Chapter 230
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 230
Chapter Title: Short Decisive Battle
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As Count Camille had predicted, just before dawn, countless enemy troops began pouring out from the canyon.
An endless procession of red-glowing eyes descending without end.
Not just from the canyon. The forces approaching from the ruined territories were substantial in number as well.
The residents wore pale, horrified expressions.
"W-where the hell did that many come from...?"
"They all came down from the sky...?"
"This is a real catastrophe..."
"Can we... actually win?"
Shadows fell across the soldiers' faces too.
The one saving grace was that the mood hadn't yet descended into total despair. They knew this would be the final battle, and Count Camille had made sure to fill their bellies with hearty meals.
And then there was...
"If it's the Warrior of the Sun."
"He'll lead us to victory in this battle too."
The sun that had blazed above the heads of refugees rescued from desperate situations. Those who had witnessed that sight refused to abandon hope. Surely, a miracle would occur in this battle as well, just like how the refugees had returned alive.
However, the very hero carrying all those expectations from the soldiers and residents was nowhere to be found in the castle.
"Ugh, this damn weather."
A biting cold wind whipped through the canyon.
High atop it, Eleanor tugged her robes tighter.
Thanks to her senior priestess robes, she could withstand the freezing cold, but getting battered by the wind on a sheer cliff face was far from pleasant.
Eleanor wasn't alone up on the cliff. Members of the White Whale Mercenary Corps, Kailer, and ten mages were there too.
Jun finished inscribing the magic circle on the ground and stretched his stiff back.
"Is everyone ready?"
"Yes."
"But really... does magic like this even exist?"
"The formula itself does seem feasible..."
"Whether the mana circuits can handle this kind of pattern..."
They were all mages who had served under Count Camille—the very ones responsible for producing enchanted arrows from the castle walls. They weren't deep scholars of arcane theory but practical mages who made a living from their modest skills. Still, their pride in that knowledge was formidable.
"I've already demonstrated it. Still worried?"
"Urgh..."
When the mages showed no signs of calming down despite Jun's words, Kailer finally stepped in.
"We've already wasted too much time. Everyone, please follow Captain Jun's lead."
"Ah, got it."
"Ahem..."
As she spoke, a single sapling tree beside Kailer began to glow.
"The World Tree sapling won't hold out much longer. We've used it quite a bit already."
The World Tree sapling that Jun had once saved alongside the Mentrus Adventuring Party. Bursting with immense natural mana, it had the innate ability to conceal mana signatures within a certain radius. That was how they had blended into the ambient mana of nature, evading detection from the enemy camps.
"All done now."
Jun rose to his feet and gazed down at the enemy legions that had filled the canyon below like a black tide. An overwhelming number. Roughly fifty thousand, give or take. The foes emerging from other directions weren't insignificant either, but Ron territory's own forces could handle them to some degree.
But not this side. This they absolutely could not hold.
"We'll commence."
"Yes, please begin. You all, gather over here."
Kailer, who had assembled the territory's mages into one group, spoke to Jun.
"Then, good luck to you."
"Thank you."
Kailer's mission was to guard the mages. With all preparations complete, it was only after they had all departed that Jun turned to his comrades.
"We kick off the battle. Everyone ready?"
"Yes!"
"Of course."
"Let's get this over with and head back."
After a final check of his comrades' conditions, Jun spoke.
"Even a dog bites harder in its own territory."
A prepared mage is dangerous.
Preparations to put that adage into practice were now complete.
The three Ten-Thousand Commanders of the Red Shadows gathered.
"Ayr's badly wounded, and Rikedaimon is down."
"Two out of our five Ten-Thousand Commanders fallen."
"Unbelievable. The Legion Commander will have our heads if he finds out."
"Did they get careless?"
"What else? They must've gotten cocky after descending to the surface and paid for it."
The remaining one shook his head at the words of the other two.
"Ayr's cautious by nature, and while Rikedaimon's battle lust runs high, he never lets his guard down in combat. They were simply outmaneuvered."
"Was there someone that strong? We didn't have anyone like that on our side."
"Just a bunch who surrendered."
"At least two at Ten-Thousand Commander level. I couldn't see Ayr's fight firsthand, but the traces were there. If he hadn't taken a hostage, he'd have died right then and there."
"...That strong?"
"And how'd Rikedaimon go down? He's the strongest of us in raw power."
At that question, one Ten-Thousand Commander recalled the scene and explained.
"He fell to four from some mercenary band. To be precise, three kept me pinned while one fought Rikedaimon."
"Someone beat Rikedaimon one-on-one...?"
The other two couldn't hide their shock.
Rikedaimon had always been a battle-hungry Ten-Thousand Commander. Infusing raw power into his strikes made him a nightmare opponent.
"It was a survivor of the Jokyung Clan."
"Jokyung Clan... I thought we wiped them out back then."
"They were a threat to us."
"Tch, Rikedaimon. He probably died without regrets. Looked like he regretted never clashing with their chieftain directly."
"Anyway, no more mistakes will be tolerated."
The other two nodded at the words of the one.
Their role was to gather souls from the surface. They were still short of their target quota. Reviving the souls of fallen Ten-Thousand Commanders demanded a steeper price than anticipated.
"Any more blunders will jeopardize the mission. But there are still high-caliber foes among the enemy. I think we need contingency measures. What do you say?"
The other two Ten-Thousand Commanders nodded at his question.
