NOVEL NEXT Chapter 287
287 – Let’s Break Through Like This. (1)
Harold frowned as he watched the suddenly appearing army.
“Those guys… they coordinated and timed this perfectly.”
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have shown up right on cue.
The Kingdom Army and the Noble Alliance had about 8,000 troops, while the Perdium Army had about 3,000.
That made over 10,000 in total. The very situation Harold had been worried about had now come to pass.
“Ha… so this is how it ends up.”
He had dragged things out too long because of that guy Gillian. Part of him wondered if he should have just ignored Stonehaven Fortress, but soon Harold shook his head.
“If I had, they would have launched guerrilla warfare from the rear.”
Either way, they were indeed bogged down, and thanks to that, the reinforcements to help Ghislaine had arrived.
With the advantage of a large army, they needed to take down the enemy one by one, but now they were in a situation where they couldn’t avoid damage.
The more he thought about it, the more his teeth clenched, and rage boiled inside him. But he needed to stay calm.
“Anyway, they all have to fight.”
If he defeated them all here, he could buy himself some time. Once they took Penris, he would have no choice but to enforce Forced Conscription.
He summoned the best commander in the territory. That would be Emerson, who had handled Baron Dorren’s 2nd Corps.
“Emerson.”
“Yes, Count.”
“Take 5,000 and eliminate the right flank’s 3rd Corps.”
“Leave it to me.”
Thud thud thud thud!
Desmond’s Army turned to face the 3rd Corps and the Noble Alliance on their right flank.
Harold immediately issued orders to the left flank as well.
“Baron Garein.”
“Yes, Count.”
“Take 5,000 and deal with the left flank’s Perdium Army.”
“Understood.”
“The Perdium Army has gained significant real battle experience in the north. Fight carefully. There’s no need to push too hard. Just hold them down while I take care of the other side.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Although Baron Garein wasn’t particularly excellent in swordsmanship, he was a decent commander with good leadership skills, especially in keeping the enemy tied down in one place.
He led the soldiers positioned on the left flank toward the Perdium forces.
Even though 10,000 had broken away on both sides, there were still about 16,000 troops waiting in the center of Desmond’s Army.
The Penris Army was approaching head-on, with a meager force of about 3,000.
Harold smirked at the sight.
“Still a cocky little brat.”
With reinforcements arriving, the difference in troop numbers had significantly diminished. Surely that was the source of their confidence.
However, even with all reinforcements combined, they barely matched a little over half of their numbers. Ghislaine’s judgment was merely the manifestation of reckless confidence.
All the knights and troops of Penris were galloping forward without hesitation, following behind the Black King.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The sound of hooves thundering echoed as the speed of the Penris Army increased. However, Desmond’s Army was already well-formed.
As he watched the approaching Penris Army, Harold sneered.
“They must be relying on those strange-armored materials. They’ve even armored their horses completely.”
Indeed, the armor of the Perdium Army was excellent. If donned, a soldier could probably face off against ten enemies by himself.
Harold was astounded when he verified the weight of the armor worn by the deceased Penris soldiers.
That meant a mass production capability was possible if they had armored the horses without exception.
“Surely, it’s excellent armament…”
But that was only effective when facing a certain number. On this side, a massive 5 times the number of Penris soldiers was still waiting.
The intimidation of a large army grows exponentially as numbers increase.
Estimating the distance to the oncoming Penris Army, Harold raised his hand.
“Spear-men, prepare!”
Swish!
Thousands of spearmen stepped forward, extending their spears.
He stepped forward, extending his spear.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
They showed no fear staring down the furious charge of Penris Army.
The confidence that they could block any opponent—that was why Desmond’s elite troops were so strong.
“Archers.”
The archers lined up in the rear drew their bows back tightly.
The cavalry of Penris were fully armored, and their horses wore magic armor as well, so arrow attacks wouldn’t have direct effects.
But if the horses panicked and stopped, or if their formation shook even briefly from a shock, that would be enough. Harold sent covert signals to the archers with a glimmer of hope.
Pah!
Bang! Tatatata! Bang!
The Penris Army all raised small shields to block the incoming arrows.
A few stray arrows hit bodies and magic armor, but the Penris troops maintained their formation and speed as if nothing had happened.
“Seems it’s useless after all.”
Harold frowned. Though he wasn’t too worried because of their small numbers, the unknown properties of their armor were certainly a headache.
If an army of ten thousand wore that type of gear, victory would be impossible.
“We must definitely trample them today. And I will acquire the method to produce that new material.”
