SWNOVELXO Chapter 571
Chapter 571: Don’t Let a Single One Escape. (2)
The Mages of the Atrode Army had already suffered under Vanessa’s magic, with half of them vanishing.
As the magical field weakened, other Penris mages began to join the attack one by one.
Boom!
Fire and lightning poured down, and rock barriers shot up around them.
Then Ghislaine jumped in, starting to massacre the enemies.
“Ahhh!”
The Atrode Army could do nothing but scream as they died.
Orders to retreat had already been given. Even those who wanted to fight till the end lost their will to do so.
Their only goal now was to convey this news to their allies. However, the enemy’s attacks were so fierce that they couldn’t even escape.
They were surrounded on all sides. The Atrode Army collapsed in an instant.
Count Zyrus could only tremble and watch the scene unfold.
“U-uh…”
He couldn’t even escape himself. Red flames danced around him.
It was a mistake. He should have waited for the 2nd Corps, even if it took a little longer.
What he experienced firsthand from the Duke of Penris and the Ruthania Army was vastly different from the rumors.
He had heard they were strong, but he never expected such overwhelming power.
Clomp, clomp, clomp.
Charging forward on a furious black horse, the Duke of Penris approached.
The allies were nearly obliterated. There was no one left to protect him.
Even those who remained were dying helplessly.
There was no escaping death. Count Zyrus calmed his heart as he realized his future.
Before dying, he wanted to at least satisfy his curiosity.
“Duke of Penris, why are you here?”
He should have been fighting in another region. How did he even know they were here?
With a smile, Ghislaine replied, “Why? Can’t I come here?”
“……”
“I devised quite a complex strategy. Infiltrating with spies, even deceiving our allies. Whatever choice I make, I set the stage to catch you. Am I wrong?”
“……”
The Duke of Penris was right. If he didn’t cooperate until the end, he would truly plan to cause chaos throughout the Kingdom of Grimwell.
Once that happened, the war would turn into a long battle, putting them at a disadvantage, but the Allied Forces would also likely split again, buying them time.
For that moment, he had prepared a new strategy.
But the best option was still to eliminate the Duke of Penris here.
Even if he had to push himself, if they could take down the Duke and the Ruthania Army, he was confident they could win even during a prolonged war.
Clink.
Ghislaine set the spear against Count Zyrus’s shoulder and continued, “But you made a mistake.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“You’re slower than me.”
It was an incredibly arrogant statement, but Count Zyrus couldn’t refute it.
He had set traps all around to force the Duke of Penris to be dragged around. Yet, he still moved first to get here.
How had the enemy noticed their strategy? What trick had he used to arrive here?
“Did you think I would just dance to your tune? I could’ve come here first and smashed everything!”
“How did you know?!”
After twisting their strategy several times, they had even prepared countermeasures based on the enemy’s movements.
But the opponent had figured it all out and rushed here. One mistake could mean disaster elsewhere.
Ghislaine slowly moved the spear to the side.
“I know the Count Bifenbelt well. Well, you probably can’t understand.”
Count Zyrus bit his lip. It was well-known that the Duke of Penris could be quite the talker.
Thinking he was being mocked, Count Zyrus glared.
“Confident, aren’t you? Don’t you think your presence here puts the others in danger? It seems you forced your way here.”
No matter how he thought about it, there was no other explanation for the current situation.
The Duke of Penris was rumored to be a war fanatic. It was highly likely he had rushed over to fight without caring whether the allies lived or died, or if the Allied Forces split apart.
With the arrogant mindset that he could kill them all alone.
Ghislaine smirked and spread the spear a bit more.
“Yeah, think that way and rest easy.”
“Don’t get too relaxed! The remaining corps are different from us! Your arrogance will ultimately—”
Slit!
The spear intertwined in red light sliced through Count Zyrus’s neck with a clean pass. Not even the spear tip but the shaft itself burst through.
Boom!
Looking down at the fallen corpse, Ghislaine muttered, “In any case, they’ll all die.”
He would ensure it.
Ghislaine looked around. The battlefield had been perfectly cleared.
Not a single person from the Atrode Army was able to escape.
“One down. I knew this would happen.”
Ghislaine thought Count Bifenbelt would surely target him and Yulien for pursuit.
