Eternally Regressing Knight
Chapter 307 - The Most Foolish Commander
Jaxen observing the battle field, was standing hidden amongst the allied vanguard.
His gaze was fixed on Enkrid.
Now, what was he supposed to do?
He observed the enemy soldiers.
More specifically, he used his senses to read the entire enemy group.
There was no need to see everything with his eyes.
His trained senses allowed him to gauge the enemy's skills just by listening.
The footsteps without hesitation, the confident battle cry, the speed at which they were approaching, and the calm eyes amidst the chaos.
Jaxen, who had a different way of reading his opponents compared to Audin, pushed his sword forward between the ranks.
A long blade slipped from his waist and jabbed forward.
"Kill them all!"
The first one was a soldier wielding a heavy battle hammer.
With a weighted head, the hammer struck one of the shields of their own side.
After the impact, the hammer bounced back with a satisfying recoil as it was recovered.
Jaxen's blade pierced through the soldier's stomach.
It stabbed deep and retracted swiftly.
"Huh?"
What was this?
It was, of course, a blade.
Behind the shield, cold eyes stared at the enemy soldier.
Swoosh.
The moment their eyes met, the snake-like curved blade slashed across the hammer soldier's neck.
This was a technique that Jaxen had roughly interpreted from watching Enkrid's unique sword style.
While the trajectory of the blade resembled that of a fencing style, it was different from Enkrid's unique approach.
"Grrrk."
The soldier, who had tried to speak, collapsed with his own neck in his hands.
Blood and foam spilling, his boots stepped on the fallen hammer soldier.
Jaxen continued repeating the same actions.
He stayed hidden among his allies, thrusting once in a while.
His targets were only the elite soldiers.
He spared those who were too hard to kill with a single blow.
Jaxen thoroughly did his job.
While his allies were unaware, some of the commanders felt a strange shift in the flow of battle.
"Why does it feel like we're winning?"
One of the squad leaders spoke.
Didn't the external strength still seem to be in the enemy's favor?
So why were they winning?
No one knew.
But did it really matter?
No.
"Fight! Push forward!"
The commander did his part.
He shouted with all his might.
"Stick together, don't scatter!"
Infantry battles on the continent were mostly chaotic.
It was advantageous to stay together; if they scattered, they were in danger.
The battles of both sides followed a similar pattern.
The Border Guard reserves, who had come as reinforcements, were also fiercely fighting.
"They're flanking! Don't let those bastards go!"
"They can't kill me with their pain!"
"Pain!"
"Strength!"
Those who had survived the previous battlefield were all veterans.
It was a unit composed of seasoned soldiers, different in quality from the troops stationed at Green Pearl.
They stopped the enemy soldiers flanking to the right.
"It's the Gray Dogs!"
"Damn persistent bastards!"
They was a well-known enemy unit to their side.
They were trying a flanking maneuver.
The Border Guard reserves fought to block them.
"Crazy bastards."
The Gray Dogs were still the Gray Dogs.
Even though the Border Guard reserves outnumbered them, it seemed as though they were being pushed back.
But it didn't matter.
There were others wreaking havoc from the front.
Enkrid rampaged with his heavy sword style, and Jaxen hid among the Green Pearl forces, picking off the strong fighters and those giving orders.
It was because of this strategy that the balance was oddly maintained, despite being at a disadvantage against Aspen's powerful forces.
Ragna had slipped behind Enkrid's left rear.
He was taking on one soldier at a time, doing his part.
He swung his sword, slowly getting fired up.
It had been years since he had any motivation.
He still needed a trigger to really get going.
Ragna was one of those whose enthusiasm took time to build.
In that moment, however...
A killing intent appeared from the left, and before he could react, a metal object flew past his face.
Ragna jerked his head back.
He had barely avoided it.
It was a result of his slow warm-up.
The fortunate thing was that no matter how slow or fast, his body instinctively reacted to such attacks.
A drop of blood splattered from the blade that grazed his cheek.
The leather helmet that had covered his face was cut by the sharp blade, and the bottom of it now hung loosely.
"You avoided it?"
The soldier who had thrust his sword took a step back.
Ragna immediately recognized him.
'A skilled fighter.'
He didn't know the soldier, but a sense of excitement rose within him.
He found himself wanting to face this opponent.
There was a craving that Enkrid alone could not satisfy.
A fight where blood was spilled and lives were at stake—this was what Ragna longed for.
There was no need to search for a path.
