Chapter 519: The Civil War is Over. (3)

The Assault Corps, emboldened, surged toward the remaining enemies.

Victory had already begun to tilt in the Northern army's favor, and with the greatest threats—the priests—eliminated, the outcome was all but certain.

Gartros could only watch with bloodshot eyes.

Erenes had deliberately taken a defensive stance, stalling for time rather than fighting aggressively.

"You wretch! How dare you!"

Boom!

Gartros desperately tried to turn the tide. His plan had been to pin down Erenes while the other priests wreaked havoc.

Instead, the reverse had happened.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Black energy radiated wildly from Gartros, extending outwards in a desperate attempt to harm the advancing troops.

Erenes remained calm, focusing solely on neutralizing Gartros' attacks.

Her orders had been clear: protect the allied forces. There was no reason to let the fight unfold on Gartros' terms.

Boom!

Frustrated, Gartros launched yet another attack at Erenes, but she skillfully parried his efforts.

"You… Guardian of the World Tree. Are you telling me you don't intend to settle this with me?"

"That's right."

Erenes responded matter-of-factly.

Her mission was the destruction of the Salvation Church. To achieve that, victory in this war was paramount.

Personal duels held no value or interest for her.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The two combatants were evenly matched.

The fact that Gartros could hold his own against the strongest fighter in the Northern army was a testament to his skill.

But as long as Erenes remained uninterested in a decisive battle, fighting her was futile.

"I miscalculated. I should have gone to the other flank first."

Grinding his teeth, Gartros muttered angrily. Erenes smirked.

"It wouldn't have made a difference. The Saintess received the same orders as I did."

"What?"

"Our purpose was simply to protect our allies and tie up the superhumans. The battle was always going to be decided by the soldiers and knights."

Standing straight with an air of superiority, Erenes added.

"Your army was doomed the moment its formation collapsed, leaving each unit to fend for itself."

"Silence!"

Boom!

In a fit of rage, Gartros unleashed another attack at Erenes. The black energy and green light clashed, sending shockwaves in every direction.

Erenes' strength was waning. She had expended significant energy early on, summoning spirits to protect her allies.

Yet, her voice remained calm as she continued speaking.

"It seems the mages' battle is over as well."

"What?"

Gartros glanced up at the sky. He could sense the mana field above weakening.

This could only mean one thing: his side's mages had encountered a critical problem.

***

On the flanks, the Saintess's forces had pushed close to the center. The Delphine army desperately tried to stop them.

"Hold the line!"

"Protect the mages!"

"Stand firm!"

Amid the chaos, a group of Northern soldiers moved with ghost-like precision, slipping into the center. These were none other than Caleb and his band of assassins from the Wildcat Smugglers.

They had remained hidden among the soldiers, waiting for the perfect moment to strike at the mages.

Slash!

The assassins, having reached their targets, launched a flurry of attacks.

"Ugh! What's happening?!"

The mages, entirely focused on maintaining the mana suppression field, had no capacity to defend themselves. One by one, they fell to the assassins' blades.

The survivors, rattled, lost their concentration.

"It's done! Pull back!"

Caleb and his assassins withdrew after eliminating just a few mages. Killing all of them wasn't necessary; breaking the balance was their goal.

Meanwhile, the Northern troops that had pushed into the center suddenly began retreating like a receding tide. This, too, was part of the plan.

The Northern mages, seizing the momentary lapse, struck decisively.

From the very rear of the Northern forces, Vanessa, who was overseeing all the mages, quietly murmured.

"Fire Pillar."

Boom!

A massive pillar of fire erupted in the center of the Delphine army's formation. What followed was an onslaught of meticulously targeted magic attacks.

The Northern mages, freed from suppression, launched their spells with precision, analyzing the battlefield with practiced efficiency.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Argh!"

"We've lost control of the mana suppression!"

"The mana field has collapsed! Retreat!"

The Delphine mages screamed as they fell. Their nearby allies fared no better.

Though the Northern mages avoided wide-area spells to protect their own troops, the breach in the center effectively decided the battle.

Many of the Delphine mages were wiped out in just a few attacks.

With their forces decimated by magic from within and pressured by the Northern troops from without, the Delphine army began to crumble.

Gartros, locked in combat with Erenes, stepped back, his expression one of disbelief.

"H-how… how could this happen?"

The Delphine army, considered the kingdom's finest, was collapsing pathetically. Without their magical support, the soldiers stood no chance.

Gartros turned to Erenes with a face twisted in rage.

"It's because of you…!"

From the start, the Delphine army's magic capabilities had been weaker than the Northern Army. The North had mages from the West, East, and North, including Vanessa, a seventh-circle mage.

The Delphine army had relied on the Salvation Church's high priests to fill the gap. The priests' wide-area attacks could only be countered by mages.

Once the priests were neutralized, the Delphine mages could no longer hold the line.

"Charge!"

"Push them back!"

"Keep attacking without pause!"

The Northern troops' cheers filled the battlefield. Gartros found himself entirely ignored as the enemy surged forward.

'Even the front line has collapsed!'

If the Delphine forces had at least broken through the Northern Army center, there might have been a chance for a comeback. But with too few soldiers, even that had failed.

Now, the enemy troops advanced relentlessly, shields raised.

Gartros felt his head spin. The Delphine army, despite their disorganized state, shouldn't have fallen so easily.

'How could this happen? Who… who is commanding them?'

