Chapter 371: Let’s See Each Other Again Soon. (1)

Through the open castle gates, a man riding a black horse emerged, lowering his spear.

Behind him followed 400 individuals, each carrying a wooden box strapped to their backs.

Seeing this, Howard smirked.

"So, they finally couldn't hold out any longer. They've lasted quite a while, though. They must have eaten everything they could…"

Howard paused mid-sentence, realizing something was amiss, and his expression hardened.

"There are still horses left?"

It had been nearly two months since they had besieged the fortress where the enemy had taken refuge without any food. By now, the horses should have been eaten long ago.

No matter how they rationed, with 400 people to feed, the horses should have been gone in about two weeks.

Yet, every single one of them was still mounted. If they hadn't eaten the horses, then what in the world had they been surviving on?

"What's going on? Why do they all look so fine?"

The aura and atmosphere they exuded didn't resemble people who had been starving. Although still at a distance, Howard could clearly see the appearance of the enemies.

Even the horses looked in decent condition. Though slightly thinner, their constant neighing suggested they were still brimming with energy.

As Howard observed, Fenris's knights appeared far from exhausted.

They were merely on edge, their nerves razor-sharp.

"Ugh… I've lost muscle because of that cursed powder."

Gordon muttered, looking a bit slimmer and leaner, and Lucas, standing next to him, nodded in agreement.

"Let's take it out on those bastards. I'm in a terrible mood anyway."

Having indulged in combat rations during their bets with Claude and Ghislain, Gordon and Lucas grumbled. Not just them, but the other knights shared the sentiment.

For two months, they had endured by eating the combat rations made by Ghislain. Each knight had been carrying several containers of powder, so surviving this long wasn't a problem.

What bothered them was the tedious and frustrating passage of time.

While their strength hadn't diminished, their craving for actual food consumed their thoughts like an addiction.

Ghislain looked at the grumbling knights and grinned.

"Let's crush those bastards today and steal their food. We'll eat to our hearts' content."

At his words, the knights licked their lips. Memories of the delicious food they had seized from castles came flooding back.

No matter how small the estate, it was part of the affluent western regions. The food stockpile to sustain that many people would undoubtedly include plenty of meat.

Ghislain urged his horse forward slowly and spoke.

"Alright, let's begin while they're still disoriented. Charge when I give the signal."

"Yes, sir!"

The knights shouted in unison and threw their wooden boxes to the ground.

As the boxes shattered, spears spilled out in heaps.

Guoooo…

As Ghislain rode his horse forward, the spears began to float, one by one.

The Black King quickened its pace, and soon, hundreds of spears hovered in the air, following him like an army.

Howard and the Rodrick troops were shocked and cried out in alarm.

"What, what is that?"

"The spears are flying after him!"

"Is he really a mage?"

It wasn't hard to deduce that the spears were controlled by Count Fenris. Unless they killed him, there was no way to stop the spears.

But he was a rumored Master. Killing him wouldn't be easy.

Howard stared at the approaching Ghislain and shouted loudly.

"Don't be afraid! Even if he's a Master, he's been starving for almost two months, so he must be weak! Form ranks and prepare to engage!"

The infantry at the frontline raised their spears and braced themselves. The cavalry on either side prepared to charge, moving their horses forward gradually.

Archers nocked their arrows, aiming in Ghislain's direction.

A one-versus-twenty-thousand situation.

It was an unprecedented sight in the kingdom's history. Even though it was absurd, everyone couldn't let their guard down.

"Fire!"

Whizz!

When the commanders judged the distance to be right, they gave the order, and thousands of arrows rained down on Ghislain.

But as Ghislain flicked his reins,

Thududududu!

The Black King accelerated, swiftly cutting through the area where the arrows were falling.

Howard's face stiffened as he watched this and shouted.

"Stop him!"

"Waaahhhh!"

The frontline infantry roared and charged toward him. The cavalry on either side did the same.

At the same time, the spears trailing behind Ghislain scattered like beams of light.

