As Jerome, the mages, the priests, and the dwarves separated to carry out their tasks, the speed of the mobile army increased significantly.
Thud thud thud thud!
Even while on the move, Ghislain continuously questioned the messenger who brought news of the Salvation Church.
"Are you sure the revolutionaries have joined?"
"Yes, it's certain. The ones who were hiding have all come crawling out."
"Did they head to Grimwell Kingdom as well?"
"Yes, most of them went along."
"Alright, their numbers could become significant once they're all gathered."
The Revolutionary Army had been active across the continent for some time, though they hadn't achieved any notable success.
This was largely because kings and nobles cracked down on them fiercely, and the revolutionaries had lost public support due to rampant looting under their banner.
The ideals they initially upheld had become so warped that they were no different from a large group of bandits.
Now, with the Salvation Church opening rifts and sparking civil wars across various nations, the revolutionaries had found an environment ripe for them to thrive.
Ghislain chuckled.
"So the Salvation Church must have been desperate to join forces with scum like them."
In the past life, this was not the case. On the contrary, the Salvation Church saw the revolutionaries as obstacles.
Their efforts to spread their faith were constantly hindered by the revolutionaries' pillaging, forcing the two groups to clash.
But now, the two nuisances had joined hands. This could largely be attributed to Ghislain's actions.
'The future has truly changed.'
When Ghislain first returned to the past, everything was within the scope of his predictions. He twisted events to make situations work in his favor.
Although he still possessed knowledge of the future, the drastic changes in circumstances meant he could no longer be certain that future events would unfold as he remembered.
'Well, this was my goal all along.'
He no longer needed to rely solely on his knowledge of the future. If he lacked power, that would have been another matter, but now he led the strongest army on the continent.
He had used his future knowledge to gain this strength, achieving in this life the same power he had in his previous life but far more quickly.
From now on, he could simply crush obstacles with sheer force.
'That doesn't mean my knowledge of the future is useless.'
Ghislain had fought the Revolutionary Army several times in his past life. He knew who led the organization.
While he hadn't annihilated them due to the constant battles with rift monsters, their leader was not to be underestimated. The human alliance had largely ignored the revolutionaries, but their leader's cunning had made them a formidable adversary.
'That guy was meticulous and resourceful.'
He was seasoned by years of raiding. There was no way he would act predictably.
At that thought, Ghislain smirked and unfurled a map atop his horse.
"Change the route."
The new destination he chose lay between Grimwell Kingdom and Artrode Kingdom. It was a crucial territory that both kingdoms had to pass through.
Ghislain sent new orders to Claude via Dark.
"Prepare for an ambush. Relay that I will advance as soon as we arrive, and have them identify key strongholds and supply routes in advance."
— Sigh, it's tough going back and forth every day.
Dark grumbled a few times before transforming into a raven and taking flight.
The mobile army didn't question his decision. They simply followed as Ghislain altered the direction.
Yulian and Parniel were no different. They completely trusted Ghislain when it came to warfare.
Only one person, struggling at the very rear of the column, pouted her lips in frustration.
"Ugh, I told you to stop making me run all over the place."
Elena wasn't merely voicing complaints born of irritation toward Ghislain. She was worried about her beloved horse.
Whinny…
The horse Elena rode was constantly exhausted. Despite being one of the most robust and strongest in the mobile army, it struggled.
This was due to the enormous weight of the giant hammer Elena carried.
Because of this, Elena had to bring along three extra horses as backups. She even fed them more potions than the others, yet it was still not enough.
To solve this issue, Elena had repeatedly requested a change from Ghislain.
— I told you, let me switch to a rapier! I'm good at fighting now!
— No. If your combat power drops, you'd be at a disadvantage. Why deliberately weaken yourself?
— I'm already suffering! Do you know what my nickname is because of you?
— I don't care. Listen, if your combat strength drops, it's a national loss. So absolutely not. I'll even get Father to write a law stating Elena can't carry light weapons.
