Darkness enveloped everyone. The energy consumed all the glowing particles that had been spreading.
The vacant gazes of the people regained focus. The horses neighed wildly, shaking their heads vigorously.
In an instant, everyone came to their senses. The illusions vanished as if washed away.
Fwoooosh!
Ghislain's body was surrounded by black energy. Hundreds of spears of mana formed around him.
The defending forces were charging toward Ghislain, who was advancing alone.
"Waaaaah!"
They roared as they charged forward. The fearsome reputation of Count Fenris, the strongest in the North, had long been forgotten.
They believed that Ilois, a 7th-circle Master, would stop him.
That misconception shattered the moment Ghislain's spears moved.
Boom!
"Aaaaargh!"
The spear Ghislain swung tore through the bodies of the soldiers at the front. The spears of mana spreading in all directions broke the formation of the charging enemies.
Like a wolf amidst a flock of sheep, Ghislain moved freely, scattering the soldiers.
Many managed to slip past him, as there were too many to face alone. But what mattered was that no one was stopping Ghislain.
The one who should have stopped him, Ilois, stood frozen, his hands trembling.
"What… what is that? What on earth is that thing?"
The soldiers charged on, unaware, but Ilois realized his illusion had been broken.
The ominous, massive energy emanating from Count Fenris had engulfed the battlefield, shattering the magic.
Even Ilois, the kingdom's greatest mage, couldn't identify what it was. Faced with an unexpected situation and an incomprehensible entity, his mind momentarily froze.
Ghislain's shout rang out across the battlefield again.
"Charge!"
Neigh!
The horses of the mobile army neighed loudly at the commanding voice. The knights and soldiers gripped their spears tightly once more.
"Let's go!"
At the cry of Lucas, the mobile army began moving again. Though the brief pause had diminished their momentum, it didn't matter to them.
Whoosh!
The horses at the front leapt high and landed heavily on the ground.
Boom!
Using that force, they began surging forward once more. At this point, the nickname "horse people" no longer belonged to the northern barbarians but to the Fenris army.
Dududududu!
Seeing them galloping at high speed again, the defending forces were struck with fear.
"They're… moving!"
"How is this possible?"
"Weren't they trapped in the illusion?"
They could no longer advance and came to a halt. The savage grins on the faces of the cavalrymen struck terror into their hearts.
If they clashed, they would die. They would be torn apart in an instant. Even without the illusion, the soldiers froze in fear at the sight of the Fenris army.
Raul, seeing this, shouted in panic.
"Sir Ilois!"
Ilois still hadn't regained his composure. Like a true mage, all his focus was on understanding the current situation.
'How could mere mortals break this?'
He had expected Count Fenris to resist the magic. Superhumans, who had established their own worlds, were nearly immune to mind control.
But the others weren't superhumans.
The trap had been decades in the making. Countless runestones and massive magic circles had been meticulously placed.
The amplified illusion magic could dominate the entire area. Here, Ilois was akin to a god.
Yet, the magic had been broken in an instant, by a power he couldn't comprehend.
'Impossible!'
Not being a military commander and having no war experience, Ilois remained fixated on his doubts. His hesitation was ill-suited for a battlefield requiring swift decisions.
Seizing the moment, the Fenris Mobile Army charged into the defending forces.
Boom!
"Aaaaaaargh!"
The all-infantry defending forces were swept away effortlessly. The shattering of their trusted illusion magic dealt a severe blow to their morale.
Above all, there was no one who could stop Ghislain, rampaging like a wild beast.
Ghislain laughed as he decapitated his enemies.
'Yes, of course, you wouldn't understand.'
In his past life, Dark had broken Ilois's illusion magic in an instant when he came to heal Edwin. Since he controlled the space itself, the magic was also neutralized.
For Ghislain, Ilois's illusion magic had to be stopped at all costs. Otherwise, most of his forces would have been incapacitated in an instant. That's why he had sought Dark.
As he had anticipated, using Dark allowed him to break the illusion magic, though it had cost him half of his energy.
Boom!
In a flash, half of the defending forces were annihilated.
Finally, Ilois regained his senses and charged toward Ghislain.
"You scoundrel! Stop right there!"
