“Hehehe...”
The priest of the Salvation Order wiped the blood off his face and grinned. Surrounding him were countless corpses of soldiers.
“Puhaha! I didn’t expect them to be this weak. Isn’t this just too easy?”
The priest’s name was Flakus. Once, he served as an advisor and healer to Ruthania’s former king, Berhem.
When Ghislain captured the capital, Flakus fled in disgrace and joined the Atrode forces.
Now, the corps he was part of had ambushed and crushed one of the Allied Forces’ units during their march.
Clank, clank, clank.
Count Poleno, the commander of the 5th Corps, approached in his armor.
“Well done. We’re preparing to move to the next location.”
“Oh-ho! And where are we headed this time?”
“For now, we’ll wait at the designated location. We need to gather information. The enemy has likely received word of our ambush, so they’ll start moving differently.”
By now, the enemy would surely realize there was a leak in their ranks. They would eliminate the traitor and draft a new strategy, and so the Atrode forces had to adapt as well.
Flakus chuckled.
“Kekeke, but it doesn’t matter. As long as they’re not the Ruthania army, they’re nothing.”
“True, but before we face the Ruthania forces, we need to steadily thin out the Allied Forces.”
“Of course, of course. Once the Allied Forces are wiped out, what can Ruthania’s army do alone?”
Flakus scoffed at the Ruthania forces, but deep down, he knew the truth.
The top priority order given to all their corps was to avoid direct conflict with the Ruthania army at all costs.
The ultimate goal of this strategy was to eliminate the Allied Forces and isolate Ruthania’s army. Fighting such a powerful opponent prematurely would only cause unnecessary losses.
Flakus continued to belittle them, as if trying to erase the memory of his humiliating escape.
“Most of their soldiers were originally part of the kingdom’s regular army. A ragtag bunch of survivors who just got lucky and decided to follow the Duke of Fenris. They’re just numbers—nothing more. I can’t wait to put them in their place.”
“Haha, is that so? Well, we have nothing to worry about with a transcendent priest like you on our side.”
Count Poleno smiled, letting Flakus ramble. After all, they weren’t planning to engage the Ruthania army directly.
In reality, the Atrode forces already knew where Ruthania’s army was positioned, and they were actively avoiding that area.
Another voice interrupted their conversation.
“It’s a bit disappointing, though. So many of them managed to escape.”
The speaker was Count Srouke, commander of Atrode’s 6th Corps.
The Atrode forces operated in pairs, with two corps moving in coordination at a set distance apart.
Their strategy was to quickly surround and ambush the Allied Forces, using close communication and coordinated attacks.
Count Poleno nodded in agreement.
“Yes. They lacked resolve more than I expected.”
Although they had won the battle, they had failed to annihilate the enemy. As soon as the tide turned against them, more than half the Allied Forces had scattered and fled.
They had been tempted to pursue, but patience prevailed. A reckless chase could have jeopardized the larger strategy.
Count Poleno clicked his tongue and said:
“For now, we must be satisfied with this.”
“They’re nothing without the Ruthania forces. They’re like pigs—plentiful but useless.”
It was disappointing that they hadn’t achieved total annihilation, but to achieve their larger goal, they couldn’t afford to get bogged down by small setbacks.
Simply wearing down the Allied Forces’ strength and morale would be enough to ensure success.
The Atrode commanders had the skill and patience to carry this out.
Mounting his horse, Count Poleno said:
“Let’s move out. The enemy will start expanding their reconnaissance range.”
“Agreed. We’ll disperse and prepare for the next operation. I’ll have the infantry wait at the designated location.”
“We’ll do the same.”
Although the Atrode forces split into several corps, each corps still numbered between 20,000 and 30,000, making them formidable on their own.
However, more than half of their forces consisted of infantry, limiting their mobility.
Thus, only about 5,000 to 10,000 cavalry were actively moving from each corps.
The infantry, meanwhile, dug traps, set up temporary defenses, and supported the cavalry.
For the Atrode forces, infantry were expendable. Their real strength lay in their mobility and surprise attacks led by their transcendent elites.
Count Srouke also mounted his horse and added:
“We can no longer procure food in the nearby areas. We’ll have to extend our range.”
To maintain their speed, they had only brought dry rations. Naturally, their food supplies were running low.
So the army had split up to pillage food from various locations. This also served to confuse the Allied Forces and disrupt their information gathering.
Count Poleno raised his hand in farewell to Count Srouke.
