C530
The psychological pressure was unbearable for the guilty.
The Imperial Army started this war without any justification, reason, or hatred.
Those who participated in the fight, choosing the side of victory or defeat like children picking teams, lacked unwavering willpower and a fiery fighting spirit.
All the knights and magicians in the rear had completely lost morale.
It happened in the first thirty minutes after Jin appeared.
When Jin started moving again, the infantry knights and magicians who had stayed there, or rather, were quite far from Jin, scattered and avoided him.
Whether they fought or fled, it was hell.
Not a single foot soldier decided to face him.
Those with shaky legs ran off the battlefield as if they were mad, and those who couldn't do that cried and crawled.True to his promise, Jin didn't pursue those fleeing enemies.
However, the enemy commanders couldn't do the same.
"These madmen...! Fight! Those who run will die by my hands, I said."
"Do they think they can endure the crime of defying the orders of the Emperor? It's better to fight and die, thus preventing your blood from being exterminated!"
Despite the ruthless orders of the commanders of the Imperial army, foot soldiers didn't stop fleeing.
It had already been decided which of the two was more fearsome, the Emperor or Jin Runcandel.
In the end, the commanders began directly reducing the knights and magicians who were fleeing.
However, even after the scene continued, foot soldiers didn't stop leaving the battlefield.
When the situation reached that point, the commanders had no choice but to fall into panic.
The Runcandel knight, whom they couldn't handle even united, was approaching, but the formation had already dispersed so much that it could barely be called an army.
Only the senior knights, Hensick, and the Magic Corps Lilitha were left.
But all they could do was prepare for death.
Most of the Dragon Spears, which were the greatest power, were destroyed or snatched away, and Jin wasn't tired at all, even after fiercely unleashing decisive killing moves, pressing them with bloodlust.
They couldn't receive support from the front or the sides of the battlefield.
The front was still in Dante's hands, while the flanks were organized by Brother Proch, Kashimir, Alisa, Yulian, Kuzan, Gilly, and others.
Even the Imperial rear forces were trying to use the refugees from Sword Emperor Castle who hadn't left yet as hostages.
It might become the worst-case scenario later, but they thought it could be a way to stir up the situation.
But even that was going to fail because of Jin's companions.
"Mesa, Scott! You two and your crew must prioritize protecting the refugees. Bellop, you and I will deal with the enemy commanders."
Luton Ferman, the former Execution Knight of Runcandel, and the younger division were also participating in this war.
Having gone through hellish training under Luton's orders and being Runcandel guardian knights in the first place, the Imperial rear knights couldn't be their rivals.
Thus, Jin and his companions tore apart the battlefield while shouting.
"For our Lord!"
"For our Lord and Hairan!"
"Rescue our allies, take care of the wounded!"
As the rank-and-file enemies fled, the shouts grew louder than the screams.
Everyone knew that the war wouldn't end in victory so easily.
However, the knights of Sword Emperor Castle now had hope to escape from despair and head towards victory.
"The Dragon Spears are gathering around Lady Amela! Currently, eight cannons, and the number keeps increasing!"
"She didn't die on the Gaifa Islands, she became a subordinate of the Twelfth Flagbearer...!"
Amela's skills shine especially in large-scale warfare.
She was continually gathering Dragon Spears using her own murky energy and Valkas's power.
At the same time, she was remodeling them at a great speed.
Dozens of hands made with murky energy were moving diligently, removing broken spears, parts from other cannons, and pre-prepared objects, and attaching them to the stolen Dragon Spears.
"Cannon complete! My Lord, we're almost ready! If you give the order, I'll start the front cannon support fire!"
Jin nodded, and Amela waved her hand from her bushy suit, saluting.
"Order received! Look forward to the thrilling cannon support fire from Amela."
The Dragon Spears raised their cannons in unison, following Amela's hand.
"Bang!"
Eight Dragon Spears simultaneously fired into the sky at an angle.
The cannon shots seemed to go beyond the castle, far ahead, towards where the Emperor was.
Despite having nothing in sight, Amela fired without hesitation.
She was gauging the precise distance where her allies wouldn't suffer damage only from the vibrations on the battlefield.
It wasn't a lie when Valkas claimed that no one could match Amela when it came to war.
Dante caught his breath and looked at the cannon shots falling like meteorites on the Imperial army in the distance.
It was evident that the cannon shots were blocked.
The best of Hensick and Lillista's magic bodies were extending a protective shield.
However, the Dragon Spear was originally the Empire's strongest weapon of war.
It wasn't something magicians could easily block, especially when eight cannons were firing simultaneously.
The mana from the Imperial magic bodies was amplified to the point that even the knights could feel it, and foot soldiers could see it with their own eyes.
