Chapter 179
It was an overwhelming victory.
The Imperial soldiers stationed in Statznal cheered as they gazed at the battlefield, littered with the corpses of Allied troops.
“Hahaha, did they really think they could take this place?”
“Fools. No matter how much they unite, nothing will change.”
“We have Alexandro with us!”
With triumphant expressions, the soldiers returned to Statznal.
While they reveled in their success—
“Why do you look so unsettled, sir?”
“It’s not enough.”
Alexandro’s curt reply left his officers silent.
He had expected to at least kill Celestine in this battle.
If not that, he had hoped to double the enemy’s casualties.
The officers could only shake their heads at his relentless expectations.
‘Even after achieving this much, he still thinks it’s not enough...’
‘No wonder he’s this strong.’
Even in the competitive Cartelia Empire, Alexandro commanded great respect among warriors.
Every action and every word he spoke beca an example for others to follow.
At that mont, one of his officers, Ferrant, spoke up.
“But after this, they won’t dare attack us recklessly again. Didn’t you see them fleeing for their lives?”
A young commander brimming with confidence, Ferrant’s talent was undeniable.
His presence in Statznal was due to soone’s desire for him to learn under Alexandro’s guidance.
Alexandro nodded.
“Confidence is good, Ferrant. But do not confuse it with arrogance. Always remain humble.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ferrant grinned broadly—Alexandro rarely gave such advice.
While they returned to Statznal, the retreating Allied forces quickly reorganized their ranks.
“Gather the wounded and ensure they receive treatnt.”
“General, are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Tend to the soldiers first.”
Celestine stood, limping away despite the pain.
Using aura twice in succession had strained her body, but—
‘Receiving his aura attack... was devastating.’
And she had endured it using only sword energy.
Had she not, many more soldiers would have died.
But now, her own injuries were severe.
‘My mana circuits are completely wrecked.’
Healing would take at least several days.
Which ant—
‘...I won’t be able to use aura for a while.’
The original plan had been to push past Statznal and reach Everblade within three to four days.
But she hadn’t expected Alexandro to be here.
‘Even Henry didn’t predict this.’
Sothing was happening within the Empire.
Their tactics had beco unpredictable, aggressive in ways that defied expectations.
Soone was changing the way the Empire fought.
anwhile—
“Hm... so Nardern has fallen?”
It had been a perfect plan.
The timing was impeccable, and he had used the best pieces available.
‘Yet sohow...’
Blaming Piaren wouldn’t solve anything.
He knew Piaren better than anyone—his relentless ambition, his pride.
Nardern hadn’t fallen because Piaren was weak or had made a mistake.
‘Sothing I didn’t account for... there must be a variable.’
If he didn’t identify that variable soon, failures would continue to mount.
Then—
“Statznal has been successfully defended. We killed over ten thousand enemy soldiers, and Celestine Favela was wounded.”
“I see.”
Statznal had gone as expected.
Which ant...
‘The defeated forces at Statznal will have contacted the Nardern troops.’
That ant the unknown variable was now moving toward Statznal.
Ailes quickly wrote a letter and handed it to a ssenger.
“Deliver this to General Alexandro in Statznal imdiately.”
“Yes, sir!”
This war—
‘Finding the variable cos first.’
For the first ti, a flicker of unease passed across Ailes’s normally confident face.
“A variable?”
“Yes.”
As they neared Statznal, Damian’s words made Dianal frown in confusion.
“What kind of variable?”
“Celestine wouldn’t have been defeated so easily. Just as Piaren ca to us, sothing even greater must have appeared here.”
“You an Alexandro?”
“That’s a factor, but...”
Damian couldn’t shake an unsettling feeling.
Sothing didn’t add up.
‘It’s hard to explain, but...’
His instincts, honed from years on the battlefield, were warning him.
Sothing had changed.
Sothing within the Empire.
Their strategies had beco erratic yet strikingly effective.
‘The Empire’s approach was always brute force...’
With overwhelming strength, they had never needed to rely on strategy.
Yet suddenly, unpredictable and dangerous developnts kept occurring.
‘This isn’t a coincidence.’
