Chapter 826: Standing in the Way
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 826: Standing in the Way
In the city, preparations for a grand festival were underway, celebrating the end of the Salamander season and the arrival of the harvest.
This meant the streets were teeming with crowds. What would happen if news of the Salamanders and approaching monsters reached the city now?
In the mad scramble to escape, people would be trampled to death by their own neighbors long before the monsters ever reached the gates.
An orderly evacuation is impossible.
Krais’s judgment was cold and precise.
The Border Guard and the neighboring cities had expanded at an unprecedented rate. With that explosive growth, an immense population had gathered within their walls. The Safe Road, the trade route known as the Stone Road, and the flourishing commerce with other merchant hubs—everything drew people to this place like a magnet.
If such a massive population were forced into a large-scale evacuation, what would become of the region?
It’ll collapse, obviously.
There was no need to even think about it.
Maybe it’s a stroke of luck that this is happening now.
People always gathered during festivals. However, the saving grace was that this particular celebration was centered in the City of Lockfried. Lockfried was built on flat plains, not in the rugged mountains. From its inception, it had been designed as a trade-specialized hub rather than a military stronghold.
Consequently, its walls were relatively low, and its roads were wide. Wells had been dug at every corner to connect the waterways, and the warehouse and commercial districts were clearly demarcated. In short, it was a merchant’s paradise.
It was a design that had never truly accounted for the possibility of total war or invasion. While wide roads and organized districts were advantages in peacetime, they were fatal flaws in times of conflict. The wells scattered throughout the city would provide easy supply lines for an occupying force.
The roads will make it easy for enemy soldiers to maneuver.
And the warehouses would be transformed into their supply depots.
They had made various preparations with those risks in mind, but a single war would still spell the end of the city’s functionality. In any case, the important thing right now was that the threat was focused toward Lockfried, which was a relief in a twisted way. Since it was a city built on flat ground, if things go south, it’ll be easy to run away.
They had even made the city gates wide on purpose.
Then what about the Border Guard?
The Border Guard is too close to the Pen-Hanil Mountain Range and the border.
That was how Krais saw it. Moreover, it was a city built on terrain perfectly suited for a military fortification.
Therefore, it was the last bastion.
If the Salamanders descended from the mountains and they failed to stop them, they would have to fight here until every last one of them was reduced to ashes.
It’s dizzying.
His heart pounded, and cold sweat began to drench his back. Krais considered himself a moderately shallow, worldly man. To be honest, he knew he lacked any heroic qualities. It wasn't just a matter of how others saw him; he himself had no such expectations. It wasn't something he wanted, either. But situations never flowed only in a favorable direction. That was why one had to prepare.
If things go wrong, will I have to tell everyone to die together here?
Krais shook himself out of his stray thoughts. Anxiety was beginning to surge.
"Isn't this exactly the kind of situation we prepared for?"
Right on cue, Abnayor spoke up from beside him. Krais considered this man to be half a mentor. He possessed the confidence and talent that Krais lacked, and his depth of thought was on another level.
"Well, yes," Krais replied.
While he viewed him as a mentor in his heart, on the outside, they had somehow become like friends, regardless of the age gap.
"So put your anxiety aside. The arrow has already been shot."
"I've seen knights who can catch a flying arrow and throw it right back, you know."
Anxiety was a constant parasite that gnawed at him. Abnayor offered a clever response to that.
"And that knight is on our side, Krais."
Krais had witnessed Encrid’s growth from the very beginning. He had watched him pull off all kinds of absurd, nonsensical feats. Abnayor was right.
"I know."
So, he just needed to do his own job.
While Krais wrestled with his nerves, the standing army moved. Starting with those at the Safe Road outposts, the soldiers turned their backs to the city and raised their spears and swords toward the mountain range. And they fought.
* * *
At first, there was only one.
A quadrupedal monster made of living flame trod heavily upon the earth, leaving charred, black footprints in its wake. A burnt stench drifted through the air, and smoke rose from the path it traversed. With burning branches and grass turning to gray ash in the rising flames, it was clear that the blazing fire enveloping the creature's entire body was no joke.
It had no eyes. No nose, no mouth. It was simply a burning mass of fire.
"We're supposed to fight that?" one of the soldiers muttered.
"What, you want to just let it pass?" another soldier retorted.
"No, I'm just saying..."
The first soldier shrugged and leveled his spear. They belonged to the standing army's pikemen.
Click, click.
