7. The Fall of the Western Army
1
Kwaang! Puh-uh-ung!
Jjeo-eo-eo-eong!
The two steel giants, hurtling down the steep mountainside as if flying, exchanged blows relentlessly.
The rain had stopped, and the canyon shook as if it would collapse from the storm of fierce Hyper Aura [a powerful energy field].
No one dared to interfere in the fight between Butler and Rudolf.
After seeing a few unlucky Gigants [large, humanoid war machines] get caught in the crossfire and explode, both armies kept their distance from the two giants.
“I wonder who will win?”
“It’s obviously His Majesty the Emperor. His martial prowess has surpassed even the legendary hero, Rakan!”
The Imperial Guard, loyal to Rudolf, had no doubt about his victory.
“The problem is… Butler’s lackeys?”
“Indeed. These guys are stronger than I thought. They’re comparable to the Imperial Knights… no, maybe even more so.”
The Imperial Guards clicked their tongues as they watched the Western Army riders, who were holding their ground tenaciously in formations of three or four.
Especially among Butler’s direct knights, who bore the Duke’s crest, there were many experts at the highest level or those who had reached the early stages of Sword Master [a highly skilled swordsman].
Although their individual skills were inferior to the Imperial Guards, their organizational skills and ability to coordinate offense and defense were superior.
They must have undergone tremendous training.
Moreover, their lord, Duke Butler, was fighting evenly with the Emperor, which greatly boosted the knights’ morale.
“But I wonder how long that will last?”
“It’s about time His Majesty finished this…”
The Imperial Knights knew that the Emperor had reached the level of Sword Emperor [a swordsman of even greater skill than a Sword Sage].
Although he had suffered serious injuries fighting the high-ranking demons, they believed that he had recovered enough to defeat Duke Butler.
Kwaang—!
Just as the Imperial Knights were filled with anticipation, Duke Butler’s and the Emperor’s Gigants collided heavily and were pushed back.
But something seemed to have gone wrong, or perhaps he had been pushed back in the power struggle, as the Emperor’s Gigant stumbled backward and fell.
“Hehehe! It’s over, Rudolf!”
“Damn it, you old junk! Why are you acting up at a time like this!”
The Emperor’s Gigant, an incomplete Hero-class model, had finally malfunctioned.
A problem had occurred in the mana converter, which could not handle the core engine’s output, causing the Hyper Aura emission to temporarily stop.
Because of this, he could not withstand Butler’s power.
“Hehehe. Take this final blow!”
“Kuh! How insolent…!”
Rudolf hurriedly tried to raise the fallen Emperor.
However, the problem with the mana converter had not been resolved, and the Hyper Aura did not rise from his greatsword.
The Emperor, unable to use Hyper Aura, and Duke Butler, who could use it.
At this rate, it was obvious that Butler would win.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
“Be careful!”
As the surprised Imperial Knights rushed to join the fight, the Emperor’s sword moved like a phantom.
The greatsword that flew in cleaved through Butler’s Hyper Aura-infused greatsword and sliced through Rigel’s waist.
Shu-gak!
“T-This is impossible!”
“Mind Sword. In the Southern Continent, it’s called ‘Simgeom’ [Heart Sword]. It’s a divine skill that only those who have reached a realm beyond Sword Sage can unleash.”
Rudolf was currently unable to fully demonstrate his martial prowess as a Sword Emperor due to the aftereffects of his injuries.
However, the Mind Sword was different.
This swordsmanship was much more powerful when unleashed in extreme situations.
In any case, Rudolf’s explanation did not reach Butler’s ears.
It was because Rigel’s condition after being struck by the sword was strange.
‘Damn it, the balance device is damaged. I can’t fight like this.’
The balance device was a core component that maintained the Gigant’s balance.
If it broke or was destroyed, the Gigant would have great difficulty maintaining its balance and would stagger as if drunk.
As expected, Rigel staggered a few times and then collapsed on the spot.
