Darkness engulfed the battlefield, devouring all the shimmering particles of light in its path. The soldiers, whose eyes had been vacant and entranced, suddenly regained focus. The horses, previously subdued, neighed wildly and tossed their heads. In an instant, everyone snapped back to reality. The illusions had vanished without a trace. Whoosh! Ghislain’s body was enveloped in a swirling black aura, and hundreds of mana spears materialized around him. Ahead of Ghislain, the defending troops charged, their war cries echoing through the air. “Waaaaaah!” They roared as they ran, their faith in the Fenris Count’s invincibility shattered. They believed that Eloise, the 7th-Circle master, would surely contain him. That delusion was broken the moment Ghislain’s spears moved. Boom! “Arghhh!” The soldiers at the front were shredded by Ghislain’s spears. The radiant projectiles carved through the charging formation, scattering the defenders like leaves in the wind. Ghislain moved through their ranks like a wolf among sheep, cutting them down with ruthless efficiency. Although some managed to slip past him, it was of little consequence—none could stop him now. Even Eloise, who should have been the one to challenge him, stood frozen, his trembling hands betraying his disbelief. “What... what is that... What the hell is going on?” The soldiers continued their charge, oblivious, but Eloise understood what had happened. His illusion spell had been shattered by the dark, ominous force that emanated from Ghislain, blanketing the entire battlefield. Even as the kingdom’s greatest mage, Eloise couldn’t comprehend what he was witnessing. Faced with an inexplicable force, his mind faltered. Ghislain’s voice thundered across the battlefield once more. “Charge!” Neighhh! The warhorses responded to their leader’s commanding voice with resounding cries, their riders tightening their grips on their spears. “Let’s go!” shouted Lucas, a senior knight, rallying the Fenris cavalry to resume their advance. Though their momentum had momentarily stalled, it was hardly enough to hinder them. Thud! The frontmost riders spurred their mounts into action, leaping forward with renewed vigor. Boom! Harnessing their full strength, the cavalry surged forward again, their speed and ferocity reminiscent of a marauding tribe. Thud, thud, thud, thud! The defenders, stunned by the sight, hesitated. “They’re moving again!” “What’s going on?” “Wasn’t it an illusion?” The defenders stopped in their tracks, fear etched on their faces as the charging cavalry’s savage grins sent chills down their spines. They knew they would die if they clashed head-on. Torn to pieces in an instant. Even without the illusions, the sight of the Fenris troops advancing struck terror into their hearts, freezing them where they stood. Raul, seeing his troops falter, cried out in panic. “Master Eloise!” Eloise, however, was still paralyzed, his mind consumed with trying to understand the situation. How... How could they break free from this? They’re not even superhumans! He had expected Ghislain to resist the magic. After all, superhumans, with their firmly established inner worlds, were nearly immune to mental domination. But the rest of the army? They were mere mortals, far from being superhuman. The illusion magic had been his masterpiece, carefully constructed over decades. The runestones and massive magic circles laid across the battlefield amplified its effects, granting Eloise godlike control within its range. Yet, in an instant, that power had been nullified—by something he couldn’t identify. Impossible! Eloise, untrained in the chaos of war, could only fixate on his unanswered questions, a critical flaw in a battlefield that demanded split-second decisions. As Eloise stood frozen, the Fenris cavalry crashed into the defenders. Boom! “Arghhh!” The defenders, comprised entirely of infantry, were swept aside effortlessly. Their reliance on the shattered illusion magic had dealt a devastating blow to their morale. Above all, none could stop Ghislain, who rampaged through their ranks like a wild beast, decapitating foes as he laughed. They won’t understand. Ghislain thought, grinning. In his past life, Dark had nullified Eloise’s illusion magic with ease when treating Edwin. By controlling the very fabric of space, the magic had been rendered useless. Ghislain had anticipated Eloise’s illusion magic as an unavoidable hurdle. It was why he had sought out Dark in the first place. As expected, Dark had obliterated the illusion magic, though the feat had consumed half of Ghislain’s energy. Boom! Half of the defenders were wiped out in the blink of an eye. It was only then that Eloise snapped out of his stupor and turned his fury toward Ghislain. “You wretch! Stop!” While superhumans were resistant to mental domination, magic itself wasn’t entirely ineffective. Eloise poured an immense amount of mana into his next spell, aiming to distort