Chapter 262: Trust Me. I’ll Take the Lead. (1)


    “Uwaaahhh!”


    A hunter screamed as they were suddenly grabbed and thrown.


    The fortress walls were quite tall. If they fell like this, they’d be reduced to a pulp.


    Thud.


    However, a knight waiting below caught them effortlessly. The hunter blushed as they spoke.


    “…Put me down.”


    Whoosh!


    The knight promptly tossed the hunter to the ground. It wasn’t out of malice but necessity. Hunters were falling from above incessantly.


    “Arghhh!”


    “You lunatic! What the hell are you doing?”


    “Are you trying to kill your own allies?!”


    The hunters, taken by surprise by the abrupt action, fell without even being able to react properly.


    The knights below, however, were ustomed to such situations. They quickly caught the falling hunters and tossed them aside to make space for the next.


    Thud! Thud!


    Thanks to the skilled knights, the hunters avoided major injuries despite the impact. Seeing the approaching monsters, they swiftly got back on their feet and assumedbat stances.


    Ghiin observed them with a smirk.


    “At least their experience shows—they recover quickly. Let’s hurry and send the rest.”


    “No, stay away! Don’te near me!”


    “You’re a monster, aren’t you?! A monster in disguise!”


    “A demon here to destroy the fortress!”


    The hunters, panic-stricken, hurled usations at Ghiin. Yet, he responded casually.


    “The contract states you’re obligated to fight outside the fortress, doesn’t it? Just fight well behind me.”


    “Nooooo!”


    The hunters that signed the contracts tried to flee, but the dense crowd of other hunters prevented any escape.


    Unable to run, they were grabbed by Ghiin and Kaor and sent over the wall. Even hunters who simply wandered too close were caught in the process.


    “W-we’re not part of this! We didn’t sign a contract with you, damn it!”


    “Oh? My bad. Since you’re already down there, why not join the fight?”


    Ghiin threw nearly 300 hunters down from the wall. Chaos erupted above, and some hunters turned their frustration and attacked him.


    Whoosh! Thud!


    Ghiin effortlessly subdued and tossed those who attacked him. The difference in skill was so vast that no one could properly defend against him.


    “Run away!”


    “This guy’spletely insane!”


    “Move! Get out of the way!”


    The limited space on the wall led to a chaotic scramble as hunters tried to avoid Ghiin, colliding into one another.


    Watching the scene in disbelief, Grant felt his blood boil.


    A monster wave was no trivial matter. The fortress walls, unlike during wars against humans, provided little protection against them. Casualties were always high.


    Yet here, with everyone needing to stand united, internal strife was breaking out. The fortress was as good as doomed.


    “You madman! What the hell are you thinking?! Are you trying to kill all our allies?! Kill him! Kill that bastard first!”


    The archers aimed all their arrows at Ghiin. Before they could release, Ghiin moved in an instant, appearing directly in front of Grant.


    “Get a grip. The walls won’t protect you. With this number, it’s better to go outside and form proper formations.”


    “W-what?”


    “I’ll give the orders. Archers, focus your attention solely on flying monsters and those approaching from outside. Monsters only attack what’s directly in front of them. My group and I will act as bait, so fire freely without worrying about hitting us. You can manage that, right?”


    “You… you….”


    “The rest of you, form proper battle lines and fight outside the fortress. I’ll lead the knights and break through the center to draw all the monsters’ attention.”


    “What are you even saying…?”


    Ghiin gave a sly smile as he looked at Grant’s bewildered expression.


    “You can’t fight effectively on the walls. These aren’t human opponents. If you want to win, listen to me.”


    Roarrrr!


    “Lord!”


    The knights’ shouts came from below. The monsters were closing in fast.


    There was no more time to waste. Ghiin jumped off the wall without hesitation, calling out as he did.


    “Trust me. I’ll take the lead.”


    Thud!


    As Ghiinnded, the hunters who had been thrown down earlier red at him with resentment.


    But now wasn’t the time to confront him. The monsters were just steps away. Besides, there was no guarantee they could beat him in a fight.


    Their best options were to fight from the rear or look for a chance to escape.


    Ghiin strode to the front of the group and spoke.


    “Open it.”


    nk! nk! nk!


    The knights opened therge wooden cratesid before them, spilling their contents onto the ground.


    Inside the crates were greatswords, spears, and swords packed tightly together. Hundreds of weapons were scattered haphazardly across the ground.


    Ghiin nced behind him and spoke.


    “Those of you who fell without a weapon, grab something from here. I won’t charge you.”


    As soon as he finished speaking, Ghiin emitted threads of mana in all directions.


    Rumble!


    The air trembled around them.


