Regressor of the Fallen Family - Chapter 153

Regressor of the Fallen Family Chapter 153

“If we crumble, the next target will be the neutral forces. They’ll come up with an excuse that those forces sympathized with us. And they will not let the Third Prince slide either.”

The words from his disciple sounded like a threat, and the Sword Sage couldn’t help but reveal a grim smile. Yet, he couldn’t just stand idly by since the reason behind the so-called threat was far too valid. The only problem was the pressing lack of time.

“With just the Esperanza Knights and cavalrymen?! It’s too dangerous! Even if we gather all the neutral forces, it would still not be enough…”

“In the meantime, McLaine could be wiped out.”

“It won’t make a difference if you go now. McLaine won’t last a day! Our family’s forces will be shattered, Your Excellency!”

“We can hold on.”

The realistic dissuasion from his deputy commander Luis contrasted with the baseless confidence of his disciple. Loving affection for his disciple, or the intuition of an Aura user—what influenced his choice? Despite years of cultivation, fully understanding his own heart was a challenge in itself. The Sword Sage decided it was better to focus on the present reality instead of finding excuses for what had already happened. For the chaos of the battlefield was already faintly visible in the distance.

“Prepare for battle!”

“Yes!”

Thud, thud, thud…

250 knights and 3,000 cavalrymen—and himself. Compared to the enemy forces, which seemed to number in the tens of thousands, his meager army didn’t even make for one-tenth. Yet, the Sword Sage confidently declared that in terms of quality, if not quantity, his knights were the strongest in the kingdom. Among them were intermediate-grade Force users, forty high-grade knights, two top-tier knights, and himself, an Aura user. Even though elite members including Luis were dispatched to escort the Third Prince, they were still the kingdom’s strongest force. Moreover, they were complemented by almost 300 apprentice knights who would’ve earned the title in any other territory, now leading the cavalrymen as captains. The timing was also perfect. The enemy’s elite was preoccupied with the siege up front, and pressed by the momentum, they were even pushing further forward.

At the sound of galloping hooves, the pale faces of the enemy’s rear looked back in terror, filling the Sword Sage’s vision.

“Breakthrough in a straight line and smash their center!”

“Yes!”

A certain way to end the battle with a small force—his sword pointed towards the main camp of the Second Prince’s army.

* * *

The moment the Sword Sage’s sword pointed forward, the knights from a certain marquis charged bravely and were lifted into the air as if by magic. From afar, Logan could see the principle behind it.

“Using Overbearing Sword like that…”

The enemy knights and their horses were bound by an intangible pressure and tumbled to the ground simultaneously. Then, a red line appeared in front of those knights who were momentarily floating, and as quick as a flash, twenty knights, divided by the red line, were cut into two perfectly separated halves.

“Sonic Blade.”

One of the Sword Sage’s secret techniques that he chose not to teach Logan, who saw no need to learn it. Yet, witnessing that miraculous scene, he couldn’t help but overflow with the desire to master it.

The knights lucky enough to escape that strike were immediately trampled by the Esperanza Knights who followed the Sword Sage. No resistance was tolerated—a complete rout. The scene of the marquis’ knights being wiped out in an instant marked the beginning of the collapse of the Second Prince’s rear line.

It seemed like an audible sound of tearing, and that image was so striking that sounds appeared to reverberate in the mind like reality. Overwhelming—no other word seemed more fitting to describe it. Even if the faction’s elite was mostly occupied at the fortress, it was still a spectacular display of crushing power.

“Thank you, Master!”

It was almost like negligence, but it averted a crisis. Of course, this dramatic scene wasn’t just inspiring to Logan—he noticed that even Wicken’s eyes, with whom he was fighting, were dyed with horror, effectively halting their clash. As Wicken turned his gaze, Logan saw a streak of faint mana flying toward the enemy’s ear.

The moment Wicken flinched, Logan made his move.

“Ugh! How dare you?!”

Damn. Was it too soon to use that skill?

“What a waste.”

Logan taunted the enemy with a scathing smile, but Wicken responded unexpectedly.

“You’re tiresome. We’ll settle this later.”

“Uh?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Wicken disappeared like the wind. Wicken’s greatest strength, his speed, was hard for Logan to follow until he used time acceleration. It didn’t matter to Logan, though—the direction in which Wicken fled made his intentions clear.

“They’re targeting the Master.”

With Luther Kaihl’s voice booming from the other side and now barely audible, it seemed that at least three knights had moved to face the Sword Sage. So then…

Without further thought, Logan moved with lightning speed to the eastern wall.

“Huh?”

Catching a glimpse of his pale father, Victor and Ronian sitting weakly in the same area, Logan was momentarily distracted.

“The knights are retreating from the front lines! Use all available resources to push back! Intercept the remnants and any who turn to join the enemy!”

Logan decimated the few remaining enemy knights on the wall who were still in disarray from the sudden withdrawal of the champions. With a Snake Blade that changed unpredictably within a 7-8 meter range and his heightened reflexes, no enemy could withstand even a single blow from him.

“Impossible! I’ll be your oppo…”

A sharp thrust.

“Cough…!?”

“Too much talk.”

Even the top-tier knight Harby Miller, known as the Iron Fortress, attempted a counter-thrust in vain and suddenly lost his life.

