The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 354

228. The Battle of Four Nine (2)

“Expand the map further!!”

At Dushala’s cry, as she devised strategies day and night, the mages focused their magic to enlarge the map.

The magic mirror, which reflected the entire region of Tatur, showed an even wider landscape, as if viewed from above.

As the map expanded to encompass the vast plains in front of Tatur, bordered by the Four Nine River, several dots began to appear.

“What is the enemy’s position?”

“According to scout reports, the main Imperial Army force is divided into three echelons. The vanguard, or first echelon, has 100,000 troops! The central main force consists of 350,000, and the rear support unit, carrying supplies, has 50,000.”

“How far has the first echelon advanced?”

“They’ve reached the upper Four Nine River’s starting point. As you know, the upper reaches’ starting point is quite distant from Tatur, but the current is weak enough to cross using rafts.”

“However, it will take considerable time for all 100,000 troops to cross. Given that the vanguard’s main strength is mages, they’ll likely manipulate the terrain to create waterways and construct bridges.”

“Deploying mages at the forefront of 100,000 troops… That’s an extremely audacious tactic.”

Dushala smiled wryly at her subordinates’ comments.

Mages, vulnerable in close combat, are typically positioned in the rear with strong protection.

However, placing them at the forefront to expedite crossing the Four Nine River implies confidence in their defenses.

“The Blue Knights are deployed within the first echelon.”

“Don’t tell me… Is the Imperial Army’s commander-in-chief with the first echelon, rather than the main force?”

“That’s correct.”

“Protected by the continent’s best swordsman… They must be very confident. Damn it… Is there no way to halt the first echelon immediately?”

She bit her lip slightly at those words.

“It’s difficult to accept that at face value. It’s been a while since Kwell McGovern relinquished the title of the strongest. Now, he’s simply another Sword Master.”

Just then,

A knight entered, opening the situation room door.

The man, clad in heavy full plate armor as if its weight were negligible, spoke with a stern expression.

“Ganesh Abellant. I’ve just arrived in Tatur, leading 1,000 troops of the Wyvern Brigade. Due to the battle with the Imperial Army in the straits, the fleet couldn’t join us, so I brought the troops that could move first.”

Dushala greeted him warmly upon his return.

“You’ve worked hard. I’m relieved. There wasn’t a knight in Tatur capable of facing Kwell McGovern right now. Your arrival will significantly boost our troops’ morale.”

Indeed, the oppressive aura emanating from him, a Sword Master, was palpable, something Dushala, who hailed from the Dark Shadow, an Eastern Country assassin group, readily recognized.

He seemed even sharper than before.

His training with the Spear King, Dustin Philip, alongside Serica Loren to hone her spear techniques, must have yielded new insights.

He no longer carried the halberd crafted from Ultimatum, featuring a long, scythe-like blade, but instead wielded a newly forged halberd with compressed pure blue phosphorus gleaming on its blade.

“Although the Steel Fleet is absent, the Silver Wing Fleet, remaining in the Duchy, is pressing the straits front alongside the Mist Fleet and the Donggak Fleet, so the Duchy’s forces will soon be able to provide support.”

“That’s encouraging news.”

Ganesh, interpreting Dushala’s expression as she responded, shook his head slightly and said.

“The Spear King didn’t come. He stated that he would no longer participate in the continental war after passing on the Black Tortoise Seven Forms to Serica.”

“I see.”

Dushala replied with a hint of disappointment.

While Ganesh Abellant’s skills were exceptional, the opponent was formidable.

“I’ll lead the Wyvern Brigade to intercept the first echelon. If we leave the upper Four Nine River undefended, preventing the Imperial Army’s main force from crossing will be difficult. If enemies are positioned both inside and outside the Four Nine River, we won’t be able to exploit the river’s strong currents.”

She nodded at Ganesh’s words.

“The enemy numbers 100,000. The Wyvern Brigade is strong, but insufficient to repel them alone.”

“Don’t worry. Our forces are already assembled at the Four Nine River, awaiting the enemy.”

“…Yes?”

Dushala tilted her head, looking at him.

* * *

“Stop them!! We must defend the upper Four Nine River stronghold at all costs!! Shield soldiers, first rank formation!! Magic troops, prepare to engage immediately!!”

At the adjutant’s command, the soldiers swiftly reorganized their ranks.

Their disciplined movements indicated extensive battle experience.

[Krrr…!!]

Despite the barrage of arrows and magic, the Beast King and the Sea King stood like colossal walls, obstructing the Imperial Army’s advance.

Crack—!!!

