Jaymon still felt like the current situation was a dream.
The enemy's strategies and tactics were bizarre, as if they didn't belong to this world, and the invaders' destructive power and speed were unbelievably strong and swift.
The number of Fenris troops charging toward both walls amounted to merely a few dozen.
On the other hand, the number of troops deployed on this side to defend against them was several times that.
'And yet they're breaking through this quickly! How could such knights have come from Fenris!'
Count Cabaldi's soldiers were mostly heavily armored infantry, fully equipped from head to toe. Thanks to this, they were especially powerful in defensive battles.
No matter how skilled a knight might be, it shouldn't have been possible to kill heavily armored infantry so quickly.
'Are all of them high-level knights? No, no. That's not it. It's the ones at the forefront who are the problem.'
Jaymon glared at the knights leading the charge on both sides: Gillian and Kaor.
Among them, Gillian especially displayed monstrous power in this chaotic melee.
In the last war, he had been in a position close to escorting Ghislain, so he hadn't particularly stood out.
But this time, leading a separate unit and attacking, Gillian revealed a completely different side of himself.
He appeared laden with all kinds of weapons, flaunting his skills without reservation.
Wham!
Before he even got close, the thrown weapons he launched pierced through the enemies' heads.
With every swing of his sword, the heads of those who charged at him flew off.
The Cabaldi troops' spears and swords, thrusting whenever they saw an opening, were futilely blocked by Gillian's shield.
"Re-retreat!"
"It's a monster!"
"He's not an enemy we can handle!"
There was no way to attack him effectively.
Even if they could inflict a small wound, they might have been able to muster some courage to continue the attack.
But the terrified enemies backed away, raising their thick shields in desperation.
Their intent was clear: somehow hold him off and buy time.
Gillian, with a sneer of disdain, threw aside his sword and shield and drew the axe strapped to his back.
Crash!
"Aaargh!"
The shields were utterly useless. Gillian's axe cleaved not just the shields but also the enemies behind them.
Every step he took swept the enemies away like reeds in the wind.
It was hard to believe these were the elite heavy infantry of Cabaldi, one of the most formidable forces in the North.
Eventually, three knights commanding the other soldiers rushed forward, slashing their swords at Gillian.
Slash!
Gillian narrowly dodged, but the sword grazed his cheek, drawing blood.
Two knights seized the moment to attack from both sides.
"Die!"
Northern knights were often considered rougher and more brutal than knights from other regions.
Indeed, the Cabaldi knights attacked Gillian with the ferocity characteristic of northern warriors.
But Gillian's counterattacks were even more ferocious.
Without even attempting to dodge, he swung his axe at one of them.
Boom!
The axe shattered the knight's sword and crushed his chest in one blow.
"Gah!"
With a short scream, the knight's chest was split open, and he collapsed.
Another knight took advantage of the opening to swing his sword.
But Gillian twisted his body and blocked the sword with his thick forearm.
Thud!
The sword hit with a dull sound but failed to cut through.
"W-what is this?"
The Cabaldi knight was shocked. How could a mere forearm stop a mana-infused sword?
It was possible only because Gillian was wearing a sleeve made from the hide of a Blood Python, infused with mana. But the knight didn't live long enough to understand that.
Crunch!
Gillian's axe flew straight into the knight's head, splitting it apart.
"You bastard!"
The last knight, his face twisted with fury, put all his strength into a desperate attack.
Gillian narrowed his eyes at the knight. This was the one who had initially wounded his cheek—clearly the most skilled among them, likely the leader of the knights.
Clang!
Gillian blocked the incoming sword with his axe. Then, with lightning speed, he drew a short, wide blade hanging from his waist and slashed the knight's torso.
Slash!
That was the end.
With their commanding knights killed in an instant, the soldiers were gripped by terror and retreated further.
Wielding an axe and a sword in each hand, Gillian didn't stop and continued to smash through the enemies.
Boom! Crash!
"Aaargh!"
"R-run away!"
Wherever he moved, a path was violently cleared.
Having honed his skills under Ghislain, Gillian was nothing short of a destroyer on the battlefield.
Thanks to Gillian's devastation of the enemy's defensive lines, the Fenris knights found it easier to fight.
It was still difficult for them to break through the thick shields in one strike.
But Gillian's actions allowed the knights following him to swiftly pierce through the defensive lines in front of the walls.
On the other side of the battlefield, Kaor was no less effective. In fact, his pace was even faster.
"Move, move! If you're slower than that old man, I'll kill you all myself!"
Kaor constantly spurred his knights forward as they charged.
If Gillian was like a massive hammer smashing through everything in its path, Kaor was like a sharp awl piercing straight through.
He relentlessly targeted the heart of the enemy forces, forcing the allies following him to engage enemies on both flanks.
This made his advance faster but also much more dangerous.
Still, Kaor's grin never faded.
"Ha! It feels amazing to fight again after so long!"
Kaor was naturally inclined to enjoy danger. The knights following him were no different.
Having once been part of the Mad Dogs, they shared Kaor's reckless nature.
"Hahaha! This is the real deal!"
"I knew following our lord would lead to thrilling adventures!"
"Flying through the air! Killing enemies! This is the true life of a man!"
They were mercenaries who had survived the harsh northern lands on sheer willpower. Becoming knights hadn't dulled their wild instincts.
They showed no fear of injuries, instead closing in and wildly swinging their swords.
Their tenacity was enough to make Cabaldi's soldiers falter and step back.
