Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Caught Off Guard (4)
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Thump— Thump— Thump—
The northern Demonic Realm. From the far distance, the sound of drums echoed rhythmically.
Closer and closer they came.
They marched toward this place with deliberate slowness, as if to exert the maximum psychological pressure.
“Putting on a show.”
“Their numbers seem to be in the thousands, at least.”
Gleb muttered, standing atop the palisade and watching the army approach slowly, as if on a parade march.
A force that appeared to be several times their own was advancing on them.
“You were right, brother. It’s a massive army. Truly massive.”
Everything was proceeding just as Kratos had planned. Had they faced those enemies unprepared, their losses would have been catastrophic.
The enemy’s morale alone was like a finely honed blade. After all, the most effective method would have been a surprise attack, but the fact that they were launching a frontal assault spoke volumes.
They must be that confident.
“Hmm…”
Kratos focused his vision, surveying the faces of the Imperial soldiers, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk.
“Ivan Pons.”
“Ivan Pons? You mean the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army? He’s here in person?”
Gleb stared in shock toward the rear of the Imperial army.
“Ivan Pons is the current Commander-in-Chief?”
“That’s right. Since that day, he’s had the Imperial Army in the palm of his hand, doing as he pleases.”
“Hah…”
How ridiculous. Both Ludwig Brandt and Ivan Pons were figures who had been overlooked during my time.
But there was a good reason for that.
Ludwig preferred foul play to standard tactics and valued results over process. He was the type to cause a great deal of collateral damage without a second thought.
Ivan Pons, on the other hand, was the type to fully indulge his cruel nature, using his subordinates like pawns on a chessboard.
He wouldn’t hesitate to send his men to their deaths for his own advancement and gain.
Yes, in a way, he was the perfect choice for the Empire as it is now.
“Hah, to think Ivan Pons would come himself.”
All he could see was a figure in plate armor astride a black warhorse. He couldn’t tell if it was Ivan Pons or someone else, but he knew Kratos wouldn't be lying.
“It seems the Empire has no intention of hiding its hand anymore.”
“Indeed. They have nothing to fear. Besides, if we all die here, there won’t be any evidence left.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Of course not. I hate to disappoint them, but it seems they expect us to panic and be crushed under their boots. That will absolutely not be happening.”
Kratos leaped down inside the palisade and meticulously loosened his muscles and joints, as if stretching.
“The preparations are complete.”
Hearing the words of the exhausted-looking knight, Kratos grinned and rolled up one of his sleeves.
“Excellent. This should be more than enough. You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s what had to be done. Our lives are on the line.”
He patted the mountain of stones piled below the palisade. Each boulder was several times the size of a man.
A soldier on the palisade pointed with a flag and shouted loudly.
“Five hundred meters!”
“Confirmed!”
He took a deep breath and lifted a massive boulder the size of a small house, assuming a stance as if for a shot put.
“Whoa—”
“Was that even possible?”
The soldiers watching the scene let out cries of pure astonishment.
After all, when would they ever again get to see a man, not a catapult, hurl a boulder like this?
“How much force should I use? Hmm… I guess this much should do. Hup—!”
He could always adjust his aim later.
*Fwoosh—!*
The ridiculously large boulder flew over the palisade toward the advancing army.
*Krrrrrumble—*
Though he couldn’t see it, the sound of the boulder violently tearing through the earth echoed back.
“Direct hit!”
“Woooooah—!”
The soldier’s shout from atop the palisade was followed by a roar of cheers. They probably hadn’t believed it would actually work.
He could feel their morale skyrocket in an instant.
“You bastards. Have a taste of the human catapult. I’ll thin your ranks by at least a few hundred.”
***
“Hah. A shoddily built palisade? How pathetic.”
Ivan Pons chuckled, his face filled with derision.
Could they even call that a defense? Such a palisade was as good as useless.
He could just trample it all down.
“They have no means of defense. At best, they’ll try to hold us off with a few arrows.”
“Of course. The fools. They have no idea where they’ve crawled into.”
“That base is just an outpost. There are no facilities in the Demonic Realm built for defensive purposes. Their coming here was a blunder.”
“Still, don’t let your guard down. Even when hunting prey like this, you must give it your all. That’s how you avoid making mistakes in a real battle.”
Two thousand in total. Hundreds of knights and over a thousand soldiers. The enemy was simply waiting to die behind those logs.
“Well, if they must, I suppose they’ll resort to throwing pebbles.”
Ivan Pons leisurely watched his marching soldiers from atop his horse.
The sight of his army slowly advancing to the beat of a drum, maximizing the psychological pressure on the enemy, was truly pleasing.
He imagined the aftermath of wiping out the enemy in one fell swoop. He thought of ways to shift the balance of power, currently favoring Ludwig Brandt, toward the military.
“He’s held power for too long. It’s time he shared some of it. It would be even better if he came under the military’s authority.”
Just as Ivan Pons was indulging in his triumphant fantasy.
“Catapult!”
“Get out of the way—!”
His expectation of crushing the enemy in an instant was short-lived. As a massive boulder flew from the base, his soldiers scattered in panic.
“What in the—!”
A single boulder crushed dozens of soldiers.
In the distance, a flag was raised above the palisade, and another boulder came flying.
“What is that—! Why in the world is there a catapult there!”
“Well, I…!”
