Volume 5 Chapter 9 Part 2
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Translator: Kell | Editor: Ryunakama
Sachylis used Wind’s Whisper to send orders to the entire troop. Then the support Skill wielders began to move. The last strategy to end Cardinal Georgis once and for all was about to commence.
While waiting for the preparations to be made, I asked the commander of the assault unit something.
“You said earlier that you’d rather die than retreat without a fight, right? But if you realized that you don’t stand a chance at all, will you fall back?”
“I don’t expect to get out of here alive after I violated my orders.”
“You’ll just cause more trouble by dying. We need you to work for the Count after we secure our victory.”
Violation of orders was considered the biggest offense in the military. The normal response would be to execute the violator, even if he were to return alive.
But I had no intention of doing so. Count Meigis’ army was not created for war. I did not expect proficiency from them in the first place.
”Thank you. Please allow us to clash with them first,” the man said.
“Dying in vain is the most grievous sin,” I said. “Keep that mind.”
With that, I cut the comms off.
“Now, then. Let’s see what happens.”
The assault squad had their defenses buffed by their Skills. They won’t be destroyed immediately when they fight the Cardinal. I hope that they realize immediately that they can’t win and withdraw.
While I was engrossed in my own thoughts, Mylia approached me.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Can I go to the front lines? I want to back the assault squad.”
Mylia the Flame Spear was Count Meigis’ army’s second best asset, after me. She was higher-levelled than me, and there was a big difference between her and the ones below her. As someone who could turn the tides of war alone, we had her on standby all this time.
But it was a different matter now that the enemy had sent its main force. Combo-type Heroes like Mylia didn’t have Skills suitable for fighting PvP. She would have trouble fighting a hundred-man squad built around a Sage—a group formed with the intention of interpersonal combat.
“Sorry, but I don’t think you can win,” I said.
“That’s why I’m going. If the assault squad saw that even I couldn’t stand a chance, they might give up and withdraw.”
Good point. Mylia was the Count’s army’s symbol of strength. If she failed, the assault squad might understand what kind of situation they were putting themselves in.
Furthermore, Mylia was just incredibly strong to begin with. If the Cardinal committed a mistake, there was a chance that she could just defeat him. If she couldn’t, then at least she could buy more time until our squad was completely annihilated.
We needed a little more time to finish the preparations to kill Georgis. If we could reduce the death count of the assault squad and buy time, then perhaps sending Mylia was worth it.
“All right,” I said. “I’m counting on you.”
We had been saving Mylia as a reserve force until now. If our strategy worked without a hitch, she wouldn’t even need to fight. What’s more, the part where her power might be needed had already passed.
“You got it,” Mylia said, then started rushing towards the assault squad. Around the same time, the enemy main force led by the Cardinal arrived on the battlefield.
“He’s here!”
“Charge! The time to extract vengeance is here!”
The men roared. As soon as they found Cardinal Georgis’ figure among the enemy, they charged at once. No one led them. All they did was cast Skills randomly. They weren’t trained to fight the Cardinal, so this wasn’t surprising at all.
Nevertheless, their fighting spirit was tremendous. The assault squad, oozing with rage that gave me chills even when watching from a distance, rushed straight into the enemy. However, the Cardinal’s magic was not so weak that fighting spirit was enough.
“Flame Circle.”
“Sticky Bomb.”
Cardinal Georgis cast Flame Circle at the squad and then a Sticky Bomb inside the circle. Sure, they possessed high defensive capabilities, but they wouldn’t stand a chance when they were bound in place by Sticky Bomb and then roasted in flames. Realizing this, they stopped recklessly charging. Instead they used their trump cards.
“Over Rage, Blood Drunk, Cast Lance!”
“Over Rage, Blood Drunk, Axe Throw!”
What they activated was some of the few long-range attacks that melee job classes had—Skills that were basically just throwing weapons. These types of Skills had features other than range. In exchange for losing a weapon, it provided the caster with immense power.
Furthermore, they cast the Skills ‘Over Rage’ and ‘Blood Drunk’ to enhance the power of their attacks. Both Skills had drawbacks, but they significantly increased the power of the next skill you used in exchange for stamina and blood.
It was the ace up their sleeves—one blow with their lives on the line. Almost all members of the unit hurled their weapons at none other than Cardinal Georgis. They probably practiced for this very moment. Their Skills, although difficult to control, flew straight at the Cardinal without deviating off their trajectory. Perhaps the reason why they rushed in was because they thought they could bring the enemy down with this strategy.
As a matter of fact, if their only goal was to kill Cardinal Georgis, it was quite a good move to launch a high-risk Throwing attack all at once. There would be no other way for them to unleash such power in an instant. And the stronger the momentary boost in power, the more difficult it would be to block attacks.
In the face of such a bombardment, Cardinal Georgis simply recited an incantation for a magic spell.
“Magic Shield.”
A barrier formed right in front of the Cardinal. A basic defensive spell was all it took to repel the squad’s all-out attack.
“What…?”
“It can’t be… One spell was enough to block all that?”
The tactic Georgis employed was no different from the one we used when our troops were surrounded from all sides. The support magic he received from the troops around him enhanced the power of his own magic.
“I knew this would happen,” I muttered.
The Cardinal’s army didn’t use support magic when they attempted their all-out offensive on us probably because what they were using was solo magic buffs. Solo buffing Skills were not suitable for casting on a large number of people. By using them on a single powerful asset, like the Sage Cardinal Georgis, they exhibited tremendous effect.
Stunned, the assault squad took several steps back. To launch a follow-up attack, the Cardinal chanted a spell.
“Earth Flame.”
Earth Flame—a Skill that burned enemies with ground-crawling flames.
“Gahhhh!”
“Potions! Use your potions!”
Burned by the flames, the assault squad fell to their knees. Even when reinforced by defensive Skills and a strong revenge-driven spirit, they couldn’t handle the immense amount of firepower from the Cardinal. If they hadn’t cast their defensive Skills, the troops would have been wiped out.
The potion they downed helped them recover. Now they could move once more. They had one weapon and one reserve each, so it was not impossible to fight if they wanted to.
But it was only a matter of time. Even the simultaneous attack they unleashed with full strength was blocked by a single basic magic barrier. They were wounded and exhausted from the recoil of casting their self-buffing Skills. There was no way they could turn the tables now.
Then reinforcements arrived—Mylia.
“Sorry for the wait,” she said. “Can you still fight?!”
“Yeah!”
“Sorry you have to deal with our selfishness.”
The squad cheered at the arrival of a powerful ally. Mylia was no doubt strong. There was definitely a chance she could defeat Cardinal Georgis.
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