Chapter 176 - Splendid as a Flame (4)

After moving in silence along the valleys of the hills for a long time, the evening shadows had already grown thick.

The Rangers who had detached from the main force returned and reported that the Imperial Army's encampment was just past those ridges.

"It seems they haven't heard news from the other units yet, as their guard isn't particularly strict."

At the Ranger platoon leader's report, I quietly raised my hand.

"We will stop here for a moment."

Arwen nodded and quietly spurred her horse to head to the rear of the formation.

"Entire army, halt."

"Everyone stop."

"Halt right there."

The unit commanders relayed her instructions to the soldiers, and there was a brief commotion as the men and horses came to a stop.

However, since everyone knew they were in a position to launch a surprise attack, the commotion wasn't very loud.

Thousands of horses letting out heated breaths and sweat-drenched riders were waiting for my orders.

If it were up to me, I would have liked to keep riding straight toward the battlefield, but both the horses and the riders needed rest.

"Brief rest."

The commanders echoed my order in low voices.

"Entire army, rest."

"Rest freely on your own."

"Dismount and take a rest."

The riders dismounted in droves and rested in their own ways.

"Ugh. I'm dying!"

"Playing pretend as cavalry, which isn't even my calling. It's killing me."

The Rangers lay down haphazardly on the ground and quickly began to snore.

"Rest in a comfortable position."

"Report if anyone's horse has any issues."

The soldiers from the Central region were less uninhibited than the Rangers, but they similarly flattened themselves against the ground to relieve their fatigue.

"Whoa, whoa. Good boy."

"Hold on just a little longer."

The knights stood upright, tending to their horses or checking their equipment.

It wasn't that they showed no signs of fatigue, but their fighting spirit seemed far greater.

Everyone was doing better than I had expected.

Honestly, putting the Rangers aside, I hadn't expected the soldiers and knights of the Central region to keep up this well.

While I was looking at them for a long while with a sense of pride, I suddenly felt a bizarre wave of energy.

I turned my head toward the epicenter of the wave.

A short distance ahead, the night sky beyond the ridge was repeatedly brightening and darkening.

RUMBLE.

A beat later, the faint sound of thunder could be heard.

RUSTLE.

The Rangers, who had been lying around unguardedly and snoring, suddenly jumped up from their spots. The soldiers from the Central region, who had been massaging their bodies to relieve fatigue, stopped their hands in unison.

The knights who had been checking their horses and equipment looked at the sky flashing with light.

"It seems it has begun."

Arwen, who had disappeared to the rear, had returned at some point and spoke to me.

I raised my head again and took in the night sky beyond the ridge.

The sky, where day and night frequently intersected, was merely wondrous and mysterious to those watching from afar, but to the Imperial Army directly beneath it, it would be no different from a terrible disaster.

Because that was the light of magic erupting as the Warlocks, moving in pairs with the Wyvern Riders, rained bombardment down onto the ground.

"Since they were struck by lightning right in the middle of a sweet sleep, that'll surely snap them awake."

Eli, who had approached at some point, offered a small word of condolence for the nightmare the Warlocks had gifted to the Imperial Army, who must have been taking a sweet nap exhausted from their long march.

"It's about time we start moving again too."

At my words, the commanders began urging the soldiers as if they had been waiting for it.

"Prepare to move! What are you doing still standing around on the ground!"

"Hurry! Do you want to eat the leftovers the Wyvern Riders leave behind again!"

The formation became bustling in an instant.

"Count Branbrut."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The lord from the Central region, who had been waiting for my command for a while, immediately dropped to one knee before me.

"Take the Iron Hawks and the Ballorhard Rangers and go up that hill. Stand by so you can rain down arrows the moment the signal is given."

"I will prepare it without a single margin of error."

Count Branbrut led the Iron Hawk archers and the Rangers away from the main force.

"Erhim Kilinger."

"Your Highness."

"Lead the Iron Lions and the heavy infantry and stand by on the flank of the hill."

The one hundred Iron Lions and the mounted heavy infantry charged toward the hill.

"Arwen. Lead the light infantry and head to the hill on the opposite side."

"As Your Highness wills!"

Holding her sword upright against her chest, Arwen led the light infantry away from the main force.

"Eli. Lead Dawn, Daybreak, Twilight, and the Silver Foxes to the flank."

Eli disappeared, taking the Gawain trio and the other knights with him.

All that remained were the cavalry gathered from the Central region, the Black Lancers, and the Knights of Winter.

"We will charge straight in as soon as the Warlocks' magic bombardment ends."

"Yes! Your Highness!"

"Let's go."

The one-eyed cavalry captain and the knights answered fiercely and kicked the waists of their horses.

I led them toward the hill where the Imperial Army's encampment could be seen at a glance.

BOOM! BOOM!

The faint sound of explosions grew increasingly louder.

