Outbreak of War (3)
The battle didn’t last long.
There was no fort to protect the Kaldris Kingdom’s 3rd Corps, causing them to become demoralized.
There was no way to withstand the offensive of the high-morale Sword King Army led by high-level fighters, including the Spiritual Boxer.
In just half a day, not three days, Fort Roian fell.
Leslie burst into admiration.
“It is just as the master said.”
When experimenting with the Four-Power Conversion Belt, Ryu Han-bin said it would be a significant weapon if used properly.
Leslie didn’t understand then, but she finally did at that battle.
Ryu Han-bin shook his head in disagreement, however.
“Huh? That’s not it. Of course, it was beneficial in this battle, but honestly, it’s not a great weapon.”
Touching the artifact on his waist, Han-bin had a mysterious look on his face.
“It’s for other use.”
* * *
The Kaldris Kingdom 4th and 8th Corps had confronted the Allendia 1st Corps.
They stopped the invasion and returned.
It was to support the Kadris Kingdom 3rd Corps at Fort Roian.
Among them, two men on horseback were having a conversation while heading south.
Lord Drax, the commander of the 4th Corps, who turned 30 that year, and Lord Jakel, the old knight in his 50s, the commander of the 8th Corps.
“You know, Lord Drax, It is said that the Sword King Felard is almost level 140.
Lord Drax replied, “Didn’t he defeat the Transcendental and become one of the Top Four? He’s also the heir to Baotolt. If his level weren’t that high, it would’ve been strange.”
“But still. A human that has reached level 140…”
“What’s wrong with that? I’m sure the Regent Garhan is at a higher level right now.”
“But even they weren’t at his age, were they?”
Lord Jakel had a glum look on his face.
“The world is changing so fast. Back in my youth, level 110 was enough to be the absolute ruler of the world.”
The head of the Great Earth, who had disturbed Latna, was the most powerful alien in history, and his level was in the 100s.
And the Top Four in the past who had killed him were level 110.
Thirty years ago, they were the strongest in Latna.
Currently, however, people who had already surpassed level 100, ‘ the devil barrier,’ appeared in many parts of Latna.
“Even if it’s out of the question, the fact of the matter is that Latna’s average level has risen significantly.”
The young knight Drax alone was a level 84 Aura user.
He was two levels higher than Jakel, who had been actively serving for more than 50 years.
Compared to his youth, martial arts and the four-power management skills had been extensively developed.
The presence of the Dungeons and the Aliens changed a lot of Latna.
“Level 140, huh? I have no idea what kind of monster he is.”
“We’re not dealing with the Sword King and the Spiritual Boxer, are we?”
At the lament of the old knight, Lord Drax pointed to the front of the procession.
“That’s up to them.”
There were about a hundred people dressed as Hunters among the soldiers of the unified Kaldris Kingdom Army.
They were the Aliens of Akhtarun, whom Garhan had specially sent.
They were powerful combatants having levels between 80 and 100.
If the 4th and 8th Corps combined forces with them, even if the opponent were the Sword King and his colleagues, they would have enough power to deal with them.
“If we join forces with the 3rd Corps at Fort Roian to attack back and forth, even the legendary Valtara warrior will be rendered useless against us. Hahaha.”
Drax burst into a confident smile.
At that moment, a disturbance happened in front of the procession.
“What’s going on?”
Wondering, Jakel sent a soldier to check it.
After a while, the soldier returned with a report.
“Runaway soldiers of the 3rd Corps led by Dana…”
“What? Runaway soldiers of the 3rd Corps?”
Drax was surprised.
“The Sword King Army has already taken Fort Roian?”
* * *
With a grim expression, Dana finally spoke up.
“I feel like I’ve had a nightmare…”
Drax and Jakel, who heard the situation, felt similar.
“It’s not only that the fort has collapsed…”
“They demolished it all?”
A middle-aged female knight sighed.
“It became a plain land. There’s no small rock left to stop them.”
The fortress, which was open to the front, was no longer a fortress or anything of the sort.
It was reported that the Sword King Army had taken Fort Roian with ease after a swift charge.
The Kaldris Kingdom’s 3rd Corps lost most of their strength in a disastrous defeat and were forced to retreat.
“Fortunately, we were able to recover the remaining troops since they prioritized their control of the castle over the pursuit…”
Dana’s judgment became clouded.
It was a good retreat, but the 3rd Corps was almost destroyed. Even at best, they couldn’t be relied on at the moment.
Finding it unbelievable, Drax murmured.
“The Sword King used magic? By what means?”
“I’m not sure if the Sword King used it, or if it looked like it, or if it was a different trick altogether.”
Still, it wasn’t strange that such widespread destruction was possible for the Sword King Army.
A somber atmosphere hung over the barracks.
Jakel’s eyes then shone.
“No, in a sense, this is an opportunity.”
“What do you mean by an opportunity, Lord Jakel?”
“Think about it, Lord Drax. Didn’t she say the west of Fort Roian was destroyed and leveled?”
“Yes, but…”
A wrinkled smile came up around the old knight’s mouth.
“Then doesn’t that mean that the Sword King Army who took over the fortress is also open to the front?”
It was impossible to restore that that many collapsed parts of the fort overnight.
And the distance to Fort Roian was only one day away.
“When we arrive, things will be reversed.”
