Ghislain had assigned Jerome a specific task. – They’ll definitely leave some of their forces behind. Find them and slow them down, no matter what. This was a job Jerome was uniquely suited for. With his Enhanced Vision Magic, he could see further than anyone, and with his Spatial Movement Magic, he could strike and retreat at will. Jerome moved tirelessly toward the predicted location Ghislain had provided. The distance was significant, but he had to locate the enemy as quickly as possible. “Found them. They’re really here.” After days of travel, Jerome finally discovered the Atrodé forces. The number of places suitable for the Atrodé Army to station themselves was limited. While they could currently hide, they’d eventually need to spread out and advance. Ghislain had anticipated this, so finding them hadn’t been as hard as expected. “She said I need to pin down at least two groups.” His plan was to create havoc here, then quickly move on to the next legion. Finding the other legions wouldn’t be difficult now; he’d already spotted the direction of their messengers. Frankly, Jerome didn’t understand the broader strategic implications of this plan. Ghislain handled all of that. His job was simply to carry out his orders as best as he could. “Hmph!” His vision expanded, and he clearly saw the enemy formation. At the rear, he spotted someone who looked like the commander. Ziiiing—! The space around Jerome rippled as it swallowed his body. Moments later, he appeared right in front of Count Vipenvelt. BOOOOM! As soon as he arrived, Jerome unleashed his mana, but it was blocked. Naturally, they wouldn’t be so easily caught off guard. The elderly man standing in front of Jerome radiated an aura stronger than anyone he had faced before. Troops began surrounding him, and a Mana Barrier spread throughout the area, suppressing Jerome’s abilities. But that didn’t matter. He wasn’t here to risk his life in a final stand. Ziiing—! Enormous Mana Blades surged into Jerome’s hands. Grinning, Jerome muttered, “I’ll just play with you for a bit.” BOOM! Jerome shifted to the side in an instant, slicing through a mage who was maintaining the barrier. At the same time, the priests rushed toward him. “You insolent fool!” CLANG! Jerome blocked the priests’ attacks and retreated. He had no intention of seriously fighting the superhumans. Instead... CRACK! “AAAAAH!” He focused entirely on killing knights, mages, and soldiers. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Wide-scale spells would’ve been ideal, but the enemy mages were quick to unravel his spells just before they activated. ‘A 6th-Circle mage. There are some skilled ones here.’ Jerome could force his spells through, but the resulting power wouldn’t be worth the mana cost. Instead, he focused his magic internally. This flow of mana wasn’t outwardly visible, making it harder for others to interfere. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Jerome’s martial arts were also exceptional. His Mana Blades sliced through nearby enemies indiscriminately. He moved so fast that the enemy formation crumbled, casualties piling up by the second. “Fall back! Get out of the way!” The priests quickly realized Jerome’s intent. They surrounded him, knowing only superhumans could handle him. Wearing an irritated expression, Jerome clicked his tongue. “Tch.” Their swift response forced him to engage with the priests. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Despite fighting six priests simultaneously, Jerome didn’t falter. Gatros watched, his expression darkening. ‘This bastard...’ Even under the suppressive mana field, Jerome fought like a true superhuman. Though their mages weren’t at full power, this was still remarkable. Gatros had heard that Jerome had held back Helgenique’s undead army for a long time. He’d assumed Jerome managed this through wide-scale magic. But seeing his raw combat ability firsthand was another matter entirely. His martial arts were uncharacteristic for a mage, and the priests, lacking combat finesse, struggled to keep him contained. BOOM! Each time Jerome broke free, he struck down a mage or knight, weakening the barrier. With every fallen mage, the Mana Barrier grew weaker. Jerome’s Mana Blades grew stronger in turn. Unable to stand idly by, Gatros stepped forward. “This one’s no ordinary opponent!” At this point, Jerome’s combat ability rivaled that of the Battle Saintess. If anything, he was even trickier to deal with. “Step aside!” BOOOM! Gatros charged forward, swinging his hand at Jerome. Jerome raised his arm to block. THUD! Their energies collided, rippling through the area. “Priests, spread out and contain him!” Gatros shouted. The strategy was clear: Gatros would handle Jerome directly, while the priests protected the troops. Jerome smirked, clicking his tongue. “You moved faster than I expected. I wanted to cause a bit more trouble.” “Arrogant fool. You die here.” THUMP! A dark aura surged from Gatros’s entire body, overwhelming Jerome under the suppressive barrier. “Shall we keep going, then?” Grinning, Jerome swung his Mana Blades. CLANG! Gatros blocked the attack and retaliated with ferocious speed. The two clashed, moving so quickly they were barely visible. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The surrounding troops scrambled to avoid the aftershocks of their battle. Even the priests seized every opportunity to unleash their power when they saw an opening. Jerome realized that if this continued, he’d be in real danger. Gauging his remaining mana, he made a decision. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖 ‘I need to retreat. Pushing further here is meaningless.’ His goal was to escape the Mana Barrier. If he could break through its edge, he could fully teleport away. ‘Heh, I’ve been training something new for this.’ His time spent in the Mobile Workshop had paid off. He had developed unwavering concentration and the endurance to repeat actions endlessly—much like Alfoy’s mastery of mana manipulation. Now was the time to show the results of that training. Focusing all his mana, Jerome located a gap in the barrier. “Blink.” FLASH! The mana rearranged itself, forming coordinates for his escape. Jerome’s body shimmered as he teleported. Grinning widely, Jerome shouted, “Alright, I’ll take my leave! See you next time!” If he used Blink a few more times, he’d escape the barrier entirely. But... “Huh?” Gatros stood just a few paces ahead, and the troops were still surrounding him. He hadn’t moved far. The mana had failed to fully arrange itself, forcing Jerome into the nearest safe spot. Jerome scratched the back of his head awkwardly, forcing a laugh. “Haha... You guys are pretty good.” The Mana Barrier was denser and stronger than expected. The Atrodé Army’s 6th-Circle mages and priests had successfully blocked his escape. Gatros tilted his head, glaring at Jerome. The Ruthanian forces were always full of strange individuals. To lose against such people and be forced to flee had left Gatros boiling with anger. “Kill him.” At Gatros’s command, the priests charged again, murderous intent radiating from their bodies. “Damn it!” Jerome abandoned Blink and sprinted. If he couldn’t teleport, he’d escape on foot. “Out of my way!” BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Jerome struck down troops as he fled, but Gatros’s pursuit was relentless. “This bastard!” “Guh!” BOOM! Gatros’s attack struck Jerome from behind, forcing him to turn and defend. The two resumed their clash, with Jerome steadily retreating. Every so often, he attempted a Blink to widen the gap. Though the distance was small, it worked. He was slowly pulling away from their formation. Just then, Count Vipenvelt’s voice rang out. “Stop and return at once!” Vipenvelt had seen through Jerome’s plan. The enemy was simply trying to delay them. This confirmed to Vipenvelt that his strategy was correct. He couldn’t waste time on insignificant nuisances. Hearing the command, Gatros and the priests hesitated. Jerome seized the opening, fleeing at blinding speed. “Tch.” Gatros clicked his tongue. Jerome’s abilities had been too great to kill quickly. ‘That bastard will keep causing trouble. We should’ve killed him here.’ But it was too late. The enemy had already escaped. Count Vipenvelt turned to Gatros, his expression cold. “They’ll keep trying to stall us, but it’s a desperate move. They’re growing anxious. We must press on immediately.” “Fine. We’ll do as you say.” The battle was left to Count Vipenvelt’s judgment. Frustrating as it was, his words were logical. They began reorganizing, but it took time. The casualties Jerome had inflicted—especially among the mages—had been significant. As Vipenvelt watched his forces regroup, his expression darkened. ‘Duke Fenris, you must’ve anticipated this. But you won’t be able to respond in time. The other legions have already departed.’ In the end, Jerome’s interference had only confirmed Vipenvelt’s confidence. This war would come down to speed. “Move out! Full speed ahead!” After a brief pause to regroup, the 1st Legion charged forward like a storm. *** Count Jairus, the commander of the Atroth 4th Corps, knew the time {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} had come. “So, the 1st Corps has moved.” “Yes, sir. You and the 2nd Corps will handle one direction.” At the messenger’s report, Count Jairus nodded. He didn’t know whether the Fenris Duke or the Crown Prince of Turian would be in his path. But it didn’t matter—one of them would be there, and they had to be killed. Of course, this wasn’t a task he could accomplish alone. No matter how strong their forces were, Fenris Duke and the Turian Prince were out-of-standard powerhouses. But with the 2nd Corps, things would be different. The one leading the 2nd Corps was the famed "Noble Knight" Aiden—one of the strongest in this region. Moreover, combining both corps meant they had eight priests. It was nearly impossible to lose with that kind of force. “Speed is crucial. I’ll leave first, so make sure the 2nd Corps follows quickly.” “Understood.” In mobile warfare, speed alone wasn’t enough. This wasn’t a simple footrace. What mattered more was achieving the strategic objective before the enemy could react. The most critical task was to intercept Fenris Duke or the Turian Prince before they could regroup with any other forces. “Move out! From now on, we march at full speed without rest!” The 4th Corps, which had been on standby for this exact moment, was full of explosive energy. Dudududududu! The 4th Corps, entirely composed of cavalry, thundered forward. The 2nd Corps would follow closely behind. Confident in their speed, they soon noticed a dust cloud rising far ahead—a group of soldiers was approaching them. “Hm? What’s that?” Jairus tilted his head in confusion. There shouldn’t be any forces coming from this direction. The 2nd Corps was positioned behind them, so the approaching group didn’t make any sense. “Everyone, halt!” Unsure if this was another Atroth unit, Jairus decided to stop and observe. As the distant forces drew closer, Jairus frowned. They were far too fast. They weren’t even slowing down, charging recklessly forward like madmen. But then, as he focused on the incoming soldiers, his eyes widened in horror. “That... that army is...” Dudududududu! It was a cavalry unit—heavily armored yet moving at incredible speed. There was only one force on the continent that could wield such absurd equipment. “R-Ruthania?” The strongest force in Ruthania—the Fenris Cavalry—was the only unit capable of moving like this. And there was one more reason why he was certain. Hiiiiiiing! The ferocious black warhorse at the front, and atop it, the man with glowing crimson eyes. “Fenris Duke!” It couldn’t be. Why was Fenris Duke here, appearing out of nowhere? Something had gone terribly wrong. Fenris Duke was supposed to be elsewhere, engaged in a pursuit. “Prepare for battle! Battle positions!” Jairus screamed, hastily pulling back to the rear of his formation. A collision was imminent. Fwoooosh! The crimson glow from Ghislain’s spear erupted violently. At the same time, the black warhorse, wreathed in that same crimson light, charged even faster. Dududududu! Before long, Ghislain had left the Fenris Cavalry far behind, charging alone toward the Atroth formation. The Atroth forces were thrown into disarray at the sudden confrontation. They were cavalry too, but they had stopped moving. Meanwhile, Ghislain and his men were increasing their momentum. Jairus screamed in panic. “Stop him!” Four priests shot forward from the Atroth lines. Kwoooom! The crimson blaze of Ghislain’s charge tore into the Atroth formation.