Chapter 482: It'll Be a Bit Easier for Now. (3)
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
“Aaaaahhh!”
As Ghislain charged in, the central ranks of the Delfine Forces began to collapse from the front.
Count Kandore, who had been momentarily dazed, snapped back to his senses at the sight.
“Mages! What are the mages doing?! Why aren’t they attacking?!”
The mages had also been briefly stunned.
The priest of the Salvation Church, whom they had relied on, had been struck down before even putting up a proper fight.
“H-hurry and attack!”
The mages belatedly came to their senses and began casting their spells. As expected of a force with high-circle mages, powerful magic was unleashed.
Dududududu!
Even so, the Fenris Mobile Corps did not slow down. There were others designated to block those spells.
“Endairon.”
Kwaaaaah!
The high-ranking water spirit summoned by Ereneth formed a vast protective barrier.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwaang!
The barrage of magic that rained down from the sky was absorbed by the watery veil and vanished.
“Oh, Goddess!”
Kwaaang!
As Parniel slammed her mace into the ground, a sacred resonance spread out.
Kukukukung!
The radiant earth nullified the magic surging from below.
The mages were aghast, their eyes widening in disbelief.
“W-what is happening?”
“This isn’t magic! This energy… it’s spirit power and divine power!”
“Just who in the world is over there?!”
The mages faltered, unsure of what to do. Just how powerful was the force that had come, that it could so easily nullify the spells of dozens of mages?
With their magic rendered ineffective, they had no options left. They could do nothing but gape in astonishment as the Fenris army advanced.
It was a force housing three individuals who would later be counted among the Seven Strongest on the Continent. It was only natural that even the might of the Fifth Legion could not hold them back.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
“Aaaaahhh!”
Ghislain, along with the Black King, rampaged through the Delfine Forces' ranks. His attack was so overwhelming that their formation caved in almost instantly.
Behind him, Ereneth, Parniel, Belinda, and Gillian charged in.
“S-stop them!”
Four superhuman warriors weaved through the ranks of ordinary soldiers. The knights of the Delfine Forces attempted to block their advance, but they achieved little.
Kurrurung!
The earthen spirit summoned by Ereneth caused parts of the Delfine Forces' formation to crumble.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
Each swing of Parniel and Gillian’s weapons sent soldiers to their deaths like insects.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak!
Belinda’s daggers flew in all directions, seeking out knights and ambushing them.
The Delfine Forces' formation fell apart in an instant. Through the gaps in their ranks, the Fenris Mobile Corps surged forward.
Kwaaaaaang!
“Aaaaahhh!”
Once a formation was broken, no army could withstand a cavalry charge. The Delfine Forces, who had initially shown such high morale, collapsed as if all their prior determination had been a lie.
The Fenris Mobile Corps advanced unimpeded. It was no different from toppling wooden blocks.
This was not a battle it was a massacre.
Count Kandore clutched his spinning head in despair.
“The difference in strength is this vast…?”
Even considering that his soldiers were starving and exhausted, they should not have been this powerless.
He had thought that no matter how strong Count Fenris was, the priests of the Salvation Church would at least put up a fight.
That was a mistake.
This misconception had led them into battle against Count Fenris time and again, all because they had failed to understand that the opponent was beyond common sense.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
The black warhorse rampaging at the front of his ranks was growing closer.
Each time the rider swung his spear like a windmill, the heads of dozens of soldiers flew through the air.
Count Kandore realized that the moment of his final decision had come.
“So this is the end…?”
But he had no intention of dying here.
Kwaaaaaang!
With every explosion, the area around Ghislain emptied out. He carved a path through the battlefield with overwhelming force.
Count Kandore dismounted, eyes locked on Ghislain as he charged, covered in blood, a manic grin on his face. A dry gulp slipped from the count’s throat.
Dududududu!
Ghislain, having spotted Count Kandore, gathered energy into his spear.
If he threw it now, Count Kandore’s skull would shatter instantly.
Just as Ghislain tensed his arm to hurl the spear…
“I surrender!”
Count Kandore threw himself flat on the ground and shouted.
“…Huh?”
Ghislain, momentarily baffled, lowered his spear.
Up until now, not a single legion commander in the Delfine Forces had surrendered.
Not in this life.
Not even in his past life.
A laugh escaped him involuntarily at the absurdity of the situation.
Regardless, Count Kandore remained prostrated on the ground, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“I surrender! Everyone, stop! Drop your weapons and get on the ground!”
At the same time, similar cries echoed throughout the Delfine Forces' ranks.
“Don’t fight!”
“Get down, now!”
“Throw down your weapons! We surrender!”
