30 – The Beginning of the Slaughter Magic
The sound of children crying loudly could be heard. The mother and father tried their best to soothe their daughter’s crying. “It’s okay. It’s okay,” they said. Upon hearing this, the boy asked his parents a question.
“Is it really going to be okay? Will the war ever end?”
The parents couldn’t even lie about the answer to the question about the endless war. The child began to cry sadly. They cried, saying that there were still so many things they wanted to do, so many places they wanted to go with their parents.
The civilian shelter of the Phaibron Empire.
This place was a gathering place for women, children, and non-combatants. Although it was located quite far from the battlefield, there was no one who thought this place was safe.
Even though this place may now be a comfortable shelter, if all the knights in front were to be defeated, it would turn into hell. Being a civilian means being a presence that can be protected, but it also means being an ordinary person who is unable to protect oneself. They have no power to protect themselves. No, even if they did, they would not be stronger than the enemy.
“I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die…”
The sound of the child’s crying infected others with sadness, as if it were a detonator. In this place where a chilling silence hung, people’s screams, cries, and pleas could be heard. The people of the Phaibron Empire were in despair. They lamented that they had become targets of the Kareldean Empire. And they believed that their fate had already been decided.
They were certain that they would be trapped in a cramped internment camp and have no choice but to face their pitiful deaths. However, ironically, they seemed to have not given up on life. When the military broadcast from the square came on, everyone covered their mouths and listened.
“People of the Phaibron Empire. We are planning to engage in direct combat with the Kareldean Empire. If we win, everyone will be able to live, but if we lose, everyone may die.”
The voice of Plutain, the commander of the Royal Knights. The voice transmitted through magic was firm. But at the same time, it assumed the worst.
“If, by any chance, we are defeated, it is up to each and every one of you to protect the family next to you. No matter what happens, do not give up. The Royal Family, the knights of the Phaibron Empire, and the mages will fight for all of you until the end.”
A short broadcast. Plutain did not have full confidence in victory until the end. That’s why, before the decisive battle, he used a magical device in the place where the refugees were gathered to transmit his own voice. Whether Plutain’s message reached their hearts or not, the children and people who had been crying until just now no longer shed tears.
They stood up resolutely. They began to build makeshift structures around them and searched for things that could be used as weapons, preparing for any possible fight. Perhaps with their current determination, even if the enemies were to attack, they would not simply die without a fight.
Drip…
Drip…
As they prepared, the sound of raindrops falling little by little could be heard.
“It… It’s raining.”
Strangely, the rain fell only near the battlefield.
After some time passed, the image of the battlefield began to be projected from the magic device. This was Platin’s consideration. If the Phebron Empire were to be defeated, it was his thought to respond quickly.
Thanks to that, people were able to see the image of the battlefield from a distance. As if possessed, they began to capture the final moments of the battlefield with their eyes.
There, the back of a man walking towards the enemy lines could be seen.
— — —
“Fall back! Those who are injured, go to the rear. Those who can still wield their swords, step forward and stop the enemy!”
The knights of the Phebron Empire shouted. Even with only one commander, the knight order, divided into several organizations, was not a small number. However, they had all gathered on this battlefield. It was because the leadership of the Phebron Empire had decided to fight a full-scale battle.
“Commander Kanyan! We… We have no more potions! Even if we send the injured to the rear, we don’t have the capacity to heal them all!”
“In that case, fight! Raise your swords until you die! Just kill the enemy before you die!”
Commander Kanyan shouted, but he was also frustrated. Overwhelming difference in numbers. He was convinced that they could not defeat the Kaorel Empire with their own forces. However, that didn’t mean the men would run away. If they were to flee in fear, it would be their own families behind them who would die.
More than his own death, he was more afraid of seeing his family being humiliated by the Kaorel Empire after the Phebron Empire fell.
“Ugh…!”
A knight next to Kanyan, swinging his sword, was hit and fell. Countless lives were being lost, dozens at a time, every second.
This place was hell. A hell where no matter how many you killed, there was no end, and escape was impossible. Commander Kanyan emptied his mind of distractions and began to cut down and kill the enemy.
As the battle continued like that.
Ku-kwang!
With a loud noise, a giant red sphere appeared on the battlefield.
“What is that…?”
Both the Kaorel Empire and the Phebron Empire, not knowing whose magic it was, began to be cautious of each other. At the same time, someone from behind the Phebron Empire’s camp shouted and started running forward.
“The knights of the Phebron Empire, retreat!”
The shout of Phtain, the commander of the imperial knights of the Phebron Empire, resounded. He rode ahead with over a hundred personnel and horses, assisting the escape of the people.