To counter Kaor, three knights charged forward.
"Hah, finally, some decent opponents!"
Kaor, grinning savagely, clashed with the three knights.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After several exchanges, it was clear that Kaor's skills had significantly improved. He easily deflected the knights' attacks.
Unlike Gillian, Kaor didn't counterattack immediately. Instead, he observed the knights, like a predator stalking its prey.
When he spotted an opening, he didn't hesitate.
Stab!
"Gah!"
Kaor's sword pierced the neck of one knight with lightning speed.
The remaining knights attacked immediately, but Kaor grabbed the falling knight's body and used it as a shield.
Clang! Clang!
Their attacks were blocked by the corpse of their comrade.
"Y-you scum! How dare you desecrate a knight's body!"
"Using a knight's corpse like that! Have you no honor?"
The Cabaldi knights were outraged. They couldn't believe someone who appeared to be a knight would commit such a disgraceful act.
Kaor, however, didn't miss the openings created by their hesitation. Hiding behind the corpse, he swiftly thrust his sword.
Stab! Stab!
Striking vital points was his specialty. The remaining two knights fell with pierced throats.
Kaor, wiping blood from his face, spat on the ground and smirked in satisfaction.
"Why whine about a dead body? As expected, I'm the strongest. Hahaha."
Glaring at the terrified Cabaldi soldiers with sharp eyes, Kaor barked his orders.
"I'm going ahead. Kill the rest quickly and catch up. We don't have time to waste."
With that, Kaor charged forward again, focused only on reaching the walls first.
His efforts left a clear path. The Cabaldi defensive lines were already collapsing.
For the remaining Fenris knights, killing the disheartened enemies was easy.
"These guys are nothing! Kill them all!"
"Charge! Charge! Hahaha!"
The Fenris knights mercilessly slaughtered the demoralized enemies as they advanced.
All this happened in just a matter of minutes.
Watching the Fenris forces swiftly breach both walls, Jaymon felt a chill run down his spine.
'The walls are lost.'
The walls would soon be captured, and the command tower where he stood would be attacked.
There was only one hope left.
Somehow, they had to hold the gate until reinforcements arrived.
But even that was just Jaymon's desperate wish.
The one slaughtering the troops at the gate was far more devastating than those on the walls.
Jaymon screamed at the top of his lungs as he looked at that figure.
"Stop him! Whatever it takes, hold the gate!"
The battle near the gate was fiercer than on the walls. The defenders had concentrated more troops there.
However, even with the thickest defensive line established, they were helplessly being penetrated.
Boom!
"Aaargh! It's a monster!"
Cabaldi's forces were crumbling helplessly before Ghislain's sword, which moved with gleaming red eyes.
Ghislain's movements were lightning-fast.
Having consumed the Blood Python's venom, his mana had increased to an astonishing degree. To control that mana, Ghislain never ceased his physical training.
The power he had accumulated day by day without rest was now finally exploding here.
Cabaldi's soldiers couldn't even think of approaching Ghislain. They wanted to surround him, but it was impossible.
Rrrrip!
Each time the red line moved through the darkness, several heads rolled to the ground.
Behind him, the knights of Fenris, showing no concern for their own safety, relentlessly pressed the Cabaldi forces.
Unable to bear it any longer, Cabaldi's knights began to target Ghislain alone.
"Step aside! Fall back!"
Pushing the soldiers out of the way, five Cabaldi knights charged straight at Ghislain.
Knowing that Ghislain's skills were no ordinary feat, they immediately opted for a coordinated attack.
Capturing this monster was the only way to turn the tide of battle.
It was only natural for the strongest to guard the most critical positions.
When the knights, who seemed fairly skilled, approached, Ghislain waved his hand, signaling the Fenris knights to fall back.
Clang!
In an instant, space opened up, and the battle of five against one began.
The knights who swung their swords at Ghislain were left in shock.
All of their attacks, coming from every angle, were easily dodged or blocked by Ghislain.
Then came his counterattack.
Whirl.
As Ghislain's sword spun once in his hand, one of the knights' heads fell.
Another knight, attempting to strike during that opening, caught a glimpse of a red flash before his consciousness faded.
The remaining three knights quickly realized they could not handle this opponent.
In speed, in strength, in technique—there was nothing they could surpass him in.
Although Cabaldi's knight commander was reputed to be exceptional, he would never match the skills of the person standing before them now.
Slice!
Without even realizing when he had moved, another knight was beheaded and collapsed.
Each time Ghislain moved, a beautiful red line was drawn in the air.
That line moved as if painting in the darkness. It resembled the melody of an intense piece of music.
To the knights' eyes, nothing existed but that red line. If there was ever a technique that had reached the pinnacle, it would be this.
Slice!
While their gaze was stolen by the beautiful line, leaving them unable to act, yet another head fell.
"Swordmaster…"
The last remaining knight, unable to even think of attacking, lowered his sword and muttered.
He had never seen a Swordmaster in person before, but if someone displaying such skill wasn't a master, then who could possibly deserve the title?
If the title of master were to be bestowed upon someone, it had to be the person standing before him now.
This man was truly the master of the sword.
Once again, the red line flashed and approached.
The Cabaldi knight gave up on counter attacking and closed his eyes.
He had always dreamed of the pinnacle of swordsmanship as a knight. And now, in this moment, he had witnessed it with his own eyes.
Slice!
There was no regret. That was his final thought.
[T/L: Please support me and read 115 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]