Pat! Pat! Pat!

"Arghhh!"

Hundreds of spears pierced through the charging soldiers effortlessly.

And it didn't stop there.

"The, the spears are moving on their own!"

Like phantoms, the spears moved independently, attacking soldiers.

The more mana Ghislain poured into them, the more spears he could control, and the longer they remained active.

Right now, Ghislain was fighting as if he commanded hundreds of spearmen—immortal warriors immune to harm, as long as his mana allowed.

Pang! Pang! Pang!

"Arghhh! Do something about this!"

The soldiers fighting against the spears began to panic. They could barely defend themselves or evade, with no enemy to directly retaliate against.

Skilled soldiers and knights managed to fend off or break the spears, but most were helpless.

Amidst the chaos in the frontline,

The Black King reached the enemy lines.

"Let's cut loose for the first time in a while."

Hiiiiiing!

Ghislain grinned, his red eyes glowing, and the Black King neighed in agreement.

Leaping forward, the horse plunged into the ranks of soldiers.

Boom!

"Arghhhh!"

Ghislain, atop the Black King, swung his spear in all directions.

It appeared random and haphazard, but with every swing, dozens of heads fell.

Thud! Thud! Thud-thud-thud!

Ghislain's spear moved faster and faster. The soldiers didn't dare block it.

The number of soldiers approaching him dwindled. Most were too busy retreating.

Despite their numbers, the Rodrick army lacked actual combat experience and had been poorly trained. They were no better than armed civilians.

Howard, watching Ghislain fight, murmured in disbelief.

"This, this can't be… He should be starving…"

Even after supposedly starving for so long, displaying such miraculous skill was beyond belief. Was this the power of the so-called transcendent?

Unaware that Fenris's knights hadn't starved at all, Howard couldn't make sense of the situation.

Snapping out of his daze, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Don't retreat! The more you retreat, the greater the casualties! Knights, get rid of those spears first!"

The soldiers couldn't deal with the flying spears. Although they were repetitive in their attacks, the soldiers felt as though they were battling ghosts.

At Howard's orders, knights emerged from different parts of the formation and began targeting the spears.

The soldiers gritted their teeth and surrounded Ghislain again, but they died just as quickly as they gathered.

Boom! Boom!

Spears imbued with dark red mana tore bodies apart or exploded heads upon grazing them.

Sometimes, even without the blades touching, heads were sliced clean off.

Only then did the soldiers grasp the terrifying reality of a Master's power.

"A, a monster!"

"We can't even get close!"

"Call the knights!"

The soldiers hesitated in fear, terrified by the man with glowing red eyes who was cutting down their comrades.

Some tried crawling forward to bring down his horse, but even that proved ineffective.

Thud! Thud!

"Ugh!"

Neighhh!

Even the horse was no ordinary beast. It rampaged like a mad creature, making it impossible to attack effectively.

Even when an attack landed, it barely grazed the horse. Such minor injuries couldn't pierce its dense muscles.

Instead, the soldiers who dared approach the horse were the first to die.

"This… this is the North's strongest… Count Fenris…"

Someone muttered, stepping back.

Fear is contagious. While the knights were occupied with the hundreds of spears, the soldiers were completely overwhelmed by Ghislain and couldn't muster the courage to charge.

Howard grabbed his head and screamed at the sight.

"Attack! You fools! How can you call yourselves the West's strongest army?"

To think that 20,000 soldiers were being overwhelmed by a single person. It was an incomprehensible phenomenon.

The soldiers closest to Ghislain frantically backed away, and those behind them dared not step forward.

"Keep charging! If we keep wearing him down, we can win!"

A Master isn't invincible. If the entire army fought continuously, Ghislain could be worn out.

Or perhaps even killed.

But the soldiers lacked the resolve and determination for such a task.

Most of them were far from loyal and lacked a sense of duty as to why they were fighting in the first place.

Moreover, there was no one leading them at the front to inspire or boost their morale.

