Chapter 265: How Ridiculous (2)
Chapter 265: How Ridiculous (2)
The situation had shifted drastically.
A force of ten thousand soldiers, led by the Salamander Princess and the Spirit Knight Order, had arrived.
To make matters worse, three 7-Star Knights who had once been legendary in the Flame Kingdom joined the fray, crashing into the Caesar Kingdom’s encirclement.
It was as if…
“A-Aaaah!”
“Block them! I said block them!”
“How the hell are we supposed to block that, you crazy bastard?!”
It was like a steel carriage charging forward, crushing insects in its path.
The soldiers cursed at the knights urging them on from behind and scattered in every direction.
The enemy’s power was simply that overwhelming.
Asking ordinary soldiers to stop such a force was no different from ordering them to die.
Count Edward and Count Kaikara rushed in late to try and stem the tide, but…
“Tch…”
“These damn bastards…”
The moment they approached, Klavin Taerion and Vector Bridges intercepted them.
The plan was to tie them down with knights of the same 7-Star rank.
Klavin Taerion shouted as he engaged Count Kaikara.
“Princess! Go on ahead!”
“Thank you, Master.”
Without a single backward glance, the Salamander Princess sprinted forward.
Count Kaikara saw this and immediately tried to intercept her, but…
Slash!
A sharp strike flew toward his throat.
It was an attack that would have claimed his head had he not immediately retreated.
His heart chilling, he watched as Klavin Taerion approached.
“You underestimate me too much, Count Kaikara.”
“Marquis Taerion…”
“Well, I am no longer a Marquis.”
“I thought you were dead. So, you were alive?”
“Things just turned out that way.”
“I suppose the soles of the Overlord’s feet are quite sweet?”
At Count Kaikara’s provocation, Klavin Taerion let out a sigh.
“Life is unpredictable. You never know what might happen.”
“……”
“More importantly, is it really okay for you to be chatting so leisurely? It doesn’t matter to me, but I imagine it’s quite troublesome for you.”
Count Kaikara’s brow furrowed at those words.
If the forces led by the Salamander Princess were allowed to break the encirclement like this, the Overlord might survive. That could not be allowed to happen.
Grit.
Tensing his entire body, he surged his aura and spoke.
“I’ll kill you!”
“If you can, that is.”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two knights clashed with everything they had.
Simultaneously, in a distant location, Count Mattheus Edward and Vector Bridges also began a breathtaking exchange of blows.
*
“Out of my way!”
A woman raised a sword that erupted with flames like an explosion and swung it down.
From her blade, a violent fire burst forth like a volcanic eruption, blowing away everything that stood in her path.
Knights, soldiers—it didn't matter.
Before her, all were equal.
“What are the mages doing? Stop the Salamander Princess!”
Following their commander’s orders, the mages of the Caesar Kingdom each cast ice spells and launched them toward her.
“Ice Arrow!”
“Cold Frost!”
Spears of frigid ice and blizzards of cold air swept toward her. However…
“You’re in my way!”
The flames she emitted melted both the ice and the snow.
To harm her—someone who could wield the flames of spirits with a human body—with magic, one would need to be at least a mage from the 6th floor of the Tower of Truth.
There was no such expert among the mages belonging to the Caesar Kingdom.
In the end, no one could stop her, and finally…
K-Boom!
She reached the center of the encirclement where the Overlord was.
The moment she arrived, the first thing she did was launch a violent strike of explosive heat at Count Crawford, who was roughly pushing her fiancé.
“Ugh…”
Count Crawford, who had blocked her attack by coating his shield in aura, was forced to retreat a great distance.
Standing proudly with her back to the Overlord, she spoke.
“You look like a mess.”
“Hahaha. And you look more beautiful than ever.”
“……”
“As I thought, armor suits you better than a dress.”
“At least your mouth is still working.”
It was a rare sight—the haughty Knight Princess and direct descendant of the Spirit Royal Family, the Salamander Princess, actually blushing.
However, the moment she turned her gaze away from the Overlord to glare at the enemy, her expression changed completely.
“Do the knights of the Caesar Kingdom know no honor? To think those who have pioneered the Supreme Realm would resort to a group attack.”
At her rebuke, Marquis Beretto Zigler spoke.
“On the battlefield, one must seek victory over etiquette. More importantly…”
Marquis Zigler glared at her with sharp eyes.
“I am surprised by you. I never imagined that a descendant of the honorable Spirit Royal Family would take to the battlefield to help the enemy of her clan.”
“……”
“Surely you haven’t forgotten? It was that Overlord who trampled your country and your family.”
“……”
“If you turn to our side even now, we will give you the chance to take your revenge…”
Whoosh!
Before Marquis Zigler could even finish his sentence, she violently flared her flames.
She spoke with finality.
“First a group attack, and now petty schemes? You are like a snake.”
“……”
“Come, you shameless wretches. I shall show you what a true knight is.”
Without waiting, she lunged forward and attacked Marquis Zigler.
Roar!
‘Damn it…’
Marquis Zigler clicked his tongue inwardly as he felt the flames scorching his skin.
The Salamander Princess was a tricky opponent, but not one he couldn't handle.
The problem, however, was…
“Count Pereiro! I shall be your opponent.”
Marius Shuleiman.
The man who had once been renowned as the strongest knight of the Flame Kingdom took on Stellon Pereiro. And…
“Now we can finally fight one-on-one.”
As if he still had plenty of strength left, Matthias Carvan fiercely attacked Count Bentley Crawford.
Marquis Zigler, who was giving his all to deal with the Salamander Princess, could not help the other two.
They no longer held the numerical advantage. Rather…
“Whew…”
Having found a moment of respite, the Overlord raised his sword before his chest. He regulated his breathing and focused his mind. Then…
Vroooooom.
