Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 381

Dust billowed from the dry ground, kicked up by thousands of hooves. Thud, thud, thud – the heavy beat of war drums echoed across the Noviens Western Wall. Victoria stood firm, her staff clutched tight, eyes fixed on the approaching enemy.

From the heart of the Empire’s 4th Legion, a figure charged ahead: a knight in shining red armor, a golden dragon painted proudly on his chest, and a red sword flashing in the morning sun. This was the one she needed to stop.

Eileen had said, “We can’t win the war, but we can hurt them.”

“Reduce the Empire’s superhuman forces.”

“Hmm?”

Victoria, remembering Eileen’s words, repeated them to herself, reaffirming her resolve. The knight beside her turned to look.

“Sir Aaron, did you say something?”

“Ah, no. Just muttering.”

“Hmm… You seem tense.”

The knight, well over 2 meters tall, seemed even thinner because of his lanky frame, a frame too slender for a knight. The silver full-body armor, tailored to fit him, looked somewhat awkward. The man smiled confidently beneath his helmet, drawing the silver spear from his back.

“Don’t worry. As promised, I won’t let anyone near you, mage.”

It was strange to see Anthony, so tall and thin, promise to protect her. He looked more like a spear himself than a guard, but Victoria felt reassured.

The knight with the unusual appearance was none other than Anthony Everett, one of the three vice-commanders of the Holy Knights, also known as the heir to the Sacred Sword, the Saint Spear.

Victoria shook her head.

“You don’t need to guard me. Vice-Commander, you should be dealing with the Blood Knight.”

Victoria, holding a staff as tall as herself, pointed to the knight in red armor charging from the center of the Empire’s western 4th Legion.

One of the Empire’s superhuman forces and the commander of the 4th Legion: the Blood Knight, Orlando Brown. On the western wall, only Anthony could handle him.

Victoria thought her judgment was reasonable, but Anthony smiled gently and shook his head.

“Haha. He’ll come straight for you. After seeing your magic, he’ll know who to deal with first.”

Anthony’s words sounded like they could be true, but Victoria smiled, not quite believing him. It was a different attitude from their first meeting two days ago.

“Are you here to help fight, or just to watch over me like a child?”

He had openly questioned her, expressing his dissatisfaction even in front of the Sacred Sword.

It couldn’t be helped.

Victoria’s small height and frame made it hard to disguise herself. She had managed to transform into a frail male mage in his early twenties, but even that was an obstacle.

Furthermore, unlike the other members, she was a mage, so her skills couldn’t be judged by appearances alone.

Because of this, Victoria had been forced to show her abilities to her own allies before the war, and this was the result.

“Are you going to watch over me properly?”

Anthony looked away, embarrassed. “A knight shouldn’t complain so much,” he mumbled. “Especially not one who looks so… young.”

Anthony aimed his spear forward again.

“Considering your magic, this is the right choice. Enough chatter. You can scold me after the war.”

“I’ll remember that promise.”

Victoria chuckled and slowly raised her staff, watching the knights charging from the front of the 4th Legion.

She held up her staff, the Staff of Kalahan. Long ago, Juan Douglas, the greatest mage of Grandia, had used it. Now, as Victoria poured her magic into it, the wood began to glow a deep brown.

The staff amplified her magic. That alone made it a valuable artifact, and it began to fully transmit its power.

Her magic surged. Victoria calmly organized her thoughts.

My master said, “It’s better for you to use this now.”

He had given her the treasure, saying that the Staff of Atlan she used before was better for wind magic. He was probably worried about his student going to battle.

To repay that kindness, she had to get results.

‘No golems.’

The best magic she could use now was sealing.

Her situation was different from the others.

Even if her magic’s color was unusual, it would only be a small risk. The Empire couldn’t attack the kingdom just because someone in McLaine used the same color magic.

But if golem magic appeared in the war, it would be immediately linked to the Golem School of McLaine. McLaine’s rise, especially the Golem School, was already too well-known in the eastern continent.

However, even without golems, Victoria was confident. She knew her abilities were special.

Focusing on one type of magic was the best way for a mage like her to become strong.

This was a system that had disappeared in modern magic.

She now understood why.

For some reason, the amount of magic in the continent was decreasing, and it was easier to learn other types of magic than to focus on one and break through the limit. Of course, even that required great talent.

‘But that’s also a shortcut.’

Taking shortcuts now would only make things harder later.

Victoria guessed that this was why no archmage had appeared in recent centuries.

That wasn’t all.

Mages who learn only one type of magic are not as flexible, but their magic is much stronger than mages who learn two types.

Her magic was far more powerful than her master’s.

“Reverse Gravity.”

As she spoke, brown magic spread across the ground.

The earth wanted to pull everything down. The magic twisted that, sending the Imperial knights flying into the sky.

“Uwaaah!”

“Uheup!”

“W, what is this!”

Dozens of knights soared high, and the soldiers on the wall stared in shock.