"Ugh… I should've brought heavy infantry…"

It would have been better to use heavy infantry to surround Ghislain with shields and exhaust his strength gradually.

Heavy infantry are perfect for fighting strong opponents. Their nature as a unit specializes in defense, and their constant training makes their mental fortitude far superior to that of ordinary infantry.

However, in the rush to assemble this army, they hadn't managed to bring proper heavy infantry.

"All knights, attack Count Fenris!"

Howard gritted his teeth and shouted. Fortunately, the knights had managed to split most of the spears in half. They urgently charged toward Ghislain.

Whoosh!

As the knights approached, Ghislain's movements changed.

"Should I exert a little more effort?"

With 20,000 enemies, he had been conserving his strength as much as possible. Falling in battle wasn't an option.

But facing knights was a different story. Ghislain smirked and drew more mana, ready to test the skill of the Western knights.

Clang!

"Oh, not bad?"

Some knights lost their heads immediately, but a few managed to block Ghislain's spear.

Even with their lack of combat experience, the knights, who had eaten well and been well-equipped, displayed remarkable skill.

"Having money really is great."

Some, like him, drew on past-life experience and endured hellish training, while others solved everything with wealth. What an unfair world.

But Ghislain simply shrugged and laughed. After all, he would ultimately claim all the wealth of the West for himself.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Ugh! What is this!"

The knights who had closed in on Ghislain recoiled in shock.

The shattered remnants of the spears they had cut down rose again and began attacking in all directions.

The knights misunderstood Ghislain's ability.

The spears seemed alive, but they were merely controlled by Ghislain's mana.

Even when split, they simply changed in length. As long as he had enough mana, they could keep moving.

The spear fragments swept the battlefield again. Though their killing power was greatly diminished, they disrupted the enemy's focus on Ghislain.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Using this strategy, Ghislain created chaos around him, ensuring that the flow of the battle remained in his control.

Howard clenched his teeth as he observed.

"He really is a monster."

This was his first time witnessing someone who had reached the level of a Master. He had heard tales of their greatness, but seeing it in person, their speed and strength were beyond imagination.

Moreover, the bizarre technique prevented both soldiers and knights from properly focusing.

"He's practically a one-man army"

This is why knights exist—to stop people like him. The strong must face the strong.

As the commander of this army and its strongest warrior, Howard realized he had no choice but to step forward.

"Make way!"

Howard spurred his horse forward with his escort knights.

As he approached Ghislain, he shouted and swung his spear with force.

"Count Fenris!"

Clang!

Mana collided with mana, and a powerful shock wave rippled outward.

Their eyes met. Ghislain smirked and asked.

"Are you the commander-in-chief?"

"Yes. I will—"

Thud!

Before Howard could finish, Ghislain deflected his spear in an instant. He then aimed his own spear directly at Howard's head.

Thrown off balance by the initial attack, Howard instinctively realized he couldn't block the second strike.

Fortunately, his escort knights swiftly crossed their halberds to block Ghislain's spear.

Smash!

The halberds shattered instantly, but the knights quickly retrieved spare spears from their saddle mounts.

In the meantime, other knights targeted the legs of Ghislain's Black King.

"Not bad."

Ghislain reluctantly pulled back, tugging the reins of his horse.

Howard, seizing the moment, shouted.

"Knights, aim for the horse! Escort knights, attack Count Fenris with me!"

Every knight on the battlefield charged at Ghislain and his horse.

Even the exceptional Black King couldn't hold out forever against a coordinated attack by knights.

Smirking, Ghislain parried their strikes while retreating step by step. The soldiers dared not intervene and scrambled to stay out of the way.

As he withdrew, Ghislain lightly tapped the Black King's neck and spoke.

"Bean, you'll need to learn a mana cultivation technique someday."

Snort.

The Black King didn't understand his words, merely exhaling loudly. It seemed excited, running wild on the battlefield.

Chuckling, Ghislain suddenly shouted loudly.

"Strike!"

His thunderous voice echoed across the battlefield.

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