“Ugh… How…”

Not understanding how his impenetrable defense, reinforced by force blade on his armor and war club, could be breached, Harby Miller’s incredulity persisted until his last breath—a high-grade knight decimated in a pitiful end by Logan’s unexpected intrusion behind the McLaine forces.

Following Miller’s death, the few enemy knights who had made it onto the bulwark were entirely eliminated. With the firing of arrows and the thunderous bombardment that followed, the agonized screams below the wall continued.

“Dismount the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th divisions at the walls, and all other knights and crossbow cavalry mount up! Join the forces of the Duke Esperanza’s family to break through the enemy!”

“Brother!”

“young lord Logan!”

The closest divisions were led by Ronian, Victor, Eileen, and Henderson, all powerful intermediate-grade knights, and they immediately objected to Logan’s command. However:

“Guard the walls! You’re the only ones who can defend it with such a small number!”

Logan overruled their objections with a firm shout.

“Kai! Lead the regular soldiers and the militia! And if the enemy starts retreating, immediately…”

“Yes! Leave it to me!”

Kai Solon cut off Logan’s explanation, seemingly unfazed by the current state, his pale complexion, and the bloody steel beneath his armor, indicating he was less than well, yet his command did not seem to be impaired.

Logan nodded and quickly jumped off the wall, followed closely by his father, who seemed to have regained some color.

“Hurry up!”

After a brief exchange of glances with Eileen, who was encouraging others at the southern wall, Logan’s horse neighed.

“Greckk, Enan! Open the south gate! We’re charging out!”

Following Logan’s swift order, his late mentor Clayton’s disciples immediately obeyed, though questions filled the air from those nearby.

“To the south?! Towards the First Prince’s army? But the Sword Sage is currently confronting the Second Prince’s…”

“We must take this opportunity to kill the princes.”

“If the Ice Mage and Storm Sword have set their sights on master, now is the best chance to take down the First Prince.”

The Duke Esperanza’s forces could lay waste to the enemy’s rear because of the Sword Sage’s strength and their forces. Even with McLaine’s and Esperanza’s forces combined, they could not handle both factions in normal circumstances. Thus, even with McLaine coming to Esperanza’s aid, it was likely they would have to retreat.

But there was no need to explain this intricate strategy or the real feasibility of killing the First Prince.

With a sense of urgency reflected in his expression, Logan managed to sway his father’s heart.

“Yes. If we kill the First Prince and start the breakthrough to the Second Prince, that alone would constitute a pincer attack.”

Patrick, likewise, didn’t question the feasibility, focusing instead on the best-case scenario.

Troops quickly formed lines as they jumped down from the wall and mounted the horses waiting inside, with the crossbow cavalry tumbling down the stairs to catch up.

And then, as a portion of the south gate opened in response to the prepared command, revealing the startled faces of the enemy outside.

“Charge!”

McLaine’s elite surged out of the fortress like the wind.

* * *

“Just a little more, just a bit more.”

Clayton had been fighting off the alien magical force that began to shackle him right from the start of the battle. Despite his struggle to use magic, he failed time and again due to growing impatience. His disciples were busily casting Liberatio through golems and using support spells to hold the enemy soldiers at the walls. Meanwhile, he was frustrated at his own inability to act.

Finally, he closed his eyes, turning inward to disconnect from his surroundings entirely. After successfully casting Gravity Control thanks to Kelahan’s Staff, he realized that with the power he had lingering between Mana and Magic force, he couldn’t easily dispel another mage’s power. There were two options: the opposing mage would lose the capacity to interfere, or he would transcend the boundary limits and fully harness true magic force. Since the former was out of his hands, he risked the latter, albeit appearing as an act of escape from reality. Surprisingly, this retreat led to progress. The unique interference from the kingdom’s sole mage presented him with possibilities beyond his acknowledged limits. And the moment the magical interference disappeared, Clayton’s power underwent a transformation and evolved.

With another full ring added to the circle of his heart, his power underwent a fundamental shift. Clayton realized he had gained “another attribute” and had become a true mage. It was as though he, who was once merely a chick, had become the king of the skies, an eagle.

Opening his eyes wide and letting out a roar, he yelled:

“I’ll show you hell, Luther Kaihl! Gravity Co… uh…?!”

But the knight he called out to was no longer in sight, and his confident cry was met by only:

“Master! The Knight is gone! Just throw a bomb or something!”

Clayton received only admonishment from his disciple, Greckk. His face, flushed with embarrassment for a moment, but he swiftly grasped his role.

“Woosh.”

With six circles of powerful vibrations emanating magic force,

“Summon Golem! Rise, soldiers of the earth!”

Land inside the fortress transformed into golems over three meters tall. Unlike the golems he summoned before, these appeared more solid, resembling armored knights, with their hands shaped like blunt clubs. Thirty such golems arose without spending a single magic crystal—an impressive feat. And then:

“Go! Fight! For victory!”

The command for an aggressive battle didn’t seem to consider the impact of the golem’s destruction on a mage’s mind—a stark contrast from the past.

“Have you gone mad, Master?! You warned us that the circles would shatter, but now?!”

…It was a misunderstanding.

“Shut it! Things are different now. Open the gates!”

“Master!!”

Only after Clayton displayed his gathered magic force with clear evidence did his disciples finally relent. But by then, McLaine’s knights had advanced south for over half an hour. The new archmage’s transcendent magic made its debut into the world, albeit slightly late.