The first soldier twisted and locked the joint of the shaft, connecting the spearhead to the rest of the pole, then angled the blade diagonally forward. The weapons of the twenty soldiers in the front row all featured magic-infused spearheads.
Where else would Krais have poured all the gold coins he had earned? He had poured most of it into military funding. A portion of that investment was shining now.
Thud!
Without even a howl, a wolf-like fireball lunged forward. Three pikemen, keeping their center of gravity firmly between their feet, thrust their spears in unison. It was a stable strike born of flawless posture. Having trained and repeated this motion over a thousand times, they did not waver in the slightest.
Splat!
The lunging flame wolf was impaled on the spearheads and dissolved. The flames dwindled and dripped onto the ground, splattering in a viscous manner that brought to mind the entrails of a beast. Where the fire died out, only a handful of black ash remained.
An enemy was only difficult to deal with when weapons didn't work; if they did, it was no problem at all.
Soon, dozens of monsters breathing fire and formed of blazing embers began to pour down from the mountain range.
"All units forward! Maintain a five-row formation! Adjust your pace according to the signal to retreat. No deviations!" the commander barked. He judged that the rushing fireballs possessed little intelligence.
In the first place, they were closer to magical constructs devoid of any reason. Lacking even the low cunning of a ghoul, they were all the easier to deal with.
The five-row formation consisted of five layers of soldiers standing in staggered positions, allowing the rear rows to cover the gaps in the front. By maintaining a set distance to the left and right, it left enough space for those in the back to thrust their spears forward.
"Mage unit," the commander called out again.
Not all soldiers possessed magic-infused weapons. Some lacked them entirely—specifically, the soldiers from the third row onward.
In front of them, the mage unit trained by Esther waved their hands. While casting spells to take down each of those fireballs individually was out of the question, applying enchantments was far easier.
"May the power of the blue star dwell within..."
The spell developed by Esther caused a blue light to cling to the soldiers' swords and spearheads. It was the spell known as the Blessing of the Star.
"All units, level spears!"
At the final command, the spearheads pointed forward. This was a pikemen unit so highly trained they could stop a full cavalry charge. For them, blocking an onslaught of this level was child's play.
"Thrust!"
"Go to hell!"
Shouting battle cries that suited their individual personalities, they impaled the bodies of the flame beasts. The battle was entirely one-sided.
The amusing part was that, within the standing army, these men were closer to regular soldiers. The true elites were elsewhere.
For instance, there was the Holy Martial Infantry, led by Audin as commander and Teresa as vice-commander. Though regardless of their official name, others simply referred to them as the fanatic unit.
"Those things don't seem to have souls."
"Then even if we kill them, we can't send them to heaven, can we?"
These were people who had awakened divine power through their sheer devotion. If the Holy City Legion ever found out about their existence, they would undoubtedly be horrified.
Audin knew how to train people in his own unique way. When it came to physical modification and overall cultivation within the order, he was the absolute best. While a similar martial force existed in Legion, this group was built differently.
Every single one of them possessed massive, dense muscles. These men of extraordinary physique wore modified gauntlets. Their primary weapons were locked in place over their wrists with a sharp metallic clack. They also wore white cloth armor with the sleeves and ankles bound tight with cords.
"All units, engage at will."
These were the soldiers Audin and Teresa had raised with painstaking effort. A faint glow emanated from all of their gauntlets.
Though they had awakened divine power, they could not yet wield it freely. Thus, they relied on their weapons, which had been blessed by Audin and Teresa. This allowed them to shroud their fists in divine power whenever they fought. And so they did, shattering and crushing the heads of the rushing fireballs.
The number of flame beasts and monsters exceeded several hundred. Some of them clashed with Rem's Assault Squad, while a small squad of swordsmen under Ragna also joined the fray. The group known as Encrid's Royal Guard moved as well.
"None of you bastards are going to get hurt by this level of trash, right?"
The female squire once known as "Fallen Clement" was the commander of Encrid's Royal Guard. She was also called "Perverted Clement" within the Border Guard. The bizarre nickname had stuck due to rumors that she had a nasty habit of enjoying the torment of her subordinates.
"If you get hurt, you'll answer to me."
Her words were entirely devoid of humor. The Royal Guard standing behind her clenched their teeth. If they suffered even a minor injury here, that crazy woman would likely run them into the ground until they died.
If the total scale of the standing army was ten, Krais had deployed only about six. The rest had to be kept in reserve for contingencies. And with just those six, the horde of monsters descending from the mountain range was perfectly held at bay.