Mind control rarely worked on superhumans, but that didn't mean magic itself was ineffective. Even without full domination, powerful mana could distort perceptions and show illusions.
Zing–!
The overwhelming mana of a 7th-circle master shot toward Ghislain, warping his perception and twisting his senses.
Shatter!
The environment around Ghislain began to distort. It resembled the fragments of a shattered mirror, filling the space. Balance and direction were lost, and strange entities appeared around him.
The Fenris Mobile Army and Delphine's defending forces vanished. Only Ghislain and the entities remained on the battlefield.
'As expected of a 7th-circle master.'
A 7th-circle master stood on the verge of reaching the 8th-circle. Their mana and enlightenment far surpassed any other mage in the kingdom.
Grrr…
The black masses surrounding Ghislain emitted grotesque sounds as they slowly took on human shapes.
They were figures deeply ingrained in Ghislain's painful memories.
"Lord…"
"Why did you abandon us?"
"Save us…"
Ghislain looked at them. Those approaching him were subordinates who had died in his past life. They had perished fighting the duchy army and the priests of the Salvation Church.
But it wasn't just them.
Groooooan…
Even those who had died in Perdium appeared—his father, his vassals, even Belinda and Fergus.
They all cried out mournfully as they approached him.
Ilois's magic forced its target to face their own abyss. It showed them their most painful and sorrowful memories, shaking their heart.
It confused, enticed, and drove its targets to madness. Ultimately, they would either fight the illusions or succumb to their memories and take their own lives.
For anyone below Ilois's level, it was devastating. Such was the terror of illusion magic, distinct from elemental magic.
As the figures clung to Ghislain like zombies, Dark spoke.
— Master, shall I destroy them?
The overwhelming mana surrounding Ghislain bore down even on Dark, forcing him to ask for permission.
But Ghislain shook his head.
"No, it's fine."
He deliberately didn't resist. He wanted to see for himself how Ilois's magic worked, and he was confident in breaking it.
There was another reason as well.
A hint of nostalgia flickered in his eyes.
"I see you all again, even like this."
In his current life, he had reclaimed many of the subordinates he had lost in his previous one. They had become knights, joined his mobile army, or worked as mercenaries elsewhere.
But there were still many he hadn't found or reclaimed. Their circumstances had changed with the altered timeline.
Ghislain looked at them with longing eyes, hoping to meet them again one day.
"I hope you're all doing well."
Surely, they were. The subordinates he had reclaimed were thriving, after all.
That thought brought a smile to Ghislain's face.
Groooooan…
"Lucas, what are you doing here?"
Seeing Lucas approaching like a zombie, Ghislain burst out laughing. Lucas was right beside him, fighting fiercely.
The same went for Belinda. She was currently guarding his father, in case the Salvation Church launched a surprise attack.
The others were no different. They were all alive and well. Thus, Ilois's illusions had no effect on Ghislain.
His memories and reality had completely diverged now.
Yes, he had come back for the sake of protecting them.
Smiling, Ghislain closed his eyes. Though the illusions clung to him, his expression remained serene.
Shatter!
The mirrors filling the space shattered. The shards mixed with the surroundings, floating grotesquely.
It was a scene as if time had stopped.
From one of the cracks in the shattered space, Ilois emerged. He was the only one who could move within this illusionary realm.
"Got you."
Unlike his earlier composure, Ilois's face was now twisted with rage.
The kingdom's greatest mage had encountered something beyond his understanding. The trap he had spent decades preparing was rendered useless. For Ilois, it was a devastating blow to his pride.
Thus, he poured all his mana into a single attack. No matter how powerful the enemy was, they wouldn't be able to move properly for a moment.
This dangerous foe must be killed now.
Ilois reached out toward Ghislain, who stood with his eyes closed, surrounded by the illusion.
"Die!"
His hand radiated a purple energy. With it, he would pierce that man's heart in an instant.
At that moment, Ghislain's eyes opened.
Flash!
A brilliant light flickered across his gaze. Ilois felt a chilling sensation run down his spine.
'He wasn't caught…?'
It was a radiant, unwavering stare, without a trace of disturbance.
Impossible. He had poured all his mana into this. How could someone look at him with such eyes?
