Chapter 200
Gehog started panicking at Joshua’s incomprehensible words, and he shrieked as he shouted, “Eek! The enemy is alone! Everyone, protect me!”
Two hundred knights belonging to Gehog’s protective cordon quickly moved to protect their commander.
“Stand fast! This coward managed to trick Sir Wright, but we are the knights of Marquis Crombell!”
“It’s two hundred against one! Don’t let the exaggerated rumors scare you!”
“Archers! On my mark!”
Joshua was quickly surrounded by knights clad in full plate armor. The tensed breathing of the knights inundated the air, and behind them were archers ready to fire their arrows at a moment’s notice.
This was a battle between one against many. In addition, the many enemies were humans who could be considered high-level knights. Even Joshua had never gone through something like this before.
“I’ll give you a chance,” said Joshua.
“What?”
Joshua swung Lugia a few times before continuing. “Choosing the wrong lord to serve is a fatal decision to make, especially if you intend to serve him for the rest of your lives.”
“Huh?”
“Turning a blind eye to wrongdoings is a sin. Even if you didn’t know the first time, you can’t claim innocence the second time.” Joshua stared at them with burning eyes before saying, “I’ll give you a chance. There’s no saving that boy, but any of you can back out now if you wish.”
“This bastard…!” The lieutenant gnashed his teeth. The way Joshua treated his proud knights angered him. “He’s young, but he’s a Master! Use as much mana as you can and prepare for battle!”
At the lieutenant’s shout, the knights pointed their swords at Joshua. When he saw that, Joshua knew that he wouldn’t feel any guilt once he was done and over with them.
“Since you have already decided…” Joshua pointed the spearhead at the knights in front of him and started mustering his mana. “There’s only one thing I need to do right now, and it’s the only way to erase the numbers disadvantage that I have…”
The air shook like it was being torn apart, and the knights staggered backward at Joshua’s power surge.
“The Primordial Stones were originally one. Therefore, it should be possible to use Magma’s Annihilation and Bronto’s Growth at the same time.” On the tips of Lugia’s spearheads, a ball of fire and a ball of lightning appeared.
‘A joint attack of Bronto and Magma…’
Joshua’s strength had grown greatly, but he still hadn’t tried to incorporate something new into his arsenal. It was all because he still hadn’t met an opponent who could stand up to his techniques and spear arts.
Unfortunately, he was bound to become stagnant like stagnant water if he didn’t continuously improve himself. Eventually, someone strong than him would come and cut him down.
“Attack!” The lieutenant yelled, and the mana of the two hundred knights surged like a tide. The knights brandished their swords as if shaking off their fear, and they simultaneously attacked, making it look like a rain of swords was falling on Joshua.
“Let’s go!” Joshua narrowly escaped a sword attack. However, Lugia was already moving. In fact, it was spinning. It left vivid red streaks in the air as it flew like a meteor, and its impact was just as powerful as a meteor.
There was a flash. The explosive flames of annihilation burned the sinners down, and the lightning turned everything that was left into ashes. It was a cataclysmic power that was strong enough to make even the heavens cry.
It was an improved version of Thunderstorm, the Second Form of the Magic Spear Arts. Rather than just Thunderstorm, it was more appropriate for it to be called Fiery Thunderstorm.
The meteor called Lugia finally descended, eliciting a catastrophic explosion that took everyone’s breath away.
***
“...”
Count Keiros's hands went back to where they were as he relaxed. The archers holding their bowstrings relaxed as well, and it seemed as if they had forgotten what they were supposed to do here as they stared at the ongoing fight.
The chaos of the war could no longer reach the castle walls, and nothing could be heard but silence.
A hundred knights clad in black against an army of five thousand. For some inexplicable reason, a hundred knights were successfully pushing back the army of five thousand men.
“Ah!” a knight let out a final tragic cry as his head went flying.
“Argh!” another knight let out a horrible scream as his own horse crushed him to death.
The troops and knights who were suffering only belonged to Marquis Crombell. The front line couldn’t move because of an A-Class knight causing trouble, while the rear of the army was being dismantled by a group of skilled men in black.
No one had any idea where these men had come from. The chain of command in Marquis Crombell’s army was falling apart, while the young man with navy blue hair seemed to be able to command his knights clad in black without saying anything.
