Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 33

4. The Volga Republic’s Advance

1

The Castille Mountains, located ten days west of the Tolud Fortress, straddled the Volga Republic and the Baroque Empire. This area was rarely visited by humans due to the numerous monsters, rugged terrain, and maze-like valleys.

For an army to cross the Castille Mountains would not only take a tremendous amount of time but also result in significant losses. Therefore, the two countries had only deployed small ranger units in this area, without building any fortresses or deploying large-scale forces.

However, recently, an unusual presence had begun to stir within the Castille Mountains.

Rustle, rustle.

A creature emerged from the ground like a mole, pushing aside the bushes and peering at the Baroque Empire rangers patrolling nearby. As they disappeared into the distance, it quickly closed the bush-disguised lid and slid back into the ground.

‘The Empire’s dogs are gone.’

‘Good, resume the work!’

As the leader’s command was given, a loud noise began to echo fiercely from underground. Deep beneath the mountains, those engaged in some kind of work were short in stature, with broad builds and thick beards. They were the elves known as dwarves.

Dwarves were short, but they had sturdy bodies. They were strong and skilled enough to shape stone and iron as if they were kneading dough. Among these dwarves, the Red Hammer Clan had the most outstanding skills. Each of them was a great blacksmith, artist, architect, and a natural miner.

About 500 years ago, they worked under the command of the Demon King Seymon, led by their first chief, Rommel. The Red Hammer Clan, who had disappeared from the continent after Seymon’s death, was now busy digging tunnels. These massive tunnels, large enough for a Gigant [a large, humanoid war machine] to pass through, were being created purely by the strength and skill of the dwarves.

Duke Dimitri, who was watching the dwarves digging the ground with shovels, pickaxes, and various mechanical tools powered by magic stones—all much larger than their bodies—turned his gaze to a particularly tall dwarf.

‘Hey, Elder Kurgan, is it still far?’

‘Hmph! It’s almost done. Just wait a little longer.’

Kurgan, with his magnificent red beard, was an unusual dwarf, so tall that he was hard to distinguish from a human. Among the dwarves, he was called ‘Giant Kurgan.’ As the elder of the Red Hammer Clan, Kurgan was leading the clan members dispatched at the request of President Vladimir.

The Volga Republic had long been researching ways to attack the Baroque Empire by bypassing it. One of their strategies was to use the Castille Mountains, and thanks to the dwarves’ thorough geological surveys over several years, they were able to find a suitable stratum for digging tunnels. Of course, even if the stratum was suitable, digging a tunnel across the mountains was something that human engineers could not even dream of. But the dwarves, especially the Red Hammer Clan with their exceptional skills, were different.

As natural miners, they had accomplished the feat of almost completing the massive passage, which the Republic army called the ‘underground invasion route,’ in just two months.

‘Is it because I’ve been out of the battlefield for a while? I’m itching to fight,’ Duke Dimitri, who had been visiting almost every day to check on the progress, clenched his fist and said. Kurgan had known him for a long time, so he fully understood his impatience.

‘But do you really need to go yourself?’ Kurgan asked, as if he didn’t understand. The purpose of this war was not to occupy the Empire, but to drastically reduce their war capabilities. Yet, it was not the main force, but a detour unit, that was being directly commanded by Duke Dimitri, who was known as the Republic’s best swordsman and a great general. It was natural to be puzzled, as he had never left the capital in the numerous battles between the Empire and the Republic.

‘Of course, there’s no need, but… I’m getting tired of guarding the capital.’

‘Hmph, tired of it?’

‘Yeah, I want to fight with swords again after a long time.’

Dimitri was a high-level Sword Master and the best knight in the Republic. He was an absolute powerhouse who had never been defeated in the Republic, but he was considered to be one or two steps behind the Empire’s Emperor and Sword Sage, Rudolf. However, through constant effort, he had recently managed to step into the realm of Sword Sage.

