The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 345

223. The Imperial War (3)

“Enemy forces! They’re deploying from the barracks!!”

“What about the golems?”

“Small golems are positioned forward on both flanks, and 40,000 troops are gathered in the center.”

Scouts from the Marquisate rushed in with urgent reports.

“And a wyvern is circling above the enemy barracks.”

“A wyvern? Does that mean the Wyvern Knights are participating in the battle?”

“Not exactly… but the wyvern’s scales are red, and it’s much larger than a typical drake [a smaller, less powerful dragon].”

Bran Ghammunt’s face paled at those words.

“Could it be…?”

There was only one person on the continent who rode a red wyvern.

“Is their leader personally participating in this battle?”

This was unexpected.

“The reinforcements?”

Bran asked, looking at his subordinates who were busy using magic communication devices.

“Not yet. We contacted the Imperial Palace, but the main force’s preparations are taking longer than expected.”

“What in the world are you doing?! If we ceded our territory, you should produce results accordingly! If it weren’t for our support, you’d already be finished!”

Bestal interjected into their conversation.

He shouted in a shrill voice, but neither the communications officer nor Bran even glanced at him.

“Such insolence…! Do you know who I am?!”

Marquis Bestal grabbed Bran’s collar roughly and yelled.

“The Empress still hasn’t forgiven you. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be able to set foot in the Marquisate! Do you understand?!”

Anyone could tell that he was bluffing.

The only thing left for him was his pride as the Empress’s brother.

He knew that if that disappeared, it would be difficult for him to survive, so he was bluffing to Bran.

“Please calm down, Marquis. The front line hasn’t collapsed yet, and the forces are evenly matched.”

“Sending such a young boy who can’t even see the battlefield properly as a commander is why we can’t win.”

The people in the situation room all chuckled in disbelief at Bestal’s words.

“The reinforcements are late, and the enemy even has a Sword Master. This is a completely lost cause.”

He roughly pushed Bran away and turned around.

“Why are the main forces delayed?”

Bran asked, adjusting his disheveled collar.

“That’s… Lord Cam Gray has passed away.”

“…!!”

Bran shouted in surprise at his subordinate’s report.

“What are you talking about? The commander-in-chief suddenly died?! Did something happen in the Imperial Palace?”

“The communications department said they can’t reveal any more information because it could affect the morale of the front lines. Since the main force’s preparations are taking time, they will dispatch other reinforcements instead.”

“Other reinforcements?”

“Yes, they should be arriving soon…”

At that moment.

“……!!”

Suddenly, the door to the situation room opened, and Bran’s eyes widened the moment he saw the person standing there.

“Who are you?”

Bestal, who was about to leave the situation room, asked the man who entered.

“…….”

But the man looked down at him as if he were trash.

“Is this guy crazy? All of you are… Keuk!!”

Bestal’s shout was cut short.

Crack-

It was instantaneous.

Before anyone could react, Bestal’s neck was bent at a right angle.

Everyone stared at the scene in stunned silence, unable to close their mouths.

“Is this the guy Bestal?”

The man asked, holding the Marquis’s broken neck.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

A soldier nodded, his voice trembling.

“Good thing. I killed the right one. I thought he was the one with the rude tone.”

He casually threw Bestal’s corpse aside and spoke with burning red eyes.

“And you must be Bran.”

“It’s an honor to meet you…”

“You’re quick to catch on. You’ve never seen me before, have you?”

“I read a book about fire dragons in the academy library.”

“Is that so?”

He nodded as if it were nothing.

“That was your Emperor’s first order: to kill that man Bestal as soon as I arrived at the Marquisate. He said that you’re too soft-hearted to kill him and would keep him around.”

“I apologize.”

“Did you receive the report from the Imperial Palace?”

“About Lord Cam Gray? Yes, just a moment ago…”

“There was a truly unpleasant incident. According to the rules, dragons shouldn’t interfere in human affairs… but if we leave him alone, it will further tarnish our reputation.”

