Chapter 273: Karul Plains (4)

Kwaaaaaaah-!

A burning beam erased everything in its path as it pierced through to the center of the imperial camp. The ultra high temperature light burned through the walls of the barracks, as well as the soldiers, destroying everything in its path.

It wouldn’t be strange for it to have a piercing sound, but surprisingly, the noise wasn’t very loud. The magicians paled as they figured out the reason.

It can’t be...

The power is beyond explosions!

An explosion was the sudden expansion of materials due to high temperature and energy. However, Theo’s magic destroyed the material before it even expanded. It didn’t seem that strong, yet it contained ten times the firepower of a large explosion...

As such, it was natural that even the titanium barrier couldn’t withstand it. The degree of the titanium’s purity couldn’t neutralize the spell, but even if it could, it was impossible for it to block the heat that arose from the spell.

Perhaps the capital of the empire, Belfort, which had six-story-high walls with a high purity of titanium, would withstand it. However, this destructive force couldn’t be endured by a roughly made field barrier.

“Now! Deal the second blow before the enemy reforms their ranks!”

At the sound of Theo’s voice, the magicians awoke from their trance.

“F-Flare Burst!”

“Thunderbolt that tears the clouds! Thunder Calling!”

“Withdraw after hitting, Gust Impact!”

Pillars of fire, lightning, and wind fell on various areas of the empire’s camp. The firepower was minuscule compared to Theo’s spell, but it was enough to wreck the camp. Even if they avoided a direct hit, the radiant heat was enough to kill aura users. The Andras soldiers didn’t even know what was killing them.

This was the true value of war magicians in an army! They deployed a level of firepower that could destroy a solidly built barrier and eradicate all the troops and facilities… This was the strength of a magician on the battlefield.

At first glance, it seemed like there was not a single survivor.

... No, there are still a few who live.

Theo’s eyes narrowed as he looked through the flames and heat haze. Hawkeye, the vision spell Theo had learned from an artifact a long time ago, penetrated right through the flames. At that moment, eight knights burst through the flames as well. They didn’t care about their charred skin and melted armor as they roared angrily.

“You—aaaaack!”

“Dieeeeee!”

Wonderful.?

Theo brought his arms up as he admired their fighting spirit. One of them was an expert level aura user, and Theo would have had to be careful if he was uninjured. However, this knight was already dead. His arms and legs were being held together by aura alone, and his eyes and lungs were burned by the heat which couldn’t be blocked with aura. Even if Theo didn’t do anything, the knight would die in a minute.

“I’ll send you off together.”

However, Theo didn’t back down. His robe flapped as he stepped forward and greeted the knights. It was a mistake as a magician, but it was right for the successor of the Fairy Dance.

A blue aura blade came at him from one of the knights.

An upper right diagonal slash.

Theo deflected the sword with his left hand and pierced through the exposed gap with his right hand. The ether reinforced fist had already reached the point where it could kill an aura user. Moreover, these enemies were on the verge of death from the magical bombardment. The blow scattered the knight’s unstable aura, causing his ribs to break and his heart to be crushed.

Oh, he’s aiming for my philtrum.

Theo dodged the second knight’s sword, which was aimed at his philtrum, by half an inch. He lashed out with a counterblow at the knight’s neck. The blow crushed the relatively thin armor and shattered the knight’s spine.

Even the most persistent undead couldn’t keep moving with a broken cervical vertebrae.

Kwaduduk!

As the second knight collapsed, Theo lunged forward, burying his knee in the third knight’s stomach. It was a robust strike aimed not just at a vital point, but also targeting the opponent’s internal organs. Theo used the body of the third knight as a shield and as he sent a transparent blade whistling through the air at the other two hesitant knights.

This was Lee Yoonsung’s special magic ether, which acted as his substitute for aura. When it imitated the shape of a blade, it exerted the same cutting force as aura. It didn’t take long for the remaining three enemies to fall.

As the expert knight lay in a puddle of his blood, he muttered with his dying breath, “... C-Curse, M... Mel... tor...”

The knight’s movements stilled as the light in his eyes faded. Theo looked down at the bodies with a blank expression, letting out a long sigh before lowering his arms.

Cursed magicians...