The Beast King’s teeth tore soldiers’ limbs apart, and those ensnared by the Sea King’s legs suffered broken backs.

“Aaaack!!”

“Uwaaaack…!!”

Kwell’s face hardened as he heard the soldiers’ screams.

“To have the Sea King here in addition to the Beast King… The Sea King’s presence this far inland, given his aversion to fresh water, suggests trouble on the straits front.”

Kwell’s brothers, including Tiren, nodded in agreement.

“There’s no time. If we lose the naval battle, the Duchy’s large forces, which otherwise couldn’t have reached this point, will cross the continent to reinforce the Free Army. That’s why we deployed the Blue Knights, the Imperial Army’s elite, as the first echelon.”

“That’s right. Although this is a major battle involving large forces, we unfortunately lack the luxury of establishing battle lines and engaging in a protracted fight.”

“To be moving so frantically, even with dragons involved in the war…”

Tiren responded quietly to his third brother, Elliot’s, words.

“We must now acknowledge the Free Army’s strength. Carryl’s personal power is a factor, but the Empire is already encircled to the south, north, and east, even excluding the western straits.”

“Tch… That immigrant bastard.”

“Watch your words.”

“What does it matter now? Although he concealed his lineage at the Sunken Hall, he’s now the king of the immigrants in name and reality. He’s simply an enemy who must be punished.”

Elliot declared boldly.

Due to various incidents across the continent, Mart, Tiren, and Randal had numerous encounters with Carryl, but Elliot was different.

He had no connection with Carryl after their separation, so there was no sense of brotherhood for him.

Indeed, it couldn’t even be said that the other brothers were bound to him by brotherhood in the first place.

Mart’s darkened complexion at Elliot’s words stemmed from conflicts over hidden truths rather than brotherhood.

“I’ll step forward myself.”

No one objected to his decision.

He was the only one in the current Imperial Army capable of facing the Beast King and the Sea King simultaneously.

“Withdraw the troops. I’ll sever the demon kings’ heads to boost morale.”

“Understood.”

Booooooo—!!!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!

Boom! Boom!!

The sounds of trumpets and loud drums echoed across the Four Nine River.

[Krrr…]

[Kaggg…]

The Beast King and the Sea King, concealed in the river and on guard, began to growl softly, seemingly unnerved by the intense pressure emanating from Kwell.

“It’s Lord Kwell!!!”

“The continent’s best swordsman!! The continent’s best swordsman!!!”

“Waaaaaaa—!!!

The soldiers’ morale surged simply from his presence. An otherworldly aura radiated from him.

Magic beyond human comprehension.

Kwell slowly drew his beloved sword, Ulston, from its scabbard.

* * *

“Am I a little late…”

Ganesh muttered, observing the Four Nine River stained red with the Wyvern’s blood.

Waaaaaaa—!!

Waaaaa—!!

The cheers of the Imperial Army echoing from below the river hinted at the battle’s outcome.

“But thanks to that, their advance was stalled. If there’s a primary contributor to this war, it’s you guys…”

As if expressing condolences for the Beast King and Sea King’s deaths, he tightened his grip on the halberd.

“Now I’ll take up that banner. But I won’t let them cross the river easily.”

Ganesh pulled on the Wyvern’s reins and soared into the sky.

Kwaaaang—!!!

The soldiers digging waterways in the Four Nine River were engulfed in flames as fire rained down on the barracks.

“What, what is it?!”

“It’s an enemy attack!!”

“It’s the Wyvern Brigade!”

The Imperial Army, having defeated the Sea King and the Beast King and burning with renewed vigor, looked up at the sky and shouted at the Wyverns’ relentless attacks.

“Magic troops! Deploy maximum protection magic! The Drake’s flames have a limited range! Shield soldiers, maintain formation!!”

Just then,

A massive halberd drew an arc and descended from above.

Kwaaaang!!

The adjutant, who had been shouting moments before, was cleaved in half, his flesh scattering like an explosion.

“Kwell McGovern.”

Tension gripped the Imperial Army as Ganesh appeared in the middle of the battlefield.

“You’ve made a grand entrance, as befits you. What’s so glorious about someone like you catching mere creatures that you’ve made such a fuss about?”

Ganesh pointed to the enormous spears erected on the banks of the Four Nine River. Impaled on the spears were the severed heads of the Beast King and the Sea King.

“After monsters, it’s Drakes… Carryl’s power really attracts all sorts of things.”

Kwell glanced at the Wyvern Brigade flying overhead for a moment, then spoke softly.

