Blahar had no intention of losing. He started this war from the beginning to win.
But Targayel was strong, and they defeated Heglatan's preparations one by one. Blahar had to resort to his last resort sooner than he thought.
As it had been prepared for a long time, the Chimera was certainly powerful and effective. However, it was a one-time tactic since it could not be mass-produced. Heglatan had to defeat Targayel in today's battle.
Blahar, who had sent Chimera into battle, took the lead and led Heglatan. It was the time when they were trying to pursue Targayel, which had been badly destroyed.
"Your Majesty!!"
Serev shouted urgently. Blahar looked where Serev was pointing.
There was a demon there, where the fountain of blood gushed. Wherever he passed, two or three chimeras would scream and fall to the ground. The sight of them slashing at those who stood in his way with a single longsword was so cruel that it made him feel sorry for the chimeras.
And Blahar knew that demon. He was Shan Cirxus, running alone, slaughtering the chimera.
Cirxus abandoned his words and rushed through the battlefield alone, without any escort.
What was even scarier was that, even in such an absurd situation, he was rapidly advancing towards him, glaring as if he was going to kill Blahar.
The moment his gaze met with his purple eyes that sparkled with life, Blahar couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out in rage.
He laughed for a long time, shaking his body. Then he wiped away the tears that were welling up in his eyes and said.
“What the heck, that kid is totally crazy?”
But Blahar, who said those words, didn't look particularly normal.
It didn't take Shan long to break through to where Blahar was. His path was littered with corpses.
However, he was only dealing with chimeras and low-level soldiers, and from now on, it was the real game. Dozens of knights were guarding Blahar, and hundreds of soldiers were within arm's reach with just a wave of a hand.
But Shan crawled in, even though he knew it was a grave. The knights of Heglatan surrounded him, swords and arrows aimed at him.
“...”
Shan looked at Blahar in silence. They were close enough to have a voice conversation. Blahar smiled and spoke to him first.
“What brings you here in person, Shan Cirxus?”
Shan lowered his sword. Blahar raised his eyebrows at the sight of him showing no intention of resisting. In fact, instead of swinging his sword, Shan asked him a question quietly.
“Elze, are you taking her with you?”
The gloomy voice was heard particularly clearly even in the noisy battlefield. Blahar was unable to answer Shan's question. Shan continued slowly.
“You'd better speak quickly.”
But Blahar hesitated not because he did not want to answer. He responded to Shan's words blankly.
“Shan Cirxus, you now...”
Blahar's face fell. He shouted a question at Shan with a frown on his face.
“You weren’t with Elze, were you?”
“...!!”
Shan's eyes widened at Blahar's words. It didn't seem like Blahar was lying. Right now, he was just asking a question.
Shan assumed that Elze had been discovered while entering the rear and taken prisoner by Blahar. But that was not the case.
Then, where the hell is Elze?
Suddenly, his head started spinning. The anxiety he had been ignoring was creating all sorts of bad thoughts.
No contact for over a day, hundreds of chimeras swarming where she was, and she's not even a prisoner...
The last assumption that he didn't even want to think about came to mind. Shan swayed as the dizziness surged up. Blahar spat out curses at Shan.
“You stupid kid.”
He denounced Shan with his eyes flashing red.
“It is disappointing that you cannot protect even one wife, Shan Cirxus.”
“...”
Shan didn't answer. The same questions kept coming to his mind, one after another.
Elze? Where is Elze?
Shan was truly unable to move. Blahar gritted his teeth as he watched Shan in a daze.
“Attack.”
He added darkly.
“...It doesn’t matter if you kill me.”
The sword was drawn, and the bowstring was pulled toward Shan. However, Shan just stood there blankly without any reaction. To be exact, he didn't know what to do. Darkness was encroaching upon his vision.
It was then that Shan suddenly heard a voice in his ear. At first, it was a very small and faint voice that passed by.
“...!”
But it became clearer and clearer as time went on, and eventually it pierced through the noisy battlefield and reached Shan’s ears.
“...Shan! Shan Cirxus!!”
Shan quickly raised his head. He saw a woman running towards him, slashing and stabbing the chimera, just as Shan had done moments ago.
She was running towards him, swinging a long rapier and a short mangosh, and was calling out to Shan at the top of her lungs.
The moment Shan's eyes finally met, she smiled brightly and immediately reached out her hand into the air.
White light sparkled and flowed down her outstretched arm. The light rose into the air in a gentle swirl.
At one moment, a flash of light erupted. A large oval of light appeared in the sky. It was a gigantic oval that filled the sky above the battlefield.
As the sky became brighter as if another sun had risen, both Targayel and Heglatan paused for a moment and looked up at the sky.
