Hiiiing!
Thud thud thud thud!
With a loud neigh, the Black King galloped through the open castle gates.
Ghislain quickly grabbed the reins of the Black King and mounted it.
Among the soldiers exiting the castle, some led spare horses alongside them—mounts for the knights.
The knights swiftly mounted the horses they had brought. Now, every single member of the Fenris Army was mounted.
Ghislain, riding the Black King, charged forward and shouted again.
"Let's go! Sweep them all away!"
"Whoooaaaah!"
The Fenris Army roared.
The Black King, with Ghislain on its back, surged forward like a streak of light. Though he had started later than the soldiers, he had already taken the lead in no time.
The fleeing Rodrick Army was pale with terror, their screams filling the air.
"The Fenris Army is coming!"
"It's a cavalry charge!"
"Run! Get out of the way!"
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The sound of 10,000 cavalry charging shook the earth as if a massive earthquake had struck.
In the Rodrick Army's command center, frantic shouts erupted.
"You fools! Form ranks! Grab your spears, raise your shields! Form ranks now!"
The Rodrick Army had already lost formation and was showing their backs to the enemy. If they were struck by the cavalry charge in this state, they would be annihilated.
But the soldiers, already battered and their morale shattered, could not even think of fighting back against the Fenris Army.
"You fight them!"
"We're running away!"
"We can't win! There's no way we can beat them!"
Instead, the soldiers screamed back at the command. To them, the command center was run by idiots forcing them into a battle they couldn't win.
If they were going to die anyway, it seemed better to run and try to survive even a little longer.
However, as most of them were infantry, it didn't take long for the Fenris Army to catch up to them.
Boom!
"Aaaaaargh!"
When a line of 10,000 cavalry charges forward, they can crush a vast area. The Fenris Mobile Army advanced, grinding the Rodrick soldiers beneath their hooves.
At the center of this charge was Ghislain.
He tore through the Rodrick Army in a straight line, shouting as he went.
"If you don't want to die, throw down your weapons and surrender!"
At his shout, the Rodrick soldiers immediately threw themselves flat on the ground.
But not all of them survived. There were simply too many soldiers lying on the ground for the Fenris Army to avoid them all.
Boom! Crash!
As the entire Fenris Army charged, they inevitably trampled over the soldiers lying in their path.
"Aaaaaargh!"
"I surrendered! Spare me!"
"Roll to the side! Move away!"
The screams of soldiers trampled under hooves and the cries of those trying to escape mixed, plunging the battlefield into chaos.
Still, the Fenris Army didn't deliberately kill the surrendered soldiers. They simply pushed through anyone who stood in their way.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The Fenris Army tore through the shattered Rodrick Army without hesitation.
Rodrick's soldiers either fled to the sides to escape the battlefield or threw down their weapons and surrendered.
Count Glasgow, witnessing this, shouted with tears of rage.
"Those fools! Even with so many of them, they won't fight back?!"
If everyone had turned to resist, they wouldn't have died so helplessly. In truth, the Rodrick Army still had the numbers advantage.
But how could they fight when no one had the will to do so?
This was war. Even with superior numbers, once morale was broken, fear spread like a plague to everyone.
That's why maintaining the morale and loyalty of soldiers was critically important in war. The Rodrick Army had numbers but lacked the most vital elements.
"You worthless scum! You garbage! Fight! Turn and fight!"
Count Glasgow cursed at his soldiers repeatedly.
The laziness of the western soldiers had long been infamous. Count Glasgow had heard the rumors but dismissed them.
There had been no need for concern. No one dared challenge them, and they had no reason to fight. He thought the rumors were merely the jealous words of other nobles.
"To think they'd be this pathetic…."
But now he saw that it was all true.
From the nobles to the soldiers, everyone had grown complacent with their peace. None of them lived with any sense of tension.
Thus, they were no match for the Fenris Army, who had endured hellish training and countless battles.
Even their dedication to protecting their territory couldn't compare.
Across the battlefield, the shouts of the Fenris Army echoed.
"Throw down your weapons and surrender!"
The Fenris cavalry charge had significantly slowed. There were simply too many Rodrick soldiers blocking their way, tripping and tangling in front of them.