“If you don’t want to die, retreat!”
Without stating the reasons, the knights started to retreat unlike before. They mercilessly killed the pursuing knights of the Kaorel Empire and, in the process, the imperial knights suffered significant losses. However, a retreat was still possible. It wasn’t just because of the meager remaining force of a few hundred soldiers.
A red sphere floating in the air was extracting a sinister aura from the surrounding corpses, preventing the knights of the Kaorel Empire from advancing any further.
The sphere swelled roughly as if it were about to burst, then regained its stability, and repeated the process of swelling again and gathering energy.
“It’s the enemies’ magic! Attack and eliminate it!”
The Kaorel Empire’s mages, who had assessed the situation, desperately tried to eliminate the red sphere, but the sphere simply repelled all attacks.
Kugugugung
The sphere, which had only been deflecting attacks, began to emit a loud sound, and soon massive walls-like structures fell from within it.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The walls blocked the Kaorel Empire’s knights and the Phebron Empire’s knights. The wall, which was easily 5 meters tall, began to firmly embed itself into the ground, leaving only a slight gap.
Although there were openings that could be penetrated, no one dared to do so. It was partly because the foundation seemed to be crumbling like crazy, but also because a man was walking towards the center of it all.
Between the walls, a man in a robe walked without a staff. However, it was easy to tell that the red sphere was his possession. Every time someone attacked the man, eerie fragments would burst out of the sphere and repel them all.
While everyone was watching, the commander of the Kaorel Empire’s knights at the forefront bravely began to run towards the man. However, the man raised his sword and instantly killed him. The lifeless body fell to the ground, and its energy was once again absorbed by the red sphere.
“Cease your futile actions.”
Macderas spoke, but this time, hundreds of knights charged at once. More troops tried to enter, but due to the wall, it was impossible for more personnel to rush in.
Their charge did not continue as a continuous action. A massive spear-like object emerged from the red sphere, piercing through the approaching men.
The commander of the Plutain Knights, who had been watching the scene from behind, unconsciously drew his sword. He realized that it was not his place to intervene. And he dared to ask the princess who was standing next to him.
“Your Highness… Who is that person…? What is their identity…?”
Princess Breiny replied curtly.
“Hope.”
Eventually, Princess Breiny stared through Macderras, who was on the battlefield.
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“It doesn’t matter who that person is. What matters is that they are our last hope.”
Princess Breiny’s hand trembled. The commander Tekelomann, who had been watching from beside her, as well as Choi Yebin and Flemia, beside him, just watched the scene without saying a word.
Flemia clasped her hands together in prayer.
Please, let this place be saved. At the same time, I hope we all return safely without any injuries.
“What the hell… Who is that person who suddenly appeared? I was sure that there were no such people in the Phaibron Empire.”
The power of the Kaoreldan Empire still remained endless, but they stopped moving. They sensed it. The difference in desperate strength. That they were facing an opponent they couldn’t defeat just by pushing with numbers.
Macderras shouted.
“I will give you one last chance. Surrender now and abandon the emperor. Then you can live.”
However, there was no one on the battlefield who would simply listen to the enemy’s words. They still held their swords and remained cautious of Macderras.
“Start a riot? That’s a laugh. Anyway, you’re all about to die soon. No matter how hard you fight, most of the Phaibron Empire’s forces have already been conquered. You should surrender. Then at least we’ll kill you without torture.”
Eventually, the commander shouted.
“Prepare for attack, Kaoreldan Empire’s knights!”
Macderras looked at them with emotionless eyes. Macderras also knew. This was not a situation that could be resolved through conversation.
From the very beginning, there were only two ways to resolve the war. One was for one side to suffer heavy losses and declare surrender while bearing great damage. Of course, if they surrender, that empire will become a vassal state of the victor.
The other was for one side to suffer irreparable fatal damage.
MacDerris quietly spoke as he watched the knights of the Kaelthorn Empire, who never gave up the fight until the end.
“I have no intention of justifying slaughter, so please blame me.”
MacDerris extended his arms and began pouring mana into the sphere. The knights and wizards of the Kaelthorn Empire, who realized that something was happening, launched their attacks together, but they couldn’t break through MacDerris’ barrier and defense.
After absorbing the energy of the surrounding corpses, the sphere swelled up and burst with a loud noise. The deafening sound struck the battlefield.
Along with the terrifying noise that resembled lightning striking.
“Rain…?”
Crimson rain began to fall from the sky.
It was a sign heralding the beginning of mass slaughter magic.