They were already losing ground, and now an order to surrender had been issued. No one would refuse.
“H-hands up! We surrender!”
“Don’t attack!”
“We’ve dropped our weapons!”
All around, soldiers abandoned their weapons and lay down. The Mobile Corps, who had been eagerly charging forward, paused their attack, all eyes turning to Ghislain.
The atmosphere on the battlefield shifted. To put it simply, the momentum had completely deflated.
Dagdak, dagdak.
Ghislain slowly guided the Black King across the now-subdued battlefield, where everyone lay prone.
Stopping before Count Kandore, who was still on the ground, Ghislain spoke.
“A proud noble of the South, groveling like this? That’s unexpected.”
“……There’s no need for unnecessary sacrifice,” Kandore responded.
“I didn’t think you’d go so far as to throw yourself on the ground, though.”
“You wouldn’t believe it otherwise.”
“Well, that’s true.”
In the chaos of battle, no surrender could be more convincing than this.
As Ghislain’s voice lost some of its heat, Count Kandore cautiously got to his feet.
“I’ll say it again we surrender. Treat us as prisoners in accordance with custom.”
“Hmm, custom, you say…”
A noble who surrendered could pay a ransom to secure their release. Until then, it was customary among nobles to treat them with respect.
That is, until Ghislain arrived, slaughtering and beating nobles left and right.
In this kingdom, only two people were notorious for completely disregarding customs one was Amelia the Usurper, and the other was the Northern Menace standing before him now.
In other words, Kandore’s request was unlikely to be honored. And he knew it.
Carefully, Count Kandore continued.
“You may already know, but all of us vassals have our families held as hostages by the ducal house. We had no choice but to participate in the war.”
“So, you’re asking me to spare you?”
“……That’s right. I don’t expect special treatment. I only ask for the bare minimum of courtesy.”
Ghislain tilted his head, scrutinizing Count Kandore’s face.
He looked familiar. As he sifted through his past-life memories, the image grew clearer.
“You’re Count Kandore, correct?”
“……I am.”
“You must be deeply devoted to your family, considering you went to war for them.”
“Ahem, wouldn’t anyone in my position?”
“Yeah, I suppose. If your family was taken hostage, that’s a reasonable response.”
Ghislain nodded a few times before speaking again.
“I don’t make a habit of killing those who surrender. There’s no fun in that.”
Count Kandore allowed himself a small smile. They called this man a brute, but he was at least willing to negotiate.
‘Once I get out of here, I will definitely take my revenge. I’ll make him pay for this humiliation.’
That was his intent from the very moment he chose to retreat. He was enduring this disgrace purely to survive and bide his time.
Hiding his true thoughts, Count Kandore spoke.
“That’s a fine principle. Then, let us discuss the terms of surrender—”
Puuuk!
“…Huh?”
Pain radiated through his chest as he slowly lowered his gaze.
Ghislain’s spear had pierced straight through his heart.
“Kuh…!”
Coughing up blood, Count Kandore lifted his head, eyes filled with disbelief.
“Why…?”
Hadn’t he just said he didn’t kill those who surrendered?
Ghislain smirked as he answered.
“But you are an exception.”
In his past life, before launching the war, Ghislain had investigated nearly every noble.
After the Delfine Ducal House took control of the kingdom, Count Kandore was rewarded handsomely as one of its founding contributors. But his actions afterward were the real problem.
Family? Count Kandore had no love for his family.
He had assassinated his first wife a noblewoman from a prestigious house just to remarry. He had even murdered his own children to change the line of succession.
And now, this man dared to invoke family as an excuse?
He was just another liar, using his tongue to save his own skin. A far more dangerous one than most.
“I can’t let a bastard like you live.”
Squelch!
As Ghislain yanked out his spear, blood gushed from Kandore’s heart.
“Guh…!”
With eyes full of resentment, Count Kandore glared at Ghislain.
He had endured humiliation, choosing to retreat for the sake of revenge. Here, he had even thrown himself to the ground.
Yet, none of it had worked.
“You… heartless bastard… Gurgh….”
And with that, he breathed his last.
Count Kandore, his hands trembling, tried to grab Ghislain. In the end, he collapsed, coughing up a bloody foam.
Ghislain smirked as he looked at the fallen Count Kandore's corpse.
‘Me? Calling me heartless? From someone like you?’
The knights and mages of the Delfine Forces tensed up, their gazes fixed on Ghislain.
He had just killed a surrendering noble without mercy. If he decided to carry out a massacre, they would have no choice but to die.
However, Ghislain didn’t seem to have such intentions. He glanced around and spoke.
“Gather the prisoners. They will all be reorganized into the Kingdom’s army. As for the high-circle mages, select them and integrate them into the Northern Army.”
