War was a terrifying event no matter how much one embellished it with all sorts of fancy garnishments and ornate wordings. There, people’s corpses were scattered into pieces, blood sprayed in the air, and lives were squashed. The battlefield could be said to be a place where fear lived and breathed, as people would lose one of their most treasured goods–their own lives–by tens and hundreds of thousands.
Naturally, soldiers entered the battlefield with anxiety filling them from head to toe. But even as fear panged their hearts, humans were adaptable creatures. The soldiers soon became used to this intense emotion that clenched their chests. It was the same for the Steelwall soldiers who watched the advance of the allied forces. They also felt nervous, and fear still lived well in their hearts. They had become quite used to fighting the allied forces by now, but today, it seemed like the dulled emotions they felt during their first battle were taking control over them once again.
“…I thought so. Those guys look different than before, don’t they?”
“Damn it. I kept telling myself it’s my imagination, but you ruined it.”
Two soldiers holding their spears tightly on top of the walls conversed as they looked at the allied forces running toward them. The two felt nervous because of what their superiors told them. Their superiors warned their subordinates that there was a high possibility that the allied forces might use all means possible and undertake all necessary damages to put an end to this war. The soldiers were happy to hear that this war would end soon, but they soon fell disheartened again, as they imagined how fiercely their enemy would fight now. They had hoped that they could continue to block their enemy’s attack a little bit more like this and that the war would naturally come to an end.
However, as if they were proving their superiors’ warnings, the allied forces came at them with a different atmosphere than usual. It seemed as if they were intent on putting an end to everything with this one battle. The two soldiers weren’t the only ones who looked nervous. Even the knights who possessed far greater military skills than they stared at the allied forces more sharply than before.
“Shoot!” With the order, archers let go of their tightly pulled bows. Arrows blanketed the sky in black and shot toward the allied forces.
“Kuh!”
“Ahhh!” The soldiers cried out as arrows shot down like rain. Many became injured and fell to the ground, and there were a number of people who died just like that. Yet, as if they didn’t care for their fallen companions, the allied forces continued to advance toward the Steelwall forces. Thus, the last battle of this war began.
* * *
The Steelwall forces clearly realized the allied forces’ intent to make this battle the last one. They saw no sign of their enemy searching for weak spots like they usually did, and the allied forces flocked to the front in such large masses that even the Steelwall troops that had been blocking them well until now felt frightful. With their numerical superiority, the allied forces brutally attacked head-on. They didn’t tread carefully across the tough terrain or walls. Instead, they charged relentlessly into the range of the arrows so that the archers couldn’t even take a moment to rest.
Filled with shouting and screams, the battle seemed more desperate than usual, but surprisingly, it didn’t appear as intense or eye-catching as the previous battles; this was because the allied forces hadn’t deployed their knights and mages yet. Likewise, not knowing when the allied forces would let their elite troops out, the Steelwall forces also saved their elites. Thus, the only ones who fought and spilled blood on the battlefield currently were the soldiers.
“We lost a significant number of soldiers in charge of attacking the left side of the wall,” the vice-commander told Count Flaud. Even the Count saw that the number of soldiers on the left side of the wall had clearly decreased.
“Dispatch the reserve troops immediately.”
“…Sir Count. If we continue to lose our soldiers like this, we might have difficulty when trying to take over the Steelwall Estate.”
The reason why the allied forces hadn’t been attacking the Steelwall forces with all their might until now was that they were planning to do more than just crush the Steelwall’s army; even if they defeated the army in front of them, they would need more troops to invade the Steelwall Estate. Therefore, if they continued to lose soldiers like this, it was a wonder if they would be able to successfully capture the Steelwall’s residence in the end. Yet, the Count remained firm in his decision.
“I have my reasons. You just need to follow my commands.”
“…I understand.” What more could a mere vice-commander say to go against the Count’s words? The vice-commander supposed the Count must have his own thoughts and moved to put the command into action.
‘I need to weaken them first,’ Count Flaud thought. Even if the Steelwall forces were on a more advantageous terrain and had a wall, fighting them here was easier than taking over a castle.
‘They will eventually become exhausted if I keep dispatching more soldiers,’ Count Flaud thought.
Count Steelwall was probably aware of this. Thus, unlike the allied forces who didn’t let any of their knights or mages out yet, the Steelwall forces began to let out some of their knights earlier than them. The Steelwall army gradually became wearier while their elite forces lessened bit by bit. Of course, this method resulted in the loss of a mass number of his allied forces’ soldiers, and if this situation continued, Count Flaud’s vice-commander’s words would become reality.
Moreover, Count Flaud didn’t have any sort of counterplan at all. He hoped desperately. ‘Those Bellid bastards really do have a plan, right?’
