Chapter 436: It’s Fine As Long As It Stays This Way. (3)

When Ghislain leapt down, the onlookers were horrified.

They were too familiar with this by now to not understand his intent. Once again, he intended to buy time all by himself.

However, in the past, he had gone down with mercenaries and knights. It was rare for him to recklessly fight so many enemies alone, as he was doing now.

"Ghislain!"

Zwalter shouted loudly. That reckless brat always had the tendency to dive into the enemy lines whenever something didn't sit right with him.

Back during the Perdium siege, he had done the same, causing endless headaches.

"Young master!"

"My lord!"

Belinda and Gillian cried out urgently. While they understood his determination, the number of enemies this time was on an entirely different scale.

Ghislain was already submerged in a gray tide of riftborn, making it hard to even see him.

When his aides and knights prepared to follow him, a loud shout echoed from below.

"Don't come down! Take a break! Drink water, eat the powder, and reorganize the formation! I'm not planning to overdo it!"

At his words, Ghislain's aides and the knights froze mid-step, their bodies tensing but remaining where they stood. They understood the situation well.

This rift's expanded zone was unlike anything before. With the overwhelming number of riftborn, it was difficult to sustain their fighting power.

They needed to rest, even if only briefly, to keep fighting. Ghislain was now buying them that precious time.

Vanessa stepped forward and spoke.

"I'll create walls to support the lord."

While conserving mana was important, it couldn't be hoarded endlessly. If the army was overrun before even facing the Equidema, having mana leftover would be meaningless.

Reluctantly, everyone nodded. They had to make use of the time Ghislain was buying them.

Kaaaargh!

At the front, where the riftborn were thickest, Ghislain fought fiercely, drawing all their attention.

The riftborn, drawn to the holy power radiating from his body, charged at him with reckless abandon.

Ghislain had deliberately enveloped himself in holy power to act as a beacon, attracting their aggression.

Thanks to this, the number of riftborn climbing the fortress walls had decreased by more than half.

"Earth Wall!"

Rumble!

Vanessa once again erected walls on all sides, temporarily slowing the advance of the riftborn.

Those who managed to climb the walls were held off by knights, who rotated shifts to rest. Meanwhile, the soldiers seized this opportunity to eat and drink for the first time.

As they rested, they observed Ghislain's battle closely. His movements were nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Boom!

Only when the riftborn swarmed him too densely did he unleash mana to create space. His current fighting style was far different from his usual destructive approach.

Kaaaargh!

Slash!

Ghislain's spear swept in a wide arc, decapitating the riftborn with precision. He conserved his mana, relying solely on his technique to face the horde.

Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!

In a single breath, his spear struck dozens of times. The riftborn surrounding him collapsed, their heads pierced.

Though more riftborn quickly filled the gap, Vanessa cast another spell to support him.

Boom!

Explosions erupted around Ghislain, creating gaps he used to reposition, dragging the riftborn along with him.

"How does he move like that?"

"He's not just overpowering them."

"It's like he's dancing."

Until now, his overwhelming destructive power had made it hard to discern his actual skill. Every swing of his weapon had obliterated his enemies so completely that the process itself was difficult to follow.

But this time was different. While he still killed dozens of riftborn with each movement, the soldiers could now clearly see his technique.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Ghislain blocked and dodged the attacks from riftborn on all sides, countering with pinpoint accuracy. His movements were as fluid as water.

His speed and precision were astonishing, and the pile of riftborn corpses around him grew ever larger.

This was mastery at its peak.

Though he killed fewer enemies per attack compared to his usual methods, he demonstrated the most efficient way to fight with minimal effort.

It was as if he were showing everyone the pinnacle they should strive to reach.

"Unbelievable."

Even Kaor, usually reserved, was so mesmerized that he uttered words of admiration.

Their monstrous lord was growing stronger by the day. It was almost unbelievable.

Boom!

Thanks to Vanessa's spells, another group of riftborn was obliterated. Through the carnage, Ghislain's crimson spear danced like a living thing.

The knights and soldiers watching him swallowed hard.

"Truly... the strongest in the North..."

