Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Aaaaaaargh!"
As Ghislain charged in, the Delphine army's central ranks began collapsing from the front.
Count Kandore, who had been momentarily dazed, snapped back to reality at the sight of this chaos.
"Mages! What are the mages doing? Why aren't they attacking?"
The mages, too, had been briefly stunned.
Their trust in the Salvation Church's priest, who had failed to put up any real fight before dying, had been utterly shattered.
"H-Hurry up and attack!"
The mages, jolted into action, began casting their spells. As befitted an army containing high-circle mages, powerful spells surged forth.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Despite the barrage of magic, the Fenris cavalry did not slow their advance. There were those among them whose role was to deal with such threats.
"Endairon."
Whoosh!
The water spirit, summoned by Erenes, created a vast protective shield.
Crash! Boom! Bang!
The magic bombardments that rained down from the sky were absorbed and dissipated by the water shield.
"By the goddess!"
Boom!
When Parniel struck the ground with her mace, a wave of holy light radiated outward.
Rumble!
The luminous ground absorbed the magic surging up from beneath.
The mages, witnessing this, widened their eyes in shock.
"W-What's happening?"
"It's not magic! This is the power of spirits and holy power!"
"Who in the world is over there?!"
The mages, flustered, didn't know what to do. How could anyone possibly be so strong as to neutralize the magic of dozens of mages with such ease?
With even their magic attacks rendered useless, they were left helpless, reduced to mere spectators as the Fenris army bore down on them.
This army contained three individuals who would one day be known as part of the continent's Seven Strongest. It was no surprise that the 5th Corps was unable to withstand them.
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
"Aaaaaaargh!"
Ghislain, atop the black horse, rampaged through the ranks of the Delphine army. His relentless assault quickly created a gaping void in their formation.
Behind him came Erenes, Parniel, Belinda, and Gillian.
"H-Hold the line!"
The four superhumans wreaked havoc among the ordinary soldiers. Even the knights within the Delphine ranks, who stepped up to stop them, couldn't make much of a difference.
Rumble!
With the help of a summoned earth spirit, Erenes caused parts of the Delphine formation to collapse.
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
Each swing of Parniel's and Gillian's weapons felled soldiers like insects.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Belinda's daggers flew in all directions, targeting and ambushing the knights.
The Delphine formation quickly crumbled, and the Fenris cavalry surged into the breached lines.
BOOM!
"Aaaaaaaargh!"
Once the formation broke, no army could withstand a cavalry charge. The Delphine forces, who had initially shown such determination, now fell apart as if they had never stood a chance.
The Fenris cavalry plowed through with ease, toppling their foes like mere kindling.
This wasn't a battle; it was a slaughter.
Count Kandore clutched his throbbing head in despair.
"Is the difference really this vast…?"
Even if his troops were starving and exhausted, they shouldn't have been defeated so helplessly.
No matter how formidable Ghislain was, Kandore had believed that the Salvation Church's priest would be able to hold his ground.
That belief had been a mistake. It was this repeated underestimation that had led him to face Ghislain in the first place.
He had failed to grasp that his opponent was a being beyond ordinary comprehension.
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
The black horse rampaging at the forefront of his army's lines was drawing nearer. Each swing of the spear its rider wielded cut down dozens of lives in a single motion.
Count Kandore realized the moment had come for a final decision.
"So, this is it…"
But he had no intention of dying without a fight.
BOOM!
Each resounding explosion cleared a path around Ghislain, who relentlessly advanced through the forest of soldiers.
Staring at Ghislain, Count Kandore dismounted from his horse. Watching the blood-soaked figure rushing toward him, he couldn't help but swallow dryly.
Thud, thud, thud!
Ghislain also spotted Count Kandore and began channeling energy into his spear.
A single throw would end the count's life in an instant.
As Ghislain tensed his arm, ready to throw the spear...
"I surrender!"
Count Kandore dropped to the ground and shouted.
"Huh?"
Ghislain, momentarily bewildered, lowered the spear he was about to hurl.
No high-ranking officer from the Delphine army had ever surrendered before—not in this life or his past one.
The unprecedented situation brought a chuckle to his lips.
Unconcerned, Count Kandore, still lying flat on the ground, bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"I surrender! Everyone, stop! Drop your weapons and lie down!"
All across the Delphine ranks, the same cries erupted.
"Don't fight!"
"Lie down!"
