Count Pere had been entrusted with an important mission.

The poorly defended south gate. Breaking through there, pushing straight into the royal palace, and killing everyone inside—that was Count Pere’s role.

Count Pere wasn’t particularly strong.

But—

He was a mere count who had earned the trust of Sword Emperor Bolond.

Count Pere was extremely good at dealing with variables.

In fact, across countless battles, he had used sudden variables in reverse through sheer intellect.

DRIP, DRIP—!

But right now, Count Pere didn’t even register the wetness running down his pant leg.

Because of the man in front of Pere.

Only a little over a minute has passed.

In that time, the man had crushed eight hundred Blood Ghoul Corps alone.

And then, just now, he’d said it like it was nothing.

That he hadn’t been hit even once.

Was it bluffing?

No. Count Pere himself had watched every moment.

He truly hadn’t taken a single hit.

A thought struck Pere.

Even in the Parion Empire, people like that are extremely rare.

Even though the empire had a population in the hundreds of millions.

What shocked Pere most was that there weren’t just one of these monsters—there were two.

The other man who’d gone elsewhere flashed through Pere’s mind.

Pere remembered Sword Emperor Bolond’s speech before the campaign.

This campaign will be absurdly easy.

And honestly, anyone would’ve thought it would be that kind of fight.

That thought flipped over completely.

Your Majesty... it might not be easy.

Count Pere at least understood what he needed to do.

He had to inform them that there were two unidentified powerhouses.

Because every Blood Ghoul Corps unit was complacent, certain of victory.

“Everyone...!”

He couldn’t finish.

SHIIING—!

The man had noticed, and slit Count Pere’s throat in one swift motion.

Beings that shouldn’t exist... might create variables we can’t even imagine...

That was Count Pere’s last thought.

Meanwhile—

Among the troops of Marquis Lukburg guarding the east gate, there was a young knight struggling to hold back the endless press of the Blood Ghoul Corps.

His name was Luk—the son of Marquis Lukburg, and Hyunsoo’s vassal.

Watching the Blood Ghoul Corps’ strength firsthand, Luk was drowning in despair.

The soldiers alone are this strong?

They were absurdly strong. Ordinary soldiers had levels that reached the realm of knights.

But Luk clenched his sword tighter.

This kingdom was the kingdom Lukburg—his father—had tried to protect with everything he had.

“WRAAAAAH!”

Luk cut down another Blood Ghoul Corps soldier.

And there was a man watching him.

His name was Jabar.

A knight counted among Parion’s heroes.

Jabar—someone in the 440s—watched Luk with interest.

“So that’s Luk, the son of Marquis Lukburg?”

He was impressive.

A knight who’d been made one year ago was overwhelming the Blood Ghoul Corps.

The reason this was possible was simple: even at the same level, Luk was an existence comparable to a semi-named NPC.

That was all Jabar thought.

Parion’s commanders had studied how to shatter the Kingdom of Goyard down to its roots.

They had investigated thoroughly, all to break even the unbreakable spirit of Goyard’s people and secure total victory.

“Kill him. Put his head on a five-meter stake and raise it high. Then the east gate will collapse.”

Jabar was cunning.

Cunning and cruel—an idolized “hero” who reigned over the empire.

If the head of the east gate’s leader—the son of Marquis Lukburg—went up into the sky, commanders and soldiers alike would break.

With that, the Blood Ghoul Corps began charging Luk.

What—?

Luk panicked as the attacks converged on him.

Weapons began carving his body from every direction.

SHRK—! CLACK—! THUNK—!

“KHUK!”

Luk spat blood and collapsed.

From the ground, Luk could see Jabar’s vile smile in the distance.

Luk understood immediately.

Father...!

A father who could throw away his own life for the son who’d lost his mother too early.

They called Lukburg a cold-blooded noble, but with his son, Lukburg was warm.

My severed head... Father will see it?

Luk despaired—again and again—under the raining weapons.