Ghislain’s perception. Zing—! An overwhelming force surged toward Ghislain, warping the environment around him. Crack, crack! The world seemed to fracture like a broken mirror, and the space around him filled with unsettling shapes. His sense of balance and direction crumbled, and shadowy entities began to manifest. Before he realized it, both the Fenris cavalry and the defending troops had vanished, leaving only Ghislain and the ominous figures on the battlefield. Impressive. Ghislain smirked, recognizing Eloise’s prowess. A 7th-Circle master was someone on the verge of achieving the 8th Circle, wielding unparalleled mana and insight. Groooan... The shadowy entities morphed into humanoid shapes, their forms twisting grotesquely as they approached Ghislain. “Your Majesty...” “Why did you abandon us?” “Please... save us...” Ghislain’s eyes narrowed. The figures bore the faces of those who had perished under his command in his past life—soldiers who had fallen fighting the Duke’s forces and the priests of the Salvation Order. They weren’t alone. “Urgh...” Even those who had died in Ferdium appeared—his father, his retainers, Belinda, and old Fergus. They wept and wailed as they drew closer, their mournful cries resonating in the air. Eloise’s magic forced its targets to confront the depths of their subconscious, dragging out their most painful and sorrowful memories to sow chaos and despair. Victims would eventually lose themselves, either lashing out at the illusions or succumbing to despair. Had Ghislain been weaker, he would have fallen prey to this overwhelming power. This was the terror of illusion magic, far removed from the raw destruction of elemental spells. Dark’s voice echoed in Ghislain’s mind. “Master, should I eliminate them?” The sheer concentration of mana around Ghislain made Dark hesitate. The cost of breaking through the spell would be steep, even for him. But Ghislain shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary.” He had no intention of resisting. He wanted to experience Eloise’s magic firsthand and was confident in his ability to overcome it. Besides, there was another reason. His eyes softened, tinged with a faint longing. “So, I get to see you all like this...” Many of his former subordinates had been reunited with him in this life. Some had become knights, others part of his mobile forces, and some were mercenaries in other regions. But there were still those he hadn’t found, those whose fates had shifted with the altered timeline. Ghislain gazed at them with a mixture of longing and sorrow. He held onto the hope that one day, he could meet them again. “I hope you’re all living well.” They had to be. His reunited subordinates were thriving—why wouldn’t the others be? And so, Ghislain smiled. “Urghhhh...” “Lucas, what are you doing here right now?” Ghislain couldn’t suppress a laugh as he watched Lucas approach him like a zombie. Lucas was fighting fiercely just moments ago, wasn’t he? The same went for Belinda. She was stationed by her father’s side, ready to defend against any ambushes from the Salvation Order. The others were no different. They were all alive and well. Eloise’s illusions held no sway over Ghislain. His memories and reality were now entirely different. Yes, wasn’t the reason he had returned to protect them all? With a serene smile, Ghislain closed his eyes. Though the illusions clung to him, his expression remained calm. Crash! The mirrors that had surrounded him shattered. The shards floated eerily, mingling with the distorted environment as though time itself had frozen. From one of the cracks in the fractured space, Eloise emerged. He was the only one who could move freely within this illusionary realm. “You’ve fallen into my trap.” Unlike the calm demeanor he had displayed earlier, Eloise’s face was now twisted with rage. As the kingdom’s greatest mage, he couldn’t accept what had just occurred. The trap he had spent decades preparing had been rendered useless, an unbearable blow to his pride. So, he poured every ounce of his mana into this moment. No matter how strong Ghislain was, he wouldn’t be able to move properly for a while. He had to kill this dangerous man now. Eloise extended his hand toward the motionless Ghislain, who stood amidst the illusions with his eyes closed. “Die!” His hand glowed with a sinister purple aura, poised to pierce Ghislain’s heart in one swift motion. At that moment, Ghislain opened his eyes. Flash! A brilliant light flashed in his gaze, and Eloise felt a chill run down his spine. He wasn’t caught...? The intensity of his eyes was blinding. There was not a shred of hesitation or confusion. It didn’t make sense. How could someone exhibit such unwavering focus after withstanding his full magical assault? Just how strong was his mental fortitude? Swish! Before Eloise could react, Ghislain’s spear moved with a graceful arc. Boom! The distorted environment began to shift once