"Whoa, whoa. Good boy."

We advanced for a long while, calming the horses that were excitedly trying to buck at the shockwaves shaking the earth. Finally, we reached the top of the hill overlooking the battlefield.

"It's a living hell."

Barracks were engulfed in flames, and the fire was spreading rapidly as soldiers ran back and forth with their entire bodies ablaze.

The units that had miraculously managed to remember their discipline were scurrying about to extinguish the flames, but their numbers were not very high.

Most of the Imperial Army was simply running around in confusion, chased by the flames.

An acrid smell pierced my nose, and the screams of soldiers engulfed in the inferno dug into my ears.

I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword and quietly waited for the right time.

RUMBLE. THUD.

The explosions that had been erupting without pause slowly began to subside.

"Prepare."

I raised my hand. I lowered my visor.

CLANG.

With a dull metallic sound, my wide-open field of vision was covered.

Through the narrow slit in the visor, the world beyond was completely red.

"Phew."

With the battle imminent, excitement and tension began to fill my body.

I painstakingly suppressed my pounding heart and calmed my breathing.

My fighting spirit, heightened as far as it could go, and my heated breath instantly filled the inside of my helmet.

I wanted to vomit out this heat at any moment.

However, I forced my excitement down and waited for the right time.

For the explosions to completely stop. For the flashes embroidering the night sky to completely disappear.

And finally, the time had come.

VWOOOOOSH.

In the place where the explosions and flashes had vanished, a massive energy began to rise.

A presence so mighty that it made my body tingle.

It was a sign that the furious king of the azure sky was about to descend upon the ground.

"Huu."

I took a deep breath.

Before the Azure Sky Knights could storm in first. Before the monster of the Dotrin Royal Family could devour the Imperial Army without leaving a single trace.

I exhaled the breath I had deeply drawn in.

"Charge!"

With all the boiling heat packed into it.

Inwardly, I continuously chanted the War Poem.

『The snow-covered mountains, the frozen valleys, and the walls soaked in red blood remain silent,』

『Only the sound of the horn of advance blowing at dawn rings out.』

* * *

BOOM. BOOM...

"S-Save me..."

Lemion, a light infantryman belonging to the 92nd Legion, slowly opened his eyes at the faint noise heard through his haze.

BOOM!

Right at that moment, an ear-splitting explosion rang out.

"W-What the!"

Startled, Lemion instinctively dashed out of the barracks. The moment he escaped, something fell on top of the barracks.

CRASH!

Along with the explosion, the barracks collapsed completely.

FWOOSH.

Flames surged up. Soldiers who hadn't managed to escape the barracks in time ran out engulfed in flames.

"Aaaaargh!"

"S-Save me!"

Lemion stared blankly at the sight. He didn't even have the leeway to think about saving his comrades.

"W-What is this..."

Everything around him was a sea of fire.

It was a scene as if the entire encampment had turned into a fiery hell.

While he was blankly watching that sight, something fell from the sky once again.

BOOM!

With scattering sparks, the screams of the soldiers who had been crying out for their lives abruptly stopped.

As he turned his head, Lemion's eyes caught the sight of those who had turned into blackened lumps of charcoal.

Just a moment ago, they were comrades-in-arms who had been laughing and chatting in the same barracks.

There was no sadness.

He couldn't even comprehend what was happening.

Lemion stood vacantly and stared at the flames.

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

The sound of the bell announcing an enemy attack rang out a beat late.

"It's the enemy!"

Soldiers and knights rushed out of their barracks, yelling wildly.

"Grab your swords! Prepare for an enemy attack!"

"Put the fires out first!"

The commanders shrieked at the top of their lungs.

Only then did Lemion snap to his senses and grab a sword rolling on the ground.

"I said put the fires out first! Are you going to let the whole encampment burn down!"

A commander shouted at him.

He couldn't judge whether he should find a sword and prepare to fight first, or put out the fire first.

So he just ran back and forth, unable to do one thing or the other.

The other soldiers were also running about in confusion due to the conflicting orders.

"Don't lose your heads! Head to the outskirts of the encampment first!"

A knight wearing splendid armor spotted him and yelled angrily.

"I-I can't tell the direction because of the flames!"

"You fool! Follow me!"

The knight turned around. Lemion ran after the knight.

"Follow me!"

The knight rallied the immensely confused soldiers as he ran.

What had started as just Lemion alone quickly grew into a group of dozens as they ran.

"What the hell is going on!"

"How should I know! It's obviously the Dotrin Kingdom's army!"

"Those damn bastards!"

The bundled group of soldiers chattered loudly.

Once soldiers in the same situation had gathered to some extent, Lemion's bewildered mind also began to work, if only a little.

He looked at the knight in front of him.

The sight of the knight firmly guiding them even in this chaotic situation was quite reliable.

'If I just follow that knight, I can live.'

