Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood (4)
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Keeping prisoners was actually a considerable risk. For starters, they were people too, which meant more mouths to feed.
Even in the case of large-scale prisoners, like before his previous regression, they had plotted together and sparked rebellions.
That was why, in medieval times, there were not a few instances of simply killing all prisoners outright. Nevertheless, Cain was different.
Not out of any humanitarian procedure, but because accepting surrender was the right call if he wanted to wrap things up swiftly.
And above all, their desperate struggles to survive reminded him so much of his own past efforts to stay alive.
In short, he had accepted them while bearing some degree of loss and risk. It wouldn't be wrong to say a sliver of faith still remained.
"I know you're called the Army of God. You must have the loyalty to lay down your lives for your king."
But even that sliver of faith had been betrayed. The bare minimum trust that, having surrendered, they'd at least stay put.
Well, it was foolish of him from the start to trust those mad zealots who dubbed themselves the Army of God.
So from now on, he had no intention of repeating the same mistake. Cain hefted the cartwheel and stabbed it straight into the ground.
The curious gazes of the captured kingdom soldiers turned to the cartwheel—and to Cain, standing right beside it.
"I hold your loyalty in high esteem. Therefore, I will do everything in my power to ensure you remain faithful subjects of the kingdom."
"What does that even mean?"
"From this moment on, any man who steps beyond this cartwheel will be executed, regardless of status."
"What?!"
The kingdom soldiers were thrown into great confusion. In truth, the reason they had surrendered was to exploit the empire's situation.
The empire was currently locked in all-out war with the alliance. And yet, some of its forces were here in the kingdom.
Not just any rabble, either—this was the absolute elite of the elites, the 12th Army led by none other than Cain Blackguard.
They were clearly aiming to conquer the kingdom as quickly as possible. To do that, they had no choice but to accept the surrender.
If they didn't, every deployed force and village would fight to the death just to survive.
Even the empire's 12th Army, the cream of the crop, would end up burning through a massive amount of time.
"What are you even saying!"
"Does the empire have no honor?!"
"Your king was the first to discard honor. So for your king's sake, die honorably here."
"Damn it, everyone, rise up!"
There was no tremor in Cain's voice. The kingdom forces, deeming resistance inevitable, all stood up.
The ropes binding their hands so tightly were easily snapped by dislocating their wrists and arms.
The imperial soldiers watching this were horrified, the sight transcending the bizarre into outright madness.
"T-To break free of restraints so easily with such a gruesome method..."
"Even if they heal, that's still too much."
"They never intended to surrender in the first place. They dug this trap banking on His Majesty the Emperor's mercy."
The surrendered kingdom soldiers rose as one. There were thousands of them, at least. And they didn't even die.
Yet the imperial army remained utterly calm. They had already mastered how to deal with the kingdom through repeated battles...
They couldn't be killed outright, but they could be subdued. Especially since, though their wounds healed, the process kept slowing down.
At first, they'd been caught off guard with no countermeasures, but now that they had experience and knew how to handle it, it was no issue at all.
Of course, even knowing the countermeasures, they'd still be at a disadvantage without Cain's death force. But Cain was here.
Meanwhile, Cain drew Knox, its blood-red glow illuminating his icy expression. Yeah, he should have done this from the start.
"There will be no more mercy for you. Right here, right now... I will kill every last one of you."
Cain's chilling voice echoed across the battlefield. The imperial army began following their commander Cain's orders.
The kingdom forces resisted as best they could, but unarmed and facing a master, victory was impossible.
Aura forged from ominous death force began severing the kingdom soldiers' necks. Flesh tore away, blood poured forth.
Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood.
Piles of corpses formed mountains, rivers of blood became seas. The scene truly lived up to the name without exaggeration.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ If they killed even those who surrendered, and killed those who didn't... in the end, people would pick up weapons just to survive somehow.
War could only be waged with an army in place. What if they employed hit-and-run tactics—guerrilla warfare?
Moreover, the kingdom soldiers wouldn't die unless Cain was there. Exploit that, and they could dismantle supply lines.
That was the biggest concern Princess Morgana had harbored. No one knew when or where enemy troops might appear.
"It might be better to advance while killing them outright for certain. We have to reduce their numbers somehow."
"That part's fine. I can roughly predict when and where they'll strike."
"R-Really? I have no idea..."
"I'm from the kingdom, aren't I? If there are still kingdom forces left, they'd target this place... That's how I'd think."
"I see. You can approach it that way. It's tough for me without the experience."
Saying this as if enlightened was all well and good for Princess Morgana, but regrettably, Cain's words were a lie.
Cain was actively using Defeat Regression again this time. If kingdom forces raided supply lines...
He'd memorize the exact location, date, and time of the raid, then trigger Defeat Regression to return to the start.
"C-Cain Blackguard!!"
"How did you know to come here...?!"
"I once defended the kingdom myself. You think I can't read your moves?"
From the kingdom forces' perspective, it was maddening. They launched perfect surprise attacks, yet Cain was everywhere they went.
Even when they tried feints, he sniffed it out like a ghost and preemptively annihilated them in reverse.
Of course, the kingdom forces weren't idiots. They knew Cain was the only one who could kill them.
So they tried avoiding him, striking where he wasn't. But Cain wasn't one to miss that.
For one, the mages had disguise spells. Anyone could impersonate Cain as a stand-in.
And in intelligence warfare, the New Moon Knight Order—founded by Cain himself—personally cut off the kingdom's information flow.
"We're overwhelming them in intelligence too. The kingdom's as good as deaf and blind now."
"Wherever you go, General, victory follows. It's almost over."
"A bit more, and we can march straight to the capital."
"... ."
Know the enemy and know yourself: undefeated in a hundred battles. By grasping the enemy's movements and anticipating their thoughts, he won every single one of a hundred fights.
The overwhelming majority of nobles and soldiers cheered wildly, chanting Blackguard's name in adulation...
But one person couldn't simply rejoice in the victories. Princess Anna... she alone couldn't be happy.
Perhaps sensing her mood, Cain quietly arranged a meeting with Anna. He understood her feelings well enough.
As defeats piled up relentlessly, the kingdom forces left in the hinterlands completely lost their operational capacity.
Of course, the mountains of corpses grew proportionally taller... but one remaining issue was the civilians.
"...I understand executing them all without taking prisoners. But the innocent civilians have done no wrong."
"You're right. But there's a problem. You know it too, Princess."
"... ."
"Routed soldiers are hiding among the civilians, targeting the imperial army. We can't just let that slide."
No matter how furious Cain was with the kingdom army, he wouldn't endorse massacring powerless civilians.
The problem lay with the kingdom forces, who willingly used even their own people as shields. Disguising as ordinary folk to hide.
Biding their time for a chance to strike from behind. Of course, among the civilians were truly innocent young men unrelated to the army.
But sorting them out one by one would take far too much time. That left only one option.
"Even one hidden kingdom soldier is a problem. I'm the only one who can kill them."
"...I'll step in personally and convince them."
"You, personally? That's too dangerous."
"If I were only thinking of my own safety, I wouldn't have come to the front lines myself."
Cain had no choice but to relent before Anna's persuasion, laced with fierce resolve. It wasn't just sentiment.
There were two reasons. First, time. Advancing while massacring everyone took too long.
And the second... he wanted to give her a chance. To Princess Anna, who had devoted herself alongside him until now.