Chapter 116
Have you ever seen an army of tens of thousands split in half?
As if nails were being driven into solid wood, the ranks of Caldrian warriors parted in an instant.
“What… is that?”
Rotten, the commander-in-chief of the front fortress Bayes, widened his eyes at the surreal sight.
“Is… that reinforcements?”
These were knights wearing armor of a type he had never seen before.
There were too few to call them a full order of knights, yet their presence alone was terrifying.
Only eleven.
And yet, with that small number, they were cutting straight through the heart of the enemy!
Rotten had never seen anything like it in his life.
“We need to find out who they are—”
“Is that important right now?!”
Rotten snapped angrily at his subordinate’s foolish remark.
The identity of these knights could be discovered later. What mattered now—more than anything—was:
“Support them! Make sure their horses keep moving!”
The enemy attack on Bayes fortress momentarily halted at the absurd sight of the suddenly appearing knights breaking through their lines.
This was a chance that could not be wasted.
They had to support the mysterious knights and turn the tide of battle.
Wasn’t this the very opening they had been hoping for?
If they let this opportunity slip away, they might as well relinquish command of the Northern Legion.
“Attack!”
“Shoot arrows! Don’t let them regroup!”
“Prepare the javelins!”
“Move quickly!”
Finally, the commanders regained their senses, shouting loudly as they urged their soldiers forward.
“Waaaaah!”
“Kill them all!”
The soldiers, who had been overwhelmed and unable to lift their heads under the ceaseless assault, finally began to fight back.
They pushed away ladders leaning against the walls,
drove arrows into the heads of approaching enemies,
and threw massive spears to inflict huge damage.
Cheers erupted.
It was time to repay what had been endured until now.
The soldiers set their eyes ablaze, pouring attacks with reckless fury.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
“They can’t get any closer!”
“Fall back!”
Eventually, the elite warriors and soldiers besieging the fortress at the front began to step back.
“They’re retreating!”
“Now! Fire every arrow!”
Babababababababam—!
Since the start of the battle, the soldiers hadn’t even had a chance to fire properly, and now arrows rained down, cutting through the night sky.
Unlike Caldrian’s arrows, these had no fire attached, so the warriors could neither defend against them nor evade—they simply fell with a slicing wind.
This brought terror to the warriors.
Rotten, his eyes bloodshot red, watched the fleeing soldiers before turning his gaze away.
This small victory could be celebrated later.
What he needed to confirm now was…
“Huh—!”
A sight so absurd it was almost comical met his eyes.
“Divided in half.”
It was as if a legendary divine sword had cleaved the enemy in two.
The eleven crimson-armored knights had not once paused in their advance, yet they had split the Caldrian army in two.
The path they passed was red and slick.
All the blood spilled by the warriors felled by their swords.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
As the enemies in front vanished, the crimson storm changed direction and swung widely.
“This is insane!”
Rotten shouted in shock.
He naturally expected them to stop by now.
Even the most skilled knights knew how difficult it was to break through an enemy army.
And yet, these eleven had cut through thirty thousand—perhaps even twice that number.
Despite piercing such overwhelming forces…
“They’re trying to break through again?”
Was that even possible?
Rotten couldn’t close his mouth in disbelief.
“After circling, we break through again.”
Dante said calmly, brushing the blood off Arpheon.
It wasn’t particularly exhausting.
Though the enemy numbers were considerable, they were far from enough to withstand Acrasion’s destructive power.
It would take at least a Behemoth-class warrior to even slow him down.
Feeling no fatigue, Dante drew a wide circle with his gaze fixed on the enemies.
‘This time, the target is…’
The first breakthrough aimed to break the enemy’s morale.
Dante’s intention worked perfectly.
The Caldrian offensive stopped, and Bayes’ counterattack began.
Although the fortress had fewer soldiers than them, everyone knew defending was easier than attacking.
Even if they just watched, the Northern Legion would eventually win.
Still, Dante didn’t intend to stop.
If they could reduce their own casualties, why not move?
If they pushed a little further, innocent soldiers could live to see the sunrise tomorrow.