“Are you saying…”

The man said to Bran.

“Our dragons have decided to interfere in human wars.”

“……!!!”

Bran couldn’t help but be shocked at his words.

“I know that the one I’m looking for is on this battlefield. Such intense magical power can’t be found in humans.”

The man spoke as if he were seeing the formation dozens of kilometers away right in front of him.

“That’s why I rushed here before anyone else. These guys aren’t even good enough to be a punching bag. I’m not in a good mood right now.”

Gulp-

As soon as the man finished speaking, the people in the situation room felt like they couldn’t even breathe properly due to the tingling magical power emanating from him.

Red Dragon Pyton.

“Now that I’m here, there’s no need to stay inside the castle anymore. The defense ends here.”

He slowly turned his head and looked at the front lines.

“Rejoice. I will bring you victory.”

* * *

[Cahill.]

“I know.”

[They must be desperate, chasing us with their tails between their legs. Hehehe…]

Cahill said, looking at the battlefield.

“A dragon… and the most ferocious Red Dragon at that. The morale of the Imperial Army will definitely rise.”

Anthem said quietly, watching Pyton spread his massive wings above the castle tower as if showing off.

“Don’t worry. Our soldiers’ morale is still high.”

Kinu Mukari and Beykan said nonchalantly.

Anthem realized that his previous worries were just unfounded fears.

“Command.”

As soon as Cahill spoke, Anthem nodded with determination.

Whoosh—!!

He unfurled the scroll he was holding into the air, and a map floated above, emitting a blue light.

Kinu Mukari and Beykan looked at it with curiosity, but Kayla Chang seemed familiar with it, having seen it while studying tactics with Anthem.

“5,000 archers on the left flank. 5,000 shieldbearers.”

As soon as he spoke, blue dots appeared on the map floating in the air and moved.

“10,000 Tubu warriors on the right flank. I ask that you personally command the 30,000 Free Army in the center, Lord.”

“An easy strategy for a central breakthrough. Is this the end of Mujin’s composition?”

“Kayla Chang will explain the detailed changes.”

Kayla nodded again at his words.

“Good. Then what about the preparations I mentioned?”

“I informed Calibson before we departed. He said he had already left, so he should be arriving soon.”

“Good.”

Cahill said quietly, watching the enemy forces begin to deploy as the gates of the Marquisate’s castle opened.

“It’s hunting time.”

* * *

“Enemy forces! Advancing!”

“First Army, defensive formation! Magic corps, prepare to intercept! Second and Third Armies, surround the enemy in a wing formation!”

Bran Ghammunt quickly ordered, watching the Free Army come down the hill, kicking up dust.

‘Even knowing about the Red Dragon’s presence, they’re attacking without hesitation… Does Lord Cahill really intend to capture the castle?’

Bran was surprised to find himself using honorifics for Cahill just because he was on the battlefield.

At most, it was only once.

He had only met him in passing, but the impression he left was so strong.

“…….”

Bran Ghammunt clicked his tongue as if bitter and shouted again.

“All troops!! Attack!!!”

Thud thud thud thud thud—!!!

Thud thud—!!

The soldiers who came out of the castle began to run, shaking the earth.

Aziph, at the head of the standard-bearers, rode his horse, his face tense as he watched the front.

The vice-commander of the Gold Knights was in charge of the 100,000-strong expeditionary force, replacing the commander of the entire knighthood, Belin Valention.

‘Am I trembling?’

Ever since he heard the report that Cahill McGovern had joined this battle, his arm hadn’t stopped shaking.

It wasn’t the tension of the battlefield, but simple fear.

‘Even with the dragon’s protection…?’

It was clearly because of the memory of crossing swords with Cahill in the Twin Armor.

Ironically, his encounter with Cahill, though very brief, remained as intense as Bran Ghammunt’s, but in a different way.

