Chapter 239: Deception, Encirclement, Annihilation (3)

A few barbarians, drunk on bloodlust, stared at Ghislain with wild eyes, waiting for him.

The majority of the barbarians, however, were still entirely focused on attacking the shield-bearers.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

As Ghislain's charge grew closer, Perdium's shield-bearers subtly closed the distance between themselves and the barbarians. Yet, not a single barbarian noticed.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

These barbarians had already stopped far larger cavalry charges before. To them, a single rider charging in seemed laughable.

Ghislain smirked as he looked down at the barbarians, their arrogance plain as day.

The more overconfident his enemies were, the more Ghislain enjoyed breaking them.

Boom!

"Arghhhh!"

In an instant, Ghislain tore through the barbarians' ranks. They couldn't even think about trying to block him; Ghislain was simply too fast and too powerful.

But the sheer number of barbarians forced even Ghislain to halt his charge eventually.

"He's alone!"

"Kill him quickly!"

"Deal with him and head to the front!"

The barbarians shouted confidently as they moved to attack. This enemy seemed strong, but he was just one man. They believed a few warriors could easily handle him.

But they were mistaken.

Vwoooom!

Slash! Slash! Slash!

As Ghislain swung his spear from atop his horse, the heads of the barbarians rushing him flew off simultaneously.

A display of spear mastery beyond belief.

The barbarians who were about to charge froze in shock, startled by what they had just witnessed.

"Hup!"

Taking advantage of the momentary pause, Ghislain dismounted and twirled his spear, speaking to himself.

"Guess I moved too quickly."

Perhaps moving too far ahead of the others was the problem—none of the Fenris knights had reached him yet.

Clicking his tongue, Ghislain laughed.

"Still not trained well enough, huh."

The knights would have felt this was entirely unfair. Gillian had repeatedly told Ghislain to slow down, but he had ignored all warnings and charged ahead alone.

In his previous life, Ghislain had often thrown himself into enemy ranks alone.

No matter how much his subordinates begged him to stay with them, Ghislain was always at the forefront.

The most dangerous place, the very front.

This was the creed of the Mercenary King, one of the Continent's Seven Strongest.

Whoosh!

As Ghislain briefly turned to check on the position of his subordinates, a barbarian swung an axe at his back.

Clang!

Ghislain casually blocked the attack with his spear and immediately disarmed the barbarian.

"Huh?"

The barbarian, unsure of how he had lost his weapon, widened his eyes in confusion.

Thud!

Ghislain drove the axe he had taken into the barbarian's head, crushing it as he muttered.

"Hmm, this feels pretty good."

Finding the weight of the axe pleasing, Ghislain tossed his spear aside and picked up another axe lying on the ground.

Now holding an axe in each hand, Ghislain grinned broadly.

"Well then, shall we get started?"

The barbarians, enraged by his nonchalance, began shouting.

"This arrogant bastard!"

"How dare you touch a warrior's weapon!"

"I'll tear your corpse apart and offer it to the gods!"

Roaring, the barbarians rushed at him, but Ghislain's dual axes tore through them, splitting their heads and bodies apart.

The chaos caused by Ghislain began to draw the attention of the barbarians fighting the shield-bearers at the front.

"Who the hell is that guy?"

"When did he get behind us?"

"Kill him quickly and get moving!"

One by one, the barbarians around him began charging at Ghislain.

But even several warriors at once were no match for Ghislain, so their numbers steadily grew.

"Arghhhhh!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With every swing of the axes, loud screams erupted from the barbarians.

Yet the barbarians continued rushing at him like moths to a flame, undeterred by their fallen comrades.

The more barbarians Ghislain killed, the more warriors surrounded him.

Seeing Ghislain completely encircled, Zwalter grabbed his sword, ready to intervene. But Randolph seized his arm and spoke urgently.

"Going in now would be dangerous! Trust the young lord, as promised! If you go now, you'll only get in the way!"

"But Ghislain is all alone!"

"Look! The knights are coming! Just a little longer! The young lord is not someone who can be easily defeated anymore!"

Zwalter turned to where Randolph was pointing. Indeed, a dust cloud was rising in the distance as reinforcements approached.

"Damn it!"

Zwalter gritted his teeth and released his sword. The Fenris knights were charging toward them at full speed.

Hisssss!

From head to toe, Ghislain's body, drenched in blood, began to emit a red mist.

Completely shrouded in crimson, Ghislain moved with impossible speed.

Slash!

