Chapter 327 : Chapter 327
Chapter 327. These Young Kids These Days Are Scary (2)
What is a meeting?
Originally, a meeting is a very, very basic form of communication where multiple people share their opinions to find a slightly better outcome among them.
However, there is one problem.
The conclusion reached through a meeting is not necessarily always a good one.
Whether it is good or bad, how many of the majority's interests are aligned?
That tends to act as a more important factor.
And this phenomenon tends to be particularly more prominent in political settings.
Why do I say this?
“Then, our Harbor Duchy and the Magellan Kingdom will stand at the vanguard and break the enemy's spirit.”
“Please entrust it to us.”
Because just like that, Grand Duke Schneider's concerns were ignored, and the opinion of two fools blinded by ambition was passed.
‘Hmph…. It can't be helped.’
In a word, Grand Duke Schneider's words were ignored.
He expressed his concerns and offered opposing opinions several times, but they fell on deaf ears.
This was because the Harbor Duchy and the Magellan Kingdom wanted to achieve military success at the vanguard.
Grand Duke Schneider's honest feeling was anxiety, but he had no choice but to acquiesce to the opinion that had been decided with the agreement of the majority.
‘If that kid had been here, it would have been different….’
Of course, if Patrick had been here, he would have overturned the opinion even if it meant beating everyone up.
But since no one but Patrick could do that anyway, what was the use?
“Hmph…. This is troublesome.”
Now that it had come to this, he could only hope that nothing would happen.
* * *
The combined forces of the Harbor Duchy and the Magellan Kingdom stood at the vanguard.
And they advanced their army towards the Pejan Fortress, where the Hegemon King was confirmed to be.
A total of 70,000 troops and two 7-Star knights.
Furthermore, with the support of the Tower of Truth, they joined the war with a force that included hundreds of mages and numerous magic swordsmen, and they were brimming with confidence.
Of course, they could not fight an all-out war with this force.
The force the Hegemon King possessed was greater than this.
But their role was only to launch a preemptive strike to gauge the enemy's reaction.
From the beginning, they were not delusional enough to think they would achieve a great victory and take the Hegemon King's head.
Just leaving a record of having fought at the vanguard was the most important thing.
“So do not worry too much, Count Tyrone.”
Prince Gadius gently persuaded Count Tyrone, who was riding his horse beside him.
However, Count Tyrone's expression did not change at all.
“Your Highness, the Yusef Kingdom led by the Hegemon King is not an opponent to be taken lightly.”
“Still that same old story? We are just going to fight the opening battle safely and then retreat. Are you saying that is dangerous?”
“That is….”
“Are you not also a superhuman who has pioneered the ultimate realm? It is just a reconnaissance battle, so what are you so worried about?”
“……”
Count Tyrone could not continue.
Yes. A while ago, he would have agreed with these words.
Although he may not be the strongest on the continent, what would a superhuman who has pioneered the ultimate realm fear?
He had thought that even if the entire army were to be annihilated, he could at least escape safely by himself.
However….
‘Impossible. Absolutely impossible.’
He had already seen it.
In the battle between April and the Hegemon King, he had confirmed that there were powerful individuals who far surpassed him.
He had even confirmed that fellow 7-Star knights like Sanson and Oliver, and the 7-Star knights of the Yusef Kingdom, were clearly stronger than him.
Once he realized reality, his confidence vanished.
Honestly, his true wish was to wait in the rear for the duration of this war and avoid battle somehow.
But this damn prince, oblivious to his feelings, proudly said that he had taken on the vanguard, and he barely managed to resist the urge to punch him in the jaw.
‘Damn it…. This is driving me crazy.’
Regardless, the vanguard army had arrived within sight of the Pejan Fortress.
What they saw then was a half-crumbled fortress wall, left unrepaired.
And the soldiers of the Yusef Kingdom, who had come out of the fortress and set up camp.
“A perfect opportunity.”
Prince Gadius cheered.
Perhaps they didn't have time to repair the fortress, and with too many surplus troops, they couldn't afford to station the entire army in the fortress.
In any case, for him, it was a golden opportunity.
If he could just attack the enemy outside the fortress once, achieve some results, and return to the main camp, he could appeal for sufficient merit.