Others might dismiss it, but from now on, every step had to be taken with extre caution.
If not—
‘Everyone could be in danger.’
Damian’s expression darkened as he fixed his gaze on the distant sight of Statznal.
anwhile, at the edge of the battlefield—
The Allied forces under Kiaran arrived, only to be t with a horrific sight.
“...This can’t be.”
The once formidable army of over seventy thousand had noticeably dwindled, and the presence of the wounded was evident everywhere.
One of Celestine’s lieutenants approached Kiaran.
“My apologies.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. I heard a rough summary on the way here, but can you explain in detail?”
“Of course... Please, step inside.”
Though temporary, a space had been set up for the officers to hold etings.
Kiaran nodded and then turned.
“Duke Hainel! And Damian!”
She called for them both, as they had every right to be present at this eting.
Once the three of them entered the tent, three officers were already seated inside.
Kiaran asked imdiately,
“Where is General Celestine?”
“She is recovering from her injuries. She requested so ti alone.”
“...I see.”
Kiaran nodded.
Celestine had likely overused her aura, twisting her mana circuits in the process.
She was most likely using mana control techniques to stabilize the raging energy within her.
Kiaran understood completely and continued.
“What exactly happened?”
“Well...”
The officer recalled the battle from a few days prior, his expression darkening.
As he spoke, the expressions of Kiaran, Hainel, and Damian grew increasingly grim.
“General Celestine’s aura... failed?”
“Yes. The surging waves of her aura... simply froze in place.”
“Frozen?”
“Hm...”
Kiaran’s shock was evident, but Hainel exhaled quietly, recalling his mory of Alexandro.
He had only fought him once.
At that ti, Alexandro had wielded a chilling, ice-based aura...
‘Has he grown even stronger?’
It was only natural.
Hainel himself had beco stronger since then.
But freezing Celestine’s aura entirely?
That was not sothing that could be explained simply by elental incompatibility.
“If he is defending Statznal, this battle will be difficult.”
“What should we do?”
At Hainel’s words, an officer asked anxiously.
Kiaran unfurled the map of the Empire and studied it closely.
If Alexandro alone was enough to overpower Celestine,
Then Statznal would not be easy to take.
However—
‘We have two Aura Masters on our side.’
That ant a prolonged siege was pointless.
The enemy would be forced to co out and fight eventually.
‘If we face them head-on, our troops will suffer trendous losses.’
If Alexandro were determined to thin their numbers, nearly half of their 150,000-strong force could be lost.
Even if they took Statznal, it would be aningless if they were too weak to advance on Everblade.
‘But if we can eliminate Alexandro...’
That level of sacrifice might be justified.
If not, then this would be a wasted battle.
‘We also have to keep an eye on other fronts.’
Currently, Anubel, Baroque’s Second Aura Master, had gone to Artian.
That ant Baroque was left unguarded by an Aura Master.
If another Aura Master bypassed their front lines and attacked the kingdom, Hainel would have to return imdiately.
“Commander.”
As Kiaran deliberated, Damian called her na.
When she turned to him, he continued.
“What if we draw them out and send the Caion unit around the flank to break into their supply lines?”
“You an like we did in Nardern?”
“Yes. If we infiltrate and destroy their food and supplies while pushing their formation backward, they’ll have no choice but to act.”
“But wouldn’t they try the sa against us?”
Kiaran stared at the map.
Then she spoke.
“In that case, we move our supplies further back and split them. We use one as bait to lure them into an ambush.”
“That’s a solid plan.”
Hainel nodded.
There were at least twenty to thirty thousand Imperial soldiers in Statznal.
Their daily food consumption alone was massive.
If they lost their supplies, they would be forced to retreat or engage in battle.
But there were many risks to this strategy.
“Can you do it?”
“If you entrust with the mission, I will see it through.”
Damian’s gaze turned cold and resolute.
Statznal had been impregnable even to Celestine.
Victory would not co without risk.
Kiaran studied Damian.
A man who had never failed to uphold his word.
There was no reason not to trust him.
Finally, Kiaran nodded.
“Alright, we’ll go with that.”
Using Damian’s plan as a foundation, Kiaran began refining their strategy.
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