Chapter 530: For a Friend (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 530: For a Friend (8)
The psychological pressure was more than an ordinary person could bear.
For the Imperial Army, this was a war devoid of any grand cause, justification, or even hatred. Those who had joined a fight that felt more like a childish squabble could not possibly possess unbreakable wills or a burning fighting spirit.
Every common knight and mage on the rear battlefield had completely lost the will to fight. All this, in less than thirty minutes since Jin’s arrival.
As Jin began to walk forward again, the knights and mages blocking his path—or rather, those who had been standing far off in his way—scrambled to get out of his reach, parting to the left and right.
To face him was hell; to flee was also hell.
Not a single one chose the former. Those whose legs hadn’t turned to stone bolted toward the edge of the battlefield like madmen. Those who couldn't run crawled and wept as they tried to escape.
As promised, Jin did not pursue the fleeing enemies.
The enemy commanders, however, could not let them go.
"You madmen! Fight! Anyone who retreats dies by my hand!"
"Do you think you can handle the crime of defying an imperial decree? Better to die fighting! At least then your families won't be purged!"
Despite the vicious orders from the Imperial commanders, the common soldiers did not stop their flight. The verdict was already in on who was more terrifying: the Emperor or Jin Runcandel.
Eventually, the commanders began cutting down their own fleeing men. Yet, even as that gruesome sight unfolded, the soldiers continued to desert.
With the situation deteriorating to this point, even the commanders fell into a panic. A Runcandel knight they couldn't handle even if they were united was approaching, yet their ranks had scattered so thoroughly they could no longer be called an army.
All that remained were the primary knights and the Henserck and Lilista magic squads.
But all they could do was prepare for death.
Their greatest assets, the Dragon Spears, had been almost entirely destroyed or seized. Despite having unleashed his decisive techniques so recklessly, Jin showed no signs of exhaustion, his piercing murderous intent pressing down on them.
They couldn't expect reinforcements from the front or the flanks, either.
Dante was still holding the front line, while the Prochi siblings, Casimir, Alisa, Julian, Kuzan, and Gilly were wreaking havoc on both sides.
Some Imperial soldiers in the rear even attempted to take the refugees of the Sword Emperor Castle—those who hadn't managed to flee yet—as hostages. It was a move that could prove to be a disastrous blunder later, but in their desperation, they felt it was the only way to shift the tide.
However, even that attempt was being thwarted by Jin’s companions.
"Mesa, Scut! You and your squads prioritize protecting the refugees! Vellop, you're with me! We're taking down the enemy commander!"
Luton Perman, the former Runcandel Enforcement Knight, and his Youngest’s Division were also part of this war. Having endured Luton’s hellish training on top of being Runcandel Guardian Knights to begin with, the knights at the rear of the Imperial Army were no match for them.
Jin and his comrades were tearing the battlefield apart, fueled by a cold, venomous fury.
"For our Lord!"
"For our Lord and Hairan!"
"Rescue our allies! Tend to the wounded!"
With the rank-and-file enemies fleeing, the cheers of the Hairan knights began to drown out the screams. Everyone knew the war wouldn't end so easily, but the knights of the Sword Emperor Castle had finally escaped the depths of despair. They now had hope that they could march toward victory.
"The Dragon Spears are being gathered by Lady Amela! We have eight now, and the number is growing!"
"She didn't die in the Gaifa Archipelago? She became one of the 12th Flagbearer's people…!"
Amela’s abilities shone brightest in large-scale warfare. Using her Turbid Energy and Valkas’s strength, she continued to collect the Dragon Spears. At the same time, she modified them at a rapid pace. Dozens of hands fashioned from Turbid Energy moved with purpose, stripping parts from broken Dragon Spears, other cannons, and pre-prepared materials to augment the seized weapons.
"Howitzer mode complete-ong! My Lord, almost ready-ong! Just give the word, and I'll start the front-line fire support!"
When Jin nodded, Amela emerged from her bush-like ghillie suit and raised a hand in a salute.
"Orders received-ong! Look forward to Amela’s exciting battery support!"
At Amela’s touch, the eight Dragon Spears simultaneously raised their barrels.
Boom!
Vroooooom—!
Eight shells fired toward the sky at an angle, soaring over the Sword Emperor Castle and heading far toward the front lines where the Emperor was stationed.
Even without a direct line of sight, Amela fired without hesitation. She was calculating the exact distance using nothing but the vibrations of the battlefield, ensuring no friendly fire would occur.
Valkas’s assessment—that no one could match Amela when it came to war—was no exaggeration.
Dante caught his breath, watching the shells fall like meteors upon the distant Imperial Army. He saw them being intercepted as the elites of the Henserck and Lilista magic squads deployed shields.
However, the Dragon Spear was the Empire’s strongest weapon of war. It wasn't something mages could block so easily—especially not eight firing at once.