Count Flaud lamented the pitiful circumstances that he had to entrust his life and his family’s fate to untrustworthy fanatics. How the hell did he end up in this pathetic situation? However, it couldn’t be helped. If the Bellids didn’t come up with a solution, the Flauds would really be over. He hadn’t even imagined in his wildest dreams that he would ever fall into a situation like this when he first started this war. However, he also knew that this situation was a reality and not a dream.
The allied forces’ attacks did not stop even after a long time. The bodies of the allied forces’ soldiers piled up like mountains beyond the barrier, but the soldiers continued to attack by stepping over their comrades’ bodies.
‘Isn’t it about time for them to come out?’ Even though Count Flaud resolved to pour out everything he had in this battle, he was still anxious to see countless soldiers die. Of course, it wasn’t because he suddenly had the noble epiphany that the soldiers’ lives were also precious. It was because, despite the fact that Count Flaud held the highest authority in the allied forces, it was still a coalition made up of different entities. As countless soldiers died, the faces of lords from other estates began to stiffen, and most of them quietly looked at the battlefield with red faces. They had all been holding in their frustration due to Count Flaud’s authority, but Count Flaud knew they were almost at their limits.
‘I still can’t stop.’ If there were a person who said they’d take their troops and leave the allied forces, he needed to firmly maintain his authority by beheading them if it came to the worst-case scenario. This was an act that even Count Flaud had never even considered, let alone implement, but he was now in an extremely dire position. Fortunately, what Count Flaud feared the worst did happen.
The Steelwall troops began to act strangely. Their soldiers’ movements began to noticeably slow down. At the same time, a signal came up from behind the Steelwalls’ barrier.
‘They’re here!’ Count Flaud shouted, “Vice-commander!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Immediately send out the knights and mages! We’re going to launch a full-scale attack!”
“Yes, sir!”
As soon as he gave out an order, Count Flaud glared at the Steelwall troops with murderous eyes. ‘The battle is going to officially start now!’
This last battle would decide the fate of everything.
* * *
‘They’re here.’ Zich cut down another enemy soldier and glanced back. He saw a group of people in the distance. Judging by how they were running at full speed on horseback, it did not seem as if it would take long for them to reach the Steelwalls’ campsite. A whole new force had suddenly appeared on the battlefield, but Zich could easily guess who they were.
‘Bellid bastards.’ Since Glen was eager to capture him by using any means, Zich had predicted that Glen would mobilize the Bellid forces in this war. The rear side of the Steelwall campsite had an extremely slanted terrain. Due to this environmental factor, the allied forces couldn’t easily surround them and only concentrated their offensive at the front.
However, those rushing towards them probably wouldn’t be hindered by the sloping terrain as the Bellids had most likely sent out their strongest fighters. ‘Those guys must have been originally stationed to protect the Pinne Estate’s capital.’
Even though the Bellids’ northern branch was still incomplete, it was highly unlikely that the Bellids deployed to protect the Pinne Estate would be lacking in skills. If Glen hadn’t dragged them outside of the capital after falling for Zich’s trick, the detachment would have probably suffered considerable damage when attacking the capital. It was definitely dangerous for the Steelwalls to receive a joint attack from the back by such a force.
However, Zich’s expression didn’t show even the slightest sign of worry. ‘They finally sent out their knights.’
The knights of the allied forces had only been watching the battlefield from the rear, and they were finally coming out of their base. It was clear that they were being sent out to attack at the same time as the Bellids.
‘They won’t be fighting side by side though.’ It would be difficult for the allied forces to openly cooperate with the Bellids. No matter how eager Glen was to employ all possible means to defeat him, most of the allied forces probably had negative feelings about the Bellids.
‘They’re probably under a great amount of strain even now.’
The corners of Zich’s mouth turned up slightly. He couldn’t suppress his laughter while imagining how frantically Glen had run around to capture him after his revelations. However, Zich couldn’t be satisfied with just this—there was still the highlight of the show left. As the allied forces’ knights began to move out, the Steelwall knights also began to prepare themselves for battle. Zich found Glen among the allied forces’ knights. ‘He’s over there.’
Glen also seemed to feel the same way as him as Glen’s gaze precisely landed on Zich. The Steelwall knights began jumping past the barrier one by one. Zich also stepped out of the barrier.
Tap! Zich landed lightly on his feet and walked straight toward Glen while cutting down the allied soldiers blocking his path. Soon, there was no one left between the two. The knights noticed Zich and quickly moved back. Zich and Glen’s eyes met, and they both smiled. They exchanged a fierce and bone-chilling laugh and rushed toward each other.
Baaaam! The sound of two swords colliding against each other rang across the battlefield.