So there was no reason to get lost.
He simply followed the soldier who was retreating.
Ragna threw off his uncomfortable helmet.
After taking a few steps, an enemy soldier with a short sword stood in his way.
"You bastard!"
The one who had struck him earlier was not one to retreat easily.
Behind him was his own side.
If he allowed Ragna to follow, he would be diving deeper into the enemy's lines.
The enemy soldiers reacted.
But Ragna reacted even faster.
With every step he took forward, he thrust and withdrew his sword.
A single strike pierced through an enemy soldier's neck.
Perhaps the momentum from his spear thrust carried him forward, and the soldier collapsed.
As the enemy fell, Ragna slashed through five more soldiers and broke through the enemy's formation.
It was a reckless charge, but it had the effect of completely disrupting the enemy's formation.
As a result, the allied commanders nearby once again felt that the battle had oddly become easier.
'This is manageable, huh?'
The retreat plans, in case something went wrong, now seemed unnecessary.
"Fight! Fight and kill them all!"
The formation had long since broken down.
In chaotic battles like this, the more you kill, the better.
The squad commander, knowing this well, kept shouting.
It had become a slogan that spread across the battlefield.
"N-n-no! Our forces are being pushed back!"
At the adjutant's words, Abnaier smiled.
Everything was going according to plan, and how could he not laugh?
"It's going just as expected."
The adjutant bit his lip.
This strategy didn't make sense.
Victory now felt almost like failure.
"I'll be the legendary fool who killed a thousand soldiers," Abnaier muttered.
"Is this really what's happening?"
"There's no doubt about it."
The voice of a genius was clear and certain.
The adjutant lowered his head.
There was no stopping it now.
'Now, show me what you've been hiding.'
Krais kept his eyes on the enemy's movements.
They were bound to do something.
Wasn't Enkrid rampaging over there?
Thanks to Jaxen, the enemy's momentum had also been broken.
Meanwhile, Ragna, although not sure where he was headed, was still on his course.
'This can't be the end, right?'
Shinar and Dunbakel were still in reserve, kept as trump cards.
It was a rule to not reveal all of your moves until you had seen your enemy's full hand.
"Big Eyes, I want to fight too."
Dunbakel, with her hand on her scimitar's hilt, nudged Krais.
"Wait."
"Am I a dog? Just telling me to wait like that?"
Next to them, Shinar stood with his arms crossed, half-closing her eyes and silently observing.
"Try to be calm like the fairy company commander."
"I'm a beast, not a fairy."
While trying to calm down Dunbakel, Krais's gaze never left the battlefield.
The overall battlefield was strangely balanced, but on the micro level, the odds were increasing in their favor.
Ultimately, these small skirmishes would build up to lead to the overall victory.
This was the strategy Krais had envisioned.
He didn't just treat variables as simple variables—he had ensured they would affect the entire battlefield.
He had already planned to withdraw and delay if the enemy made a move, but it had not yet been necessary.
So far, things were going as expected.
Then why was Aspen just sitting back and watching?
Why hadn't they revealed their hidden cards?
There was something there, something definite.
If not, why had they advanced so slowly and started the battle at the end of winter?
'No hidden moves? Just an idiot?'
Of course not.
"Frontline! Frontline!"
A messenger came running from behind.
He had deliberately pulled back Nurat, who led the fast and sharp-eyed units.
Garret had been symbolically left behind at the command post.
Nurat was the de facto commander of the Green Pearl Regiment in battle.
She had sharp eyes and a quick mind.
And now, she had just provided the help they needed.
"Some of their forces are flanking; it's not a small number!"
Krais's mind raced, mapping out the terrain and the enemy's movements.
What were they aiming for?
'Border Guard.'
They were aiming for the rear.
Perhaps some of their forces had already slipped out.
"Pull back!"
Dunbakel and Shinar moved.
It was their turn to stop the enemy's card.
"The second flanking force has been spotted."
"Good!"
At those words, Abnaier clapped his hands.
Not everything would go according to plan.
The battlefield was always shifting.
But if you focused on a single goal,
'That can be achieved.'
The battlefield was ruled by elite forces.
Abnaier knew this well.
So, what if you took out those elites?
Talent was finite.
It wasn't infinite.
How many geniuses are there in a single generation?
Not many, as the knights' ranks show.
So...
'Let them have the battlefield,'
And win the war.
That alone would make Abnaier smile, even if he was called the greatest butcher or the most foolish commander in the world.
