Chapter 209
Chapter 209
It took two weeks for the MacLaine forces to reach Zahid Fortress, the stronghold of the rebellion.
Even with other suppression forces scattered across the region, the MacLaine army was nominally the main force.
Despite expecting sporadic ambushes, their march remained eerily quiet.
'Are they planning an all-out battle in one place? Do they really think that will work?'
Only upon arriving at Zahid Fortress did Logan finally understand the reason for their confidence.
Lining the wide fortress walls were familiar weapons—rapid-fire crossbows—packed densely together.
"So this is how they've returned..."
They had been distributed to strengthen the kingdom's military power, yet—
"They've already spread throughout the kingdom. But I didn't expect them to fall into rebel hands," Victor replied to Logan's sigh.
Since returning from the Empire, Victor had gradually taken on the role of adjutant.
"They said there are at least five hundred knights, including three High Knights?"
"Yes. Three have been confirmed."
"Could there be more?"
"Just in case, I'll mention this—the last reported troop count exceeded ten thousand."
"Well, that doesn't matter. Right?"
"Yes."
At Victor's confident reply, Logan smiled faintly and stepped forward to the front lines.
Then, with a roar that shook the battlefield, he shouted:
"Rebels inside the fortress, listen well!"
The eyes of allies, enemies, and every soul on the battlefield turned toward Logan.
"Those who serve the descendants of the old tyrant will be executed along with their entire families! If you wish to live, lay down your weapons and surrender now! I guarantee mercy!"
A blunt demand for surrender.
"Of course, the nobles who incited Clavis into this rebellion will be executed without leniency. Don't listen to those already doomed—drop your weapons! Surrender, and you will live!"
His voice, deliberately sowing discord among the enemy soldiers, stirred chaos throughout Zahid Fortress.
And then—
"Don't make me laugh!"
A man appeared atop the fortress walls, shouting back defiantly.
"Who would trust the words of a butcher who slaughtered even the innocent royal bloodlines?! Logan MacLaine, you are the true tyrant!"
His voice quelled the unrest within the fortress.
"We fight to free ourselves from tyranny and restore Prince Clavis' rightful claim! We will not stop!"
"Uwaaah!"
As soon as the middle-aged man with blue hair finished speaking, the soldiers erupted in cheers.
Logan stared coldly at the man's brown eyes from hundreds of meters away and smirked.
'So that's him. The High Knight who first revealed himself among the rebels.'
Though not a Transcendent, High Knights were still highly valued in Grandia—outside the Empire, at least. Most were renowned under wealthy lords or noble houses.
'Yet this one suddenly appeared beside Clavis.'
At the very least, he must know the true mastermind behind this rebellion.
"Today, we will strike down the tyrant Logan MacLaine, who puppeteers the throne and plunges the kingdom into chaos!"
Tch.
Logan drew his sword and raised it high as he listened to the provocation.
"Those who surrender will live. Those who resist will die. Behold the power of the tyrant you speak of!"
His voice, filled with overwhelming force, echoed across the battlefield.
"I'll crush you all!!"
The moment Logan's blade pointed toward the fortress—
From the heart of the MacLaine formation, glowing red stones streaked like meteors toward the fortress walls.
'Your Majesty, if you thought the MacLaine elites' absence would leave me vulnerable, you were sorely mistaken.'
Logan smiled as he watched Liberatio begin reducing the fortress walls to rubble.
The MacLaine weapons that had shone in the civil war were already famous throughout the kingdom—after all, they were weapons that allowed common soldiers to wound knights and mages. Some military strategists even claimed MacLaine's weapons would redefine warfare on the continent.
But most eyes were fixed on MacLaine's formidable knights, Logan MacLaine—the "non-Transcendent" who had defeated Jordan Walterheim—and, to a lesser extent, the mage Clayton.
Knights, heroes, and mages.
A culture built over a millennium unconsciously drew attention to them.
