The strike team, filled with adrenaline, charged toward the remaining enemies. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 The tide of the battle had already shifted toward the Northern forces, and now the greatest threat—the priests—had been eliminated. Victory was all but certain. Gatros, his eyes bloodshot with rage, could do nothing but watch. Ereneth had taken a defensive stance, actively stalling for time instead of fighting offensively. “You wretched woman! How dare you!” BOOM! Gatros desperately sought to turn the situation around. His plan had been to hold Ereneth off while the other priests made their moves. Instead, the exact opposite had happened. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The black energy Gatros unleashed extended violently in every direction. His intentions were clear—to inflict as much damage as possible on the advancing forces. Ereneth, however, calmly focused on nullifying his attacks, channeling her energy solely into defense. Her orders had been to protect her allies, not to defeat Gatros. As such, the fight was never going to proceed the way Gatros wanted. BOOOOM! Frustrated, Gatros threw everything he had into trying to take down Ereneth, but she was not an easy opponent. “Argh... Guardian of the World Tree! Are you saying you refuse to fight me to the end?” “That’s right,” Ereneth replied plainly. Her objective was the eradication of the Salvation Order. To achieve that, this battle needed to be won. A personal duel meant nothing to her—it held no value or emotional significance. BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM! The two clashed evenly, their abilities matched. For Gatros to hold his own against the strongest in the Northern forces, Ereneth, was a testament to his immense power. But with Ereneth unwilling to fully commit to the fight, continuing the battle was ultimately futile. “I made a mistake. I should have gone to the other side first,” Gatros said through gritted teeth. Ereneth responded with a mocking smile. “It wouldn’t have made a difference. The Saintess received the same orders as I did.” “What?!” “Our purpose is simply to protect our allies and keep the superhumans occupied. The true victory lies with the soldiers and knights.” Ereneth straightened her back, her voice laced with arrogance. “This was a battle you were never going to win. Your forces are scattered, and your formations are in disarray.” “Silence!” BOOM! In a fit of rage, Gatros extended his hand toward Ereneth again. Black energy intertwined with green, exploding outward in all directions. Ereneth’s energy was steadily weakening. She had expended a great deal of power earlier in the battle, summoning spirits to protect her allies. Despite this, her voice remained calm as she continued speaking. “It seems the mages’ battle has also reached its end.” “What?” Gatros glanced upward. He could feel the weakening of the magical field above them. That could only mean one thing—something had gone wrong with their magical forces. *** The forces led by the Saintess, who had flanked the Delphine army, managed to push close to the center. The Delphine forces scrambled to stop them. “Hold the line!” “Protect the mages!” “We must hold out!” At that moment, several Northern soldiers moved with ghostlike precision, slipping into the heart of the enemy’s formation. These were Caleb, leader of the Wildcat Smuggling Ring, and his team of assassins. They had been hiding among the troops, waiting for this exact moment to strike. SLASH! The assassins attacked the mages with all their might. “Ack! What’s happening?!” The mages, focused entirely on maintaining the suppression field, were caught off guard. One by one, they fell to the assassins' blades. Even the survivors lost their concentration, and the delicate balance of the suppression field was shattered. “It’s done! Fall back!” Caleb and his assassins retreated after killing only a few mages. Their goal wasn’t total annihilation but to disrupt the enemy's balance. Simultaneously, the Northern forces that had pushed into the center from both flanks began to pull back as if receding with the tide. This, too, was part of the plan. The Northern mages didn’t waste the opportunity. From the very rear of the Northern army, Vanessa, the 7th-circle mage overseeing all magical operations, murmured softly. “Fire Pillar.” BOOOOOM! A massive pillar of fire erupted in the center of the Delphine army’s formation. Following it, an array of spells rained down from all sides. With the suppression field broken, the Northern mages unleashed their full power, carefully targeting vulnerable areas of the battlefield. BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM! “Aaaargh!” “The suppression field has failed!” “The magical barrier is breached! Retreat!” The Delphine mages screamed as they fell. The surrounding troops fared no better. With Northern soldiers deeply entrenched in the enemy lines, the Northern mages didn’t have to cast wide-area spells. The precision strikes on the central formation were enough to effectively end the battle. Most of the Delphine mages were eliminated within a few attacks. As their core was obliterated by magic, and the outer defenses crumbled under the Northern advance, the Delphine forces quickly fell apart. Gatros, engaged in combat with Ereneth, retreated, his face filled with despair. “How... how could this happen...?” The elite Delphine forces, hailed as the kingdom’s finest, were collapsing before his eyes. With their magical forces crippled, their soldiers couldn’t hold the line. Gatros turned toward Ereneth, his face twisted with fury. “This is all your fault...” The Delphine forces had been at a disadvantage from the start. The Northern army, reinforced with mages from the North, West, and East, had the support of a 7th-circle mage like Vanessa. The gaps in their forces had been filled by the high priests of the Salvation Order. Their wide-area attacks had been critical to keeping the Northern mages at bay. But with the priests neutralized, the Delphine magical forces had reached their limits. No matter how hard they tried, defeat was inevitable. “Waaaah!” “Push forward! We’ve got them!” “Don’t stop! Attack!” The battlefield echoed with the victorious shouts of the Northern forces. No one even paid attention to Gatros anymore. “The frontlines have collapsed...” Had their formation broken through to the Northern center, they