Then—

SHRK—! THUNK—! THUNK—! GRIP—!

Five Blood Ghoul Corps soldiers attacking Luk were butchered.

When Luk saw that blade, Luk’s eyes widened.

That is...?

The Supreme Blade.

The weapon his lord, Hyunsoo, held.

Luk turned his head—and froze.

Who is that?

A skinny man dressed like a ragged beggar.

Even his hair wasn’t properly groomed.

“Move.”

But who he was didn’t matter.

He’d spoken with a warm voice.

And what mattered was clear: anyone could tell he was an ally.

Luk was awestruck.

That warm voice from just now—

“......”

Luk looked behind him.

Dozens of Blood Ghoul Corps soldiers were down.

A powerhouse my lord sent... came running to save me!?

But no.

“No, move. ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) You’re in the way and I can’t get through.”

“...?”

Luk stared blankly.

The man brushed past Luk’s head like it was nothing, muttering as if annoyed.

“...Twenty-third?”

Luk tilted his head.

Twenty-third?

Then the man exhaled once—cut down hundreds of Blood Ghoul Corps soldiers—and sprinted deeper inside.

“...!?”

As Luk stared in shock, someone appeared behind Luk.

“Oh, you’re interesting.”

Jabar stepped in front of Luxiu.

“I thought this war was too boring. Who knew Goyard had talent like you?”

Jabar unleashed the swordsmanship Parion’s knights had inherited from Sword Emperor Bolond.

Hot aura surged from Jabar’s body.

“I am Jabar, the one called the Hero of a Hundred Battles. Today, I grant you my name—”

SHIIING—!

“...?”

Jabar froze.

They hadn’t even exchanged blows.

A slash too fast to see—and a critical strike—made blood burst from Jabar’s chest in an instant.

THUNK—!

Luxiu stabbed once through Jabar’s heart, pulled the blade back out, and looked bored.

“...What kind of hero dies in three moves?”

“...!?”

Jabar’s mind went white.

Jabar had watched Luxiu cut through the Blood Ghoul Corps all the way here and calculated everything.

Then Jabar saw Luxiu raise the sword—and realized.

...This wasn’t what I calculated. The opponent guided me into calculating it.

With only three swings—

SHIIING—!

Hero Jabar’s head hit the ground.

Luxiu walked past Luk again, muttering.

“Now that makes twenty-four. If I get at least fifty, will that prove I wasn’t scared?”

And Luxiu vanished.

Only then could Luk finally understand.

“Twenty-four...”

The number of “commanders” Luxiu had cut down.

Luk looked around one more time, stunned.

Luxiu had seemed curt and indifferent, but Luxiu had butchered everyone there so Luk could escape safely—and then left.

And the shockwave from that was enormous.

“Commander Gen has fallen...?”

“Commander Carton has fallen too.”

“Sir Bows—the knight said to have the strength of a thousand—has fallen!”

“Who is it!?”

“Who is it!?”

“Someone approached without a sound, killed the commanders, and vanished!”

The Blood Ghoul Corps fell into chaos.

No matter how strong an army was, once it lost its commanders, the structure collapsed.

And if it wasn’t one or two, but twenty—then thirty—the impact could only be worse.

Because of that, the Blood Ghoul Corps—once nothing but solid—began to shake.

It became easier for Goyard’s forces to fight them, since they were battling Blood Ghoul Corps units that had lost their commanders.

But when the Blood Ghoul Corps’ supreme commander, Pick, received the reports, Pick let out a quiet laugh.

“...Bella, was it?”

A knight the Sword King had cherished.

Now, rumor said Bella had left the king’s side and was serving someone else.

Pick assumed Bella had slipped into this battlefield in secret and was butchering the enemy.

“...It’s true. Bella is exceptional talent.”

Still, nothing truly changed.

A battle that had been easy had only become slightly more annoying.

Did we lose fifteen thousand?