Upon reaching the realm of Sword Sage, there were changes not only in his swordsmanship but also in his body. As if rejuvenated, his body became younger and full of vitality. Black hair grew back on his once white head, and his stiff spine and muscles regained their flexibility.

‘If I’m like this, how strong is Emperor Rudolf?’

Was he afraid? Absolutely not. As his body became younger and he gained new vitality, his competitive spirit grew even stronger. Dimitri and Emperor Rudolf were swordsmen representing two rival nations, but they had never faced each other directly on the battlefield. Dimitri had to evaluate Rudolf based on rumors, but he believed that with his current skills, he wouldn’t win, but he wouldn’t lose easily either.

‘I wish I could fight him this time.’

The reason he participated in this war, and why he took on the command of a mere detour unit instead of the commander-in-chief, was because of a small hope that he might meet the Emperor of the Empire. He had heard that Emperor Rudolf enjoyed visiting and inspecting local troops unannounced.

‘By the way, by now, the battle must be in full swing at the Tolud Fortress, right?’ At Kurgan’s question, Duke Dimitri counted the days with his fingers and then opened his mouth. ‘They would have started the attack a week ago, so perhaps Marquis Tyron has already occupied the fortress and is facing the Imperial Northern Army as planned.’

Marquis Tyron, a master of the Republic’s National Magic Tower, was a mage, but he was also quite knowledgeable in military strategy. In the past, he had led mages in battle during the Republic Revolution and had achieved many feats, so he believed that he would easily occupy the Tolud Fortress.

‘Is that so? Anyway, I hope the Baroque Empire suffers a great blow from this war.’ Like other elves, the dwarves also greatly disliked the Baroque Empire. The founder of the Empire, Carnot de Baroque, attacked dwarf villages and plundered their property whenever he had the chance, and even used them as mine slaves until they died. Many clans suffered great losses because of this, and some clans were even completely annihilated. It was not without reason that the Red Hammer Clan sided with the Demon King Seymon in the past. Seymon was quite lenient towards the elves, but they also had the goal of avenging Baroque.

However, they could not achieve their goal when Seymon died, and the Red Hammer Clan fled to the north of the continent and spent years in hardship. Therefore, the dwarves’ animosity towards the Baroque family and the empire they had built was bound to be strong. The reason they readily accepted the difficult request to build a massive underground tunnel was all because of that.

Krrrrrr!

It was when the two were chatting. Suddenly, the wall blocking the front collapsed, and dazzling sunlight began to pour in. Kurgan approached the dwarves and shouted, ‘Hmph! Why are you just standing there? Move quickly and create an exit for the Gigants to get out!’

Seeing that the dwarves had begun the finishing touches, Dimitri gave an order to his adjutant. ‘Issue the order to advance to the entire army.’

‘Understood, Your Excellency!’ The adjutant, who received his order, rode his horse to the rear. Soon after, 40,000 troops, 2,000 knights, and 100 Gigant units poured out into the Empire’s territory through the tunnel. Unlike the corps attacking the Tolud Fortress, they were all elites from the central army. Although the number of Gigants was small, there were quite a few Knight-class ones, and the proportion of cavalry in the general units was also quite high. In other words, they were the true power that the Republic had painstakingly prepared to attack the Empire.

‘Send the elven rangers. Wipe out the Republic ranger units in the vicinity!’ Upon Duke Dimitri’s order, the elven rangers annihilated the Imperial rangers while eliminating the communication mages stationed at outposts throughout the mountains. Some Imperial knights tried to send carrier pigeons, but those pigeons were captured by the hawks raised by the elven rangers. Thus, the appearance of the Republic army was not known to the Imperial army at all.

‘Hehehe, is it time to cause some chaos?’ Dimitri, having received the report of the annihilation of the enemy ranger units, looked at the soldiers lined up behind him. Their eyes, which had been shining like beasts as they had undergone arduous training in anticipation of this day, were very pleasing to Dimitri.