Moreover, after the civil war, Logan began distributing rapid-fire crossbows nationwide, further reinforcing this perception. Weapons available to anyone no longer seemed special.
As for the second weapon, Liberatio, Logan had deliberately kept it out of circulation under the pretense of scarce materials and limited production. Its short range also led to criticism that it was ineffective in sieges or chaotic battles.
Of course, a year had passed since the civil war, and improvements had made Liberatio smaller and lighter. But its fundamental limitations remained.
However, MacLaine had personnel who could utilize it in entirely new ways.
Crreeak.
A massive golem, easily three meters tall, stood with an unusually thick right arm.
That thick arm scooped up several blue stones from a cart before swinging them toward the fortress walls at a precise angle.
The throw accounted for air resistance mid-flight, ensuring accuracy—and soon, the red-hot stones struck the soldiers atop the walls.
BOOM!
CRASH!
BOOM!
"Aaaagh!"
"W-what is this?!"
"S-save me!"
A grotesque golem hurling three bombs at once with pinpoint precision.
And the man who could control fifty such golems simultaneously.
"Master Clayton, you're truly remarkable."
"Haha. The combination of improved Liberatio and my Golem Army surpasses the firepower of five or six average mages."
Clayton replied with pride to Logan's praise.
Though sweat beaded on his forehead from controlling the golems, it was nothing more than light exercise—as long as the golems weren't destroyed.
Moreover, the staff-shaped artifact in his hand—Kellahan's Staff—was a supreme artifact that absolutely assisted in manipulating not just mana, but mana force.
Once the prized possession of Juan Douglas.
"Firepower surpassing five or six mages... Indeed. Though it does cost a fortune."
Compared to scrolls, the cost-effectiveness was absurd—but Liberatio still consumed vast sums.
If Dwain saw Liberatio disappearing in real-time, his heart might fail.
But Clayton only laughed.
"What does it matter? It's worth every coin."
The pride in his voice as he admired the destruction left no trace of the peace-loving mage he once was.
Logan felt a twinge of guilt—as if he had corrupted a good man.
'But it was necessary.'
The spectacle before him was worth it.
"And we have those kids, too."
Following Clayton's gaze, Logan saw his disciples maneuvering their own golems.
Though the Golem Tower had grown into MacLaine's symbolic tower, producing dozens of apprentice mages, only Clayton's original disciples were combat-ready.
But they were enough.
Especially Grick, Enan, and Truth. Now 4th and 3rd-Circle mages, their golems were even larger and more powerful than Clayton's.
Grick's golem, in particular, had modified arms solely for throwing—gripping four or five Liberatio stones in each hand before launching them with terrifying accuracy.
BOOOOM!
"Aaaah!"
A single attack nearly matched the power of a 4th-Circle fire spell.
But the most striking among them was Victoria—still a teenager, though now showing hints of a young lady's grace.
'Geniuses truly are different.'
Wielding Atlan's Staff, she controlled ten two-meter-tall golems simultaneously.
Unlike her seniors' golems, hers only threw one Liberatio at a time—but coordinating ten golems to strike precise targets on the walls was a feat far more difficult than it looked.
"Hah...!"
As Logan watched in admiration, Victor, brimming with pride, stepped in to boast about his sister.
"Ria recently achieved the 4th Circle. Her application and mana control are even beyond that. Master Clayton keeps calling her a once-in-history genius."
"I heard that too, you brat."
Though he scolded him, it was a boast worth making.
A 4th-Circle mage at just sixteen.
Undoubtedly, she was destined to become another legendary mage.
Feeling reassured, Logan turned his gaze back to the battlefield.
The fortress walls, now a hellscape from the golems' bombardment.
'We've already used half our Liberatio stock. This is enough.'
Dozens of carts' worth of Liberatio had been depleted in moments.
Each volley from the golem army consumed nearly two hundred stones—no surprise they were running low.