As far as Dante knew, the Empire didn't possess that level of technology.
The ability to amplify mana on such a scale was almost unheard of in the academic world and history books.
Zipple.
Only they could do something like that.
Dante paid no attention to Alton's warning...
But he was sure the Emperor had struck a deal with Zipple.
All for that white stone...!
The white stone, that object had tainted Dante's insides from before the war began.
And as the cup of war overflowed, the hatred and anger originating from the white stone grew faster and faster.
It wasn't that Amela's Dragon Spears didn't manage to inflict any damage on the Imperial army.
The elite members of the Magic Corps were only protecting the Emperor and other important personnel, not the lives of the foot soldiers.
Dante gripped his sword again.
Dante, who felt no emotion at the deaths of the Imperial infantry and magicians bursting before him, was rather suddenly scared as he found himself surrounded by a pleasant sensation of death.
The war had only just begun.
"Get out of the way; I will kill the Emperor."
The Imperial Guard and the infantry scattered as Dante advanced with his sword.
After a while, a large man appeared among them.
"...Dante-nim."
The leader of the Dragon King Knights, the Imperial Sword.
Johncena Ferrell blocked Dante.
His blue armor shone even in the darkness, unlike Dante, who was covered in blood and looked like a demonic creature.
Heroic stories of Johncena and various legends had instilled dreams in countless knights worldwide.
Although his individual strength didn't receive much attention relative to Ron, Johncena was a role model for knights.
Dante also held great admiration for him.
That's why a bitter laugh escaped him.
"Ever since Kevin Ferrell came... I expected you to be in the Imperial Army too. But when I saw you standing in my way, sir, I couldn't help but feel disgusted."
Dante spat blood.
Johncena raised his aura instead of responding.
The surrounding ground vibrated, and small mounds of rocks scattered and rose.
"Did you perhaps harbor an ancient sense of inferiority toward my grandfather? Or did you want to see your Ferrell Family replace Hairan as the Empire's pillar?"
Dante's voice trembled with a sense of betrayal.
He was sure that even if all the Dragon King Knights blindly followed the Emperor's orders, Johncena wouldn't forget his honor.
Just as Dante was about to mock him again, Johncena disappeared from his view.
When he hurriedly looked, Johncena's great sword was already falling on his shoulder.
Thud!
The blow immediately dislocated his shoulder.
Dante was pushed backward, crashing onto the ground, and Johncena's sword energy descended upon him.
Dante quickly reset his shoulder bone, stood up, and deflected Johncena's sword energy.
His two wobbly legs seemed to lose balance at any moment.
It's the Imperial Sword's sword.
With his body on the verge of breaking, Dante couldn't easily dodge the attack.
"Enough."
"Is this guy or that guy only telling me to stop when you stabbed Sword Emperor Castle first? Don't you feel ashamed, hypocrite?"
Dante lunged at him shouting, but Dante's sword couldn't pierce through Johncena's great sword.
Every time they exchanged swords, Dante spat blood as his bones and organs shook, and Johncena couldn't even lose his breath.
It was like an iron wall.
Johncena was showing a clear difference in skill compared to the knights he had faced until now.
"Please."
"Ha, please?"
"I don't want to see you die."
"You talk as if you're taking care of me, leader of the Dragon King Knights... It might seem amusing while I get tired and vomit blood..."
Dante's body was stained with an aura.
It was a sign that another secret technique of the Sword Emperor was about to be executed.
And Johncena knew the price of that sword.
Dante's life.
"Are you going to die with me? How long will you be stubborn, Dante Hairan! Instead of clinging to illusions, plan for the future!"
You're the lord of Sword Emperor Castle! Johncena shouted with wide-open eyes.
"If you die, Hairan won't be able to rise again. Why do you keep throwing yourself into the darkness with a hand's breadth advantage? Do you think this is what Ron-nim wants!"
"How dare you speak my grandfather's name from your filthy mouth......!"
[Nyaaa-!]
At that moment, as soon as the rear battlefield was cleared...
Shuri, the ruby cat running tirelessly, leaped between Dante and Johncena.
Jin was riding on Shuri.
Dante recognized that Jin had come from the first time the blue sword illuminated the night sky...
But he hadn't expected him to clear the rear so quickly and come towards him.
Moreover, Dante didn't even think Jin would join him on the front lines.
That's how trapped he was in his internal confusion.
Hairan's future and the knights following him depend on him.
He has already realized that surviving alone is impossible.
"Dante."
Jin spoke as if understanding Dante's inner struggle.
"If I had only pretended to save you, I wouldn't have bothered to come. I came to save both you and Sword Emperor Castle. So now, don't fight as if this is the end. Don't forget that there is a future ahead."
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KO-FI
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