Chapter 519
The Civil War Is Over. (3)
The assault troops charged excitedly toward the remaining enemies.
The tide of battle had already turned in favor of the Northern Army, and now, even the greatest threat the priests had perished. Victory was all but certain.
Gartros could do nothing but watch with bloodshot eyes.
Ereneth had refrained from taking the offensive, maintaining a defensive stance and merely stalling for time.
"You wretch! How dare you!"
Kwaaang!
Gartros desperately sought a way out of this situation. He had hoped that while he kept Ereneth occupied, the remaining priests would turn the tide.
But instead, the opposite had happened.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwaaang!
The black aura that Gartros unleashed spread wildly around him. His intent was clear he sought to inflict as much damage as possible on the advancing forces.
Ereneth remained calm, focusing solely on blocking Gartros’ attacks with her own energy.
In truth, her orders were not to attack but to protect her allies. Because of that, the battle was never going to unfold the way Gartros had wanted.
Kwaaaang!
Frustrated, Gartros tried to strike down Ereneth, but it was far from easy.
"Ugh… Guardian of the World Tree! Do you mean to tell me you have no intention of fighting me seriously?"
"I do not," Ereneth replied coolly.
Her goal was the complete eradication of the Salvation Church. To achieve that, victory in this war was essential.
A personal duel held no meaning or value to her.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwaaaang!
The two were evenly matched in skill.
For Gartros to be able to stand toe-to-toe with the strongest warrior in the Northern Army, Ereneth, was a testament to his own formidable strength.
However, as long as Ereneth had no intention of engaging in a decisive duel, continuing the fight was pointless.
"I miscalculated. I should have gone after the other side first."
Gritting his teeth, Gartros growled, only for Ereneth to smirk at him.
"It wouldn’t have mattered. The Holy Maiden received the same orders as I did."
"What?"
"Our only objective was to protect our allies and hold back the Transcendents. The battle was always meant to be decided by the soldiers and knights alone."
Ereneth straightened her back and spoke in a haughty tone.
"With your formations shattered and each unit fighting separately, victory was never within your grasp."
"Silence!"
Kwaaang!
Enraged, Gartros lashed out at Ereneth once more. Black and green auras clashed violently, spreading in all directions.
Ereneth's energy was gradually weakening. She had expended a significant amount of power earlier, using her spirits to protect her allies.
Yet, she continued speaking in a composed voice.
"It seems the battle between the mages is coming to an end as well."
"What?"
Gartros looked up at the sky. The massive magic field above them was gradually weakening.
That meant something had gone wrong with their magical forces.
* * *
The forces flanking the battlefield had finally pushed their way toward the center. The Delfine Forces struggled desperately to hold them back.
"Hold the line!"
"Protect the mages!"
"We must endure!"
At that moment, a few soldiers from the Northern Army moved like ghosts, slipping swiftly into the heart of the battlefield. They were none other than Caleb, the leader of the Wildcat Smuggling Gang, and his assassin subordinates.
These men had been lying in wait among the soldiers, biding their time to strike at the enemy mages.
Chwaaak!
The assassins lunged at their targets with full force.
"Ugh! What is this?!"
The enemy mages had been pouring all their focus into suppressing the magic of the Northern Army. They had no attention to spare for their own defense. One by one, they fell to the assassins’ blades.
Those who survived had their concentration shattered.
"It’s done! Fall back!"
Caleb and the assassins withdrew after eliminating only a few mages. There was no need to kill them all disrupting the balance was enough.
At the same time, the Northern Army's flanking forces, which had pushed deep into the enemy's center, suddenly retreated like the receding tide. This, too, was part of the plan.
And the mages of the Northern Army did not let the brief moment of imbalance go to waste.
Vanessa, who had been overseeing all the mages from the very rear of the Northern Army, whispered softly.
"Fire Pillar."
Kwaaaaaang!
A massive pillar of fire erupted in the center of the Delfine Forces' formation. Immediately following, various other spells rained down from all directions.
