On a vast plain, two great armies faced each other.
One side bore the flag of the Northern Army, while the other flew the flag of the Delphine Duchy.
Count Matthes, leading the 2nd Corps of the Delphine army, asked the person beside him.
"Hmm, are you certain Count Fenris is absent?"
"Yes, if he didn't want to lose his father and sister, he would have acted."
The one who answered was Dentaria, an Arbiter of the Salvation Church.
Dentaria was the priestess who had incited the barbarians and created a rift in the north. After completing that mission, she had now joined the Delphine army.
Count Matthes nodded and continued.
"Even without Count Fenris, the Northern Army is elite. They are known for their strong fighters and high-quality equipment. The priests will need to take the lead."
The skills of the knights and soldiers might be similar between the Northern Army and the Delphine army, but the problem lay in the equipment and weapons.
The Northern Army was famous for maintaining mobility while deploying siege weapons. It was all thanks to the new technology devised by Count Fenris.
The Delphine army, needing to move quickly, had not brought siege weapons. They planned for the supply units to bring them once a path was cleared.
However, it was clear that the Northern Army had already positioned plenty of catapults.
"We must clear a path as quickly as possible. We can't afford to match their catapults head-to-head."
On the other hand, the Northern Army merely needed to delay. There was no reason for them to attack first.
If the Northern Army were slightly smaller in number, it wouldn't be an issue. Even if they used catapults, sheer numbers could overwhelm them.
But the Northern Army was also a massive force of 80,000. Engaging them recklessly was not an option.
Hearing Count Matthes' concerns, Dentaria reassured him with a confident expression.
"The Northern Army's combat power is bound to drop without Count Fenris. As long as we suppress their 7th-circle mage, our priests can lead the charge, destroy their catapults, and clear the way. There will be some losses, but there's no need to worry."
"Hmm, understood."
Count Matthes could only place his trust in the superhuman-level priests.
With so many catapults on the other side, any tactical maneuvers were pointless. It was essentially like attacking a fortress without walls.
Thus, the superhuman priests had to take the lead and disrupt the enemy's formation.
'With Count Fenris absent, it should be doable.'
Count Matthes truly believed this. After all, three high-ranking priests had joined their ranks.
If they could destroy the Northern Army, Count Fenris would lose his foundation, and the war would become much easier.
While allied forces from other nations were trickling in, they weren't the main force. Capturing the capital first and then cleaning up would suffice.
In Count Matthes' mind, the possibility of losing didn't even exist.
His thoughts were only focused on minimizing damage and carrying out additional orders.
"There is a directive to eliminate Alpoi during this battle, if possible."
"Is that the hidden 7th-circle mage?"
"Yes. If you spot someone resembling him when we penetrate their ranks, kill him first. Ensure he doesn't retreat and reunite with Count Fenris."
"Understood. I've reviewed the portrait. Once we destroy the weapons, I'll make it my priority to find and kill him."
Dentaria smiled cruelly.
The Duchy had suffered at the hands of Count Fenris due to too many unpredictable factors. One of them was Alpoi, who had concealed his abilities.
The Duchy's plan was to eliminate such variables and regain control over the situation.
Watching Dentaria's sinister smile, Count Matthes wore a bitter expression.
'We've crossed a river of no return.'
The vassals based in the south couldn't defy the Delphine Duchy. They had long known how terrifying the Duchy could be.
If the vassals tried to defect like the duke faction nobles, they would face immediate retaliation.
Not only would their territories be in danger, but their families, held hostage by the Duchy, would also face dire consequences.
Taking hostages of vassals' heirs or families was an age-old tradition, but Raul had taken an excessive number of hostages.
Some lords might not care about their families, but even they gave up escaping under the Duchy's threats. Everyone valued their own life.
'There's no choice but to seize the kingdom. Only then can we survive.'
Victory in the civil war was the only path forward. They had to see it through with the Salvation Church.
With a war lacking any real justification and filled with fear of the Duchy and the Church, the soldiers' morale was understandably low.
The only thing Matthes could rely on was the discipline of his elite troops.
