549

Episode 549: Changing the route. (4)

Marquis Tristan's face hardened as he clashed swords with Aiden.

'this guy....'

He felt the opponent's immense power. In that moment, his own sword was pushed back.

Even just a brief clash of arms would tell me how high my opponent's level was.

If he had been in top condition, he could have had a good match.

But why has this person only appeared now?

'Are you really trying to take my strength away?'

Are you saying that you sent countless soldiers into exile to do that?

I've never seen such a superhuman. In the first place, what use is a superhuman if you're just going to throw away the lives of soldiers?

Superhumans must be suppressed by superhumans. That way, we can protect our troops.

That is why superhumans are classified as strategic weapons.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As their swords clashed, Marquis Tristan began to be pushed back more and more.

There was no other way. The Marquis continued to fight in the forefront and even faced two superhumans. He had used up more than half of his mana and suffered many wounds all over his body.

In contrast, the opponent was very powerful. He was so clean that it seemed like he had just arrived on the battlefield.

Kwaaaaang!

Marquis Tristan asked as he deflected Aiden's attack and retreated.

"Whew… … Was this the plan?"

"Yeah. Just to make you feel comfortable."

"You really threw away the lives of so many soldiers for that one reason?"

"That's right. Don't you understand? Soldiers are meant to die, aren't they?"

Aiden was laughing with joy. He didn't care how many insignificant soldiers died.

Even the most cherished silver knights can be discarded at will if necessary.

What matters is how much it helps you.

A man who is extremely self-centered and lives in a superiority complex. A man who only desires great fame and respect for himself.

That was Aiden.

The Marquis Tristan ground his teeth. He had never seen such a selfish person in his entire life.

"You are truly a rascal. And you still call yourself a knight?"

"Chivalry, the duty of the strong, these things don't matter. History only remembers the victors."

"It would be a disgrace to lose to someone like you."

Marquis Tristan gritted his teeth and swung his greatsword.

Kwaaaaang!

The two clashed again. As the fight intensified, a storm of mana arose around them.

Suddenly, there was no one around the two of them. It would have been bad if they had come to help and ended up getting caught in the storm.

As the fight between the two superhumans intensified, the White Knights suddenly stopped fighting and retreated. As if they had made a promise, the Artrode Army also retreated.

This was a fortunate thing for Grimwell, because the White Knights were so strong that they were being pushed back badly.

The flank commander of Grimwell's force shouted urgently.

"Back off! Back off for now!"

The same phenomenon occurred in the battle lines, because the priests of the Salvation Church who were fighting in front also retreated and shouted.

"Step back! Watch the Executor fight!"

"You guys, wait! Watch the knight battle!"

The soldiers of Grimwell's army in the front line looked bewildered.

It was clear that the battle line was in their favor. However, the sight of Artrode's army retreating while shouting proudly seemed to be saying that they were looking out for Grimwell's army.

The commanders of Grimwell withdrew their troops when they saw Marquis Tristan fighting the enemy knights.

Funnily enough, everyone stood back and watched the two fight.

If the Marquis of Tristan had had even a little leisure, he would have been very angry. Who in the world would fight a knightly duel instead of a battle?

But he didn't even have time to look around.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Ugh!"

Aiden's attacks were so strong that I couldn't even take a proper breath.

Aiden laughed out loud as he watched Marquis Tristan being pushed back.

"Hahahahahaha! Is this all there is to one of the three pillars of the Kingdom of Grimwell? Is this all there is to it? It's so weak!"

If he had fought the Marquis of Tristan in good health, Aiden would have had a hard time. But the current Marquis was nothing more than a weakened lion.

The faces of the soldiers of Grimwell's army darkened as they watched the wounds of Marquis Tristan getting deeper.

Who is the Marquis of Tristan? Wasn't he a famous general who always led them to victory?

Even though he had no doubt that he would win, things were not going well. Everyone knew why.

"This is not a fair duel!"

"To fight a man who is tired and injured!"