With the magic suppression undone, the Northern Army’s mages carefully scanned the battlefield and unleashed their attacks.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwaaang!
"Arrrgh!"
"We failed to maintain the magic suppression!"
"The magic field has been breached! Retreat at once!"
The Delfine Forces’ mages screamed as they fell one after another. The soldiers near them fared no better.
The Northern Army’s deep penetration into enemy lines meant that their magical bombardment had been relatively contained in scope. However, with the center of the Delfine formation in ruins, the battle was effectively over.
A significant number of Delfine forces’ mages vanished after just a few attacks.
Inside, they were struck by magic, while outside, they were pushed back by the Northern Army. The Delfine forces began to collapse rapidly.
Gartros, who had been fighting Ereneth, retreated. His face was filled with nothing but dismay.
“H-How… how could this…”
The Delfine forces, said to be the kingdom’s elite, were crumbling in vain. With their magical forces breached, the soldiers alone could not hold the line.
Gartros turned to Ereneth with a furious expression.
“This is all because of you…”
From the beginning, the Delfine forces had been at a disadvantage in terms of magical power. The Northern Army had mages from the North, West, and East, and even included Vanessa, a 7th-Circle Mage. It was inevitable.
The high priests of the Salvation Church had been compensating for that deficiency, as their wide-range attacks needed to be countered by mages.
However, with the priests captured, the magical forces of the Delfine Army were bound to show their limits.
No matter how much they fought back, in the end, they were inevitably pushed back.
“Waaaaah!”
“Keep pushing forward!”
“Don’t stop! Keep attacking!”
Now, only the Northern Army’s battle cries echoed across the battlefield. Everyone moved as if Gartros wasn’t even there.
‘Even the battle lines have collapsed!’
Had their formation managed to break through to the center of the Northern Army, there might have been a chance for a reversal. However, they had failed due to a lack of troops.
Now, the enemy forces were advancing even more aggressively, shields leading the charge.
Gartros felt dizzy. Even with their formation in disarray, he had never expected them to be pushed back so easily.
‘How did it come to this? Who in the world is commanding this army?’
The enemy had deployed their troops with uncanny precision, exploiting even the smallest weaknesses in their forces. It was as if they had already planned out exactly how to handle both him and the priests.
They had been completely outmaneuvered by the enemy’s strategy.
‘Is it Gillian?’
The first person who came to mind was the one who had been leading the Northern Army all this time. But Gartros quickly dismissed the thought. Even the White Lion, Gillian, was personally fighting on the battlefield.
Then who? Who in the Northern Army or the Kingdom’s forces could possess such strategic acumen?
Taking a deep breath, Gartros turned to Ereneth and asked,
“Who is it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Who is commanding this army and devising this strategy?”
“Ku-ku-ku…”
Ereneth chuckled briefly.
Even she had to admit, this battle had been truly remarkable. Though it was partly due to the absence of the Kingdom’s Strongest Swordsman, the fact remained they had utterly overwhelmed the powerful Delfine forces.
The decisiveness in spotting and exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses, the impeccable deployment of allied troops. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this was the work of one of the continent’s greatest strategists.
With a relaxed voice, Ereneth answered,
“They call her Count Raypold. She was the same one who delayed you at the fortress last time. Even I, was a little surprised that time.”
“……!!!”
Gartros' eyes widened as his body trembled violently.
“T-That traitorous wench…!”
He had more reason than anyone to be shocked.
Long ago, when they had planned the coup in Raypold, it was he and Raul who had chosen Amelia.
She had been low in the line of succession, making her an ideal puppet one who wouldn’t be able to withstand the external pressures even if she seized power. Indeed, some Northern lords had even banded together to strike her down.
She had hindered them time and time again. But her faction had been weak, her forces insignificant. They had believed they would be able to crush her sooner or later, especially after she relocated her base to the East, further weakening her position.
Yet now, at this most critical battle, she had inflicted such devastating damage!
“That wench dares…!”
Gartros could not contain his fury. Even being bitten by a dog he had raised himself wouldn’t have enraged him this much.