“Understood. Move carefully. I’ll contact you again soon. The other corps will report in shortly.”
The Atrode forces’ other corps were targeting the Allied Forces moving along Ghislain’s supply route.
It was a complicated and challenging strategy, but the Atrode commanders had the capability to execute it.
The relatively slow pace of the Allied Forces was another reason the Atrode commanders were so confident of victory.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The 5th and 6th Corps of the Atrode army swiftly departed, ready to gather new information and set their next target.
Elsewhere, the other Atrode corps were operating similarly. Another Allied unit had already fallen.
From the perspective of the Allied Forces, the Atrode army seemed to be moving at an incredible speed.
This was partly due to the Atrode forces’ deliberate attempts to disrupt the Allied Forces’ reconnaissance and communication. However, the main reason was the information provided by the traitor, who allowed them to set traps in advance.
And at that moment, the traitor sat in his tent at the Allied camp, deep in thought.
“Hm... Moving to another stronghold, huh? Is this a trap?”
The Duke of Fenris had issued a new order. It seemed they suspected a leak, so the order was to secretly link up with other units.
The instructions also said to avoid informing any subordinates, commanders, or knights of the movement.
“If you look at it this way, it seems like they haven’t fully caught on yet...”
The detailed strategy outlined steps to close the distance with nearby units until reinforcements arrived.
It also mentioned that the Duke of Fenris and Julien had begun their pursuit of the enemy.
“They still haven’t pinpointed me.”
After all, a traitor didn’t have to be a corps commander. Lower-ranked officers, knights, or even ordinary soldiers could also act as spies.
In fact, some of his own subordinates were assisting him in his betrayal.
The Duke of Fenris likely hadn’t identified the traitor yet, so he issued such ambiguous orders.
“Good. I can’t miss this opportunity.”
If the Allied units linked up, the Atrode forces would lose their chance. Right now, while the enemy was on the move, was the perfect moment to strike.
The traitor discreetly summoned his loyal aides and relayed the information.
Soon, under the guise of a reconnaissance team, additional forces slipped away from the Allied camp.
***
Count Deproden, the commander of Atrode’s 9th Corps, was speaking with a knight deep within a dark forest.
“So, they’re moving to another stronghold?”
“Yes, two of their corps have been attacked, and new orders were issued.”
“What about the Ruthania main force?”
“They remain unchanged. They’re still guarding their supply lines and strongholds.”
Count Deproden paused, deep in thought, before asking again.
“And the Duke of Fenris and Turian’s prince—are they on the move?”
“Yes. Both have begun pursuit. Likely toward the direction where we struck.”
“Hm, I see. That’s where the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Corps are, so... we won’t encounter them. Contact the 10th Corps; we’ll target the moving Allied forces.”
“Then I’ll take my leave now. I must return quickly under the pretense of reconnaissance.”
“Where are you headed?”
The knight pulled out a map and pointed to a location.
“We’ve been ordered to move here. We’ll travel as slowly as possible, so you must strike before we arrive.”
“Understood. I’ll have our scouts mark the next rendezvous location. Be sure to look for the signals we leave.”
“I will.”
As the knight departed, Count Deproden mounted his horse and gave his orders.
“Advance at full speed. Have the infantry march through the night to catch up. Establish a blockade near the target point to prepare for pursuit.”
The 9th Corps of the Atrode army began to move. Their target was the Allied forces currently on the march.
Originally, their plan was to block Ghislain’s baited supply route and ambush additional reinforcements. However, the rerouted Allied unit was closer, so they decided to strike there first.
As they traveled, Count Deproden double-checked the enemy’s information.
“Marquis Gideon of the Turian Kingdom. About 40,000 troops. With Turian’s prince absent, this should be manageable.”
Although the Atrode forces had fewer soldiers, it didn’t matter. The cavalry of the 10th Corps would soon join them, and their transcendent elites alone outnumbered those on the enemy side.
It was also confirmed that Ruthania’s main force had yet to move. Against an Allied army lacking transcendent warriors, victory in the open field was certain.
“Move quickly! We need to strike before they reach their stronghold!”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The 9th Corps of the Atrode army charged forward without rest.
Charging openly like this increased the likelihood of being spotted by enemy scouts, but it didn’t matter. They simply needed to strike quickly and withdraw before the enemy could react.
After marching nonstop for a day, they arrived at a small forest near the target location.
“Scout the area. The enemy will pass through here soon. Contact the 10th Corps as well.”