He looked up and saw the devastated camp. It no longer sounded like a human habitation, as fire roared and crackled happily.

“... This is war.”

It wasn’t to survive or practice. Theo's power was only used to kill the enemy. In this brief clash, Theo had killed at least a hundred people. He didn’t know who had been in the camp, but they had clearly had enough people to hold the canyon.

Above all, the scary thing was Theo’s state in which he hadn’t even realized he was exterminating them.

“Theo—Ah. No, Captain?”

He turned to her. “Sylvia?”

“Please give us our orders. Everybody is waiting for you.”

When Theo saw that his squad members were staring at him, he nodded. He could struggle with this after they returned. Right now, he had to follow his strategy without a single mistake.

“We will withdraw.”

Turning back as soon as they struck such a large blow?

Theo explained to the puzzled members, “We have done this much, so Andras will send reinforcements from nearby. The watchtowers and snipers have been taken care of, so they won’t be able to grasp our location. Instead, the pursuers will follow Para and William.”

As such, Theo’s group would hunt their pursuers and reverse the situation.

“Anyway, the eastern canyon isn’t an important place for the Empire. If we venture too far into enemy territory, we will only get surrounded. We should aim for a certain victory rather than risk our lives with an uncertain achievement.”

Alfred had always fought from a disadvantageous situation where one defeat would lead to the destruction of his kingdom. So he had learned the hard way when to step back. Other people might not agree with this idea, but Theo had inherited Alfred’s experience.

Theo grabbed the badge on his chest and poured magic power into it.

[William, Para. Report on your progress.]

It was the communication spell given to all Quattro members. It seemed the Yellow Tower Master’s work was particularly good, since this artifact boasted an excellent performance on the Karul Plains. When he heard back from the two, Theo turned his back on the destruction.

It seemed he needed to rush a little.

***

At that time, the Andras Empire’s forces in the eastern canyon had been alerted. They had received a report that a base on the outskirts had been attacked. It was assumed that they had been wiped out since all contact had ended without even a beacon being lit. Despite the many times they had been defeated in this canyon, Meltor had seemingly embarked on a bold preemptive attack!

General Torbell thought it was ridiculous. “Sir Amel! Have you gotten in contact with the watchtowers yet?”

A knight came running urgently and reported to the fifty year old general.

“I sent a signal ten times, but there was no reply! Perhaps the enemy has intervened.”

If they didn’t want to get lost in this narrow canyon, they needed a precise map or directions from the watchtowers built at the top of the canyon. However, the closer they got to the attacked camp, the less the watchtowers replied, and they had gone completely silent now.

“Damn Meltor bastards... They sure are doing it properly.”

The battle for the eastern canyon had been going on for nearly a hundred years, so Andras hadn’t had the slightest sense of caution. They hadn’t thought they would be struck so severely this time. It was a good blow. He had to admit it.

At that moment, the knight in the lead called out, “General! The road is blocked!”

“What?” General Torbell looked at the map, but a path was clearly drawn.

Had the mapmaker made a mistake when drawing the map?

Just as Torbell was thinking of finding and punishing him severely, a knight said, “General! Thirty minutes ago, I received a report from a patrol. Landslides have blocked a few of the roads, so a new map needs to be created...”

“Fool! You should’ve told me sooner!”

The furious Torbell decided to advance, so he told the knights to find a detour. Fortunately, the knight in charge of patrolling had an excellent memory, and he remembered the changed geography. It might be a longer path, but they were moving quickly enough.

They would arrive at the camp in ten minutes.

Kururung!

... if things had gone as anticipated.

“No, a landslide!”

The empire’s elite knights were surprised by the sudden collapse of a cliff above them, but they deftly switched to a defensive formation. If aura users gathered all in one place like this, it would turn into an impenetrable fortress.

“All members! Be prepared for impact!”

“People with shields, hurry up and raise them!”

The knights raised large shields over their heads to block the soil and sand that was tumbling down the cliff with enough weight to smash the human body into smithereens.

Kurururung! Puhak!?

The landslide swept over them as the earth shook.

Then a knight pulled himself out of the landslide. Dozens of knights followed suit like surfacing moles. Anybody familiar with landslides would be impressed by their robust bodies.