"Protect the Marquis!"

The knights of Grimwell were the first to step forward, intent on somehow interrupting the duel and saving Marquis Tristan.

Then, the Artrode Army also moved again. They took this opportunity to catch their breath and reorganize, and thanks to this, their momentum was revived.

Just before the armies of both sides clashed again.

Kwajik!

The greatsword of the Marquis of Tristan split Aidan's shoulder plate.

Phew!

Aiden's sword pierced the heart of Marquis Tristan.

"Coolook!"

Marquis Tristan vomited blood. He tried to cut Aidan's neck with some force, but the sword would not advance any further.

Aiden glanced at his trembling hands and revealed his white teeth.

"It was a good 'match,' Marquis Tristan."

"Yes, you… … ."

The Marquis of Tristan tried to open his cold eyes. But he was too exhausted to move, and his heart was punctured, so he could no longer control his body.

As Aiden drew his sword, Marquis Tristan's body fell apart.

At that moment, Aiden's sword swung again.

Scratch!

Kuung!

Only after his head was cut off was the body of the Marquis of Tristan laid on the ground.

"hmm...."

Aiden wiped the blood off his sword and looked at one of his broken shoulder plates. The Marquis of Tristan had already disappeared from his mind.

"Tsk, that's my favorite armor… … ."

It was an armor made by the best craftsmen in the kingdom. I loved this gorgeous and beautiful armor, but it was such a shame.

Because I had to replace not just the shoulder part, but the whole thing.

His obsession with perfectionism meant he would never allow himself to be reworked just a little bit. If he was going to change something, he had to change everything.

Grimwell was at a loss as he stood before Aiden, who was only concerned about his shoulder armor.

"Oh, the Marquis has passed away."

"How could this happen… … ."

"That guy… … the Marquis."

Everyone looked in disbelief. Their idol and symbol of invincibility, the Marquis of Tristan, was dead.

The commanders also realized that they had made a mistake. They should have continued to push forward when they had the upper hand.

With the death of Marquis Tristan, even the morale of the allies had dropped. No, now there was no one to face the superman.

You get caught up in the enemy's incomprehensible actions and atmosphere.

Aiden stretched out his sword again towards the absent-minded Grimwell. It was a pose he had always practiced in front of the mirror.

A cruel smile appeared on his face.

"Kill him."

"Wow!"

The White Knights and the Arthrodians began to move again. At the very front, the priests of the Salvation Church stood, emitting black energy without mercy.

The Grimwells gripped their weapons tightly. They had to fight again, but they knew it.

Now, I'm saying that I can't stop those powerful enemies right in front of me.

Kwaaaaang!

The armies of the two sides clashed again. The exhausted and demoralized Grimwell's army was broken by the rampaging priests at the forefront.

And the White Knights and the Arthrodians completely dug into that gap.

The battle was almost over. Aiden closed his eyes again and enjoyed the smell of blood rising from the battlefield.

"This great battle will be sung by the bards for eternity, for the noble me."

It was a satisfying victory. Having defeated the renowned Marquis of Tristan, his own reputation would now be further enhanced.

But this wasn't enough. He thought of someone and felt a burning thirst.

"Duke Fenris, I should have killed you."

He originally planned to face the Duke of Fenris during the Rutania Civil War.

But the timing wasn't right. Helgenik was on the move, so he had to move separately to replenish his forces.

At the time, I was a little disappointed, but I wasn't too obsessed with it.

I thought we wouldn't lose the civil war since we had Gator, Cayenne, and Raoul.

However, the Duke of Fenris finally achieved victory. His father, Margrave Ferdium, even became the King of Lutania.

"I never knew he would grow up to be so famous."

Now the Duke of Fenris is more famous than anyone else on the Continent.

The first sword of Rutania.

The undefeated archduke.

Ruler of the North.

Savior from the plague.

Saint of drought.

A pioneer in technology.

and....

The King of Mercenaries.