The Fenris Army advanced over the fallen soldiers, slashing down those who still blocked their path.
As the Rodrick Army completely crumbled, Count Glasgow's advisors and knights shouted at him.
"You must flee!"
"Hurry and inform the marquis of this!"
"It's a massacre! We're being annihilated!"
More than half the army had already been breached. They had only lasted this long because of their sheer numbers; otherwise, the command center would have been overrun long ago.
Count Glasgow gritted his teeth and shouted.
"Escort Soldiers, hold the line! Knights and advisors, retreat and inform the marquis! Report this no matter what!"
After giving his orders, Count Glasgow turned his horse. His escort knights immediately clustered around him.
The remaining advisors, commanders, and knights scrambled to flee as soon as his orders fell.
The Escort Soldiers, seeing this, shouted angrily.
"The commander and knights are running away!"
"You bastards!"
"How are we supposed to hold them off?!"
The escort soldiers, an elite unit with some semblance of discipline, were outraged. But even they couldn't remain loyal when their leaders were abandoning them to save themselves.
Thud thud thud thud!
As they fumed, the sound of hooves drew closer. They turned to see the Fenris Army already bearing down on them.
At the forefront was a figure they recognized all too well, his eyes glowing red and a grin on his face.
"We surrender too!"
At someone's desperate shout, the escort soldiers threw down their weapons and lay flat on the ground.
Ghislain passed them in an instant and said.
"You look useful enough. Stay where you are. Anyone who runs will die."
Though he spoke as he sped past, it was as if his voice whispered directly into their ears.
Swallowing hard, the escort soldiers remained flat on the ground, trembling.
Thud thud thud thud!
Count Glasgow, having fled a good distance, glanced back.
"Ugh!"
His face twisted in horror as he let out a scream.
Count Fenris was pursuing him alone. Despite having fled early, the gap between them was shrinking rapidly.
"S-stop him! Stop him, I say!"
At this point, he would have to sacrifice his escort knights. If he didn't, it was clear he would be caught.
The escort knights glanced at each other nervously at the order.
Only ten knights remained with Count Glasgow. Originally over a hundred, many had fled or been killed in the earlier battle.
Now he wanted these ten to stop Count Fenris, a master-level warrior?
It was a death sentence. Nothing more.
Exchanging silent looks, the knights nodded and suddenly scattered to the sides.
They abandoned Count Glasgow.
"You, you bastards! What are you doing? Stop him! I said stop that bastard!"
Count Glasgow screamed desperately, but none of the knights listened. They were all too busy saving their own lives.
Ghislain saw this and grinned, extending one hand.
Whoooosh!
Flaaaash!
Dozens of dark-red mana spears formed and flew forward, piercing through the backs of the fleeing knights.
"Arghhh!"
The defenseless knights were struck in the back and killed instantly.
Now, only Count Glasgow remained.
Dark-red mana began to flow out from Ghislain, wrapping around the Black King.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The Black King's eyes turned red as its speed increased even further.
Count Glasgow kept glancing back, his face contorted in terror, and let out a scream of despair.
"A-Ahhhhh!"
Ghislain had already closed the distance. Even a single thrown spear would pierce his back and kill him.
"Don't come! Stay away!"
Count Glasgow cried out pitifully, yanking desperately on his horse's reins. But he could not escape the Black King's speed.
At some point, Ghislain came alongside him and reached out, grabbing Count Glasgow by the neck.
"Gahk!"
Count Glasgow felt as though his neck might snap, but he didn't die.
The horse carrying him continued to gallop forward, leaving the battlefield.
Dangling from Ghislain's grip atop the Black King, Count Glasgow pleaded.
"S-spare me! I'll give you a generous reward!"
"I won't let you die so easily."
"W-what?!"
Ghislain tossed aside his spear and drew a sword from his waist, stabbing Count Glasgow in the stomach.
Thunk!
"Ughhh!"
Count Glasgow let out a wail of pain.
Although his stomach was pierced, he did not die. Ghislain had deliberately avoided his vital organs.