Swish—!

Duke Dimitri, drawing his sword made of orichalcum [a mythical metal], shouted with mana in his voice. ‘Our target is Krom City! Show the foolish Empire bastards the terror of the Republic army! Don’t let a single one fall behind, and follow me!’

‘Waaaaaah!’ The Republic soldiers, shouting loudly, began to advance towards Krom City.

2

Count Naiman had set a trap in the forest 30 kilometers south of the Tolud Fortress and ambushed the main force of the Northern Army. His plan was to defeat the Republic bastards who had occupied the Tolud Fortress when they advanced without knowing anything, and then advance north.

‘Hehehe, and then we’ll occupy the southern part of the Republic.’ Initially, Emperor Rudolf had intended to cause a border dispute to kill Luke. However, he changed his mind in the middle. Since he was starting a war anyway, he decided to gain a greater advantage. Dealing with Luke was just a bonus. Count Naiman actively agreed with Emperor Rudolf’s idea. He had been advocating for the invasion of the Volga Republic for a long time, so he personally wrote the detailed operation plan.

However, even though it had been over a week since he received the news that the Tolud Fortress was under attack, the Republic bastards had not shown their faces. Wondering what was going on, he sent scouts, and they reported that the Republic army was struggling to properly attack the Tolud Fortress.

‘Those idiots! Are they struggling to occupy a fortress the size of a palm!’ According to what he had confirmed, the Republic army attacking the Tolud Fortress had 60,000 troops, as well as a large number of Gigants and artillery. With only 3,000 troops and 10 Gigants, the Tolud Fortress was a force that could never be stopped. But the situation was that they were actually holding out!

‘Is it possible that Luke is really holding them off…’

Despite the clearly difficult situation, the Tolud Fortress had not sent any messengers or magical communications requesting support for three days. Did that mean they were confident in their defense? The scouts’ reports said that the Republic army was also tired and was just attacking half-heartedly.

‘Tch! Did the Republic bastards bring only a bunch of ragtag soldiers? I can’t wait forever, so should I order Luke to retreat? Then the Republic army will take over the fortress and come down this way…’

It was when Count Naiman was calculating various aspects of the future operation. ‘Commander, something terrible has happened!’ A communication mage came running in a hurry and delivered shocking news. Suddenly, the Volga Republic army had appeared from the Castille Mountains and was attacking the territories west of Krom City.

‘What? That area should be impossible for enemies to cross because of the Castille Mountains?’

‘I don’t know how they crossed. But if we don’t provide support immediately, the territories will soon fall.’ At the communication mage’s words, Count Naiman was lost in thought for a moment before giving instructions. ‘Tell the lords to hold out for a few days. I’ll defeat the bastards attacking the Tolud Fortress first and then rush over there.’

The Castille Mountains are rugged.

Count Naiman reasoned that the Republic troops who had come through the mountains couldn’t be a large force. He believed it was a diversionary attack meant to scatter the Northern Army’s strength.

Therefore, he decided to quickly eliminate the Republic army attacking Tolud Fortress, which he assumed was the main assault.

‘Are we abandoning the ambush?’ his adjutant asked, having listened to the plan. ‘If we move our troops now, it’ll be like rescuing Tolud Fortress, and we might not be able to fulfill His Majesty’s secret order.’

‘Even so, we have no choice,’ Naiman replied.

He could always find another chance to kill Baron Luke later.

However, if the northern territories suffered significant damage, he, as the commander of the Northern Army, could face impeachment.

So, he quickly marched his troops towards Tolud Fortress.

But when he arrived, the situation was completely different from what he expected.

The enemy’s large army of 60,000 was gone. Only a few soldiers remained at the fortress, collecting enemy weapons from the riverbank.

‘W-what’s going on here?’ he stammered.

