Chapter 209
Chapter 209
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 209
Chapter Title: Carus VS Rokan (1)
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"Damn it."
Rokan himself must have gotten cocky from the victory and let his guard down for a moment. To think he'd allow the Black Dragon Legion to exploit a gap just because their resistance seemed weak.
Upon receiving the report, Rokan hurriedly opened the magic screen and confirmed the sight of enemy forces swarming in red.
"They're trying to cut us off at the waist."
This was no accident—they meant business.
They must have moved in small units to avoid detection until now, so their numbers weren't overwhelming. But considering their movement speed and the rate at which they were capturing points, it was almost certain they'd filled their ranks with Master-level or higher elites.
If things continued like this, they'd lose all the mid-line strongholds and get surrounded by the enemy.
"What about the other races?"
"They've probably noticed by now too. But how they'll respond..."
No matter if it was humans, half-elves, gnomes, or dwarves, they'd head to whichever stronghold could hold out. But it didn't look feasible.
Each race's main forces were scattered at the front lines, and even at top speed, blocking the enemy was impossible.
Anyone could see that the hastily gathered troops couldn't even buy time.
'The question is what choice to make.'
So, what to do?
There were three options.
The first was to push forward into the enemy lines instead.
The enemy's main force gathering in the rear meant their front defenses were weakened. Leave the forces cutting them off to the follow-up support troops somehow, and charge ahead even faster.
That would be a true game of chicken—who blinks first?
Even if they captured a few more strongholds, the Golden Lion Front with its waist severed would face supply issues. And if the enemy pushed up after cutting them off, they could fall for a pincer maneuver.
They might buy enough time for the races to unite, but the enemy wouldn't sit idle. If rear support was late, the forward troops might have to face the enemy's full force in a do-or-die battle.
The second option was to retreat quickly now, consolidate forces, and have each race link up to confront the enemy's detached units.
Of course, if the enemy spotted their movements, they'd swarm down for a sandwich. But the same went for them. Who crumbled first was anyone's guess—they'd have to fight it out.
The final third option was for each group to break through weak points in the enemy defenses individually.
The enemy had cut in at the waist, but given their force size, they couldn't have enough troops to garrison all the recaptured areas.
So, bypassing the enemy main force to crush the garrison troops and open a path was viable.
Of course, one misstep could lead to clashing with the main force, requiring razor-sharp judgment.
"What a mess."
Rokan pondered long but couldn't decide easily.
If he only considered the humans—his own legion's safety—the third option was best. Humans were the easternmost of the four races.
Having been hit first, the enemy main force had likely passed them by.
But surviving alone meant nothing.
If they lived while the dwarves', gnomes', and half-elves' main forces were wiped out, the Golden Lion Front's defensive line could be sliced clean through—reversing all their advances.
"Guess I have to leave it to the dwarves' choice."
It wasn't a decision Rokan could make alone.
The half-elves aside, would the two races who came here for the special racial quest back down now?
Cursing under his breath, Rokan picked up the communication orb and connected with the Golden Lion Front commanders.
-Rokan: This is Human Marquis Rokan. You've confirmed the Black Dragon Legion in the rear, right? Please share your response plans.
It was good they'd set up communications in advance for situations like this.
But even after connecting successfully, their replies came after a long pause.
-Etchi: ...Confirmed. Damn bastards. Looks like they scraped together every last elite for a rear strike. If we'd pushed just a bit further... Ugh, forget it. Pretend you didn't hear that.
-Ireyn: Cutting off the rear is dangerous. Their forces aren't pushovers—relying on rear support troops would just get them picked off one by one. We either unite to fight back or pull our forces away bypassing their main force. The spirits say Carus himself is moving.
-Hito: Carus, damn it!
The dwarves and gnomes were endlessly frustrated.
A little more advance, and they'd have achieved their goals. But the enemy struck at the perfect moment.
They wanted to push on regardless, but Carus's name shut that down.
The legendary troll hunter.
A living legend.
The continent's strongest and current troll leader.
A mix of High Masters and Masters might handle it, but if he moved personally, it changed everything.
Even the Golden Lion Front's top fighters couldn't confidently face him one-on-one.
Win rate wouldn't top 30%. He was in the High Master category but on another level.
At present, Carus was considered closest to Grand Master.
-Rokan: So what will you do?
-Etchi: ...We retreat for now. If Carus is really there, getting caught means the end for that legion.
-Ireyn: Uniting isn't an option. We have more numbers, but... numbers mean little to him.