The mana of the Imperial magic squads was being amplified to a degree that even Dante, a knight, could feel it. The common knights could see it with their naked eyes. As far as Dante knew, the Empire did not possess such technology. Mana amplification on this scale was virtually unheard of.
Zipple.
Only they were capable of such a feat.
Though he hadn't heard Alton’s warning, Dante was certain the Emperor had made some kind of deal with the Zipples.
All because of that damn White Stone…!
That object had been staining Dante’s soul black since before the war even began. Now that battle was joined, the hatred and rage born from the stone were growing at an even faster rate.
It wasn't that Amela’s Dragon Spears were failing to inflict damage. The elite magic squads were only protecting the Emperor and other key personnel; they didn't lift a finger to save the lives of the common knights.
Dante gripped his sword tighter. He felt a flicker of fear at the fact that he felt nothing for the Imperial soldiers being blown apart before his eyes—or rather, that he felt a sensation akin to pleasure, believing their deaths were just.
But the war was only just beginning.
"Move. I am going to kill the Emperor."
The Imperial Guard and common knights were scattered by the force of Dante’s blade. After some time, a massive man revealed himself from among their ranks.
"…Sir Dante."
The Leader of the Dragon King Knights, the Imperial Second Sword.
Johnsina Perel stood in Dante’s way. Unlike Dante, who looked like a blood-soaked demon, Johnsina’s blue armor gleamed brilliantly even in the darkness.
Johnsina’s heroic tales had planted dreams in the hearts of countless knights across the world. Although his individual martial prowess was often overshadowed by Ron Hairan, Johnsina himself was a paragon of knighthood.
Dante had also respected him deeply.
That was why a hollow laugh escaped his lips.
"Ever since Kevin Perel arrived… I expected you to be with the Imperial Army as well. But seeing you actually blocking my path with my own eyes… I can't suppress this feeling of disgust."
Ptu. Dante spat out a mouthful of blood.
Instead of answering, Johnsina gathered his energy. The ground around him vibrated, and small stones scattered and floated into the air.
"Have you harbored an inferiority complex toward my grandfather all this time? Or did you want to see the Perel family become the pillar of the Empire in Hairan's place?"
Dante's voice trembled with the sting of betrayal. Even if the entire Dragon King Knights followed the Emperor’s orders without thought, he had believed that Johnsina, at least, would not forget his honor.
The moment Dante opened his mouth to mock him again, Johnsina vanished. By the time Dante frantically turned his gaze, Johnsina’s greatsword was already descending toward his shoulder.
Crunch! Clang—!
The moment he blocked the strike, his shoulder dislocated. Dante was blown back, crashing to the ground and rolling, only for Johnsina’s sword energy to pour down on him.
Dante quickly popped his shoulder back into place, stood, and deflected the energy. His trembling legs felt as though they might give out at any moment.
This was the sword of the Imperial Second Sword. It wasn't something Dante could withstand in a body already on the verge of breaking.
"Stop this now."
"Every single one of you… you're the ones who stabbed the Sword Emperor Castle first, yet you keep prattling on about stopping. Have you no shame, you hypocrite!"
Dante lunged with a scream, but his sword could not pierce Johnsina’s defense. With every exchange, Dante’s bones and organs were jarred, causing him to cough up blood, while Johnsina’s breathing didn't even quicken.
He was like an iron wall. He was on a completely different level than the knights Dante had cut down so far.
"I am begging you."
"Ha, begging?"
"I do not wish to see you die."
"You speak as if you're going easy on me, Leader of the Dragon King Knights… Just because I'm exhausted and spitting blood, I must look pathetic to you…"
Dante’s body became shrouded in aura. It was the precursor to a secret technique of the Imperial Sword. Johnsina knew exactly what that technique required as collateral.
His life.
"Do you intend to die along with someone like me? How long do you plan on making these disastrous moves, Dante Hairan! Think of the future!" Johnsina shouted, his eyes wide. "You are the Lord of the Sword Emperor Castle now! If you die, Hairan can never rise again! Why do you keep throwing yourself into the darkness? Do you think this is what Sir Ron would have wanted!"
"How dare you speak my grandfather's name with that filthy mouth…!"
[Mya—!]
At that moment, having rushed over the instant the rear battlefield was cleared, the Red Jade Cat Shuri threw herself between Dante and Johnsina.
Jin was riding on Shuri’s back.
Dante had known Jin was coming from the moment that first sapphire sword energy lit up the night sky, but he hadn't expected him to clear the rear and reach him so quickly. Nor had he even considered regrouping with Jin.
That was how deeply his soul had fallen into despair. So many from Hairan and the knights who followed them had died. To Dante, the idea of trying to survive on his own was unthinkable.
"Dante."
Jin spoke as if he understood everything in Dante’s heart.
"If I only intended to save you, I wouldn't have come. I came to save both you and the Sword Emperor Castle. So, stop fighting as if this is the end. Don't forget that there has to be a 'next time.'"