“Hoo…”

But now they were enemies.

Aziph glanced at the dragon spreading its red wings and looking down at them, and thought.

‘We will win.’

At that moment.

“……!!!”

An unbelievable thing happened before his eyes.

Roar—!!

Roar–!!

The two forces clashed, and the soldiers’ spears and shields began to tangle with each other.

The battlefield, where knights’ swords pierced and mages’ spells poured down, was slowly turning into a scene of carnage.

Cahill said, beheading a knight.

“Scatter.”

At that moment,

The Free Army began to run in all directions as if they had lost their commander.

There was no order or direction in it.

Nothing.

“Wh-what…?!”

Even the enemy Imperial Army was bewildered by the sight and didn’t know how to react.

Aziph also looked ahead with a dumbfounded expression, watching the enemy forces begin to retreat like the tide.

His gaze was fixed on one place.

Cahill was there.

“Hoo…”

Anthem clenched his fist without realizing it, watching the soldiers scatter like grains of sand.

“It begins.”

* * *

The day before the departure.

“This is Mujin (無陣) [a formation without fixed form], is it?”

Cahill said, looking at the scroll filled with complex letters and patterns, watching the soldiers preparing.

“Yes, it is.”

“You’ve done something ridiculous.”

Anthem smiled faintly at Cahill’s words.

“I spent days and nights worrying and thinking to complete the order you gave me. I know it’s absurd, but ironically, no formation beyond this can come out. Because this is an impossible tactic in the first place.”

He looked at Cahill.

“Unless you are here, Lord.”

“It’s only possible if I become the piece that moves the formation… You’re pushing your lord too hard.”

But even as Cahill said that, he looked quite pleased.

“From Le Roi’s formation to Menghwajin, to the formations of the Eastern countries, all formations ultimately have certain laws and rules, no matter how versatile they are. Mujin (無陣) was created to break through that. There are no laws or rules, but it will be possible to attempt dozens, hundreds of transformations without completely scattering, if there is only one center point that can handle that nothingness.”

Anthem Howard said in a low voice.

“Just as the composition of the troops is different, in order to operate the formation efficiently, you must be well-versed in magic and swordsmanship. But most commanders are knights, and strategists are weak in swordsmanship.”

He took out small stones from his pocket and scattered them.

It seemed to have no rules, but when another stone was placed on top, it looked different as if it were versatile.

“The surroundings change according to the movement of the center. That is the core of Mujin.”

“Now I understand. You didn’t drag out the time to test the formation, but you deliberately made me come here.”

“We used 100,000 of our men as bait, so wouldn’t it be nice if you got caught once?”

Cahill couldn’t help but laugh at Anthem’s words.

“The stronger the center point, the stronger the Mujin. If you are as strong as a dragon, Lord, the Mujin will be able to catch even a dragon.”

“Is that so?”

Cahill chuckled at his words.

“If I reach the realm of God?”

“You will be able to hunt God.”

Cahill nodded at Anthem’s words.

“I like that.”

* * *

Whoosh—!!!

Red blood scattered everywhere.

“……!!!”

The Free Army, following Cahill, surged forward like a wave, piercing the center, and then scattered, sometimes surrounding and cornering the Imperial Army.

“Enemy appearing in the rear of the center!!”

“What? We’ve already been flanked?!”

When the scattered soldiers reunited, another legion seemed to form.

“The flanks of the Third and Fourth Armies are being breached!!”

The soldiers who had broken through scattered and joined new soldiers, creating another army.

The army was created and disappeared repeatedly, making it feel as if the army itself was teleporting.

All of that was possible because of Cahill’s breakthrough power and his endless magical power.

“Th-the center!! Is being breached!! …Keuk!!”

The limbs of the soldier who was reporting in a hurried voice were cut off in two.

Bran realized that the blood spurting from afar was slowly approaching him.

“We meet again.”

Cahill said in a low voice, watching the front.