The face of the remaining knight hardened.
To think that someone could split a mana-wielding knight in half with a single strike—it was no ordinary feat.

"Could there really be someone like that in Feridium? Is it Randolph?"
The knight took a step back, assessing the situation.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Ghislain dragged his bloodied axe along the ground as he rapidly approached.

"If you're coming, do it all at once. I don’t have time for this."

Provoked by Ghislain's arrogant words and gestures, the knight's face twisted in fury as he barked orders.

"Form ranks! Everyone, attack together!"

Clatter!

The soldiers raised their shields and pointed their long spears forward.

"Charge!"
"Raaaah!"

Over a hundred soldiers rushed toward a single target.

Narrowing his eyes, Ghislain swung his axe far behind him, preparing for the next attack.

"Hup!"
The axe traced another wide arc as it smashed into the ground.

BOOM!

"Ahhhhh!"
The leading ten soldiers exploded as if they were struck by a bomb. Their shields were useless against the sheer power of the strike.

WHOOOM!

CRUNCH! CRACK!

Ghislain grabbed the axe with both hands and spun halfway around, cutting through the front line of soldiers like they were paper.

"Huh? What?"
"What the hell? This guy!"
"We can't fight someone like him!"

With the front line crushed in an instant, the charging soldiers faltered, backing away in hesitation.

A warrior of that caliber was meant to be fought by another knight, not regular soldiers.

Soldiers only attack strong foes when the enemy is already exhausted, or when they can overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

Sssss.

Seeing the red smoke billowing from the gaps in Ghislain's black armor, the soldiers took another step back. The sight was eerie, like they were facing a demon.

The knight leading them was even more flustered than his men.

"What are you doing? Attack! Attack, I said!"

After just one clash, the morale of his soldiers had plummeted.

He should have been the one to face Ghislain, but deep down, he knew he couldn’t win.

If his sword clashed with that massive axe, it would surely shatter.

The knight gulped nervously.
'Maybe I should’ve brought a larger weapon…'

His sword seemed so pitiful in the face of that terrifying axe.

While everyone stood frozen for a brief moment, the black demon moved again, red smoke streaming out as he advanced.

"Not coming? Then I’ll come to you."

WHOOM!

Ghislain leaped and landed in the midst of the soldiers.

BOOM!

Each swing of his axe tore soldiers apart, their bodies exploding into pieces.

Ghislain unleashed his power, releasing the full strength of his second core.

The knight, seeing his soldiers falling back, screamed in desperation.

"Attack! You idiots! If you run, you'll die anyway! Stab him, no matter what!"

Some of the braver soldiers thrust their spears as they had been trained to do.

TANG! TANG!

But their desperate attacks failed to penetrate the armor, bouncing off ineffectively.

Ghislain's armor was reinforced with mana, making ordinary attacks useless.

Without slowly wearing him down, these soldiers stood no chance.

BOOM!

Ghislain simply barreled through their attacks, sending soldiers flying.

THUD!

As he brought his axe down on another group of soldiers, the knight seized the opportunity he had been waiting for.

"Die!"
Seeing a small opening, the knight thrust his sword toward Ghislain's neck, using the soldiers as bait to create his chance.

Ghislain sensed the sharp intent aiming for his throat and tilted his head to the side.

CLANG! SCRAPE!

His black armor cracked, and blood splattered as the blade struck his shoulder.

THUD!

Despite the blood flowing, Ghislain didn't flinch. He reached out and grabbed the knight's face.

"You’re quite skilled."
It was a genuine compliment.

This knight had pierced his mana defenses and landed a blow, using his soldiers as mere pawns to create an opening. Cold and calculating.

Ghislain knew he would be fighting more enemies like this.

"Which is why I can’t let you live."

BOOM!

Ghislain slammed the knight’s head into the ground.

CRACK!

The knight’s neck snapped, killing him instantly.

CRUNCH!

Ghislain stomped on the knight’s head, crushing it completely, then picked up his axe once more.

BOOM! BOOM!

With just a few more swings, over half of the enemy soldiers were wiped out.

With all their commanders dead, the soldiers had no will or means to continue.

"R-run! Run away!"

The few remaining soldiers scattered in all directions. Ghislain paused to catch his breath, looking up at the massive siege tower.

The siege tower, a towering presence that drained the morale of the enemy, needed to be destroyed to shift the battlefield entirely.

