Chapter 564: If You Run Now, You Can Survive (1)

"Hehehehe…"

A priest of the Salvation Church wiped the blood off his face, laughing. Surrounding him lay the corpses of countless soldiers.

"Ha! I didn't expect them to be this weak. This is far too easy!"

The priest, who had a pleasant demeanor, was named Flaccus. He was a former priest of Lutania, who had once served and treated the former king, Berhem.

When Ghislain seized the capital, Flaccus fled immediately and joined the Artrode forces.

Now, the corps he belonged to had ambushed one of the allied corps during its march, securing a decisive victory.

Clink, clink, clink.

Count Poleno, the 5th Corps Commander, approached Flaccus in full armor.

"Well done. It's time to move to the next location."

"Oh? And where are we heading next?"

"We will head to the designated location and wait. We need to receive further intel. The other side must have received news of our ambush by now, so they'll likely make adjustments."

By this point, the enemy would know information had been leaked. Naturally, they would deal with the traitor and devise new strategies. This meant the Artrode army would also need to revise their plans.

Flaccus chuckled. 

"Keheheh, even so, as long as it's not the Lutania army, the rest aren't difficult opponents."

"That's true. However, before facing the Lutania army, we must methodically reduce their numbers."

"Of course, of course. If we deal with the allied forces first, what can the Lutania forces do on their own?"

Although Flaccus spoke as if belittling the Lutania army, the truth was quite the opposite.

The primary order issued to all corps was to avoid direct confrontation with the Lutania army at all costs.

The ultimate strategy was to isolate the Lutania army by eliminating the allied armies. Engaging the formidable Lutania army prematurely would only be detrimental.

Flaccus downplayed their strength to cover up the humiliation of his previous flight from them.

"Most of their troops are just leftovers absorbed from the royal army. Lucky survivors who followed Duke Fenris. They're just a large but unruly mob. I'd love to mete out punishment soon."

"Hoho, is that so? Well, with a superhuman priest like yourself with us, we have little to worry about."

Count Poleno humored Flaccus with a soft smile. After all, they wouldn't be fighting the Lutania army just yet.

In reality, they already knew the exact location of the Lutania army and were carefully avoiding them.

As Count Poleno smiled, another figure approached him.

"What a shame. Many managed to escape," said Count Srowk, the commander of the 6th Corps.

The Artrode army was operating two corps at a time, maintaining a certain distance while coordinating closely.

They moved swiftly to surround and ambush the allied forces, exchanging information to execute their linked strategies effectively.

Count Poleno nodded. 

"Indeed. They lacked resolve more than expected."

Although victorious, they hadn't achieved total annihilation. Once the allied forces sensed defeat, more than half of them immediately fled.

Though they wanted to pursue, they exercised extraordinary patience. A reckless pursuit could jeopardize their larger strategy.

Clicking his tongue, Count Poleno remarked, "For now, we'll have to be satisfied with this."

"Without the Lutania army, they're insignificant. Just pigs with sheer numbers."

While failing to annihilate them entirely was disappointing, the overarching goal necessitated staying focused on the bigger picture.

Gradually chipping away at the allied forces' strength and morale would ensure the success of this campaign.

The Artrode commanders had the skill and patience to achieve this.

Mounting his horse, Count Poleno gave his orders. 

"Let's move. The enemy will likely expand their scouting range."

"Agreed. We'll scatter again and prepare for the next operation. The infantry will hold position at the designated location."

"We'll do the same."

While the Artrode army had split into multiple corps, each consisted of 20,000 to 30,000 troops—a substantial number.

However, more than half were infantry, making rapid movement challenging.

Thus, only 5,000 to 10,000 cavalry from each corps were actively deployed, with the infantry digging traps or building makeshift defenses at potential battle sites.

For the Artrode army, infantry were expendable. The real strength lay in their rapid mobility and superhuman-led ambush tactics.

Mounting his horse, Count Srowk remarked, "We'll need to expand our foraging range. Local supplies have run dry."

They had carried only dry rations to enable swift movement, but naturally, this led to food shortages.

To supplement their supplies, they split their forces further to conduct raids, which also served to disrupt the allied forces' vision and intelligence gathering.

