The first battle had been a success, but as the tedious war of attrition dragged on, the Anti-Empire Alliance’s troops grew weary.
In contrast, the Empire’s army seemed unaffected by any mental strain, maintaining a steady, unshakable composure.
Facing an enemy who never faltered was enough to breed despair.
Countless lives were lost on the front lines.
“Ace, you holding up okay?”
“Huh?”
“You dropped a card.”
“Ah…”
Ace let out a small, bitter laugh.
“Looks like I’m done for.”
Briol’s forces were holding the center of the Anti-Empire Alliance’s front.
Though troops from the smaller allied nations had joined, their skill level was low, offering little real support.
Because of this, Briol’s seasoned soldiers were dispatched to shore up the smaller allies’ lines.
Veterans from the Federation army were especially tasked with this role.
“Those small fry from the minor nations think they can take on big brother Briol with cards? I’ll have to teach them a lesson. Now, bring me the property deeds. How’s the real estate market in the minor nations? Any mortgages on those?”
“Of course prices have dropped.”
“Why’s that?”
“There’s a war going on. Do you think asset prices go up in a war, buddy?”
“Oh, right. There’s a war, isn’t there?”
Laughter broke out around the table. They were loosening up with dark humor only possible on the front lines.
Raymond, who was tidying his weapons nearby, spoke up.
“Resting is fine, but since the scouts spotted some movement on the Empire’s side, we’d better be ready. Keep the card games to a minimum.”
“Is that so?”
Ace nodded and began gathering his cards.
“Hey, small fry. Let’s finish this game later.”
“What? You running away?”
“We can pick it up later—if we’re still alive, that is.”
“Don’t count on you being around then.”
“We’ll continue in the afterlife.”
They all burst out laughing.
Raymond chuckled quietly with them before picking up his weapons and walking off somewhere.
One of the minor allied soldiers, watching him leave, muttered.
“Why does Ace listen to that old soldier so much? He’s just some crusty veteran. Too old-fashioned.”
Ace smiled wryly as he organized his cards.
“If you think that way, you might lose an extra life. Better rethink that.”
“Huh?”
“If you get on that old guy’s good side, he might save you once on the battlefield.”
“Is he really that great?”
“Since he’s fighting alongside us here, he just looks like an old man. But he’s…”
“What kind of guy? Some big shot?”
“Well…”
Ace trailed off. He didn’t want to reveal that Raymond had once been a knight.
So he just smiled.
“He’s just an incredible man.”
The minor allied soldiers shook their heads.
“Yeah, sure. Sounds like you’re just making it up.”
“Briol’s guys do have a bit of swagger.”
“Now that old man’s gone, let’s have one more round. What do you say?”
They hadn’t fought alongside Raymond before and didn’t know his true skill.
“No way…”
“Then tell us why he’s so great.”
“Fine.”
Ace snapped.
“Sir Raymond is a knight. A real knight. He’s serving as a soldier for us out of loyalty. So don’t treat him lightly—show some respect. He’s incredibly skilled.”
The minor allied soldiers exchanged glances, then burst out laughing.
“A knight, huh? Hahaha!”
“This guy sure knows how to joke.”
“If he’s a knight, then I’m the captain of knights.”
“Why would a knight be here?”
No one believed him.
Ace looked at them all with a mix of disbelief and pity, muttering under his breath.
“You only see what you know. If you knew Sir Raymond was no ordinary knight but someone very close to His Highness, you’d flip out.”
“His Highness?”
“Back in the Federation days, Sir Raymond was the knight closest to Prince Yuri.”
“Whoa!”
The laughter grew louder.
If it had been another Briol soldier, they might have believed it. But Ace was notorious for bluffing during card games, so his honesty was always in question.
“Ace’s the master of lies.”
“No, I only lie when playing cards!”
“Figures…”
“Just wait.”
Ace gritted his teeth.
“Fine. Let’s make a bet. If you meet Prince Yuri later and I’m right, how much will you all pay me?”
“And if you’re wrong?”
“I’ll pay you.”
“Alright, deal.”
They made the bet, though no one really believed Ace. They thought there was no way lowly soldiers like them would ever meet a noble like Yuri Briol.
As Ace was stamping the agreement, an alarm bell began to ring.
“What’s that?”
Everyone turned around.
“Attack!”
The soldiers grabbed their weapons and rushed out.
As they left the barracks, the Empire’s forces appeared in the distance.
But something was different this time.
Among the charging Empire troops, something dark and shadowy flickered.
Ace rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
“What is that?”
At first glance, it looked like a beast. It crawled low to the ground on multiple legs like a spider. Tentacles sprouted from its back, writhing aggressively as it searched for targets.
It was a monster—literally.
Ace felt a chill run down his spine at the sight.
“What is that…?”
“It’s a monster.”
“The Empire’s really…”
“How do we fight that?”
Everyone already knew the Empire had been corrupted by dark magic.
Not from rumors, but from firsthand experience fighting soldiers who no longer felt human.
But they hadn’t expected such grotesque creatures to appear.
The Anti-Empire Alliance was truly fighting monsters now. Seeing this, everyone felt the harsh reality anew.
“How do we stop that?”
“The knights…”
The creatures slipped between the Empire’s ranks, one by one.
There weren’t many, but no one wanted to fight them.
Even the knights froze in place, stunned.