"All forces, advance."
At Count Matthes' command, the Delphine army began to move.
The Northern Army was already prepared for battle.
Claude, with a relaxed expression, spoke to those around him.
"If we clash, we'll win anyway. They don't have siege weapons right now. There's no need to worry. They'll just die as soon as they enter our firing range."
Hundreds of catapults were already positioned in the Northern Army's rear. At this scale, the enemy would simply be wiped out as soon as they came within range.
Ghislain had heavily relied on catapults when fighting Marquis Rodrick. If deployed correctly in open-field battles, catapults were incredibly powerful weapons.
Tenant, who had previously fought the Fenris army, voiced a concern.
"They must know we have many catapults. If they're advancing anyway, they must be confident. Perhaps they have superhumans among their ranks."
Logically, the odds of superhumans being present were slim. Such individuals were exceedingly rare. Officially, there were fewer than four known superhumans.
However, the capture of Ravier had revealed the Salvation Church had hidden superhumans. It wasn't something they could ignore.
"If they have superhumans, they'll target the catapults first. We can fend them off with our forces, but... the damage will be significant."
Although the Northern Army had two unknown superhumans on their side, if an enemy superhuman infiltrated their ranks, there would inevitably be losses.
Claude nodded as if acknowledging this.
"Then we'll need to respond accordingly. Lady Erenes, I'll need you to lend us your strength!"
"Very well, what do you need me to do?"
"Yes! You need to go out first and stop the enemy!"
"...By myself?"
"Yes! Alone!"
"...Even I can't stop an army of 100,000 on my own."
Even for a superhuman, facing 100,000 soldiers was too much. Fighting that many would tire anyone, no matter their strength.
Let alone the kingdom's strongest force, the Duchy, whose ranks were filled with skilled knights, mages, and likely other superhumans.
Going out alone would be a death sentence.
As Erenes hesitated, Claude spoke in a solemn voice.
"Lady Erenes! Do you not understand that with great power comes great responsibility? To minimize casualties, you must take the lead!"
It sounded like he was telling Erenes to go out, kill as many as possible, wreak havoc, and die.
Even the ever-composed Erenes couldn't suppress her irritation upon hearing that.
"And what about you? You're laying the responsibility on me, but what will you do?"
Claude puffed out his chest and replied confidently.
"I have no great power, so I bear no responsibility."
"..."
An awkward silence filled the command tent. Even notorious troublemakers like Kaor and Alpoi looked at him with contempt.
Wendy quickly covered Claude's mouth and bowed her head.
"I apologize. He's always like this... though today he seems worse than usual..."
Breaking free from Wendy's grip, Claude shouted.
"No! Let me finish! Lady Erenes must act before the enemy speeds up and charges!"
As everyone looked at him curiously, Claude cautiously elaborated on his idea.
"Just hear me out. Lady Erenes, go out and fight, but don't reveal you're a superhuman. Just act as if you're a high-level knight..."
Claude continued his explanation. While his words didn't entirely resonate, there was some sense to them.
Erenes nodded. Ghislain had instructed them to follow Claude's lead in the war, so he decided to give it a try.
"Fine. I'll go. But if things don't turn out as you say, I won't listen to you again."
"Of course. If I'm wrong, I'll step down."
With Claude's confident words, Erenes stepped forward.
What Erenes didn't know was that Claude had always wanted to step down from his position.
The Delphine army was steadily picking up speed, preparing to charge as soon as they reached the catapults' range.
Of course, this strategy relied on the three superhumans at the vanguard. They believed that with their strength, they could undoubtedly disrupt the enemy's formation.
Count Matthes raised his hand and spoke.
"We're about to enter the range of their catapults. Charge as fast as possible and pierce their formation."
A massive army of 100,000 was advancing. It was certain that the middle and rear ranks would suffer significant losses from the catapults.
However, while the vanguard engaged the enemy, the superhumans would break through and destroy the catapults, allowing the remaining soldiers to surge forward and annihilate the Northern Army.
"Mages, prepare! Block the enemy's 7th-circle mage!"
