Thud! Thud! Thud! Rodrick’s soldiers froze in shock as Fenris knights descended from the air, gripping the ropes of the hot air balloons. The sight of people suddenly dropping from the sky left them utterly flustered. Gillian tightened his grip on his axes, bellowing, “Kill them all!” For a brief moment, Rodrick’s forces were paralyzed, and disaster struck. Boom! Gillian tore through the Rodrick soldiers, his axes cutting down every enemy in his path without mercy. The Fenris knights who had landed alongside him quickly joined the slaughter. “Aaargh! What’s happening?” “Knights! Knights are descending from the sky!” “Move aside!” Until now, Rodrick’s soldiers had managed to push forward through sheer numbers, taking advantage of the Fenris forces’ lack of knights. But with Gillian and his knights joining the fray, the tide turned completely. Boom! Boom! Each knight wielded strength enhanced by shards of the Dragon Heart, making them far stronger than before. Rodrick’s soldiers were overwhelmed and forced back, many tumbling off the walls. The Rodrick knights, seeing the chaos unfold, rushed to counter. “Reinforce the lines!” “Take him down first!” The knights targeted Gillian, who was clearly wreaking the most havoc. Clang! Clang! Clang! Yet, their attacks proved utterly ineffective. Gillian, now nearing the pinnacle of mastery, was on a level far beyond the Rodrick knights. They couldn’t even slow him down. Boom! With every swing of his axes, armor tore apart like paper. The knights who dared confront him were swiftly cut down. “This monster...” One surviving knight stumbled backward, trembling at the sight of Gillian’s overwhelming power. As Gillian approached, the knight froze, paralyzed like prey before a predator. Grab! Gillian seized the knight by the throat, a savage grin spreading across his face. “This isn’t a place for you.” “W-Wait—” Crack! The knight’s neck snapped with a gruesome sound, and Gillian discarded the body like trash. Roaring with fury, Gillian barked to his men, “What are you waiting for? Push them off the walls!” Gillian’s commanding presence and his ruthless methods were as fearsome as Ghislain’s. The Fenris knights scrambled to intensify their efforts, knowing that slacking off would only earn them grueling punishment later. As Gordon shoved back a group of Rodrick soldiers, he turned to Lucas. “The old man’s pissed.” “Ugh, one day I’m going to challenge him for that spot.” “Yeah, and you’ll end up with your back bent the wrong way.” “I’m younger than him, you know?” Despite their grumbling, the two knights surged their mana and pressed the attack. They were now advancing toward becoming high-level knights themselves. Their rapid growth was thanks to the extraordinary mana cultivation techniques taught by Fenris. However, this progress came at the cost of daily, brutal training. Rodrick’s soldiers, having grown complacent and indulgent over time, were no match for the Fenris forces. Boom! Boom! Boom! “Aaaaargh!” Before long, the Fenris knights reclaimed the walls. Rodrick’s soldiers, who had attempted to overwhelm them with sheer numbers, were slaughtered as soon as they climbed. Without siege engines, Rodrick’s forces had no way to break through the castle’s defenses. Their ladders were limited, rendering their numerical advantage meaningless. The Rodrick archers, too, were helpless, as their poorly armored infantry would be caught in friendly fire if they shot at the walls. Meanwhile, the hot air balloons that Rodrick’s forces had hoped to capture were already grounded, with their occupants retreating into the castle. “Hey, Marquis Rodrick, you lunatic bastard!” Ascon’s mocking voice echoed loudly from somewhere inside the fortress, enraging the Marquis further. In desperation, Rodrick’s commanders issued a new order to their archers: “Send everyone to the walls! Now!” With bloodshot eyes, the Marquis screamed at his troops to climb the ladders. Yet, they only met the same fate as their predecessors, cut down one by one. “Just a bit more! We’re so close to taking the walls!” The Marquis couldn’t let go of the hope that victory was within reach. It seemed tantalizingly close—just a little more effort, and they might succeed. Yet the sounds of the battlefield painted a grim picture. The only screams came from Rodrick’s soldiers, while the Fenris forces fought with eerie, disciplined silence. The realization sent chills down