Lord of Sword.
The sword technique he had realized during his duel with Patrick began to manifest once more.
Five meters, ten meters…
The sword of light grew larger without stopping, becoming visible even to the soldiers of the Decatur Kingdom watching from afar.
‘I’ll end it with this.’
“Block it! Block that thing!”
Marquis Zigler screamed until his throat was raw, but no one could carry out that order.
The other 7-Star Knights were pinned down by their respective opponents, and the other knights couldn't even get near the Overlord.
Since when had it been?
From the moment the Overlord began creating the sword of light, the knights and soldiers of the Yuzef Kingdom had surrounded him, protecting him.
“No one shall reach our King!”
“Aaaaaaaah!”
They protected the Overlord with everything they had.
Their soul-stirring cries became Sierion’s driving force.
A King.
One who stands alone, yet cannot exist alone.
A King can only truly be a King when there are those who believe in and follow him.
Grit… Creak.
His body was a wreck, but this was the moment he needed power beyond his limits.
Overlord Sierion squeezed out every last drop of his strength to create a massive sword of light. And then…
“This is the end!”
The brilliant sword of light, finally complete, was so massive and majestic that it looked as if it could only be wielded by a giant of legend.
“Dodge!”
“Everyone, fall back!”
The moment the sword of light was completed, all allies in front of the Overlord scrambled out of the way. Without hesitation, the Overlord swung the blade down.
The moment that massive sword of light fell toward the enemy…
K-K-K-K-BOOM!
A blinding flash of light engulfed the 7-Star Knights of the Caesar Kingdom simultaneously.
It was the strike that decided the outcome of the war.
*
“With the Overlord’s strike, Marquis Beretto Zigler of the Caesar Kingdom was killed, and Count Crawford and Count Pereiro were also heavily wounded.”
“……”
“The Black Knight, Marquis Matthias Carvan, finished off the two who were critically injured. Then, seizing the momentum, the Overlord led his exhausted body across the battlefield and captured the King of the Caesar Kingdom.”
“……”
“Effectively, that ended the war, and the Yuzef Kingdom ended up swallowing the Caesar Kingdom.”
Patrick, who had been silently listening to Red’s report, spoke.
“I have a general idea of how the Caesar Kingdom fell.”
Regardless of the process, it seemed that brat was destined to win against the Caesar Kingdom.
So, that in itself wasn't particularly surprising. However…
“What on earth is this talk about the Decatur Kingdom being annexed?”
At Patrick’s question, Red continued his explanation.
“Well… that happened after the battle. The Overlord brought King Georgia back to the main camp as a prisoner. And naturally, the atmosphere was extremely grim.”
*
The soldiers of the Yuzef Kingdom who returned to the main camp were radiating murderous intent.
Though they had captured the enemy king and essentially won the war, the fighting spirit still burned within them.
And for good reason.
“Those traitorous bastards…”
Not even a knight, but a common soldier ground his teeth while glaring at the soldiers of the Decatur Kingdom.
After all, this war had originally been one that the Yuzef Kingdom joined to help the Decatur Kingdom in its time of peril.
They had shed blood to protect someone else’s land, only for the owners of that land to betray them and stab them in the back.
What was there to say?
The soldiers of the Decatur Kingdom couldn't even bring themselves to look the Yuzef soldiers in the eye.
‘This is the worst possible outcome…’
Sword Queen Riona Mayvers.
She let out a heavy sigh.
Though she had been furious and disgusted by her nephew’s scheme, she hadn't expected the result to be this catastrophic.
Despite the bitter betrayal, the Overlord had emerged victorious with dignity.
What were they to do now?
How were they supposed to live and endure this humiliation?
‘Should I just die?’
She would rather die and preserve her honor than live with such disgrace.
But this wasn't something she could solve that way.
It wasn't a matter that could be settled just by her death.
As she closed her eyes in misery, she heard the Overlord’s voice.
“King Arren, come forth. And state your position proudly before everyone.”
Sierion called for the King of the Decatur Kingdom.
Arren Hamut Decatur.
He intended to call the culprit behind this entire situation and handle the matter publicly.
The Overlord’s demand was just.
No, it was even merciful.
Honestly, even if the Overlord had immediately led his army to attack the Decatur Kingdom, the world would have understood.
He had been stabbed in the back by an ally during the most critical final battle.
Because of that, the Overlord himself had nearly died.
And yet, he was trying to handle the matter through reason and logic rather than force.
The vassals of the Decatur Kingdom felt both admiration and envy at that sight.
Riona Mayvers stepped forward before the Overlord, knelt down of her own accord, and spoke.
“ I will send a messenger immediately to bring His Majesty. Please wait a moment.”
Sword Queen Riona Mayvers.
She, who had lived her life without bowing to anyone, rarely showed such extreme courtesy.
That was how much face they had lost.
Kneeling with her fists clenched, her body trembling with shame, she wondered if there could be a lower point in her life than this.
And a moment later.
A messenger who had run until he was out of breath delivered a single fact.
“H-His Majesty the King has committed suicide.”
There was.
An even lower point.
“Ha… Haha…”
A knight of the Decatur Kingdom let out a hollow laugh.
Their honor had been dragged through the mud by a cowardly betrayal.
And now, the King who had caused the situation had taken his own life and run away.
What were they supposed to do now?
Would the shame be lessened even slightly if all twenty thousand Decatur soldiers here took their own lives?
Even that couldn't be guaranteed.
The situation was just that dire.
The Sword Queen, who had been clenching her fists, shut her eyes tight. She opened her lips to say something, but…
“How ridiculous.”
The Overlord’s words came first.