If Clyde wished to attack Marquis Charles, he had to breakthrough Saka Fortress first. If he made a detour, the other side could easily surround him. No matter how he chose to attack, Gruz’s troops couldn’t be ignored.
Although Gruz’s 50,000 mercenaries had no magician unit, as a War Mercenary King who fought wars throughout the year, this fellow still had some skills. Saka Fortress had forbidden magic crystals that could resist all elementary and even some intermediate magic attacks. The magician units of most human armies were mass-produced strengthened mages. They could only use elementary magic spells and a very limited selection of intermediate magic spells. As for advanced magic spells, they were impossible. Therefore, they basically couldn’t pierce through the magic isolation barrier created by forbidden magic crystals.
“Master, it is impossible for interior nations to have enough high-level forbidden magic crystals to set up such a large-scale magic isolation barrier. It’s very likely that a Barrier Master is helping them in secret. I suspect that the other side has Augusta Wagner Empire’s people. Those magicians truly didn’t keep their word. At that time, they agreed to not intervene in the warfare of the interior nations.”
“Verly, you knights are too simple. According to the information gathered by our Demon Clan’s intelligence network, compared to your Phoenix Farrell Empire, Augusta Wagner Empire’s people interfered with Ximengsi Continent’s interior nations even earlier. They sold second-hand magic items for huge profits.”
“Andrea, you… why didn’t you say so earlier!”
“We were enemies before, but now, we have to treat each other with sincerity, so it’s different!”
In the commander tent of the temporary basecamp, Sacred Moon Dragon Knight Princess Verly and Demon Princess Andrea reported their intel to Clyde. According to Verly’s judgment, Mercenary King Gruz must secretly have the support of Augusta Wagner Empire. Although the other party hadn’t appeared publicly, that magic isolation barrier was troublesome enough. In Olm Fortress, they had also found many secret letters from Augusta Wagner Empire in Baron Burke’s residence.
Augusta Wagner Empire was one of the four major frontier super empires of Ximengsi Continent, an existence on the same level as Phoenix Farrell Empire. The latter was a knight empire while the former was a magic empire, so Verly didn’t have any good impressions of this magic empire. The four major super empires generally disliked each other. If it were not for their border location forcing them to concentrate on the threat of the other races’ invasions, these four major super empires might have already fought with each other like the interior nations. When the Human Race was at ease, the more they liked to fight against each other. This couldn’t be changed for the time being.
“Master, this magic isolation barrier is nothing troublesome. It’s hard to break using this continent’s magic, but using another continent’s magic will be easy.”
Princess Annie confidently suggested to Clyde. With the Moon God Clan’s attack spells that she had learned from the two Moon God Clan’s goddesses, she could easily break that magic isolation barrier. However, Clyde rejected her suggestion. He temporarily wanted to keep the matter of having the Moon God Clan’s goddesses with him a secret. Before he dealt with all of the Heavenly God Clan’s valkyries, he wanted to avoid using the Moon God Clan’s magic spells as much as possible.
Clyde walked out of the commander tent and thoughtfully examined at the distant Saka Fortress. With walls over six meters tall, the fortress also had a lot of arrow towers and expensive ballistae to attack any attackers. In terms of defense, it didn’t lose to Olm Fortress. After learning that the other party had a magic attack unit, he withdrew with his troops to Saka Fortress, preparing to defend it to the death. He had no intention of attacking. In any case, he had only received money to defend this path. Moreover, their extremely high fees were not paid by Marquis Charles. As long as that behind-the-scenes financial backer said nothing, he could drag on just defending the fortress like this while waiting for the money to roll in.
“Master, tomorrow, I will charge with Alicia and her knight regiment. At that time…”
“Natalie, you all don’t need to charge tomorrow I have my own plans!”
Princess Natalie, the chief commander of Steinbeck Fief’s army, planned to personally fight, but Clyde didn’t agree. The human troops in the knight regiment were an important force, and it would be a waste to use all of them to charge. Moreover, Clyde’s main goal was to defeat Marquis Charles, so he didn’t want to waste his troops against Gruz. Like that, even if they obtained victory, it wouldn’t be cost-effective. His side wouldn’t have the military strength to fight Marquis Charles.
