Chapter 343: Imperial War (1)

“The soldiers on the left wall are struggling!”

“It’s a trap. Maintain the left flank’s forces but focus on the center. Do not waver. Use the small golems as shields and strike at the main gate.”

“Report! We’ve confirmed part of the knight’s order circling through the forest. It’s the Blue Knight Order!”

“...!!”

The command barrack stirred with the news. Following the soldier’s report, there was a brief silence before a calm voice issued orders.

“Kuwell MacGovern has not come here. The knights they can muster now are likely just remnants of the Wisteria Knights of Marquis Vestal. They’ve most likely swapped armor to create confusion.”

Anthem Howard turned his head.

“Kinu Mukari, Lord Beikan.”

“Yes.”

“At your command.”

“Convey this to the captains of each unit: ensure the morale of the soldiers remains steady, and offer a great reward to whoever captures a knight wearing the blue armor.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We shall deliver the message.”

Even as reports flooded in from all sides, Anthem only took a moment to think before swiftly responding.

Impressive.

Now I see why the lord entrusted him with this battlefield.

Kinu Mukari and Beikan shared the same thoughts as they looked at Anthem Howard.

This was a game of feints and counters. Even amidst the vast conflict over the marquisate, where battles erupted at every crossing, both sides focused on probing for weaknesses.

Though the imperial war had properly begun and this front had seen the first battle, there was still no resolution. Some might criticize the commanders for incompetence, but those fighting on this front knew better.

“Reports say the imperial army has clashed with Digon on the Great Plains. The empire fields 300,000 troops, and the Digon tribe 100,000.”

“That’s quite the disparity.”

“In an open plain with no cover... that’s a full-on battle with a gap of 200,000 soldiers.”

As the soldiers reported this news, Kinu Mukari and Beikan murmured their amazement to each other.

“What are your thoughts? You two know the Empress of the South far better than I do.”

“It’s just as it sounds. The Queen of Digon is without equal in the south.”

“And, she herself is a Sword Master... the strongest force in the Free Army, for sure.”

At their words, Anthem nodded in agreement.

“I saw Lady Miliana fight during the principality’s civil war. She’s truly formidable. But no matter how exceptional a Sword Master may be, a single individual cannot overturn a force outnumbered by hundreds of thousands.”

“What are you suggesting, then?”

“Given the distances involved, the only army that can reach the Great Plains quickly enough to assist after wrapping up affairs here in the marquisate is ours.”

Anthem drew a line across the map spread on the table.

“Even if the golems remain behind to recharge their mana cores, if we use the Twin Armor units to take the fastest route, we can join the battle.”

“Then we must conclude this battle here swiftly.”

Kinu Mukari looked at Anthem.

“What’s the plan?”

At his question, Anthem glanced at Kyla Spear standing beside him. Understanding the look in his eyes, she nodded with tense resolve.

“The groundwork has been laid. Everything we’ve done so far was the preparation.”

“Preparation for what...?”

“For this,” Anthem addressed the group, his voice calm but intense. “The Formless Formation.”

“...!!”

Then, before he could explain, the door to the barrack was flung open. Everyone’s eyes turned to the man.

“Grrrr...!!”

His appearance was accompanied by a wyvern’s sharp growl.

“My lord!!”

Everyone knelt at once to greet Karyl.

“I think that was the name mentioned in the report you sent me before... Wasn’t it?”

Despite his sudden appearance, Anthem merely nodded calmly, his expression relaxed.

“Yes, it is.”

“So, it’s completed.”

“But how are you here...?”

Karyl smirked as he looked at the flustered Anthem.

“I’m coming from the empire.”

“What?! The empire, you say?” Anthem shouted in disbelief and glanced at Randol, who was standing behind him.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“There were a few things to gain.”

Anthem, now wary of Randol’s tense expression, turned back to Karyl.

“The main imperial army of 500,000 will move soon. We need to fully secure the marquisate before then.”

“500,000...”

Everyone swallowed nervously at his words. After all, 300,000 soldiers were already clashing on the Great Plains.

“But that’s not the only problem.”

“Is it because of the Guardian Dragon?”

“That’s right.”

“Certainly, if the dragon is deployed in battle, it will be difficult to handle. However, with you and the Sword Masters of Tatur, we can deal with them,” Anthem determined, having already factored that into his calculations.

“With one dragon, sure.”

“What do you mean...?”

“There are four. Including the Platinum Dragon, there are four dragons currently in the empire.”

“...!!!”

“...!!!”

“If they attack different areas, we’ll have no way to stop them. No matter how strong our forces are, the overwhelming presence of the dragons will be enough to shatter our soldiers’ morale. This is a much bigger issue than the fake Blue Knight Order.”