“Everyone, stay calm!”
Someone shouted.
“If the soldiers form a line to block them, the knights will attack the monsters directly!”
It was Raymond. He shouted at the stunned knights.
“Try sniping them with arrows first and watch their reaction! The knights will step in when the time is right!”
“This is our first time facing something like this…”
“Who here hasn’t faced something new?”
Raymond’s voice boomed.
Knights sent from Briol stepped forward.
“Sir Raymond is right. The knights must take the lead.”
“And who will face the Empire’s knights?”
“Who cares? We’ll handle them all.”
Though the knights addressed Raymond as “Sir,” no one paid attention in the urgency.
One Briol knight said,
“Are you afraid to fight as a knight?”
“What nonsense!”
“Then stop whining. Let’s go!”
The Briol knights and soldiers moved first.
“For Briol!”
The minor allied troops, vaguely aware of Briol’s war reputation, followed, shouting in unison.
“Hold the line!”
The Empire’s forces were already close to the Anti-Empire Alliance’s defenses.
Arrows rained down like a storm, and the minor allied archers returned fire. Arrows scattered in all directions.
Then the clash began.
“Die!”
“Ughhh!”
“Dieeee!”
The battlefield echoed with the sounds of life and death. Everyone screamed like beasts. The fallen collapsed beneath the barricades, their bodies becoming stepping stones for their comrades.
Finally, the monster arrived.
Its tentacles shot out in an instant.
“Ahhh!”
“Block it!”
The soldiers raised their shields in a panic. The impact didn’t break through, but it was strong enough to stagger them.
Ace gripped his shield tightly, gritting his teeth.
Up close, the monster was even more hideous than he’d imagined.
He couldn’t believe they could win against such a creature.
But there was no running away.
If even one part of the Anti-Empire Alliance’s front collapsed, the consequences would ripple out.
The next battlefield would be the entire continent.
“Dieeeeee!”
Ace screamed, straining his voice. He thrust his shield forward and slashed with his sword, stabbing the monster’s body beyond the writhing tentacles.
Blood splattered.
The blade didn’t penetrate deeply—the creature’s flesh was tough.
“Damn it!”
The tentacles whipped violently, striking in all directions. The soldiers beside him were pushed back.
“Insane…”
“We can’t hold it!”
Meanwhile, a soldier was pierced beneath his shield by a tentacle.
“Ahhh…”
The tentacle pulsed as if sucking something in, draining the soldier’s life with each movement.
It was a chilling sight.
“Damn it!”
Ace shouted, but there was no choice. He held his shield and swung his sword again.
“How do we fight this…?”
The tentacles grew wilder, and Ace was pushed back, unable to block them all. They jabbed and lashed out in every direction.
One tentacle lunged for his neck.
Clang!
Someone stepped in, blocking the attack.
“You okay?”
“Sir Raymond!”
Raymond had drawn his sword and stepped forward to confront the tentacles.
At that moment, the imperial soldiers nearby lunged their spears to block him. Raymond deftly dodged every attack, swinging his sword to slash at the writhing tentacles flying at him from all directions.
A few tentacles were severed.
“Ah!”
Seeing a soldier in uniform display such skill, the surrounding troops gasped in shock, their eyes widening.
But Raymond didn’t stop there. Gathering his mana, he surged forward, charging straight at the monster.
Sensing the threat, the creature expanded all its tentacles, bristling with menace.
“Ugh!”
Raymond was forced to halt, unable to advance further.
Immediately, the imperial soldiers counterattacked.
A spear blade grazed Raymond’s thigh.
“What are you doing?! Help Sir Raymond, now!”
Ace shouted urgently. Snapping out of their daze, the allied soldiers scrambled to swing their weapons.
Still, Raymond couldn’t achieve his goal and was forced to retreat.
Soon, several knights arrived to confront the beast.
But their efforts yielded little.
The creature moved with uncanny agility—whenever it sensed danger, it would swiftly pull back, creating distance, then lash out its tentacles from afar. When the resistance weakened, it would surge forward, wildly thrashing its tentacles and claiming more victims.
Ace watched in horror as several comrades standing beside him were impaled and killed by the tentacles.
“Damn it!”
Ace yelled.
“Sir Raymond! Can we hold them off?”
“Well, we have to try our best,” Raymond replied grimly, swinging his sword with unwavering resolve.
Gradually, the front lines began to falter.
From all sides, the monsters whipped their tentacles, slaughtering men. As they drained the life force from their human prey, they grew even stronger.
This fight was unwinnable as it stood.
“If only reinforcements would arrive…”
Ace suddenly looked up.
Watching the relentless tide of imperial troops pressing forward, his morale sank. Their numbers—and this unknown monster—were simply too much to handle.
Then, unexpectedly, the sky brightened.
“Huh?”
The light grew stronger.
At first, Ace thought the sun had broken through the clouds, casting sunlight over the battlefield. But then he felt heat radiating from behind him.
Without thinking, Ace turned around.
And froze in shock.
“Wha—?”
A massive fireball blazed in midair.
Ace muttered under his breath.
“Magic?”
No, that was impossible.
Using magic on a battlefield was nearly unheard of.
Even if the enemy had one or two mages, their spells would be nullified by dispel magic.
So what on earth was that?
As he stood there, stunned, the fiery orb began to tilt.
An enormous inferno poured down toward the empire.