His specialty was causing chaos and picking them off one by one.
“But I bet you didn’t expect this.”
Ghislaine went the opposite way, moving to hit the main force of the Atrode Army. The opponent likely hadn’t expected this.
For this, Ghislaine had to give up quite a bit. They probably thought he had abandoned his allies and rushed off to fight alone.
But Ghislaine hadn’t completely abandoned his comrades. He simply had a strategy in mind, moving differently from what the enemy predicted.
Just like Count Bifenbelt, Ghislaine too had to judge and act faster than the enemy.
Ghislaine summoned Dark and said, “Dark, go straight towards where they came from. There must be other corps nearby.”
The annihilated Atrode Army alone couldn’t stop him. There would definitely be another corps ready to fight.
Dark nodded and began to slowly lift off the ground.
“What about Yulien?”
“He’s moving in the direction you mentioned.”
“Good. If there’s any variable, let me know immediately. I’m glad Yulien can maintain his clones. Really, he can do so much.”
“Ah, that’s true. It’s really amazing. But I won’t betray you. I find it more comfortable being with you, you know?”
“……”
“Ahh, Yulien is so quiet. He really seems cold and unfeeling.”
“……I got it, so just go.”
Dark winked one eye and spread its wings, flying off.
Ghislaine planned to wait here and deal with the remaining corps.
“Count Bifenbelt, Gathros, Aiden, Leonard… So none of them were here.”
This meant one of them was guaranteed to be in whatever corps they encountered next.
A cruel smile flashed across Ghislaine’s face.
“It’s time to catch some big fish. I sure hope it’s Aiden, though.”
Ghislaine and the Mobile Army returned in the direction they originally came from. They aimed to wait and rest as close to the main camp as possible.
And the commander of the approaching 2nd Corps was, as Ghislaine wished, being led by Aiden.
*
Aiden had received orders to join the 4th Corps.
He thought it wouldn’t be too difficult. With two corps combining forces, they could easily take care of a pursuit force separated from the main unit.
Whether it was the Duke of Penris or Prince Turian.
“Finally, it’s time to move. This was boring.”
Aiden smiled brightly. He didn’t care what the strategic objective of this war was.
The Duke of Penris and Prince Turian’s reputation was rising dramatically. Even Parniel, who had been with the Ruthania Army for quite some time, was the same.
He just had to kill them to raise his own reputation. That was all that mattered to Aiden.
“I hope it’s the Duke of Penris. I hope he’s in the direction I’m headed.”
He licked his lips. The Duke of Penris had the highest reputation, so he didn’t want to give it to anyone.
Aiden immediately moved the 2nd Corps. No, he attempted to move.
Zing—!
At that moment, the space in front of him suddenly shook. Sensing something was off, Aiden quickly drew his sword and struck.
Boom!
A fierce storm of magic erupted around him. But there was no damage.
Those with weak bodies were far away, and only the White Silver Knights were around Aiden.
The knights braced themselves against the shock and retreated.
Aiden frowned at the figure that appeared before him.
“What are you?”
“Ah, I’m Jerome. I just came here for a moment.”
“What? For a moment? You cheeky bastard.”
Aiden twisted his mouth in a strange grin. Who did this guy think he was, appearing alone here?
But Jerome paid Aiden no mind. His goal was just to have a little fun before leaving.
“Before you go, why not play with me for a bit?”
Jerome, who had stirred up chaos in the 1st Corps, appeared in the 2nd Corps right after recovering his magic.
He was trying to buy time here as well.
But Aiden, grimacing, immediately swung his sword. How dare this fool come to assassinate him and talk like that?
Wasn’t that a blatant act of disrespect towards his nobility?
Boom!
Thus began their battle. Of course, Aiden, who didn’t particularly enjoy one-on-one duels, quickly called for his subordinates.
“Kill this bastard immediately!”
Four priests and the White Silver Knights joined the fray. Jerome, facing them off, stuck out his tongue.
The gatrose of the 1st Corps and the priests were strong. But fighting against them was much tougher for Jerome.
Aiden’s techniques were extraordinarily excellent, and the knights’ coordinated attacks were highly threatening.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After causing chaos for quite a while, Jerome finally fled.
Of course, he didn’t escape unscathed.
