveloped Kament’s massive sword.
“Do you know why I continue conquering this land?”
“I don’t.”
To be precise, he didn’t care.
“Because conquest is righteous. To conquer, to claim others’ possessions as my own. That alone fulfills my desire.”
Kugugugu!!!
The aura spilled from Kament’s entire being. The fierce spirit unique to the Lion Tribe flowed wildly. The bodies of the Imperial Soldiers and Knights lined up before him trembled under that force.
[Noble Dignity]
– Does not submit to pressure.
Yuma calmly allowed that aura to wash over him.
Kament unleashed an even more intense pressure at Yuma’s uninterested gaze.
Kament’s fierce aura didn’t just scare the Imperial forces.
Pressure begets pressure.
Heross, the deputy commander of Marquis Tornel’s order, shouted.
“Damn savages!! The knights of the great Astes Empire will not give a single grain of land to beasts like you!!”
The bald man beside Kament grinned, revealing yellow teeth.
“Brother, do we just stand here while he spouts nonsense? My body is itching for action!”
That was Darkus, Kament’s right-hand man. Kament raised his sword at Darkus’s words.
“Show me the strength of the savages! KHAHAHAHAHA!”
The Conqueror King’s shout echoed thunderously across the land.
Darkus was the first to charge in. The ground began to tremble. Darkus raised his spear and commanded the horses to stampede.
Kugugugugu!!
The Barbarian army and the Imperial army clashed.
The sound of hooves resounded loudly.
Countless cold weapons, enveloped in aura, bared their teeth at each other.
Every time the weapons of the captain-level knights and warriors collided, a storm of energy raged.
The Imperial swords defending their land clashed again with the Barbarian spears aiming to plunder the enemy territory.
*
The southern walls, occupied by the Barbarians.
The Imperial army approached those walls.
Leading the front was Haigelt, the Imperial Second Seat, commanding the mercenary group Hollow.
The rear was held by the Dawn Revolutionary Army.
Hestia climbed the southern walls like a beast.
Being a Cat-Folk, it was no special difficulty for her. Hestia’s sword sparkled as she crossed over the wall.
A flash sliced through the necks of the barbarian warriors.
Determined to slay her foes, she could swing her hand without hesitation.
“Haap!”
Red light flickered along Hestia’s sword. Following her lead, members of the Hollow mercenary group began their infiltration.
“Well, I guess since they are the noble Imperial army, they take Barbarian sorcery far too lightly. Heh heh.”
A raspy voice, sounding like a cough, wormed its way into Hestia’s ears.
“Eh?”
Hestia stared at the glowing round gray mud beneath her feet.
Gray chains wrapped around her ankles.
And in the air, a spear made of red bone aimed at Hestia.
No, it was aimed at all the Imperial army soldiers behind her. It looked like over a hundred of those [Bone Spears].
Swaaaash!!
The red bone spears plummeted fiercely.
“Hooeck!”
Hestia felt death creeping up on her once again!
Then something shot up from the ground.
A translucent ice barrier. The shield of frost.
All the Bone Spears were blocked completely.
Hestia turned to look back.
There stood Cloney, the mage, who had climbed the wall and cast her spell.
From the staff Cloney held, lightning shot out.
“Kraaaack!”
The lightning pierced through the body of the sorcerer.
Magical light glimmered in Cloney’s eyes.
Having achieved the 4th Circle, she was now vaguely eyeing the 5th Circle.
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