Chapter 266
Chapter 266
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 266
Chapter Title: Inferno Buster
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The knights in red armor began their charge.
The soldiers blocking their path couldn't mount any proper resistance against their ferocious momentum and were simply swept away.
One slash per person.
The over three thousand soldiers were being pushed back helplessly by fewer than five hundred knights.
"Block them! Block them, I said! Anyone who flees will be executed on the spot!"
The commanders' shouts were no mere empty words.
In fact, they were severing the necks of retreating soldiers right then and there.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, the soldiers had no choice but to struggle desperately to survive.
"Tch, who the hell came up with this plan?"
Fighting the enemy outside without the protective walls to block their assault.
"They must have thought it was worth a shot since the enemy numbers are low."
The holy knights, who had formed ranks at the rear, let out sighs.
The difference in troop numbers was indeed clear.
They had thousands of soldiers, while the enemy had only around four hundred knights.
Even if Lennistant's knights were powerful, with this disparity in numbers, they must have figured it was worth trying.
"They must have judged it as the perfect chance to whittle down their numbers..."
Unfortunately, the only ones dwindling were Iair's soldiers.
"It looks like we'll have to step up to the front."
Even if they were poorly trained rabble, any more losses were unacceptable.
"First Company, advance. Second and Third Companies, take the flanks. The rest, support from the rear."
At the senior knight's command, the holy knights steeled their resolve.
Their number was 350.
If they coordinated with the soldiers, victory was well within reach.
"Ready?"
"Yes, sir!"
They mounted their horses, drew their swords, and awaited orders.
The moment the senior knight gave the charge command, they would tear into the enemy's side.
"Alright. Then, advance... Huh?"
The senior knight's eyes widened as he was about to issue the order.
He saw someone floating above the heads of the red-armored knights.
"A mage?"
"...It can't be that damn bastard, can it?"
Unease flickered in the eyes of the holy knights.
But "it can't be" has a way of biting people.
The mage had red hair fluttering just like the red armor of Lennistant's knights.
The soldiers who saw it screamed.
"It's Red Flame!"
"That crazy arsonist bastard is here!"
The soldiers weren't the only ones shocked.
The holy knights wore expressions of horror at the sight of the red-haired mage.
"That damn bastard...!"
"Retreat! Retreat immediately!"
The senior knight shouted urgently.
But it was already too late.
The red-haired mage extended his hand toward the ground.
A massive roar-like voice echoed.
"Inferno Buster."
It was a voice that seemed to resonate from the depths of the soul.
At the same time, hell descended upon the earth.
Rrrrrrrrrumble!!!
Ultra-high-temperature flames scorched the land and engulfed the holy knights and soldiers.
No one could resist it.
Regardless of rank or skill, all melted away equally.
Had it even been ten seconds?
On the ground where fierce battle had raged moments ago, only the red-armored knights remained standing.
* * *
"War has broken out."
Those were the first words Ban Slaine uttered upon entering the training grounds.
The knights and heroes, bracing for another hellish session, turned their gazes toward him.
As all eyes focused on him, Oien looked awkward, and Ji-ah shot her hand up like a bolt.
"Where'd it happen this time?"
"...Iair."
Ban Slaine's gaze also turned to Oien.
"But all of Iair's army is here, right?"
Massive Guardian housed the full 120,000 Iair troops.
So war?
"Is it with the neighboring kingdoms?"
Oien asked.
He had his suspicions.
"Indeed. Kingdoms including Lennistant have banded together and crossed Iair's borders."
"In the end..."
Oien squeezed his eyes shut.
He had heard a report from Aeron before.
The atmosphere in the neighboring countries was tense, and the Holy King was conscripting troops again.
At the time, he doubted they would actually invade, but it seemed war had truly erupted.
"You and your soldiers can't return."
Ban Slaine said, reading Oien's expression.
It was the face of someone itching to lead his men back to Iair and join the fight.
"...I know."
Oien knew better than anyone that he couldn't.
'I'm still alive only because he showed mercy.'
If he tried to return to Iair with his soldiers, the 'black existence'—no, Seo Woo-jin—wouldn't sit idly by.
"What's the state of the battle?"
Oien still held loyalty to Iair.
The revelation that the Holy King was a follower of the Demon King had been shocking, but Iair was still his homeland.
Even if he couldn't fight directly, he couldn't help but wonder how the war was progressing.
"Unfortunately, Iair is being pushed back."
It was a situation that perfectly fit the phrase "unstoppable advance."