Jerome hadn’t fought in optimal condition since he’d just come from the 1st Corps.
While he had recovered his magic little by little, he still hadn’t fully relieved his fatigue.
Ultimately, he had to flee, bleeding from a long cut across his chest made by Aiden’s sword.
“You bastard! Where do you think you’re running off to?!”
Aiden, having fought and been through the wringer with Jerome, shouted in frustration.
He was engulfed in a furious rage.
Not only was it infuriating that someone had openly attacked him with such disregard, but now he had let a fleeing fool slip through his fingers.
He had never experienced such treatment in his life. It was a huge shock.
“I’ll kill that bastard first and then move! And bring me a mirror!”
Even if the mage had fled through space, he believed he could catch up. As long as he knew the direction, he could keep pursuing. He had that level of prowess.
He just had to pick up the remnants of magic left behind. He was sure there would be blood trails from all that bleeding.
He had to chase before the residual magic dissipated. No, it didn’t matter if it vanished. He would find and kill him somehow.
Even amid all this, Aiden calmly tidied himself up and got onto his white horse.
“What are you all doing?! Hurry up and get ready to chase after him!”
His staff hurriedly ran over and bowed their heads.
“Commander, it’s not possible. We’re currently in the middle of an important operation.”
“We must capture the Duke of Penris and Prince Turian first.”
“He’s just a guy who came from the Ruthania Army. We’ll be able to catch and kill him eventually.”
Even amidst the officers’ attempts to dissuade him, Aiden glared fiercely.
“Are you telling me to just let the guy who disgraced me go?”
For the first time in his life, he had been publicly humiliated in front of so many people. It was a humiliation he simply couldn’t bear.
At that moment, in Aiden’s mind, there was no longer a notion of strategy. Protecting his dignity became far more important.
While Aiden seethed, the vice-captain of the White Silver Knights came over and spoke.
“Commander, if this operation fails, it will greatly damage your reputation. The Duke of Penris will wreak even more havoc.”
Aiden shot a glare at the vice-captain for a moment before exhaling heavily.
“Ugh…”
He was quite agitated, as this was a first-time situation for him. Honestly, he understood what was more important.
If the operation failed, the Duke of Penris’s reputation would rise. Meanwhile, his own would drop.
It was obvious that he would be even more humiliated than now.
“Chair.”
The maids waiting from behind quickly brought a chair over.
Sitting heavily, Aiden said, “Bring me some cool water. I’ll calm down for a moment before departing.”
Despite being a man who cared only for himself, Aiden wasn’t foolish.
His subordinates waited for Aiden’s mood to stabilize. The entire corps had come to a stop due to his mood.
Everyone held little concern. Since the 4th Corps had set off first, they believed they could buy enough time even if they encountered the enemy.
Moreover, the 2nd Corps was reputedly one of the most elite among the Atrode Army. They could reach the battlefield in no time if they put their minds to it.
After some time, once Aiden finally calmed down, he stood up.
“Let’s go. We need to catch up with the 4th Corps, so let’s move out. If we speed up for about half a day, we’ll catch up.”
With his composure restored, Aiden mounted his horse again, clearly intending to find and kill that mage named Jerome.
The 2nd Corps began to move. Aiden sent a few scouts ahead.
“Tell the 4th Corps to wait for us for a bit. I think it would be better to move together.”
If the mage were to reach the 4th Corps, they could suffer quite a loss. He was that strong.
The scouts set off, and the 2nd Corps picked up its speed.
Focusing solely on moving for a while, the scouts returned in a hurry.
They were moving so fast that even their horses were panting.
“C-Commander! Big trouble, big trouble!”
Hearing the scout’s shout, Aiden furrowed his brow. Could the mage have gotten there already and caused chaos?
“Ugh, is that mage already there? What’s the damage?”
Although the 4th Corps was weaker than the 2nd Corps, they had four priests and quite a few knights as well. Their number of troops was not to be dismissed.
They must have faced some damage, but it shouldn’t have been too severe. The mage was injured too, after all.
However, the words that came from the messenger were shocking news.
“The 4th Corps has been annihilated! All are found as corpses! Not a single one survived!”
“……”
In disbelief, Aiden’s gaze momentarily blanked.