There was something special about Ghislain's way of fighting.

Watching him fight made their hearts race and their blood boil.

Fighting alongside him, it felt impossible to lose. He inspired unshakable confidence.

This was why Ghislain's army always maintained high morale.

"Push a little harder!"

"We've destroyed plenty of rifts before, haven't we?"

"How much longer are you going to let the Young Lord fight alone?"

Gritting their teeth, the soldiers rose to their feet. The priests healed their wounds, and the time bought by Ghislain allowed them to recover significantly.

They drank water and consumed the combat rations provided by Fenris. The nutrients gave them strength, even in these extreme conditions.

"Waaahhh!"

With renewed energy, the soldiers charged forward, driving back the riftborn.

Even the elves, now out of arrows, joined the fray, engaging the riftborn in close combat.

Thanks to Ghislain's holy power drawing attention, the defenders cleared the walls of riftborn and re-established their sturdy formation.

They had returned to their initial state.

"Vanessa!"

Hearing Ghislain's shout, Vanessa extended her hand and unleashed a torrent of mana.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Multiple pillars of flame erupted, decimating the riftborn around Ghislain. Seizing the brief reprieve, Ghislain quickly climbed back up the walls.

Steam rose from his body, the heat of the flames clinging to him.

"Young master!"

Belinda, who had eliminated more riftborn than anyone else with her unique skills, rushed over and draped a cloth soaked in cold water over his body.

"What's this? Where did this come from?"

"I prepared it in advance."

"As expected of you, Belinda. Thanks."

After hastily wiping his face, Ghislain grinned and shouted, "All right! Let's get back to it! Just a little longer!"

It had taken a full day to safely eliminate 100,000 riftborn in the past. Now, there were even more riftborn, and their forces were fewer.

However, with the fortress as their stronghold, and the mages pouring all their power into the fight, they held their ground.

Ghislain and his soldiers focused on maintaining their current strategy.

Vanessa separated the riftborn, the mages unleashed their power on critical areas, and the priests healed the soldiers at precise intervals as directed by Ghislain. If necessary, Ghislain would descend again to draw the riftborn's attention.

Ghislain moved tirelessly, keeping an eye on the battlefield.

'As long as we keep this up, we can do it.'

Belinda, Gillian, Kaor, and the other powerhouses were invaluable. Each of them commanded sections of the battlefield, leading the knights and soldiers in combat.

Zwalter, Randolph, Skovan, and Ricardo were equally crucial, coordinating their forces.

The strengthened knights of Perdium fought as if this battle were their last, pushing themselves to the limit.

They fought tirelessly, losing themselves in the heat of the battle.

"Huff, huff..."

Skovan, the so-called "cause of disaster," swung his sword with hollow eyes, thinking to himself,

'Why is my life so damn hard?'

Life felt hard. A relentless and intense existence.

At some point, Skovan no longer understood why he was swinging his sword. He swung it simply because there were riftborn in front of him.

Despite fighting cautiously to conserve energy, his sword was now only emitting a faint glow. He could no longer draw mana effectively.

'Why… why aren't they healing me?'

It was only thanks to the priests that he could keep fighting. He wished they would heal him once more, but the support had ceased.

Unbeknownst to him, the priests had already exhausted their holy power and collapsed after the prolonged battle.

'Ah, I'm so sleepy.'

His eyes were closing, and his body felt unbearably heavy. He was definitely past his limits, yet his sword kept swinging, almost by instinct.

His senses were so numbed that he felt no pain anymore.

The three former spies of Desmond, now loyal to Fenris, thought to themselves:

'We'll probably fight until we die.'

'Maybe I should just let myself die.'

'Yeah, if we die like this, that's it.'

Yet, their cooperative three-man fighting style remained highly effective against the riftborn. They used minimal strength while seamlessly covering each other's weaknesses.

Remarkably, they had been fighting without sleep for three straight days. This was only possible thanks to the priests, but even that support had ended.

Though their willpower had sustained them so far, they were long past their limits.

"Huh?"

Despite their exhaustion, the soldiers began to notice something odd.

