Chapter 301: Time to Prepare for the Final Battle

“Advance!!” Greys Fanpinel shouted with determination as he led his knights.

They were deep within the Istan Kingdom. After beheading Beryl and parting ways with Viola, he had wasted no time in attacking the capital of Istan.

“Captain, there’s no counterattack from the enemy.”

“They must have heard of Beryl’s death. Or perhaps they’ve learned of what happened at the border fortress.”

Whatever the reason, Greys instinctively knew that the enemy before him had already lost their will to fight.

“Our task is to completely make Istan ours! End this battle and bring victory to the princess!”

“Waaahhhh...!!”

“Haaaaaa...!!”

The knights of the Fanpinel family raised their weapons and shouted in unison.

The most certain way for a knight to grow wasn’t through drills in the courtyard, but through actual combat. Just as Viola had grown, Greys too displayed a prowess far beyond what he had shown in the past. And his knights, who had already been exceptional before, had all taken a step forward in their abilities, now standing on par with the knight orders of the empire.

There was no knight order stronger than theirs in the now-dissolved Three Kingdoms of Istria.

Shiiiiiing―!

Greys infused mana into his sword, the Mana Blade growing longer and sharper. He lifted the sword over his shoulder like a spear, holding it horizontally before thrusting it forward with all his might.

Crack-crack-crack...!!

Crack...!!

The Fanpinel family’s secret technique, the Thrusting Spear Sword, used the sword like a spear. No castle gate could survive its deadly, pinpoint strike, which had already pierced the necks of countless knights from the Three Kingdoms Alliance.

Crash!

Greys’ mana-infused sword struck the outer gates of the capital shattering the latch in an instant

“Charge!!”

As they advanced, the knights beside Greys pushed the gates of the palace open, and the soldier rushed forward.

“Waaahhhh―!!”

“Waaahhhh―!!”

With a deafening roar, the soldiers stormed the palace.

“...”

“...?!”

But their frenzy quickly subsided. The soldiers now stood in bewilderment, not knowing where to aim their extended weapons.

“Interesting swordsmanship. You seem as talented as Randol. Perhaps you’ll make for a decent opponent on this tedious battlefield. Would you care to have a duel with me?”

“...?!”

Standing atop a mountain of hundreds—perhaps thousands—of corpses, just behind the palace gates, a woman yawned lazily and pointed at herself. The sight left Greys utterly speechless.

“You are...?”

Her dusky skin and the toned, muscular form beneath the white cloth exuded a commanding presence. She was the absolute ruler of the south, the empress of Digon. No one would fail to recognize her, and no one had anticipated her presence here, in Istan.

The knights gulped nervously, captivated by her figure. She was as beautiful as a sculpture, but that was overshadowed by the pile of corpses beneath her.

The reason there was no resistance... was because everyone was already dead.

Greys scanned his surroundings. The forces stationed within the capital of Istan, including the magic corps, numbered in the tens of thousands, but besides this woman, there was no sign of life.

Even as a Sword Master, how could she handle that many troops by herself?

Greys was suddenly ashamed for even thinking he was close to becoming a Sword Master. It wasn’t that he lacked the potential, but rather that Miliana, having learned from Karyl how to channel her draconic power, had reached an entirely different level.

“How... How are you here, Empress?”

“It should be obvious, right? Karyl sent me here.”

“Did you... come alone?”

Greys looked around but saw no one else.

“Needing soldiers to deal with a pitiful country like this only proves your weakness,” Miliana said nonchalantly, stifling another yawn. “Of course, it ended a bit sooner thanks to him. I beheaded the king of Istan and all the important knights in one night.”

“..

.Him

?”

“Aidan Hamill. You know him, don’t you? By now, he’s probably reached where Karyl is.”

With that, Miliana lifted the king’s head.

“...”

“I had to hurry to where Karyl is, so I asked for Digon’s help. They showed me a shortcut that only the barbarians know. Thanks to that, I only had to deal with the weaklings, so I didn’t get to have much fun. I even missed the chance to try out my new swordsmanship... So what do you say? Care for a duel?”

She casually lifted her twin swords, Arc and Gale, and swung them lightly. Though it appeared effortless, the air split with a sharp whoosh as the blades cut through it.

“...I’ll pass. Your blades have already feasted on the blood of thousands, and I have no desire to feed them mine,” Greys said, shrugging.

“Are you sure about that?”

“...Sorry?”

At that moment, to Greys’s astonishment, the soldiers beneath Miliana groaned faintly.

No way...

Greys quickly raised his head. Contrary to his assumption, the soldiers of Istan weren’t dead. They were either unconscious or too badly injured to move, but all of them were still alive.

“Impossible...” one of the knights muttered to himself, his eyes twitching inside his helmet.

“I wouldn’t stain my swords with the blood of these weaklings. Besides, you’re all meant to be part of Karyl’s forces, so I can’t kill you, can I?”

