A few barbarians, drunk on bloodlust, waited for Ghislain with wild eyes gleaming with madness. Most of the barbarians were still too focused on attacking the shield-bearers of Ferdium to notice anything else. Thud! Thud! Thud! As Ghislain advanced, the Ferdium shield-bearers gradually closed the distance, but not a single barbarian picked up on it. Rumble! These were barbarians who had already held off a much larger group of cavalry. The sight of a single rider charging towards them seemed laughable. Ghislain looked down at the barbarians, whose arrogance was evident on their faces, and smirked. The more overconfident they were, the more he enjoyed crushing that pride. Boom! "Aaargh!" In an instant, Ghislain was among the barbarians, piercing through their ranks. They didn’t dare block him with their bodies; he was too fast, too strong. Yet, as he moved deeper, even Ghislain had to stop eventually, surrounded by the sheer number of barbarians. “He’s alone!” “Kill him quickly!” “Take care of him and get back to the front!” The barbarians shouted confidently, moving towards him. They thought that even if he was strong, he was still just one man, someone they could easily handle with a few warriors. But they were gravely mistaken. Whoosh! Slash! With a wide sweep of his spear, Ghislain decapitated the barbarians charging at him, their heads flying off in every direction. His spear skills had reached an almost godly level. The barbarians rushing from behind froze in shock at the sight. "Oops!" Taking advantage of the moment, Ghislain dismounted and spun his spear around. “I guess I did arrive a bit too early.” Moving alone had its drawbacks—his Fenris knights hadn’t caught up yet. Clicking his tongue with a grin, Ghislain muttered, “Tsk, tsk, still lacking in discipline.” The knights would have protested if they heard that. Even Gillian had tried multiple times to hold him back, saying he was moving too fast, but Ghislain had ignored it all and charged ahead alone. In his previous life, this wasn’t the first time he’d jumped into enemy ranks alone. Even when his subordinates begged him to wait, Ghislain was always the first to advance. He always went to the most dangerous place, ahead of everyone else. This was the creed of the mercenary king, one of the Continent's Seven Strongest. Whiz! While Ghislain quickly checked his followers’ positions by glancing back, a barbarian warrior swung an axe at his back. Clang! Ghislain casually blocked it with his spear and snatched the axe from the barbarian’s hand. “Huh?” The barbarian stared in disbelief, not even understanding how he’d lost his weapon. Thud! With a swift motion, Ghislain smashed the barbarian’s head with the stolen axe, muttering to himself. "Hmm, has a nice weight to it." Finding the heft of the axe appealing, Ghislain discarded his spear and picked up another axe from the ground. Gripping an axe in each hand, Ghislain grinned widely. “All right, shall we continue?” The relaxed look on his face infuriated the barbarians. “This arrogant bastard!” “He dares touch a warrior’s weapon!” “We’ll rip your body apart and offer it to the gods!” With furious cries, the barbarians rushed at him. But against Ghislain’s relentless strikes with his two axes, their heads and bodies were split open one after another. The chaos drew the attention of barbarians who had been engaged with the shield-bearers up front. “Who the hell is that?” “When did he get behind us?” “Kill him quickly and get moving!” Soon, all the nearby barbarians began charging at Ghislain. But a few warriors weren’t enough to take him down. So the number of attackers increased. "Aaaargh!" Boom! Boom! Boom! With each swing of Ghislain’s axe, warriors’ screams filled the air. Yet, like moths drawn to a flame, the barbarians kept charging at him relentlessly. The more warriors Ghislain killed, the more barbarians surrounded him. Seeing Ghislain completely encircled, Zwalter gripped his sword, preparing to join the fray. But Randolph grabbed his arm firmly. “It’s dangerous to go in now! Trust the Grand Duke, as we agreed! Going now would only get in his way!” “But Ghislain is alone!” “Look, the knights are coming! Just a bit longer! The Grand Duke isn’t someone who would fall easily anymore!” Zwalter looked in the direction Randolph was pointing. In the distance, a dust cloud signaled the approaching knights. “Grr!” Grinding his teeth, Zwalter released his grip on his sword. They were coming. The Fenris knights were racing forward. Hisssss! With Ghislain’s body soaked head-to-toe in his enemies’ blood, red steam began to rise from him. Now fully cloaked in crimson, Ghislain moved with a speed none could match. “Graaah!” With another swing, the barbarian before him was cleaved in half. In that instant, another barbarian attempted a sneak attack from behind. “Die!” Swish. Ghislain’s figure blurred and vanished, leaving the barbarian bewildered. “Wha—where?” Crack! The barbarian's final words faded as his skull was shattered. “Phew...” Every exhale from Ghislain released a crimson mist. In mere moments, he had slaughtered dozens of formidable warriors. Compared to ordinary soldiers, this was equivalent to wiping out hundreds. The sheer power of his assault finally instilled fear in the barbarians. “A... a demon...” “The blood-stained demon has returned...” “Our tribe is doomed...” A legend had circulated among them for generations: when the Beast Forest burns, a demon drenched in blood would appear and kill everyone. Though the forest was untouched and Ghislain hadn’t come from it, his blood-soaked form evoked that myth. The blood-drenched demon flashed a grin, baring his white teeth. “Not coming? Then I’ll come to you.” Boom! Boom! With both axes swinging, Ghislain began moving forward again. “Aaaah!” The barbarian warriors, fighting to push back their fear, charged at him, screaming. Crack! Crack! The bodies piled up without end. Watching in horror, Kustu felt a chill run down his spine. ‘What in the world is that creature?!’ He had kept many of his warriors in reserve, hoping to avoid casualties. But a single man appearing at their rear had killed far more than he could afford to lose. This couldn’t go on. Somehow, that monster had to be taken down. “Kill him! All of you, kill that man first!” At Kustu’s command, the elite warriors moved, followed by more warriors who surged toward Ghislain. “Uooooh!” Dozens of elite warriors and regular warriors charged Ghislain all at once. Clang! Clang! Clang! “Aaaargh!” The sound of clashing weapons was incessant, as were the warriors’ screams. Clangclangclangclang! Ghislain’s movements grew faster. His attacks and defenses were so rapid that the clash of weapons seemed to blend into a continuous sound. “Protect the chieftain!” “Block the front!” “Kill him first!” More and more warriors blocked Ghislain’s path. He couldn’t afford to reach Kustu. As Ghislain was meticulously slaughtering his way forward, the Fenris knights finally arrived on the battlefield. Rumble! Leading the charge, Gillian galloped like a madman. Alone, he could have kept pace with Ghislain, but leading the other knights meant he had to hold back. The Fenris knights weren’t yet practiced enough to maintain a tight formation over long distances. Charging too quickly risked breaking their ranks. Following Ghislain’s orders, Gillian had no choice but to keep the charge formation intact. “My lord!” The moment he felt confident his duty was done, he spurred his horse forward, heading for Ghislain. “Wait for me, old man!” Further back, Kaor urged his horse on, gritting his teeth to catch up with Gillian. Rumble! As the cloud of dust drew closer, Zwalter shouted. “Move!” Clank! Clank! Clank! The shield-bearers moved differently. Their line shifted, curving slightly to flank the barbarians. The barbarians, blinded by battle frenzy, failed to notice. Focused on breaking through the shields or stopping Ghislain’s rampage at their rear, they were oblivious to the knights’ approach. Only when the Fenris knights were almost upon them did they realize. “Enemies! Enemies are coming!” “It’s a cavalry charge! Scatter!” The barbarians, clustered together while fighting Ghislain, tried to scatter, but the Fenris shield-bearers had already closed in around them. “No! We’re surrounded!” “It’s a trap!” Only now did they realize the enemy had lured them out to annihilate them here. Rumble! As the knights drew closer, the barbarians pounded their shields with savage expressions, but the Fenris soldiers stood firm, biting down and holding their ground. They had endured all this for this one moment. Finally, Gillian charged straight into the enemy formation. Boom! Several barbarians were thrown aside from Gillian's charge. “My lord!” Without hesitation, he headed straight for Ghislain. Even a single scratch on his lord would be unacceptable to him. Gillian swung his weapon wildly, cutting a path through the enemies, caring little for his own safety. The Fenris knights charged into the clustered barbarians right behind him. Crash! “Aaargh!” The barbarians were crushed beneath the knights’ charge, screaming as they