Chapter 15 : Chapter 15
Chapter 15
The beastman warriors wrapped in mana stepped forward once more.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Every single footfall matched the beat of the drums exactly.
“…They’re getting faster.”
Kern muttered from atop the wall.
Under the enhancement, the beastman warriors closed the distance far faster than human soldiers ever could.
“Mage troops!”
Philion shouted.
“Target the drums. Cut off the source of the amplification!”
Elysia raised her hand at once.
“Third formation, concentrated chain fire!”
Layer upon layer of magic circles lit up atop the wall.
Blue flashes burst from the battlements and streaked toward the soldiers beating the drums in the rear.
However, huge shield-bearers sprang out from the edge of the forest and threw themselves forward in unison.
Boom!
The exploding mana slammed into their shields and shattered apart in midair.
“…So they even prepared guards.”
Harel’s face hardened.
In the meantime, the beastman front line crossed half the distance to the fortress.
“Prepare the stones!”
Great rocks came crashing down from above the gate.
Crash!
A few in the front row were crushed, but the line did not break.
On the contrary—the warriors in the rear simply stepped on top of their fallen comrades and continued forward.
They moved as though they did not think of their comrades as comrades at all.
“Mad bastards….”
One soldier muttered.
That grotesque sight sent an indescribable fear skimming across the wall.
And then—the wolf warrior chieftain moved.
He did not run.
Slowly.
One step at a time.
He raised his sword.
And then—he kicked off the ground.
Boom!
In an instant, he shot out ahead of his own lines.
“Archers!”
“Concentrated fire!”
Dozens of arrows poured down at once.
But—he swung his sword once.
A red trail cut through the air and sliced every arrow apart.
“…Good heavens.”
Harel swallowed his curse.
The warrior chieftain rushed forward and stopped beneath the wall.
Then—he lowered his waist.
“That bastard….”
Philion’s eyes flashed.
“He’s jumping the wall! Spearmen—”
Before he could finish speaking,
the wolf warrior chieftain leaped.
Boom!
He vaulted halfway up the wall in a single bound.
The mage troops unleashed their spells all at once.
Explosions, flashes, and smoke burst together in one spot.
However—within the smoke, red eyes flashed.
“Stop him!”
Spears thrust in at once.
Clang! Clang!
Two men were thrown aside by the warrior chieftain’s sword.
He seized the railing atop the wall and pulled himself up.
At that very moment—Craaash!
A sword strike swept past his side.
The wolf beastman turned his head.
There stood—Philion.
His eyes were cold.
His stance was exact.
“This…”
Philion spoke in a low voice.
“…is not a place for you to climb.”
Their swords collided.
The shockwave shook the top of the wall.
The soldiers staggered.
However—the wolf beastman’s gaze was not fixed on Philion.
It was aimed past him—toward the rear.
Inside the fortress.
Toward where Kairun stood.
“…As I thought.”
Kairun, looking down from the wall, muttered quietly.
“From the very beginning…”
His hand tightened further around the hilt of the black sword.
“Was I the one he was after?”
Then—another explosion rang out below the gate.
Boom!
“Your Highness!”
Kern shouted.
“There’s a battering ram on the gate!”
Philion’s eyes shook.
Above, the warrior chieftain.
Below, the assault force.
A perfectly distributed pressure.
“…It’s not a feint. It’s a simultaneous breakthrough!”
The wall trembled violently again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The main gate of the fortress shuddered.
Cracks began to run through the magic circle.
And then—the warrior chieftain smiled atop the wall.
“Today…”
His breath spread out in the cold like white mist.
“Either the fortress or Kairun. I’ll take one of the two. Better still if I get both.”
At that moment—quiet footsteps sounded from behind.
It was Kairun.
“…Brother.”
He spoke in a low voice.
“Now…”
The black sword was slowly drawn.
Its metallic ring was cold.
“…is when I move.”
“Not yet.”
Philion cut him off sharply.
His sword still locked against the warrior chieftain’s, he spoke in a low voice while bearing the pressure.
“If you step in now, things will unfold exactly the way they planned.”