The scouts of the 9th Corps spread out in all directions. Since they already knew the Allied forces’ route, locating them wouldn’t be difficult.
The next day, the scouts returned with news.
“We’ve found the enemy. They’re moving slowly.”
“And the 10th Corps?”
“They’re farther away than expected due to the lack of suitable cover in the area. They said they’ll proceed ahead.”
“Good. We’ll move now.”
Count Deproden immediately led his forces out of the forest. They had rested enough during the search for the enemy.
By blocking the road, they would force the enemy to stop, and the 10th Corps would arrive soon after.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The 9th Corps charged with unrelenting momentum. Before long, the Allied forces came into view.
A wide grin spread across Count Deproden’s face.
“You fools, this is your grave.”
Knowing the enemy’s exact path gave them a tremendous advantage.
The only unfortunate part was that they couldn’t exploit this forever. Once the Allied forces were hit again, they would move more cautiously.
But by then, their overall strength would have been significantly reduced.
“Block their path!”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The Atrode forces cut off the enemy’s path. However, they did not attack immediately. They had to wait for the 10th Corps to arrive.
Most of the Allied forces consisted of infantry, and there was no way they could outrun cavalry. They had no choice but to adopt a defensive formation.
Count Deproden sneered as he watched them prepare for battle.
“Do you think you can fight because you outnumber us? You’ll regret not running when you had the chance.”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
As they held their position, the 10th Corps appeared on the enemy’s flank. Now, all they had to do was charge and crush the Allied forces.
Count Deproden turned to the two priests beside him.
“Break their formation first. We’ll follow right after. I’ve confirmed they have no transcendent warriors.”
Transcendent warriors were rare—most kingdoms only had one or two at best. Naturally, the transcendent elites of the Allied forces were guarding their kings.
Meanwhile, the Atrode army had enough transcendent warriors to deploy at least one per corps, even if they were not perfect.
This, combined with the commanders’ skill, was what allowed them to defeat larger enemy forces.
The two priests nodded and stepped forward willingly.
Fwoosh!
As the priests moved into position, two more priests emerged from the 10th Corps’ side.
The battle was about to begin.
Count Deproden raised his hand and roared:
“Everyone! Charge!”
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“Waaaaahhh!”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The cavalry of the 9th and 10th Corps thundered forward in unison, prepared to annihilate the enemy with overwhelming force.
However, as Count Deproden watched, a strange feeling began to gnaw at him.
They’re... too calm.
Something about the Allied forces felt different. They showed no signs of fear. Their demeanor didn’t match that of soldiers who knew they were about to be overrun.
Simply having more troops shouldn’t have made them this calm. After all, the Allied forces had always been crushed by the Salvation Order’s transcendent elites in previous battles.
Especially the Turian Kingdom—until Julien appeared, they had struggled against rebel forces. Marquis Gideon, who hailed from there, couldn’t possibly be ignorant of the Salvation Order’s strength.
Furthermore, according to the traitor’s information, Julien wasn’t even present.
Count Deproden narrowed his eyes.
Did serving under the Duke of Fenris make them overconfident? Arrogant fools.
Whatever their misplaced confidence, another defeat would surely remind them of the fear they’d forgotten.
The priests at the front shared his thoughts.
Do they think mere soldiers can stop us?
The enemy troops raised their shields and formed ranks. Unlike the soldiers they’d faced before, these ones seemed unusually solid.
Moreover, the soldiers in the front lines were all clad in armor—far more organized than typical infantry.
But the priests were confident. Once they dove into the ranks and swung their weapons, the formation would crumble like always.
It had always been that way before.
At least, that’s what they thought.
BOOM!
A massive figure erupted from the enemy lines.
A woman with a towering build—easily larger than most men—and wielding an enormous mace emerged.
The ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) priests hesitated. Someone who shouldn’t have been here had appeared.
“This... this army... no, it can’t be...”
The priests’ eyes widened in shock. The woman’s cold, fierce smile sent a chill down their spines.
The Saintess of War, Parniel, spoke, her voice dripping with icy contempt.
“So, there really was a traitor. Then again, since you were never on our side to begin with, ‘traitor’ might be the wrong word.”
In an instant, she closed the distance to the priests and swung her colossal mace.
“Huh?!”
One of the priests instinctively raised his arms to block the attack.
Those who faced Parniel for the first time all reacted the same way. None of them had ever experienced her strength firsthand.
BOOOOOM!
“Guaaahhh!”
Crack!
The priest’s arms bent grotesquely as they shattered under the impact.