“Entire army…”
“Charge!”
Just before Prince Gadius could issue the order.
Right next to him, Duke Edwards shouted first and led his allies to charge towards the enemy camp.
The moment he saw him, standing at the forefront with his spear held ready, riding with excitement, Prince Gadius thought he had been beaten to the punch.
“Damn it, we're going too! Don't fall behind the Harbor Duchy!”
And he drew his sword and led the army in a charge, riding his horse at the forefront.
Beside him, Count Tyrone followed to guard him, though with an anxious expression.
* * *
“The moths are coming.”
Watching the charging enemies, a cruel smile formed on the lips of Greed, Jonsa's direct disciple.
Those foolish people did not know.
They had no idea what it meant for the existence of the black mages to be revealed to the world.
It meant that they no longer needed to hide their power.
The moment had finally come to unleash upon this world the power they had painstakingly accumulated, suppressing it for the sake of the moment of the Falling Sun.
“Haaaaa….”
A smile of joy burst from Greed's lips.
From the beginning, he was one of the most violent and cruel individuals among Jonsa's disciples.
He had suppressed himself solely for the moment of the Falling Sun.
But now….
That leash had been released.
“It's been a while. Since I've had to use my own hands.”
And Greed raised the skull staff made of red crystal.
* * *
Duke Edwards of the Harbor Duchy ravaged the enemy without restraint at the forefront.
The enemy seemed to have been completely unprepared for a surprise attack, as they were helpless.
Well, even if they had been prepared, how could they have stopped him, a 7-Star knight?
‘Should I stir things up quickly and then withdraw?’
However, he had not lost sight of his purpose.
Having experienced what kind of monster the Hegemon King was, he had a firm grasp of his own limitations.
Meeting such a monster one-on-one on the battlefield was something he would absolutely refuse.
‘Should I pull back soon?’
He had stirred up the enemy enough, so it was sufficient to make a show of his achievements.
But before that, if he could take one or two significant heads, it would be perfect.
Just then, a single knight caught Duke Edwards' eye.
A knight wearing red armor and a full-face helmet was charging towards him.
‘An unfamiliar face.’
He recognized the faces of the Hegemon King, of course, and all the 7-Star knights of the Yusef Kingdom who had participated in this war.
But an unfamiliar face meant that the knight in red armor was at least not a 7-Star.
However, considering the splendid armor and the quite heavy presence, he could be a fairly renowned knight.
“Just perfect.”
Duke Edwards rode his horse straight towards the target.
And just as he was about to thrust his Aura Blade with all his might at the enemy to quickly establish a war achievement…
“Huk?”
At an eerie feeling, he reflexively withdrew his extended spear and took a defensive stance.
And….
CRASH!
“Kugh….”
He was certain that if he had been even a second late, his body would have been split in two.
The attack of the red-armored knight was of such terrifying power that even Duke Edwards, a 7-Star knight, barely managed to block it.
And Duke Edwards could see it.
The Aura Blade clearly formed on the longsword held in the hands of the red-armored knight.
“7-Star? Who the hell are you?”
“……”
The opponent was silent.
But Duke Edwards was serious.
This was a battle to gain war achievements under the guise of a light reconnaissance.
A duel with a difficult opponent like a 7-Star knight was not in the plan.
Moreover, this enemy before his eyes seemed quite formidable.
The only fortunate thing was….
‘We have the advantage in numbers.’
Duke Edwards, while facing the enemy, shouted loudly.
“Count Tyrone! Come and join me.”
In the special circumstances of a war, not a duel, there was no reason to be called a coward for a 2-on-1 attack.
Attack together with Count Tyrone and quickly defeat this unknown enemy….
“Kugh…. Haaaap!”
CRASH! CLANG! CLANG!
His plan was shattered to pieces.
Before he knew it, Count Tyrone was surrounded by unknown enemies and was in a dire crisis.
Unknown enemies wearing red armor, just like his own opponent.
Moreover, all three of them were emitting Aura Blades.
“Wh… what is this?”
Duke Edwards was flusttered, but his surprise was still premature.
One in front of him.
Three on Count Tyrone.