Kairun’s eyes narrowed.
“…Planned?”
“The top is bait. Though I didn’t expect a commander to rampage this recklessly.”
For a brief moment, his gaze turned toward the gate.
Boom!
The gate shook again.
“Their real objective is to break through the gate and throw the interior into chaos. They want to force you to move, and then cut apart the command structure in the confusion.”
The warrior chieftain laughed.
“So you caught on quickly, human.”
Their swords clashed again.
Craaash!
Philion took a step back and shouted,
“Kern!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Move the entire second defense line behind the gate. Form the shield infantry in two layers. The moment the main gate breaks under the ram, countercharge.”
“Yes, sir!”
The order spread like lightning.
Inside the gate, the soldiers repositioned rapidly.
The front row was made up of heavily armored shield troops.
Behind them stood spearmen and swordsmen.
And behind them—Elysia’s mage corps.
“Forty seconds until mana accumulation is complete!”
Elysia shouted.
Magic circles shone across the ground.
It was no simple defensive spell.
“…An explosive type.”
Harel’s eyes widened.
“Are you intending to deliberately give up the gate?”
“We’re not giving it up.”
Philion’s voice rang out from atop the wall.
“We’re swallowing them.”
On the wall, the wolf warrior chieftain narrowed his eyes.
“Interesting.”
His foot moved again.
A succession of sword strikes poured down.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Philion received each one with precision.
Yet he neither pushed forward nor got overwhelmed.
He was buying time.
“Not yet….”
He muttered.
At the gate—Boom!
Another impact.
The magic circle cracked further.
“Fifteen seconds!”
Elysia shouted.
The battering ram struck one last massive blow.
Craaash!
The gate collapsed.
Wooden fragments exploded outward—and the beastman assault force charged in with a roar.
“Now!”
Philion’s voice rang out.
“Front line—fall back!”
The human soldiers deliberately opened a path.
The beastmen charged deep inside.
“Come deeper.”
Harel ground his teeth.
“Further.”
And then,
“Now!”
Elysia’s hand fell.
The magic circle on the ground beneath the gate erupted with explosive light.
Craaaaaaaaaash!
A massive shockwave detonated inside.
Mana erupted from the ground and hurled the charging beastmen into the air.
The front row was blown away.
The rear formation collapsed.
“Shield troops!”
Kern shouted.
“Seal the line!”
Human shield infantry sprang out from both sides and blocked the entrance shut.
“Spearmen, thrust!”
Dozens of spears lunged in at once.
Thrown into confusion, the beastman assault force was driven back in an instant.
Atop the wall, the wolf warrior chieftain’s eyes flashed.
“…….”
His ears caught the explosion at the gate.
And then—for the first time, his expression hardened.
Philion laughed under his breath.
“…This is the real battlefield.”
He swung his sword in a wide arc.
The warrior chieftain gave the slightest step back.
“You thought you had me tied down. But we were the ones who bought time and tied you down instead.”
Philion said,
“I left my younger brother to rest, and had my soldiers prepare.”
A cheer burst from the gate below.
The flow of battle had completely turned.
The warrior chieftain’s gaze turned toward where Kairun stood once more.
But—it was already too late.
The tide of the battlefield had shifted to the human side.
And then—from within the fortress, Kairun quietly sheathed his sword again.
“…Just as I thought.”
He muttered softly.
“Brother is Brother, after all.”
The moment the counterattack at the gate succeeded, the look in the wolf beastman’s eyes changed.
The playful amusement disappeared, replaced by cold reason.
“Only now,”
Philion said in a low voice,
“Do you finally look like a commander?”
The wolf warrior chieftain shouldered his sword.
Boom!
The stone beneath Philion’s feet shattered.
Through the scattering dust, aura was blooming from the warrior chieftain’s blade.
Though he seemed hurried, Philion did not retreat.
He twisted his sword, manifested an aura of his own, and redirected the enemy’s force.
Then—a turn of the waist.
A short counter.
A thin crack ran across the red armor.
“…A technical type. So you aren’t the kind who crushes everything with raw force.”