more. The shards of the shattered mirrors were sucked into the void and disappeared. The sky and earth returned to their rightful places. The battlefield Ghislain had seen before the illusions took hold stretched out before him once again. “Waaaahhh!” The Fenris cavalry was cutting through the defenders, massacring them with ease. No one even noticed Ghislain’s presence. For everyone else, the time he had spent within the illusion had passed in the blink of an eye. None of them realized that he had been ensnared by Eloise’s magic. Such was the terrifying nature of illusion magic—forcing its victims to experience a different timeline where they endlessly struggled. And the one who had cast this fearsome spell... “Impressive, but you used the wrong approach.” Seated atop his black steed, Ghislain gazed downward. At his feet lay Eloise’s severed head, rolling across the bloodied ground. If Eloise had employed a different strategy, Ghislain might have been forced into a prolonged battle. But Eloise had chosen his most powerful magic, which, ironically, was the easiest for Ghislain to counter. “He... He killed Eloise!” One of the defenders spotted the severed head and shouted. None of them had realized when Eloise had died. They hadn’t seen any dramatic fight or felt any ripples in the air. It was as if, in the time it took to blink, Eloise had gone from being alive to lying decapitated at Ghislain’s feet. “It’s over.” “We’ve lost.” “We can’t hold them back anymore.” The defenders’ morale hit rock bottom. With their most trusted 7th-Circle Master dead, they had no hope of stopping the enemy’s advance. Raul had already fled to the safety of the Eclipse Castle. With no leadership, the defenders were left directionless. Though the lower-ranking officers desperately tried to rally the troops, the tide of battle had shifted too drastically to recover. Yet, not a single soldier surrendered. Even paralyzed with fear, they fought to the bitter end, their discipline as the Duke’s elite soldiers shining through. Boom! Boom! Boom! Ghislain charged into the fray once more, scattering the defenders like leaves in a storm. With him leading the assault, the remaining troops fell even faster. The last line of defense around the Eclipse Castle was annihilated. “Waaaahhh!” The Fenris cavalry roared in triumph. The castle gates were now within reach, and there was no one left to stop them. “Let’s storm in! Let’s kill that Duke bastard and end this right here!” Lucas shouted, his face flushed with excitement. The allied forces at the southern front were still locked in a fierce battle with the Duke’s army. If they could capture the Duke, it would all be over. They had to catch him before he escaped. That was the plan, and Ghislain was prepared to carry it out—until Dark delivered unexpected news. Circling above, Dark relayed his findings. “Master, they’re almost here. They’ll arrive shortly.” Ghislain’s voice rang out. “Everyone, remain on horseback and prepare for battle. Rest and eat while you can—we’ll need to fight again soon.” The Fenris cavalry quickly reorganized into formation. Taking advantage of the brief respite, they ate their rations and drank water. No one questioned the order. When Ghislain told them to prepare for battle, it meant that an enemy was indeed approaching. Thud, thud, thud, thud! Before long, the sound of galloping hooves thundered through the air. “As expected of the Kingdom’s Finest Sword. To arrive this quickly...” Ghislain murmured. Even though his forces had taken a circuitous route while the Duke’s forces moved directly south, the speed of their arrival exceeded expectations. This meant their leader had acted immediately upon hearing the news, wasting no time deliberating. Ghislain couldn’t help but admire their decisiveness. As he had anticipated, the new arrivals were none other than Kaien and his 40,000 cavalry. Dust-covered and visibly exhausted, they had clearly ridden non-stop to reach this point. Both sides had now converged in a state of mutual exhaustion. Kaien surveyed the scene before him, his jaw tightening as he took in the carnage. “That bastard really went and did it.” The battlefield was littered with bodies. The defenders were utterly annihilated, and the Fenris cavalry stood in organized ranks, ready for battle. This meant that somewhere amidst the carnage, Eloise’s body lay lifeless. One of the Duke’s greatest assets had been lost, and in such a futile manner—on home ground fortified with countless traps, no less. Kaien felt his rage boil over. Never before in his life had he been this consumed by fury. He roared like a lion, his voice echoing across the battlefield. “GHISLAIN FERDIUM—!” His cry carried immeasurable wrath and a deadly intent to kill. Ghislain smirked coldly, leveling his spear. “Let’s settle this here. Let’s see who truly holds the title of the Kingdom’s Finest Sword.” It was time, once again, for him to surpass his limits.