“Do you really think so?” Karyl asked nonchalantly, flashing Anthem a smirk.

“...What?”

“You’ve just crossed the strait, so you’re unfamiliar with the Free Army. Whether it’s the Blue Knights or dragons, they’re not afraid of anything.”

Kinu Mukari and Beikan slowly nodded.

“They’ve already proven in this battle that they know no fear, but we’re dealing with four dragons here...” Anthem murmured with a bitter smile. “So it’s my job to make sure they don’t lose their nerve, correct?”

“Exactly.” Karyl nodded in agreement. “If I have to fight them, rest assured I have no intention of losing. But I can’t do it alone. There’s four of them, and only one of me. I can’t be on all battlefields at once.”

Rather than comparing his strength to the dragons’, Karyl tackled the issue in a realistic way.

Anthem couldn’t help but chuckle. “Haha... Is that the problem?”

“What else?” Karyl asked casually.

“I think I’ve got a solution.”

“What is it?”

“Draw all the dragons into a single battlefield.”

“...!!!”

At that moment, before he could answer, Karyl looked at Kayla Spear.

“To do that, we must secure a decisive victory on the battlefield that would draw the most attention.”

“...You plan to use this place as the battleground for your fight with the dragons, don’t you, my lord?”

“That’s right. A sneak attack won’t work against dragons anyway. As you know, there are only three vast battlefields where we can maintain formation and fight: the imperial capital’s front yard, the Twin Armor, and the Great Plains.”

Karyl raised three fingers and then folded two of them down as he spoke.

“But two of those places are our land. We can’t afford to turn our precious land into ruins. Jarvant, that old man, plans to launch an offensive on the Great Plains, but he’ll soon have to run away with his tail between his legs.”

At that, a chill ran down everyone’s spine.

“You’re the same, aren’t you?”

“Pardon?”

“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

Kayla Spear swallowed nervously, her face tense like a student being put in the spotlight.

“You used the Vestal Marquisate to test the effectiveness of the formation, didn’t you? This castle is the gateway to the south, but for us, it’s not necessary. It won’t make much of a difference if destroyed. Isn’t that right?”

“You knew, didn’t you?” Anthem nodded.

Before leaving the principality, Karyl had given Anthem a single order: to gather all the existing formations, including the Rothschild family’s Formation of Loire, the Spear tribe’s Fierce Fire Formation, and the Eastern Land’s Celestial Array are the best possible one.

And now, it was finally time to test it.

“The imperial forces won’t be ready to deploy for a while. We’ll take this place before then.”

“They won’t be able to deploy? How come?”

“I killed their commander.”

“...!!!”

“...!!!”

Everyone was stunned, and some even laughed in disbelief. How many people on the continent could casually walk into the empire and kill a knight commander by themselves?

“They’ll have no choice but to appoint a new commander. I can already guess who they’re gonna pick... But it’ll take time to summon him.”

With Cam Grey dead and the vice commander injured, Olivurn had only one option left.

Kuwell MacGovern.

Karyl knew Olivurn would eventually resort to using that card. He had merely forced Olivurn to play it earlier than he would’ve wanted.

Whatever schemes you're plotting, if you think dragons alone will win you the war, that will be your downfall.

Karyl’s eyes gleamed with determination.

“I’ll report the current battle situation.”

“No need. I’ve already observed everything from above. Anthem, I assume you’ve noticed the marquis’s fortress formation?”

Anthem nodded. “Yes. The fortress of the marquisate has five gates: the front gate and four others on the left and right. The second and fourth gates are weakly defended, but their narrow entrances will cause heavy casualties even if we break through.”

“That’s right. The first and fifth are decoys.”

“Yes. Even if those gates are breached, there are no paths beyond them. The only real route is through the central gate, which seems to be the only way out.”

Karyl nodded in agreement.

“If you’re commanding, it should be easy to capture. We’ll divert the defenders’ attention at the front gate.”

“No. That would be pointless. The reason I came here first was to see the formation you created.”

Karyl patted Anthem lightly on the shoulder.

“You’ll command directly. From now on, use me as a piece on this battlefield.”

“...!!!”

Everyone was stunned by Karyl's words. The leader of a nation was declaring himself a mere pawn on the battlefield.

“To revive an old field, you first have to burn it to eliminate the pests. We need to clear this land to prepare for the battle against the dragons, don’t we?”

Karyl pointed forward.

“So, let’s burn all the pests cowering inside the castle.”

Thud—!!

The barracks door was flung open.

Anthem, following behind Karyl, shouted with all his might, “Deploy the Formless Formation!”