And as the light faded, what appeared was Ryeo's army, fully armed.
“!!!”
Blahar opened his mouth wide in amazement at this absurd situation. However, Shan did not see Blahar or Ryeo's army.
“Shan!!”
Everything else was a blur. Only she, running towards him, had vivid colors and sparkled distinctly.
Shan tried to say her name very carefully.
“... Elze?”
He called out carefully in case she would break, but Elze did not disappear.
Suddenly, vitality surged through Shan's body. Shan's pupils, which had been as empty as an empty shell, filled with life.
The black, dead skin peeled off, and new white flesh grew.
Shan raised his sword and shouted as he threw himself into the battlefield filled with chimeras.
“Elze!!”
***
Four horses galloped through Heglatan's camp.
The horses that ran madly across the camp did not stop even when they saw people. The Heglatan soldiers narrowly avoided being hit by the horses' hooves.
The soldiers looked around the horse in panic. And a beat later, they recognized Elijah. The hood was removed, revealing Elze's ivory hair. They opened their eyes wide at the sight of her hair, tied together and swaying. However, Elijah’s gallop was much faster than Heglatan could block their way.
As they moved forward from the rear, the number of soldiers gradually increased, and chimeras began to appear.
Heglatan soldiers were driving their heavily armed chimeras forward. Between them, the Targayel camp could be seen here and there. Even at a glance, it looked like it was in a bad state of disrepair.
Elze was worried about Shan; she thought. If he were okay, Targayel wouldn't be acting this way.
Something must have happened...
Her heart pounded as if it was going to burst. Elze gritted her teeth and focused on riding. While the horse was running, Elze gave orders.
“We’ll break through to where the Chimera is!!”
Elijah ran straight towards where the Chimera was. The sound of horse hooves was so loud that Elze had to shout out her operational instructions.
“Now that the ranks are in disarray, the existing strategy of pressuring the center from the rear and front is meaningless!”
"Then...?"
Rapine looked at Elze, trailing off. Elze bit her lips for a moment. Several possible strategies for the current situation came to mind and then disappeared. And Elze chose the most radical and bold one among them.
“I’m going to run into the middle of the chimeras.”
“!!”
“Right now, we need to attack the Chimera while also raising their morale by showing them that we have reinforcements.”
Even if Targayel regrouped, it would not be easy to raise morale that had already fallen. It would not be possible with ordinary methods, and a single blow, like shock therapy, would be needed.
So Elze planned to break through the Chimera Zone as much as possible and summon the army of Ryeo from a place where Targayel could see it. The sight of the army descending from the sky with divine powers unleashed was an effective means of overwhelming both friendly and enemy forces.
And finally, she had to find Shan, whose whereabouts were unknown, and reestablish the chain of command.
“I will join Shan and summon Ryeo.”
Tarkun shouted loudly at Elze's words.
“Do you know where Cirxus is!!”
“Tarkun is right. How can we find him!”
Even Rapine opposed it. But Elze answered firmly.
“I can find it.”
Ivanna gasped at Elze's words. Elze said, gripping the reins nervously.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I can find him!”
Ivanna pursed her lips a few times, wanting to say something. But then she looked into Elze's desperate eyes and quickly let out a “Ugh!”
“Yes! I’ll do as you say, Captain!!”
Everyone looked at her in surprise. They didn't expect Ivanna to say something like that. Ivanna puffed out her cheeks and let out a puff of air.
“I don’t like it, but I know that Shan Cirxus is an important person to the captain...!”
Ivanna gave her approval, and there was no one to object to it. Everyone immediately decided to follow Elze's advice. At that moment, Rapine’s shout was heard as she was watching the front.
“Captain! There’s Heglatan in front!”
They were the ones who were chasing the Chimera from behind. They were forming a camp and there were so many of them that it was impossible to break through. It was a situation where combat was unavoidable.
But there wasn't enough time to defeat them one by one. In a situation where they didn't know what had happened to Shan, they couldn't waste a single second. Rapine shouted at Elze, who was getting anxious.
“Captain, leave this place to us and go first!”
Tarkun followed Rapine's footsteps.
“Yes! Find that Cirxus guy and hit him in the back of the head!!”
Elze hesitated for a moment. Her heart was heavy as she was about to leave Elijah here. However, Ivanna urged Elze on as she hesitated.
“It’s important to find Cirxus quickly now!! It’s right for the captain to move first!”
At Ivanna's words, Elze threw away her hesitation and made a decision. Elze gave her horse a loud spur and shouted.
“Thank you! If there’s any danger, I’ll summon Ryeo right away!”
