Chapter 122
Night held its breath.
The moonlight, the wind, the magic—
all quietly settled upon the sword Archaesion had drawn.
Dante quietly lifted Arpheon.
As the beautiful silver blade caught the moonlight and gleamed,
his horse began to gallop across the earth.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
“Hm?”
A few sentries turned their heads at the sound of hooves.
Something was approaching from the darkness.
But they did not panic.
This was the land of warriors,
a place where no one could dare tread.
Judging from the sounds, it seemed only a few were coming,
so they assumed these were returning warriors from scouting.
That assumption became their death sentence.
Shreeek—!
Five heads soared into the air.
Blood erupted belatedly, but only floated in the empty air, dampening the ground below.
“Enemies!”
Only then did they realize, shouting in alarm.
But it was far too late.
Dante, leading Archaesion, was already trampling their land.
“Ugh… urgh…”
A soldier with a torn vocal cord collapsed, clutching his throat.
Crack-crunch!
Another, crawling out of a tent in sleep, was crushed under the hooves.
“The Empire’s dogs… invade—ugh!”
A brave warrior tried to strike alongside Archaesion, but his tongue froze.
The icy magic flowing from Trisiel’s sword had shredded his head completely.
“Left, 30 degrees.”
From behind Dante, Mileon’s voice gave directions toward where they presumed the command center lay.
Without hesitation, Dante turned the horse to the left.
“Sir Elaine, Sir Yellody.”
A quiet order.
Though it didn’t specify exactly what to do, the two knights nodded and broke formation.
Pabababababa-bat!
At the same time, blood mist rose.
Several warriors who had tried to exploit the opening were struck down by the two knights’ blades.
“Accelerate.”
Kwaaaang!
With an earth-shaking impact, Archaesion’s speed increased exponentially.
Dozens of warriors hastily forming a loose defensive line were sent flying through the air, their bones and flesh crushed.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Form up! Create a shield wall and trap their feet!”
The elite warriors shouted after assessing the situation, but it was too late.
They had never expected an ambush on their own land.
And Archaesion’s sword—
never stopped.
Kwa-kwak-kwak-kwak!
Warriors who intermittently blocked the path fell helplessly.
Against Archaesion’s overwhelming momentum, makeshift defenses were meaningless.
Bang!
Elaine’s pointed blade pierced the air, felling dozens in a line.
Serdic’s greatsword crushed the warriors’ bodies completely.
Through that gap, Dante’s horse charged.
Shreeek—!
Arpheon moved.
As the silver flash traced through the air,
the necks of twelve warriors attempting to sever the horse’s legs were sliced simultaneously.
Blood gushed like a waterfall, yet not a drop stained Arpheon.
At the same time,
an empty space appeared.
It signified the command center was near.
Archaesion following Dante all crouched and spurred their horses.
Red capes flapped like wings, and the hooves thundered across the land.
The breakthrough of the densely packed formations, hundreds or thousands strong, took only the blink of an eye.
“Do these weaklings of the Empire even know where they are!”
Finally, the fully prepared elite warriors emerged.
Flags raised, armored figures charged directly at Archaesion.
Though on foot, their speed and momentum were terrifying.
Dante’s eyes narrowed.
Perhaps because this was the enemy’s main base, the concentration of magic was unimaginably strong.
Kwaaaang!
The great sword of the lead warrior struck the ground, sending shockwaves in concentric circles.
Lethal enough to kill any ordinary soldier instantly.
Dante raised Arpheon vertically and brought it down.
The rippling line of magic cut through the vibrations approaching, destroying everything in its path.
As the shockwave over the land split in two, Dante pierced its center.
“Wh-what…!”
The warrior gaped in shock, but only for a moment.
His vision gradually tilted horizontally.
Boom!
The line Dante created did more than cut through vibrations.
Dante and Archaesion passed beside the elite warrior’s trembling head.
“Sir Zick.”
“Leave it to me.”
At Dante’s call, Zionhack lunged forward.
Vwoooosh!
