285 – I’m not alone, you know.
Baron Hutton quickly raised his sword to block Ghislaine’s downward strike.
Kaaahng!
“Kuhk!”
In that instant, an overwhelming pressure was felt. Baron Hutton slightly tilted the blade to deflect some of the incoming force.
Paaahng!
Since he couldn’t completely release the pressure, Baron Hutton’s feet slid slightly, splitting the ground beneath him. He widened his eyes at the unbelievable strength.
‘W-What on earth…?’
He had merely blocked a simple attack. Yet, it was almost enough to break his sword again. No, if he hadn’t deflected the force at that moment, not only would his sword have broken, but his bones might have too.
The strength was incomparable to when he blocked an arrow. A lingering thought began to creep in that something was amiss.
Dddddd!
Ghislaine continued to press the sword down. The blade in Baron Hutton’s hands tilted further downward.
At this rate, his head was going to get split slowly.
Ghislaine was smiling with her red eyes gleaming. She looked almost like a demon crazed for battle.
Baron Hutton shuddered with a chill.
‘This, this isn’t the strength of a high-ranking knight!’
The intelligence department had anticipated that Ghislaine’s strength was at the early stage of a high-ranking knight. Until now, Ghislaine had never built a reputation through sheer power.
Even the evaluation of her being at a high-ranking knight level was due to rumors of her exploits in the Cabaldy War.
Baron Hutton’s thoughts weren’t far off from the intelligence department’s expectations. He had taken some damage, but also figured that Ghislaine would be less experienced, and with his own age and calmness, he could lead the battle.
But this kind of absurd strength!
‘No way! Something must be wrong!’
At that moment, Ghislaine relaxed and lifted her sword. Baron Hutton’s sword, which had been resisting, shot up as if chasing after Ghislaine’s blade.
Whiiik!
Kaaahng!
Baron Hutton, twisting his arm with effort, slapped aside Ghislaine’s descending sword and quickly retreated.
‘A battle of strength is unfavorable. That guy is not ordinary.’
Perhaps due to his youth, Ghislaine exuded both momentum and power. She had just arrived on the battlefield, so her mana must be overflowing as well.
Baron Hutton planned to win through technique, but Ghislaine was relentless, swinging her sword without giving him a moment to breathe.
Kaaahng! Kaaahng! Kaaahng!
Swords clashed, creating sparks in the air multiple times.
Baron Hutton struggled to gain the upper hand. Rather, as time passed, he was being pushed back further. It became increasingly difficult to properly evade Ghislaine’s attacks; all he could do was block.
Yet, his sword remained steady. While blocking Ghislaine’s strangely swung blade, Baron Hutton calmly waited for a single opportunity.
Ghislaine found his demeanor amusing.
“Not bad. If it weren’t for your injury, this could’ve been a really fun fight.”
She was genuinely impressed. Such skill was hard to come by unless one belonged to a Duke Faction in the Ruthania Kingdom.
Baron Hutton couldn’t fully showcase his abilities due to injuries from his fight with Gillian and wounds from arrows.
Still, his level was not something that could be easily handled by a two-stage core.
‘So this is why he could fight Gillian.’
Though lacking in physical condition and mana, when it came to swordsmanship, he could claim to be the best in the North.
“But in battle, such circumstances can’t be considered.”
He found Ghislaine an interesting opponent but had no intention of prolonging the fight. After all, what would it matter to debate sword skills with a foe who couldn’t utilize their true potential?
Ghislaine took a deep breath, shaking off the regret, and gripped her sword firmly.
Despite being injured and on the defensive, there was not a hint of wavering in Baron Hutton. Even against Ghislaine’s overpowering strength and speed, he held firm.
Against such an opponent, matching techniques would only prolong the battle.
So the answer was simple.
Then the answer is simple.
Crush them with overwhelming strength and speed.
Zing―!
The third core activated, and Ghislaine’s eyes turned even redder.
“Let’s start over.”
Baron Hutton was worthy of receiving a third-tier attack.
Kwarung!
Every time Ghislaine swung his sword, it sounded as if lightning was striking. With his already tremendous power now enhanced, Baron Hutton wore a look of disbelief.
‘W-What kind of skill is this!’
Kwang!
So fast and strong. Every time he blocked an attack, his posture wavered, and his insides churned.
Kwang! Kwang!
Krack!
Even after blocking just a few times, cracks began to form on Baron Hutton’s sword. Despite focusing his mind and properly channeling his mana, he couldn’t withstand the impact.
Kwakawakawaka-KWANG!
As time passed, Ghislaine’s attacks grew faster. Baron Hutton gritted his teeth. Though he barely managed to block the blows, each time it felt like his bones were being crushed.