“T-This can’t be!”
The Western Army riders, who had been stunned by their lord’s defeat, quickly regained their senses and rushed towards Rigel.
“His Excellency has been defeated!”
“Quickly, escort His Excellency!”
The Western Army’s Gigants almost carried Rigel away as they retreated.
However, Rudolf and his Imperial Guard did not pursue them.
Shirley, unable to understand their attitude, asked as if protesting.
“Your Majesty, they are escaping?”
“I know. Just let them go.”
Butler, who had been gaining the upper hand against the Emperor until just now, had fallen.
This greatly reduced the fighting spirit of the Western Army riders who had been bravely fighting, and even the morale of the ordinary knights and soldiers, who had barely recovered from the shock of the demon’s fire, was completely lost.
In this situation, the Western Army would collapse just by being pursued.
Nevertheless, Rudolf did not rush the pursuit.
It was time for his hidden card to come out.
Kwaaaang—!
From the western entrance of the canyon, a thunderous explosion and black smoke rose.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
As Shirley looked bewildered, not knowing what was happening, Rudolf, with a sly smile, ordered the Imperial Guard and the Royal Knights.
“All troops advance! Hunt down and kill all the rats cornered in the corner!”
2
“Ugh…”
“W-What’s going on? What on earth is happening?”
The Western Army soldiers were hurriedly escaping the canyon after hearing the news that Duke Butler had been defeated by the Emperor.
But suddenly, the explosives they had set up at the canyon entrance detonated all at once, blocking their only escape route.
The move they had prepared to stop the Emperor’s army had become their worst mistake.
“Ugh! Who is the idiot? There are still many of our allies who haven’t escaped!”
Count Stark, who had narrowly avoided being buried, was furious.
Then, Count Voltaire approached him, humming a song.
“The idiot has arrived.”
“Kuh, you… !”
Stark quickly grasped the situation at Voltaire’s sarcasm.
The explosion just now was not a mistake, but something that Count Voltaire had deliberately set off.
“You-bastard!”
Enraged, Stark drew his sword and charged at Count Voltaire.
He tried to cut him down in one blow, but an arrow that shot out from Voltaire’s prosthetic arm was faster, piercing his neck.
“Keok!”
“Tsk tsk, that’s a shame. He was the smartest one among them.”
As his consciousness faded, Count Stark saw knights and mages appearing from the mist, slaughtering the soldiers who had barely survived.
When he saw the crest embroidered on their chests, he was startled and widened his eyes.
‘I, I can’t die here! If I don’t tell Duke Butler about this…’
Stark mustered all his strength to get up.
But mercilessly, Voltaire fired another arrow from his prosthetic arm, completely cutting off his breath.
“He’s useful. As expected, there are many talented people in the Imperial Magic Tower.”
Voltaire, with a bitter smile, recalled the situation when he had lost his right arm.
Shortly after the blood oath ceremony in the Imperial Capital, Voltaire was arrested by the Royal Knights and imprisoned.
He had already noticed the situation and was trying to escape the Imperial Capital with his family, but Emperor Rudolf was not so irrational as to not pay attention to him.
“Huu, to think I would fall like this.”
Voltaire, who had fallen from the Emperor’s right-hand man to a prisoner, sighed deeply.
‘What kind of punishment will I receive? Death? I hope they’ll end it with exile, considering my past merits, but His Majesty wouldn’t do that.’
Voltaire, who knew Rudolf’s character better than anyone, was very pessimistic about his future.
‘Anyway, what happened to my wife and daughter? They’ve never experienced such hardship… That bastard Lazuli is the enemy!’
“Are you worried about your wife and daughter?”
A voice suddenly spoke.
Voltaire was startled and looked for the owner of the voice.
It was because the voice was too familiar, more than the fact that his inner thoughts had been seen through.
“Y-Your Majesty?”
The man in the black uniform who entered through the bars was clearly Emperor Rudolf.