"I need to take it down quickly."

Ghislain marched inside, attacking the rear of the troops climbing the tower.

CRUNCH! CRACK!

"Ahhhhh!"

The soldiers, caught off guard by the sudden rear assault, collapsed without resistance.

The siege tower was fortified on all sides except for the lower entrance, making it difficult for those inside to grasp what was happening outside.

"Enemy! The enemy is inside the siege tower!"

The soldiers on the lower level finally realized the commotion and turned to face it.

But none could stop Ghislain as he charged forward, swinging his axe, red smoke billowing from his armor.

The soldiers gathered at the bottom were quickly wiped out.

"Climb! Climb up!"
"Why is the enemy here?"
"There's a monster! A monster got in!"

The soldiers climbing the tower frantically pushed each other upward.

Ghislain, cutting through them effortlessly, was a terrifying sight.

But he didn’t chase after them up the tower. Instead, he stood among the fallen bodies, surveying his surroundings, before turning to destroy the stairs leading upward.

BOOM! BOOM!

The first floor of the siege tower, which was composed of three levels, was quickly demolished.

Now the enemy troops were trapped—they couldn’t come down, nor could they break through Feridium’s forces at the wall.

"Hoo…"
Ghislain took a deep breath amidst the debris and bodies.

THRUM!

The power of three cores roared within him, releasing an even greater force.
Bright red mana surged around his axe as Ghislain swung it again.

BOOM!

The left side of the siege tower exploded, leaving a massive hole.

Creak.

The remaining structure groaned, threatening to collapse. But the enormous tower still didn’t fall.

Gritting his teeth, Ghislain channeled even more mana and swung his axe toward the opposite wall.

BOOM!

The fragments of the tower burst outward like shrapnel.

Finally, the siege tower began to sway. With only two walls left, it couldn’t hold its massive weight.

Creeeeak. CRACK!

The thin plates of metal and wood on either side groaned and splintered.

"Ugh, ughhh!"
"It’s going to collapse!"
"Hurry! Get to the walls!"

Realizing the tower’s imminent collapse, the soldiers inside frantically tried to escape.

The strength of humans facing death is unimaginable, and they pushed through the Feridium troops momentarily.

"Hold the line! Hold it!"
Randolph shouted, cutting down enemies at the front. They had to block the entrance, or the enemy would take the wall.

As both sides clashed fiercely on the wall, Ghislain swung his axe one more time.

BOOM!

The final remaining wall of the siege tower was shattered.

The giant, already unsteady, could no longer stand.

CRUNCH! CRACK!

The wooden supports gave way, triggering a chain reaction as the rest of the structure collapsed.

"It’s collapsing!"

Desperate screams echoed from within the shaking siege tower.

CRASH! BOOM!

The internal structures gave way, and the bridge connecting the tower to the wall collapsed, sending the soldiers on it plummeting down.

BOOOOOM!

The mighty giant of the battlefield fell with a deafening roar.

Pfffsshh…
The crumbling siege tower exhaled a final breath of dust as its remains scattered across the battlefield.

For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.

"Could the Grand Duke… have done this alone?"
Randolph and the Feridium troops on the wall stared blankly at the scene below.

"Our siege tower… has collapsed…"
"Did… did the commander do this? Alone?"

Both the enemy soldiers and the mercenaries blocking the path were equally stunned, staring at the fallen tower.

Amid the stunned silence, one figure moved.

"Young Master!"
"Grand Duke!"

Belinda and Gillian, abandoning their fights, rushed toward the scene.

The pile of debris looked like a giant’s grave. Between the rubble were the torn and crushed bodies of fallen soldiers. Some still twitched, barely alive.

As the two grimly prepared to clear the wreckage—

BOOM!

Ghislain burst out from the middle of the debris.

Sssss.

The blood covering his body evaporated into a red mist as he exhaled heavily.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Ghislain immediately charged toward the stunned enemy soldiers.

WHOOOM!

CRACK!

A soldier's head split open, his lifeless body falling before he could even comprehend his death.

WHOOSH!

BOOM!

With another swing of Ghislain’s massive axe, the surrounding soldiers were thrown back, their bodies hitting the ground with brutal force. The remaining enemies, now realizing the danger they were in, scrambled to retreat in a panic.