‘What do you mean? We annihilated the enemy,’ Hobart retorted bluntly, appearing at the news of the late reinforcements.

‘Annihilated? How on earth?’

Just yesterday, his scouts had reported they were under attack.

But they had defeated the enemy in a single day?

‘The commander built a dam upstream for a water attack. The enemy was swept away all at once.’

‘No, that…!’

He had suspected it, but Luke had actually managed to stop them single-handedly!

Shocked, Count Naiman nearly fell off his horse.

Barely regaining his composure, he spoke to Hobart again.

‘So, where is the Baron now?’

‘The commander said it would be best to destroy the enemy’s fortress while we have the chance. After repairing the Gigant [a large, humanoid war machine], he immediately led the troops to invade the enemy’s mainland. He entrusted the defense of the fortress and the battlefield cleanup to me.’

‘Huh…’

Naiman couldn’t decide whether to laugh or be angry.

If an ally had defeated a large enemy force and counter-invaded the enemy country, it would be cause for celebration.

But it was Luke, of all people, who had achieved such a victory.

It was infuriating that the man who should have died was gaining merit.

‘Damn it, I’ll deal with him for disobeying orders when he returns,’ he muttered.

Count Naiman decided to get rid of Luke, insisting that he had ordered him to defend the fortress, not to invade.

Just as he made up his mind, a communication mage rushed to him with urgent news.

‘C-Commander, something terrible has happened! The Miran Barony, the Hood Barony, and the Ochoa Barony have been occupied by the Republic bastards!’

‘W-what did you say!’

Count Naiman was so surprised he jumped.

Before coming to Tolud Fortress, he had heard they were under attack by the Republic army.

But less than two days later, three territories had already fallen!

‘According to a mage who barely escaped from the falling castle, the enemy’s forces were considerable. Not only were there many soldiers, but the Gigant forces leading the charge were also very powerful.’

‘Damn it, I’ve been tricked!’

Count Naiman’s heart sank.

He had thought the Republic army that crossed the Castille Mountains was a diversionary force.

So, he had planned to quickly defeat the main force at Tolud Fortress and then deal with the diversionary force.

However, if they had occupied three territories in less than two days, their forces were by no means light.

Perhaps the main force wasn’t the Republic army that had been attacking Tolud Fortress for days, but the ones that had crossed the Castille Mountains.

‘Hurry to Krom City!’

The three fallen territories were located on the road from the Castille Mountains to Krom City.

Realizing their goal, Naiman became anxious and urged his soldiers to hurry back to Krom City.

3

The Northern Army, having marched all night for three days after leaving Tolud Fortress, arrived at a wasteland about a day away from Krom City.

‘We’ll rest here today and then go,’ Naiman announced.

Having covered a five-day distance in three days, even the elite soldiers were exhausted.

So, Count Naiman ordered a rest, intending to let the soldiers recover for just tonight.

The excited soldiers quickly finished their meals of jerky and dry bread, then began to fall asleep under their blankets.

Listening to the snoring sounds, the Count asked his adjutant.

‘What’s the situation in Krom City?’

‘It’s said the enemy hasn’t appeared yet.’

‘Whew, that’s a relief.’

Only a minimal number of troops remained in Krom City to maintain security.

Count Naiman had received reports that two more territories had fallen while they were traveling.

The Republic army’s actions were swift and relentless.

If they were allowed to run rampant like this, the entire northern part of the Empire, including Krom City, could be devastated.

‘Who is the enemy commander? And how were they able to cross the Castille Mountains?’

If they could find out how the Republic forces crossed the Castille Mountains, they could use that knowledge against them.

It was while Count Naiman was lost in thought that a fierce fire erupted in the forest surrounding the wasteland.

‘W-what is it?’

‘Is it a forest fire? Put out the fire quickly… Keuk!’

An arrow pierced the neck of the officer giving orders to extinguish the fire. Then, countless arrows began to rain down, cutting through the air.