    Both the hunters who had descended and those watching from above stared at Ghiin in utter shock.


    “W-what is that?”


    “Is that guy a mage?”


    “Damn it, what the hell is this…?”


    The hundreds of spears that had been lying on the ground began to rise into the air.


    The mana threads bound the spears and lifted them, though the onlookers couldn’tprehend what they were seeing. Few knew of such techniques, and even fewer had ever witnessed them in action.


    The Fenris Knights, however, were somewhat familiar with the technique and thus weren’t as shocked as the hunters. Ghiin had often used his mana threads to lift objects—or even people—in their presence.


    But they had never seen him lift so many weapons at once. The knights inwardly clicked their tongues.


    He’s bing more of a monster every day.


    How does he keep getting stronger every time we see him?


    This is truly insane.


    What seemed miraculous to the others was routine for Ghiin.


    He had been training tirelessly, reiming the skills of his past life at an incredible pace.


    No matter how busy he was, he never skipped a day. Even if it meant sacrificing sleep, he always made time for mana training and meditation.


    ‘I must be stronger.’


    He never allowed himself to stop. If he remained weak, countless lives would be lost.


    ‘I won’t have any regrets this time.’n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The weight of his responsibility bound him like chains.


    Each day, he became stronger than the day before. And tomorrow, his strength would grow even greater.


    Rumble!


    The spears floating in midair turned crimson, radiating a red aura.


    This technique wasn’t effective against skilled enemies, but it was devastating against weaker foes, making it a highly effective tool for mass ughter.


    Previously, it hadn’t been as powerful as a single soldier’s strike. But as Ghiin’s strength grew, so too did the power imbued in the technique.


    Ghiin adjusted the direction of the spear tips and smiled coldly.


    “Let’s begin.”


    Boom!


    With the sound of air rupturing, the hundreds of spears shot forward.


    Pupupupupup!


    Screeeeech!


    Like beams of light, the spears pierced through the approaching monsters. Hundreds of monsters in the lead were impaled and fell instantly.


    Monsters with tougher hides or greater strength survived the attack. However, the weaker ones crumpled to the ground.


    “Let’s go.”


    Seizing the moment when the monsters hesitated, Ghiin grabbed a greatsword and charged forward.


    Boom!


    With a single sh, he split the nearest monster in half.


    “Let’s move out!”


    Kaor shouted as he followed close behind. Watching Ghiin’s overwhelming presence filled him with both admiration and a deep sense of inferiority.


    He’s not even that much older than me, yet he’s so strong. Someday, I’ll… I’ll definitely….


    Kaor was improving, albeit slowly. He was confident that he’d grow even stronger. He was determined to surpass Gillian and one day catch up to his lord.


    Atst, Kaor had found a clear purpose in life.


    Crunch!


    Grinding his teeth, he swung his greatsword and charged at the monsters. The Fenris Knights, too, dashed forward, wielding their greatswords.


    Screeeeech!


    The monsters that had charged forward with unbridled momentum were momentarily halted by the mana-infused strikes of dozens of knights.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Leading the charge, Ghiin killed monsters indiscriminately. Naturally, all the monsters’ attention focused on him and the knights.


    Roarrr!


    Boom! Boom!


    With the smaller, faster monsters wiped out, therger and medium-sized monsters began to close in on Ghiin.


    sh!


    A massive troll fell, its body cleaved in two by Ghiin’s greatsword.


    No matter how tough its hide or how strong its regenerative abilities, a troll couldn’t survive being split in half.


    Whoosh!


    Another troll swung a massive club at Ghiin’s nk.


    ng!


    Ghiin blocked the attack with his greatsword and immediately beheaded the troll.


    Screech!


    A wyvern swooped down from above, snatching a knight who had been fighting nearby. The knight, focused solely on the ground-level monsters, had failed to notice the wyvern’s approach.


    There were simply too many monsters for him to pay attention to everything.


    “Urgh!”


    The knight struggled frantically, but the wyvern continued ascending high into the air. Dropping prey from great heights to kill them was one of the wyvern’s favored attack methods.


    nk!


    However, the wyvern suddenly stopped in midair as though it snagged on something. Ghiin had reached out and bound it with his mana threads.


    Screech!


    Wyverns were powerful monsters. It pped its wings furiously, gradually freeing itself from the mana threads as it climbed higher.


    Thunk!


    A spear suddenly rose from somewhere on the battlefield and pierced the wyvern’s body. The skewered wyvern plummeted to the ground, and the knight narrowly escaped.


    Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!


    Spears that had been thrown earlier floated back into the air, assisting the knights who were cornered.


    This was one of the reasons why Ghiin’s capabilities in war ranked him among the top three of the Seven Strongest on the Continent.


