Chapter 115
The crimson-black storm that had been racing across the Derkan Plains began to surge toward the north.
Armor as dark as pitch.
Cloaks billowing in red.
Magic raging so fiercely that it was hard to believe these were mere humans.
They were already like a single massive wedge.
A wedge that crushed, destroyed, and pierced through everything in its path.
“What… what is that?”
“Are they crazy enough to want to die?”
The warriors of the Caldrian Kingdom looked at the group of mounted men charging toward them and chuckled.
Only eleven of them.
Even if a force a thousand times their size appeared, they wouldn’t even blink.
It was far too few to be considered an army capable of holding back tens of thousands.
“Go, kill a few of them.”
There was no need for the great warriors to step forward.
Though the enemy’s momentum seemed impressive, thirty mounted warriors under their command should be more than enough to take them down.
“Yes!”
With the brief reply, the mounted warriors moved.
As if reading the mind of the commanding warrior, exactly thirty of them charged.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-!
The mounted warriors of Caldrian thundered across the northern, barren lands.
To them, their horses were lifelong companions.
Naturally, their horsemanship was on a completely different level from the flashy noble knights of the Empire.
And the horses’ lineage reflected that as well.
Thirty elite cavalry versus eleven worthless Empire knights.
No explanation was needed to see who held the advantage.
“Charging with such a small number… they must be crazy to want to die!”
The rough but solid swords glowed red in the flames of Fortress Bayes.
“Leave not a single one alive! Slaughter them all!”
At the cry of the leading warrior, a low voice echoed around.
“Pierce through.”
Kwaak! Kwaak! Kwaak!
A blood mist rose.
So thick that it momentarily obscured vision.
Through it floated the severed heads of the enemy.
Thirty heads.
Blood soaked the ground, and riderless horses scattered in all directions.
There were no screams.
Their necks had been cut before they could even cry out.
In the blink of an eye, they were annihilated.
“W-what is that?”
“What just happened?”
Even the great warriors of Caldrian, who prided themselves on overpowering Empire knights, hadn’t seen what had occurred.
They only saw the aftermath.
They didn’t know when or how their comrades’ necks had been sliced.
“Send out three cavalry units.”
The commanding great warrior spoke with a firm expression.
“Yes!”
This time, 120 cavalry charged—a force more than ten times the previous number.
But nothing changed.
Thirty, or one hundred twenty…
It was impossible to stop the crimson-black storm.
Fwoooaaahhh!
Red rain began to fall.
Severed heads and arms flew through the air, and belated screams struck the ears of Caldrian warriors.
“Ughhh, ughhh!”
“Please… save me!”
It took barely three seconds for 120 warriors to be wiped out.
Not a single survivor remained, their bodies littering the dry earth.
Meanwhile, the enemy’s momentum didn’t falter at all.
If anything, seeing blood seemed to make them even sharper, more ferocious.
To the warriors’ eyes, they were like death incarnate on the battlefield.
Gnash—!
A great warrior gritted his teeth.
“They were quite skilled.”
“Lord Kart.”
“What is it?”
“Could they be the Silver Cross Knights?”
Kart, the great warrior, scoffed at his subordinate’s suggestion.
“Those cursed fools never hide themselves. They understand honor.”
The Silver Cross Knights, true to their name, wore silver armor.
It was their pride and symbol.
There was no way the crimson warriors approaching now were the Silver Cross Knights.
“They are wraiths soaked in night and blood.”
Kart’s cold gaze met the enemy.
“Prepare the great warriors for deployment!”
The true might of the Caldrian Kingdom.
Finally, the great warriors moved to intercept the enemy.
“They are more skilled than I thought. Stay alert.”
Kart led the great warriors himself, stepping forward to give instructions.
“Yes, sir.”
Thirty great warriors followed—same in number as the initial cavalry, but of an entirely different level.
The Caldrian Kingdom’s great warrior corps was strong enough to crush most Imperial knights.
“Go! Show them the true might of northern warriors!”
Kwaaaak! Kwaaaak! Kwaaaak!
The warhorses, more like monsters than horses, overturned the earth as they charged forward with their riders.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every hooffall shook the ground like an explosion.
Their charge was overwhelming.
Whether the enemy numbered in the thousands or tens of thousands, nothing seemed capable of stopping them.
Thud-thud! Thud-thud!
The drummers raised morale as the great warriors advanced.
“Hmph!”
Kart, not bothering to calm his excited heart, noticed the enemy’s leader.
Barely fourteen or fifteen, maybe?
Certainly not an adult.
Too young to lead even a tribe, yet here he was, leading the knights.
“You fools!”
He cursed the dead warriors in front of him.
How could such weaklings end up dead?
He felt pity turned into disdain.
“Leave not a single one alive! Kill them all!”
As they drew closer, Kart shouted again to raise the morale of his warriors after two defeats.
A tremendous roar erupted from his side.
Satisfied, Kart drew his sword.
A massive great sword, too heavy for a normal person to lift with both hands.
Combined with the speed and raw power of the warhorse, it could split horse and rider in two.
“Start with that brat!”
Now they were almost upon him.
Kart infused his sword with energy and swung.
Fwhoooosh—!
The air split with a terrifying sound.
But an even more terrifying sound followed.
Clang—!
With a harsh metallic screech, his massive sword was cut apart.
Like a wooden branch, the silver sword wielded by the small boy easily sliced through his weapon.
“What…?”
Kart’s question never left his lips.
The severed necks of his enemies ensured silence.
“Kill them all.”
Kart, hearing the command from the boy, realized even as his consciousness faded:
‘This is not human.’
Something beyond a human.
Yes, like…
‘Zenon Aquites.’
The screams of the great warriors faded like a dream.
And Kart fell to the ground.
…Strong.
Dante glanced at the one who had just cut all those necks.
‘Are those the great warriors of Caldrian?’
Indeed, the resistance from the far end of Arpheon was considerable.
These were warriors capable of awakening their marks and using magic.
They were undoubtedly knight-level fighters, called great warriors.
But…
Akrasion had cut down thirty of them in a single breath.
No matter how strong the Caldrian great warriors were, they could not match Akrasion.
“Sir Mileon, Sir Zik.”
Dante called, and two knights brushing blood from their swords looked up.
“Cover my back.”
Seeing the great warriors crumble helplessly, the enemy’s hesitation was obvious.
Now was the opportunity.
If they exploited this psychological gap, they could create a massive breach.
“Understood.”
“Good, understood.”
With the knights’ responses, Dante snapped the reins.
The excited horse whinnied, and the red cloak soared like flames.
Akrasion formed a sharp, inverted triangle behind Dante.
Every spacing was half a step, tight enough to feel each breath.
“Break through.”
Dante whispered, drawing Arpheon.
Space screamed.
A straight line cut through the air, slicing everything in its path.
One, two, three, four, five.
The five warriors at the front collapsed.
“Stop them!”
Finally realizing the threat, Caldrian warriors stretched their weapons to stop Akrasion—but it was no use.
Kraaaaang!
Gyaaaah!
Horses weighing hundreds of kilograms charged at full speed across hundreds of meters.
No ordinary human could block such force.
Shattered, torn, destroyed.
Everything standing in Dante and Akrasion’s path met the same fate.
The blood-soaked red path cut straight through the center of the Caldrian army, splitting it in two.
“Cut the horses’ legs!”
“Shoot arrows!”
“Spearmen! Where are the spearmen?”
Tens of thousands shouted and moved to stop Akrasion.
But their actions were meaningless.
Warriors, cavalry, great warriors—no one could stop Akrasion for even a single second.
Behind Dante, the crimson-black storm of the battlefield shook the world.