‘A-an ambush!’

‘Everyone, get up!’

The wasteland where the Northern Army had set up camp was on the edge of the forest, far from the main road.

It was a shortcut they had taken to reach Krom City quickly, and scouts had checked it before they set up camp, confirming there were no enemies.

But from somewhere, countless arrows were flying out of the forest, striking down soldiers.

Many of the arrows were fire arrows, and flames were rising in various places in the camp.

In addition, targeting the flames, shells began to rain down from all directions.

Boom! Swish! Kwaaaang!

‘Kuaaaak!’

‘Keeeek!’

‘Counterattack! Don’t panic, gather by unit and counterattack!’

The Northern Army, suddenly ambushed while sleeping, was in great confusion.

Count Naiman and the officers and knights tried their best to control the soldiers, but the chaos showed no signs of subsiding.

‘Damn it, what are the riders doing? Get on the Gigants and wipe out the enemy right now!’

Crack! Rumble!

No sooner had Naiman’s cry ended than Gigants emerged from the forest, their eyes gleaming, and raised their massive bodies.

However, the Gigants emerging from the ground did not belong to the Baroque Empire.

The steel giants, painted dark green with a red double-axe emblem on their chest armor, were the Republic Gigants led by Duke Dimitri.

‘Kuhahahat! Sweep them all away and trample them!’

At Duke Dimitri’s command, the hundred or so Gigants that had been lying in ambush drew their greatswords and began to trample the Imperial army’s camp.

Thump thump thump thump!

The sight of the massive steel giants rampaging in the flames was truly like the grim reapers of fear.

‘Aaaah! Run away!’

‘What are our Gigants doing!’

The only thing the Northern Army soldiers could do against the Gigants was to run away and scream.

Seeing that miserable sight, Count Naiman gritted his teeth.

‘Kuaak! What are our Gigants doing! Stop those scrap heaps right now!’

As if they had heard Count Naiman’s urging, about two hundred Imperial Gigants, which had belatedly mobilized, began to fight against the Republic Gigant forces.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang clang clang—!

In the narrow wasteland, about three hundred Gigants from both sides were fiercely fighting, swinging their weapons at each other.

The sound of steel armor breaking resounded loudly, and the sparks that flew when greatswords collided cut through the air like lightning.

The battle was evenly matched for a while, but it gradually began to tilt towards the Republic army.

Considering the numbers, the Imperial army, which had twice as many, should have gained the upper hand.

However, the Imperial riders were in a state of slight panic due to the sudden attack. Many of the Republic Gigants were Knight-class Gigants with an output of 2000 phytes [a unit of power], and the riders’ skills were also excellent.

Moreover, the person leading the Republic Gigant force was Duke Dimitri.

He cut down every Imperial Gigant he saw with his greatsword, turning them into scrap metal.

‘Kuhahahat! Do you dare to stop me?!’

Duke Dimitri, rampaging through the enemy lines, shouted with great excitement.

Every time he swung his greatsword, a gigantic aura that brightly illuminated the darkness extended out, cutting the Imperial Gigants in half.

‘Hieeek! H-he’s a monster!’

‘That’s a Sword Master at the highest level, or maybe even a Sword Sage!’

‘Everyone, be careful!’

Five Imperial Gigants gathered together and blocked Duke Dimitri’s path.

If they left him alone, the Imperial Gigant force’s front line could completely collapse, so those with considerable skill stepped forward.

‘Hmph, your intentions are good, but you underestimate me too much!’

Kwarurururung!

As Duke Dimitri thrust his greatsword like lightning, a thunderous sound and a fierce aura like lightning fell.

Then, the five Gigants that had been clustered together were thrown back as if they had been caught in an explosion.

All five of the thrown-back Gigants were tattered, with their armor and frames in ruins, and it was obvious what had happened to the riders inside, even without seeing it.

‘D-damn it! Don’t back down!’

