Chapter 262: Trust Me, I’ll Lead the Way. (1)
“Waaaah!”
The Hunter suddenly caught and thrown screamed.
The Fortress’s Castle Wall is pretty high. If he falls like this, he’ll be completely squished.
Thud.
But the Knight below caught him gently. The Hunter blushed and said.
“…Put me down.”
Whoosh!
The Knight quickly tossed the Hunter to the ground. It wasn’t because he was freaked out. Hunters were falling down non-stop.
“Uaaaaah!”
“You crazy bastard! What the hell are you doing!”
“Are you trying to kill our allies?!”
Caught off guard by the sudden action, the Hunters couldn’t respond properly and fell.
The Knights below were used to such situations. They were busy catching and quickly tossing them aside.
Thud, thoom!
There was some shock, but thanks to the skilled Knights, the Hunters weren’t seriously injured. Instead, they sprang up upon seeing the approaching Monsters and assumed combat positions.
Ghislaine smiled at the sight.
“Well, I guess because they have experience, they recover quickly. Let’s hurry up, everyone.”
“W-wait! Don’t come near!”
“You’re a Monster! You’ve turned into a Monster!”
“The demon that will destroy the Fortress!”
The Hunters gaped in horror as they blamed Ghislaine. But she nonchalantly replied.
“Well, it’s part of the contract that you have to participate in combat outside the Fortress, right? Fight well from behind me.”
“Nooooooo!”
The contracted Hunters tried to run back, but the space was packed with other Hunters who had already rushed in.
Trapped, they were caught by Ghislaine and Kaor and continued to fall down. In the chaos, some random Hunters who had just come close got caught too.
“W-we’re not! We didn’t contract with you, you bastard!”
“Oops, sorry. Now that we’re down here, let’s fight together.”
Ghislaine really tossed nearly 300 Hunters down below. Naturally, there was pandemonium on the Castle Wall, and some Hunters attacked Ghislaine.
Whoosh! Bam!
Ghislaine grabbed all the Hunters lunging at her and threw them down as well. The skill gap was so large that no one could properly defend themselves.
“Let’s run away!”
“This guy is completely crazy!”
“Get out of the way! Move aside!”
The space on the Castle Wall was limited. As Hunters tried to avoid Ghislaine, they got tangled up in a mess.
Grant, who was watching the ridiculous scene, felt a furious heat rising to his head.
Monster Waves are dangerous. The Castle Wall doesn’t protect them well in battle against Monsters. That’s why damage was always high.
And yet, instead of banding together to block the Monsters, they’re causing infighting! This Fortress was done for.
“You madman! What the hell are you thinking! Are you planning to kill all our allies! Kill that bastard! Start with him!”
The Archers turned all their arrows towards Ghislaine. Before they could pull their bows, Ghislaine quickly moved and was right in front of Grant.
“Wake up. The Castle Wall can’t protect you. With that many Monsters, it’s better to go out and form a proper line and fight.”
“What, what?”
“I’ll give the orders. Archers, focus only on attacking the flying monsters and those coming from the outside. The monsters will only attack what’s in front of them. Me and those below will be the bait, so feel free to attack. Just don’t hit our allies. You can manage that, right?”
“You, you…”
“The rest will maintain formation and fight outside the fortress. I’ll break through the center with the knights and draw the attention of all the monsters.”
“What are you saying right now…?”
Seeing Grant’s flustered face, Ghislaine smirked slyly.
“You can’t fight properly on the castle walls. The enemy isn’t human. If you want to win, listen to me.”
Koooon!
“Lord!”
From below, the knights’ shouts could be heard. The monsters had come even closer.
There was no time to waste. Ghislaine jumped off the castle wall, speaking as he did.
“Trust me. I’ll lead the way.”
Kuwung!
As Ghislaine landed, the hunters who had fallen before him shot him resentful glances.
But they couldn’t fight him here. The monsters had approached right at their heels. Besides, there was no guarantee they could win in a fight against him anyway.
They had to either fight from a safe distance or wait for an opportunity to flee.
Ghislaine stepped forward, leading the charge.
“Open it.”
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The knights opened the large wooden boxes they had placed in front of them, spilling their contents onto the ground.
Inside the boxes were greatswords, spears, and swords packed tightly. Hundreds of weapons lay scattered chaotically on the floor.