"Regroup! We’re falling back to the wall!"
Ghislain bellowed, his voice cutting through the chaos.

Kaor and the mercenaries had barely managed to hold their defensive line at the breached wall, creating a path for their retreat. The wall on one side had been completely secured by Feridium's forces.

Without hesitation, Ghislain and his men quickly began withdrawing, moving swiftly back toward the wall.

"What? Are we retreating now?"
"The siege tower has been completely destroyed! Did the commander really do all that on his own?"
"Shut up and follow the commander!"

Even the mercenaries, who were bewildered by what had just happened, quickly fell in line and followed Ghislain. The enemy soldiers, still in shock, were slow to react.

"Move! Don’t let them escape!"
"They’re retreating! After them!"

By the time the enemy commanders realized what was happening, Ghislain and his men had already gained significant distance. Some of the enemy soldiers tried to give chase, while others remained too confused or terrified to move, and still others stumbled over each other in the chaotic retreat.

Randolph, seizing the moment, shouted orders to his men.
"Fire! Cover the Grand Duke!"

Arrows that had been aimed at the enemy archers now rained down on the confused soldiers below.

Pshhh! Pshhh!

Caught off guard, many enemy soldiers were struck down by the arrows, their bodies collapsing where they stood. Though the enemy archers returned fire, it was too late; many of their soldiers had already been felled.

Using the chaos to his advantage, Ghislain led his mercenaries toward the breached wall.
"Into the breach!"

The gate had already been closed by Skovan and his soldiers, but the mercenaries quickly slipped through the broken section of the wall.

"Now block the breach! Form up!"
Clang! Clang!

At Ghislain’s command, the mercenaries efficiently formed a shield wall to seal the gap.

Zebalter, watching from the safety of the wall, felt his heart pound in disbelief.
"You… How could you… pull off such an impossible feat!"

Even as he witnessed it with his own eyes, he struggled to believe what had just occurred. The strategy of breaking through the flank, destroying the siege tower, and then returning to the wall seemed too bold, too reckless.

It had been executed so swiftly that the enemy hadn’t had time to react properly.

For someone as experienced as Zebalter, even he would hesitate to attempt such a daring move.

"No, how could someone with no experience in war achieve something like that…"

Zebalter felt as if he had seen a ghost. There was no logical way to explain it. The destruction of the siege tower alone was unbelievable, but the way Ghislain had led the mercenaries, turning the tide of battle, was even more astonishing.

It hadn’t been a carefully thought-out tactic.

Rather, it was a rapid, instinctive response to the battlefield conditions—he had seized the enemy’s intention and turned it against them in the blink of an eye.

"Does this man really possess such a natural talent and instinct for war?"

Zebalter shook his head, trying to collect his thoughts.
"I’ll think about it later. For now, we’ve gained some breathing room, thanks to Ghislain."

The siege tower was no longer a threat, and the ladders hadn’t even been deployed yet. The enemy couldn’t breach the walls for now.

Randolph, however, was unable to suppress his frustration.
"You crazy bastard! That was pure luck! If that hadn’t worked, we’d all be dead! You could’ve gotten us all killed!"

His outburst was understandable, given the enormous risk Ghislain had taken. But Ghislain simply shrugged, ignoring Randolph’s rage.

As Randolph continued cursing, the soldiers’ cheers drowned out his voice.

"Uraaaaah!"

The soldiers, having witnessed Ghislain’s unbelievable actions, were filled with renewed morale. With the siege tower destroyed, they were now able to focus on shooting arrows with ease.

The enemy, who had been relentlessly trying to climb the walls, was suddenly pushed back, their ranks breaking.

One of the enemy knights, now on the defensive, shouted desperately to rally his men.

"Get yourselves together! Officers, take control of the troops! Head for the breached wall! Shield-bearers, block the arrows! Archers, fall back and provide cover! Move, you fools!"

The enemy lines were a mess, completely disorganized. Orders were scattered, and the battlefield had descended into chaos.

"Damn it! Even our main forces seem to be in shock! Why aren’t there any clear orders? Whether we advance with the ladders and reinforcements or retreat and regroup, we need to make a decision now!"

In moments like this, commanders had to make decisions on the fly. The knight, his voice hoarse from shouting, began gathering what was left of his scattered troops.

"Regroup! Charge at the breach in the wall!"

The only option left to them now was to focus their efforts on the breached section of the wall.