Dawn broke.
The sun’s rays, filtering through the mist, barely touched the ground.
Everyone opened their eyes.
It was the day of the decisive battle.
“Everyone, prepare to depart.”
The Anti-Imperial Alliance troops did not pack up their tents.
For them, there was no tomorrow.
Everything would end today.
Kill or be killed.
There was no need to take anything with them.
[Did everyone sleep well?]
The eyes of all the gathered forces of the continent turned to a single person.
Yuri Briol.
Riding on the magic of Maryrose, who stood beside him, his voice reached even the last soldier in formation.
[Hmm…]
Unusually for him, Yuri hesitated a few seconds before speaking.
The silence dragged on, and in the Briol camp, laughter began to be heard.
It was amusing to see the ever-eloquent Yuri suddenly struggling to find words.
One of the knights of the Order of Vengeance shouted:
“Are you nervous, sir?!”
Laughter erupted. Even Yuri ended up smiling.
They should have been more tense than anyone, but it seemed their leader was the one who received the encouragement.
[Well… uh… hmm…]
After hesitating a little longer, Yuri cleared his throat and spoke.
[Everyone, survive… and let’s meet tomorrow.]
He said it calmly, but with sincerity.
No one knew if there would be a tomorrow for the Anti-Imperial Alliance. Most, perhaps all, might die today.
Even his own life was not guaranteed.
[Understood?]
It wasn’t a speech, just a few words. But unexpectedly, it was followed by a deafening roar.
Not only Briol’s forces, but also those of Liberta, Brusen, and the Holy Kingdom shouted with all their might.
It was the manifestation of their will to survive.
There was no possible retreat.
If they did not win here, the continent would fall into the clutches of black magic. Their families and loved ones would end up as will-less puppets or as living sacrifices.
They had to win at all costs.
That conviction was what made them shout until their voices broke.
The roar of the Anti-Imperial Alliance rumbled all the way to the horizon.
Finally, exhausted, they stopped shouting.
With a smile, Yuri said.
[Let’s go.]
Mounted on horseback, Yuri began to move forward. Tirbo, carrying the flag, followed him.
Until the two of them stood at the vanguard, the army did not move.
Soon, there was no one ahead of Yuri.
Tirbo raised the flag high and waved it.
United by a single will, the soldiers of the Anti-Imperial Alliance advanced as if they were one body, like a massive organism rising.
Yuri moved forward with a spirit more solemn than ever. The wind striking him was heavy.
The fog thickened, visibility was low, and the muddy ground made it difficult for the horses to advance.
Even so, he had to be at the front.
Why?
‘Briol does not abandon its honor.’
The day he returned to the past, it was his father’s voice that had awakened him.
Yuri believed that the reason that mysterious entity had sent him back in time lay in those words.
“Honor, huh…” he murmured.
“Pardon?”
Tirbo’s sharp voice came from behind him.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, I was talking to myself.”
“Ah, I see. Hehehe…”
Glancing sideways at him, Yuri noticed Tirbo was tense, his nerves on edge.
“Hey.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Come here.”
“Uh… I have to hold the flag…”
“And what good is that now?”
Yuri slung an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. With his arm still around his neck, he said:
“What do you have to fear when I’m here?”
“True…”
“Give it to me.”
“Uh…”
Yuri took the flag from him and waved it high.
“Look, we…”
Suddenly, Yuri leaned back and, as if throwing a javelin, hurled the flag forward.
The pole sliced through the fog with the banner fluttering in its wake, and a moment later, a dull sound of flesh being torn rang out.
“Eh?”
Tirbo’s eyes widened.
Yuri let him go and smiled.
“We didn’t come to wave flags. We came to kill.”
Before Tirbo’s eyes, a massive shadow emerged from the fog and collapsed to the ground.
Embedded in its forehead was the flagpole Yuri had thrown.
“It’s time to begin.”
A strange howl echoed up ahead.
Creatures with human-like shapes but grotesquely deformed bodies formed a living wall before them.
The battle had begun.
The Anti-Imperial Alliance troops roared as one.
The ground seemed to tremble.
No matter how much they prepared, the moment they saw blood, all plans vanished.
Only the primal instinct to kill in order to survive remained.
And the same was true for Yuri.
“Die!”
The giants that appeared were twice as tall and broad as an ordinary human, with overwhelming strength.
There was no need to clash head-on.
Yuri dodged all their attacks, climbed up the body of one, and drove Guilty into the crown of its head.
Its skull shattered and the body collapsed.
As he pulled the sword out, fluids splattered on him. The metallic smell of blood filled the air.
“Ha…”
Before the giant even fell, Yuri looked around. He could see far into the distance.
Dozens, hundreds of giants were advancing toward the Anti-Imperial Alliance.
Their shapes, halfway between human and monster, inspired disgust just from looking at them.
Yuri twisted his lips into a smile and shouted with force.
“Cedric!”
His voice, laden with mana, carried into the distance.
“I’ve come for you!”
Announcing his arrival, he leapt from the giant’s corpse.