“Don’t worry about your family. They are being well taken care of in the Imperial Palace.”
“I, is that so?”
Voltaire felt uneasy.
On the surface, it seemed like he was being told to rest assured, but it sounded like a threat to his ears.
“By the way, where were you trying to escape to? The Volga Republic? Or the Holy Empire? It’s truly disappointing and infuriating.”
“Your Majesty, I was just…”
“What if I gave you a chance to make up for your failure?”
Voltaire’s eyes widened at the Emperor’s sudden proposal, as he was about to make excuses.
Rudolf looked down at him with cold eyes and continued to speak.
“I would like to cut your head off with one blow, but I can’t ignore your past merits. Besides, I have to deal with the noble faction.”
Sreureung.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Emperor drew his sword.
Voltaire understood roughly what had happened from the blood clinging to the blade.
He immediately prostrated himself before Rudolf and slammed his head on the floor.
“Please, give me any task. I will never disappoint Your Majesty again.”
Rudolf smiled with satisfaction at Voltaire’s oath.
He had seen the desperation in Voltaire’s eyes, who had only been loyal for his own advancement and his family’s prosperity until now.
“Good. And if you do well this time, I will make your daughter the Empress.”
“Y-Your daughter as the Empress?”
“Yes, she’s sixteen this year, right? She’s a bit young, but she’s quite intelligent and beautiful.”
He had heard the story that the Empress had committed suicide and the concubines had gone mad due to the deaths of the princes and princesses.
But he never thought that he would be the one to benefit from it.
“You’ll have to do very well to become the maternal grandfather of the next Emperor. So, I’ll take your right arm.”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
As Voltaire looked bewildered, Rudolf swung his sword.
Voltaire’s right arm was cleanly cut off by the sharp blade infused with Aura.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Voltaire screamed and clutched his wound as the pain belatedly hit him.
Rudolf, who had calmly put his sword back into its scabbard, looked down coldly at the writhing Voltaire.
“Stop whining and follow me. I’ll tell you what to do.”
Voltaire gritted his teeth and got up to follow the Emperor.
That was how he got another chance to rise.
Count Voltaire, having finished his recollection, sighed deeply.
“Huu, His Majesty is too much. Even if it’s to deceive the enemy, how can he make a person’s body so battered…”
Emperor Rudolf, not satisfied with cutting off his right arm, entrusted Voltaire to his specially favored torturers.
And Voltaire ended up with a body that no one could help but pity.
The torture marks he had obtained were not just for deceiving the enemy.
It was also the Emperor’s warning not to betray or disappoint him again.
“Well, I have to endure this much for my family’s wealth and glory.”
Voltaire, having decided to think positively, looked at the blocked canyon.
The bewildered shouts and desperate screams coming from the other side sounded very sweet to his ears.
3
“T-This can’t be happening!”
The Western Army, trapped inside the canyon after their escape route was blocked, fell into great chaos.
It was no different for the commander-in-chief, Duke Butler.
He had no choice but to retreat after suffering critical damage to his Gigant from Rudolf’s unexpected attack, but he judged that the fight was not over yet.
He planned to retreat quickly out of the canyon, block the Emperor’s army’s advance with the explosives buried at the entrance, and reorganize his ranks to fight again.
That amount of time would be enough to repair Rigel.
However, an unexpected setback had turned them into rats in a trap.
“Your Excellency, the Emperor’s army is approaching. What should we do?”
Butler, after pondering for a moment at Marquis Vanden’s question, made a decision.
“Reorganize the ranks. I will end it with Rudolf here!”
“Y-Your Excellency!”
“This battle is as good as lost. But even if we lose, we will never show a cowardly or ugly appearance to that mad Emperor!”
If they fought the Emperor’s army in a situation where their escape route was blocked by the explosion and most of the soldiers were in chaos, they would surely lose.
However, it was impossible to abandon these many soldiers and run away, nor was it easy to run away together.