It was certain that Ghislaine was no ordinary knight. The information gathered by the intel department, not to mention the rumors considered exaggerated, couldn’t even begin to convey his abilities.
He was an opponent that couldn’t be defeated without being in top condition. No, even in peak condition, victory was uncertain. An opponent with clearly superior skills.
‘F-Falling back is the only option.’
To save his life, he had no choice but to abandon the honor he had built throughout his life.
Baron Hutton tried to retreat by any means necessary. But Ghislaine’s sword relentlessly pursued him, refusing to let him escape.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
With every clash of swords, the ground shook, and dirt flew everywhere. The two moved so quickly that others couldn’t keep up visually.
Desmond’s knights and soldiers flinched. They instinctively felt the need to rescue Baron Hutton.
“Ugh!”
Blood began to flow from Baron Hutton’s mouth. Even though all he did was block attacks, the shock from within was accumulating and damaging him.
His signature calm swordplay was now of no use. He couldn’t keep up with the opponent’s suddenly explosive increase in power and speed, so he could only focus on defense.
Fortunately, Baron Hutton’s swordsmanship was outstanding, which was why he had lasted this long.
But now, even that was nearing its end.
Kwah!
With an intense shockwave, Baron Hutton’s sword broke. He simply couldn’t withstand such immense power with his mana.
“T-This is….”
Scree!
Startled to lose his weapon, Baron Hutton tried to evade, but Ghislaine’s sword was quicker.
Swick!
There was a sound like bones shattering, and soon Baron Hutton’s right arm fell to the ground.
“AAARGH!”
At that moment, Desmond’s knights surged forth.
“Save the Baron!”
Their faces were filled with urgency.
The duel was effectively over. If a third party intervened during a duel, Baron Hutton’s honor would suffer, but that was a concern for another time. For now, saving his life was the priority.
But before they could get close, Ghislaine’s sword sliced horizontally, cleaving Baron Hutton’s neck.
Slick.
Thud.
The neck of Baron Hutton, once one of the North’s strongmen, fell to the ground lifelessly.
The rushing Desmond knights froze in place at the sight.
“M-My Lord……”
“Baron Hutton is dead…”
“How could this happen…”
Desmond’s army wore blank expressions. But Ghislaine wouldn’t let them dwell on their despair.
He naturally extended his sword and said,
“Sweep them away.”
Ziiing―!
Light began to emanate from the armor of the waiting Penris Knights.
Over 300 knights and a thousand cavalry charged forward on their horses.
Dududududu!
Seeing the suddenly charging Penris Army, Desmond’s knights panicked and shouted.
“Combat preparation! Combat preparation!”
“Rain! Combat Preparation!”
They too tried to face the approaching Penris Army by drawing their swords. But before the Penris forces could strike, Ghislaine closed the distance.
Szzak!
Ghislaine was still maintaining his core activation at Stage 3. With overflowing mana, he swung his sword, decapitating a knight in one swift motion.
Not satisfied with that, Ghislaine began attacking indiscriminately around him.
Kwang! Kwang!
“Augh!”
As Ghislaine stormed in, the formation of Desmond’s soldiers became a complete mess.
As everyone aimed for the up-close Ghislaine, there was no way the lines could hold. Knights and officers shouted, trying to calm the soldiers.
“You fools! Get your formation together!”
“Block the front! Block it now!”
“Wake up!”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Through the chaos of Desmond’s army, the Penris forces charged in.
Kwaaaang!
“Augh!”
Desmond’s army was in a pitiful state, already demoralized by the death of Baron Hutton.
Amid this turmoil, Ghislaine was wreaking havoc, completely breaking their formation; they were unable to stop the sudden influx of 300 knights and cavalry.
Kwaang! Kwang!
Some knights and soldiers fought back valiantly, but once their momentum was broken, it was impossible to recover. There was no commander to restore order.
Desmond’s pursuit squad crumbled at an alarmingly fast pace.
“Retreat! Everyone fall back!”
“We need to regroup!”
“Run for your lives!”
The quick-thinking knights shouted, and the Desmond forces began scattering in all directions.
At this rate, they were heading for complete annihilation. Better for as many as possible to survive and join the main force.
Thankfully, more than half of the pursuit squad were cavalry, allowing the survivors to escape the battlefield swiftly.
As the knights and cavalry of Penris attempted to follow, Ghislaine waved his hand and shouted.
“Enough! Stop! Don’t chase any further!”
The Penris forces were outnumbered compared to Desmond’s army. If they scattered, encountering the main force of Desmond would be dangerous.
“Quite a few escaped,” Ghislaine said, chuckling at the fleeing Desmond army.
Looks like about half made it out alive. It was a bit disappointing that more survived than he had expected, but it wasn’t unbearable.