‘There.’
Dante’s eyes flashed.
Where he looked was the enemy command center.
‘Hit that!’
If the expedition’s commander fell, the Caldrian army would be forced to retreat.
The minimum effort could yield maximum results.
Of course, it would take greater effort, but…
‘I can handle that.’
As Dante shifted his direction, Acrasion seemed to realize what Dante was aiming for.
He began raising his magic to full power.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The pounding of hooves shook the ground.
The crimson cape flashing like fire appeared to the enemy as a harbinger of disaster.
“They’re targeting the command center!”
The elite warriors tracking Acrasion’s movement finally realized it.
In the chaos, fear, and shock, they noticed that Dante’s path aimed straight for the most critical position.
“Stop them! If they reach there, it’s over!”
Someone shouted, and the elite warriors waiting in the rear began to move.
One hundred and five in total.
All the elite warriors commanding from the back had gathered together.
Without hesitation, they charged.
The warriors opened the path, like massive doors swinging left and right.
Ka-Kwah-Kwah-Kwah—!
A storming charge.
They tried to intercept the crimson arrows aimed at the command center.
The distance between Acrasion and the elite warrior squad closed rapidly.
Still, none of them slowed down.
Dante pressed harder, running even faster.
“Full power. Sweep everything away.”
With a quiet command, massive magic surged.
At the same time…
Ka-Kwah-Kwah-Kwah-Kwah!
Swords and spears clashed, creating bursts in the air.
Magic collided against magic, shaking the space around them.
Yet…
“No big deal.”
Dante swung Arpheon.
Silver, sharp streaks—one, two, three—overlapping in succession, carved deeply into the air.
Wherever the silver lines touched, the elite warriors’ spears and swords shattered, spraying red blood.
“Arrgh!”
“Impossible…!”
“Unbelievable!”
Even their bodies, trained to the extreme,
their decades-honed magic,
their lifetimes of skill—
meant nothing against Dante’s blade.
They tore apart like paper.
No matter how awakened or powerful, they could not stop Dante and Acrasion, even for a second.
Crack—! Screeech—!
All 105 elite warriors were cut down in mere breaths.
Before their screams could even scatter, their shattered bodies hit the ground.
“Are… those really humans?”
Fear spread across the faces of Caldrian soldiers watching from afar.
To them, elite warriors were like gods—
the pride of the tribe, the kingdom’s strongest shield, and the ruler of the battlefield.
Yet, over a hundred of them had been wiped out so easily by just eleven.
“Do not scatter! Protect the command center!”
Desperate cries erupted across the lines, but the warriors’ eyes were already shaken endlessly.
Seeing their most trusted elite warriors crumble in an instant,
no one could resist the fear.
“Clear the way.”
Dante’s cold command echoed.
Milleon and Zionhack pulled their reins simultaneously, charging forward.
Kwahaaang—!
The wall of shields meant to block them crumbled like a sandcastle against the waves.
Warriors with swords and spears were reduced to mist and blood.
Flesh and gore scattered through the air, raining a crimson downpour.
“Inooh!”
One elite warrior, assigned to command instead of fighting, gritted his teeth and raised his sword, but…
Shreek—!
Milleon’s blade, swung with a face devoid of emotion, cut him in half at the waist.
“Save… me…”
“Run….”
No warrior had the will or courage to resist.
Prideful warriors retreated unconsciously, clearing the path for Acrasion.
Each sweep of the crimson storm toppled dozens of warriors at once.
“Grrrgh!”
“Arghhhhhhh!”
A despairing song of screams, blood, and corpses echoed across the battlefield.
Finally, Dante’s eyes fell on the highest commanders leading the Caldrian army.
Some trembled in fear clutching their weapons.
Some turned to flee desperately.
Some drew their swords, clinging to their last shred of pride.
Different actions, same result.
“It’s over.”
Dante raised Arpheon high.
Magic surged infinitely from the tip of his blade.
“Die, all of you.”
Shzzzzzzk—!
Tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands—
an uncountable number of sword strikes covered the area.
And within a hundred-meter radius…
No one remained alive.