The enemy's strategic deployment had relentlessly exploited every weakness in his army. The coordination against him and the priests had clearly been premeditated.

They had been outmaneuvered completely.

'Gillian?'

The first name that came to mind was the White Lion, who had been leading the Northern army. But Gartros quickly dismissed the thought—Gillian was fighting on the front lines himself.

So who was it? Who within the Northern and royal armies possessed such tactical acumen?

Taking a deep breath, Gartros turned to Erenes and asked.

"Who is it?"

"Who is what?"

"Who is commanding this army and crafting these strategies?"

"Haha…"

Erenes chuckled briefly.

She thought to herself, this battle was truly extraordinary. Even though it was partly because the Kingdom's Finest Sword was absent, they had managed to overwhelm the powerful Delphine army.

The decisiveness to notice the enemy's weakness and march immediately, the judgment to deploy allied forces at the right places—this was strategy of the highest caliber, worthy of being called one of the continent's greatest strategists.

Erenes responded in a calm voice.

"They say it was Countess Rayfold. The same person who delayed your forces at the fortress last time. Even I was a bit surprised this time."

"...!!!"

Gartros widened his eyes and trembled uncontrollably.

"That traitorous wench…"

Gartros couldn't help but feel more shocked than anyone else.

It was he and Raul who had selected Amelia when they decided to stage a coup in Rayfold long ago.

She was low in the line of succession, and they thought she wouldn't withstand the external pressures even if she usurped the position. Didn't some northern lords unite to attack her at one point?

She had hampered their plans multiple times. Yet, they had thought she could be captured and killed soon enough. She had seemed even weaker when she moved her base to the east.

But to think she'd cause such damage in this crucial battle!

"That wench dares!"

Gartros could hardly contain his fury. Even being bitten by a dog he had raised wouldn't make him this angry.

It was truly because of Ghislain and Amelia, the two fools from the north, that their grand plan had been completely ruined.

Erenes, drawing her energy, spoke firmly.

"There's no need to be angry. You'll die here anyway."

Gartros flinched at those words and glanced around. His allies were no longer in sight.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A sound like the earth trembling echoed as the Saintess approached. It was clear other skilled warriors would come here once the battlefield was cleared.

Even with his strength, it was impossible to face the Saintess. Wasn't he already struggling just to hold Erenes at bay?

"Heh, hehehe…"

Gartros let out a hollow laugh. Despite moving so cautiously after being defeated by the leader of the Shadow Knights, he'd fallen into another trap.

Even if Count Balzac captured Count Fenris, this war was essentially lost.

When the Royal Army and the Perdium Army arrived, the Duke's faction would ultimately be crushed.

Gartros glared at Erenes with bloodshot eyes.

"You think this is the end?"

"It's not the end, perhaps. But isn't your faction the strongest among you?"

"........"

"All the members of Salvation Church scattered across the continent will die. The allied forces of Lutania will liberate other kingdoms step by step. I didn't come to Lutania first for no reason."

"Heh, hehehe…"

It was true that the most troops had been sent to Lutania. But the strength of the Salvation Church wasn't limited to that.

Once the Salvation Church scattered across the continent united, their numbers were formidable. Furthermore, there was a separate mission being carried out by the enforcer, Idun.

Gartros smiled faintly.

"Rejoice in your momentary victory. Though we failed to take the Lutania Kingdom… you will never be able to defend this place."

"..."

"Once our king and holy relics are found! All the descendants of the God on this continent will trample this kingdom into the ground! You will never stop our wrath!"

The answer came not from Erenes but from the side.

"Silence, you blasphemous bastard."

Parniel's massive mace came crashing down toward Gartros.

Boom!

Gartros raised his hand to block it, but he was pushed back in an instant. The tremendous force felt like it would shatter his arm.

Zing! Zing! Zing!

Dozens of magic circles suddenly appeared around him. Gartros realized that the enemy's seventh-circle mage had moved.

Vanessa had laid out countless magic circles around him, making it nearly impossible for him to escape easily.

If Gartros made any wrong moves now, a barrage of magic containing all her power would rain down.

It was truly a deadlock. There seemed to be no escape for Gartros.

Erenes once again drew upon her green aura. With the Saintess and Vanessa joining forces, they could surely kill Gartros.

"Leave your last words and die here. The Salvation Church will fail."

Even if Ghislain had been defeated by Kaien, the allied forces of Lutania were sufficient.

Countless heroes in other kingdoms were also fighting against the Salvation Church.

Still smiling his twisted smile, Gartros pulled out an orb from his robes.

"Wait… I will destroy this place for sure."

What he held was the Orb of Life. Detecting his intent to pull a trick, Erenes and Parniel moved immediately. Magic poured out from Vanessa's circles as well.

But Gartros moved faster.

Snap.

Boom!

From the shattered orb, darkness erupted and engulfed Gartros in an instant.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Their attacks failed. Though the black energy wavered, Gartros disappeared before it collapsed.

"Damn it…"

Erenes clicked her tongue. To think such a method existed. This wasn't something she'd seen in their past battles.

Even the Salvation Church had developed new tactics over time.

"We let the most important one escape. If he'd come to my side, I'd have turned him into minced meat already."

Parniel spoke in a detached tone, prompting Erenes to remove her armor and look at Parniel.

A peculiar tension filled the air. The two stared at each other silently, the atmosphere growing heavier.

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