Those who were flying two or three times higher than the 20-meter wall were even more terrified.

Then, Victoria spoke again.

“Gravity Control, Crushing Down.”

The brown magic pulled those knights back down with incredible force.

“Aaaargh!”

“T, this is!”

“No!”

The knights became human-sized weapons falling from the sky, crushing the Empire soldiers below.

Knights covered in blood and soldiers crushed beneath them.

The terrible sight made the Empire soldiers stop moving forward. Even the knights who weren’t hit by the magic could only stare at their comrades who had fallen from the sky.

That pause changed the battle.

“Uwaaaah!”

“Kill them!”

“A mage! A mage is helping the Holy Kingdom!”

“Blast! Where are they? Find them now!”

The Holy Kingdom soldiers felt stronger now, but the Empire’s knights were in chaos.

Victoria saw the confusion and hurled more Empire knights into the air twice, slamming them back down.

Wham!

“Kraaah!”

“What in the world!?”

Just then, a knight in blood-red armour, his helmet gleaming menacingly, charged towards Victoria from the middle of the Empire’s forces.

– Behind the Holy Spear, kill the mage!

The battle cry echoed across the battlefield.

“Hoo. It begins now, does it?”

Victoria wiped sweat from her forehead, carefully controlling her mana and breathing to save energy.

Anthony smirked as he watched her.

“See? Told you they’d come this way.”

“Be careful.”

“Of course. Orlando is the antithesis of Holy Power, after all.”

Anthony aimed his spear at the charging Blood Knight, not looking back even for a second.

The idea that he was the antithesis of Holy Power was no exaggeration.

The Blood Knight, Orlando Brown, could control blood.

Blood magic sounds strange, but Orlando could make normal soldiers who don’t have special power cough blood and die just by looking at them. Also, wounds from his attacks had a curse-like effect that even Holy Power found hard to heal.

But there was more to it than that.

‘When his face turns red, his strength is boosted. He becomes several times stronger for a short time.’

He had a buff similar to the Holy Power used by Holy Knights and ignored the opponent’s healing. Because of these abilities that countered Holy Knights, Anthony had struggled in their past fights. With Anthony busy, the Holy Kingdom forces had almost lost.

But now, things were different.

“With the mage’s help, things will be different, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I’ll try my best.”

Victoria tensed at Anthony’s words, looking ahead.

Things wouldn’t be easy, just as he said. Unless the enemy was a fool, he wouldn’t charge alone towards her and Anthony.

And she was right.

“Clear the way for the Corps Commander!”

“Overwhelm them with numbers!”

“For the Empire!”

The Empire’s knights, with madness in their eyes, swarmed towards the walls where they stood.

Their formation was so focused, it was like they didn’t care about anything else. It was a big gamble that made defending other parts of the western walls easier.

But when nearly a hundred knights charged at them, the pressure was immense.

“Defend!”

At Anthony’s shout, the Holy Knights gathered, but their numbers were limited.

However, the Holy Knights, as mad as the Imperial Knights, weren’t afraid of hundreds of enemies.

“For the glory of God!”

“Divine punishment upon the enemy!”

As Anthony and the Holy Knights blocked the Imperial Knights, the air around the Imperial knights seemed to thicken, and an invisible weight pressed down on them.

“Kraaah!”

“The… Empire…!”

“Long live the Emperor…”

The Imperial Knights fell as soon as they charged, like moths flying into a flame.

Thud!

“This is divine punishment!”

Soon, Anthony, looking different from when he smiled at Victoria, pierced two knights at once.

A flash of red light cut through the air.

Slice!

“Kuh!”

“Blood Knight!”

A red cut appeared on Anthony’s neck. Luckily, it was shallow.

The enemy suddenly appeared next to the pierced Imperial Knight, his eyes showing regret.

Anthony’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘He can do that too?’ he thought quickly.

Victoria, seeing his surprise, shouted, “Opportunity!”

Mana surged, and her brown eyes turned red and blue for a moment, but no one noticed in the chaos.

At the same time, the mana that had been holding back the enemies was focused on the enemy commander.

Whoooom.

“Kuh!”

“Hap!”

Their plans changed with this sudden move.

The Blood Knight’s retreating steps slowed, and right in front of him, the Holy Knight’s spear, known for its fast thrust, shot forward.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

“Hurrah!”

The Blood Knight staggered back, pierced through the side, and Anthony charged forward.

This was the moment to win.

‘I’ll finish him!’

Just as Victoria bit her lip, she saw arrows imbued with red aura flying towards them.

Whoosh.

“Kraaah!”

Aura arrows, launched from somewhere, were targeting the Imperial Knights.

It was support, but not welcome.

It meant only one thing.

‘The Queen!?’

– Remember, reducing the Empire’s forces is important, but the first thing you must ensure is the safety of your group.

(Logan’s words echoed in her mind. She had to protect her group.)

Victoria’s mana, which had been about to finish off the enemy, changed instantly, and she began to move quickly along the ramparts.