His resolute cry made the bewildered riders calmly resolve themselves.
For it was the wish of a knight to die honorably on the battlefield.
“Marquis Vanden, no, Axel. Lend me your Gigant. I can’t fight properly with Rigel.”
“Your Excellency…”
“Though the road is blocked, there must be a side path to escape with our bare bodies. I ask that you leave this place and take care of my family and the families of the officers here. This is not an order, but a request.”
Vanden remained silent for a moment at Butler’s words.
Everyone around them fully understood his feelings.
To Vanden, Butler was not only the commander-in-chief but also his teacher and father-in-law.
How could he abandon him and leave?
As everyone expected, Marquis Vanden refused.
“Your Excellency, I cannot do that.”
“There’s no need for you to die here as well…”
It was when Duke Butler was trying to persuade Marquis Vanden.
Suddenly, an impact aura gathered on Marquis Vanden’s greatsword and pierced through Rigel’s chest armor.
*Swoosh!*
“… !”
Everyone was shocked and froze at the sudden and unexpected situation.
They had expected Marquis Vanden to say he would fight alongside them.
But instead, he stabbed Duke Butler!
“Cough! W-What are you doing?!”
Duke Butler, whose abdomen was half-cut by the greatsword that pierced through the cockpit, cried out in a voice mixed with shock and confusion.
Then, unlike before, Vanden replied in a cold and mocking voice.
“What am I doing? I’m trying to take the head of the rebel leader to advance my career.”
“Y-You, you can’t be… !”
Butler couldn’t believe it.
Vanden, who had been fighting fiercely against the Emperor’s Gigants [large, humanoid war machines] just moments ago, had suddenly turned traitor!
“Shall I tell you one more thing? The explosion that blocked the path just now was not a mistake by the soldiers, but was caused by our territory’s forces, who had quietly fallen behind. Oh, and before that, this operation was planned by His Majesty the Emperor and Count Voltaire.”
“W-Why? Why did you betray me?!”
Butler roared.
Vanden answered in a sarcastic tone.
“Why, you ask? Our family has always been second to yours, never able to escape being the second-in-command. Our family has always suffered more, yet your family always took the credit. After my father died on the battlefield while only supporting you, I decided. I would end this tiresome structure.”
Vanden had made that decision when he was ten years old, after his father’s death, two years before becoming Butler’s disciple.
He had kept it hidden for a long time, and when he went to the Imperial City to meet the Emperor to be formally recognized for his title, he revealed his intentions.
Rudolf was very welcoming but told him to refrain from rash actions.
Instead, he advised him to gain Butler’s favor and trust by any means possible.
“So, I trained under you like a madman. I even married your ugly, pockmarked daughter, whom no one else would look at.”
“Kaaah! You damned bastard!”
“Hahaha! Yes, that’s it. I wanted to see you scream and wail like that!”
Butler wanted to tear Vanden apart if he could.
However, with his Gigant destroyed and unable to move properly, and with a fatal wound, he could not even move, let alone fight.
“You filthy traitor!”
“You ungrateful dog!”
Duke Butler’s subordinates, who had belatedly regained their senses, rushed at Vanden.
However, there were no riders skilled enough to defeat him in a one-on-one fight, as he was a mid-level Sword Master [a highly skilled swordsman].
Moreover, Vanden’s riders stepped forward to block them.
“Protect Marquis Vanden!”
“Cut down all the rebels!”
Having suppressed their resentment towards the Butler family for as long as their lord had, they swung their swords without hesitation.
“Kuh! Get His Excellency the Duke out of here!”
“Don’t let the rebel leader escape!”
The shouts of the knights on both sides and the sounds of fierce fighting echoed throughout the canyon.
In a crisis where they were trapped, the Western Army was collapsing beyond recovery due to the internal strife.
The Emperor’s army, which had approached leisurely, delivered the final blow to the disorganized Western Army, and the battle ended soon after.