"They're decreasing."

Someone mumbled. The number of riftborn climbing the fortress walls had dwindled to just a few hundred.

Even those scaling the mountain of corpses below were fewer.

"They're really decreasing."

How many had they killed?

Even after the mages had burned and blown up countless bodies, a massive mountain of riftborn corpses remained in front of the fortress.

The mages had retreated, having exhausted most of their mana. Only Vanessa continued to fight, using low-circle spells.

"It's almost… over."

The riftborn clinging to the fortress were now few and far between. Their numbers had dropped significantly, as they had been killing more riftborn than the rift could spawn.

"Just a little… more effort…"

The soldiers gritted their teeth and kept fighting. The knights, coughing up blood, continued to swing their swords.

They had long since lost all feeling in their hands. Standing was a struggle, but they endured through sheer determination to protect this place.

Thankfully, Ghislain and his closest aides were still fighting effectively. They had carefully conserved their strength, focusing more on supporting their allies.

Slash!

Ghislain decapitated another group of riftborn, exhaling as he scanned the battlefield.

Most of the riftborn climbing the walls were dead. The number of new arrivals was dwindling rapidly.

It was almost over. Only the final battle remained.

"Everyone, fall back."

At his command, the soldiers slowly retreated, fighting the few remaining riftborn as they moved.

Only Ghislain's closest aides, Zwalter, and Randolph stayed behind.

This had been planned in advance before the battle began.

— Grrrr!

In the distance, a beast's roar echoed.

The Equidema's role was to expand its territory and protect it.

To conserve its strength, it rarely moved far from the rift. But there were times when the beast decided to act on its own.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The ground trembled as something approached from afar.

The Equidema was on the move.

"Huuu…"

Ghislain drank water, calming his breath once more.

Although small groups of riftborn were still climbing the walls, most of the soldiers were too exhausted to even stand. The knights, bleeding from their mouths, could barely remain upright.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

— Grrrr!

Another beastly roar shattered the air.

There was only one reason the Equidema would move: to defend its territory.

In every rift Ghislain and the Northern Army had dealt with before, the Equidema had never stepped in. It focused solely on expanding its territory, conserving its strength.

The previous rifts had been too small for the Equidema to feel threatened. The few riftborn lost in those battles were quickly replaced, so the beast had no reason to intervene.

But this rift was different.

The territory was vast, and despite the sheer number of riftborn that had entered this world, most had been killed. This meant a significant threat to its territory had emerged.

The Equidema had no choice but to halt its expansion and rise from its resting place.

— Grrr!

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The ground-shaking footsteps grew louder, causing the soldiers to grip their weapons tightly in fear.

The arrival of the Equidema, combined with the resurgence of riftborn—now numbering over a thousand again—presented a dire situation.

Thankfully, the riftborn lacked any semblance of strategy or tactics.

"Damn it…"

The soldiers braced themselves to keep fighting. Despite their exhaustion, they stood firm.

Kaaaargh!

The riftborn began scaling the walls once more, attacking relentlessly.

Ghislain no longer dealt with them personally. The others at his side took on the task of fending them off.

Ghislain focused solely on the approaching front, raising his sword.

Boom!

A thunderous sound echoed as something massive landed on the fortress walls.

Grrr…

The Equidema appeared. Though a thin scar ran across its face, it was far from seriously injured.

Seeing the beast for the first time, the soldiers instinctively stepped back, their faces pale with fear. It was a primal terror, an innate reaction.

Kraaaargh!

The enraged Equidema roared, freezing the already exhausted soldiers in place. Many dropped their weapons in fear.

As Ghislain and the Equidema locked eyes, the number of riftborn began to swell once more.

The riftborn surged toward the paralyzed soldiers. Ghislain and his allies couldn't eliminate all of them while facing the Equidema.

But it was fine. They had something to rely on.

A radiant voice, as if descending from the heavens, resounded from behind.

 [The Goddess has declared: I grant you the power to trample them, to subdue all the strength of your enemies. None shall harm you.]

Shing!

In an instant, brilliant light spread across the battlefield, enveloping everyone.

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