"For contingencies."
"Sacrifice Ayr's flesh as an offering."
"Bruises the pride, but better than mission failure."
"Yeah, I'm in favor."
"Then let's end this in the next battle. Mobilize the full fifty thousand."
Thus, the army of fifty thousand began to march. They had taken measures against potential mishaps, but they weren't particularly worried.
Not until they sensed the anomalous flow of mana from atop the canyon.
"What the...?"
"Massive mana surge!"
"Damn it, the cliff top!"
The three commanders scrambled to respond, but their foes moved first.
Shwaaa...
An enormous mana pulse erupted, blanketing the entire area.
And what they beheld next was a colossal volcano.
A massive volcano towering over the canyon rim.
Rumble rumble rumble...
Even though it was a magical construct without physical substance, its form perfectly captured the fury of nature itself. The three commanders stared in stunned disbelief.
"What in the world just happened...?"
Magic beyond the bounds of their understanding.
Groooar...!!
Crimson waves burst forth from the cliff top.
Mana-forged smoke billowed out, and from within, a colossal wave of lava cascaded down the cliffside with terrifying momentum.
"...!"
"Damn it, block it!"
Two commanders drew their blades and unleashed slashes of pure mana.
Strikes powerful enough to pulverize rock like tofu hurtled toward the volcano.
But...
"...?!"
The two slashes ignited mid-air before even reaching it, burning to ash just short of their target.
"What...?"
"Damn!"
In that moment, the lava erupting from the volcano rained down upon the enemy camps below.
The troops raised shields at the peril, but they melted away endlessly under the unrelenting cascade.
In the game, the enemy camps had overwhelmed the empire with sheer numbers and cunning tactics.
But even they had weaknesses.
'Technological advancement. Especially magic from mages—they're slow to counter.'
The Church of Everlasting Heaven knew this well and had sabotaged mage mobility from within.
From that insight, Jun had chosen to venture outside the safety of the castle.
'An anti-army spell castable from the sixth circle. Nothing hits them harder.'
His growing mastery of magic, coupled with his Intermediate Magic Talent, had sparked countless inspirations over time. Not to mention the arcane essences he could draw from Sergeyev's leftover orb.
The spell he had just unleashed, [Devouring Volcano], was the culmination of those insights.
The only issue was that his current circle limit demanded far too much computation time for him alone.
The mages of the Ron family had filled that gap. Having long studied enchantment magic, execution was straightforward for them.
'Now all that's left is surviving.'
The enemy surely knew their position by now. They'd throw everything into dispelling that spell.
"But we didn't come unprepared either."
Rumble...
The firmly shut castle gates creaked open like a yawn.
Beyond them, knights of the Ron family bellowed with high spirits.
"Heroes, stand against the calamity invading the empire's north!"
The knight captain at the forefront led his men charging across the plains.
Undeterred by the frigid northern winds, their advance was followed by the ten thousand soldiers waiting within the castle, roaring in unison.
"Good. Now it's up to us."
Jun muttered as he peered down into the canyon.
The [Devouring Volcano] had severed the enemy army's waistline.
Roughly twenty thousand were now immobilized.
But that didn't end Jun and his comrades' mission. They had to hold this position until the forces below could fully engage.
"At least two of them."
His detection spell spread outward, picking up two powerful presences.
Not quite Rikedaimon's level, but close.
"They've committed two Ten-Thousand Commanders here."
Jun realized they were aiming for a quick decisive battle.
'Too many souls lost compared to what they've gathered.'
They needed to annihilate Ron territory to harvest enough for the next phase. On top of that, by sparing the refugees, they'd let even more souls slip away while targeting the troops.
'Two level sevens.'
Normally, he'd retreat without hesitation. They couldn't yet match level sevens evenly.
But not this time.
'Worst possible matchup against Maya. And we've got this.'
Jun glanced at the volcano still spewing lava and ash.
The area was now saturated with his fire-attribute mana. Overflowing to the point where even the north's bone-chilling cold couldn't penetrate.
Now he could attempt spells impossible under normal conditions.
"Incoming."
As Jun spoke, two shadowy figures leaped from beyond the canyon.
"It was you."
"You've made quite the mess."
Crimson eyes gleamed menacingly from beneath their helmets.
"No sign of the one who spied on us before. Figured they'd come to face us."
None of the foes who had watched Jun and his comrades fight earlier appeared.
To maximize their odds, at least one should have come here, but none did.
"None of your business."
"Is that so. Pity."
He'd tried probing their strategy, but unlike Rikedaimon, these two weren't the talkative type.
The response came from behind instead.
"Captain. They're linked somehow."
It was Eleanor, analyzing the two Ten-Thousand Commanders through her 'Heavenly Eye' from beneath black bandages.
"Not sure exactly what ability."
"That's as far as it goes for now."
That was enough.
It meant the enemy had definite preparations too.
"Aiden, Maya. Don't push for kills. They have something else up their sleeve."
"Got it."
Maya's killing intent had been leaking since they appeared, but she didn't argue with Jun.
Aiden nodded lightly at Jun's words and glared at the two Ten-Thousand Commanders.
"Won't go down as easy as before."
He'd seen little action in the fight with Rikedaimon.
Yet here he stood before two more level sevens.
Life had never once been easy.
But he'd risen to this point by standing firm every time.
As always, he simply gripped his sword and faced forward.
Living as a Mage in the Hero Party 231