"What the hell!"
Nathaniel cursed the moment five golden Magic Circles materialized above the Refugee Camp as he ran through the wilderness.
"What in the world is that little imp thinking?!"
He exclaimed, his voice filled with irritation.
"Using that much Magic is beyond reckless! What if his Mana Pool is damaged?!"
The Knights trailing behind him could only sweat profusely as they listened to the young Prince's grumbling.
Nathaniel had been complaining about his younger brother's actions for more than ten minutes, and their ears had started to throb from his non-stop ranting.
Nevertheless, who would dare to tell the Imperial Prince to be quiet?
"That brat! I swear, I'll give him a good spanking when I see him!"
Nathaniel muttered under his breath, still fuming with anger.
The Knights exchanged nervous glances, unsure of how to respond.
They knew that Nathaniel was protective of his younger brother, but they also knew that he could be quite hot-headed at times.
Despite their discomfort, they continued to follow Nathaniel.
—Ring! —Ring! —Ring!
Nathaniel's Telesphere rang and saw that Asher was calling, without much thought he picked it up.
// Your Highness? //
"Yes, Sir Asher. What is it?"
Nathaniel's voice was calm imitating a tranquil stream as if his earlier outburst had been nothing but an illusion.
// I have completed my task and was wondering if Your Highness requires any further assistance? //
"No, I've finished my business too and am currently en route to the meadow entrance. Please proceed as per Adrian's plan."
// I understand. //
Before he could end the call, a nagging thought crept into the boy's mind.
"By the way, have you encountered anything unusual?"
// Something unusual? //
Asher sounded confused, but after a brief silence, he continued.
// Ah, yes. The troops we fought performed a strange ritual and had no fighting ability at all, as if they were normal citizens, despite wearing Kearny Troops behind their black robes. //
So, not only his team but other ambush teams also experienced the same thing, huh?
"How about Fredinand? Have you spoken to him?"
// Yes, I have communicated with Sir Egberg Flash and he has reported experiencing the same thing, Your Highness. //
Nathaniel clucked his tongue inwardly in annoyance and his mind raced with possibilities.
"I see. Thank you for informing me, Sir Asher."
// It is my pleasure. //
With that, their conversation ended.
Adrian dispatched Ferdinand, Asher, and the three other Knight Lieutenants to their respective Kearny soldier's camps, while two Knight Lieutenants and Gizel's team stayed behind at the Refugee Camp.
Once their task was done, Adrian ordered them to march out into the meadow to flank the enemy on both sides.
As the fog began to gather and thickened around them, Nathaniel conjured a Wind Elemental to clear their view and continued on his path without hesitation.
Adrian had warned him never to run blindly into the fog, and Nathaniel knew better than to ignore his advice.
·?θm After running for a few minutes a nauseating fishy odor filled their nostrils.
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow in wonder at the sight up ahead.
A massive ditch now lay between him and the other side, with a wide bridge spanning the gap.
Upon reaching the bridge, they came to an abrupt halt, their eyes widening in astonishment.
Some of the knights couldn't help but retch at the sight of the gruesome scene below.
"Blargh!"
"Blech!"
The ditch was full of the Kearney soldiers' lifeless bodies.
The sharp earth spears that were planted to the ground were driven through their shoulders, neck, and head, some in pairs.
The blood oozed out of the corpses, creating a macabre pool that seemed to be trying to bathe the scene in its own dark red hue.
Everything seemed to be painted in shades of crimson, from the pikes and the corpses to the ground below.
All around, you could see lifeless eyes, still open, full of shock and disbelief.
"What in the world—"
Wyatt expressed his surprise, his voice trailing off as he took in the scene before him.
"Let's go."
Nathaniel's voice rang out, jolting them from their myriad of thoughts.
"Y-yes, Sir!"
Not willing to take any risk, Nathaniel created a new bridge and they crossed it.
Upon seeing the countless dead bodies inside the ditch and considering that the refugee camp was encircled by it.
Nathaniel estimated that if all five columns of enemy troops marched towards the camp and fell inside, the number of remaining enemy troops would be around 2,500.
Which meant, only half of them left.
—Ring —Ring —Ring
Nathaniel raised his hand and when Adrian's ID appeared on the screen, he accepted the call.
// Stop. Don't move. //
Nathaniel furrowed his brow.
However, before he could open his mouth, a series of explosions rocked the ground beneath him, accompanied by countless cries of anguish.
