Chapter 1277 |
Siegfried’s gamble paid off big time.
The Lord of Destruction failed to dodge the Touch of Death, and his stance collapsed upon blocking it.
Siegfried seized that opening without hesitation and attacked with Five Steps to Invincibility. By shrinking the space around the Lord of Destruction, Siegfried had laid a trap in advance, one that proved to be the deciding factor of this battle.
“T-This…. Impossible…” the Lord of Destruction muttered in disbelief as he staggered backward. He simply couldn’t accept the fact that he ended up getting caught in a trap.
“You got too cocky and put too much faith in yourself. Your complacency was your greatest weakness,” Siegfried said icily.
“...”
“What use is overwhelming power when you just rely on that one thing to bulldoze through things? You have to think. The real battle is up here,” Siegfried added, tapping his head with two fingers.
“It seems… I have rested for too long…”
With those final words, the Lord of Destruction closed his eyes. For decades, he had rarely found anyone he could call a worthy opponent. With no challengers to push him, he had long since lost the will to sharpen his techniques.
The result of that was the outcome of today's battle.
The Lord of Destruction believed he could overpower everything, and death was the price for his overconfidence.
Just like that, the man who once reigned as the strongest warrior on the continent fell.
‘Tsk… What a waste,’ Siegfried said, clicking his tongue in regret. He would have loved to subdue the Lord of Destruction instead of killing him outright, as he would have secured yet another Grandmaster for the Proatine Empire.
Unfortunately, subduing the Lord of Destruction was nearly impossible, so his only option was to kill him.
‘How much stronger do I have to become in order to suppress someone of this level with ease?’ Siegfried wondered.
He realized that he still had a long way to go.
If Deus, who had attained the power of invincibility, were here, then he'd subdue the Lord of Destruction without breaking a sweat. Even after winning against the most powerful warrior on the continent, Siegfried still thought that his journey was far from over.
Ding!
A familiar chime rang, and a notification popped up in front of his eyes.
[Alert: You have slain the Lord of Destruction!]
[Alert: Your quest progress has increased!]
[Master’s Regret]
[Type: Quest]
[Details: Find and crush the seven successors of the people known as the strongest eight on the continent five hundred years ago.
[Progress: 85.71% (6/7)]
[Descendant of Thunder God Vajra 1/1] ✓
[Descendant of Sword Saint Murcielago 1/1] ✓
[Descendant of Great Sage Sieghart 1/1] ✓
[Descendant of Blood Master Berserk 1/1] ✓
[Descendant of Enlightened King Maugris 0/1]
[Descendant of God Arrow Windforce 1/1] ✓
[Descendant of Supreme King Braum 1/1] ✓
Out of the seven descendants, only one remained…
If he managed to find the descendant of Enlightened King Maugris and defeat them, then he would finally complete the quest given to him by Deus.
This quest was the one he had received right after becoming the Debuff Mater, and at long last, it was almost complete. Of course, he had no idea when or where he could encounter the descendant of Enlightened King Maugris.
[Alert: You have leveled up!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 634!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 635!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 636!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 637!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 638!]
Siegfried gained five levels after defeating the Lord of Destruction.
Shwaaaa…!
The World of Despair receded and…
"...!"
Both the Proatine Imperial troops and the Marchioni Imperial troops froze in shock.
Contrary to what most expected, Siegfried was the last man standing, and at his feet lay the fallen body of the man once regarded as the most powerful warrior on the entire continent.
The soldiers couldn’t help but be in awe at the result of the duel.
Siegfried raised his spear and said in a calm yet authoritative voice, “All forces. Exterminate the enemy."
Uwaaaaaaah!
The morale of the Proatine Imperial soldiers skyrocketed, and they charged straight at the Marchioni Imperial soldiers.
***
Siegfried’s victory over the Lord of Destruction marked the beginning of the Proatine Imperial Army’s counterattack and the merciless slaughter of the Marchioni Imperial troops.
Meanwhile, Hansen immediately moved the army and set his plan in motion upon hearing the news of the Lord of Destruction’s death.
Naturally, the Marchioni Imperial Army had no choice but to withdraw from the border. They had lost Betelgeuse, Daode Tianzun, and even the Lord of Destruction, after all.
‘Time is of the essence.’
Hansen had already foreseen such a move from the Marchioni Imperial Army, and he immediately mobilized the soldiers he had prepared in advance.
About two hours later…
“His Imperial Majesty has returned!”
The entire Proatine Imperial Army’s camp erupted in cheers as Siegfried returned triumphantly, carrying the remains of the Lord of Destruction.
“Long live His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Siegfried von Proa!”
“Long live the Proatine Empire!”
“Long live the Allied Forces!”
The soldiers, officers, and knights cheered at the top of their lungs.
Then, as if they had rehearsed beforehand, they all fell to one knee and paid their respects to the hero who deserved to be revered. On top of being the emperor, Siegfried had saved the world countless times.
In addition to that, he had defeated all three Grandmasters prepared by the Marchioni Empire. His achievements were destined to be remembered for ages to come, ones that will be recorded in the annals of history.
“Congratulations on your victory, my lord,” Hansen said, kneeling on one knee.
“Thank you, Hansen. You may rise,” Siegfried replied.
“Your grace is immeasurable, sire,” Hansen said before getting up to his feet. Then, he reported, “Thanks to Your Imperial Majesty, the tables have been turned.”
“Hm? What do you mean by that?”
“The Marchioni Imperial Army will be surrounded very soon.”
“How?”
“While Your Imperial Majesty was battling against the Lord of Destruction, we have been…” Hansen proceeded to explain the strategy he had devised.
