Boom! Clang!
“Kill them!”
“How dare these Imperial scum!”
The inside of the arena was pure chaos, with a brawl turning it into a battlefield. Both Imperial soldiers and the Marquis’s knights were clashing while activating their power armors.
“Persistent bastards!”
“This way, we’ll never end this.”
The fight between the beast soldiers and the elite, including the Marquis, continued intensely. There were only three places untouched by the battle:
The spectator sector where the audience was being protected, the stands where No. 5 and the other heads of the assailants were stationed, And the barrier area overseen by Raul.
The spectators were likely left alone because they didn’t influence the battle’s outcome, and Raul’s area remained quiet because it was challenging to attack.
Screech. Whing!
An Imperial soldier who had approached the barrier lost his head to a flying Aura Spear.
Thud! Slice.
Another soldier was decapitated by a crescent-shaped sword Qi.
“Let no one approach! Especially guard against non-beast Imperial soldiers!”
Josh, leading the protective squad, shouted with fierce determination. Around the barrier, Raul, Ken, Josh, and 25 members of the First Knights were maintaining a strict defense.
Among them were also others who seemed out of place….
“This is an opportunity to crush the Imperial scum and elevate our family’s honor! Don’t be overshadowed by the Ashtons!”
Haphael, the fourth son of the Count Randal household, had joined the defensive lines with a dozen of his escort knights. Additionally, the expert-level knights from various delegations visiting to celebrate the Marquis’s birthday had drawn their swords.
As a result, nearly 50 expert-level knights were assembled at the temporary barrier.
“Damn it, shouldn’t we join the Marquis in the fight, Viscount Raul?”
Haphael spoke with a slightly frustrated expression. Though he was from the Randal household, he was courteous enough to address the young Raul with respect and perceptive enough to join forces with Raul without hesitation after the appearance of the Imperial Hound.
‘If the Randal household were only filled with enthusiastic fools, they wouldn’t have become one of the top five noble houses.’
Though Raul didn’t appreciate their rivalry with the Ashton household, he couldn’t deny their genuine strength.
“We need to hold our position. This might be the most crucial spot in the battle.”
Raul responded moderately. As he said, the barrier area might indeed be the most important point in the battlefield. Inside the barrier were potential human mana bombs and guests from various noble houses who couldn’t fight or had lesser skills.
If an Imperial mage managed to trigger a mana bomb, it would cause a massive disaster.
“And we haven’t received approval from the Marquis yet.”
It might seem foolish, but the prestige of a noble house was at stake. Marquis Fidel wanted to resolve the attack within his own house’s power.
If casualties occurred among the guests involved in the fight, it would not only tarnish the Marquisate’s honor but also lead to diplomatic issues.
Of course, the primary reason was the confidence that the Marquisate’s strength was sufficient to fend off the attackers.
“But if we get pushed back on the battlefield, what good is holding this position? Reducing the number of Imperial scum before the equilibrium breaks seems more prudent….”
Haphael expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation. The level of the beast soldiers aside, the other Imperial knights and soldiers were not particularly skilled.
They were mostly at the beginner to early intermediate-level expert.
Naturally, as an intermediate expert, Haphael saw room for significant action.
“If you wish, you can join the battlefield. I am not your superior, baron Haphael. However, it seems the Marquis’s side still has some leeway, so I think it best to conserve our strength for now.”
When Raul told him to do as he pleased, Haphael only grumbled and did not actually rush out. In ambiguous situations like this, those who moved first often ended up taking all the blame.
Raul looked at the battlefield with a bitter smile. He also felt the frustration.
‘Well, this balance won’t last long anyway.’
Just as there was ample force in front of the barrier on their side, the Imperial side had not committed all their forces to the battle.
Around No. 5, several high-ranking Imperial knights, twenty-plus knights, and about thirty robed mages were standing by.
‘They must be determined to bring down the Greer Marquisate.’
The forces they had identified so far far exceeded what a single branch could possess. The reason was unclear. In his previous life, the Greer Marquisate had never faced such an assault.
The best guess was that their operation against the Ashton household had failed, so they targeted the Marquisate as a second option.
‘Or it might be because of Ken’s restoration of the Marquisate’s spear technique….’
What mattered most was that they were confident enough to choose open warfare. At that moment, Raul received a guild communication.
「Master, we have a problem! There’s been an explosion in the inner castle, apparently at the Magic Circle Management Room! Some of the defense magic covering the marquisate has been deactivated, and portal magic is being activated all over the place!」
Kane reported in a somewhat urgent voice. But Raul, as if anticipating the situation, calmly issued orders.
「Understood. Determine the exact number of portals and the situation with the infiltrating enemies. Coordinate with the marquisate’s external forces to minimize damage. Join us here as soon as possible.」
「Yes, Master!」
No sooner had Kane’s report ended than the battlefield began to change.
“What’s that?”
“How come they’re using teleportation? Didn’t we block it?”
The knights and guests from the Marquis’s side began to worry.
Woooooong.
Three swirling black mana teleportation gates appeared behind the stands where No. 5 was positioned.
“Puhuhu, Khahahaha! I didn’t expect things to go so smoothly. Sorry, Marquis. It looks like the Greer Marquisate will shut down today.”
