[ Chapter 138 ]


    After the devastating defeat at the Battle of Redant, Carsus began preparing for a defensive battle with a force of three thousand remnants and two thousand royal guard soldiers. Dering martialw throughout the capital, he reorganized his troops and reinforced the city’s defenses. Despite his defeat, he coolly restructured his forces, readying for the next battle.


    However, the situation was dire. The nobles, who had previously dered neutrality, had now rallied their forces, bringing Prince Yubel’s army to nearly ten thousand. While Carsus’s poprity kept the soldiers’ morale rtively stable, the public sentiment was different. The citizens of the capital were already whispering that Prince Yubel would be the next king.


    Three days after the Battle of Redant, Yubel’s army of ten thousand marched majestically towards the capital. Crovence, the capital city, was a triply fortified city. The outermost wall encircled the entire city, the outer wall enclosed the royal castle, and the innermost wall protected the royal pce at the center. Yubel’s army, camped to the south of the capital, had their loudest soldiers shout out.


    “The traitor Carsus has paid for his crimes by the will of the heavens! Now, kneel before the true king and open the gates!”


    The magically amplified shout echoed across the entire wall. Soon, a knight appeared atop the wall and shouted back.


    “Nonsense! What will of the heavens do these monsters speak of? Prince Yubel has allied with the devil! This is an indelible stain on the long history of the Kingdom of Crovence! Prince Yubel must disband his forces immediately and atone for disgracing the royal family!”


    Magically amplified curses were exchanged. Watching this from the main camp, Repenhardt chuckled.


    “Anyway, they sure do talk a lot even though they’ll end up fighting.”


    But he had no intention of stopping them. One reason he had been called the Demon King in his previous life was his tendency to respond to such shouts with immediate magical attacks, thinking it was more efficient to skip unnecessary formalities and get straight to the point. To his opponents, this made him seem like an iprehensible monster.


    “I can’t repeat the same mistake. Given that I have to break every rule as it is, I need to fight as conventionally as possible wherever I can.”


    Atst, Prince Yubel, d in resplendent armor, stepped forward and raised his hand. With a powerful shout, he dered the start of the battle.


    “Warriors! Show your bravery for the true king!”


    * * *


    “Ooooooo!”


    With a roar, infantry armed withdders and grappling-hooked ropes charged towards the walls with great vigor. The sound of drums echoed from Carsus’s side asmanders issued their orders.


    “Hold your positions! Archers! Begin volley fire!”


    As the infantry entered range, the archers simultaneously drew their bows. Countless arrows rained down, transforming into a deadly shower over the soldiers’ heads. A veteran leading the infantry shouted out.


    “Everyone! Raise your shields!”


    Arrows thudded into the shields. Here and there, soldiers who failed to block in time were struck, screaming and copsing to the ground. On Prince Yubel’s side, their archers responded in kind. A hail of arrows flew towards the walls, dominating the heads of Carsus’s soldiers.


    “Arrows iing!”


    “Take cover behind the walls!”


    “Rear units! Shield yourrades!”


    During the brief respite caused by the arrow barrage, the infantry managed to reach the base of the walls. They hurriedly set updders and threw their grappling hooks.


    However, the training of Carsus’s troops was evident. Despite the ongoing hail of arrows, they used U-shaped poles to push away thedders and cut the ropes with their spears and swords, diligently defending their position. They were determined not to give up the walls easily.


    Nevertheless, Prince Yubel’s expression remained unchanged. After all, the infantry assault was merely a decoy; the real force was yet toe.


    Prince Yubel gestured again. A blue g shot up, signaling themand.


    “I leave it to you! Everyone!”


    The prince’s polite tone was unusual, but none questioned it. Those who were about to enter the fray deserved such respect.


    “Hahaha! Let’s go, darling!”


    With a hearty shout, a massive orc mounted on a direwolf drew his greatsword and charged into battle. A green de aura pierced the air, shining brightly. Sta, equally exuberant, spurred her direwolf forward and shouted back.


    “I’m already on my way, husband!”


    Three dwarf Aura Users, each emitting a brilliant light, also charged forward. Mounted on captured fine horses, their short bodies rode boldly into battle.


    “Ugh, this is making me sick, Malroid.”


    “Do we have to keep riding this thing?”


    “They say it looks cooler on horseback. Just hang in there!”


    Though their conversation didn’t sound particrly brave, the sight of them brandishing their de auras was impressive enough. Their riding skills might have been clumsy, but the bnce of an Aura User far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Despite it being their first time on horseback, they managed to head towards the walls without falling.


    “You’re all riding just fine, so why theints? Hahaha!”


    Russ, exuding a blue aura like mist, spurred his horse forward. He was dressed in full te armor, presenting the perfect image of a knight. With the momentum of a general descended from the heavens, Russ charged towards the southern gate.


    “Aura Users!”


    “Cyrus! Cyrus!”


    “Oooh!”


    With a roar, six dazzling lights crossed the battlefield. Russ and the other Aura Users of different races simultaneously began their charge towards the walls.


    “Damn! They’reing like that!”