How strong must his mental fortitude be?
Swish!
Before Ilois could react, Ghislain's spear moved smoothly.
Whoooosh!
The surroundings began to change again. The fragments of the illusion disappeared, as though being sucked into the cracks of space.
The sky and ground returned to their rightful places, and the battlefield before the illusions had engulfed Ghislain reappeared.
"Waaaaah!"
The Fenris Mobile Army was slaughtering the defending forces, sweeping through them like a storm. No one even glanced at Ghislain.
The time he had spent within the illusionary space was no more than a fleeting moment. No one realized that he had been caught in illusion magic at all.
Such was the terrifying nature of illusion magic—it forced its victims to fight infinitely on an entirely different plane of time.
And the one who had cast that fearsome spell…
"Impressive. But your method was flawed."
From atop Black King, Ghislain looked down. The severed head of Ilois rolled on the ground below him.
Had Ilois used another method, the battle might have dragged on for much longer.
But he had deployed his most powerful magic, which, unfortunately, was the easiest for Ghislain to counter.
"S-Sir Ilois is dead!"
Someone among the defenders cried out upon seeing Ilois's severed head.
No one knew when or how Ilois had died. There was no visible phenomenon, no sign of battle.
One moment he had been alive; the next, he lay dead at Count Fenris's feet, his head severed.
"It's… it's over."
"We've lost."
"There's no stopping them now."
The morale of the defending forces plummeted to rock bottom. The 7th-circle master they had relied on was dead, and there was no way to stop the enemy's breakthrough.
Raul had already fled to the castle. There was no one left to lead them.
The lower-ranking commanders tried desperately to rally the troops, but they couldn't overturn the tide of battle.
Still, not a single defender surrendered. Even in their terror, they fought to the last, as befit the duchy's elite.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Once again, Ghislain charged toward the enemy. His arrival caused the defenders to collapse even faster.
The last forces guarding Eclipse were annihilated.
"Waaaaah!"
The mobile army cheered. The castle was now within their grasp. There were no troops left to oppose them.
"Let's storm the place! Let's drag out that duke and slit his throat already!"
Lucas shouted, his face flushed with excitement.
The southern front was embroiled in fierce fighting between allied forces and the Delphine army. Capturing Duke Delphine would end everything. They had to get him before he fled.
That was the plan. And Ghislain intended to carry it out—until Dark brought him new information.
From his position scouting the sky, Dark spoke.
— Master, they're almost here. I think they'll arrive soon.
"Everyone, rest on your horses and prepare for battle. It seems we'll be fighting again."
At Ghislain's command, the Fenris Mobile Army reformed their ranks. Using the brief respite, they ate combat rations and drank water.
No one asked what was happening. If Ghislain told them to prepare for battle, it meant the enemy was near.
Dududududu!
Soon, the thunder of hooves echoed across the battlefield.
"So, the Kingdom's Finest Sword has arrived. I didn't expect him to get here this quickly."
Even though his forces had taken a detour while the Delphine army marched directly south, their speed was surprising.
It meant they had bolted south the moment they received the news, without a second's hesitation. Such decisiveness deserved recognition.
As Ghislain had predicted, the arriving force was led by Kaien, accompanied by 40,000 cavalry. Covered in dust, they panted heavily, clearly having ridden without rest.
By coincidence, both sides met in a state of exhaustion.
Kaien ground his teeth as he took in the scene before him.
"This bastard really did it."
The battlefield was littered with corpses. The defending forces had been wiped out, while the Fenris Mobile Army stood in formation, ready for combat.
That meant somewhere in the carnage lay Ilois's body as well.
To lose one of the duchy's greatest assets so easily, and in a trap-laden location like this—what a bitter pill to swallow.
Kaien felt his rage boil over. He had never been so angry in his life.
He roared like a lion.
"Ghislain Perdium–!"
His shout carried boundless fury and a murderous intent to kill his foe no matter what.
Ghislain gave a cold smile, raising his spear.
"Let's settle here who truly is the Kingdom's Finest Sword."
Now, it was time to push beyond his limits once again.
[T/L: I am not getting any support from webnovel platform, so please support me and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]