Chapter 181
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunderous sound of war drums echoed as an enormous army began its advance.
A sheer number of troops was so overwhelming that just witnessing them was enough to inspire awe.
However, the imperial soldiers watching from Statznal couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions.
"Those fools. Are they really charging at us again?"
Despite suffering such a severe defeat not long ago, they were still here.
The imperial forces had assud the enemy would retreat, especially since they had pulled their formation back quite a distance.
A nearby officer spoke with a grave expression.
"Still, their numbers have nearly doubled. With that many troops... they could be quite the threat."
"Hah, a threat? Don’t make laugh."
A sneering officer turned his head slightly, casting a glance toward Alexandro.
Then, with a voice brimming with confidence, he declared, "As long as we have Lord Alexandro, we cannot lose. Even if they brought one hundred thousand, no, two hundred thousand soldiers, the outco would remain the sa."
Of course, if it truly were such a number, the situation would be vastly different, but that was how absolute their faith in Alexandro was.
And as soon as the coalition army moved, Alexandro was already preparing for battle.
With a firm push, he donned his helt and mounted his horse.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The imnse war drums of Statznal roared as well, signaling the movent of thirty thousand imperial soldiers out of the fortress, forming into battle lines.
Then—
Bwoooooooo!
With a long horn blast, the archer units sprinted to the front and swiftly took their positions.
Kneeling down and angling their bows toward the sky, they aid, waiting for the command.
"Archers, fire!"
With the archer commander’s order, hundreds of arrows shot up into the sky.
Swoooosh!
Srrrng.
As the successive volleys of arrows flew, Alexandro drew his sword.
"Soldiers of the Empire!"
His voice, infused with magic, thundered across the battlefield.
The sheer force of his words sent a tremor through the soldiers, filling them with renewed morale.
Alexandro continued his rallying cry.
"We will not take a single step back from this place! Cut down the coalition army, uphold the glory of the Empire, and defend this land at all costs!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
The soldiers’ thunderous battle cries erupted as Alexandro’s eyes glead sharply.
At that mont, as the enemy closed the distance while raising their shields—
Clench!
Alexandro raised his sword high and shouted.
"Cavalry, charge!"
Dudududududududu!
With Alexandro leading the way, the cavalry galloped at full speed toward the coalition forces.
Though vastly outnumbered, like an egg hurtling toward a rock, when the egg was Alexandro, even the rock could be shattered.
And Kiaran knew this.
"...They’re coming."
Watching Alexandro lead the charge, Kiaran swiftly raised her hand.
"Wing formation!"
With Kiaran’s command, a waiting officer quickly lifted his horn to his lips.
Bwoo! Bwoo! Bwooooo!
The signal blared, and the vast army began extending sideways, forming an elongated line.
Amidst the disciplined maneuvering, officers shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Run! Move faster!"
"You slow fools! If you dawdle, you’ll be trampled by your own comrades! Move faster!"
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
The soldiers, exerting every ounce of strength, sprinted to widen their formation.
From above, it looked as though the coalition army was opening its jaws to swallow the imperial forces whole.
As the formation shifted with remarkable speed, Alexandro’s pupils wavered slightly while charging at the front.
’What is this...!’
It was clear they had prepared ticulously.
Typically, armies of overwhelming size relied on sheer numbers to crush their foes.
But these enemies were different.
Even so—
"That doesn’t change the outco."
As Alexandro and his cavalry neared the heart of the coalition army—
Wooooong.
His drawn sword vibrated slightly, and the surrounding air grew icy cold.
He was preparing to unleash his aura to break through the enemy’s center in one decisive strike.
Just as Alexandro gathered his imnse magical power and began to manifest his aura—
Kwarururururung!
A bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from above, right over Alexandro’s head.
Kwoooom!
With a swift slash of his sword, Alexandro deflected the lightning.
Hiiiiiing!
The startled horses reared and neighed wildly.
"Aaaagh!"
"Halt! Calm the horses!"
The cavalry stopped in their tracks, struggling to pacify their mounts.
With a single strike, the charge had been brought to a halt. Alexandro’s gaze turned forward.
"This aura..."
A sensation he had felt long ago.
Could it be... that man was here?
As Alexandro watched intently, a familiar figure approached with a smirk.
"It has been a while, Alexandro Falcoz."
"...Hainel Fremunt."
Though it had been well over a decade, they recognized each other instantly.
Alexandro asked Hainel, "I heard you had retired."
"Hahaha, you and I both know we were never ant to leave the battlefield."
Unlike before, there was a calmness about him.
However—
"...So you’ve returned to war with that power?"
"Heh, there were circumstances. But don’t worry. Though my strength has been halved, I can still hold you back."
"Seems like you’ve grown more boastful in our ti apart."
Srrrng.
Alexandro dismounted and raised his sword.
The way his blade hovered in the air was so sharp, it seed as though it could slice through space itself.
"I will handle him. The rest of you, veer left and advance."
"Yes, sir!"
With his command, the cavalry swiftly turned left.
