Chapter 215 : The Usurper and the Invader (1)
Chapter 215: The Usurper and the Invader (1)
Waaaaah—! Waaaaaaah—!
The thunderous battle cries shook the earth.
The enemy's current strength numbered thirty-five in total.
Every one of them was an elite executive of the Platinum Dawn Society.
Standing against them, the Imperial Guards were likewise one of the Empire's finest elite forces.
However—
under the relentless assault of several monsters who far exceeded normal standards, their front line was slowly being pushed back.
Even so, there was one reason the enemy still couldn't break through the formation and enter the palace in a single push.
Two people.
KWAAANG!
“Hoo... Her Highness was right. To think warriors of this caliber would stake their lives on such a misguided path... What a tragedy.”
The first was the Chief Steward of the Imperial Household and an S-Rank veteran martial artist—
Georg Olrubis.
Using the secret technique magic 『Shock Fist』, which unleashed a mana-infregnated punch that generated shockwaves across a wide area, he continuously drove back every enemy that came within range.
Swoooosh!
“Ghk?!”
“Hoo... It seems even this is becoming difficult. If reinforcements don't arrive soon...”
The second was the Captain of the Imperial Guards and an SS-Rank Holy Swordsman—
Rugier Rosberg.
Enemy members who rushed into the path of his distorted sword trajectories failed to react properly and were sent flying.
Despite having little stamina left after the previous consecutive battles, he continued to fight remarkably well.
Meanwhile, Charlotte and Edel did not personally enter the battle.
Instead, they silently observed both sides' strategies while engaging in an invisible battle of wits.
Amidst the battlefield where cheers and screams intertwined, each tried to predict the other's true objective.
The first thing that caught Charlotte's attention was the silent Barrier surrounding the Imperial Palace.
'At this distance, the Barrier should have activated already... Don't tell me they actually reconfigured it?'
'Or did they shut it down completely? To eliminate any chance of us exploiting it?'
'...So the so-called regressor really racked her brain over this, didn't she? But that's nowhere near enough, Edel Ribenia.'
Well, it was unfortunate that they could no longer make proper use of those Cabala fools.
Still...
They had already revived the Witch of Thorns.
If they could simply neutralize Rachel Ribenia, those fools would have fulfilled their role well enough.
If the Barrier's interception system had truly been disabled, there was no need to waste a massive amount of mana to bypass it from the rear.
They simply needed to crush them before the rest of the Imperial forces could arrive.
Charlotte signaled to the two people covering her while confronting the Imperial Guards.
“We're breaking through. Alvesta. Bilfor.”
“Alright! Here we go!”
“Be careful during the collision, Chairwoman.”
The leader of the Red Fang Marauders—
An SS-Rank Awakener—
Flynn Alvesta casually lifted the two of them under his arms before charging straight ahead like a raging bull.
“It's the Chairwoman! Stop them!”
“Cast your magic!”
Then—
More than a dozen Imperial Guards simultaneously raised their shields and Barriers.
They were all blown away in an instant.
“Gaaaah!”
Georg immediately took over, planting both feet firmly into the ground as he attempted to stop the charge.
But even he was overpowered.
'What monstrous strength...!'
After sending even Georg flying, the trio successfully broke through the front gate and entered the Imperial Palace.
As the pursuing Imperial Guards rushed after them, another SS-Rank Awakener—
Chris Bilfor—
raised a hand.
“I'll deal with them. Chairwoman, please proceed inside.”
At that exact moment—
three enormous Magic Missiles hurtled toward them from afar.
KWAAAAAANG!
Flynn absorbed the impact with his entire body, reducing the force.
Even so, he was still pushed back several dozen meters.
“Who's there?!”
“What kind of introduction is that? If you're curious, come fight me one-on-one.”
The figures gradually appearing in the distance were nothing short of a godsend for the Imperial side.
“Every road was completely blocked, so traveling by land wasn't possible. We had no choice but to use a few Mana Stones. Our thanks to the Master of the Magic Tower.”
“Oh, no need to thank me. Allies should help one another.”
Despite Gustav's casual response to Michel's words, the satisfaction on his face was unmistakable.
Naturally.
Even with the assistance of sixty High-Grade Mana Stones and the Barion Orb, there was only one mage in all of Maret capable of teleporting this many people across such a distance.
“...Looks like Instructor hasn't arrived yet.”
“He'll be here soon.”
“Until Mr. Eugene returns, you won't be taking another single step forward!”
Having safely entered the Imperial Palace grounds, the Carvena—Maret Alliance charged straight at the enemy without another word.
Four hours had passed since the first Erosion Pillar appeared.
The tide of battle was changing by the minute.
The preliminary battle, made possible by the fully matured Erosion Pillars, had delayed the arrival of the Special Task Force and the Defense Force, naturally giving the Platinum Dawn Society the advantage.
However—
with the arrival of the Carvena—Maret Alliance, the balance was restored once again.
Watching everything unfold from atop one of the towers along the Imperial Palace's outer wall, Robert Bernhardt quietly frowned.
'...The main actors still haven't all arrived.'
After deciding to part ways with the Platinum Dawn Society, he had chosen to secure his own survival by providing information to Michel.
Even so—
now was still not the right moment to step forward.
Regardless, he still bore the Bernhardt name.
To overturn the reputation that had already crumbled, he would need nothing less than heroic accomplishments.
A stalemate like this benefited him in no way whatsoever.
'Then again, if the enemy's strength becomes too overwhelming... even we won't be able to handle it.'
While constantly searching for the perfect moment to enter the battlefield, Robert carefully measured the difference in strength between both sides.