    Everything that fell onto the battlefield became Ghiin’s weapon. Every weapon came alive and danced to his will.


    Because of this, one could never predict when or where his attacks would ur. Each strike was as devastating as a knight’s blow.


    Those who knew his prowess prayed they would never encounter Ghiin on the battlefield.


    A man who could face tens of thousands of soldiers alone.


    A man who could fight an entire kingdom single-handedly.


    The King of Mercenaries was also the King of the Battlefield.


    The hunters, stunned by the sight of Ghiin and the knights driving back the monsters’ vanguard, could only watch in awe.


    They couldn’t even think about running away.


    “H-how can someone be that strong…?”


    “Doncard doesn’t evenpare.”


    “Is that the Sword Master we’ve only heard about in legends?”


    The monsters stopped their advance and focused solely on Ghiin and the knights.


    Although it was an unusual phenomenon for monsters that should have been fighting each other to gather together, their instinct to eliminate the most threatening foe couldn’t be suppressed.


    “Let’s go too.”


    One of the hunters gripped their weapon tightly and spoke.


    Their forces had already split. Staying back would mean certain death if those at the front faltered.


    The only way to survive was to join the fight with them quickly.


    Although the hunters rationalized their decision this way, it wasn’t the sole reason. Ghiin’sbat prowess stirred their blood. He had a maic force that drew people in.


    He inspired a belief that victory was possible if they fought alongside him.


    Ghiin, annihting monsters with overwhelming power, exuded an aura that gave people such faith.


    “Let’s go! We’re hunters!”


    “Our job is to hunt monsters!”


    “Let’s not lose to these neers!”


    “Waaahhhh!”


    The hunters roared loudly as they charged forward.


    They, too, were veterans who had fought countless monsters. With hundreds of hunters joining the fray, the tide of battle began to turn further against the monsters.


    sh!


    Ghiin split a massive spider in half and nced back with a slight smile.


    “Now, that’s the way to do it.”


    Boom!


    He turned back and began tearing through the monsters. Until now, he had been fighting while protecting the knights, but things had changed.


    With the hunters joining in, the monsters’ attacks were more spread out. Ghiin charged through the center alone,pletely breaking the monsters’ ranks.


    Screech!


    The monsters rushing in from the rear converged on Ghiin, who was singlehandedly prating their formation. This diverted even more monsters away from the knights and hunters.


    Thanks to Ghiin, the knights and hunters found it easier to deal with the monsters.


    Watching all of this from atop the fortress wall, themander, Grant, looked on in disbelief.


    “To think someone could fight like that…”


    Until now, no one had ever confronted a monster wave in this way. Everyone had relied on the fortress walls for defense.


    But Ghiin was right. No matter how tall or sturdy the fortress walls were, they meant little against non-human opponents.


    Monsters would climb the walls as soon as they moved out of the range ofrge weapons. Flying monsters even dropped others onto the walls to create chaos.


    Mad with frenzy, the monsters didn’t fear death. They kept charging regardless of how many fell before them.


    This forced the soldiers and hunters into chaotic skirmishes on the narrow walls, unable to form proper formations.


    Still, the idea of abandoning the walls never crossed anyone’s mind. There’s a false sense of security thates with their presence.


    Preconceptions, fixed ideas, anxiety, and fear blinded them.


    That was why every defense against a monster wave came with heavy casualties.


    But look at those fighting outside.


    With more space, they could form proper formations. The knights and hunters supported each other as they battled the monsters.


    The monsters,cking any sense of strategy or tactics, attacked haphazardly. They only focused on whatever was right in front of them.


    Abandoning the walls allowed the defenders to fully utilize their space. It enabled them to employ real tactics befitting intelligent beings.


    And the one who made all this possible was the man fighting at the front, a being who seemed almost superhuman.


    Certainly, the walls had their advantages. They prevented all the monsters from swarming in at once. Fighting outside meant giving up that benefit.


    But now, the situation was different from before when they had to rely solely on the walls.


    Now… now is not the time to cling to the walls.


    The monsters’ momentum had faltered. They couldn’t afford to merely watch as their allies outside were wiped out.


    If those fighting below fell, those defending the walls would suffer even greater losses.


    Grant opened his tightly clenched fist, his palm drenched in sweat.


    In that moment, he felt a sense of awe—not as amander, but as a knight.


    He wanted to fight alongside this man.


    He wanted to follow this man and put his trust in him.


    Grant’s desire as a warrior grew stronger, overwhelming his position as themander of the fortress.


    Finally, he made his decision. In a quiet voice, he spoke to his adjutant.


    “…Open the gates of the fortress.”