No. 5’s light voice echoed throughout the arena. But the implications were far from light.
Woong.
A swirl of black mana began spewing forth something.
Step, step, step.
Soldiers, mages, and Imperial knights steadily emerged from the three gates. And then, two additional brass-masked figures appeared.
“Is Zero not coming?”
“No reason for him to personally show up, apparently.”
No. 3, responsible for the McNeil Marquisate, responded to No. 5’s question.
“Without any master around, what’s the point? Time for some blood, hehe.”
No. 9 spun his scythe-tipped spear with a sinister grin. The reinforcements from the gates numbered nearly 1,500. 1,000 Type-1 Soldiers, 300 Type-2 Soldiers, 150 Imperial knights, and fifty mages and agents.
The crucial detail was that the gates were still active. This meant they might deploy additional forces as needed.
“Now, it’s round two! Sweep away all these foolish kingdom nobles!”
With No. 5’s shout, the newly arrived forces charged into the battlefield with roars. The situation was undeniably dire.
***
‘Just as expected.’
Raul wasn’t particularly surprised. He had become all too familiar with their methods in his previous life. However, executing the countermeasures required one essential step.
‘Time to make my move.’
Swish.
Raul sheathed the spear he had been holding and drew his specialized sword from his waist. While a spear was convenient for holding formations, Raul’s full power was best unleashed with a sword.
“Ken, take charge of the rear. Don’t let anyone approach the barrier!”
“Yes, Master!”
Thud.
With a graceful movement, Raul kicked off the ground and flew several meters, intercepting the battle axe of a Toadlion who was about to strike the Marquis.
Clang!
“Gurrr?”
The Toadlion’s arms, holding the battle axe aloft like it was celebrating, were abruptly thrown back. Despite raising the weapon, Raul slightly frowned at the recoil he felt through the sword handle.
‘As expected, it packs quite a punch. Even unfinished, it exerts this level of power?’
The heft he felt, despite the activation of his power armor, indicated that this was indeed an anti-master weapon. But Raul’s true goal wasn’t to face the Toadlion.
“Your grace, you understand the situation, don’t you?”
The Marquis, slightly surprised by Raul’s ability to repel the Toadlion so easily, answered a beat later.
“…Of course. Though it’s embarrassing, we’ll need your strength.”
Reputation and pride only mattered as long as survival did. With the enemy reinforcements arriving through the gates, the Marquis couldn’t afford to be stubborn about handling the invaders themselves.
Raul nodded and made one more request.
“If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask for one more favor? With your permission, I’d like to call for reinforcements.”
“Reinforcements? In this situation…?”
The Marquis found Raul’s words puzzling, considering they were currently isolated by the barrier. But there was no room for hesitation.
“You have my permission. In fact, I implore you to do so.”
Just as No. 5 had ominously declared, there was a real risk that the Marquisate would fall. The Marquis couldn’t refuse any help.
“Understood. Please hold out for a moment.”
Raul handed the Toadlion back to the Marquis and walked towards a corner of the arena, gathering his mana.
‘Activate the 『Field of Weapons』!’
Clang, clang!
Hundreds of weapons instantly materialized, forming a wall of steel behind Raul. As Raul channeled his mana, the wall turned golden.
‘Sweep them away.’
With a small gesture from Raul, the golden wave of weapons launched at the enemy.
Boom!
Splat, crash!
“What the…!”
“What’s happening…!”
Within a set range, dozens of Imperial soldiers and knights engaged with the Marquis’s forces were instantly obliterated. As the baffled knights of the Marquis were unknowingly pushed aside,
「Space secured. Rabel, activate it!」
「Got it. Opening now!」
An emerald magic circle on the ground glowed, filling the air with light.
Woosh.
Two massive teleport gates appeared.
‘An eye for an eye. A gate for a gate.’
Reinforcements began to pour out of the gates.
“Master, are you safe?”
Philip emerged first, his face stern and his great sword at the ready.
“Wow, it’s a real mess here!”
“…Plenty of prey.”
Jake and Pierce appeared next.
Following them, Dalton, homer, Davison, Macmillan, Elias, and other high-level experts and 300 knights of the First Knights, along with elite cavalry comparable to training knights, began to step onto the battlefield.
And from another gate emerged.
“Raul! Are you hurt?”
Raul’s eldest brother, Dylan, rushed over to check on him.
“Hoho, this time we can have a proper fight.”
“Arrogant Imperial scum. Not one of them will leave here alive!”
Trevor de Hesse, the commander of the Golden Bear Knights, and Baron Carlo de Ashton, the commander of the Silver Bear Knights, also appeared.
Following them, not only the Ashton household’s elite Golden Bear Knights but also the Silver Bear and Iron Bear knights were coming through the gate.
The situation seemed so unexpected, the Imperial forces, who had been pressing the Marquisate with confidence, visibly hesitated.
“Proud warriors of the Ashton household and Viscount Raul’s forces! Assist our allies, the Greer Marquisate, and obliterate these wretched Imperial dogs!”
“Hurrah!”
The reinforcements Raul summoned charged at the enemies with a roar. With hundreds of power armor users and over a thousand elite soldiers joining the fight, it was obvious which side the victory would favor.
(To be continued…)