As Ghislain swung an axe, the barbarian in front of him was split cleanly in two. Another barbarian seized the opportunity to attack Ghislain from behind.

"Die!"

Whoosh.

But in the blink of an eye, Ghislain's body shifted and vanished. The barbarian's attack missed entirely, leaving him stunned.

"Huh? Where did he—?"

Crack!

His confusion was cut short as his skull was crushed. His dying words scattered into the air.

"Huff… huff…"

As Ghislain exhaled, red vapor escaped his mouth.

In mere moments, Ghislain had slaughtered dozens of warriors. Considering their strength, this was equivalent to killing hundreds of ordinary soldiers.

Faced with such overwhelming power, the barbarians finally began to feel fear.

"A demon…"

"The Bloody Demon has returned…"

"The destruction of our tribe is near…"

Among the barbarians, there was a myth passed down through generations—a tale of a demon drenched in blood appearing from the burning Forest of Demonic Beasts, slaughtering all in its path.

Though the forest remained intact and Ghislain had not come from there, his blood-soaked, red aura matched the myth perfectly.

The demon grinned, baring bloodstained teeth.

"You're not coming? Then I'll come to you."

Boom! Boom!

Ghislain moved again, axes swinging.

"Uraaahhh!"

Barbarian warriors screamed, rushing to face him, desperate to overcome their fear.

Crack! Crack!

Corpses piled up endlessly. Kustu, witnessing the carnage, was horrified.

"What the hell is that guy?!"

To protect his warriors, Kustu had kept many in the rear. Now, because of a single man, those reserves were being slaughtered.

This couldn't continue. That monster had to be dealt with, no matter what.

"Kill him! Everyone, take him down now!"

The great warriors around Kustu moved, and with them, dozens of other warriors charged at Ghislain.

"Oooooooohhhhhh!"

Dozens of great warriors and ordinary warriors rushed Ghislain all at once.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Arghhhhh!"

The sound of clashing weapons rang out continuously, mingling with the endless screams of the dying.

Kaaang! Kaaang! Kaaang!

Ghislain's movements grew even faster. His attacks and counterattacks blurred into a single, continuous motion, the sound of weapons clashing echoing without pause.

"Protect the chieftain!"

"Block his path!"

"Kill this bastard first!"

More warriors moved to block Ghislain's advance, determined to protect Kustu.

The sheer number of enemies prevented Ghislain from reaching Kustu immediately.

As Ghislain methodically cut down those in his way, the Fenris knights finally arrived on the battlefield.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

At the forefront was Gillian, charging like a madman. Had he been alone, he could have kept up with Ghislain, but leading the other knights had slowed him down.

The Fenris knights weren't yet accustomed to maintaining formation during long-distance charges, so moving too quickly would have disrupted their lines.

Following Ghislain's orders, Gillian had to maintain the charge formation.

"My lord!"

As soon as Gillian was certain he had completed his duty, he urged his horse forward to reach Ghislain as fast as possible.

"Wait for me, you old man!"

Behind him, Kaor gritted his teeth and pushed his horse to catch up.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

As the reinforcements drew closer, Zwalter shouted.

"Move!"

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The shield-bearers shifted their formation. The long defensive line curved inward, beginning to encircle the barbarians on both flanks.

Drunk on the frenzy of battle, the barbarians didn't notice.

They were too busy trying to break the front line or stop Ghislain's rampage.

It wasn't until the Fenris knights were nearly upon them that the barbarians noticed the new threat and shouted.

"Enemies! Enemies are coming!"

"A cavalry charge! Scatter!"

The barbarians, clustered together to fight Ghislain, tried to spread out. But by then, the Fenris shield-bearers had tightly closed in on their flanks.

"No, no!"

"We're surrounded!"

"Those bastards set a trap!"

The barbarians finally realized it. The enemy hadn't abandoned the fortress for no reason. Their intent had been to completely annihilate them here.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

As the knights drew closer, the barbarians banged on their shields with ferocious expressions. But the soldiers gritted their teeth and held their ground.

Everything they had endured so far was for this exact moment.

Finally, Gillian was the first to charge into the enemy ranks.

Boom!

Several barbarians were struck by Gillian's charge and sent flying in all directions.

"My lord!"

He dashed straight toward Ghislain. The thought of his master being wounded while he had been away was absolutely unacceptable.

Gillian moved without regard for his own safety, swinging his weapon madly as he advanced.

Behind him, the Fenris knights stormed into the gathered ranks of barbarians.

Boom!

"Aaaargh!"

Barbarians were crushed under the knights' charge, screaming as they fell.