Not just Lennistant, but Trien and Brobison were also advancing triumphantly, pressing Iair.
"...I see."
Oien wore a bitter expression.
"It seems our kingdom has reached its end."
Regrettable.
But unavoidable.
The Holy King ruling Iair was the enemy of humanity and the world.
As long as he held power, Iair was destined to cause massive harm.
Better for it to walk the path of destruction.
"Wait a little. We're looking for a way."
Oien shook his head at Ban Slaine's words.
"No need to comfort me. I've already steeled myself for this. Besides, there's no way to stop a war between nations..."
Oien trailed off mid-sentence.
Someone had suddenly come to mind.
Noticing, Ban Slaine smiled and spoke.
"Seo Woo-jin, that young man said he'd handle it somehow. So don't worry too much."
Seo Woo-jin.
If that monstrous being stepped in?
'Perhaps...'
He might end the war.
No, he might even punish the Holy King and find a way to save Iair from their grasp.
"Where is he now?"
"He's already headed to Iair. He moved the moment he heard the news."
"Huh? So he's not training with us anymore? He brought us here saying he'd hunt together, old man."
Ji-ah jumped into the conversation, eyes wide.
The mood was serious, but she seemed oblivious.
"Hey, kid, you can ask that later."
Goo Dong-hwan flicked Ji-ah's forehead and scolded her.
But Ban Slaine, unperturbed, smiled and answered.
"Come to think of it, he asked me to relay a message. He'll be back before the sparring training ends, so don't slack off and train hard. He said he'll inspect you when he returns."
Everyone let out hollow laughs.
Not just because of the training inspection.
"He's talking about war like he's breaking up a fight between neighbor uncles."
"Is that even possible?"
Only a week remained until the end of sparring training.
Seo Woo-jin claimed he'd resolve the war and return within that time.
"It'll take us a week just to get there."
Was it impressive or audacious?
"Anyway, since Woo-jin went himself, it'll get sorted."
Goo Dong-hwan shrugged and began stretching.
"Alright, let's start training quick. Gotta work hard so we don't get chewed out during inspection."
"Yeah! Hurry and train!"
The heroes quickly loosened up and prepared.
Watching them, Oien blinked.
He almost thought they knew Seo Woo-jin was the 'black existence' too.
* * *
"Hmm..."
As he crossed the snowfields, patches of green grass began to appear.
"About three hours?"
An incredible speed.
When he was first summoned to this world and heading to Massive Guardian, it had taken a full ten days to cover this distance.
Traversing it in just three hours.
He truly felt how much stronger he'd become.
"But that's that. Now, which way?"
Seo Woo-jin didn't know Iair's exact location.
All he knew was it was roughly east of the Empire...
"The problem is the Empire is way too big."
Wandering aimlessly could waste a lot of time.
He needed to return as fast as possible, so even slight delays were intolerable.
"Now that I think about it, I heard there's something like a guild here too."
An organization that frequently appears in games and novels.
Usually visited for quests or information.
He'd heard such an organization existed in this world.
He hadn't needed it before, so he ignored it, but visiting once might not be bad.
"I'm not expecting grand intel anyway. Just need directions."
Seo Woo-jin recalled the nearest city from memory.
"Should follow this road straight."
Distance-wise, it wouldn't even take minutes.
Without hesitation, Seo Woo-jin kicked off the ground.
Like a feather drifting away, with feather-light movement, he shot through space like an arrow.
After a brief moment, a small city came into view.
"Is there a guild in a place like that?"
It looked too small for an information network, stirring slight unease.
But with no other options, he decided to enter the city first.
"Halt! Where are you from?"
As he approached the main gate, a guarding soldier stopped him.
Suspicion and puzzlement mixed on his face.
And understandably so—Seo Woo-jin had come from the north.
Traveling alone from there was bound to seem suspicious.
"On my way from Massive Guardian."
"M-Massive Guardian?"
The soldier's eyes widened.
"Here's my pass."
He showed the token Ban Slaine had given him.
A finger-sized plaque emblazoned with a blue shield.
The soldier's body stiffened at the sight.
"S-Sir! Sorry for not recognizing you!"
He seemed to mistake Seo Woo-jin for a Massive Guardian knight.
"May I enter?"
At Seo Woo-jin's question, the soldier nodded vigorously as if it were obvious.
"Of course! I'll open the gates right now!"
Seo Woo-jin chuckled slightly at the soldier's straightened posture and asked one more thing.
"By any chance, is there an information guild or mercenaries' guild inside?"