Ghislaine glanced back and said, “Those who fell without weapons can pick up a few from here. I won’t charge you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he spread strands of mana all around.
Dududududu!
The air around him trembled.
The hunters below, as well as those watching from above, stared at Ghislaine in astonishment.
“W-what is that?”
“That guy was a mage?”
“Crazy, what the hell…”
Hundreds of spears that had fallen to the ground began to rise into the air.
The strands of mana were binding the spears together, but no one could grasp that. After all, there was no one who could actually use a technique like that, let alone even know of it.
The Knights of Penris were aware of such techniques, so they weren’t as shocked as the hunters. Ghislaine often demonstrated his ability to lift items or people with mana threads.
However, he had never shown the ability to lift so many weapons at once. The knights clicked their tongues in admiration.
‘He’s becoming a monster more and more.’
‘How can he get stronger every time I see him?’
‘His skills are insane.’
While it was astonishing to the observers, it was entirely natural for Ghislaine.
He was quickly regaining the skills of his past life through daily training without fail.
No matter how busy he was, he didn’t rest. Even if it meant cutting back on sleep, he never skipped his mana cultivation or meditation.
‘I must become stronger.’
He never stopped his efforts. If he stayed weak, many people would die.
‘There will be no second regrets.’
A sense of responsibility that tightly bound him.
That is why he was always stronger today than yesterday. And he would be stronger tomorrow.
Dududududu!
The spears floating in the air were all tinged with a red aura.
This technique wouldn’t work on those who had reached a certain level, but for the weak, it was an extremely effective mass slaughter technique.
In the past, even a single soldier’s strike would have fallen short. But as he grew stronger, the power contained in this technique increased as well.
Ghislaine adjusted the direction of the spear tips and smiled coolly.
“Let’s get started.”
Fwaaaaaam!
With a sound of bursting air, hundreds of spears shot out.
Puuuush!
Kraaaah!
The spear-like bolts pierced through the oncoming monsters. Hundreds of monsters charging forward were instantly skewered.
The tough-skinned or strong monsters survived the attack, but the relatively weaker ones fell down instantly.
“Let’s go.”
Ghislaine seized the moment when the monsters hesitated, brandishing his greatsword and charging forward.
Bang!
He split the nearest monster in half.
“Let’s go too!”
Kaor shouted as he followed behind. Watching Ghislaine, he felt both envy and inferiority.
‘We’re not that far apart in age, yet he’s that strong. I will, I will definitely… someday…’
He’s getting stronger, little by little. He’s sure to become even stronger. He will surpass Gillian and catch up to the Lord.
Kaor finally seized a firm life goal.
Crack!
He gritted his teeth and swung his greatsword, attacking the monsters. The Knights of Penris also charged out swinging their greatswords.
Aaah!
The momentum-filled monsters were momentarily stopped by dozens of knights wielding mana.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ghislaine led the way, mercilessly killing the monsters. Naturally, all the monsters’ gazes were focused on Ghislaine and the knights.
Kuaaah!
Kuwung! Kuwung!
As the relatively weak and fast small monsters were swept away, mid-sized and large monsters approached Ghislaine.
Crack!
A massive troll was split in half by Ghislaine’s greatsword.
No matter how tough-skinned and regenerative a troll is, it can’t survive being split in two.
Boooom!
Another troll swung its massive club at Ghislaine’s side.
Kaang!
Ghislaine blocked the attack with his greatsword and swiftly decapitated the troll.
Kaaak!
A wyvern swooped down quickly, snatching a knight who was fighting beside Ghislaine. The knight was so focused on the monster in front of him that he didn’t notice the wyvern coming in.
There were too many monsters, and his nerves were too divided.
“Ugh!”
The knight panicked and struggled, but the wyvern tried to carry him high into the sky. Dropping prey from a height was one of the wyvern’s frequent attack methods.
Clang!
But the wyvern suddenly froze in mid-air, as if caught by something. Ghislaine had reached out and bound the wyvern with threads of mana.
Kaaak!
The wyvern was a strong monster. It flapped its wings repeatedly, slowly escaping the mana threads while rising into the air.
Thunk!
Suddenly, a spear shot up from somewhere on the battlefield and pierced the wyvern’s body. The wyvern, with its torso punctured, plummeted, leaving the knight barely escaping.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
The spears thrown earlier floated up, assisting the besieged knights.