Some tried to fight back out of sheer desperation, but there was no stopping hundreds of knights charging in simultaneously.

Crack!

Barbarians' bodies were torn apart and pulverized in an instant. This was on an entirely different level compared to the earlier charge by dozens of knights and cavalry.

Now, hundreds of knights poured out mana as they charged.

There wasn't a single warrior who could withstand such overwhelming power.

This was the shock tactic Ghislain, the Mercenary King, was known for and prided himself on.

The knights broke into the barbarians' ranks, scattering them into multiple isolated groups. Ghislain seized the opportunity and shouted.

"Gillian! Kaor! Find the chieftains and kill them! They'll be the ones with elaborate flags on their helmets!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Leave it to us!"

Gillian and Kaor each led groups of knights, carving paths through the enemy. Naturally, this reduced the number of warriors attacking Ghislain.

Slash! Slash!

Wielding his dual axes with ruthless precision, Ghislain pushed forward relentlessly.

There was no one who could stop him. Every warrior who charged at him had their heads smashed, their arms severed, or their necks sliced clean through, leaving a trail of corpses in his wake.

Finally, Zwalter's long-awaited command rang out across the battlefield.

"All units! Attack!"

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The shields, which had been pressed tightly together, parted slightly, and spears emerged from within.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

The barbarians clinging to the shields were killed before they could even react to the sudden counterattack.

The Fenris forces had endured patiently until now to ensure not a single barbarian would escape.

As the barbarians fell and gaps opened in their ranks, the soldiers changed their strategy again.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The gaps between the shields widened further, and spearmen surged forward from behind to strike down the barbarians.

Meanwhile, the knights and cavalry, who had briefly retreated to rest, rejoined the fray. At the same time, the Fenris knights who had charged in from the rear kept up their assault without pause.

Hundreds of gleaming swords and spears flew through the shield-formed prison, slicing down the barbarians within.

The surrounded barbarians, unable to withstand the coordinated attack, fell helplessly one by one.

"Aaaaargh! You bastards!"

"We curse you!"

"Our gods will never forgive you!"

Their anguished screams and curses echoed across the battlefield.

Some of the barbarians tried to flee, but there was nowhere to run.

The front and flanks were blocked by shields, and the rear was filled with knights trampling over their comrades as they advanced. They were completely surrounded.

"Kraaaagh!"

No matter how battle-hardened they were, the warriors couldn't overcome this situation.

With their divine protection gone and the thrill of battle extinguished, they fought to the bitter end but fell one by one.

Covered in blood, Ghislain stepped over the corpses until he finally stood before Kustu. The massive figure, with countless tattoos etched across his face, was an imposing sight.

Ghislain looked up at him and asked.

"You're Kustu, aren't you?"

"You bastard…"

Kustu glared at Ghislain with eyes full of rage.

The warriors he had stationed in the rear had been slaughtered by this man. The losses were catastrophic, impossible to recover from in the short term. Even if they won this battle, the Echoing Wind Tribe would be devoured by other great tribes.

"I will never forgive you!"

Kustu drew upon all the mana he could muster.

Among the barbarians, there were those capable of using mana, which they called the warrior's blessing.

Kustu, whose size was twice that of Ghislain's, hefted an enormous axe.

Even now, his warriors were dying in the encirclement. He had to kill this man and salvage the battlefield immediately.

As a chieftain, it was beneath him to act personally, but in this situation, such formalities could not be afforded.

If he hesitated here, he would lose not only the battle but also his pride as the greatest warrior of the north.

"Die!"

Vwoooom!

Clang!

Ghislain crossed his axes to block Kustu's attack. The force was so great that Ghislain's feet slid back, leaving deep grooves in the ground.

"Oh, not bad. Guess you're not a chieftain of a great tribe for nothing."

A chieftain wasn't just anyone. In barbarian culture, the strongest warrior of the tribe became the leader. It was their custom and honor.

Kustu's strength was worthy of his title. It exceeded that of the renowned knights of the kingdom.

"I am Kustu, the great warrior of the north!"

Boom! Boom!

With every swing of Kustu's axe, the ground cracked as though it might split. His raw power was immense.

But that was all. His technique was crude. Ghislain easily dodged and struck at the opening, slicing Kustu's neck.

Slash!

Blood gushed from Kustu's neck as the axe lodged precisely in his carotid artery. Yet Kustu gritted his teeth and swung his axe once more.

Vwoom!

Ghislain stepped back, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Heh, you're holding on with your body?"

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