the spines of Rodrick’s troops and commanders alike. Tenant swallowed hard. “How... how much training must they have done?” The Fenris soldiers were fearless and unwavering, fighting with the precision of a well-oiled machine. The sight of over a hundred Rodrick knights lying dead on the walls sealed the outcome. The knights had been the backbone of their assault, and without them, the remaining troops couldn’t establish a foothold. Boom! Boom! Boom! A figure with white hair rampaged across the walls, standing out even among the chaos. Tenant recognized him immediately. “That must be Gillian, the White Lion of Fenris.” Gillian’s prowess was as terrifying as the rumors suggested. Not a single knight or soldier could so much as scratch him. Tenant clenched his sword, tempted to challenge the warrior himself. But he held back, knowing that without him, no one would be left to protect the Marquis. “Aaaaargh!” Thud! Thud! Thud! One by one, the ladders leaning against the walls were destroyed or pushed away. It was futile to set them up again—the battle was already lost. Morale among Rodrick’s troops plummeted. Still, the Marquis roared in desperation. “Mages! What are the mages doing? Blast them all, even if it means hitting our own men! Use magic now!” The mages were drenched in sweat, unable to respond properly. The overwhelming magical presence on the battlefield kept them completely suppressed. Vanessa and the other Fenris mages, including those who had piloted the hot air balloons, were more than enough to counter the Rodrick mages, effectively neutralizing them. With no options left, the Marquis let out a wail of frustration. “How? How is this possible? We have 100,000 soldiers and so many mages! How can we accomplish nothing?” Tenant surveyed the battlefield, his heart sinking. “It’s over.” More than half the forces sent to take the castle were dead. Only around 10,000 soldiers remained. Without those reinforcements, the northern front was doomed. “Pull back the soldiers,” Tenant ordered. The Marquis erupted in fury. “Why? Why are you retreating? Order them back up! Take that castle!” “It’s impossible. We need to regroup...” Boooooooom! Before Tenant could finish, a deafening horn sounded in the distance. Rodrick’s officers turned pale as they spotted the approaching forces. “It’s the banner of Ferdium!” “The Marquis of Ferdium has sent his cavalry!” “Count Fenris must have requested reinforcements!” Ferdium’s cavalry, known for their mastery of mounted warfare, appeared in perfect formation. Thousands of them loomed in the distance, ready to charge. If they attacked now, Rodrick’s demoralized soldiers would be utterly annihilated. Adding the Fenris knights and soldiers to the mix would spell total defeat. Tenant gritted his teeth. “They knew we were coming here... They were prepared from the start.” The Rodrick forces had been outmaneuvered at every turn, dancing to the enemy’s tune. Whether it was Count Fenris himself or the commanders of Silverlight, the result was the same. Taking a deep breath, Tenant bowed his head to the Marquis. “We must retreat.” “Retreat? You want me to retreat after failing to take even a small northern castle? Me, the ruler of the west?” Tenant didn’t mince words. “You need to flee.” The Marquis’s eyes burned with tears of humiliation. “Where? Where can I go?” “To the capital. We must join the Royalist faction and request their mediation and support.” “You expect me to grovel to them?” Tenant gave the command to the knights. “Escort the Marquis. I’ll lead the vanguard.” As the Marquis continued to resist, the remaining troops began their hasty retreat. “Move quickly!” Far behind them, Ferdium’s cavalry charged, and the gates of the fortress opened, releasing Fenris’s riders. Thud! Thud! Thud! As the exhausted Rodrick soldiers struggled to retreat, Tenant had no intention of engaging in a fight. The soldiers were far too fatigued; any confrontation would be a disaster. The mages in the command unit glanced at each other nervously. One of them, Dranesi, managed to speak up despite the strain he was under. He was pouring all his strength into holding back the invasive magic that filled the battlefield. “W-what are we supposed to do now?” Tenant shot him a cold glare before replying. “Hold the enemy mages back until the Marquis escapes. You’ve done nothing useful so far, so now is your time.” 