In the meantime, General Torbell kept calm.

“Those people!”

He could see faint figures at the end of the path. A real landslide wouldn’t have been as light as this one had been. Clearly, it had been artificially created, which was why the knights had survived. Of course, most of the horses had died, but they were just a way to save stamina.

“All members, chase those rats!”

They weren’t wearing lightweight plate armor, but they were knights of the Empire. They didn’t deserve to stand on the battlefield if they were going to be held back by their armor. The knights raced up the steep slope and chased after the fleeing enemies. As they followed in hot pursuit, they saw the ruins of the watchtowers and the fallen snipers.

This canyon was supposed to be their territory. The Andras knights’ pride wouldn’t allow them to leave magicians wandering around freely like this, so they followed the enemies wearing robes of an unknown affiliation. The magicians were just close enough that the knights could catch up if they overdid it a little with aura. Torbell rushed ahead as the knights used aura on their legs.

Kwakwakwak!

The sight of dozens of knights knocking boulders out of the way with their heavy armor was terrifying as they started catching up to the magicians. Of course, the magicians didn’t make it easy as they triggered traps under the feet of the knights.

“Tch, these little tricks!”

“Fight like men!”

The booing didn’t stop the magicians. The knights eventually broke through the traps and kept chasing after them, while the magicians deployed more traps. It seemed like this cycle would last forever as the magicians fled.

However, that was only true if one didn’t take fatigue into consideration. Unlike Meltor’s troops, who had to consume magic power and stamina to move, the knights were in far better condition.

As such, it didn’t take long for William’s unit to be surrounded.

“Ah, I got caught.”

Ignoring William’s quiet mutter, General Torbell drew his sword.

“These people! Daring to strike at Andras’ dignity... You won’t die easily!”

William seemed oddly calm. “Well, I wonder if that is really the case?”

Torbell exclaimed, “How ridiculous!”

The empire was strong. They would be able to recover from this much damage in an instant.

A red aura started to cover Torbell as he snorted, “A rat cornered by a cat is trying to bite back? But you should know that you can’t beat the cat! I, Torbell, will engrave that into your bones!”

William nodded. “That is correct. A rat can’t beat a cat.”

“... Hrmm?” Was William convinced by Torbell? Torbell was lost for words.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

William continued, “But did I really get caught?”

Torbell was starting to get a bad feeling. “What are you saying?”

William raised a hand to cover his mouth as he laughed. “You are the ones caught, you idiots.”

Chill.

It was only then that Torbell and the knights noticed the shadows around them. Torbell had fought on the battlefield for nearly thirty years, but this was the first time he had felt such abject fear. It wasn’t just because the enemy was behind him. When he looked around and saw that man, the fear seemed to creep into his very soul.

With a red robe, black hair, and blue eyes… a man, who was young and yet not young at the same time, was facing them. Normally, they would’ve laughed at him. However, the Andras knights knew. This person, who didn’t even look thirty, was the knife that lay at the Empire’s throat. He could never know the despair he had carved into the Andras Empire.

“I have heard of you…” Torbell spoke on behalf of the knights, “Theodore Miller.”

Theo replied calmly, “That’s right,”

Torbell and the knights’ deaths were nothing more than a foregone conclusion. They knew they couldn’t defeat a master who had already killed one of the Empire’s Seven Swords. Therefore, they formed their resolve to leave just one wound on their enemy before dying. The resolution that filled them caused the air to shake.

“For the empire!”

Torbell rushed forward with the knights behind him.

“For the glory of Andras!”

Aura soared into the sky. Every one of them was an elite knight. If Theo hadn’t been present, the thirty war magicians would have been in for the fight of their lives. Yet, this world revolved around strength. One master was equivalent to thousands of troops, and this absolute power difference couldn’t be overcome with the advantage of numbers.

The Andras knights fought to the death, even though it was as inevitable as the tides.

***

On that day, Andras lost one outpost, two generals, a hundred knights, and a thousand soldiers. On the other hand, Meltor suffered some light injuries and wasted magic power. The skirmish in the eastern canyon of Karul Plains ended in Meltor’s victory, sending Theo’s reputation sky high.

Two days after the stunning skirmish… Andras’ spiteful counterattack began.