The Atrode Army’s 5th and 6th divisions were eliminated by Julien. Meanwhile, the 9th and 10th divisions, moving separately, were defeated by half of the Ruthanian forces led by Tenant and Parniel. As for the 7th and 8th divisions, which had ambushed the allied forces at the start of the campaign... As Count Vipenvelt suspected, they faced the remaining half of the Ruthanian army led by Claude. This allowed Ghislain to move freely and ambush the 4th and 2nd divisions of the Atrode Army. The 7th and 8th divisions had fought together against the Ruthanian forces in close proximity. However, they could not withstand the onslaught. Boom! Boom! Boom! Gillian’s axe mercilessly tore through the priests. Even when two priests attacked him at once, he did not back down. On the contrary, he overwhelmed them. “Goddess, grant us strength!” Behind Gillian, Piote poured out waves of divine power. Sssssss! “Ugh!” The priests, surrounded by divine power, couldn’t exert their full strength. Their auras were weakened, and their bodies burned continuously under the pressure of the divine energy. Fighting Gillian in such a state left them with no choice but to be overpowered. Besides Piote, there was another source of trouble for the priests. “Hole!” Thwack! “Pair!” Smack! Thwack! Smack! A figure at a slight distance kept casting magic to hurl stones at them. Rocks flew out of his sleeves at astonishing speed. The priests were already struggling against Gillian, an overwhelming opponent, while the divine energy choked their bodies. Even if the stones weren’t powerful, their constant interference was infuriating. “You wretch!” One of the priests finally broke away to deal with the mage. But as he turned, Gillian’s axe came crashing down on his back. Crunch! “Argh!” The priests were at their wit’s end. Unable to focus, they couldn’t fight properly. Even worse, the divine power hindered their recovery. “Hole! Pair! Hole! Hole!” The one flinging stones was Alfoy. He had discovered that this seemingly trivial magic was surprisingly effective in combat. In battles against superhuman opponents, maintaining focus was crucial. Though Alfoy wasn’t nearly fast enough to keep up with these superhumans, his stones kept pelting the combatants, relentlessly disrupting them. But this tactic didn’t come without drawbacks—it annoyed his own allies too. “Hole!” Thwack! As Gillian concentrated on his fight, a rock struck his head. He glared back at Alfoy with an exasperated expression. Since the stones weren’t particularly harmful, Gillian had tolerated them, but the distraction was undeniably irritating. “...” “S-Sorry.” Alfoy awkwardly shuffled away, deciding it might be better to assist someone else. By this point, the priests were already in tatters. The combined efforts of Gillian’s overwhelming skill, Piote’s divine power, and Alfoy’s disruptive antics had worn them down. Crunch! “Urgh...” Eventually, the priests fell to Gillian’s axe, their necks cleaved with brutal precision. On the opposite side, another pair of priests was faring no better. There, they faced Belinda, who had inherited the techniques of her mentor, Annette. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞 Swish, swish, swish! Dozens of daggers swirled around Belinda, encircling the approaching priests. Each dagger emitted a sharp aura blade. “What... What is this?” The priest, trapped within the spinning daggers, blinked in shock. Not only were the daggers flying autonomously, but each was radiating an aura blade. He had no idea how to counter such a technique. Not that he needed to—Belinda’s daggers did the work for her, cutting the priest down mercilessly. Slash! Slash! Slash! “Aaaaargh!” The priest screamed as if surrounded by dozens of knights hacking at him simultaneously. No matter how hard he tried to escape, his raw power was no match for Belinda’s refined technique. Slash! Slash! Slash! The daggers relentlessly pursued the priest, cutting him down even as he tried to release his energy or deflect the attacks. They refused to be shaken off. Annette, Belinda’s mentor and the captain of the Shadow Knights, had been the strongest warrior in the Ruthanian Kingdom. Even this single technique of hers demonstrated immense power. “Urgh...” In the end, the priest, unable to escape the dagger prison, bled out and died where he stood. Having easily dispatched her target, Belinda turned her attention elsewhere. She noticed Kaor and a group of knights ganging up on another priest. Belinda shook her head. “I told them to leave it to me.” Kaor, however, had stubbornly insisted on taking down one of the priests himself. He was determined to overcome his limits this time. Yet the so-called “limit breaker” was now attacking the priest like a gang leader in a street brawl, surrounded by his comrades. “You scoundrels!” The priest panicked as an overwhelming number of knights swarmed