If that happens, he would undoubtedly be able to extend his power beyond the North to the entire kingdom.
It was truly a stroke of fortune to attack Ghislaine at this time.
Harold waved at Willow again.
“Let’s begin.”
With the sorcery of the mages, they could deliver a meaningful blow. Although reports indicated the enemy mage seemed stronger than Willow, they wouldn’t know until they actually gauged their power.
Desmond’s mages gathered mana and aimed it at the Penris troops. Willow once more cast the high-circle area spell.
“Fire Rain.”
Whoooooooosh!
Huge surges of magic coalesced in the sky as fireballs formed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At the same time, dozens of attacking spells shot out from Desmond’s formation—all aimed at the charging Penris army.
If all those spells hit, they would suffer considerable damage.
In the back of the Penris formation, some escort troops and waiting mages sensed the massive movement of magic from Desmond’s side and looked up in alarm.
Alfoy pushed his hair back and stepped forward.
“Finally… is it my time to shine?”
Until now in the war, Alfoy had never properly used a fireball. In a way, this war was like his real debut.
He planned to showcase his skills and gain fame and popularity through this conflict.
“This fiery man Alfoy will show those guys a hot time! I’ll burn them to ashes!”
Alfoy boldly shouted, extending one hand forward.
Thud.
Vanessa grabbed his wrist. Alfoy blushed slightly and protested.
“Stop grabbing other people’s hands so suddenly! Aaahhh!”
Sucked dry of mana in an instant, Alfoy trembled with his cheeks sunken.
‘I wanted to show my magic skills this time!’
But after Vanessa drained all his mana, he was deprived of that opportunity.
Vanessa, having thoroughly absorbed Alfoy’s mana, raised her hand to the sky.
“I reverse the twisted law. Dispel.”
Swoosh….
With her word, the hundreds of fireballs forming in the sky disappeared before they could fall. All the attacking spells aimed at the Penris troops scattered uselessly.
It was truly a miraculous feat.
With overwhelming concentration, she had caught all the surges of mana rising on that vast battlefield.
Willow, witnessing the scene, gasped in horror.
“N-no way! It’s not like she delayed them—she dispelled all those spells in an instant? C-could it be a 7th Circle mage? No, if that were the case, she would have used 7th Circle magic already…”
“No way! It’s not like there’s a time difference, and you’re going to counter all that magic in one go? Could it be that a 7th Circle Mage has arrived? Oh, no, if that were the case, they would have already used 7th Circle magic…”
The mages of Desmond’s Army were flustered and in disarray. They couldn’t gauge the full strength of the enemy mage.
As soon as Vanessa dispelled the enemy’s magic, she grabbed the wrist of another mage who stood opposite Alfoy.
The mage, tightening his grip, exclaimed, “Did I mention I have a girlfriend or not?!”
Vanessa ignored the mage’s words and pulled out her magic power to cast a 6th Circle spell.
“Twin Cyclone.”
Swish.
Very small whirlwinds appeared on both sides of Desmond’s army. It was such a weak gust of wind that no one could easily notice it.
However, Willow, being a 6th Circle Mage, caught the subtle movements of the magic power and cried out in fright, “Dispel it immediately! Quick!”
The place where the whirlwinds formed was quite far from both camps. They needed to get closer to dispel the magic.
The mages rushed to act, but the gathering wind was faster.
WOOOOOOO!
The wind gradually increased its rotation speed until it eventually transformed into a massive vortex. The two rotating whirlwinds approached menacingly, as if they would swallow everything in their path.
Willow had a look of disbelief on her face.
“What the hell! How could the same spell be cast so far apart like this…?”
Twin Cyclone is a magic spell that creates two whirlwinds simultaneously. There was no way she could cast two spells this far apart.
When the wind was small, it was easy for a lower Circle mage to dispel it, but as it grew larger, it became much more difficult.
“Block it! I’ll block the right side!”
Willow reached out and cast Dispel. Being a 6th Circle Mage herself, she could dispel 6th Circle magic given enough magic power.
BAM!
“Ugh…”
A tremendous amount of magic power burst forth from his body, causing one of the whirlwinds to dissipate.
The remaining mages focused their attention on the left whirlwind.
Those who had not yet reached the 6th Circle could never dispel 6th Circle magic on their own, but together, they might succeed.
WAAAAAA!
The whirlwind moved ferociously, approaching to sweep away part of Desmond’s forces.
Despite the approaching whirlwind, Desmond’s army remained steady. Even as sweat trickled down their faces, they clenched their jaws and held their ground without orders.