    Carsus, who wasmanding from the ramparts, frowned. As expected, Prince Yubel’s forces had brought out their Aura Users. Having done the same himself, he could predict the enemy’s tactics.


    The problem was knowing and being able to counter them were two different things. Gritting his teeth, Carsus shouted.


    “Shoot them! A hundred gold coins to anyone who hits those devils!”


    A hail of arrows rained down towards the six lights. Kalken burst intoughter.


    “Feathers on a twig don’t turn it into an eagle’s talon! Ridiculous!”


    His two-meter-long greatsword drew a massive circle of light above his head.


    Wooong!


    A green aura shot up into the sky, deflecting all the iing arrows. Splintered arrow fragments scattered like an exploding volcano. The other Aura Users faced simr situations. Arrows alone could not stop their advance.


    “Throw the spears!”


    One of themanders shouted, trembling. Spears, unlike arrows, could pierce the thick armor of knights, making them useful in siege defense. But once again, they were of no use.


    “Do you think thicker arrows make a difference? Hahaha!”


    Sloytle raised his hammer high, spreading his aura wide. The resulting whirlwind of light formed a massive shield, deflecting all the spears. To them, arrows and spears were no different. If anything, therger spears were easier to block.


    Russ, having breached the battlefield, looked at the thick castle gate and let out a cry.


    “Taaaah!”


    Riding his horse, Russ raised his longsword high. The blue de aura grewrger and more concentrated.


    “That, that’s!”


    Seeing the aura, now almost a ten-meter pir of light, Carsus stood up in shock.


    “Isn’t that the Gigantic de of Lord Spirius!”


    The technique Russ was disying was the ultimate move of Spirius, transforming all the aura in one’s body into pure destructive power. Lord Spirius, who was guarding Carsus, gnashed his teeth in frustration.


    “That bastard! He’s using someone else’s technique!”


    Lord Spirius’s face twisted in endless frustration. It had taken him over two years to master that technique, a proud skill developed through countless failures. And this guy had copied it after seeing it just once?


    “What kind of person does that?”


    “Haah!”


    With a thunderous shout, Russ swung his sword down. The pir of light pierced the air and struck the castle gate.


    Boom!


    A deafening explosion shook the entire wall. The thick, magically reinforced gate shattered with a single blow, sending fragments flying. Each fragment wasrger than a typical table. The debris smashed into buildings and walls, causing a catastrophic scene.


    “Argh!”


    “Ugh!”


    Soldiers caught in the explosion screamed in pain. Russ swung the pir of aura horizontally this time. The beam of light swept through palisades and soldiers, tearing up the earth. Dust rose, mingling with the cries of the wounded and the dying. Seeing Russ create a massive crater nearly 20 meters wide with a single strike, the soldiers began to flee, throwing down their weapons.


    “Run!”


    “We’ll die here if we stay!”


    “This is a senseless death!”


    Kalken, who had reached the base of the wall, smiled at Russ’s disy of power.


    “Oh, Karuga Russ! That was quite a blow! Now, it’s my turn…”


    Kalken tugged on his direwolf’s reins.


    Awooo!


    His mount, Blue Lightning, howled and leaped towards the wall. Reaching halfway up the wall in a single bound, Kalken plunged his greatsword into the wall.


    “Too high, isn’t it? Step on this!”


    The greatsword sank into the wall as if it were made of cheese. The direwolf used the sword as a step and jumped again. As they soared through the air, Kalken pointed his finger, and the sword pulled itself free, flying back to his hand.


    The massive wolf and the giant oded atop the wall, dominating the space. The shadow of the two monsters, backlit by the sun, stretched long over the soldiers’ heads, eliciting terrified screams. Kalken grinned.


    “Now, let’s show them something special!”


    The greatsword shed through the air, its radiant green de Aura shimmering with destructive power. Kalken brought the sword down.


    “Thunder Drop!”


    A green lightning bolt struck the wall. The atmosphere itself seemed to scream with the harsh sound of thunder.


    Boom!


    The lightning pierced the wall and the ground beneath, creating a devastating explosion. The entire wall erupted as if struck by a meteor. Amid the yellow dust, the shattered remains of the wall were clearly visible. The sturdy wall that had protected the capital for centuries nowy in ruins, as if sliced through like a birthday cake. Even a full volley from a trebuchet wouldn’t have achieved such destruction. Soldiers muttered in terror.


    “So this is the power of an Aura User…”


    The dwarven Aura Users, having finally dismounted their horses, were simrly wreaking havoc. Relieved to be rid of their mounts, they climbed the wall and gleefully struck at it with their aura-enhanced weapons.


    Each strike of a hammer or axe infused with aura caused the wall to crumble like a sandcastle. There was no need to target the soldiers. Most had already fled, or were being buried alive under the copsing wall.


    “Everyone’s doing great.”


    Sta pouted as she watched the other Aura Users. Before this battle, Repenhardt had given them specific instructions.


    – Make it as spectacr as possible! Make the walls crumble just by looking at them. No need to target the soldiers. Just bring down the walls.


    In his past life, Repenhardt had found great sess in demolishing walls, and he had asked them to do the same. Despite not directly targeting the soldiers, the coteral damage had already imed hundreds of lives.