Ever since Duel began formally assigning ranks to Beasts—
Awakeners had also begun receiving similar rankings based on their combat ability.
Most academies and military organizations around the world had adopted the same ranking system.
According to Robert's own evaluation—
there were currently eight SS-Rank Awakeners.
First—
Fransia Brida and Rubia Magnus of Carvena.
'Both of them... have become even stronger than before.'
He already knew Rubia Magnus' combat ability well from personal experience.
However, even he had never imagined Fransia Brida's growth would be this extraordinary.
Until the Joint War, the general assessment of her had been:
Outstanding speed and offensive power.
Poor defensive capability.
Difficulty managing stamina.
In other words—
she still fell short of SS-Rank.
Yet now—
she was fighting the Platinum Dawn Society's elite without her rhythm faltering in the slightest.
Next—
Special Task Force Commander Alvin Caldwell.
And Captain of the Imperial Guards Rugier Rosberg.
Lieutenant General Alvin was currently risking everything to destroy the Erosion Pillar, making it difficult for him to join the battle at the front gate.
Even if he did arrive, he would naturally prioritize commanding the Special Task Force.
Captain Rugier had also defended the front gate almost entirely by himself for a considerable length of time beforehand, leaving him significantly exhausted.
Even so—
both continued displaying performances that in no way fell behind ordinary S-Rank Awakeners.
That alone was proof they deserved the title of SS-Rank.
With the full participation of such powerful figures—warriors who could stand proudly anywhere across the Empire—
the Platinum Dawn Society's advance had slowed considerably.
If the Executors—
and Eugene Carter—
joined the battle now...
the tide would undoubtedly reverse.
However—
the Platinum Dawn Society had yet to reveal all of its strength.
And the forces currently before them were by no means weak.
'Especially those four.'
Chris Bilfor—
Head of House Bilfor and leader of the Resistance.
Wilhelm Bover—
The apostate Apostle of the Ribenia Orthodoxy and leader of the Secret Guardian Corps.
Flynn Alvesta—
Leader of the Red Fang Marauders, whose members were internally evaluated as surpassing even mercenary corps in specialized combat.
And—
the mysterious warrior wrapped entirely in a black robe.
The four of them refused to yield even a single step despite facing the Imperial Guards and numerous elite professors from Carvena.
Robert's gaze lingered on the last individual.
'That black robe... I've never seen a fighting style like that.'
As data from countless Beast battles accumulated, modern combat styles had gradually become standardized.
For example—
A mage specializing in close combat normally mastered Enhancement Magic alongside support spells that maximized the power of a decisive strike.
A long-range mage, meanwhile, generally specialized in medium- and long-range offensive magic along with defensive spells to protect themselves.
Yet—
that mysterious figure in the black robe fit none of those categories.
Neither mage.
Nor martial artist.
Nor weapon specialist.
'...No.'
'They're mixing all of those combat styles together.'
Having no specialty...
allowed them to specialize in everything.
If such a thing were truly possible, it would create the ultimate combat weapon.
But no human being could actually do that.
Humans possessed habits.
No matter how many different abilities someone mastered, traces of habit inevitably remained.
Those habits became one's characteristics.
One's fighting style.
That was simply human nature.
'Don't tell me... they haven't even used their true specialty yet?'
But if they truly possessed that level of ability—
they should have been fighting the strongest opponents.
Not wasting time among ordinary Imperial Guards.
'Just who... are you?!'
While Robert remained focused on the black-robed warrior—
the stalemate that had seemed destined to continue—
collapsed in an instant.
“Ghk...!”
Georg, who until then had barely managed to hold his ground despite being pushed back, was suddenly sent flying dozens of meters away.
KWAAAAAANG!
Even then, the old man executed a perfect landing, minimizing the damage before immediately rising back to his feet.
However—
his left arm had already been cleanly severed.
“Chief Steward!”
“Y-Your arm...!”
“Focus on the battle!”
Returning to formation, Georg immediately concentrated mana at the stump of his arm, creating a small shockwave.
The blood pouring from his severed limb stopped instantly.
“As expected... Even rotten with age, the Imperial Household's chief aide is still an impressive old warrior.”
Charlotte, the one who had severed his arm, slowly licked her fingertips with a satisfied smile.
“You've served the Imperial Family your entire life.”
“So it's only fitting that you leave this world together with them, isn't it?”
Once again, her right arm transformed into a pitch-black blade as she charged forward.
“Haaaaah...!”
Despite losing one arm, the fighting spirit emanating from Georg had only grown stronger.
Just before the two collided—
a young woman darted precisely between them.
Clang!
Holding Charlotte's knife-like hand firmly at bay with both hands gripping her sword, Fransia Brida shouted with fierce determination.
“I won't let you do as you please anymore...!”
Clang! Clang!
Each collision between the mana-infused blades sent rippling shockwaves across the surrounding area.
Charlotte swung both of her hands like merciless swords while letting out a mocking laugh.
“To think someone of your level dares call herself the Heir of the Sword Saint.”
“The world truly has become generous.”
She immediately aimed a kick at Fransia's side with her left foot.
But a Barrier Sword intercepted it perfectly.
The two separated once more by several meters.
Fransia glared at her opponent with even greater vigilance.
“I have fought against all Seven Sword Saints.”
“And I am one who engraved Sword Saint Archidale's swordsmanship into these very eyes.”
“You cannot stand against me merely because your bloodline has awakened.”
Staring back at the arrogant woman before her, Fransia released even more mana as she assumed her stance.
“We'll see about that...”
“You'll find out once we cross swords...!”