Count Poleno waved lightly to Count Srowk in farewell.

"Understood. Move carefully. I'll contact you soon. We should also hear from the other corps shortly."

The remaining Artrode corps aimed to secure the supply routes Ghislain had intentionally left exposed and target the allied corps in transit.

It was a complex and demanding strategy, but the Artrode commanders were skilled enough to execute it.

The allied forces' slower pace also reinforced the Artrode forces' confidence in their eventual victory.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The 5th and 6th Corps of the Artrode forces quickly left their positions, gathering new information to determine their next targets.

Other Artrode corps were similarly on the move. Another allied corps had already fallen.

To the allied forces, it seemed as though the Artrode forces moved at incredible speed.

This was partly due to their deliberate disruption of allied scouting, but it was largely thanks to intelligence fed to them by their traitor, who now sat in their camp, deep in thought.

"Hmm… moving to another position, is it a trap?"

Duke Fenris had issued new orders. Suspecting a leak, he instructed the corps to covertly coordinate with each other.

The orders were clear: do not inform subordinate commanders, knights, or soldiers. 

Move silently.

"Judging by this, it seems they haven't figured it out yet…"

The detailed strategy was written out, advising the corps to close the distance between themselves until reinforcements arrived.

It was also noted that Duke Fenris and Yulian had begun pursuing the enemy forces.

"They haven't fully identified the traitor yet."

After all, a traitor didn't have to be a corps commander. Lower-ranking commanders, knights, or even soldiers could serve as informants.

Indeed, some of the traitor's own subordinates were also aiding in espionage.

Duke Fenris, not knowing who the traitor was, had issued these careful orders.

"Good. I can't let this opportunity slip by."

If the allied corps managed to unite, the Artrode forces would struggle to attack them. Now, while they were moving and vulnerable, it was time to strike.

The traitor discreetly summoned a trusted aide and relayed the information.

Soon, additional forces disguised as scout teams left the camp.

***

In a dark forest, Count Defroden, commander of the Artrode 9th Corps, was speaking with a knight.

"So, they're moving to a new position?"

"Yes. Two allied corps have been attacked, and new orders have been issued."

"What about the main Lutania army?"

"No changes. They're still guarding their supply line and stronghold."

Count Defroden pondered briefly before asking again.

"Duke Fenris and Prince of Turian have also moved?"

"Yes. Both have begun their pursuit. Likely toward the area where 'we' suffered losses."

"Hmm, I see. Since the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Corps are operating there, we won't cross paths. Contact the 10th Corps. We'll target the allied forces on the move."

"I'll take my leave now. I must return quickly under the guise of scouting."

"Where are you heading?"

The knight pulled out a map and pointed to a location.

"We've been ordered to move here. We'll move as slowly as possible, so you must strike before then."

"Understood. I'll send one of our scouts to coordinate the next meeting point. Look for markers left nearby."

"Understood."

After the knight departed, Count Defroden mounted his horse and commanded his troops.

"Advance at full speed. Have the infantry march overnight to follow us. Set up a defensive line near the target to prepare for enemy pursuit."

The 9th Corps began moving. Their target was the allied corps on the march.

Originally, the plan was to block the supply route Ghislain had intentionally left exposed and intercept additional reinforcements. However, since the allied forces had changed their route and were closer, the decision was made to target them first.

Count Defroden reviewed the intelligence on the enemy as they marched.

"Marquis Gidion of the Turian Kingdom. Approximately 40,000 troops. With the prince of Turian absent, this is manageable."

While his forces were smaller in number, it didn't matter. The cavalry of the 10th Corps would join them shortly, and the 9th Corps had more superhumans than the enemy even without reinforcements.

It was also confirmed that the Lutania main army had yet to move. In an open-field battle, the superhuman-lacking allied forces stood no chance.

"Move quickly! We must strike before they reach the stronghold!"

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The 9th Corps of the Artrode forces galloped tirelessly.

Although such a blatant advance increased the chances of being spotted by enemy scouts, it didn't matter. They planned to use their speed to strike swiftly and retreat.

After an entire day of relentless marching, they arrived at a small forest near their target.