* * *
Intriguing.
Encrid thought as he advanced, gripping Dawn.
He was heading deep into the Pen-Hanil Mountain Range, specifically toward the location Garret and Finn had scouted.
Along the way, a flame giant blocked his path. It was larger than Audin, and its blazing fire radiated intense heat even from over twenty paces away. Instead of burning down the surrounding trees, the creature stood still. Then, as if sensing Encrid, its head turned toward him.
It stands on two legs.
Its shape resembled that of a human. And that wasn't all. Flames erupted from its hands, beginning to take form.
A greatsword?
A long rod shape held in both hands, with a round mass forming at the end.
No, a mace.
Encrid did not run. He walked, his left hand gripping the scabbard and his right hand resting on Dawn's grip. His pace was neither fast nor slow.
The flame giant conjured a massive fiery mace in its hands. It was so large that it wouldn't have looked out of place even if Audin were holding it.
Whoosh.
And the entire thing was made of pure flame. It reminded him of walking fire and brought the Balrog to mind. As several thoughts flashed through his head, Encrid reshaped the Will swirling inside him.
Something suited for the Explosion of Lines.
Like the wind, or perhaps a tempest.
Boom—
At the same moment he heard the explosive sound within him, he channeled power into his foot and kicked off the ground.
Encrid surged forward, splitting the gaps of time. Anyone watching would have gasped in sheer disbelief. He accelerated directly from his walking posture. His center of gravity barely shifted, and there was no warning sign whatsoever. He hadn't even made a show of tensing his thigh muscles.
What else could make such abnormal movement possible? Naturally, it was Will.
Before he knew it, Encrid's skill in manipulating Will had grown by leaps and bounds. In truth, if it hadn't, he wouldn't even be standing here right now. The experience of slaying the Balrog hadn't gone anywhere. He became a blue line, flashing right past the flame giant.
Whoosh!
The wind whipped up.
Boom!
The sound of compressed air exploding echoed in the wake of Encrid's passage.
Flicker.
And the fiery mace swung uselessly through empty air.
As Encrid passed the fiery giant, he watched the flames flare up along Dawn's extended blade before scattering and vanishing. It was a single strike.
Split cleanly in two, the flame giant crumbled into scattering ash.
The hot wind blew, tossing his hair. His black hair parted to reveal his forehead and his jewel-like blue eyes.
My body feels light.
He had no injuries. It was a strange sensation. It wasn't quite omnipotence, but...
It feels like I can do anything.
His body moved exactly as he willed it.
Encrid kept walking. He simply moved his feet forward one after the other, looking leisurely, but with every step, he pressed and pushed off the ground. His speed was faster than an average person's sprint. Though he wasn't in a full dash, it seemed as if no one could stand in his way.
Yet, Encrid stopped in his tracks. He had reached an uphill slope, and since it wasn't a beaten path, branches and thorny bushes blocked his way, but he had been advancing by ignoring and leaping over most obstacles.
"Who are you?" Encrid asked.
Beside a tree that curved to the right stood a man, completely still. He wore thin cloth garments, held a long, white, guardless stick-like sword in his hand, and possessed narrow eyes with vertically slit pupils.
By any standard, he did not look human. He stared intently at Encrid for a moment before speaking.
"You die. Go. Here, I. Can die."
His pronunciation wasn't particularly awkward, but the meaning behind his words was incredibly clumsy.
But then, who was Encrid? Was he not a master of listening, someone who had squeezed teachings out of his knights by any means necessary? He instantly grasped the meaning behind the stranger's words.
"Are you saying you will kill me? Or that I will die if I go past you?"
The man pondered for a moment, then replied.
"You die. Me."
It was still awkward, but the meaning was slightly clearer. The strange thing was...
There is no fighting spirit, nor any malice.
Yet, that man would surely carry out the words he had spoken. It was pure intuition, but that was how it seemed.
"That sounds like a threat," Encrid replied, drawing Dawn.
Shring.
The blue-lit blade pointed at his opponent. Even then, the man simply stared at Encrid. Then, he opened his mouth again. Encrid had intended to strike regardless of what the man said, but—
"Stop. Halt."
At that single command, his body froze.
Everything was unexpected. In a manner completely different from the intimidation radiated by the Balrog, the man's words forcibly halted his body.
The Will swirling inside Encrid's body rebelled against the suppressing force, and reflexively, the Will of Rejection activated, shaking off the man's words.