Even if he only had one, the glorious titles still continued to be attached to him. Aiden couldn't stand it.

"I can't admit it."

If he had killed that bastard in the Kingdom of Rutania.

All those glorious titles would have been his own.

But that's okay. The war on the continent was becoming more and more intense.

Eventually, the Duke of Fenris will have no choice but to meet himself.

Then you can kill him yourself. If you do that, all the praise will go to you.

"The main character of this world is not you, Duke Fenris, but me. I will help you realize that truth."

Aiden raised his head with his eyes closed and spread his arms.

And the artist was diligently drawing that scene.

* * *

"Wow! I won!"

The 3rd Legion of the Arthrodians also successfully occupied the stronghold of the Kingdom of Grimwell.

If we continue on this path, it won't take long to surround the castle.

There is a restriction that it must be finished before the Duke of Fenris arrives, but the Arthrod Army's goal was not to occupy the entire country anyway.

All that was needed was to secure the supply routes and key strongholds needed to surround the capital.

So, with just a few more battles, you'll be able to reach your destination.

Count Kalmund, commander of the 3rd Army Corps, asked the man next to him.

"Thank you for your hard work. Are you going to move separately now?"

"exactly."

The man with a reserved expression nodded. Count Kalmund nodded along with him and continued speaking.

"Revolutionary Leader, thanks to your help, things have become a little easier. But is there really a need to leave now?"

The man was the master of the Revolutionary Group. The Revolutionary Group was lending its strength to the Salvation Church in order to overthrow the continent.

They had made a pact with the Salvation Church to receive several kingdoms after the war ended.

A new world and a new religion.

The interests of the Salvation Church and the Revolutionary Group coincided.

Becoming a king was the dream of the revolutionary leader. It didn't matter what religion he believed in.

In order to achieve that dream, I had to take this opportunity to increase my power and get rid of those who were getting in my way.

The most disturbing of these was the Duke of Fenris of Rutania.

The leader of the revolution answered Count Kalmund's question with a sly smile.

"The Kingdom of Grimwell can be easily taken over without us anyway. Rather, I think now is a good opportunity."

"Hmm, why?"

"The Allied Forces will probably attack the Kingdom of Arthrod while you are out. They are already gathering near the Kingdom of Arthrod."

"That's right."

"So, they will never think that the army that was attacking the Kingdom of Grimwell will suddenly turn around and attack them by surprise. I plan to take advantage of their weakness."

"Indeed… … that makes sense. But are you really okay with it?"

"I've already finished talking to the priest. You just need to make sure you give him the reward you promised."

It was the revolutionary leader's idea to surprise the Allied forces.

Gator initially opposed the operation, as the Allied forces were numerous and there were more important matters to consider than reducing their numbers.

However, the leader of the revolution persuaded him by setting some conditions. He said that he would move after capturing the main strongholds of the Kingdom of Grimwell.

"We won't confront them head-on. We'll just cut off their supply lines, inflict some damage, and then retreat."

They are a revolutionary group that is skilled in plundering and surprise attacks. That is why no kingdom has failed to capture them.

Now, all eyes of the Allied Forces were focused on the Salvation Church and the Kingdom of Arthrod.

It was a really good opportunity. He was going to inflict damage on the Allied forces this time and prove his abilities.

Count Kalmund understood the revolutionary leader's intentions.

"It would be more advantageous for us if we could cut off the Allied supply lines and inflict damage. The chances of success are high, but keep in mind that the Duke of Fenris is on the other side."

The Duke of Fenris has now become the most dangerous figure in the Church of Salvation, so much so that even those who have not fought him directly are wary of him.

Then the revolutionary leader smiled strangely.

"I've heard that the Duke of Fenris is great, but I'm at least better at surprise attacks. Attacking from behind is my specialty."

The Revolutionary Army had never fought a full-scale war, but they were confident in one thing: a surprise attack.

But there was one thing the revolutionary leader didn't know.

Giselle's specialties are pursuit, surprise attack, and annihilation.