Outbreak of War (1)

The fragile peace was eventually shattered.

The two countries, Kaldris and the Mado Kingdom, formally declared war on the six denominations and Allendia.

-Despite giving you a chance to atone, the fake incarnation did not repent. Then isn’t there only one option left? Kaldris and Rune, the two nations, will move to restore order to Latna!

Fifty thousand soldiers from Kaldris and thirty thousand from the Mado Kingdom began marching toward the border of Allendia.

Of course, Allendia didn’t just wait either.

They knew the war would start soon, so they had already deployed most forces at the border and been faithfully prepared.

“But it won’t last long.”

Leon Hart pointed to the map of the Fairy Kingdom.

“Allendia has less than 20,000 soldiers.”

Even though it was rebuilt as much as possible, that was the reality.

Initially, it was already the weakest of the three continental powers, and when it was consumed by civil war, it became even more inferior to Kaldris and the Mado Kingdoms.

“So we have to fight back before that.”

If the shield was poor, they had no choice but to attack before it broke.

“And now the strongest spear in Allendia is the Sword King Army led by the Sword King Felard Bean.”

It wasn’t just Ryu Han-bin.

The new members of the Top Four, Leon Hart and Kibie, a level 120 Aura user, and over level 110 Magic Swordsman, were also included in the troops.

Leon Hart sighed.

“Oh, in fact, it’s much more advantageous for the war to disperse this power and place it evenly on both fronts…”

But they couldn’t do it because they had to be careful of Kibie’s safety.

“There’s no choice, so we’ll have to get the most efficiency we can.”

Ryu Han-bin looked down at the table and asked.

“So, where are we going?”

“Northern Front.”

Pointing to a spot on the map, Leon Hart replied.

“Let’s attack the back of the Thunder King first.”

* * *

The northern border of Allendia and Kaldris.

At Fort Ballon, built along the river, 1,500 Allendia troops continued to fight an uphill battle against 5,000 Kaldris Kingdom troops.

The sky was filled with arrows and magic spells.

Below that, many enemy soldiers attacked the fort.

It was more than three times the power difference. Nevertheless, the Allendia army stood its ground.

“Wizards! Support!”

“Don’t back off!”

“One breach will kill you!”

Eventually, the 3rd Corps of the Kaldris Kingdom gave up its attack and retreated.

The deputy looked back at the commander and shook his head.

“They’re so tough, Lord Dana.”

The middle-aged woman in armor shrugged.

“We haven’t been through many wars.”

Knights and soldiers of the 3rd Corps of the Kaldris Kingdom were no doubt elite of the elite.

They were well experienced in battles, and the average level was over 50.

However, their experience was confined mainly to small battles, dealing with native Latna monsters, or patching up dungeons.

The only major battle was against the monsters who had appeared during the night’s significant changes.

It was the first time in a war in which strategies and tactics were deployed to fight against a human-based army.

Even Dana, the commander of the corps, was the same.

“I have a lot of combat experience, but I don’t have any war experience.”

On the other hand, Allendia suffered a massive war just half a year ago.

Those who survived the war were very difficult to deal with.

Of course, the result was obvious.

They stood better than expected, but they weren’t enough to change the war.

“If we push a little further, we’ll be able to take it. The problem is that the Sword King has finally moved.”

That afternoon, a messenger came to the 3rd Corps with a new message.

The report was that the 1st Templar Corps, known as the Sword King Legion, was marching fiercely on the northern front, led by the Sword King Felard and the Spiritual Boxer Leon Hart.

“As the superior authority predicted.”

“Right, before that, I wanted to break down Fort Ballon as soon as possible…”

Dana lifted herself with regret.

“We’re retreating. We’re going to move according to plan.”

* * *

In line with the movement of the Sword King, the Kaldris Kingdom Army also changed their lineups.

The 3rd Corps, which had been pushing the northern border of Allendia, temporarily retreated and blocked the route of the Sword King Army.

Fort Roian, the main point north of the Kaldris Kingdom, was also the target of the Sword King Army.

It was the mission of the 3rd Corps to block the advance of the Sword King Army there.

Looking back at the officers, Dana spoke.

“It will never be an easy mission for us. There are two of the new Top Four among our enemies.”

Not only the Sword King Felard Bean and the Spiritual Boxer Leon Hart, but their colleagues– the red-haired Mage and the silver-haired Magic swordswoman– weren’t to be ignored.

They heard that even the fake incarnation couldn’t be level-checked, but her true power was enormous.

“It must be the strongest power in Allendia.”

Conversely, the Fairy Kingdom and the Six Churches no longer had the power to pose a threat if they were stopped.

A middle-aged knight, Sir Ralph Green, frowned.

“I still don’t understand why the Sword King, the Spiritual Boxer, and the incarnation of darkness move together. Don’t they stand a better chance if each were given their own army?”

Having a large number of powerhouses gathered on one side meant that the other side was empty.

“I don’t know what they are up to, but I’m sure it’s as the regent predicted.”

Lapelred, a young Magic Swordsman, shrugged.

“We’ll have to go with the plan. Of course, it won’t work with common sense as the opponent is strong.”

They were told that the new Sword King was no less than the Baotolt of his old days.

The Spiritual Boxer wasn’t an ordinary monster either.

The term ‘matchless warrior’ wasn’t an exaggeration for them. They were indeed the superlatives of the superlatives.

If such beings began to stir the battlefield, there could be many results that destroyed common sense.

So Garhan didn’t ask them to win the battle.