This was one of the reasons Ghislaine’s combat prowess was rated among the top three in the continent.
Everything that fell on the battlefield became Ghislaine’s weapon. Every weapon danced as if alive.
Thus, attacks could come from anywhere at any time. Their destructive power was on par with the knights’ strikes.
Those who knew this prayed never to meet Ghislaine on the battlefield.
A person who could handle tens of thousands of troops alone.
A person who could fight against an entire kingdom by himself.
The King of Mercenaries was also the King of the Battlefield.
The hunters stared blankly at Ghislaine and the knights, who were swiftly dispatching the monsters.
They couldn’t even think of escaping.
“How can he be that strong…?”
“Doncard doesn’t even stand a chance.”
“Is that the famed Swordmaster?”
The monsters halted their advance and turned to charge at Ghislaine and the knights alone.
It was a strange occurrence for monsters that should be fighting each other to band together, but their instinct to eliminate the threatening foe was undeniable.
“Let’s go too.”
One hunter said, gripping his weapon tightly.
The allies were already separated. Staying here meant death if those ahead faltered.
The only way to survive was to quickly join them and fight.
Though it was justified that way, it wasn’t the only reason. Ghislaine’s combat stirred the people’s blood. There was a force that attracted people.
The belief that victory could be achieved together.
With his overwhelming skills, Ghislaine eliminated monsters, instilling that belief.
“Let’s go! We are hunters!”
“It’s our job to hunt monsters!”
“Don’t let the newcomers outdo you!”
“Waaaaaaah!”
The hunters charged out with a loud cheer.
They were veterans who had fought countless monsters. As hundreds of hunters joined, the monsters began to falter.
Crack!
Ghislaine split the massive spider in front of him and glanced back with a slight smile.
“Yeah, that’s how it’s done.”
Boom!
Ghislaine immediately turned and began slicing through the monsters. Until now, he had been fighting to protect the knights, but this was different.
With the hunters joining, the monsters’ attacks became more scattered. Ghislaine pierced through the center alone, completely breaking the monsters’ ranks.
Graaah!
The monsters rushing from behind converged on Ghislaine, leaving even fewer monsters heading toward the knights and hunters.
Thanks to Ghislaine, the knights and hunters found it easier to take down the monsters.
And Commander Grant, watching all of this from the castle wall, wore an incredulous expression.
“I can’t believe he can fight like that…”
No one had ever fought against a monster wave in such a manner. Everyone had tried to rely on the castle walls instead.
In truth, Ghislaine was right. No matter how tall and sturdy the fortress walls, they meant nothing if the enemy wasn’t human.
As soon as the monsters escaped the range of the heavy weapons, they climbed up the walls in an instant. Flying monsters even dropped other monsters onto the walls.
The monsters, already half-mad, no longer feared death. They continued to flood in regardless of whether the monsters ahead were killed.
Thus, soldiers and hunters had no choice but to fight in disarray on the narrow castle walls.
‘But still, I never even considered abandoning the walls. The safety provided by the walls has blinded them.’
Preconceptions, fixed ideas, anxiety, and fear obscured their vision.
Because of that, they suffered great damage each time they tried to block the monster wave.
But look. At those fighting outside.
With the spacious area, they could form a proper formation. The knights and hunters were cooperating and assisting each other as they fought the monsters.
On the other hand, the monsters had no concept of strategy or tactics. They were too busy attacking only what was in sight.
In fact, abandoning the walls allowed them to utilize the space. They could use tactics like rational beings.
And all of this was made possible by the superhuman in the front line, fighting against it all.
Surely, the walls had their advantages. They prevented countless monsters from climbing up at once. Going out to fight meant giving up on that benefit.
But right now, it was different from the past when they relied solely on that advantage.
‘Right now… it’s not the time to rely on the walls.’
The momentum of the monsters had faltered. They could not just watch as their allies below were wiped out.
Once they were annihilated, those blocking the monsters on the walls would suffer even greater damage.
Grant opened his clenched fist to reveal his palm, damp with sweat.
At that moment, he felt awe as a single knight.
He wanted to fight alongside that person.
He wanted to trust and follow that person.
His desires and aspirations as a pure warrior, rather than as commander of this place, grew stronger.
Ultimately, having made his decision, Grant spoke in a low voice to the deputy beside him.
“…Open the gates of the fortress.”
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