fell. A few made desperate attempts to fight back, but they were no match for hundreds of charging knights. Slash! Barbarians were instantly torn and crushed, as the knights’ ranks unleashed a relentless storm of mana-fueled strikes. The sheer destruction left no one standing. This was Ghislain’s signature shock tactic—one he was proud to use. As the knights crashed through the ranks, the barbarian forces scattered. Ghislain seized the opportunity and shouted: “Gillian! Kaor! Go after the chieftains! They’re the ones with the elaborate feathered crests on their helmets!” “Yes, sir!” “You got it!” Gillian and Kaor led their knights, cleaving through a path toward the enemy leaders. With more knights focusing on the chieftains, fewer barbarians were left to challenge Ghislain. Crunch! Crunch! Ghislain wielded his twin axes mercilessly, moving forward step by step. No one could stop him. Anyone who tried was met with a swift, brutal death as Ghislain smashed through heads, severed arms, and sliced necks, carving a path. Finally, Zwalter, who had been waiting for the right moment, roared across the battlefield: “All forces, attack!” Clank! Clank! Clank! Gaps opened in the shield wall as spears emerged through, skewering the barbarians who’d been pushed up against the shields. Thrust! Thrust! Thrust! Barbarians pinned against the shield line died instantly, unable to react to the sudden onslaught. The Fenris soldiers had held back all this time to ensure that no barbarian would escape alive. With the barbarians thinning, the troops shifted again. Clank! Clank! Clank! The shield wall spread further apart, and spearmen poured out from behind, thrusting their spears into the remaining barbarians. Knights and mounted troops who had taken a moment to regroup now charged back into the battlefield, with more Fenris knights attacking from behind, swinging their weapons without pause. Hundreds of gleaming swords and spears flashed within the prison formed by shields. The trapped barbarians, unable to withstand the encirclement, fell one after another. “Aaargh! You bastards!” “Curse you!” “Our gods will never forgive you!” Agonized cries and curses filled the battlefield. Some barbarians tried to flee, but there was nowhere to go. They were completely encircled—shields blocked the front and sides, while knights pressed in from behind, trampling their fallen comrades. The once fierce and fearless warriors could no longer resist. With all hope of divine protection and battle fervor drained, they fought desperately but fell one by one. Ghislain, soaked in blood, stepped over the corpses and finally reached Kustu. The towering figure with countless tattoos etched across his face glared down at him. Ghislain looked up and asked, “Are you Kustu?” “You... bastard...” Kustu’s gaze was filled with seething hatred as he stared at Ghislain. He had lost countless warriors, reserved specifically for the rear. The damage was so severe that even if they won the battle, the Soundwind Tribe would likely be swallowed up by other clans. “I will never forgive you!” Kustu summoned all the mana he could muster. Even among barbarians, some had the rare ability to use mana, which they called the “Warrior’s Blessing.” Twice the size of Ghislain, Kustu raised a massive axe high. Warriors were dying all around, trapped in the encirclement. If he didn’t kill Ghislain quickly and take control of the battlefield, everything would be lost. As the chieftain, he knew it was unworthy to enter the fray himself, but there was no other choice if he wanted to salvage his pride as the strongest warrior of the North. “Die!” Whoosh! Clang! Ghislain crossed his axes to block Kustu’s powerful swing, but the impact was so great it drove him back, leaving a deep gouge in the ground. “Oh, not bad! I see why you became a chieftain of a great tribe.” In barbarian culture, only the strongest warrior could become chieftain—a symbol of both power and honor. Kustu’s strength was worthy of his title, rivaling even the kingdom’s most celebrated knights. “I am Kustu, the greatest warrior of the North!” Boom! Boom! Each swing of Kustu’s axe struck the ground with earth-shattering force. But that was all he had—no skill to match his brute strength. Ghislain evaded with ease, seizing the opening to strike at Kustu’s neck. Thunk! Blood gushed from Kustu’s neck as the axe embedded itself in his carotid artery, but he clenched his teeth and swung his axe once more. Whoosh! Ghislain took a step back, his face a mixture of shock and amusement. “Ha, you’re still standing after that?”