The mages of the Delphine army began gathering their mana.
This battlefield included five 6th-circle mages, along with numerous 5th and 4th-circle mages.
Even if the enemy had a 7th-circle mage, they were confident they could suppress their magic.
As the Delphine army advanced toward the Northern Army and increased their speed—
"Huh? What is that?"
An elf swiftly emerged from the Northern Army's ranks and blocked the path of the advancing Delphine army.
The elf exuded a formidable aura. Seeing this, Count Matthes squinted his eyes.
"It's obvious what they're planning."
He momentarily slowed the army's advance to confer with Dentaria beside him.
"It looks like a challenge to a duel. What do you think?"
"Hmm, judging by their aura, they appear to be high-level warrior. This is a good chance to eliminate them before the battle."
"I thought the same. Count Fenris isn't here, so they're resorting to all kinds of tactics."
"They likely don't expect that we have three superhumans on our side."
No one would imagine that a single army could field three superhumans. To completely eliminate the Northern Army, the Duchy and the Salvation Church had taken considerable risks.
Of course, the Northern Army was also famous for its exceptional individuals. They likely sent a strong warrior to boost morale with a duel.
If they could crush this opponent here, their morale would soar. From a tactical standpoint, declining such an advantageous opportunity was unthinkable.
"There aren't many on the execution list. Gillian, Kaor, Belinda… But this elf doesn't match any of our intelligence. It can't be that foul-mouthed elf, right?"
Dentaria tilted her head slightly before speaking.
"Well, judging by their aura, they're on par with those individuals. There's no harm in killing them now."
"Indeed. Eliminating someone like that before our armies clash will reduce our losses."
"I'll go and take care of them quickly. Commander, once I kill them, charge immediately. I'll follow shortly."
"Very well."
Count Matthes deliberately slowed the advance.
The Delphine army, advancing as if they might stop at any moment, came to a halt as their vanguard entered the range of the catapults. Yet the enemy did not attack.
"They really want a duel. Perfect. Once it's over, we'll strike them hard."
The elf looked formidable, but they would face a superhuman. Even if the elf was near superhuman level, Dentaria was confident she would win.
If the elf were truly that strong, they would already be widely known.
Matthes had braced himself for significant losses, but now he had the chance to eliminate a skilled opponent before the battle even began. It was a fortuitous turn of events.
Dentaria walked out leisurely to face Erenes.
"What's your name? You're not in our intelligence reports."
"Erenes."
"An elf by that name? You're not Lumina or Ascon, are you?"
Erenes didn't answer but instead asked a question.
"Why did you stop the army?"
"Isn't it because you came out to request a duel?"
"That's true. But I didn't expect you to accept. You could have just charged in and fought. If you lost, your situation would have worsened."
"Hah, hahahaha! Lose? Me? You foolish elf, do you even know who I am to say something like that?"
"Then you're confident you'll win?"
"Of course. With the Count of Fenris absent, there are no more superhumans in the Northern Army. No one here can match me."
Goooooo...
Black energy began to seep from Dentaria's body. The oppressive aura pressed heavily on Erenes.
With a cruel smile, Dentaria spoke.
"As you said, we're at a disadvantage because of the catapults. That's why it makes sense to accept a duel. Killing someone as skilled as you before the battle will reduce our losses."
"Is that so? Fascinating."
"What do you mean?"
"That you're following the orders of such a lightweight fool."
Rrrrrrrumble
Vines began to grow from the ground beneath Erenes, climbing up her body.
In an instant, armor made of wood wrapped around her, and antler-like branches sprouted from her head.
A faint green energy radiated from her body, swirling protectively around her.
Seeing this, Dentaria's eyes twitched.
"You… were hiding your strength?"
The aura emanating from Erenes was no longer that of a high-level warrior. It was unmistakably superhuman.
Erenes took a step forward and spoke.
"You should have used your entire army to trample me. If you had, I would have stepped back."
"What?"
"The truth is, we also planned to eliminate one superhuman before the battle."
Flaaash!
Intense green light erupted from her eyes.
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