At least two of them. If there was only one catapult, the boulders wouldn’t be flying in such quick succession.
And they were even changing direction.
“Dammit! Have the soldiers charge! Use the knights to break the palisade and kill them all!”
His earlier composure vanished as he bellowed, his face flushed with agitation.
“Mages, cast your spells! Intercept those boulders!”
Ivan Pons spurred his horse forward, issuing the ridiculous order to intercept the flying boulders.
“Charge—! Charge—!”
The staff officers at the rear desperately screamed at the soldiers in front, but the sudden order to charge after a slow march caused them to stumble over their own feet, and the formation began to crumble.
All the while, the boulders continued to rain down, each one claiming the lives of more soldiers.
And as they got closer to the palisade, a hail of arrows poured down from the sky.
“You… you, damn it all!”
The enemy was toying with them. As if they had known all along that they were coming.
***
In short, Ivan Pons was the type of character who knew nothing about tactics, loved wine and women, and possessed only brute strength.
Still, he seemed aware of his own shortcomings, as he was the type to keep many advisors by his side, which was how he had gotten this far.
And with his martial prowess, there were few problems he couldn't solve by taking matters into his own hands.
“Second rank, forward!”
While the first rank of archers reloaded, the second rank stepped forward, swapping places with the first to fire continuously.
“Fire—!”
For crossbows made from hastily gathered materials, they weren’t half bad.
They weren’t durable and were crudely assembled, but they were sufficient to pose a threat until the enemy reached the palisade. They were disposable, after all.
First, I act as the human catapult. When they get closer, the soldiers attack with crossbows.
“Aargh—!”
Suddenly, the soldiers at the very front screamed as they fell into a sunken pit.
It wasn’t dug deep enough to cause serious fall injuries, but it was more than enough to disrupt their formation.
“Last one—!”
As the last boulder flew through the air, Kratos climbed onto the palisade and hurled the sharpened logs lying nearby at the approaching enemy.
Belatedly, a barrage of black magic poured toward the palisade.
“Deploy the barrier! Priests, unleash your divine power!”
Black magic and divine power were natural opposites. The black magic was powerless against the barrier erected by the priests and simply crumbled away.
This was precisely why he had put so much effort into purifying the area around the base. If it hadn’t been purified, they might have used the surrounding demonic energy to pierce the priests’ barrier.
“Charge—! I said charge! You incompetent fools!”
Watching the man raging in the distance, a laugh escaped his lips.
“Idiot.”
That guy really is an idiot. It’s obvious what he was thinking when he came here.
He must have come here as if on a picnic, thinking of the Demonic Realm as his own backyard and with a far superior number of soldiers.
I was worried about how to respond depending on the enemy’s reaction, but now my mind is at ease.
Everything I’m doing now is aimed at reducing their numbers, but the greater purpose was to gauge the reaction of the enemy commander.
Just look at him! The man who was sitting arrogantly on his horse at the rear is now inching his way forward.
I know his type inside and out. Oh, yes I do.
“If it comes to close combat, please lead our men. I will deal with him.”
“Ivan Pons? He’s a skilled Sword Master. And with the influence of demonic energy, he could be even stronger.”
“It’s more than possible.”
More than possible. If they wanted to kill me, they should have done it sooner. Because the more time passes, the stronger I become.
But they gave me time, and during that time, I absorbed countless motes and raised my Annihilate Evil percentage.
On top of that, if things go well here, besides reclaiming the Demonic Realm, capturing the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army would be like tearing off not one, but both of the Empire’s arms.
*Whooosh—*
The hammer, connected to his spiritual power, flew in a boomerang-like arc, smashing soldiers’ heads.
The enemy hadn’t even reached the palisade yet, but you could practically see their morale breaking in real-time.
“They never would have expected us to be this prepared. That’s a good thing for us, isn’t it?”
The enemy was now right before them, exuding a menacing killing intent. The knights had raised sword auras on the tips of their blades.
“Prepare for melee!”
Their difficult approach must have filled them with venomous rage.
“What a shame… I think I’ll have to break that spirit of theirs a little more.”
*Thud—*
I leaped down from the palisade alone and stood before the men charging toward it, blocking their path.
The presence of a warrior worth a thousand men. Like a legendary hero holding a bridge alone.
“You shall not pass!”
I stomped my foot, halting the charging men and drawing all eyes to me.
[Name: Kratos▼]
[Strength 101][Stamina 65][Dexterity 45][Spiritual Power 95][Intelligence 73]
[<Skills>▼]
Annihilate Evil - 27.7%
Ring of Spiritual Power - 4 Strokes
Spiritualism - 3 Stars
Since entering the Demonic Realm, I had endlessly purified demonic energy and fought my enemies, upgrading numerous stats.
At this point, I almost felt I should thank the Empire.
After all, I had gained these stats by defeating the monsters and demonically tainted foes they had sent me, as if I were climbing a tower.
Now, I was confident I wouldn't be outmatched by anyone.
“You—!”
Not even by the Sword Master Ivan Pons, who was charging toward me from the distance, riding his horse like a raging bull.
“Just a little more. Just a little more.”
I just need to kill about a hundred more. Just a hundred more.
According to my calculations, it wasn’t much longer now.
As the head of the hundredth soldier fell.
My vision was flooded with motes of light, and a notification sound chimed in my ears.
“It’s done.”