With a graceful curve, his sword carved a beautiful path through space, splitting the stunned warriors’ bodies.
Their bodies shattered into dozens of pieces, collapsing onto the red earth.
“B-Break them! Break…!”
Nonstop orders rang out, but there was no trace of pride or fighting spirit.
Only the terror of prey facing an unstoppable predator.
Dante glanced at them and passed by,
as if Arpheon wasn’t worth swinging at such vermin.
Those who breathed a sigh of relief instinctively were soon swallowed by the shadow of death.
Blood, screams, and despair filled the warriors’ land.
Evil and cries intertwined like metal waves, and Archaesion advanced relentlessly.
Red capes fluttered like the wings of death, and scythe-like strikes cut through space with the moonlight.
Crack-crunch!
Another defensive line collapsed.
Warriors threw themselves to trap Archaesion, but their sacrifices could not even last a moment.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
They resisted with bloodshot eyes, throwing swords, blocking with ropes, charging with their bodies.
But in the end, only broken bones and crushed flesh remained.
Bang!
As Serdic’s greatsword fell, the ground caved, and the following warriors were splattered in blood.
Hoo-!
Dante’s eyes flashed.
“Noooom!”
Kwa-kwak-kwang!
A massive shadow appeared in the empty battlefield ahead.
Patterns on brown leather armor marked the heart of Caldriel.
Glowing red axes and spears.
The sorrow of shields holding back cries.
The last defensive line protecting the army’s core—the Guardian Elite Warriors.
Every stomp shook the ground.
Shield walls overlapped, spears and swords crossed, forming an immovable fortress.
No weaknesses.
A moving iron castle in the heart of the battlefield.
“Uoooooh!”
Seeing them, the remaining warriors cast off despair and fear, cheering.
It meant they trusted this elite force completely.
‘Strong,’ Dante acknowledged.
They were different from the enemies he had slaughtered before.
These were warriors truly worthy of the “elite” title.
The elite warriors charged at Dante head-on.
Kwaaaaang!
The first clash.
Arpheon slid along the elegant curve of a shield, bouncing into the air.
Solid, yet supple—two opposing qualities perfectly defending Dante’s blade.
“Scatter!”
A frontal collision would do more harm than good.
Dante ordered, and Archaesion split to glide past the elite warriors.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Dante turned the horse as well, but they would not let him pass.
The tightly closed shield opened wide, and a massive warrior charged like a cannonball.
A fearless attack.
Dante’s face hardened, spurring the horse into the air.
Shraaak!
The warrior’s sword crushed the horse’s head as it passed.
Seeing the horse slowly fall, Dante swung his sword.
From left to right.
A single stroke.
The warrior’s chest split.
Arpheon’s tip cut through bone and flesh.
He fell beside the horse he had killed, disbelief on his face.
‘Remaining enemies…’
The elite formation had thirty left.
One had just died—twenty-nine remained.
As Dante touched the ground, he maximized his magic.
‘No time to hold back.’
Archaesion’s advantage was speed and overwhelming power for a decisive battle.
Every second mattered.
Boom!
He stomped his left foot and twisted his body.
His waist, twisted to the limit, snapped back as his whole body spun explosively.
Arpheon, glowing with radiant light, drew a massive circle.
Infinite magic flowed from its tip.
Infinite.
Dante infused a piece of this mystic power into the sword.
A straight slash cutting through space itself.
Slash!
The elite warriors’ impenetrable shield wall crumbled.
Leather reinforced with iron tore like paper.
Spears and swords turned to dust, scattering into the air.
No screams.
Everything touched by Arpheon froze, as if time itself had stopped.
Then, in the next moment:
Shreeeeek—!
Heads, torsos, arms, and legs split simultaneously.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—!
The remaining twenty-nine elite warriors collapsed.
One stroke.
With a single swing, the self-proclaimed guardians of Caldriel were annihilated.
Shwaaah!
The red rain that painted the air fell against the faint moonlight.
Dante, soaked in it all, retrieved Arpheon without the slightest falter and stepped forward with a blank expression.
“Who’s next?”