‘Don’t fight alone, fight in groups by squad!’

Despite being overwhelmed by his overwhelming combat power, the Northern Army riders screamed and launched a coordinated attack.

However, Duke Dimitri was not at all fazed by their desperate struggle.

His Gigant, cutting down anyone who dared to attack and moving forward, was reminiscent of a lion that had jumped into a flock of sheep.

‘Kuk, to think that Zerdin would appear here!’

Count Naiman, who had been watching the Gigant battle, swallowed a groan.

A body that was a head taller than a normal Gigant, with a powerful output of over 3000 phytes.

It was clear that Zerdin, the Republic’s only hero-class Gigant, had appeared.

Zerdin was a unit that had been introduced by the Volga Royal Family in the past, and it was said that Duke Dimitri, the Republic’s greatest swordsman, was currently piloting it.

‘So, the rider in there is Duke Dimitri…’

Count Naiman had considered the possibility of the Republic deploying a Sword Master when preparing for this operation.

However, he never imagined that Duke Dimitri, who had never left the capital since the Republican Revolution, would participate in the war.

‘What do you think? Can you handle him?’

Count Naiman asked, looking up at the massive Gigant standing next to him.

Then, a deep voice came through the Gigant’s transmission channel.

‘It will be difficult to win, but I can buy some time.’

The rider inside was Count Kyle, the swordsman known as the Hawk of the North.

He was currently the only Sword Master in the Northern Army, and he was originally intended as a countermeasure against the Republic’s Sword Master.

Although there was a combined formation designed for anti-superhuman combat, if the opponent was a high-level Sword Master, the damage to their side would be enormous.

That’s why it was best to have another superhuman fight him, so they had called in Count Kyle, who had been fighting elsewhere.

Although Count Kyle’s territory was in the north, he was not originally part of the military. He had been freely training and honing his skills, and he had joined this war at the Emperor’s request.

Emperor Rudolf had promised him various concessions in exchange for his participation.

There were a total of seven Sword Masters in the Empire.

Among them, Count Kyle had only become a Sword Master 10 years ago, placing him in the lower ranks in terms of skill.

‘If we were to fight purely with swordsmanship, I would certainly not be a match for Duke Dimitri. However, if I use the power of this latest hero-class Gigant that His Majesty has bestowed upon me as a reward for my participation, there might be a chance.’

The Gigant that Count Kyle was currently riding was the Atlas, a 3500-phyte output unit recently completed by the Veritas Magic Tower [a research and development facility].

On the other hand, Zerdin was an older model that was over 30 years old, and it was not guaranteed that it could fully exert the power of a hero-class unit.

Therefore, Count Kyle optimistically judged that he could make up for his lack of skill to some extent with the performance of the new Gigant.

‘Then, I’ll leave it to you.’

‘Leave it to me.’

Count Kyle advanced his Atlas towards Zerdin, who was slaughtering allied Gigants.

Seeing his calm demeanor, Count Naiman had hope that his side could turn the tide of the battle.

Although they were in chaos due to the surprise attack, they still had almost twice as many troops and Gigants.

Therefore, he judged that if they could create an opportunity to turn the tide, they could make up for the damage they had suffered so far and achieve victory against the enemy.

‘To do that, Kyle, your performance is necessary! You must defeat Duke Dimitri!’

4

Clang—!

‘Hmm?’

Duke Dimitri, who was busy cutting down Northern Army Gigants, was intrigued when a large Gigant blocked his greatsword.

It looked like a hero-class Gigant or higher at first glance, and the rider’s skills did not seem ordinary either.

‘My name is Aslan de Kyle. I request a duel with the Republic’s greatest swordsman.’

Duke Dimitri nodded at the opponent’s polite attitude and slightly curled up the corners of his mouth.

‘I wondered who it was, but it’s Count Kyle, known as the Hawk of the North. Good, try your best to stop me.’