"Drop your weapons! We surrender!"
Already overwhelmed, the soldiers didn't need much convincing. No one resisted the order to surrender.
"I-It's a surrender!"
"Don't kill us!"
"We've dropped our weapons!"
Everywhere, soldiers discarded their arms and lay flat on the ground. The charging Fenris cavalry paused and turned to Ghislain, awaiting his signal.
The battlefield's atmosphere shifted, as though the wind had suddenly died down.
Clop, clop.
Ghislain slowly guided his black horse through the fallen ranks of the surrendered troops.
He approached Count Kandore, who remained prostrate, and spoke.
"A noble from the southern lands, groveling like this? That's unexpected."
"...There's no need for unnecessary sacrifice."
"I didn't expect you to go as far as groveling."
"You need to make it clear to be believed."
"Fair point."
Indeed, there was no more definitive gesture of surrender than this.
As the tension in Ghislain's voice lessened, Count Kandore cautiously rose and spoke.
"Once again, I declare our surrender. I ask that you treat us as prisoners of war, according to convention."
"Hmm, according to convention, huh…"
Surrendered nobles were customarily ransomed back for a price and treated respectfully until then.
That had been the tradition—until Ghislain appeared on the scene, trampling such customs into the dirt.
In this kingdom, there were only two figures notorious for shattering conventions: the usurper Amelia and the northern madman Ghislain, who stood before him now.
In short, Count Kandore's request was more likely to be denied. He was well aware of this.
Carefully choosing his words, Count Kandore continued.
"As you may know, all the vassals' families are being held hostage by the ducal house. We had no choice but to participate in this war."
"So you're asking to be spared?"
"...Yes. I ask for no grand favor, only the minimum dignity owed to a prisoner."
Ghislain tilted his head slightly, scrutinizing Count Kandore's face.
The count's features seemed familiar. The deeper he delved into his past memories, the clearer they became.
"Count Kandore, correct?"
"...Yes."
"Your devotion to your family is touching, considering your participation in this war."
"Well... who wouldn't act similarly?"
"True, true. When your family's life is at stake, such choices make sense."
Ghislain nodded a few times, then spoke.
"I don't have the habit of killing those who surrender. There's no fun in that."
Hearing this, Count Kandore allowed a faint smile. For someone reputed to be a lunatic, Ghislain seemed surprisingly reasonable.
'Once I get out of this, I'll have my revenge. I'll make him pay for this humiliation.'
Count Kandore had made the decision to endure any disgrace for now, all for the sake of survival.
Hiding his true thoughts, he said, "Such a noble sentiment. Then, let us discuss the terms of our—"
Stab!
"What?"
Pain exploded in Count Kandore's chest as he slowly lowered his gaze.
Ghislain's spear had pierced straight through his heart.
"Ugh..."
Coughing up blood, Count Kandore lifted his head to stare at Ghislain in disbelief.
"Why…?"
You said you don't have the habit of killing those who surrender!
Ghislain responded with a mocking expression.
"But you're an exception."
Before starting the war in his previous life, Ghislain had thoroughly investigated most of the nobles involved.
After Duke Delphine seized the kingdom, Count Kandore had been generously rewarded as one of the major contributors. However, what he did afterward was the issue.
Family? Count Kandore had no affection for his family.
He assassinated his wife, who came from a noble family, to remarry. He even killed his own children to change the line of succession.
A man like that, using the excuse of family to save his neck, was more dangerous than anyone else.
"I can't let someone like you live."
Slash!
When Ghislain pulled his spear out, blood gushed from Count Kandore's heart.
"Cough…!"
Count Kandore glared at Ghislain with resentful eyes.
He had endured humiliation to retreat and even prostrated himself on the battlefield to survive.
Yet, not even that had worked!
"You… heartless bastard…!"
With trembling hands, Count Kandore tried to grab at Ghislain but ultimately collapsed, foaming blood from his mouth.
Looking down at the corpse of Count Kandore, Ghislain smirked.
'Who's calling who heartless?'
The Delphine knights and mages nearby tensed as they watched Ghislain.
If he killed a noble who had surrendered without hesitation, what chance did they have if he decided to massacre everyone?
But Ghislain, seemingly uninterested in such acts, glanced around and gave orders.
"Gather the prisoners. They'll all be reorganized into the royal army. High-circle mages will be integrated into the northern forces."