And….
“Ugh… Uwaaah!”
“Noooo!”
Since when?
Before he knew it, knights in red armor had appeared from all over and were trampling their allies.
At a glance, their number seemed to be over ten.
All of them were 7-Star knights emitting Aura Blades.
“No way….”
Just how many were there?
At a glance, there were ten, no, their numbers were increasing.
It wasn't the Hegemon King, nor the Sword Queen, nor the Giants.
Even if their faces were hidden by full-face helmets, there was no way he wouldn't recognize their presence or techniques.
“Then where in the world did this kind of force…?”
“You seem curious about that.”
Towards the place where the answer came from, Duke Edwards quickly thrust his spear first.
His abundant combat experience made him attack the person he judged to be an enemy.
However….
CLANG!
“Kugh….”
The problem was that it wasn't an opponent it would work on.
The person wearing a strong defensive magic on his body, strong enough to block his attack that had reached the 7-Star realm, was a black mage holding a red crystal skull staff.
“My name is Greed. This is the first time we've met in person.”
“Like I give a… damn?!”
Duke Edwards thrust his spear once more.
He attacked the enemy with a spear that had a much more concentrated Aura Blade than before.
However….
CRASH!
This time, a red-armored knight of huge build appeared and blocked him.
With a war hammer in one hand and a shield in the other, Duke Edwards gritted his teeth at the sight of the heavily armored knight.
“This guy, that guy, they all have Aura Blades….”
No matter how he thought about it, it was impossible.
There was a limit to the number of 7-Star knights that could be born in one era.
Among the countless knights, only a handful of geniuses break through the wall and reach the 7-Star realm.
That number is usually around thirty at most in one era.
So where in the world did these monsters suddenly pop out from?
Greed spoke to Duke Edwards.
“Mateus Edwards. Originally from the Kaisar Kingdom, and at one time, you were evaluated as the most promising genius on the continent, right?”
“What about it?”
Could it be that they were trying to recruit him to their side now?
He had no intention of joining hands with the black mages, but he was willing to pretend to do so to escape this crisis.
But the enemy's intention was completely beyond Duke Edwards' expectations.
“You will also be a useful collector's item.”
“What… wait, don't tell me?”
“I also learned this recently, but working on a living being produces a much higher quality product than a dead corpse.”
“……”
For a moment, an unbelievable imagination flashed through Edwards' mind.
It was impossible for so many 7-Star knights to be born in one era.
However….
What if it wasn't one era?
Considering the characteristics of black mages, what these guys could do was surely….
“You crazy bastards! You dare to rob graves?!”
To the shouting Duke Edwards, Greed said with a smile.
“It's better to use them usefully than to let them rot and return to the earth. Don't you think?”
Edwards realized the identity of these unknown knights.
They were the 7-Star knights who had once made a name for themselves on the continent.
The vile black mages had dug up the corpses of the great knights who had lived out their lives, met their deaths, and been buried in the ground, and had reanimated them as undead.
With the realm they had in life intact.
And now, they were trying to do the same horrible thing to him.
His anger exploding, Edwards aimed his spear at the enemy and shouted.
“You crazy bastards, you really intend to make an enemy of the entire continent, don't you?”
“Isn't that obvious? It's not like they'll tolerate our existence even if we lie low and behave ourselves, right?”
“Do you think you'll be safe after making an enemy of the Empire, the Holy Theocracy, and even the Tower of Truth?”
“That's not for you to worry about. More importantly, it's about time…”
With a cruel smile on his lips, Greed raised his hand and said.
“I'd like you to die now, you see.”
At that, the red-armored knights who had surrounded them from all sides raised their weapons and approached step by step.
Knowing what each of them was, despair flashed through Duke Edwards' mind.
However….
“You think I'll go down without a fight?!”
He too was a man once called the greatest genius on the continent.
Duke Edwards put all his strength into his spear and resisted.
However, his skills were not enough to change the outcome.
In the end, the 70,000-strong combined forces of the Harbor Duchy and the Magellan Kingdom, who had volunteered for the vanguard of the alliance, were annihilated.
And Duke Edwards and Count Tyrone also died.
It was a truly terrible defeat.