Because the units that lost their commanders collapsed quickly, thousands had been lost in an instant.

But Goyard’s losses were worse.

No matter how many commanders died, the outcome didn’t change.

“Begin the total assault.”

There were still 35,000 Blood Ghoul Corps left.

On the other side, Goyard’s forces were exhausting themselves.

THOOM, THOOM, THOOM, THOOM—!

“Prepare yourselves for death!”

Pick changed plans.

Originally, Pick had intended to win the biggest victory with the smallest losses.

But now, 35,000 Blood Ghoul Corps began pushing Goyard’s forces back without fear.

“KHUHK!”

“KHUK!”

“U-UHUK!”

“WRAAAH!”

The moment the total assault hit, Goyard’s forces were swept away.

East gate and west gate. North gate and south gate.

Those barely holding on were blown aside like leaves in a gale under the Blood Ghoul Corps’ surging wave.

As the battle’s shape flipped in an instant, Goyard’s forces broke even faster, terrified.

“KHEH... KHEHAHAHA!”

Watching it, Pick laughed—then felt baffled.

Even if it’s a small kingdom, it can’t be this easy.

Goyard’s forces were collapsing far more easily than Pick expected, unable to withstand the total assault.

And what made Pick burst into even more maniacal laughter was the sight of people retreating toward the castle like they were fleeing.

*****

It’s collapsing this easily...?

Hyun’s Forge.

Nell—fighting on the west gate side—had a face stained with despair.

Was Goyard always this weak?

It was far weaker than Nell had even imagined. Like someone was deliberately losing.

And the cries of the citizens echoing from inside made it feel like they were announcing a complete defeat.

“A-Ah...”

“Our soldiers are falling apart like this!?”

“We’re dead—we’re all dead!”

“S-Sob...!”

“Your Majesty!”

The citizens’ wails spread, turning into despair.

Their tearful voices overflowed with screams.

Nell’s chest throbbed painfully.

Even if they’re NPCs... if the kingdom falls, they all die...

And Nell knew something else, too.

If Goyard falls... what happens to Hyun’s Forge? What happens to Atlas?

Hyunsoo couldn’t become king.

Goyard would become Parion’s tributary state, and the citizens would be reduced to slaves.

And—

The knights and soldiers... they’ll be used as tools of war...

Nell’s vision went dark.

Before Nell knew it, all of Goyard’s forces had pulled back into the capital, and the 35,000-strong army began seizing the walls.

It’s falling. Goyard is...

Right then—

Nell saw something even more shocking.

Fenrir—the one who had only watched after fighting Barad.

“KRAAAAAAH!”

It leapt high into the sky.

Fenrir was a wolf, but because of its traits, it could wield unusual magic.

The instant Fenrir cast that magic at Marquis Lukburg, Marquis Valo, and Marquis Constinu—

“...!?”

“...!?”

“...!?”

Goyard’s pillars panicked.

Like Hyunsoo’s Gather, they were being dragged toward Fenrir by a force they couldn’t resist.

RIIIP—!

Fenrir opened its mouth toward the three pale-faced marquises.

Nell understood.

Those three marquises—

Lukburg, Valo, Constinu.

If those three fell, it was total defeat.

Then—

“Summon.”

Huh...?

Nell made a puzzled face.

Not far from Nell—Nell heard a familiar voice from a man Nell knew.

Summon? Summon what?

Then—

“Gremory.”

“...!!!?”

For a moment, Nell couldn’t understand what was happening.

A demon suddenly descended from the sky.

And of all places, that demon appeared between Fenrir and the marquises.

FLASH—!

With black currents swirling, Gremory manifested between them, staring at Fenrir like it was an insect, eyes brimming with malice.

“What is this mutt?”

Fenrir hesitated.

Fenrir—called one of the legendary monsters—was infamous enough to be known as a legend of cruelty and savagery.

And yet—

Fenrir quietly shut its mouth.

“YIP......”

It even forced an awkward smile.