The knights accompanying Hainel imdiately gave chase.
"It has been a long ti since we faced each other on the battlefield."
"Talking more is a sign of age. This shall be your grave."
"Heh, seems I’m not the only one who’s gotten chatty. Not bad."
Hainel’s remark made Alexandro press his lips together.
Then, the two warriors drew their swords.
Boom!
They lunged at each other.
And—
Kwakakakakakakaka!
An imnse clash of aura erupted, shaking the battlefield with a deafening roar.
***
Flash!
Damian, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
And at that mont—
Kwakakakakakakaka!
A trendous explosion thundered in the distance.
It was far beyond any ordinary detonation.
"Vice Captain!"
Dianal called out to Damian.
"Caion Unit!"
Damian raised his spear high and roared.
At once, the soldiers gripped their shields and spears.
"Charge!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"Let’s go!"
That was the signal.
With Damian’s order, the Caion Unit surged forward at breakneck speed toward Statznal’s eastern gate.
Their speed was terrifying.
Despite being only three hundred n, their pace was unnaturally fast—so much so that it seed as if they were all mounted.
The soldiers guarding Statznal’s eastern gate furrowed their brows.
"What in the world is that?"
“Enemy forces! The enemy forces are advancing toward us!”
Deng, deng, deng, deng, deng, deng, deng, deng, deng!
The ergency bells rang urgently as archers rushed to take their positions at the eastern gate.
A commander standing atop the fortress wall scoffed.
“A feint attack? Hah, but their numbers are too small for that.”
After witnessing an army of over a hundred thousand, seeing a re three hundred soldiers felt almost laughable.
It seed as though a single volley of arrows would be enough to wipe them out.
The commander guarding the east gate extended his hand and shouted.
“Archers! Fire!”
Fwuaaaaah!
Dozens of arrows soared into the sky, and as the first rank loosed their shots, the second rank stepped forward, raising their bows high.
“Fire!”
A relentless hail of arrows rained down.
The first and second ranks took turns firing in rapid succession, forcing the Caion Unit into a literal storm of arrows.
However...
“Shield formation! Maintain speed!”
“Yes, sir!”
Their already extre speed remained unchanged.
Despite that, the Caion Unit raised their shields in perfect unison, forming an airtight defense against the arrows.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Tink! Taaaaang!
Even the slightest gap in the formation could spell disaster.
Yet, the Caion Unit, sprinting with their shields raised, showed no signs of breaking formation, their concentration absolute.
Each soldier focused only on the back of the comrade in front of them, following them without hesitation.
Absolute trust.
The formation was so dense that not a single arrow could penetrate through.
“Just a little farther! Don’t slow down!”
“Yes, sir!”
Fixated solely on their comrades’ backs, the Caion Unit charged with all their might.
As they neared the eastern gate of Statznal—
“What... What are those guys?!”
“The arrows aren’t working! They’re all bouncing off the shields!”
“D-Damn it! Bring the boiling oil and water! As soon as they reach the wall, dump it on them!”
“Yes, sir!”
No matter how tightly packed their shields were, they couldn’t possibly defend against scorching oil.
At the commander’s urgent orders, his subordinates scrambled to relay commands and pressure the soldiers into action.
But just as the Caion Unit reached the eastern gate—
Fwip!
Damian, leading the charge, suddenly surged forward.
The mont Damian broke away, Dianal unsheathed his sword and shouted.
“Kyle! Creon!”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
At Dianal’s command, the two n sprinted forward, using their shields as stepping stones before bending their knees into a crouched stance.
Without hesitation, Dianal launched himself onto the shield platform they had created.
Boom!
“Uaaaaagh!”
“Haaaaaah!”
The mont Dianal landed on the shields, Kyle and Creon hurled him upward with all their strength.
Fwip!
Like an arrow loosed into the sky, Dianal kicked off the fortress wall midair to propel himself even higher.
Swoosh!
“W-What the—?!”
“U-Uaagh!”
Slash!
Dianal landed atop the fortress, cutting down a soldier preparing the boiling oil with a single stroke before safely touching down.
And then—
“You bastards!”
Boom!
With a powerful kick, he sent the cauldron of boiling oil tumbling toward the imperial soldiers.
Sssssshhhhhh!
“Gaaahhhh!”
“Uaaaghhh!”
“W-Water! Get cold water, now!”
As the scalding oil spread across the fortress walls, imperial soldiers scread in agony, writhing on the ground.
And at that mont—
“An intruder has climbed over to open the gate! Kill him!”
Imperial soldiers brandished their spears and charged toward Dianal.
“Sorry, but you’ve got it all wrong.”
“...What?”
The imperial commander scowled in confusion.
And then—
Boom!
A thunderous explosion shook the entire fortress wall.
The violent tremor startled the imperial soldiers, making them stumble.
The impact was so intense that even the commander hesitated for a mont before quickly looking down.
And there—
“Caion Unit, advance!”
“Charge!!!”
“Kill them all!”
A horde of berserker-like warriors stord through the shattered gate, surging forward into the fortress.
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