"Ready?"
"It's all set."
"Good, proceed."
The adjutant bowed his head and withdrew.
As Krais had anticipated, Abnaier had sent part of his cavalry to the Border Guard.
"Enemy forces!"
The Border Guard, of course, wasn't careless and had noticed the enemy's approach early.
Rem, who had been grumbling all day, suddenly sprang to his feet.
It was a piece of news that made him forget the cold in an instant.
"Who's here?"
Even if an old lover returned after ten years, it wouldn't be as welcome as this.
"Brother, you always said that when you're in a hurry, you don't see the puddles and get your shoes wet."
Audin stepped forward and spoke.
"You should have left your club behind before speaking, huh?"
"Heh, Brother. The Lord said that protecting oneself is the beginning of all things."
It sounded just like the words of the Apostle of the God of War.
Wasn't it the attitude of someone ready to smash everything?
Teresa, who had also been preparing to get up, halted after catching Audin's gaze.
Her injury, acquired after killing the Wolf Bishop, was severe.
At her current state, continuing to fight would only damage her body further.
Audin had no intention of watching her suffer.
"Sister, be patient."
"...Yes."
Teresa, feeling disappointed, restrained herself.
Rem, who was as excited as Audin, stepped out to face the enemy, but their expectations were not met.
"What is this?"
The situation felt strange.
The enemy cavalry, despite coming to attack the walls, was barely a handful. They kept their distance, observing the situation without committing.
Rem had waited for two days.
"These bastards."
The enemy didn't charge.
They just dragged out time.
It was a move planned by Abnaier.
Previously, Marcus had tricked Aspen's city, Cross Guard, and got a good laugh at the expense of the enemy. Though the circumstances were different this time, the result was the same.
Abnaier had tied up the Border Guard.
With this small cavalry, they couldn't attack the walls or cut off the supply lines.
In fact, the cavalry of Aspen was the one in dire need of supplies.
They didn't even have many soldiers.
Upon closer inspection, Rem saw that each cavalryman had two or three horses.
It was a show of force, filled with arrogance by inflating their numbers with horses.
"Got nothing to do, huh, these bastards?"
Because of this, Rem was left frustrated, but Abnaier had clearly achieved his objective.
He had temporarily blocked the path for reinforcements from the Border Guard.
He'd bought some time, and that was enough for Abnaier.
Esther sensed the scent of a high-level spell.
She followed the trail.
Climbing a small hill, she saw a group gathered there.
One of them, his eyes wide open, was watching her intently.
"You."
The man, a wizard from Galaph's Order, was known for wielding the magic of the River of Life. His short brown hair and handsome face were his notable features.
Though Esther didn't know his exact age, he had looked the same for the past ten years.
He was rumored to have drunk from the River of Life.
But that was just gossip.
Esther gazed at him silently.
"You were said to have been ruined by a curse."
Was that just nonsense?
Seeing Esther now, Galaph looked surprised.
Esther said nothing, merely continuing to observe him.
She had followed the trail of this man's magical residue to this spot.
It had been pure coincidence.
The flow of mana, coupled with the traces of a prepared spell, had snared her senses.
Was it a sign of destiny, a guiding star?
No, she didn't believe in that.
She only trusted in herself and her own magical world.
She believed in what she had accomplished, for she was a sorceress.
"Master."
One of Galaph's disciples stepped forward.
He was known for training many apprentices.
Currently, he had six disciples.
"You all should leave."
Galaph said, inspecting Esther closely.
Even just looking at her, something was apparent.
'She hasn't broken the curse yet.'
The witch wouldn't be able to unleash even half of her true power.
"The Fire Witch of Battle?"
Galaph asked.
He didn't need to personally engage if his disciples were ready to act.
But there was no real reason to fight the witch either.
Esther had no idea what they were doing here, but it was clear they were up to no good for her current nest.
If not, why would such a powerful wizard be here?
Her current nest was with Enkrid, a man of danger even to magic.
She had gained something by staying there.
'At least, I need to stop this.'
"Dumiller's Scythe."
Instead of answering, Esther spoke the incantation she had prepared.
A slicing vacuum spell materialized and cleaved the air, following the motion of her fingers.
Even though it was one of her specialty spells.
"Vartan's Shield."
A blue barrier rose up, blocking the scythe of wind.
The shield rippled like water.
Between the two wizards, magic circles were drawn as they prepared to open their respective magical realms.
"Pain!"

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