Volume 7, Chapter 3 - Beyond Despair, Part 5
The enemy soldiers, with shields raised to block the arrows, drew their swords and rushed at Hiro.
In order to protect Hiro, the heavily armed infantry of his allies stepped forward, and a sword fight ensued.
The sound of metal rumbled violently, and sparks scattered in countless numbers.
Armor cracked, and fresh blood sprayed, and brain fluids sprayed up into the sky with a spectacular display. The yells were swallowed up by the screams, and the screams were crushed by the murderous intent.
The enemy cavalry, not wanting to be deprived of their achievements, began to charge before they could get into position. It was a mistake, a mishmash, and the enemy’s ranks completely collapsed.
“Let’s find the captain.”
Hiro smiled coldly and drew his black sword.
“Do not try to block my path.”
He cut down one of them with a single slash and moved forward. As if weaving through the enemy’s disordered ranks, he moved forward with light footsteps.
In the meantime, a large number of soldiers rushed under Hiro.
But ― it was all futile.
The spears that were thrust out were dodged, the battle axes that were swung down shattered the ground, and the swords that were slammed down only cut through the air. All that was left was a pile of corpses that had been cruelly killed.
The enemy soldiers were dismayed by his unconventional swordsmanship.
Hiro, standing on top of the puddle of blood, is not trying to do anything. He was just walking forward.
“Fear is hesitation, rage is stagnation, grief is suspension, elation is a burden.”
He told the approaching enemy, pierced their throats, and with the momentum of his turn, cut off their heads. The hem of his white robe, which had not received a single drop of blood, fluttered into the sky along with the fresh blood.
As if to intimidate them and urge them to give up, an overwhelming fierce technique unfolded.
“It is better to have only one emotion on the battlefield, whether it is fear, dread, anger, or sadness.”
“Goaa!”
As he stepped on a fallen enemy soldier, he shattered the helmet with the hilt of his black sword and told the others.
“There is no need to hesitate. The battlefield is not a place to relax, always keep your nerves sharp and slaughter the enemy.”
Hiro’s ruthless advice, and his clear intention to kill now, was unleashed on the enemy soldiers.
“Now ― eat the despair.”
The stabbing thrusts, the storm of fresh blood that dances in circles, the slashing that knows no bounds, the mass production of corpses, and the galloping across the battlefield in pursuit of new prey. No one has the courage to stop the brutal scene that is being shown to them.
The feeling of pressure was something that no ordinary person could resist or endure.
Eventually, the momentum of the enemy soldiers began to weaken. It was inevitable since they were not allowed to run away or move forward. It was the captain’s duty to break the stalemate.
“What are you doing? Attack, attack, attack, the enemy has left the gates open! They’re making you look like a fool, so what are you doing here?”
It was a bit awkward for a pep talk, and the voice was not tense nor of a quality that would raise morale.
The person shouting on the horse is dressed in flashy armor and has a jeweled sword raised to the sky. Looking at the well-groomed coat of his horse, it was not hard to imagine that he was the captain of the second line.
“There you are.”
Hiro let out a cruel smile and swayed his body.
The enemy soldiers on the front line were already possessed by fear. They only pointed their trembling sword tips at Hiro.
Hiro started to run across the battlefield with vigor. He ran at full speed, caressing and slashing the heads of the enemies who foolishly turned on him.
There was only one target: the enemy captain who was shouting in front of him.
When the enemy captain recognized the protruding figure of Hiro, his mouth tore into a smile of joy.
“My name is…”
The enemy captain was about to say his name, but
“No, you don’t have to tell me. Your fate is already in my hands.”
The surrounding guards attacked to protect their lord.
Kicking at the ground, Hiro leaped. As he drew an arc in the sky, he cut off two heads of enemy soldiers, and as his feet touched the ground, he picked up a discarded sword and threw it, slicing off the arm of one of the enemy soldiers who was shaking in surprise, and cutting off the head of the one who was trying to counterattack under a single slash.
In the blink of an eye, Hiro beat his fist into the face of the captain who had lost his escort and was panicking on his horse.
“Fuh.”
The enemy captain, whose consciousness was cut off, could not maintain his balance and fell to the ground.
Hiro grabbed him by his neck and let out a sigh of relief as he threatened the soldiers of the Six Kingdoms who crowded around him.
“Do you want to do it?”
There were so many gaps, so much weakness that if they fired their arrows, thrust their spears, or swung their swords, Hiro’s slender body would be torn to pieces. And yet, the enemy soldiers could not move.
It’s because the spirit that radiated from his slender body surged through the air, and the golden eyes that shone from the depths of his mask exuded an inexplicable sense of intimidation.
“Your captain, I’m taking him as a prisoner, now what are you going to do?”
There was no one who could say yes or no when asked that question. When someone insults you, your pride as a warrior will not allow you to run away.
No matter how powerful the enemy is, the enemy soldiers have the will to fight in their eyes.
“Return Weike-sama!”
The enemy soldiers rushed forward, blowing away their fears with their shouts.
Taking the captain called Weike as a hostage, Hiro had the option of returning to the fort, but he wanted to bury the spirit of the enemy soldiers. They deserved praise for not abandoning their captain and running away, even if it meant death.
“Let me show you what despair is.”