.
.
.
A barrage of earth spikes hurtling toward the enemy in the distance, they whistled through the air and entered the fog.
—Boom!
The floor shook as a spear made of earth crashed onto the ground, sending debris and clouds of dirt billowing into the air.
As the dust settled, a horrifying sight came into view.
A towering palisade made of earth had impaled one of their comrades like a skewer.
Blood dripped down the pole and onto the soil, painting it a deep shade of red.
"Ah…"
Their hearts sank and they were stunned.
—Boom!
"Aaargghh!!"
When another deafening boom and a wail entered their ears.
Waste no more time, they immediately threw away their weapons and commenced to run.
"Run!!"
"Run away!!"
Fear had taken hold of them, and all they could think of was to escape the deadly volley of earth spears.
The commander, who saw the formation shattered, immediately shouted.
"Don't run—argh!!"
But before he could finish his sentence, an earth spear lanced him right on his chest.
Blood leaked out of his mouth and chest, and he fell to the ground with his eyes wide open.
A soldier peeked behind his shoulder and upon seeing the earth's spear rush toward him, he summoned a wall of earth to shield himself from the impending attack.
—Boom!
Nevertheless, due to the level difference of Earth Elemental Mastery, the earth palisade pierced through the barrier like tofu and penetrated his stomach.
"Urg!!"
—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!
The relentless barrage of earth spikes continued to rain down upon them, causing blood to burst forth like fireworks with each piercing impact.
Adrian watched the scene with his face devoid of any expression and began to chant.
"????? ??????, ????? ??????? ?????? ????."
Shortly, a brilliant, golden Magic Circle illuminated the ground, emanating from the refugee camp and gradually expanding outward the entire meadow.
Nathaniel's fists clenched as he saw the golden Magic Circle appear beneath his feet, and his anger surged to its peak upon recognizing the familiar Mana flow within it.
"Adrian, what the fuck…"
Nathaniel spoke in his low tone, barely audible.
His chest heaved up and down as he was trying his best to suppress his fury.
"Ian. Stop. Right. Now."
// ????? ??????, ????? ??????? ?????? ????. //
Glimpsing how the runic language filled the Magic Circle and hearing how his little brother's continued recitation on the other side, his patience grew thin.
"Goddammit, Adrian! Stop it!"
Did his brother have gone mad?!
The distance between the Refugee Camp and the Meadow entrance exceeded 1 kilometer!
This also implied that Adrian's Circle spanned more than 1 kilometer!
If he wasn't crazy, then what was the explanation for his behavior?
"Ian!! Stop it, you bastard!!"
Despite shouting at the top of his lungs, Nathaniel received no response from Adrian.
Nathaniel hastily glanced down when the magic circle beneath him shone brightly.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently.
—Drrrtttt!
The boy with black hair and the people around him quickly ducked down to avoid being thrown off balance by the earthquake.
// Cough, cough! //
"I-Ian!"
Nathaniel shouted, but this time his voice was laced with worry.
Before Nathaniel could resume his words, a thundering sound marked the end of the earthquake.
—Boom!
Moments later, a mighty gust of wind swept through the area, causing them to shield their eyes.
The moment they opened their eyes, the fog that previously shrouded the meadow was now clear.
However, the scene in the distance truly caught Nathaniel and the others off guard.
Countless bodies of Kearny soldiers being skewed were strewed as far as the eye could see, catching Nathaniel and the others off guard.
"Aarrrghhh!!"
"Heellppp!!"
"Urrgghh!!"
Kearny soldiers were scattered everywhere, running in disarray and lacking organization.
Despite their efforts to evade the barrage of earth spears, the Kearny soldiers' attempts were futile as they were impaled one by one on the earth palisade.
// Cough, cough! //
Recovering from his surprise, Nathaniel immediately asked him.
"I-Ian… are you okay?"
But Adrian's response caught him off guard.
// What are you—cough, cough, ugh, doing? Go kill them. //
"Huh?"
Nathaniel hesitated for a moment, but then he realized that Adrian was correct.
This was the ideal moment to vanquish their enemy.
Nathaniel turned to the Wyatt beside him and gave him a nod of agreement.
Without delay, Wyatt rose to his feet, unsheathed his sword, and let out a fierce battle cry.
"Charge!!!"
"Huaaa!!"
Heeding the order, the knights behind him swiftly drew their weapons and charged ahead.
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