Miliana smirked at him.

“Although you’re late, I’ll give you some credit. Here, you can take this head back with you so you can save face in front of your precious flower.”

Two people had managed to conquer the entire Istan Kingdom. While Greys already knew of Miliana’s prowess, he couldn’t fathom the growth of Aidan, who had infiltrated the kingdom alone.

Lord Karyl is surrounded only by monsters...

Greys let out a bitter smile.

“Karyl had a message for you. You’re lucky. The other one is probably hearing this directly from him, either flushing or wearing the same dazed expression as you.”

“...What do you mean?” Greys asked in a trembling voice.

Miliana tossed him a note and said, “For whatever reason, you completely failed to unify the Three Kingdoms. Instead of warning other nations, we should elevate our own power so that they’ll be forced to try and keep us in check.”

He... foresaw everything.

Greys felt like a fool, and sure enough, his cheeks were already flushed.

“So gather the fleet on the eastern coast of the Istan Kingdom. Assemble all the Fanpinel forces there and prepare to march north. Of course, this includes these soldiers as well.”

Miliana gestured to the soldiers lying at her feet.

“Also, make sure the southern barbarians can advance through the Twin Armor.”

“...!!”

Miliana sheathed her two swords at her waist and asked, “Do you understand what that means?"

“What else? It means unifying the continent.”

Whee—!!

It was then that Miliana put her fingers to her lips and whistled. In response, dark figures emerged at the entrance of the capital.

Wha... When did they get here?!

Greys was certain he had scouted for hidden troops, but he hadn’t sensed any presence at all. It seemed that Miliana’s troops had been perfectly concealed this whole time. Leading them were three female warriors, all as muscular as Miliana herself.

“No matter how strong a Sword Master is, it’s impossible to suppress tens of thousands of people alone without killing them. Well... except maybe for that one guy.”

Miliana gestured to her three sisters and then turned to Greys.

“The vanguard of Digon has already arrived. Don’t dawdle. Karyl fights at a pace that will leave you breathless. Keep messing around like this and you’ll fall behind.”

“Are you... Are you really saying that you’re starting a war with the empire now?”

The situation with the Three Kingdoms hadn’t even been fully resolved yet, and as far as he knew, they had only recently gained control over the principality. War typically required stabilizing one’s own nation first, which usually took several months.

“Don’t you understand why Karyl entrusted the unification of the Three Kingdoms to you? Then again, that’s probably why a fox thought it could outsmart a lion.”

“...What?”

“Tatur, the four tribes of the Great Plains, the Five Great Families, and even Digon and the Principality—Karyl used minimal force to seize powerful territories across the continent. It wasn’t just to conserve and preserve his forces.”

Miliana locked eyes with Greys and continued, “It was also to minimize the enemy’s casualties. Do you think his efforts to spare even his enemies in war are mere arrogance or recklessness? Those who know Karyl wouldn’t think so.”

Greys nodded. Every seemingly reckless victory he had achieved thus far was undeniable. The battle Karyl had fought at the Twin Armor was still etched into his mind.

“By sparing the enemy’s leadership, you can reduce the chaos in a defeated nation. Of course, no king in history has ever done this. Leaving room for rebellion is far too risky.”

Miliana stressed her next words.

“But for him, it’s possible.”

Anyone who had faced Karyl in battle knew how foolish it was to raise a sword against him. Rebelion bordered on madness; instead, pledging loyalty was the best way to stay alive. It was rather amusing how everything changed the moment his name was uttered.

“From the administrators of Tatur to the nobles of the principality, they all settled their affairs before Karyl even had to intervene. The same will go for the Three Kingdoms.”

Miliana walked past Greys and continued, “You must finish the job and have everything ready before he gives the order. That’s Karyl’s way, and that’s what those who follow him must do.”

She then patted him on the back.

“What’s wrong? Can’t do it?”

“...!!”

“Then step aside. I’ll take command, just like in the south. All you need to do is swallow your royal pride.”

Greys was trembling just as much as the other knights, a sharp pain tugging at his chest. But even so, he did not waver.

“...That won’t be necessary!” he shouted.

Miliana smirked at his response.

“So... where is Lord Karyl now?”

“He’s heading north. That’s where the last force preparing for war is,” Miliana said, turning to Greys. The north is his land, so he’s handling the matter himself. I assume you don’t need to know more, right?”

Neigh―!!

She mounted her cargon, a southern creature resembling a horse, and pulled on the reins.

“When he returns to the center, all the tribes of the north will descend with him.”

As she extended her hand, Digon’s elite soldiers followed her.

“We will be with him...”

Miliana’s final words were deeply imprinted in the minds of the remaining Fanpinel knights. Their ultimate goal was so utterly absurd that no one had ever dared to entertain it, and yet she revealed it with utmost ease.

“... to annihilate the empire.”

With that single sentence, everyone’s hearts pounded wildly.