might have had a chance to turn the tide. But their lack of manpower had doomed them to fail. Now, the Northern forces were advancing with shields raised, pushing the Delphine army further back. Gatros felt dizzy. Even though the battle had been chaotic, he hadn’t expected it to end so decisively. “How could this have happened? Who... who is commanding them?” The precision of their maneuvers had been devastating, exploiting every small weakness in his forces. Their plan for neutralizing him and the priests had been meticulous. He had been completely outplayed. “Is it Gillian?” The White Lion had been leading the Northern forces for some time, but Gatros quickly dismissed the thought. Gillian was personally fighting on the frontlines. So who could it be? Who in the Northern or Royal armies had such strategic brilliance? Taking a deep breath, Gatros turned to Ereneth. “Who is it?” “What do you mean?” “Who is commanding this army and devising these strategies?” “Heh...” Ereneth chuckled softly. She, too, had been impressed by the battle’s execution. Though the absence of the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword had certainly helped, overwhelming the mighty Delphine army was no small feat. The way their weaknesses had been exploited, the decisiveness of their maneuvers, and the precise allocation of forces—it was nothing short of masterful. In a composed voice, Ereneth answered. “They say it’s Count Rayfold. The same person who delayed you at the last fortress. Even I was a little surprised this time.” “...!!!” Gatros’s eyes widened, and his body trembled. “That traitorous bitch...” Gatros felt the sting of betrayal more deeply than anyone else. It was he and Raul who had originally selected Amelia Rayfold when they decided to stage a coup in Rayfold years ago. Her low rank in the line of succession had made her an ideal puppet—easily replaceable and incapable of resisting external pressures. Indeed, some Northern lords had even united to attack her. She had thwarted their plans time and again. Still, with her weak forces and limited influence, Gatros had assumed she would eventually fall. Relocating her base to the East should have made her position even more precarious. And yet, here she was, dealing a devastating blow in the most crucial battle. “That woman dares...” Gatros couldn’t contain his rage. Being betrayed by an underling was infuriating enough, but to have her dismantle his grand designs was unbearable. It wasn’t just Amelia and Ghislain—the two troublemakers from the North—who had upended everything. Together, they had obliterated his plans. Ereneth, gathering her energy once more, spoke with cold finality. “There’s no need for anger. You’re going to die here.” Her words made Gatros flinch as he glanced around. His allies were nowhere to be seen. Boom. Boom. Boom. The sound of heavy footsteps shook the ground as the Saintess approached. Other skilled warriors were likely to arrive soon as the battlefield cleared. No matter how powerful Gatros was, he couldn’t hope to take on the Saintess as well. He could barely hold his own against Ereneth. “Heh heh...” Gatros let out a hollow laugh. Even though he had moved cautiously after being defeated by the Shadow Knight Commander, he had still been outmaneuvered. Even if Count Balzac captured Count Fenris, this war was as good as lost. When the Kingdom’s forces and Ferdium’s reinforcements arrived, the Duke’s faction would be crushed. Gatros glared at Ereneth with bloodshot eyes. “Do you think this is the end?” “Perhaps not. But your side was the strongest, wasn’t it?” “...” “The Salvation Order spread across the continent will be destroyed. A united Ruthania will systematically liberate the other kingdoms. There’s a reason I started with Ruthania.” “Heh... heh heh...” It was true that Ruthania had drawn the most resources from the Salvation Order. But Gatros knew their power extended far beyond. The Salvation Order’s reach across the continent was vast. If they consolidated their forces, their strength would be immeasurable. Moreover, Executor Aiden was carrying out his own plans. Gatros smirked faintly. “Rejoice in your temporary victory. Even if you’ve claimed Ruthania, you won’t be able to hold it.” “...” “Once we find our king and the sacred relics, every descendant of the gods on this continent will rise. They will crush your kingdom into oblivion. You cannot stop our wrath!” The reply came not from Ereneth but from another voice beside her. “Silence, you blasphemous wretch.” Parniel’s massive mace came crashing down toward Gatros. BOOOOM! Gatros raised his hand to block it but was pushed back instantly. The sheer force felt like it would shatter his arm. ZING! ZING! ZING! Suddenly, dozens of magic circles appeared around him. Gatros realized that the 7th-circle mage Vanessa had acted. Vanessa had cast numerous magic circles around Gatros, ensuring he couldn’t escape easily. Any reckless move on his part would trigger an onslaught of devastating spells. It was a perfect trap. Gatros had nowhere to run. Ereneth summoned her green energy once more. Together with the Saintess and Vanessa, she had more than enough power to finish him off. “Leave your ambitions here and die. The Salvation Order will fail.” Even if Ghislain had been killed by Kaien, the united forces of Ruthania would be enough. Elsewhere, countless heroes were already fighting the Salvation Order in other kingdoms. Still smirking, Gatros pulled out a small orb from his robes. “Wait for it. I’ll see to it that this place is destroyed.” The object he held was a Life Orb. Recognizing his intent, Ereneth and Parniel moved instantly, while Vanessa’s magic circles began to activate. But Gatros was faster. CRACK! BOOOOM! The shattered orb released a torrent of darkness, engulfing Gatros and pulling him in. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Their combined attacks failed. The black energy twisted and warped, but Gatros disappeared before they could reach him. “Damn it...” Ereneth clicked her tongue. Such a method hadn’t existed in their past battles. It seemed the Salvation Order had developed new contingencies over time. “We lost the most important one. If he had come my way, I’d have turned him into minced meat by now,” Parniel said indifferently. Ereneth, removing her armor, turned to look at Parniel. A strange tension filled the air as the two locked eyes, silently staring at each other.