With a stroke of the mask, a gust of wind blew, the white robe danced gently, and the figures on the ground began to dance freely. The sticking sound struck the earlobe, and the scream was launched into the sky. The screams, driven to the brink of death, are mercilessly extinguished with the light of life in front of a single man.
There is no way to block his march.
The very act of blocking his way was reckless, and he was reamed out with overwhelming force, like a divine judgment.
The only thing that matters is that he walks, and that is all that is needed to create a path.
By the time Hiro reached the fort entrance, the captain in his hands was stained red with blood. Yet Hiro’s white coat was not even dusty, and his eerie mask showed no signs of having been exposed to any blood.
The soldiers of the Levering Kingdom who greeted him were in awe.
The expression on the faces of the soldiers of the Six Kingdoms who were rushing to Hiro’s back was also dominated by fear, and with tearful faces, they were closing in to get their captain back.
But mercilessly, their pleas went unheeded.
They were killed one after another by arrows fired from the breastworks.
Hiro told the Levering soldiers to fall back and pointed the tip of his black sword at the flag bearer.
With a screeching sound, the gates closed with furious force.
A fierce whirlwind blew through the courtyard.
In front of the closed gates, the stunned figures of the enemy soldiers paled as if they had checked behind them and realized that the gates were closed.
“I want you to capture them. If they resist, I don’t mind if you kill them.”
Hiro instructed, and the Levering soldiers started capturing the trapped enemy soldiers.
There was no resistance.
When Hiro looked behind him over his shoulder, he saw an enemy soldier who had given up his weapon, kneeling on the ground.
After handing over the captured enemy captain to his allies, Hiro approached Claudia, who was sipping tea in the shade of a tree.
“How can you be drinking tea under such circumstances?”
“Would you like a cup of tea, Hiro-sama?”
In the midst of a courtyard littered with the bodies of the dead, some burned to death, others with arrows through their heads, and others with five or six organs scattered about, the corpses of friend and foe filled the ground, and a sliver of pleasure passed over her elegantly smiling face.
She is either a thick-skinned woman, or she is suppressing her emotions; if it is the latter, she may be cute, but if it is the former, she lacks human emotions.
“That’s right. I’m thirsty from all the running, so I think I will have a drink.”
When Hiro sat down nearby, she quietly began to prepare a cup of tea.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“Hmm, I’m thinking about it…”
From now on, the enemy’s attacks will be less elaborate. The people’s morale is very low because of the trap, and the commander will make them retreat once to encourage them.
“I see… Let’s hope for the best.”
Claudia pours tea into a silver cup, perhaps to prove that it is not poisoned.
Then, a messenger appeared at her side.
“The Six Kingdoms have begun withdrawing their troops.”
“I see, there is still time, but it seems they have given up for today.”
The sun was still pointing towards mid-heaven when the time came.
The shouts of victory from the Levering soldiers began to rise in various parts of Fort Tullus. It was only natural since they had defeated 20,000 attackers with only 1,000.
However, if looking at the battle situation calmly, they were still surrounded on all sides, and not a single rat could escape.
The gap in strength hadn’t narrowed either. The enemy still had more than 15,000 troops.
“I’m sorry to say that we are back to where we started, but I have some unfortunate news to share with you.”
After offering Hiro a cup of tea, Claudia sighed.
“It’s a shame that we’re back to the beginning. Shall I call in the troops we have waiting in the rear?”
The first battle was won, but with little food reserves, a long siege was impossible.
There is a limit to how long they can continue to fight on morale alone.
There are only 1,000 of them, and depending on how many were injured in the first battle, their strength will drop drastically.
It doesn’t take much thought to realize that they won’t be able to withstand the battles of tomorrow and the next day.
“We have no rations. No food, no soldiers. All we have are our feelings…?”
As he quietly sipped his tea, the steam flickering in the air, Hiro’s left eye bled a light of sorrow.
“There is no other option; let’s end the war today.”
After being beaten at will by a mere 1,000 men, the enemy had to back down even further.
The morale of the Six Kingdoms would be at a low ebb. Inevitably, they will turn to their commanders to vent their frustrations.
If dissatisfaction is concentrated on the commanders who were led astray by the enemy’s schemes, their superiors are likely to vent their anger on the soldiers. They will call him soft and weak for not being able to take down the vulnerable fort despite the overwhelming difference in troop strength. The end result of this exchange of vituperation would be a rupture and discord.
If that happens, no matter how many people they have, they will be a bunch of crows. But for now, the situation is still barely connected, and that one thin rope must be broken.
In order to do that, it will be necessary to discourage the mind.
“I will wait for the night and release the soldiers we have just captured.”
Hiro gazed at the courtyard, which was dominated by the stench of death, mixed with the smell of blood.
Eventually, his golden eyes caught sight of the soldiers of the Six Kingdoms sitting by the wall.
“I think we should blindfold the prisoners over there until we release them and dispose of about twenty of them.”
Hiro’s lips moistened like a snake lurking in the dark, and he spoke of fierce punishment fiercely and boldly.
Claudia was not perplexed to see Hiro in such a state but turned her eerie gaze on him. Eventually, she closed her eyes and showed signs of thinking, but an unconcealed joy appeared on the edge of her mouth.
“I will do everything as you wish.”
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