Episode 356

Just like the first time he brought Ian and the others to Clifford, Noah pushed forward relentlessly, tearing through the underbrush.

Amid the fresh scent of earth, there was a faint trace of smoke. It wasn’t just his imagination—he could see smoke rising in the distance, near the border.

Were they trying to burn the blue sky itself? Ash-gray dust swirled wildly in the air alongside the flames.

“Hiiing!”

Noah gripped the reins tightly and slowed his horse abruptly. From their vantage point atop the cliff, the battlefield below was laid out clearly.

Part of the wall had collapsed, and through the breach, the black-clad Burgos soldiers poured in without pause. The source of the acrid smoke was likely the border outpost.

“Your Highness,” Mei called out, peering through her telescope. The number of enemy troops was greater than expected, and with the wall broken, it was questionable whether they could hold back the invaders.

An officer trailing behind the prince spoke up.

“We’ve identified two enemy divisions, totaling about five thousand soldiers, Your Highness. They’re advancing toward the palace, so it would be wise to cut off their rear. The palace will continue to dispatch reinforcements, so we should block both front and rear simultaneously.”

“Then we have no choice but to observe their movements and wait for the right moment. There’s a village not far from here.”

“If we wait, that village will be destroyed.”

“Look at the numbers. A full-scale battle now would only lead to meaningless bloodshed.”

“There’s a bridge in Baki that leads to the center. Defending it must be our priority, Your Highness.”

“Your Highness, please make a decision.”

Noah hesitated for a moment, gazing down at the battlefield. The distance was so great the soldiers looked like ants scurrying about.

If only he could stomp them out like insects, he would do it immediately. But the enemy had five thousand troops, while his vanguard numbered only a thousand. Just as he was about to draw his sword—

“Wait, Your Highness. Something’s off.”

Mei raised her hand, still watching the border through her telescope.

Though part of the wall had already fallen, allowing Burgos troops to move freely, explosions, tremors, and flames continued to erupt along other sections of the wall. That was strange.

Were they destroying the wall entirely to demoralize us? That would be inefficient, given the limited time before their advance. Moreover, there were no troops cleaning up the debris.

“The wall keeps exploding.”

“What’s going on? What’s happening?”

“Ah…”

Mei adjusted the focus and frowned.

She spotted a strange creature crawling along the wall—a centipede-like monster as thick as a human forearm. The more it moved, the more it ignited itself, bursting into flames.

“It’s a monster…”

A low-level demon called a ‘Hundred-Leg’—usually found north of Burgos, rarely seen in Clifford.

The Hundred-Legs burned white-hot, blowing up the red walls and setting them ablaze. Then they scattered, leaving behind an unknown contaminant.

“Burgos is using monsters.”

“Your Highness, I’ve heard that where the Hundred-Legs live, the soil dries up and dies, not even a weed grows. Those bastards from Burgos intend to completely drain Clifford’s land.”

“Your Highness! Just give the order!”

“Yes, front or rear, we’ll sweep them away fiercely!”

Noah bit his lip.

If those dreadful white centipedes burrowed into Clifford’s soil and laid eggs everywhere, then regardless of the outcome of this battle, Clifford’s future was bleak.

The vineyards heavy with ripening grapes, the thick tree trunks, the laughter of the people settling between them—all would be lost forever.

“But, Your Highness, you must consider carefully. Their use of the Hundred-Legs might not be just to destroy the walls and ruin Clifford’s land. It could be a tactic to hold us back at the rear.”

Mei added quietly.

That made sense. Burgos’s main goal was to seize the palace and capture the mages. Keeping the vanguard’s attention and forces tied up at the rear would serve that purpose.

But it was a trap Noah couldn’t easily dismiss.

“There are forces at the palace. We’ll cut off their rear and repair the wall. Using Baki as a base, we’ll split the Burgos army in two. Also, eliminate any Hundred-Legs that try to cross Baki into the center.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Let’s move! Commanders One and Two will take the left forest route; we’ll go down the right cliff path.”

“Hiiing!”

With Noah’s decision, everyone turned their horses in unison. They knew the way to Baki before the Burgos troops did.

This was the land they had known all their lives, and their ancestors had been born, raised, and laid to rest here. The geographical advantage was obvious.

Noah and his soldiers held their breath as they raced down the steep path. Soon, they spotted smoke rising again in the distance.

“Clear the way! If you don’t, we’ll all die!”

“Where do you think this is, you bastards?!”

“Ahhh! No!”

“Where’s the guard?!”

“Please, spare us!”

“Burgos scum—!”

In an instant, the small village descended into chaos.

Flames engulfed every corner, crops were trampled and ruined, and screams of children and adults alike pierced the air as people fled, stumbled, and fell.

Some tried to fight back with hoes and daggers, but they barely grazed the armored soldiers before being cut down.

“Your Highness, hurry—”

“Wait.”

Wait, wait, just a little longer. Noah muttered to himself, watching the scene unfold. Charging in now might save a few lives, but it could also trap them in the enemy’s midst and lead to a devastating defeat.

Their goal was clear.

To cut off the rear precisely.

Clang! Clang!

Burgos soldiers swung their bloodied swords as they passed through the village. When their numbers had been halved, Noah raised his hand, and a subordinate blew a powerful signal on a buffalo horn. The commanders who had taken the left forest burst out and attacked the Burgos troops.

“Kill them! They covet our country!”

“Commander, those are Clifford soldiers!”

“They haven’t crossed the bridge yet.”

“Division One, keep advancing. Division Two, hold the line. Forward! We keep pushing!”

Black-clad Burgos soldiers and violet-uniformed Clifford troops clashed in a chaotic melee. Friend and foe blurred in the pandemonium.