In addition, his landslide victory against five hundred knights left a deep mark on everyone’s mind.
“T-the God of War…? Is the God of War?” a soldier of the Pontier Family muttered.
The young man wasn’t brandishing his spear anymore, but the knights in front of him were already running away. In the eyes of the distant spectators, it was somewhat understandable because the young man’s crimson spear was giving off this peculiar pressure. The lightning that occasionally crackled on its shaft was terrifying as well.
Right now, the young man truly looked like the God of War.
The climax of the war was certainly something to behold.
“Aaah!”
The soldiers of the Pontier Family started screaming and were forced to take cover as they were showered by the mud and dirt thrown up by Lugia’s descent. When they finally opened their tightly shut eyes, they stared agape at the aftermath.
In the epicenter of the blast, there was only one man left standing.
“Joshua Sanders...” Charles muttered.
“...!” The soldiers took in Charles’ words, and they became filled with this inexplicable feeling.
The descendant of the Titan of Avalon, the youngest Master of the continent, and the newest living legend. Joshua had truly become more popular than nobles or even the Imperial family, especially among the soldiers present here.
Joshua Sanders.
His name was etched on soldiers’ hearts. Naturally, the impact that his attack had on the soldiers of the Pontier Family was huge.
“Wow…!”
“The pride of Avalon is with us!”
“Let’s go! Follow the God of War!”
“We can do this!”
Count Keiros couldn’t help but clench his fists at the soldiers’ cheers. He wasn’t the only one. Those on the castle walls felt their hearts swell with emotion.
Count Keiros could barely keep his emotions in check as he amplified his voice with mana and shouted, “Help the God of War!”
“Let’s gooo!”
The gates of Peril Castle were shut, but it finally opened and spat a deluge of soldiers from the Pontier Family.
Joshua had unknowingly received another moniker.
***
“Ugh… Haak…!”
“...” Joshua stared up ahead of him without saying anything.
He was staring at a young man desperately gasping for air while dragging himself across the ground. The young man’s clothes were torn and scorched, and his face was also burned beyond recognition.
“You really wasted your life.”
“Please… save me…”
“It’s rare that someone’s willing to sacrifice his own life for his superior’s.” Joshua looked down at the charcoal husk of Gehog’s lieutenant. If he hadn’t thrown himself in the way at the last moment, Gehog would have been fatally wounded.
Where was his blind devotion coming from?
Needless to say, the rest of the Crombell knights were no better off. It was hell on earth. Joshua had to avert his eyes from the grisly scene. He looked at the man crawling on the ground and raised his eyebrows.
“There’s no point to this battle anymore,” said Joshua.
He lifted Lugia high into the air and slammed it into the earth, sending a tremor through the battlefield. The knights who were still alive could only stare at what he had done in disbelief.
Just how much force had he used to slam the spear into the ground that his move actually created a tremor that rocked the battlefield?
“I-I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”
“God… he’s a god…!”
“He’s not human! How are we supposed to beat someone like him?”
The troops of Marquis Crombell lost their fighting spirit, and they lost grip of their weapons in fear. Yes, fear. They were fearful of a certain someone. Unfortunately, fear was like a virus on the battlefield, and it quickly spread through the plains.
One by one, the troops of Marquis Crombell threw their weapons to the ground, and eventually, the troops of the Pontier Family were the only ones left standing on the battlefield.
“They have surrendered. Take care of them as you see fit,” muttered Joshua.
His faint voice was carried across the battlefield by the wind. Fear, hopelessness, awe, and reverence—his words elicited many different emotions from the many bevies of people on the battlefield.
“We’ve won…” Joshua’s voice was low, but it reached everyone’s ears upon being amplified by mana.
***
Meanwhile, in the deepest, darkest, forbidden depths of Count Rebrecca’s territory, the ground was shaking as a bestial roar of uncompressed rage swept through the place.
The beast had once heard that humans were forgetful animals. It wasn’t sure if it had actually forgotten where it heard that or if it knew and simply didn’t care enough to recover the memory.
Right now, all it cared about was punishing the insects who had awoken it from its long slumber.
‘You came into the realm. You broke your word, so Britten’s descendants will pay.’
Grrr!
.
An angry growl reverberated throughout the densely packed trees of the Black Monster Forest.
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