Elze swung her sword in a large sweep and cut through the soldiers. Then she ran through the gap.
“Please take care of the back!!”
Heglatan's soldiers tried to pursue Elze right away, but they had to stop.
“Where are you chasing?”
Tarkun swung his sword vigorously and threatened those who tried to pursue him. The soldiers near Elze were hit by Rapine's arrows in their vital points and fell. Rapine calmly cocked his bow and spoke.
“Your opponent is on this side.”
And finally, Ivanna opened the hem of her coat with her hand.
“We won’t have a leader either...”
She spoke haughtily, gently caressing the glass bottles tightly packed inside her fluttering coat.
“Shall I show you some of the bitterness of life?”
***
Elze left Elijah behind and rushed into the chimera.
The chimeras were endless. The chimeras she had seen in the Heglatan Palace back then were really only a very small number. Going against the endless wave of chimeras, Elze desperately called out to Shan.
“Shan! Shan Cirxus!!”
For some reason, she had a feeling that he might be nearby. A strong conviction that she would be able to meet him in this vast battlefield enveloped Elze.
Elze was attacked by chimeras as she crossed the battlefield. The horse Elze was riding was startled by the chimeras and started to run wild. Elze abandoned her horse and jumped down. Then she ran forward, swinging her sword without stopping.
She cut, cut, and cut again. His sense of smell, numb from the smell of blood, could not smell anything. The hot, piercing heat spread hotly into the air. Blood splattered across her face. Roughly wiping away the blood that was obscuring her vision, Elze looked around quickly.
Clearly, clearly Shan is here...
It was then. The Emperor's flag of Heglatan, fluttering diagonally ahead, appeared. There, a shiny, dirty blonde was visible.
And in front of him was Shan. For some reason, he was alone, without any escort. And he was completely surrounded by Heglatan.
Dozens of swords and arrows were aimed at Shan, but Shan stood still, his sword hanging down, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He showed no sign of resistance.
“Shan!”
Elze called out to him at the top of her lungs. But Shan was too far away, and Elze's voice was too small. She had to get a little closer to him.
“...”
Elze clenched her molars. She tightened her grip on the rapier and mangosh. If he couldn’t hear, she could just call louder. If she had to get closer, she could just get closer.
Elze's eyes turned bright blue. Elze screamed from deep within her stomach and ran towards Shan.
“Shan!!”
A huge front paw slammed down on Elze. Elze quickly rolled over to avoid it. Just in time, her foot landed on the dirt with a thud.
Elze found a joint in the chimera's leg and immediately stabbed it with her sword. The beast screamed and writhed as it was stabbed in a vital spot. However, before the corpse could even fall to the ground, Elze was already moving forward.
“Ha... Haa...”
Elze took a deep breath and exhaled. Her eardrums were ringing, and her head was burning hot. Her heightened senses were keenly watching the enemy’s movements.
Elze, who had identified a section that she could overcome more quickly and in the shortest distance, took a short break and ran out again.
Attack, defense, and attack. There was no hesitation in Elze's sword. The attacks continued without unnecessary movements, clean and without any unnecessary details.
Where Elze passed, the bodies of giant chimeras fell one after another, shaking the ground. She couldn't count how many chimeras she had cut down. After running for a long time, Shan finally came into clear view. Elze shouted his name with all her might.
“Shan Cirxus!!!”
Shan raised his head. His gaze met Elze's. A tingling thrill ran through his body.
Elze smiled brightly without realizing it. Then she raised her arms. Divine power surged up like a gentle current.
The divine power that rose toward the sky drew a huge ellipse. Ryeo's army appeared in the air, wrapped in white light.
The chimeras instinctively felt a sense of rejection at the wave of divine power and began to retreat. Ryeo's army descended into the space they had vacated.
At the very front, Hyeon and Ilwooz stood side by side. They checked the situation on the battlefield and opened their eyes wide. Ilwooz was surprised and checked Elze's condition first.
“Elze!!”
Elze quickly explained the situation to Ilwooz and Hyeon. Ilwooz had already experienced a chimera before, so it was easier for him to explain. Hyeon looked at Elze, who was covered in blood, and sighed deeply, placing her hand on her forehead.
“Haaah... Erzenes, you are really.”
She rebuked Elze with an angry look in her eyes.
“Call me faster next time. Understood?”
Above all else, she was most concerned about Elze. Elze felt grateful to her for that, but also sorry.
“I’m sorry. I dragged you into a dangerous operation.”
Then Hyeon laughed out loud.
“It’s dangerous!”
She said playfully, pretending to look a little sad.
“Aren’t you ignoring our knights too much?”