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 “What? Are you abandoning us?” Dranesi glared at Tenant, fury in his eyes, and released his magic in anger. In that brief moment of respite, the enemy seized the opportunity. Flash! Boom! A bolt of lightning tore through the Rodrick camp, killing hundreds of soldiers instantly. “Argh!” Dranesi was forced to channel his power once more, his efforts barely stemming the tide of enemy magic. If the mages all abandoned their posts and fled, the next wave of spells would undoubtedly annihilate them. The Fenris forces were not about to waste such an opening. Their strategy was clear: overwhelm the mages first, then obliterate the rest. While the mages hesitated, paralyzed by indecision, Tenant took the remaining cavalry and command troops and fled swiftly. Thud, thud, thud! The 5,000 cavalry guarding the command unit managed to escape relatively quickly. But the infantry who had just returned from the battlefield were too exhausted to keep up. Boom! “Aaaargh!” The helpless soldiers had only one option left. “We surrender!” “We’re throwing down our weapons!” “Please, spare us!” Rodrick’s troops were infamous for their lack of loyalty and resolve. With their leaders fleeing, they had no reason to continue fighting. As if prearranged, the Fenris and Ferdium forces left the surrendering soldiers untouched, focusing instead on pursuing the fleeing Rodrick command. Only a few stayed behind to take charge of the prisoners, while the rest surged forward. The Fenris knights, meanwhile, set their sights on Dranesi and the other mages. Thud, thud, thud! The sound of galloping hooves grew louder, and fear spread among the mages. Without their magic, they were even weaker than ordinary soldiers. Thud, thud, thud! Dranesi, drenched in cold sweat, rolled his eyes frantically. He realized they had been abandoned. Whether they stayed or fled, death seemed inevitable. Having lived a life of privilege, Dranesi couldn’t bear the thought of dying like this. As a typical self-serving mage, he made a decision. “I surrender! Please spare me!” He dropped to his knees and lowered his head. Seeing this, the other mages followed suit, relinquishing their magic and groveling for their lives. “I surrender too!” “I’m a 5th-circle mage! I can be useful!” “I’m just a researcher! I’ve never fought in my life!” They all begged desperately. Flash! A flash of light streaked across the sky, and the mages braced themselves for death. But the lightning didn’t strike. The enemy mages had withdrawn their magic. Neigh! The Fenris knights pulled their horses to a halt, inches away from the groveling mages. “We’re alive!” Dranesi breathed a sigh of relief, a grin spreading across his face. As a rare 6th-circle mage, he was confident his skills would make him invaluable to the Fenris forces. Step, step, step. Heavy footsteps approached. When Dranesi dared to look up, he saw Gillian, the White Lion of Fenris. “Who’s in charge of the mages?” Gillian demanded. Dranesi stood cautiously, clearing his throat. “Ahem, I am a 6th-circle mage. If you treat me well as a prisoner, I can offer—” Slash! Dranesi didn’t get to finish. Gillian’s axe swung down, severing his head before he could react. “Urk... why?” Even as a 6th-circle mage, Dranesi couldn’t withstand the sheer ferocity of Gillian’s sudden attack. He died with confusion etched on his face. The other mages, terrified, pressed their faces to the ground, trembling. Gillian sneered at them. “You’re all slaves of Fenris now. Don’t bother talking about ransom or worth.” The mages were horrified. Slavery for mages was unheard of in the kingdom. What right did Fenris have to treat them this way? But the fear of death silenced any objections. Unbeknownst to them, even Fenris’s own mages were treated as little more than indentured servants. Learning this would only deepen their despair. Gillian glanced around at the cowering mages before continuing. “From now on, this will be your leader.” The mages lifted their heads slowly, following Gillian’s gesture. Standing where he pointed was a woman. It was Vanessa, the director of Fenris’s magic research institute. “Master, it has begun.” Dark’s voice echoed in Ghislain’s mind as he nodded in acknowledgment. He was already leading 10,000 mobile troops in the northern regions but had been holding position per Claude’s request. Hearing Dark’s words, Ghislain smirked. “Very well. Let the hunt begin.”