Several more lunged at him. Though they looked slow, they were fast.
But Yuri was faster still.
Diagonal marks appeared on their bodies. At first, faint cracks—and then, as blood gushed out, their bodies split apart and slid to the ground.
In an instant, Yuri had cut down several giants and continued forward. Even if his comrades could not keep up, he didn’t care.
He would go as far as he could.
Like a sharp spear, he would pierce through until he reached Cedric.
And again he shouted:
“Cedric! I’ve come for you!”
Yuri swung Guilty in a great horizontal slash. The sword energy spread in a fan shape, cutting down all the giants caught in its path.
In an instant, blood gushed and dyed the surroundings red.
Since the enemies were so tall, there was no way to avoid the rain of blood. So Yuri simply let himself be drenched in it.
He brushed back his now-red hair and smirked.
On the way here, he had thought about many things.
But now, it was fine.
His mind was clear, and a shiver of exhilaration ran through his entire body.
The task he had to fulfill was obvious: kill the enemy and carve a path toward Cedric.
And he was a specialist in slaughter.
The memories of the ancient hunter he had gained in the ruins moved Yuri.
Back then, his mission had been to massacre orcs—humans corrupted by black magic.
And these giants.
Though their appearance and size were different, they were very much like orcs. They were creations of black magic, originating from innocent humans, so their nature was the same.
Therefore, these monsters were no different from orcs.
“Cedric!”
His voice carried far.
Yuri narrowed his eyes, trying to see Zveta beyond the giants, but it wasn’t easy. The fog, saturated with black magic, prevented him from making out the state of the city.
At that moment, a light flared behind him.
Instinctively, Yuri turned.
At the rear of the Anti-Imperial Alliance army, a flash was rising toward the sky. That light began to dissolve the fog covering the battlefield.
Yuri murmured:
“Lord Inariel.”
The field was full of dispersal spells that blocked mana concentration, preventing the use of magic.
In such an environment, the only one who could use it freely was Inariel, wielder of the unique magical technique Immutable Mana Formula.
The miracle he created purified the air in the entire area. Only then could Yuri see into the distance.
But what he saw was far from pleasant.
“Damn it…”
He spun Guilty in the air.
With the fog cleared, he could see the tight formation of the imperial army.
Not only were there more giants blocking the way, but also unknown creatures waiting their turn to attack.
Their numbers were overwhelming.
At the sight, Yuri let out an incredulous laugh.
“Well, they’ve prepared well.”
Yuri killed a giant with a single slash, severing its head. Another giant caught the flying head, roared in rage, and charged at him, but was also cut down.
Then he checked the situation of the Anti-Imperial Alliance.
“Fuu…”
He wrapped his sword in the power of Chaos. Fighting like this was pointless.
There were too many.
If he killed them one by one, it would take too long to reach Cedric. He decided to use the power of Chaos to reduce their numbers in one blow.
Mana surged violently, shining with an intensity that made the giants hesitate.
Then—
[It’s been a while, hasn’t it?]
A familiar voice echoed from somewhere.
Yuri looked up.
Among the giants in front of him, a human figure was slowly approaching.
Focusing his gaze, she seemed to be a woman.
He immediately recognized who it was and called her by name.
“Katrina.”
It was Katrina, a member of the imperial family and Cedric’s lover.
He had known he would see her again, but not in the middle of a battlefield.
[That’s right. It’s me. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?]
From her back sprouted tentacles that moved in all directions, controlling the nearby giants. Each time they moved, the giants reacted.
Yuri understood that he had to kill her.
[I didn’t think we’d meet again like this.]
Katrina maintained a relaxed expression, but Yuri rushed toward her immediately.
[Will it be like that?]
Her tentacles moved, and the giants in between stepped in his way.
Yuri swung Guilty, and the sharp sword energy cut them all down, opening a path to her.
Beyond the corpses of the monsters, Katrina smiled. When Yuri was right in front of her, her eyes curved sweetly.
[Too hasty.]
A massive blow sent him flying back—the tentacles had lashed at him from the ground.
The sudden impact made him lose his balance for an instant. Supporting himself on Guilty, he spat blood.
He drew a deep breath and regained focus. Guilty vibrated in his hands.
This could indeed be called war.
In fact, it made things more interesting.
He aimed his sword at Katrina. Perhaps she too was, in a way, a victim of black magic.
But that didn’t matter. If she stood in his way, he would kill her.
The sword energy surged powerfully, and with the power of Chaos, its destructive force increased exponentially.
Just as he was about to charge at her, Katrina called out.
[Yuri Briol.]
Her voice was as calm as the day they had met in the imperial palace.
[I have a favor to ask of you.]
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
[Oh, why so aggressive?]
She smiled, her tentacles swaying.
[You’ll grant it, won’t you?]
“What nonsense…”
Yuri shook his head.
But then, her voice echoed inside his mind, soft and secret, like a whisper directly into his ear.
[Kill Cedric.]
The unexpected words made Yuri’s eyes widen.
Katrina smiled and added.
[And of course me as well.]
____
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