In return, the soldiers on the walls no longer dared to peek out, screaming in terror as the enemy elites retreated inside.
'No need to waste more resources.'
It was time to finish this.
"Luther!"
"I've been waiting!"
Luther Kyle, who had been gripping his beloved warhammer, answered with a booming voice.
"Let's break the gates first."
"Good. Then I'll—"
"No. I'll go first."
"Hahaha. Gladly."
Understanding Logan's intent, Luther naturally stepped back.
And then—
"Stop me if you can!"
With a roar that drowned out even the explosions of Liberatio, Logan—cloaked in golden light—charged toward the fortress like lightning.
"It's him!"
"The redhead!"
"He's charging alone!"
As if the giant running behind him was invisible, the knights stubbornly holding their positions atop the walls shouted in unison.
In response, a hail of quarrels rained down on Logan from the surviving soldiers.
But it was futile.
'No need to even use Aura.'
A golden Force Blade erupted from Logan's sword, forming a circular shield before him.
Clangclangclang!
"Monster...!"
"Stop him!"
"How is this possible?!"
Just by charging forward, Logan gifted the soldiers atop the walls with screams of terror.
With a fierce grin, he raised his sword—
And a golden beam, over thirty meters tall, surged upward before taking the form of a colossal blade.
And then—
"Crumble!!"
SCREEEECH—
With incomparable force, the giant's sword cleaved through the fortress gate and walls in a single slash.
The iron bars inside the gate, the knights waiting atop it—
Even some of the knights preparing to charge from within—
"Hah!"
Not stopping there, the giant sword swung again—completely obliterating the central gate and walls.
RUUUUMBLE—
CRAAASH!
The sight of a single man reducing fortress walls to rubble silenced the battlefield.
And as the dust settled—
"Kneel! Those who resist will die! Those who surrender will live!"
At the golden-haired monster's roar, countless terrified soldiers dropped their weapons.
'Damn monster!'
The blue-haired High Knight, Richard, inwardly screamed the same.
Even when losing dozens of knights to the long-range bombardment, he hadn't felt this despair.
He had heard rumors of Logan defeating a Transcendent—but this was beyond excessive.
'Swinging a thirty-meter Force Blade? Who would believe that?!'
It'd be more believable if Logan were an Aura User.
Though overwhelmed, he couldn't retreat now.
So, suppressing his fear, he roared:
"He's alone! Kill him!"
As he mounted his horse and drew his Force Blade—
"Now's our chance!"
"Pull yourselves together!"
His comrades—Derek Clang and Cooper Pearson—joined in rallying the troops.
"Uwaaah!"
With no retreat possible, the knights responded to their leaders' rallying cries.
Not because they were fools—but because sheer numbers gave them courage against overwhelming force.
Though reduced by the bombardment and the colossal Force Blade, nearly five hundred knights steeled themselves.
"Charge! Finish Logan MacLaine!"
Hiiiiing—
As they surged over the ruined walls—
"You've all chosen death, then?"
A cold voice accompanied a golden radiance.
BOOOOM!
An explosion followed—and the three High Knights were sent tumbling across the ground.
"Kuh... A-Aura?!"
"Cough! A Transcendent?!"
"Impossible!"
The knights charging forward paled at the three High Knights' screams.
And then—
"Bahahaha! Who said he was alone?!"
BOOOOM!
A giant, now standing beside Logan, swung a warhammer the size of his own body—sending the charging cavalry flying.
"Luther Kyle!"
"The Half-Giant!"
"T-they're coming from behind too!"
Behind them, the Golem Master—now famous across the kingdom—unleashed fifty knight-level golems surging forward.
Instead of throwing bombs, they joined the melee—flanked by fifty MacLaine knights.
And further back, the regular troops began advancing.
For the rebel knights, already reeling from the frontline collapse, the pressure was overwhelming.
"Those who resist will all die."
Logan's golden Aura, like the Reaper's touch, loomed over the enemy knights as he smiled coldly.