The Clifford people crawled through the debris, praying for victory, while Timothy, leading the charge, pressed forward unshaken as if expecting this ambush.

On the bridge, Burgos soldiers opened the entrance to a massive cloth sack.

Ssssh.

Dozens, hundreds of Hundred-Legs poured out. The centipedes swarmed the bridge, falling into the river below. Mei watched closely.

‘Are they trying to destroy the bridge?’

It was strange. Destroying their own retreat route would be a huge risk for Burgos. Unless they were prepared to die, it made no sense to blow up the bridge. Destroying it would actually benefit Clifford.

As the Hundred-Legs heated up and exploded with increasing intensity, Mei shouted.

“Your Highness!”

Clang!

Sssshhh!

Noah, cutting down Burgos soldiers with his sword as he moved through the battlefield, turned his head at Mei’s call. His armor and blade were soaked in blood, the source unknown.

“Burgos is trying to blow up the bridge!”

“What?”

Noah immediately realized Burgos’s actions were abnormal. Then, a thunderous explosion shook the air.

Boom! Bang! Bang!

The Hundred-Legs ignited and destroyed the bridge, and the tremors caused soil and rocks to tumble from the surrounding forest.

Noah swung his sword mechanically, watching the Burgos army advance closer to the palace.

“Those bastards…”

“Ugh!”

Crash!

Sssshhh!

They weren’t trying to throw all their forces into the abyss of death.

If so, it meant they wouldn’t retreat the way they came. Though this border wasn’t the only point where Burgos and Clifford met…

“Kill them! Not a single one survives!”

The prince swung his sword wildly, shouting. Uncertainty gnawed at him—had he made the wrong call? He needed to clear this area quickly and face them head-on through another forest path, not the bridge.

At that moment, five Burgos soldiers, recognizing Noah as the commander, charged his horse and simultaneously plunged their swords into it.

“Hiiing!”

The horse reared in agony and collapsed forward. Noah was thrown off, tumbling to the ground. Mei rushed over, shielding the prince.

“Move aside! Move aside! Your Highness!”

“Protect the prince—!”

“Damn it!”

Ssssh! Ssssh!

Clang!

Blades flew from all directions.

The tension was suffocating—one lapse in concentration could mean death. Noah instinctively parried and dodged, rolling on the ground. Mei tried to pull him back onto the horse, but it was no easy task.

Covered in blood of unknown origin, Noah fought across the battlefield on foot. Then suddenly, he froze at an odd sensation wrapping around his ankle.

Ssssh.

Hundred-Legs. They had crawled out from the rubble of the destroyed bridge and slipped into the gaps in the battlefield.

Just as light began to fill the pale belly of the monster, Noah plunged his sword in. A hot, foul liquid dulled the blade’s edge.

‘If there’s a White Horn—then that means—’

Boom! Bang!

Explosions erupted all around, shaking the very earth and sky, just as Noah had suspected.

Corpses were torn apart and hurled through the air; the living exploded alongside the dead. Screams of agony filled the battlefield as soldiers from both Burgos and Klipofod fell in droves.

“Your Highness! Please!”

Mei pushed desperately through the crowd, trying to reach Noah, but it was impossible. Noah shouted back at her.

“Focus on cutting down the enemy!”

“The White Horns keep rising! We need to retreat to the forest!”

“Yes, Your Highness! It’s better to go and cut down the Burgos soldiers climbing up!”

“Mei! That child over there!”

“But—!”

Swish!

The White Horns made no distinction between Burgos and Klipofod. The enemy, desperate to survive, would also try to reach the forest. Securing the position first and cutting them down would be advantageous.

Mei twisted her body along with the prince’s outstretched hand as she tried to approach him.

“Hurry!”

Tap, tap, tap!

Noah charged forward, slicing through the enemy ranks, while Mei cradled a child who looked about three years old in her left arm and climbed toward the forest.

Those on horseback managed to escape relatively easily, but Noah was still trapped in the heart of the battlefield. Just as Mei set the child down and prepared to rush back into the chaos—

Ssshh.

The entire ground of Baki Village began to glow faintly. The White Horns, perhaps unaware of the turmoil, were about to ignite once more.

The warmth faintly seeping through the gaps between fallen bodies and buildings caused even the Burgos soldiers to hesitate, caught off guard alongside Noah.

“When did this happen…?”

“Your Highness!”

“Mei, no! It’s about to explode!”

Noah stomped on the corpses with all his might as he ran, cutting down anyone who lunged at him. His heart pounded harder with the rising heat.

‘Ah.’

Boom!

Bang! Boom!

The White Horns detonated in a chain reaction.

A deafening roar filled the air as a storm of fire swept through the area. Even the Klipofod commanders, including Mei, were momentarily blinded, shielding their faces.

Mei was the first to regain her senses and look around.

“Your Highness?”

The skin of the fallen had melted away, leaving them unrecognizable. Mei identified friend from foe only by their clothing, slashing at the Burgos soldiers who tried to climb up and kicking them down.

Amid the chaos, Mei searched desperately for any sign of the prince—but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Mei! Snap out of it! The prince is right there!”

A commander pointed into the air with a nod.

Noah was floating, held by someone’s hand—a mage, one of those called the Divine, closest to the power of the gods.

“Ha…”

Noah looked down at the ruined village at his feet, then up at the mage.

“I was out scouting and almost got myself killed.”

“Sent by Lord Ian?”

“Yes, yes. Something like that.”

“And your name?”

The mage glanced around at the broken legs, the White Horns, and the devastated village. Madmen—what on earth had they brought with them to attack like this?

“You don’t need to know the name of someone like me. I’m one of Ian’s people, so you can consider me saved by him.”