“Whoa…”
“At present, the Marchioni Imperial Army stationed along the border is hastily preparing to retreat.”
“...!”
“But our forces, the ones that have already infiltrated behind enemy lines, have begun to move. Within the next ten hours, the Marchioni Imperial Army will be encircled in the most disadvantageous terrain.”
“Oooh!”
“And within three days, a massive full-scale battle will erupt, in which our forces will claim a great victory. Unless the Marchioni Empire has another trump card prepared, one that is capable of defeating Your Imperial Majesty, then there will be almost no variables.”
“As expected!” Siegfried exclaimed, sincerely impressed by the strategy devised.
He couldn’t help but feel that Hansen was truly an invaluable asset of the Proatine Empire, as the strategist had accounted for every little detail that Siegfried himself had not had the chance to even think about.
“A full-scale assault is imminent. We must throw everything we've got this time to annihilate the enemy.”
“Got it. I’ll be ready,” Siegfried replied with a grin.
Just like that, the Proatine Imperial Army and the allied forces began their preparation to march into battle.
Their goal was to annihilate the Marchioni Imperial Army and put an end to the greatest war in the history of the entire continent.
***
As Hansen had predicted, the Marchioni Imperial Army slowly began to withdraw from the border.
It was obvious that they would be encircled and attacked from all sides if they stayed put, so they made it their top priority to retreat as quickly as possible.
Time was of the essence now, as retreating even a few minutes late could result in the entire army getting encircled and wiped out.
Meanwhile, Hansen instructed the troops to tighten the encirclement.
He predicted the movements of the Marchioni Imperial Army without relying on the Eye of Behemoth.
Simply by looking at the map, Hansen foresaw the retreat routes of the Marchioni Imperial Army.
There were only a few routes capable of supporting the retreat of a massive army such as the Marchioni Imperial Army, so figuring out which one they would be taking was a piece of cake.
Meanwhile, the Marchioni Empire had restored the Eye of Behemoth and began tracking the movements of the Proatine Imperial Army.
Unfortunately, it was already too late. Both the situation and the terrain were so bad that the Proatine Imperial Army could practically dictate where to herd the Marchioni Imperial Army.
Even though they could track the movements of the Proatine Imperial Army with pinpoint precision, it was all futile, as there was no way the Marchioni Imperial Army could escape from the trap Hansen had set.
The Marchioni Imperial Army was driven into a corner, leaving them with few options.
‘The Marchioni Imperial Army has only two options now—either fight a massive battle to break out of the encirclement, or split their army into multiple divisions and hope that most of them manage to escape.’
Hansen had already predicted even the last two options of the Marchioni Imperial Army.
‘We hold the overwhelming advantage right now, so we will surely win an all-out battle. In that case, the Marchioni Imperial Army will most likely attempt to split their army into multiple divisions and retreat.
'If that’s their choice, then what we have to do is… have our troops pursue the enemies while His Imperial Majesty goes around cleaning up the battlefield.’
Hansen had even narrowed down the Marchioni Imperial Army’s options from two to one, and his prediction was spot on.
The Marchioni Imperial Army split into ten and began fleeing in different directions, hoping to shake off the Proatine Imperial Army encircling them.
Their commanders knew that they had zero chance of winning an all-out battle, so they decided to ensure that at least half could survive.
‘It’s regretful, but I’ll still take it. We will pursue and kill as many of them as possible.’
With that, Hansen dispatched the main army stationed at the border while also sending out divisions to hunt down the fleeing enemy troops.
Siegfried, too, actively joined the hunt as he swept across battlefields, writing new legends.
In the process, the Marchioni Imperial Army lost half its troops and half its territory.
In no time, a month passed. The Proatine Imperial Army and the allied forces advanced so deep inside enemy territory that they were less than one hundred kilometers away from the imperial capital of the Marchioni Empire.
‘Just you wait…’
Siegfried climbed to a nearby mountain peak and gazed coldly toward the imperial palace in the distance.
Only a few battles remained, and he would be at the doorstep of Emperor Stuttgart’s throne room.
The Proatine Imperial Army and the allied forces were marching toward the capital, forcing the Marchioni Empire to start preparing for a defensive siege.
The situation was so dire that the Marchioni Empire mobilized its reserves and newly conscripted young men to battle.
‘This won’t be an easy fight…’
Siegfried could already sense just how fierce the upcoming battle would be.
Up until now, they had reaped benefits and benefits without fighting any major battles, all thanks to Hansen’s strategic brilliance.
However, things were going to be different from now on.
The time had come to clash strength against strength, steel against steel.
Meanwhile, Hansen finally took a break and slept on a field bed placed in a corner of his tent. He had pushed himself way past his limits, as he had to oversee the entire encirclement operation.
Fatigued and overworked, he closed his eyes to take a short nap.
“...!”
About two hours after falling asleep, Hansen bolted straight up.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
He gasped for air as cold sweat drenched his back, soaking the field bed where he was sleeping.
A nightmare.
In those few hours of sleep, he had a terrifying nightmare.
“What was that…?”
He shuddered as he tried to recall the nightmare. The nightmare itself was not all that terrifying. However, he saw hundreds of thousands of spiders flooding the Proatine Imperial Army’s camp all at once.
For some reason, his heart was thumping wildly against his chest.
He was trembling like an aspen tree as well. Hansen found this to be odd and suspected that the dream was not something he could dismiss.
‘Could it be… foresight?’
Just like last time, Hansen wondered if this dream was warning him in advance of some ominous event yet to occur. And so, rather than trying to understand things on his own, he decided to go to Siegfried and tell him about it.
The sense of terror and foreboding was far too strong to dismiss the nightmare as mere nerves.