Due to the collapse of the Western Army in this battle, the Western aristocratic faction fell in an instant.
Although there were some remaining troops in the territories, it was like throwing an egg against a rock for them to stop the Emperor’s army.
Now, all that remained was for Rudolf to send troops to each territory in the West and completely occupy them.
However, the pacification of the West that Rudolf had expected did not happen.
There was a ‘third force’ that filled the void left by the disappearance of the Western aristocratic faction.
4
“Kuh! I can’t die here… not yet!”
There was an old knight walking along a narrow and rugged mountain path.
His splendid armor and uniform were torn and broken in places, and his half-gray hair was scattered like a disheveled mess.
He clutched the wound on his abdomen with one hand, and with the other, he used his sword as a cane, his steps faltering precariously.
The old knight was none other than Duke Butler.
Having lost everything due to Marquis Vanden’s betrayal, he had barely escaped the battlefield with the sacrifice of his subordinates.
“Vanden… Rudolf… I will cut off your heads! Even if I have to sell my soul to the devil!”
Though he was in a miserable state, the flames of resentment in Butler’s eyes did not diminish.
*Woof woof woof!*
“There are bloodstains here!”
“Catch him! He couldn’t have gone far!”
He heard the barking of hounds and the shouts of the enemy pursuers from behind.
It had not even been an hour since the few escort knights had sent him ahead, saying they would hold off the enemy.
It seemed their struggle had failed.
“This way! Butler is here!”
At the shout of a soldier who had chased him from the front, Butler hurried his pace.
However, the hounds released by the pursuers ran up and bit his legs.
“Kuh! You damned mutts!”
*Yelp! Yip!*
When he swung his sword and cut down two of them, the remaining hounds were startled and ran away.
But in the meantime, the pursuers appeared and surrounded Butler in layers.
“Hehehe. If I cut off this old man’s head, I’ll get the marquis title and territory… *Kuek!*”
A knight, underestimating the wounded Butler, approached him, only to have his head cut off.
The startled soldiers did not dare to approach him recklessly, pointing their spears at him.
“Tch, they say even a rotten dragon is still a dragon…”
The pursuing captain, grumbling, raised his hand.
Then, the archers all aimed their bows at Butler.
“Fire!”
At the pursuing captain’s command, dozens of archers released their drawn bows.
*Swish! Swish!*
The arrows, cutting through the air, rained down on Duke Butler.
Butler swung his sword to deflect the incoming arrows, but it was too much for his injured body to block them all.
“Kuh! Cough!”
Starting with one arrow hitting his leg, more than a dozen arrows pierced his body in an instant.
He avoided instant death due to his armor, but he could no longer hold on.
*Thud.*
Butler, who had been staggering, collapsed on the spot.
The pursuers, judging that he was completely incapacitated, slowly narrowed the encirclement.
The pursuing captain, who had dismounted, approached to collect the head himself, but Butler did not even have the strength to move a finger.
‘How frustrating! Is this the end?’
Out of sheer resentment, tears of blood flowed from Butler’s bloodshot eyes.
“Farewell, Duke Butler. I will keep your head safe and bring it to His Majesty… *Kaaah!*”
The pursuing captain, who had been sneering and raising his sword, screamed and collapsed.
And behind him stood a masked knight holding a greatsword!
‘Who is it? How did he appear without a sound?’
It was not only Butler who felt this question.
The knights and soldiers of the pursuers were also confused by the opponent who had suddenly appeared.
“Y-You, who are you?”
When a knight asked, pointing his sword, the masked knight replied in a cold voice.
“Reikart de Barok.”
“W-What did you say?”
The knight, hearing the unexpected name, looked surprised.
The masked knight smiled faintly, as if satisfied with the reaction.
“But now, I am Orc Hero Shaikhan.”
As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of armed goblins and orcs popped out from all directions.
*Squeak!*
*Keeeek!*
The startled pursuers tried to counterattack, but the monsters were much faster.