Despite slaying two monsters, he didn’t even have a scratch.

‘He’s much stronger than before.’

Ganesh regarded him with a tense expression.

‘I don’t know how long I can hold him back…’

As this thought crossed his mind, the deaths of the Beast King and the Sea King, who had sacrificed themselves, weighed heavily on him.

‘I have to risk my life too.’

“Am I included in that ‘all sorts of things’?”

Kwell didn’t answer Ganesh’s question.

“The dignity of the Five Great Sword Masters means nothing to you, I see. Well, what would the great continent’s best swordsman have to fear?”

“If you’re an enemy, draw your sword.”

“Well, since you’re no longer the continent’s best swordsman, you have to make yourself known this way. A loser who had his position as the strongest taken away by his own son.”

“You!!”

Intense fighting spirit emanated from Kwell.

‘He’s coming.’

Ganesh instinctively swung his halberd with all his might. But even faster, Kwell’s Ulston was drawn from its scabbard a half-beat earlier.

McGovern Family Transmission Swordsmanship 1st Form – Rupture Blade.

“…!!!”

At that moment, Ganesh knew intuitively that the duel would be decided with a single strike. Kwell’s sword, moving too fast to follow with the eye, had already surpassed the body’s reaction speed and was about to reach his neck.

‘To think he’s reached this level already…’

He himself had attained the realm of Sword Master through grueling training, but he realized with this exchange that there was a difference in class.

‘I’ve become worse than the monsters…’

Ganesh smiled bitterly as Kwell’s sword neared his neck.

Just then,

Kwaaaang—!!!

A sharp blade cut between them.

Kwell and Ganesh recoiled, feeling a tingling sword wind.

“Huk… Huk…”

Ganesh unconsciously touched his neck. Sticky blood stained his palm. He knew that if the wound had been slightly deeper, his head would have fallen to the ground like the demon kings’.

“Ganesh. You can lower your hand. To think you were going to order the Wyverns to attack at the last moment, that’s just like you.”

Tseuuk….

The cloud of dust that had momentarily risen from the impact dissipated, and a sharp roar echoed from the sky.

“Dragon?!”

The Imperial Army cheered, thinking it was their reinforcements.

“It’s a dragon!!”

“It’s the Empire’s guardian dragon!!”

However, the high-ranking officers, having heard the report that the Red Dragon had already been defeated in the Marquisate, watched the front with uneasy faces, unbeknownst to the soldiers.

“Don’t tell me…”

Among them, Tiren swallowed hard, unconsciously recognizing the familiar voice.

“It was worth hurrying. To come with this much force and still not be able to cross the Four Nine River, let alone reach Tatur. Is this because the Imperial Army is weak… or is my army outstanding?”

The McGovern family members’ faces hardened as they confirmed the voice’s owner as the dust cleared.

“It’s probably both.”

Carryl said quietly, looking at the severed heads of the Beast King and the Sea King impaled on a huge spear at the entrance of the Four Nine River.

Thud- Thud- Thud-

He pulled the huge spear with the heads of the two demon kings from the ground.

“Ganesh. Clean up those guys’ heads. After the war, I’ll build statues of them in this place. Because they’re heroes who tied down 100,000 troops with just the two of them. Better than you, who almost got taken down by a single sword strike.”

“I will obey.”

Ganesh smiled wryly and nodded at Carryl’s words.

“Are you saying you came alone to stop us?”

Tiren muttered in disbelief at Carryl’s appearance before the 500,000-strong army.

“One person is enough. It’s a river you couldn’t cross even when I wasn’t here. In this situation, my arrival means you know very well how the tide of this war will change. You’ll never be able to set foot beyond the Four Nine River, just like Prince Ruon did.”

“Insolent!!! How dare you, dirty immigrant…!!”

One of the knights shouted.

Thwack-!!

At that moment, the spear that had been used to impale the heads of the Beast King and the Sea King was 그대로 박혔다 [directly embedded] in the head of the knight who had shouted.

The spear’s size was so immense that the knight’s head was completely shattered, as if a watermelon had been smashed, and his blood splattered everywhere.

“Try saying that again.”

The spear, undeterred even after destroying the knight’s head, flew dozens of meters further before collapsing the barracks and embedding itself in the wall.

“Ugh… Ugh…!!”

“Aaaack!!”

The soldiers around the knight screamed at the blood and flesh that had been showered upon them.

“You guys won’t do.”

Carryl said coldly to them.

“Bring the Platinum Dragon.”

The 100,000-strong army flinched, intimidated by his single command.

“I’ll fillet him in front of everyone.”