Ghislain stared coldly into Count Glasgow's eyes and spoke.
"Tell me everything. The composition of your main force, the number of knights and soldiers, the quantity of weapons, the current supply routes—every detail."
He had a rough idea already. Even without this information, those left in Fenris could hold the line.
But Ghislain wanted precise information to prepare for any unexpected developments.
Count Glasgow trembled, his voice shaking.
"If I tell you that, you'll kill me anyway."
"You'll die whether you talk or not. The only choice you have is whether you die painfully or peacefully."
Thunk!
Ghislain stabbed him again, this time infusing mana into the blade. Count Glasgow's body convulsed violently in excruciating pain.
"Arghhhh! I'll talk! I'll talk!"
Overcome by the unbearable agony, Count Glasgow screamed.
This madman clearly had expertise in torture. Dying quickly seemed a better option.
Count Glasgow spilled everything he knew. Ghislain's periodic inflictions of pain left him no time to fabricate or withhold anything.
"Nothing special. Well, then, farewell."
Ghislain, wearing a bored expression, listened to the information before swiftly beheading Count Glasgow.
As expected, the enemy was simply advancing in brute force without any real strategy.
"Well, that's manageable."
Ghislain's trusted subordinates, except for Kaor, had mostly remained in the territory. Kaor and the assault corps had been brought along because they were ill-suited for defensive battles.
The enemy's main force of 60,000 troops was targeting Fenris. The quality and quantity of their forces and equipment were on a completely different scale from the pursuing troops.
Still, Ghislain had no intention of returning immediately.
He trusted his allies and planned to wrap up matters here as quickly as possible.
Returning to the battlefield, Ghislain found that the battle was already over.
The Rodrick soldiers were all kneeling with their hands clasped behind their heads. The Fenris troops stood guard over them, awaiting Ghislain's orders.
"Who among you holds the highest rank?"
At Ghislain's shout, the soldiers exchanged glances.
Though the command staff had fled, there were still ranks among the soldiers. Some looked at their superiors, others at those higher up.
Eventually, all eyes settled on one man.
The man, trying to avoid their gazes, slowly stood up when he realized everyone was looking at him.
"I-I'm Walter. I led the escort unit this time. Previously, I commanded the 3rd Infantry Company of the 2nd Corps."
He spoke in a trembling voice, fearing that officers would be executed.
Ghislain regarded Walter for a moment before speaking.
"Good. I'll grant you temporary command. For now, you will lead the remaining soldiers. Understood?"
"W-what? Y-yes, sir! Understood!"
Walter couldn't fathom why he was being given command, but he didn't dare question it. He didn't want to lose his head.
"Take stock of the remaining soldiers and regroup them by unit. If there's no commander, appoint the most senior soldier as interim leader."
"Understood!"
Walter busied himself, organizing the soldiers.
Ordinarily, regrouping enemy forces would be risky, but the Fenris Army didn't care.
The Rodrick soldiers wouldn't dare challenge such an overwhelmingly powerful opponent.
Walter eventually managed to reassemble the troops in a rough formation and stood before Ghislain.
"T-the remaining soldiers number about 15,000! I grouped them into units of about a thousand each, as the numbers varied too much by original unit."
"Good. You can reorganize the details later."
Thanks to the quick surrender, more soldiers had survived than Ghislain had anticipated. This was exactly the outcome he had aimed for.
Ghislain surveyed the troops and spoke.
"From now on, Linderstein belongs to Fenris! That means you are now proud soldiers of Fenris! Your job is to fight for Fenris from here on! Understood?"
"Yes! Understood!"
The soldiers, grateful to be alive, responded loudly. Whatever they might feel inside, none dared to oppose him.
Having experienced the vast disparity in combat power, who would have the nerve to rebel?
Moreover, Fenris's reputation for treating its soldiers well was well-known, even in the west. Some of them even felt a glimmer of hope.
Ghislain led them into Linderstein with confidence.
"Now, let's move on to the next task."
Ghislain knew he had to return to Fenris as soon as possible. However, he couldn't simply abandon the western territories he had fought so hard to seize.
He planned to make the most of the troops and resources he had gained here.
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]