— Argh! You're so infuriating!
No matter how much she protested, Ghislain wouldn't allow her to switch weapons. Thus, Elena was always brimming with anger.
But she wasn't someone to give up so easily. After all, she shared the same bloodline as her brother. She, too, had her plans.
"Don't think this will be your world forever."
Elena muttered a villainous line to herself, twisting her lips into a smirk.
She often trained under Parniel, whose combat style suited her best.
In Elena's eyes, Parniel was one of the few people who could fight Ghislain on equal terms.
So she nurtured a glimmer of hope. After all, she, too, wielded holy power like Parniel.
'Just wait. If this turns into a long-term struggle, I'll win in the end.'
Her durability was reaching a level where she was becoming something beyond human, much like Parniel.
Of course, she knew it wasn't feasible yet. But if she continued to gain experience and train diligently…
Someday, she would smash that hammer down on her brother's head.
'Afterward, I'll fight gracefully with a rapier.'
With that, Elena fanned the flames of her ambition.
***
Grimwell Kingdom.
This nation had excelled in repelling rifts and suppressing rebels, making it a powerhouse.
Thanks to their continued victories, their soldiers were highly motivated. They believed this war would soon come to an end.
"Don't be afraid! We'll win as we always have!"
The commander's rallying cry made the soldiers stand tall with pride.
The enemy before them was formidable, numbering around 100,000.
It was five times the size of the 20,000-strong force within the fortress.
Yet, the soldiers remained confident.
'We'll win again.'
'We've always prevailed.'
'Other forces will hold their ground too.'
The Artrode army, split into three divisions, advanced as if to encircle Grimwell's royal capital.
War wasn't merely about marching forward and crushing the enemy. For such a large force, securing supply lines was essential.
Their ultimate goal was to capture the king. To do that, they needed to seize key strongholds along the way.
Meanwhile, Gartros had learned from his defeat in the Lutania Kingdom. He no longer overestimated his abilities and acted with greater caution.
"Our target is the capital. But we must move quickly. I don't understand military tactics, so I'll leave everything to you. Deploy me wherever I'm needed, even at the frontlines."
Gartros spoke to a middle-aged man with a stern expression before him.
"Understood. I'll handle it with utmost speed."
Count Bipenbelt, the appointed commander-in-chief, bowed to Gartros.
He was a celebrated general who had played a pivotal role in conquering the Artrode Kingdom. He was also one of Duke Leinster's most trusted vassals.
Bipenbelt quickly organized the forces and issued orders efficiently.
"Prepare the ladders. Neutralize the wall defenses and approach immediately. Mages, prepare yourselves…"
The Artrode forces had overwhelming numbers. Moreover, Count Bipenbelt, who had worked with the Salvation Church's high-ranking priests, was well aware of their power.
"Let the priests move first."
There were five high-ranking priests from the Salvation Church here. Without hesitation, they flew toward the fortress.
"What's that?"
"Looks like high priests from the Salvation Church…"
"Only five of them? Are they here to surrender?"
The fortress soldiers initially just watched. While high priests were formidable, there were knights and mages aplenty here.
No matter how powerful superhumans were, it was impossible for five of them to handle a fortress-defending army on their own.
That's why everyone was stunned.
"What are you staring at like fools? Fire! Attack them now!"
Fwoosh!
Countless arrows rained down from the fortress. However, the priests, shielded by a black energy, deflected the arrows effortlessly and kept advancing.
Once they reached close to the fortress, they unleashed their full power.
Boom!
Thousands of strands of black energy erupted from their bodies, spreading in all directions.
Cursed light, a wail from the abyss.
When five high priests cast it simultaneously, the range of the attack was vast enough to cover the sky above the fortress.
The soldiers in the fortress briefly faltered in fear at the overwhelming sight.
"W-why… why would they…"
Someone muttered.
They knew what kind of skill the priests had just used. A high priest of the Salvation Church, allied with the rebels, had once used it before.
That attack alone had caused significant damage. It was undoubtedly powerful.