He ordered the 3rd Corps to withstand until the arrival of reinforcements.

And the expected arrival time of the Sword King Army was two days later.

“No matter how strong the Sword King and the Spiritual Boxer are…”

Dana smiled broadly.

“We can stand for three days.”

* * *

Two days later, 2,000 troops gathered in the field in front of Fort Roian.

It was the Sword King Army led by the Sword King Felard.

Looking at Fort Roian, Ryu Han-bin frowned.

“Hey, the fort looks so strong.”

It was a strong fortress surrounded by cliffs to the east and north and high walls to the west and south.

He, an outsider in the siege, thought it would be hard to climb on it.

“Well, we can break the gates like we used to.” He said, remembering the time when he attacked forts as a Holy Punisher.

Seira, the head of the Sword King Army spiritual unit and Ryu Han-bin’s immediate deputy, looked ambiguous.

“I don’t recommend that.”

At that time, the number of soldiers guarding the castle wasn’t that many. So Han-bin could have protected himself with the Aura, rushed head-on, and smashed the gate.

“But it’s too dangerous right now.”

First of all, the intensity of the gate was different.

The material was superior, and there was powerful protective magic.

Long-range attacks by the 3rd Corps couldn’t be ignored.

Each level was much lower than Han-bin. However, what if dozens or hundreds of attacks were concentrated on him all at once?

“Still, with all my might on the Aura Guard, I can stop it.”

“If you use all your energy into the Aura Guard, what will you use to destroy the gate?”

“Once we’re committed to defense, we go right under the walls, and then we break it and turn it into an attack…”

“You don’t think folding your umbrella for a while in the heavy rain will get you wet?”

Han-bin was speechless.

Instead, Artis voiced out his opinion.

“What if we jump in together and attack all over the fort?”

Seira shook her head again, that time.

“You can break it down, everyone.”

Firmly stacked with thick granite, fortresses, and other vulnerable places were protected by powerful magic.

To take that fort down from the outside, they had to be at least level 110.

In other words, any of the current Han-bin members could break it down.

“At your level, you’ll be able to break through the gate and the fort in half a day. I know that.”

And yet, Seira remained skeptical.

“The problem comes after breaking through.”

Fort Roian was prepared for defense. With a whopping 5,000 Kadris Kingdom Army, the 3rd Corps locked up.

It was common sense to push several times as many troops as defending side if it was a siege.

However, the Sword King Army, which was the invaders, had less than half of their enemy troops.

“I can’t help but think of our damage.”

It was necessary to reduce the losses of the Sword King Army as much as possible and destroy the fortress little by little through hit and run tactics.

What if they didn’t do that and exercised an excessive offensive to capture the fortress at once…

“You’ll be fine, but I’m sure the Sword King Army would be destroyed.”

The Sword King Army only had 2,000 soldiers, and it was meaningless if they forcefully put themselves on the battlefield and lost all of them.

“But we can’t let our troops retreat and let you alone attack, right?”

No matter how high the level of Han-bin’s group was, if surrounded by thousands of enemies, the countermeasures would be eliminated.

Ryu Han-bin tilted his head.

“I think I can fight my way out.”

“So when do we break the fort?”

Han-bin’s party must have become more assertive… to the point of wanting to deal with the army alone.

They were also capable of destroying a fort by themselves.

But they weren’t enough to do both at the same time.

Only in a siege at the army level did their power genuinely shine.

“Unless we can destroy the fort at once from a distance, we have no choice but to follow the rules.”

The question was whether they could make it in time.

“Kaldris’s 4th and 8th Corps are marching this way. They will arrive in three days.”

Before that, they had to conquer Fort Roian and hold up inside the fort.

Only then could the fort be used as a barrier to greet the enemy.

“But no matter how many times I calculate it, three days is too insufficient.”

At the end of the explanation, Seira sighed.

Leon Hart looked back at Artis.

“How does your magic work? If it’s a broad attack, isn’t magic the most powerful?”

However, due to its nature, it was difficult to attack a wide range of weapons at once, even though the concentration of destructive force was high.

A strong enemy within a few tens of meters could certainly be crushed, but it couldn’t sweep away the underdogs within a few hundred meters all at once.

At least Leon Hart’s unique spiritual art, Bloody Rose, had a pretty wide range of attack, but it wasn’t enough to break down the fort with magic.

Artis shook his head.

“I’ve improved a lot, but it’s too much for me.”

The most potent flame-series magic he could use could cover hundreds of meters of the fort, but…

“I can clear those who guard the fort, but I can’t destroy the fort. It’s just going to get tanned.”

If magic was powerful enough to destroy the fort itself, it had to be at least level 140.

“The Archmage is the only wizard who can do that in this day and age.”

Kibie, who was listening, asked.

“What if you turn into a dragon and blow your Breath out?”

“My dragon Breath can’t do anything more than just magical damage…”

“… Really?”

“You’ve raised my level abnormally. Effir and I can’t reveal ourselves so recklessly, either.”

Seira, who had been trusted, knew who they were by then, but it was still a secret to the outside world.

“The Kaldris Kingdom Army has faithfully taken great measures.”

Sighing, Leon Hart was lost in agony.

They had to put their head together with Seira and look at the topography near the fortress. They needed to think about whether there was a quick way to attack it, after all.

Ryu Han-bin raised his hand.

“So you mean we should knock it down in one shot from a distance?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Han-bin.

He continued, scratching the back of his head.

“I think I can do that now.”

Leon Hart’s eyes widened.

“You? By what means?”