him. Their equipment was so sturdy that no matter how hard he struck, they wouldn’t die. While he had heard rumors about Fenris’s magical armor, he hadn’t expected it to be this durable. Worse still, the knights took turns. Each time he struck one down, another would immediately take their place. At this rate, he would collapse from exhaustion before long. Indeed, Kaor and his knights had used this very strategy to capture priests before. Now stronger and more experienced than before, they pressed their advantage relentlessly. At the forefront, Kaor shouted, “Push harder, everyone! Retreat when I say so! Once he’s worn down, I’ll take him one-on-one and finish him myself! Today’s the day I break through!” Kaor hadn’t forgotten the day he accidentally unleashed his aura blade. He firmly believed that if he kept pummeling his opponent, his breakthrough would happen again. That didn’t mean he planned to fight fair, though. Knowing full well that a straight one-on-one duel could end in his death, Kaor aimed to weaken his opponent first. In other words, he was looking to surpass his limits the sneaky way. Watching him, Belinda clicked her tongue. “He’s not breaking through this time either.” Kaor loved fighting, but he loved goofing off even more. With such a half-hearted attitude, he continually failed to establish his own distinct style. “Waaaaaah!” With the priests occupied, the rest of the Atrode forces were left to face the Ruthanian army alone. Clang! Clang! Clang! “Our weapons aren’t working!” At the front lines, Fenris’s soldiers stood tall, reinforced with Galvanium armor. These were soldiers who had been replenished before the expedition. Compared to the kingdom’s regular troops, whose equipment was inferior, the Fenris soldiers dominated the battlefield. Thanks to their overwhelming defense, they pushed the Atrode forces back. Only the Atrode mages managed to hold their ground, barely sustaining a stalemate against the Ruthanian forces. Vanessa and other elite mages, dispersed across the battlefield, made this possible. Among them was someone who had made a firm resolution that day. “I’ll fight too!” “Your Highness, it’s too dangerous. And... this is war. You’ll have to kill people.” Elena, hefting a giant hammer, was blocked by her escort captain, Skovan. Elena had only ever fought monsters. She had never killed another human on the battlefield. While others had shielded her from such situations, Elena herself had avoided them as well. But after experiencing war, she began to realize certain truths. “I’m a princess! If I hide behind others, who will follow me? Who will I protect?” “Your Highness... Please.” Skovan grimaced. Why was neither the prince nor the princess willing to listen to reason? Ricardo, Skovan’s subordinate and now a knight of honor, also looked distressed. “If something happens to you, Your Highness, we’re all as good as dead.” This wasn’t like fighting ordinary rift creatures. Their opponents were humans, capable of strategy and cunning. A high-ranking knight could suddenly target her, or an ambush could endanger her life. Skovan wished Elena would stay away from combat. “Can’t you just observe the battle from a safe distance?” Most princesses served as symbols of beauty and grace, shining as the pride of their royal family. But Elena, shaped by the harsh northern winds, had no intention of living such a life. For the people of Ferdium, combat was both destiny and livelihood. Elena had inherited that spirit. Her eyes shining with determination, Elena continued, “I learned something from my father.” “And that is...?” “That if you want to protect others, you must never shy away from danger. That’s why I’m going.” With that, Elena hefted her ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) hammer and charged forward. Rachel flashed a sly grin at Skovan before following Elena. Watching their retreating figures, Skovan sighed heavily. “We better follow her.” “Ugh... whether it’s her brother or her, neither listens to reason...” “Don’t think about it too much. Just consider it as having one more reckless person to look after.” Suppressing another sigh, the princess’s escort quickly moved to follow her. Huff, huff... Standing before the enemy soldiers, Elena took deep breaths. Though the Ruthanian forces were already gaining the upper hand, the tension of stepping into battle was palpable. For Elena, however, entering a fight was an entirely different matter. Smashing human beings with her hammer was no small feat. ‘I can do this. I can do this.’ Elena raised her hammer high. Yet as the enemy soldier charged toward her, she hesitated, unable to strike. “Die!” The hostile soldier, with a menacing aura full of malice, charged forward. Elena froze in place. This wasn’t like fighting monsters. The chaos of the battlefield was overwhelming for her. Her body stiffened instinctively. Crushing a living person with her hammer was proving far more difficult than she imagined. Slash! Rachel swiftly stepped in and cut down the approaching enemy soldier. Once death had brushed past her during the plague outbreak, Rachel had grown quickly accustomed to situations like this. Skovan approached Elena and spoke with urgency. “Your Highness, you should retreat now. Leave this to us.” “I... I can’t...” Elena gritted her teeth. Everyone else was fighting with all their might, but she was the only one paralyzed by fear. Even Rachel was moving boldly and fearlessly. “I can do this too!” Fueled by a youthful stubbornness, Elena insisted on staying. Despite their overwhelming push against the enemy, losses were inevitable. Unlike the Fenris soldiers clad in Galvanium armor, the kingdom’s regular soldiers lacked such protection. ‘If I fight, I can save even one more person!’ Desperate for a way to steel herself, she envisioned Ghislain’s face on the enemy soldiers. ‘That’s my brother... That’s my brother. No... maybe that’s a bit much?’ Imagining her infuriating brother’s face gave her just enough courage to swing. But the idea of actually killing someone left her conscience pricked. ‘Forget it! Just go for it!’ Elena shook off her hesitation, closed her eyes, and charged forward. “Hyaaaaah!” She leaped into the midst of the enemy soldiers and swung her hammer with all her might. BOOOOM! The earth shattered as a massive crater formed where her hammer struck. Silence fell over the battlefield for a brief moment. Enemy soldiers recoiled in terror, stepping back. The single swing had crushed several soldiers into the ground. “Huff... Huff...” Elena’s face flushed red as she panted heavily. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. The sight of the flattened, lifeless bodies filled her with nausea. But she clenched her teeth and forced herself to endure it. She had already crossed the threshold—there was no turning back now. The first time was always the hardest. The second, less so. From now on, it was all about moving forward. “Hyaaaaaah!” She charged again, her eyes tightly shut, swinging her hammer wildly. Rachel ran beside her, matching her pace. Skovan and Ricardo hurried to chase after the two. BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM! Elena rampaged through the enemy ranks like an enraged bull. Wherever her hammer struck, a clear path was left in its wake. “Aaargh!” “She’s a monster! A monster has appeared!” “S-Stop her!” The Atrode soldiers were in utter disarray, retreating in panic. The skilled fighters among them were either preoccupied with other battles or had already fallen. The remaining common soldiers stood no chance against Elena’s overwhelming strength. Watching the trail she left behind, the Ruthanian soldiers erupted into cheers. “Waaaaaah!” “That’s our princess!” “The Destruction Princess! The Destruction Princess!” A princess at the forefront of the battlefield, displaying such overwhelming power, was a sight to behold. With their morale already high from gaining the upper hand, the Ruthanian soldiers’ spirits soared even further. “Follow Her Highness! Let’s crush the enemy!” As one, the soldiers rallied behind Elena, their unity unshaken. Each member of the army performed their roles flawlessly. From Cain the debtor, to Max the fixer, to the Dougly squad members who had joined on a whim, to countless others with diverse reasons for joining the Ruthanian forces—they all executed their duties with precision. Thanks to their overwhelming coordination, they annihilated the Atrode forces. The enemy commanders were soon captured as prisoners. Thus, the battle was over. At least, everyone thought it was. But there are always troublemakers who act up after the fact. “Hey! Everyone, step aside! I’m going to fight him one-on-one.” The battle had ended, and the Ruthanian army had won. Yet one priest from the Atrode forces was still alive. Beaten and bloodied, the priest was gasping for air. Equally battered, Kaor shouted at everyone to back off, insisting on taking the fight alone. Eventually, everyone relented to Kaor’s stubbornness, giving him space. Soon, Kaor and the priest stood alone, encircled by the Ruthanian soldiers. Kaor lifted his head and took a deep breath. “Ah, so this is what it feels like to be Lord Ghislain.” Ghislain had often fought one-on-one duels. Each time, everyone gathered around to watch. Kaor found the experience deeply satisfying. He thought everyone was looking up to him with admiration. In reality, they wore expressions of exasperation, but Kaor didn’t notice. Kaor pointed his sword at the wounded priest. “Let’s settle this between the two of us. If you win, I’ll let you go.” Now was his time to surpass his limits. The priest before him would make the perfect stepping stone. Kaor wore a smug smile, while the surrounding soldiers frowned at his unnecessary display.