Hearing this, the mages smiled brightly. Mages were valuable assets and, with time, could expect to regain good treatment.
But what Ghislain said next shocked them.
"Make sure their slave contracts are enforced. Send them all to Alpoi."
The mention of slavery drained the color from the mages' faces. How could he so casually talk about turning mages into slaves?
One mage, trembling, stepped forward. He was the leader of the 5th Corps' mages.
"I-I am a 6th-circle mage."
"And? We've got plenty of 6th-circle mages on our side, even more 5th-circle ones."
Throughout the war, Ghislain had gathered as many mages as he could. They had been integrated into both the royal and northern forces with ruthless efficiency.
Ghislain's indifferent response left the mage visibly frustrated. He spoke again, his tone increasingly desperate.
"I said I'm a 6th-circle mage!"
"So what? Are you bragging about your circle in front of me? How ridiculous."
Ghislain wanted to mention they had a 7th-circle mage as well but refrained, thinking it would sound petty.
"No, that's not it… I just… I don't understand why you would turn mages into slaves."
"In our territory, all mages are slaves. This system was implemented because of certain individuals."
The system, in a way, was thanks to Alpoi and his friends. Their mischief had led to the implementation of the mage slavery system, which had since become a tradition.
The mages, unfamiliar with Fenris' "progressive" system, felt like losing their minds.
If anyone else had said such nonsense, they would have retaliated with a fireball to the face. But standing before them was the infamous demon Ghislain.
Not wanting to become slaves, they expressed their discontent, hoping to negotiate better terms.
Noticing their resistance, Ghislain spoke with a casual air, as if it were no big deal.
"You'll be freed once your contract term is over, so don't worry too much. If you don't like that... you'll just have to die, won't you? After all, we were enemies, right?"
His eyes turned cold in an instant.
Mages were notorious for being difficult to control. Until the war ended, they needed to be restrained.
And surprisingly, Alpoi was exceptionally good at enforcing such measures.
"....."
The mages, seeing Ghislain's chilling gaze, realized the gravity of their situation. He was serious.
He had killed a noble who had surrendered without a second thought—what chance did they have?
The mages reluctantly nodded their heads.
"Understood…"
Better to become slaves than to die. None of them had the courage to risk death.
The knights, on the other hand, were much easier to sway. Like others from different corps, many were disillusioned with the Duke's collusion with the Salvation Church.
Thanks to Count Kandore's early surrender, Ghislain managed to acquire nearly 30,000 troops from this battlefield alone.
These soldiers would be reintegrated into the royal army and used to fortify the southern frontlines.
When the situation was finally under control, Ghislain raised his spear high and shouted.
"Another victory!"
"Waaaaaah!"
The Fenris cavalry roared with cheers. With so many superhumans among them, this battle had felt like the easiest yet.
The best part was that the 5th Corps had been the last of Delphine's forces heading toward the capital.
"Does this mean the war is over?"
"Won't the Duke surrender now?"
"They've lost over 200,000 troops, haven't they?"
"Hell yeah! We're officially the strongest in the kingdom now, right? The Duke's finished, right?"
All four corps of the Delphine army had been wiped out. Naturally, the soldiers believed the war was effectively over.
All that remained were the Salvation Church and the rifts. Based on their experiences so far, they were confident they could handle it.
There were rumors that the Salvation Church's high priests from across the continent were gathering here, but no one was worried.
After all, their side also had superhumans, with their numbers steadily increasing.
"To hell with it! Let's go save the world!"
"Hahahahaha!"
The soldiers laughed and joked, brimming with fighting spirit.
Eradicating the rifts and the Salvation Church was akin to saving the world. Filled with pride and zeal, none of them shied away from the glorious task ahead.
Watching his soldiers' excitement, Ghislain also smiled.
"This is a good sign."
With each battle, they were growing stronger. As a single force, they could now rightly claim to be the strongest in the kingdom.
But things would not unfold as easily as the soldiers hoped.
"All the small fry are out of the way now."
Ghislain knew better. Having fought the Duke's forces in his previous life, he understood them better than anyone.
The high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church, who had once operated in secrecy, were now stepping into the spotlight.
The real battle was about to begin.
For now, he needed to regroup and prepare his forces during this brief respite.
The Salvation Church might be gathering their priests, but Ghislain wasn't worried.
Things wouldn't go the way they planned.
Soon, someone truly extraordinary would appear to sweep them away.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]