Truly, they displayed the demeanor worthy of being called elite.
“Everyone gather over here! Now!”
“Damn it! Who is the enemy mage?!”
“Hurry! Dispel it quickly!”
Fortunately, dozens of mages came together, pouring out their magic power, and the whirlwind gradually subsided.
Willow shouted with urgency, “Attack again! Don’t stop! We need to strike first before the enemies can cast their magic!”
BAM!
Magic hurled from Desmond’s ranks once again.
Vanessa immediately grabbed the hand of another mage and dispelled the spells.
Unlike Desmond’s mages, she was handling the entire battlefield on her own.
Drip.
Blood continuously poured out from her nose.
With outstanding talent and relentless effort, she had achieved the realization of reaching the 6th Circle, but the magic power stored in her body was still only around the 2nd Circle.
Though she used her body as a medium to draw out the magic power of other mages, there was no doubt that using others’ magic power was burdensome.
Alfoy, who was lying there looking like a mess, murmured with a sorrowful expression, “You fool… you’ll die doing that… you won’t last long…”
But she said nothing and continued to pursue the magic power of the battlefield.
‘I won’t let anyone die.’
At least with magic, our allies won’t die. That was her determination.
“Just a little more…”
Vanessa gritted her teeth and cast her spell.
She definitely wasn’t at ease in this situation. Fighting together was much better.
However, Desmond’s Army had many more mages, including a 6th Circle Mage, compared to this side. To face them while having a lack of magic power, she needed the magic power of other mages.
That’s why she had no choice but to fight alone.
“I’m sorry… If only I could gather magic power normally…”
If that were the case, the other mages would have participated in the battlefield too. Maybe Penris’s magical forces could have overwhelmed the enemy.
But since that was impossible now, she had to resort to this distorted method.
She was the only one who could block the enemy’s 6th Circle magic.
Drip.
More blood trickled from Vanessa’s nose. But she absolutely did not lose her concentration and pushed even further forward.
“I can’t… stop!”
There was no time to rest until the enemy was completely pushed back. She had to keep pressing harder to prevent them from aiding their allies.
Ghislaine trusted Vanessa and jumped into the battlefield.
“I can do more…”
There were still more than twenty mages left to fill her with magic power. She could hold on easily.
Thus, magic exploded in the sky above both sides like a fireworks display, repeatedly appearing and disappearing.
Harold bit his lip as he witnessed the scene.
“Looks like there really is a 6th Circle Mage. Is the Tower of the Bloody Flame’s master secretly helping?”
A warning rang in his head. If the Mage Tower had intervened, it wouldn’t be ordinary.
Seeing that his magical battalion was evenly matched, it was clear that the core strength of the Mage Tower had all come.
“How in the world did this guy manage to gather all these mages…”
He was curious, but there was no way to find out right now. After the war, he could slowly gather information and make those who aided Penris pay.
In any case, since their magic had been blocked, they had no choice but to face each other directly in combat.
“Cavalry.”
At Harold’s gesture, the cavalry standing on either side moved.
They began to encircle Penris’s rear in a large arc.
As long as the frontline spear soldiers held out, Penris’s forces would crumble from behind.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Desmond’s spear soldiers gripped their spears tightly, glaring at the approaching cavalry of Penris.
“Fast.”
Even though the entire Penris army was fully armored and equipped, their speed rivaled that of cavalry. If they collided, the shock would be tremendous.
The first to clash with Penris’s soldiers would likely be pushed back significantly, but that would also reduce the enemy’s breakthrough power.
Thousands of soldiers stood in formation, maintaining a distance. It was clear they wouldn’t break through halfway and their speed would drop.
If they could just hold them back, they could encircle and annihilate them completely.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The distance was closing in rapidly. With just a few blinks, they would collide. The spear soldiers crouched down, ready to attack the horses and unseat their riders.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Just before the armies clashed, Ghislaine suddenly shouted loudly.
“Spread out!”
Swoosh!
The leading knights and cavalry began to split left and right. It looked as if they were dodging the spear soldiers.
From the space that formed, cavalry armed with weapons other than spears emerged.
At the forefront of that group was the elf Lumina.
Squeeek…
Lumina let go of the horse’s reins and pulled back the bowstring with both hands. The elves and cavalry following her did the same, letting go of their reins and drawing their bows.
Harold muttered as he saw them suddenly appear between the divided armies.
“…Archer Cavalry?”
An unexpected unit had appeared.