With a roar, the monsters’ spears and swords danced a few times, and the pursuers were all annihilated.
Some knights resisted for a while, but dozens of monsters rushed at them at once and butchered them.
Duke Butler stared at Shaikhan with surprised eyes.
‘T-This man is the Third Prince Reikart of the late Emperor? He was reported to be dead, but how…?’
Third Prince Reikart was known to have died along with Empress Magdalena while going to her family’s home, due to an attack by unidentified assassins.
But suddenly, a man appeared and claimed to be the Third Prince, so it was inevitable to be suspicious.
‘Is he perhaps a fraud pretending to be the Third Prince?’
It was when Butler was thinking that.
Suddenly, he sensed an enormous energy emanating from Shaikhan’s body and widened his eyes.
“T-This is… !”
The energy emanating from his body was so overbearing and violent that even he, who had reached the realm of a Sword Sage [an extremely skilled swordsman], found it difficult to handle.
“It’s Draconic Aura. It’s a power that only those who have awakened the blood of the Divine Dragon Tiamat can possess.”
“D-Dragonian!”
A legend passed down in the Barok Imperial Family.
Duke Butler had heard of it, but he did not believe it because it was so absurd.
*Thud.*
While Butler was surprised, Shaikhan tore open his top, revealing his chest.
There were dragon scales on his chest.
As Shaikhan emitted Draconic Aura even more strongly, the scales spread to his neck and shoulders.
“M-My goodness!”
Was the legend of the Dragonian not a lie?
In front of the astonished Butler, Shaikhan swiped his palm with his greatsword.
Then, he held out his hand, with blood dripping down, to Butler.
“You are dying. You have a stronger life force than others, but you won’t last long in that state. If you drink my blood imbued with Draconic Aura, you will live. However…”
Butler, who was about to drink the falling blood, paused at Shaikhan’s next words.
“Those who drink the blood of a Dragonian will have their souls bound to the owner of that blood. If the owner lives, they live, and if the owner dies, they die as well.”
“…”
“What will you do? Will you accept it?”
At his question, Butler hesitated for a moment before asking.
“If I become subordinate to Your Highness, what will I gain?”
“Your family will prosper forever as founding contributors to the new nation I will build.”
“A new nation…?”
“That’s right. I will overthrow the Barok Empire and rebuild the Kingdom of Livia!”
Reikart’s maternal family, the Count of Evra, was a collateral line of the destroyed Kingdom of Livia.
Butler knew this fact, but he felt a bit absurd to hear that he would rebuild a country that had been destroyed 500 years ago.
Founding a nation is impossible without considerable preparation and enthusiastic support.
Even though he had the power of a Divine Dragon, did Reikart really have that much political foundation?
“Above all, you can get revenge on that damned Rudolf. What do you say?”
That one word was the deciding factor.
Whether Prince Reikart could build a new kingdom or not was not very important.
What was important to him was revenge.
Having made up his mind, Butler put down his sword and bowed respectfully to Shaikhan.
“If I can overthrow the mad Emperor and the traitor, I will gladly become your servant.”
Having said that, Butler received and drank the blood that Shaikhan was dripping.
The Draconic Aura imbued in the blood permeated his body, exploding his fading life force.
Along with that, his metabolism became active, and his body’s recovery ability increased several times over.
“Kuh! Kuaaaah!”
The wounded areas felt like they were being burned, but they healed in an instant.
The aura that had not been circulating properly due to the injury also returned to normal.
‘To recover so quickly! Is this the power of a Dragonian who inherited the blood of the Divine Dragon!’
Duke Butler, who was amazed at his recovered body, snapped back to his senses at Shaikhan’s voice.
“Get up, there is much to do if we are to overthrow Rudolf.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Butler followed Shaikhan, who was moving somewhere with the monsters.
Thus, the key figure of the Western Army, whom Rudolf had not completely uprooted, fell into the hands of Shaikhan, who was secretly building power within the Empire.