After all, he planned to meet them again. Next time, he’d completely crush them.
“Waaaah! We won!”
“Our lord is incredible at fighting!”
“Truly, our lord is amazing!”
The knights and soldiers raised their weapons and cheered. Although they hadn’t fought the enemy for long, it was all thanks to their lord taking down Baron Hutton.
Ghislaine saved Gillian and easily pushed back the enemy in the initial clash. Naturally, morale soared.
With a triumphant expression, Ghislaine moved to find Gillian. As he passed by, the troops parted, creating a path for him.
Gillian, supported by the medics, looked at the approaching Ghislaine with admiration in his eyes.
He truly was remarkable. To arrive and kill Baron Hutton instantly, changing the atmosphere. Ghislaine had something beyond mere skill.
“My lord…”
“Gillian!”
Ghislaine moved closer as if no more words were needed, opening his arms and embracing Gillian tightly.
The two remained like that in silence, while everyone watched in a solemn atmosphere.
After a moment, Ghislaine stepped back slightly and solemnly said, “Pay your respects to those who fought for their territory and sacrificed their lives.”
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Everyone lifted their weapons and honored the fallen.
Including Gillian, the forces of Stonehaven fought for their lives and their territory.
They had earned great honor and were worthy of everyone’s praise.
After a brief moment of silence, Ghislaine, perhaps trying to lift the solemn mood, turned to Gillian with a playful expression.
Gillian said to Ghislaine, “Why do you look so beaten up? Aren’t you getting too weak with age?”
At Ghislaine’s teasing words, Gillian smiled. He knew well that despite the playful tone, warmth lingered in those eyes.
Suddenly feeling a lump in his throat, Gillian struggled to open his mouth. “…I’m fine.”
“Fine? What do you mean fine! For now, both you and the injured should hurry back to the castle. I’ll handle the rest!”
Upon hearing those words, Gillian suddenly had a thoughtful expression as if realizing something. “Lord… how on earth did you get here?”
“I thought you would be pushed back this far. Isn’t that obvious?”
Ghislaine had a knack for the war game. If the pursuers were chasing Gillian, they would surely want to make their move in an easily defensible position like this.
Gillian nodded as if he understood. A lord certainly had the ability to know that much.
The important part wasn’t how he arrived here. He asked in a trembling voice, “Your appearance here means… the preparations are already complete, right?”
Ghislaine replied confidently without a hint of embarrassment. “No.”
“…What?”
“Oh come on, how could I have completed so much already? No matter how great I am, that’s just impossible.”
“Then why on earth are you here?”
Ghislaine answered with an unbothered expression, “I’m mostly done. Or, um, at least minimally?”
At Ghislaine’s seemingly defensive words, Gillian felt his head spin for a moment. They had sacrificed so much for a reason. Hadn’t they been trying to buy time to save more people?
“To… mostly…?”
“Ugh, that’s just how I put it. Did I really do it half-baked? Thanks to you, at least the minimum preparations are done. But if I had prepared any more, everyone would have been dead today, right? So as soon as the bare minimum was finished, I came here. Perfect timing, huh? Aren’t I amazing?”
Gillian barely registered Ghislaine’s bragging.
“W-what do you mean? That’s not good. We can’t defeat Desmond’s army with just our troops. You should have… should have prepared more.”
“Should I let you all die while preparing?”
“Even if we all die…”
“What good would that do?”
“…”
“What’s the point of preparing perfectly if it means Gillian and those friends die?”
They couldn’t just go straight into battle without any preparation. That would really mean everyone was signing their own death warrants.
But Gillian and the others couldn’t be sacrificed either. So Ghislaine had compromised with only minimal preparations.
“Lord…”
Gillian and the others, who were collapsed, wore faces full of gratitude. If the lord had truly made up his mind, he could have sacrificed them for a more certain preparation for war.
But he had chosen to abandon that advantage to save them, even knowing that it could put himself in more danger.
Of course, sentiment is sentiment, and reality is reality.
Snapping back to reality, Gillian urgently spoke the words he hadn’t conveyed. “I-I understand for now. We can discuss later, but we need to leave this place quickly.”
“Why?”
“Desmond’s main force is nearby! Count Desmond isn’t a pushover. He’s already assessing the situation here and is planning to encircle us…”
Ghislaine interrupted Gillian’s words and turned to look back. “It seems like it’s already too late.”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
In the distance, Desmond’s grand army was approaching. With every step of the countless soldiers in sync, the ground shook.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Not just from the front. Armies approached from both sides. Whether the fleeing soldiers had joined up, or Desmond’s forces had already formed a encircling formation around Ghislaine’s group.
Seeing this, Ghislaine smiled slyly. “Finally, we meet face to face, Harold Desmond.”
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