"Scout the area. The enemy will pass through here. Also, contact the 10th Corps."

The 9th Corps' scouts spread out widely. With the enemy's movements already known, locating them was not difficult.

The next day, the scouts returned with news.

"We've located the enemy. They're moving at a slow pace."

"What about the 10th Corps?"

"They're still quite far, as there's no suitable place to hide nearby. They've said they'll depart immediately."

"Good. We'll move at once."

Count Defroden led his forces out of the forest. They had rested sufficiently while waiting for the scouts to locate the enemy.

If they could block the path, the 10th Corps would arrive soon enough.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The 9th Corps rode hard, and before long, the allied forces came into view.

Count Defroden grinned broadly.

"Fools. This will be your grave."

Knowing the enemy's route in advance was a massive advantage.

It was regrettable that they couldn't exploit it indefinitely. If the enemy fell for the trap again, they'd undoubtedly move more cautiously in the future.

But by then, the allied forces' strength would already be diminished.

"Block the road!"

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The Artrode forces blocked the allied forces' path. However, they didn't attack immediately—they needed to wait for the 10th Corps to arrive.

Most of the allied forces consisted of infantry, who immediately assumed a defensive formation. They had no chance of outrunning cavalry.

Count Defroden smirked at the sight.

"Do they really think they can fight just because they outnumber us? They'll regret not running away when they had the chance."

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

As the 9th Corps held their position, the 10th Corps appeared, flanking the enemy. Now they could charge and crush the opposition.

Count Defroden turned to the two priests beside him.

"Break their frontlines first. We'll follow immediately. We've confirmed there are no superhumans on their side."

A superhuman was a rarity, with only one or two per kingdom. Most allied superhumans were stationed to protect their respective kings.

In contrast, the Artrode forces had enough superhumans to allocate at least one or two to every corps, even if they were not at full strength. Combined with their skilled commanders, this gave them the ability to defeat larger forces.

The two priests nodded eagerly and moved forward.

Bwoooom!

As the priests advanced, two priests from the 10th Corps also rushed out.

The battle was about to begin.

Count Defroden raised his hand and shouted, "Everyone, charge!"

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The cavalry of the 9th and 10th Corps charged as one, confident they would obliterate the enemy with overwhelming force.

But then Count Defroden noticed something strange.

"They're… too calm."

The allied forces displayed none of the fear he had expected. They were composed, even in the face of a cavalry charge.

There was no way they could be this calm simply because they outnumbered the Artrode forces. The allied forces had repeatedly suffered at the hands of the Salvation Church's superhumans, even when they held a numerical advantage.

Particularly in the Turian Kingdom, the rebels had pushed them back consistently until Yulian's arrival. Marquis Gidion, hailing from Turian, would surely understand the Salvation Church's overwhelming power.

Furthermore, according to the traitor's information, Yulian wasn't present.

Count Defroden frowned.

'Have they grown reckless after working with Duke Fenris? Arrogant fools.'

Whatever their confidence stemmed from, they would soon remember the fear they'd forgotten.

The priests at the frontlines shared the same thoughts.

'Do they really think they can stop us with mere soldiers?'

The infantry forming a shield wall looked sturdier than any they had encountered before.

Moreover, all the soldiers in the frontlines were clad in armor, an unusual sight for infantry.

Still, the priests were confident that a few swings of their weapons would shatter the formation.

It had always been this way before, so there was no reason to expect otherwise.

At least, that's what they thought.

Boom!

Suddenly, a figure burst out from the allied formation.

Towering over ordinary humans, the figure wielded a massive mace that matched their enormous frame—a woman.

The priests froze. Someone they hadn't expected to see was standing before them.

"No way… This army…"

Their eyes widened in disbelief as they fell into confusion. Saintess Parniel smiled coldly.

"So, there really was a traitor. Or perhaps, you were never on our side to begin with."

Before they could react, she closed the distance and swung her colossal mace.

"Ah!"

One priest instinctively raised his arms to block the blow.

This was the typical reaction of anyone encountering Parniel for the first time. They had no idea how strong she truly was.

Boooom!

"Arghhh!"

Crunch!

The priest's arms bent grotesquely, shattering under the sheer force of the blow.

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