At those words, the mages broke into bright smiles. Mages were a valuable asset. Given time, they could regain favorable treatment.
But the next words that followed were shocking.
“Make sure to process their slave contracts properly. They will all be sent under Alfoi.”
The mention of slavery drained the color from the mages' faces. How could he speak so casually about enslaving mages?
One of them stepped forward, his voice trembling. He was the leader of the 5th Legion’s mages.
“I-I am a 6th-circle mage.”
“And? We already have quite a few 6th-circle mages on our side. Even more 5th-circle mages.”
Ghislain had captured every mage he could during the war. He had diligently gathered them, distributing them to both the Kingdom’s army and the Northern Army.
At Ghislain’s indifferent response, the mage’s expression turned desperate as he spoke again.
“I said, I’m a 6th-circle mage!”
“So what? Are you bragging about your circle in front of me? Unbelievable.”
Ghislain wanted to say that they even had a 7th-circle mage, but he held back it felt a bit childish.
“N-no… that’s not what I meant… I just can’t understand how you can use mages as slaves.”
“In our domain, all mages are slaves. It’s a policy created because of certain people.”
In a way, it was a system established thanks to Alfoi and his friends. They had stirred trouble, which led to the initiation of mage slavery.
It had since become a tradition that continued to this day.
The mages, unfamiliar with Fenris’ advanced system, were on the verge of losing their minds.
If it had been anyone else spouting such nonsense, they would have immediately hurled a fireball at their face. But the man before them was infamous as a demon.
Still, unwilling to accept their fate, they subtly resisted. They had surrendered shouldn’t they at least be treated with some dignity?
Ghislain, noticing their reluctance, spoke in a nonchalant tone.
“As long as you fulfill the contract period, you’ll be released, so don’t worry too much. If you don’t like it… well, you’ll have to die. After all, we were enemies, weren’t we?”
His gaze suddenly turned cold.
Mages were notoriously difficult to control. Until the war was over, they had to be restrained.
And, surprisingly, Alfoi was doing an excellent job of that.
“……”
Seeing Ghislain’s chilling expression, the mages realized the truth. He was serious.
He had just killed a noble who was groveling on the ground. Killing them would be no different.
The mages hung their heads in resignation.
“…Understood.”
They disliked the idea of slavery, but they feared death more. None of them had the courage to throw their lives away.
Persuading the knights was even easier. Like the other legions, they had already grown disillusioned with the duchy’s collusion with heretics.
Thanks to Count Kandore’s unexpectedly quick surrender, Ghislain had secured nearly thirty thousand soldiers.
These troops would now be reabsorbed into the Kingdom’s army and deployed to defend the southern front.
Once the situation was settled, Ghislain raised his spear high and shouted.
“We have won again!”
“Waaaaaah!”
The Fenris Mobile Corps erupted in cheers. With so many transcendents among them, this battle had felt easier than any before.
But even better this had been the last of the duchy’s forces heading toward the capital.
“Doesn’t this mean the war is over now?”
“Won’t the ducal faction surrender?”
“Their army of over two hundred thousand is gone!”
“Hah! Now we’re undoubtedly the strongest force in the Kingdom! The ducal families are finished, aren’t they?”
All four legions of the Delfine Forces had been wiped out. Naturally, the soldiers believed the war was effectively over.
Only the Salvation Church and the Rifts remained. Given their recent experiences, they had full confidence in their victory.
There were rumors that high priests of the Salvation Church were gathering from all over the continent, but no one was worried.
After all, it wasn’t just Ghislain other transcendents in their ranks continued to grow in number.
“Damn it, let’s go save the world!”
“Wahahahaha!”
Laughter and excitement filled the air as the soldiers burned with fighting spirit.
Eradicating the Rifts and the Salvation Church was no different from saving the world itself. Overflowing with morale and determination, no one hesitated at the thought of such a glorious mission.
Watching his troops, Ghislain also smiled.
‘This is a good development.’
With each battle, they grew stronger. As a singular force, they could now claim to be the strongest in the Kingdom.
But things wouldn’t unfold as easily as the soldiers hoped.
‘Now, all the small fry are dealt with.’
Ghislain knew better. Having fought against the ducal families in his past life, he understood them better than anyone.
The high priests of the Salvation Church, once hidden figures of power, were now openly stepping into the light.
The real battle was just beginning. He needed to reorganize his forces and prepare for the next fight while they had the chance.
The Salvation Church was rallying their priests, but Ghislain wasn’t concerned.
Things wouldn’t go the way they expected.
After all, someone truly monstrous was about to appear and sweep them all away.