But they also knew it was a last-resort technique, only used in dire situations. Recklessly using it could even endanger the priests' lives.
And yet, here they were, recklessly using it with only five of them charging forward.
Before their questions could even be answered, the black energy, pouring down like rain, struck the fortress.
Crash! Crash! Boom!
"Aaaahhh!"
Soldiers screamed and fell.
Even the superhumans had to focus solely on defense due to the intensity of the attack. Ordinary soldiers couldn't withstand such a devastating onslaught.
The fortress commander shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Mages! Let the mages deal with them! Quickly!"
The enemy hadn't attempted to disrupt their magic. For some reason, the mages in the fortress were still able to cast their spells.
Boom!
Numerous spells launched from the fortress toward the priests.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
The mages of Grimwell's army were quite skilled. And there were many of them.
The priests of the Salvation Church struggled to defend themselves and began to retreat hastily.
"Tch!"
"Quick, fall back!"
The attack from the priests had essentially been a last resort. If they ran out of energy, they would even draw upon their life force to sustain it.
Having expended more than half of their strength in the initial attack, they were now mere shadows of their full power. Without their remaining energy, even knights and mages could overpower them.
Though some of them were injured, the priests managed to escape, shielding themselves with their dwindling energy.
The fortress commander gritted his teeth at the unexpected assault.
"To think they'd charge so recklessly at the front!"
Superhumans were immensely powerful and were therefore carefully protected by their allies. They couldn't afford to be injured or killed by concentrated enemy attacks.
Thus, it was almost unheard of for superhumans to move on their own. Typically, they would advance with their forces, maximizing their strength.
Yet, the enemy had exploited this conventional thinking.
"Don't stop attacking! Inflict as much damage on them as you can!"
The fortress commander bellowed. The mages relentlessly targeted the fleeing priests with their spells.
As the commander watched the priests retreat, he let out a heavy sigh.
"If only we'd managed to kill even one of them…"
Still, the priests had retreated after expending a considerable amount of energy. Some were even injured.
Once the superhumans were out of the picture, it became much easier to hold the line against even a large enemy force.
Although the fortress had sustained significant losses from the sudden attack, the commander believed they could hold out until reinforcements arrived.
But that's when Artrode's true attack began.
"Commence."
As soon as Count Bipenbelt gave the order, the mages of Artrode's army began casting spells.
Boom! Boom!
Grimwell's army had dropped their magic barriers to attack the priests. The Artrode mages took advantage of this vulnerability.
"Aaaaah!"
"It's magic!"
"D-defend! Quickly, raise the barrier again!"
Grimwell's mages scrambled to raise their magic barriers, barely managing to fend off the spells. However, by then, a significant portion of their soldiers had already been wiped out.
"How… how could this…"
The fortress commander's face went blank with despair. Could it be that the priests were merely bait to exploit that brief opening?
If even one thing had gone wrong, they could have lost their precious superhumans. Yet, the enemy had carried out such a strategy!
Their commander was terrifyingly bold.
That bold commander, Count Bipenbelt, spoke in his usual calm tone.
"The priests will need to act as bait once more. I'll send knights to assist you."
"Understood."
Superhumans were normally treated with extreme caution and restraint. But Count Bipenbelt was using them merely as bait.
To him, even superhumans were just another type of troop in his army.
"My apologies, but for the sake of victory, everything must be utilized."
"Duke Leinster's favor for you makes sense."
Although it might have seemed disrespectful, Gartros was actually pleased by it.
Lutania's forces weren't formidable solely because of Ghislain's overwhelming strength.
Their unconventional strategies and the powerful army that supported them posed an equally significant threat.
To counter them, they needed a commander of exceptional caliber. And Count Bipenbelt was exactly that.
"I trust you completely. Go ahead and do as you wish. I'll wreak havoc wherever you need me."
With a sinister smile, Gartros took to the skies, heading toward the fortress.
[T/L: I am in dire need of support. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]