Even though they were from two enemy nations, there was a common understanding between knights who had reached a certain level.

They acknowledged each other because they had a strong sense of pride and honor in their skills.

That was why Count Kyle had requested a one-on-one duel, and Duke Dimitri readily accepted it.

‘Fall back, it’s a duel between commanders!’

‘Get out of the way if you don’t want to get caught up in it!’

Despite the chaotic situation, the Gigants on both sides moved away from the two of them on their own.

It was clear that they would die if they got caught up in the fight between superhumans, and they could actually hinder their own superhuman from fighting.

Once the surroundings were somewhat cleared, the two riders representing both armies began to clash their swords.

Kukwakwakwang!

Kagagagak!

The duel between Sword Masters, which began with Count Kyle’s preemptive strike, was tremendous.

The sharp Gigantic Auras [a manifestation of spiritual energy] emitted by the two and the brutal collisions between the steel giants caused terrifying aftershocks to swirl in all directions.

‘D-dodge it!’

‘Even a glancing blow from an Aura fragment will cause at least half damage!’

The Gigant riders on both sides, who had already retreated, were horrified by the more intense fight than they had expected and retreated even further.

They hoped that their own Sword Master would win and swung their greatswords at the enemy in front of them.

Paang! Papat—!

Dimitri hurriedly deflected the Gigantic Auras that were falling chaotically in front of him.

However, no sooner had he blocked one than another Gigantic Aura flew in, aiming for an opening.

‘Kuk, is this the rumored Fake Sword?’

Fake Sword.

It was the name of the unique swordsmanship passed down in the Kyle family.

It created illusions that were close to reality within its splendor, making it difficult for the enemy to grasp what was real and what was not.

Usually, if one faced the Fake Sword for a long time, they would not be able to distinguish between what was real and what was fake, and would end up panicking and meeting their doom.

Moreover, just because it was a swordsmanship based on deception did not mean that its power was weak.

Originally, a single strike of the Fake Sword had the power to easily cut through steel armor.

When combined with the 3500-phyte output of the Gigant, its destructive power increased to an astonishing level.

It was comparable to the sword power of Duke Dimitri, who had skills approaching that of a Sword Sage.

‘Ho, I heard he was the lowest-ranked among the Empire’s Masters, but he’s quite something?’

Dimitri smiled as he was pushed back by Count Kyle’s offensive.

If he had been idling in the capital like other high-ranking officials and his skills had stagnated, he would have struggled quite a bit in this duel.

However, he was slightly on the verge of reaching the level of a Sword Sage, one step higher than a Sword Master.

Moreover, his vision for swordsmanship had broadened accordingly, allowing him to predict much more clearly how his opponent would attack.

That was the same even if the opponent was a Sword Master, so he could sufficiently make up for the weakness of his Gigant’s inferior performance.

Kurururung!

A flurry of Aura bundles poured down chaotically from Zerdin’s greatsword, accompanied by the sound of thunder. It was Duke Dimitri’s signature move, the Thunder Blade.

‘Hmph, this much is nothing.’

The Thunder Blade looked strong, but Count Kyle judged that he could just dodge it.

So, he tried to retreat without directly colliding with it.

However, for some reason, it did not go as planned. Rather, the Atlas was being pulled towards Zerdin.

‘Wh-what…!’

‘Did you think you could dodge it so easily!’

Dimitri’s Thunder Blade accelerated the sword’s Aura, generating a tremendous amount of static electricity, which then permeated the Aura, making it look like lightning.

In this process, a powerful magnetic force was generated, and those who did not know this and tried to deal with it lightly would have their swords snatched away or be dragged along while wearing their armor.

It was no different for Gigants. No, because they were riding in Gigants made of steel, they were even more helpless against the powerful magnetic force and were dragged along.

As the greatsword flew towards him while he was being dragged, Kyle was startled and raised the buckler attached to his Gigant’s left arm to block the attack.