-Hito: See you alive, friends. Damn it.
Surprisingly, that name alone decided the entire army's course.
If caught, death was certain—whether 10,000, 50,000, or 100,000 troops. Everyone who knew him agreed numbers didn't matter.
Thus, scatter and break through individually.
Each race handles its own.
The Golden Lion Front alliance lost all meaning, but it was unavoidable. Absolute power made it inevitable.
Unless each race's top fighters came to the rescue, they'd have to stake everything just to fight him.
Dodging was the way.
"Assemble the entire army."
Ending the call, Rokan immediately rallied his forces.
The other races would likely split theirs—some as bait, some to buy time, some to survive—but humans couldn't afford to lose a single strong fighter.
Unlike other races, only users could be sacrificial pawns. For Rokan, preserving high-level NPCs as much as possible—even one more—was key to the future.
"Our goal is... here."
As he assembled them, Rokan pointed to a spot on the map.
The exact point where Carus and the Black Dragon Legion's forces first appeared and began moving.
Darkest under the lamp—the place stripped of its main force. He launched a counter-advance there.
'They won't come this way, right?'
Still, he kept watching the magic screen.
Carus and the Black Dragon Legion main force were still passing through human-held strongholds.
Any commotion might draw them here.
So, eyes glued to the screen, he cautiously advanced toward the goal, adjusting speed.
He planned to break through only after they'd crossed into half-elf or gnome territory, to avoid pursuit.
"Whoa, Marquis!"
But it didn't take long to realize how futile that hope was.
"They're coming this way!"
The unit Rokan thought had bypassed human territory suddenly turned toward them.
"Full speed, entire army!"
Rokan gritted his teeth. He ramped up the advance speed and triggered a quest for the users.
[Chase Block][Quest]
Block the Black Dragon Legion's pursuit and escort the main force safely to the goal point.
-Success Condition: Safe main force arrival
-Success Reward: Rare Item (Random), Massive Fame, Massive Merit Points
It said "block the chase," but it was really a suicide mission.
Even with two-digit Masters, could they stop them? Users were barely Class Experts.
Some had already sensed danger and were fleeing with teleport scrolls or logging out.
But plenty fell for the massive fame, merit points, and rare item bait.
Not even needing kills—just buy time. Worth a shot, they thought.
'Just get them into combat state.'
Once in combat, escape would be hard. Or even escape attempts would distract—good enough.
Rokan handed command to his aides and led the users.
No choice but to buy time somehow.
He even altered the army's route to the shortest path. Even Carus couldn't rampage deep into enemy lines freely.
He'd sent word of the crisis, so the emperor might dispatch relief forces.
'Push these guys in first...'
Rokan steeled himself. He could steamroll average High Masters, but Carus was different—he knew that.
In his past life, multiple High Master users had charged him and been annihilated. Not for nothing was he the troll race's final boss.
'Reduce their minions at least.'
One way: take down the Masters and High Masters following him somehow.
The penalties for Rokan dying once were huge now, but better than losing core troops.
A few clashes to buy time and isolate Carus—hell, he'd even challenge him feigning madness.
'Wish I hadn't used the souls.'
Advancing slowly toward the oncoming Black Dragon Legion forces, Rokan toyed with the Soul Collector's power.
If he hadn't spent 5,000 souls on the soul legion recently, he could've used Transcendent Awakening for a one-on-one.
Regretful, but unavoidable.
Focus on the present, not past actions.
"Here they come."
Soon after, they appeared.
Not one race.
As if to repay humans and Golden Lion Front races for past defeats, undead, orcs, goblins—all mixed behind Carus, eyes gleaming with madness.
"Attack!"
"First strike wins!"
"You mad bastard, we'll lose anyway! Just buy time!"
This side was frenzied too.
They knew the overwhelming power gap, but numerical superiority and group madness clouded reason.
Blind hope surged: somehow, they could do it.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
"Gahk!"
"...Insane."
Right then, one arrow pierced the battlefield.
Slicing through all blockers, it targeted Rokan hiding in the users' midst.
No combo skill.
Just a single ordinary arrow.
With it, Carus proved himself. Shattered the humans' madness-fueled morale in an instant.
Clang!
"Urk."
Rokan twisted his battle axe in time to block, but the lingering shock in his hands was no joke. No time to care.
Rokan looked up, locking eyes with Carus staring straight at him.
"Here to see you, and you're playing hide-and-seek?"
Carus grinned like a mischievous kid, baring his jagged fangs at Rokan.