And Hyeon smiled brightly. Her smile made his anxious heart, which had been a moment ago, feel at ease as if it were a lie. Hyeon wiped the blood off Elze's face with her sleeve. And she patted her shoulder and said.
“Don’t worry, just save that troublemaker first.”
Elze nodded. Then she turned around. She saw Shan. He was slaughtering a chimera with a long sword.
Heglatan's knights attempted to pursue Shan, but they were too scared to jump into the midst of the chimeras.
As she watched him running towards her, Elze suddenly felt her body, which had been limp until just a moment ago, become lighter. Elze picked up her rapier and mangosh again. Then she went to greet Shan.
Only after crossing the river of blood and corpses, the two were able to meet. Elze and Shan looked at each other amidst the scent of blood and screams. Elze smiled as she looked at the slightly shaking purple eyes.
“Sorry, am I late?”
Shan did not follow Elze's smile. He stretched out his arms and hugged Elze as if he were snatching her. Shan's breathing was ragged. Along with the sound of his pounding heartbeat, a hot heat rushed in. Shan muttered with a hardened face.
“It’s late...”
"Sorry."
Elze hugged him tightly. It was a touching moment of embrace, but chimeras were swarming around them.
Elze and Shan held each other in their arms, each killing a chimera that rushed towards the other's back.
Elze looked up at Shan, wiping the blood off her rapier. Shan, in turn, looked down at Elze, wiping off his longsword.
“But you, too, are you really going to mess things up like this without me?”
Shan raised his eyebrows and said as Elze spoke with her eyes shining brightly.
“I’ve told you several times, it means nothing without you.”
Elze smiled briefly, then spoke to Shan in a serious voice.
“I want to win.”
“...”
“In this battle, and in this war... I definitely want to win.”
Shan slowly smiled in front of Elze, who was burning with fighting spirit. He slowly raised his lips and whispered.
“Whatever you want.”
Elze looked out over the battlefield. The pitch-black army of Ryeo, blending with the pure white divine power, was cutting through the chimeras.
The chimera was unable to withstand the divine power and collapsed helplessly. Targayel, who was barely able to fight back, cheered at the appearance of reinforcements and raised their morale.
All that remained was the return of Commander-in-Chief Shan Cirxus.
“Then from now on...”
Elze took a deep breath. The smell of the battlefield filled her lungs. Her body's sense of preparation for battle gradually rose.
Elze looked at the Heglatan camp where Blahar was, and spoke in a seething voice.
“It is time to counterattack.”
***
“...Why?”
Blahar muttered with a dejected face. How did it come to this?
This time, there was no choice but to win. Blahar had devised a strategy that was out of the ordinary, and it was something that no human could have won.
But there was one thing Blahar had overlooked: the leaders of Targayel were not human.
From the moment Elze returned, Shan Cirxus, which had been completely empty, quickly regained its usual appearance. No, he became much more alert and cool-headed.
He was clearly standing among the chimeras, holding a longsword, and he had broken through the front lines and returned to the Targayel camp.
Anyone who saw Cirxus throw away his longsword, which had lost its edge from cutting down the chimera, and mount his horse to lead the charge with a new sword would be forgiven for thinking he was an excellent commander.
As Cirxus returned to command, Targayel began to act in a completely different manner. The soldiers who had been scattered in disarray and barely able to defend themselves were now forming up in orderly formations. Their choppy movements became smooth, and their fluffy attacks became fierce.
Heglatan, who had been using the Chimera to corner Targayel, was greatly confused by the gradually changing flow of the battlefield.
That wasn't all. The Chimeras, the main characters of this operation, were losing their power to Ryeo's army. The knights, protected by the divine power of Ilwooz, moved among the Chimeras. They fought skillfully, and the Chimeras gradually dwindled in number.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find a breakthrough. Everything was unfavorable.
Heglatan will be defeated again.
Suddenly, his mind began to heat up as he thought of the word defeat. Blahar tried to order his entire army to attack again.
“Your Majesty, please give the order to retreat!
But Blahar's chief of staff, Serev, tried to dissuade him from making emotional judgments.
“You must plan for the future...!”
At his advice, Blahar closed his eyes. He threw his head back, then slowly straightened it again. Blahar muttered in a low voice.
“...You are right.”
He gave a soft order, his eyes showing a slight softening of anger.
“All forces retreat. Use the Chimera as a shield to minimize losses.”
As soon as Blahar's order to retreat was given, the knights gave orders as if they had been waiting for it.
“Retreat! Retreat!!”
“Retreat! All forces retreat!!”
The Heglatan soldiers began to retreat quickly.
Blahar looked at the flags waving over the Targayel camp, then bit his lower lip and turned his horse's head.
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