That was what he thought. So he followed behind even more desperately. Just in case he fell behind.

But it was meaningless.

SWOOOOOSH!

Just as he heard a spine-chilling sound of the air tearing, his body flew into the air.

"Uh..."

When his fading consciousness snapped back, he was sprawled on the ground.

His eardrums must have blown out from the shock of the explosion, as he couldn't hear well.

'It's rather for the best.'

'Since I can't hear the screams and explosions, my head is less dizzy.'

Thinking that, he pushed his body up.

But it wasn't easy. His sense of balance was a mess.

Still, he somehow managed to stand up.

Ah...

Lemion, who was finally able to check his surroundings, became devastated.

The knight, whose iron armor was heated red-hot, was thrashing his whole body on the ground. Seeing him clawing at the seams of his armor with his hands, Lemion belatedly snapped to his senses and ran over.

"Sir Knight!"

Lemion hastily grabbed the knight's helmet.

SSSSS.

Along with the acrid smell of burning flesh, his fingertips hurt as if they would fall off, but he was desperate to save the knight who would guide him out of this hell.

"Sir Knight! Hold on just a little longer! I'll! I'll!"

After struggling for a long time trying to undo the armor's straps, not even knowing how they worked, he finally managed to pull the helmet off.

"Uh..."

Inside the barely removed helmet, there was only a hideously charred lump. Before he knew it, the seizure-like thrashing had also stopped.

THUD.

Lemion stumbled backward and fell flat on his rear.

"Agh!"

The pain in his red-hot palms finally hit him. He was screaming and thrashing about when he belatedly noticed the situation around him.

The soldiers, whose armor was relatively flimsy compared to the iron-clad knight, were rolling on the ground with their limbs twisted or torn off.

"This is a nightmare!"

As he lost his mind and kicked the ground to back away, grab, something caught his ankle.

He creakily turned his stiff neck.

"S-Save me... Please."

A gruesome face, half-melted from the heat, was streaming what could be pus or tears.

"H-Heeek! Let go!"

Without much resistance, the soldier's hand fell away.

Lemion staggered to his feet and began to run.

Searching for a place with less heat. He instinctively ran and ran.

And then, he finally reached the outskirts of the encampment where the inferno had not yet swept through.

"I-I lived..."

Before he could even shout in joy, the earth-shaking sound of horse hooves rang out.

"Ah..."

Lemion blankly looked at the hill in the distance.

Cavalry numbering what looked like a thousand were charging down the hill.

They were definitely not allies.

Because the crouching lion emblem engraved on the flag held high by the vanguard of the cavalry belonged to the enemy nation.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE.

The cavalry charging down the hill spread out widely. Lemion, watching their perfectly ordered movements, looked around him.

There was nowhere to run.

He gripped his sword with his burn-covered hands.

"I-I didn't come to die in a place like this!"

He had believed he would cut down the presumptuous rabble of the kingdom, finally become a victorious soldier, snatch that wench, and make a solid fortune. He thought he might even get lucky, earn merits, and rise in the ranks.

"I won't die. I'll never die!"

Picturing his successful future flickering before his eyes, he tightly gripped his sword.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

At that moment, the sound of marching drums rang out.

"Move!"

He reflexively stepped aside, and countless troops poured out of the encampment.

Although they were scorched and sullied all over, they were undeniably the proud knighthood of the Empire.

"Pikemen! Raise your spears!!"

The pikemen who brushed past him planted one end of their three-meter-long spears into the ground. The blades were aimed at the enemy charging down the hill.

Belatedly recalling the foolhardy bravado he had just displayed, he let out a chuckle.

"Am I saved now."

Thinking he was truly saved now, Lemion let out a sigh of relief.

He had no doubt that the knights of the Empire and the pikemen would crush that mere handful of cavalry.

However, that belief did not last long.

SWIIIIISH!

Vomiting a sharp screech, a single arrow flew from the flanking hill.

BWOOOOOOM.

A beat late, the sound of a horn could be heard.

SWISH-SWISH-SWISH-SWISH.

And in that instant, a rain of arrows poured down upon the pikemen.

"Aaaaargh!"

The pikemen fell in droves as they screamed.

And at that very moment, the vanguard that came down the hill crashed into them.

There were no screams, nor were there any particular sounds of collision.

SLICE.

All that could be heard was merely the sound of something being cut away.

That was simply it.

THUD THUD THUD.

The densely packed pikemen became corpses with missing heads. The long spears they had been firmly gripping also had their tips severed and were rolling on the ground.

"It's the Paladins of the kingdom!"

The knights of the Empire lined up behind the pikemen screamed.

And beyond them, a brilliant golden flash and a blue flash like dawn erupted.

That was the last thing Lemion remembered.

An infantryman who had harbored dreams of success died instantly, his whole body pierced by the pouring rain of arrows.