“We humans aren’t born with physical abilities like yours.”
The warrior chieftain’s speed doubled.
A succession of attacks.
Philion’s shoulder was grazed.
Blood sprayed.
The soldiers on the wall sucked in their breath.
Yet—Philion deliberately stepped back.
The instant the warrior chieftain followed in, a precise strike aimed at his neck.
Clang!
The warrior chieftain barely blocked it.
The duel between the two commanders had already risen to a realm where no ordinary soldier could interfere.
“Good. One of us dies today.”
“Indeed.”
Philion answered.
“And it’s more likely to be you.”
Atop the wall, the duel between commanders became the center of the battlefield.
The warrior chieftain narrowed his eyes.
“…Your mouth is still alive, I see.”
The moment the words ended, his feet vanished.
Boom!
Leaving behind only the crash of impact, he disappeared from Philion’s sight.
‘Left.’
Philion’s sword moved on instinct.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
The wolf beastman’s sword had been aimed at his flank.
Speed.
It was no comparison to before.
“You have good eyes.”
The warrior chieftain laughed low.
A succession of slashes.
From above, below, and the side.
Pressure without the slightest opening to breathe.
Philion’s feet were pushed back one step, then two.
The edge of the wall drew closer and closer.
The surrounding soldiers held their breath.
Then—Philion’s toe caught in a crack between the stones.
The slightest possible wobble.
The warrior chieftain’s eyes flashed.
“I’ve got you!”
The heavy blade carved a decisive path.
But—Philion twisted his body halfway around.
He deliberately brought his sword up a beat late and bled off the force.
Boom!
The stone exploded.
His vision was obscured for an instant.
And in that gap—Philion’s wrist bent.
A short, low trajectory.
The tip of his sword swept past the warrior chieftain’s side.
Puhk—It pierced through a gap in the armor, and a jet of blood burst out.
The warrior chieftain’s eyes widened.
“…Hah.”
He stepped back.
The wound was not deep.
But the reading was clear.
“This…”
The corner of his mouth slowly lifted.
“…This is interesting.”
The next instant—a crimson current spread from his body.
It was not mana.
Bestial Release.
The air atop the wall grew heavy.
A few soldiers dropped to their knees beneath the pressure radiating from the warrior chieftain.
“Your Highness…!”
Kern shouted.
Philion’s eyes narrowed.
“…So you’re finally showing your true colors.”
The warrior chieftain rested his sword on his shoulder.
“Grrrrr….”
He took a step forward.
The stone split apart beneath him.
“If you are a commander, then you should be prepared to see this through to the end.”
Craaaaaash!
He charged.
A weight completely unlike before.
Philion’s arm was thrown violently aside.
The wound on his shoulder tore wider.
Blood flowed.
And yet—his gaze did not waver.
‘His speed has increased, but….’
He read the trajectory of the blade.
‘Its precision has grown rougher.’
The end of the wall.
If he retreated any further, he would fall.
The soldiers swallowed hard.
The warrior chieftain smiled.
“There’s nowhere left to run.”
His sword came down.
At that moment—Philion did not step back.
Instead, he threw himself forward.
The blade grazed him, tearing deeper into his shoulder.
Blood sprayed.
However—the distance collapsed.
They were now too close.
A range where the warrior chieftain could no longer bring his full strength to bear.
Philion’s elbow slammed into the beastman’s jaw.
Thud!
His balance broke.
And then—a turn of the waist.
The sword surged upward from below.
The red armor split wide open.
The warrior chieftain was driven backward.
For the first time, he looked down at his cracked armor.
And then,
“…Good.”
His eyes turned fully into a warrior’s eyes.
“I like you.”
He raised his sword again.
“You look like an opponent worth killing.”
Philion readjusted his grip on his bloodstained blade.
His breathing had grown slightly rougher—but his stance had not collapsed.
“…Likewise.”
The frigid northern wind passed between them.
Below, the battle still raged.
But atop the wall, the fight between the two commanders
beat like the very heart of the battlefield.
And then—they moved at the same time.
Craaaaaaaaaash!!!