Early the next morning, Steinbeck Fief’s troops set out and neatly stood in formation some distance away from Saka Fortress, just outside the attack range of Saka Fortress’s defending troops. Clyde had changed into ordinary knight armor to lead several hundred Undead disguised as human cavalry to probe Saka Fortress. Princess Natalie and the others watched from the rear.
“It seems the enemy commander is a novice without any commanding experience. Send these few on their way!”
Mercenary King Gruz stood on the fortress walls and gave an order to release their arrows. Although he still had some lingering fear about those two powerful female knights from yesterday, those two women were not among the vanguard of Steinbeck Fief’s army this time. Therefore, Gruz relaxed. Over ten thousand arrows were released from Saka Fortress’s wall, falling on the vanguard squad of Steinbeck Fief’s army.
The armor Clyde and the others wore was quickly riddled with arrows, creating a truly weird scene. No matter whether it be a knight or a war-horse, even though they looked like hedgehogs riddled with arrows, they weren’t shaken and continued to charge as if nothing had happened. This dumbfounded the defending troops in Saka Fortress. Were these cavalry human?
“What’s going on? Are these fellows immortal? Why are you all still in a daze? Use crossbows to pressure them to retreat.”
A flustered Gruz exasperatedly gave orders to use their expensive ballistae. The huge arrows shot by the ballistae finally repelled the enemy cavalrymen. Facing the powerful ballistae bolts, ordinary skeleton soldiers and war-horses were unable to endure that powerful impact force and sent flying.
Clyde dodged the ballistas’ attacks and charged at Saka Fortress’s wall. Once near, he took out a flying claw, a weapon exclusive to assassins, that Miss Jenny had given it and threw it with his brute force, hooking onto the railing of the fortress wall. By the time those war mercenaries noticed the rope and tried to cut it off, they were late. Clyde had already climbed onto Saka Fortress’s walls by himself.
“What a reckless fellow! Who gave you so much courage…”
“Kacha!”
The defending soldier blocking Clyde’s path was beheaded before he could finish his mocking words. Clyde had used one sword slash to cut him into two pieces like he was cutting vegetables. The armor was no different from paper in front of Clyde.
Mercenary King Gruz who stood not far away felt an indescribable pressure from the lone Clyde. Although he was alone, he seemed to meet no resistance on Saka Fortress’s wall, sweeping everything along the way. All those who blocked his way were killed with one sword move. No matter how high the defensive power of his opponent’s armor, all were instantly killed. A strange scene of a group of people being chased and killed by a single person appeared. This made Gruz subconsciously take a few steps back.
“Are you the Mercenary King Gurz? It is still not too late to take your men away from the Needham Plains. Otherwise, not a single one of you will leave this place!”
“Hairless brat, daring to threaten me! I, your father will not fall for your trick.”
Hearing Clyde’s warning, Mercenary King Gruz responded with sharp words. In front of so many mercenaries, he was being threatened by a young man. Even if he knew that the other party’s strength was terrifying, he couldn’t retreat. If he compromised now, his prestige and dignity as a Mercenary King would be completely destroyed. Therefore, he had to toughen his scalp and use sharp words to respond to Clyde.
“Well then, see you again.”
After speaking, Clyde took a smoke bottle out from his storage ring and smashed it on the ground, creating white smoke. By the time it dispersed, he had already disappeared, leaving behind dozens of corpses to prove the fact that he had been here.
Mercenary King Gruz’s face twisted in anger. From the time he worked as a lowly mercenary until sitting on a throne as a Mercenary King, this was the first time he had suffered such a big humiliation. The other party broke into his territory by himself and publicly killed dozens of his subordinates and before arrogantly leaving as if he were strolling around the streets.
“Enforce martial law throughout the entire fortress. Even if you all have to dig three feet deep, find that brazen brat! I want to tear him into pieces!”
“Lord Gruz, his strength seems…”
“What are you afraid of? I don’t believe that he alone can deal with our 50,000 people! Go! Look for him without wasting any more time.”