Dana asked them suspiciously, “Wouldn’t it be possible for them to fill the gaps with a spiritual barrier like the Transcendental?”
Leon Hart, the Spiritual Boxer, was one of the new Top Four. He would’ve been able to exert a relatively spiritual solid barrier.
But Jakel responded that it wouldn’t matter.
“In return, the Spiritual Boxer will be removed from the battlefield.”
Leon Hart was a man reputed for his skills in the frontlines than his spiritual arts.
“It’s not a bad situation for us either way.”
Indeed, age wasn’t just a number.
His level might be lower than that of the young Drax, but Jakel had more experience.
Immediately, he judged and came up with a good strategy.
“Speed up the march.”
Looking back at Drax, Jakel spoke firmly.
“If we rush at them before they can control the situation, then we have a chance!”
* * *
The 4th and 8th Corps marched quickly and without a break.
Thanks to that, their expected arrival was shortened by more than a day. They soon reached Fort Roian, which had collapsed, at sunrise the following day.
What greeted them made even Jakel perplexed.
“What is this…”
Dana said the western wall of Fort Roian had collapsed completely, but…
“… Where’s the fort?”
There was no such thing as a fortress in the vicinity!
All they could see were vast stone debris scattered all over the place and semi-destroyed ruins.
It would look like an ancient site that had been recently excavated after being buried underground for about a thousand years in the eyes of onlookers.
Of course, the brutal marks clearly showed that it hadn’t been a day.
“… They destroyed the fort they had occupied? Why the hell would they do that?”
The Sword King Army wasn’t even in sight.
Checking the traces of their camps, it was clear that they had left the place at least a day earlier.
Jakel was at a loss, touching his beard.
“Weren’t they going to defend the fort?”
That was weird.
They weren’t going to have any bastions behind their back, blindly destroy them, and move on?
The three commanders found it strange and dumbfounding.
“Unless they’re stupid, they won’t do that…”
“He is a disciple of Baotolt…”
“And he is a Valtara warrior…”
It was scary to think what a legendary Valtara warrior could do.
Regardless, it was their priority to grasp the situation.
In addition to establishing a position, they sent scouts across the land to gather information first.
By evening, the movements of the Sword King Army were understood.
They didn’t advance deep into the Kaldris Kingdom.
“They’ve retreated.”
“… Retreated?”
“Yes, it’s been confirmed that they are headed near the Allendia border.”
The three commanders were all the more confused by reports from the scouting party.
“They barged in…”
“And after winning…”
“They just went away?”
Drax shed a dazed voice, representing everyone’s feelings.
“No, if they were going to do this, why did they break in in the first place?”
They learned why next.
“Your Excellency, Jakel! I have an emergency report!”
A messenger arrived from the main camp.
The Allendia 1st Corps, which was staging a sit-in against the 4th and 8th Corps on the northern border, crossed the border to invade Kaldris territory.
Drax and Jakel were appalled.
“How did the Allendia 1st Corps do that?”
“Their power is indeed weak, but since we’ve been repositioned…”
Despite the lack of power, the two Corps commanders didn’t neglect to defend their borders.
It had left 2,000 troops at Fort Dartmouth, which would be the route of the Allendia 1st Corps, in preparation for a counterattack.
Their troops were powerful enough to withstand 3,000 soldiers of Allendia.
“Are there any additional reinforcements?”
Drax shook his head at Jakel’s question.
“There are no indications that reinforcements were moving from Allendia.”
In the first place, such a force didn’t exist in present Allendia.
They moved with confidence, knowing the 4th and 8th Corps had been transferred to the south.
Holding onto the messenger, Jakel continued to ask questions.
“Is it true that Fort Dartmouth has fallen? Doesn’t that mean they didn’t last half a day?”
Although the Allendia 1st Corps was one of the finest, Fort Dartmouth’s garrison wasn’t weak enough to be beaten so easily.
“What is the possibility of an intelligence diversion operation?”
“It’s…”
Stuttering, the messenger continued.
“A huge Magic Arrow shot down the fort…”
* * *
Fort Meliben, west of the Kaldris Kingdom.
Looking at the large fort built around the forest, Ryu Han-bin relaxedly flicked his finger.
“Number one, fire.”
He had already prepared for the siege.
A towering pillar of light flew up with a roar.
Boom!
Artis, who was watching from the side, wonderingly asked him.
“Is that some spell stockade? You’ve been muttering.”
“Oh, I’m just feeling…”
Han-bin looked at Fort Meliben.
A giant arrow cut through the air, and the soldiers on the walls fell into chaos.
It was so far away that they couldn’t see their expressions, but their movements alone conveyed emotions.
Eventually, the light caused the wall to burst.
Boom!
A pitch-black cloud rose with the explosion.
Artist clicked his tongue as he watched the sin.
“That’s amazing.”
Again, the Sword King Army started the battle from an advantageous position with only one attack.
Ryu Han-bin manipulated the belt.
“You don’t have to keep flying.”
-Deactivate the conversion.
His Mana returned to its original form, Aura.
He could only use the belt again after a day due to the cooldown time, but that didn’t matter. He had no magic left to use anyway.
“We’re not running out of time right now, are we?”
One Magic Arrow was enough to neutralize the fort.
The rest was a typical siege.
Pulling out his Gigant, Han-bin began to pull up his fighting spirit.
“Let’s take it easy.”
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