Kwaaang—!

‘Kuh-erk!’

With a tremendous roar as if a mana bomb had exploded, the unit shook violently.

The impact was so severe that Kyle, who was in the cockpit, vomited blood from the shock that shook his entire body.

However, his crisis was not over.

Duke Dimitri used the magnetic force of the Thunder Blade to hold the Atlas right in front of him and continued to unleash a barrage of Aura sword strikes.

Kwaaang! Bang! Kwaaaang!

The buckler was shattered by the second attack, the left arm that was used instead of the buckler was shattered by the third attack, and the chest armor was shattered by the fourth attack.

‘This is the end!’

Duke Dimitri, who had turned the Atlas into a rag, stopped attacking and raised his greatsword high into the sky.

Light gathered at the tip of the greatsword, and another greatsword was created on top of it, beginning to tremble.

The Empire’s riders who saw this began to scream.

‘H-hyper Aura! That’s definitely Hyper Aura!’

Among the Empire’s knights, there were a few who had seen Emperor Rudolf fight.

So, they knew what Hyper Aura, which was almost a symbol of a Sword Sage, looked like.

What Duke Dimitri had created with Zerdin’s greatsword was definitely Hyper Aura.

Shugagagak!

Zerdin swung down the greatsword he had raised into the sky.

It was a motion that did not seem to require much effort, but with that one strike, the Atlas was split vertically from the top of its head to its toes.

It was split so cleanly that the damaged core engine did not go berserk and simply stopped quietly.

Wheeeeeeeng—!

Silence filled the battlefield at the futile death of Count Kyle, who had been in a close battle with Duke Dimitri just a moment ago.

‘Damn it, still not enough.’

Duke Dimitri, who had silenced the enemy forces, frowned slightly as he looked at Zerdin’s greatsword.

This was because he felt that the Hyper Aura he had created a moment ago was incomplete.

Hyper Aura was a technique that amplified the power of Gigantic Aura several times by causing super-vibrations.

If true super-vibration had occurred, the cut surface of the Atlas should have been clean, and there should have been no damage to the greatsword.

However, the cut surface of the Atlas was somewhat rough, and there were slight flaws in various parts of the greatsword. This showed that the Hyper Aura had not yet reached a perfect level.

It was when Dimitri was lost in thought, looking at Zerdin’s greatsword.

Count Naiman, who had recovered from the shock faster than anyone else, gritted his teeth and gave an order.

‘What are you doing! Deploy the anti-superhuman combined formation! Avenge Count Kyle!’

They could not retreat just because the opponent was a Sword Sage. If they retreated like this, he would be held responsible for the defeat and impeached. No, before that, the morale of the army might collapse completely.

‘To prevent that, we must defeat Dimitri. With 170 Gigants in the anti-superhuman combined formation, we might be able to catch a Sword Sage…’

Even if the knight order was annihilated, he thought it would not be a loss if they could catch the enemy’s Sword Sage.

With Naiman’s order, the Empire’s riders, who had regained their senses, shouted and began to rush towards Duke Dimitri all at once.

‘Uwaaaaaa! Attack!’

‘Ignore the rest! Just kill Duke Dimitri!’

Starting with the dozens of units around Zerdin, the Imperial Gigants began to rush at him, aiming only for him.

Dimitri, seeing this, did not panic but rather wore a confident and cruel smile.

The Northern Army of the Empire suffered a crushing defeat in the battle that day.

Duke Dimitri swept away the Imperial Gigant unit that had desperately formed an anti-superhuman combined formation.

When the Republic’s Gigants joined in from both the left and right, the anti-superhuman combined formation collapsed in less than 30 minutes.

Once the Gigant unit was annihilated, a one-sided massacre followed. Of the 70,000 troops, less than 10,000 barely survived and escaped.

After defeating the Northern Army, Dimitri occupied Chrome City and began to sweep through the northern territories.