Thanks to Ghislain and Amelia the two lunatics of the North their grand plan had completely fallen apart.
Ereneth gathered her energy and spoke.
“There’s no need to be so angry. You’re going to die here anyway.”
Gartros flinched at those words and looked around. His allies were nowhere in sight.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
With earth-shaking steps, the Holy Maiden was approaching. Once the battlefield was fully secured, the other powerful warriors would surely gather here as well.
No matter how strong he was, he couldn’t possibly handle the Saintess on top of everything else. He was already struggling just to keep Ereneth at bay.
“Heh… heh heh…”
Gartros let out a hollow laugh.
Even after moving cautiously ever since being bested by the Shadow Knights’ commander, he had still fallen into another trap.
Even if Count Balzac succeeded in capturing Count Fenris, this war was already lost.
Once the Kingdom’s Army and the Ferdium forces arrived, the ducal families would ultimately be crushed.
Gartros glared at Ereneth, his bloodshot eyes filled with defiance.
“You think this is the end?”
“It’s not the end, is it? But isn't your side the strongest?”
“……”
“The Salvation Church spread across the continent will all perish. The unified army of the Ritania Kingdom will gradually liberate the other kingdoms. I didn’t come to the Ritania Kingdom first for no reason.”
“Hah, hahaha……”
It was true that the largest force had been deployed to Ritania, but the Salvation Church’s power wasn’t limited to that alone.
If the Salvation Church, spread throughout the continent, were to unite, it would become a force that could not be ignored. Moreover, Aiden, the Executor, was carrying out his own separate plans.
Gartros gave a faint smile.
“Rejoice in your fleeting victory. Though we failed to seize the Ritania Kingdom… in the end, you will not be able to hold this place.”
“……”
“The moment we find our King and our Relic! Every descendant of the gods on this continent! Will trample this kingdom into utter ruin! You will never be able to stop our wrath!”
The response did not come from Ereneth, but from the side.
“Silence, you blasphemous wretch.”
Parniel’s massive mace came crashing down toward Gartros.
Kwaaaang!
He raised his hand to block it, but he was instantly sent flying backward. The sheer force of the blow made it feel as if his arm would shatter.
Ziiing—! Ziiing—! Ziiing—!
Dozens of magic circles suddenly formed around him. Gartros realized that the enemy’s 7th-Circle Mage had made her move.
Vanessa had laid down numerous magic circles, ensuring Gartros would not escape easily.
If he made any reckless moves now, he would be bombarded with her full magical might.
It was truly a dead end. There seemed to be no way for Gartros to flee.
Ereneth once again gathered a green aura. If she, the Holy Maiden, and Vanessa combined their strength, they could surely kill Gartros.
“Leave your desires here and die. The Salvation Church will fall.”
Even if Ghislain had fallen to Kaiyen, the unified power of Ritania was enough.
Heroes from other kingdoms were also fighting against the Salvation Church.
Yet, Gartros still wore a twisted smile as he pulled out a small orb from his robes.
“Wait for it… I will bring this place to ruin.”
The item he revealed was the Orb of Life.
Sensing that he was about to pull some trick, Ereneth and Parniel moved instantly. From Vanessa’s magic circles, a barrage of spells was unleashed.
However, Gartros was faster.
Crack!
Kwoooooooosh!
The shattered orb erupted with darkness, instantly swallowing Gartros whole.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The trio’s attacks failed. The black energy twisted and collapsed under the onslaught, but by then, Gartros had already vanished.
“Damn it……”
Ereneth clicked her tongue. She hadn’t expected such a method to exist. It was a trick she had never seen in their previous battles.
The Salvation Church had devised new tactics over time.
“We let the most important one slip away. If he had come my way, I would have ground him into minced meat.”
Parniel spoke with an indifferent expression.
Hearing this, Ereneth removed her armor and turned to face Parniel.
A strange tension filled the air. The two of them locked eyes in silence, wordlessly measuring each other.