## Chapter 2260 – 2260. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
I returned to the battlefield.
I wanted to throw it all away, go back to the mansion, sip on Yuria’s special milk tea, and produce more siblings for Yuna.
If I hadn’t promised Melissa that I’d give her the Lery Tree, I definitely would have.
I stepped out of the tent.
The offensive was prepared, but the atmosphere on the battlefield was strange.
For the past few days, while I was back at the mansion, playing and eating, the army had also been forced to rest. After a few days of playing and eating, the atmosphere had loosened, even on the battlefield.
As I looked around the army, I stopped, noticing something on one side. Naked women were lying haphazardly on the ground.
I asked Harto, my adjutant and a high-ranking warrior.
“What are those?”
“They are women looted from nearby villages.”
Harto spoke respectfully. He had started using honorifics since I became king.
“I told you not to rape the beautiful women. You wouldn’t be disobeying my orders, would you?”
“The beautiful women are being managed separately. Which warrior would dare challenge Your Majesty’s authority?”
“Good then.”
It was I who had allowed unlimited looting. Killing men and raping women was nothing new.
I entered the command tent where the commanders were gathered.
Great warriors and high-ranking warriors were already assembled. As soon as I entered, they rose from their seats and bowed their heads.
“You’ve had a long rest. Begin the offensive. Capture the fortress.”
“…Your Majesty. Their fortress is strong. If we start an offensive recklessly, we will suffer losses and retreat.”
“Then have you come up with a plan in the meantime?”
“……”
The war of Kairak is simple.
Charge.
There are no other tactics or strategies. It’s good if you fight and win, and it’s good to die honorably even if you lose. That was the Kairak way of worshiping combat and strength.
Of course, great warriors, war chiefs, and high-ranking warriors had no choice but to open their eyes to reality. Countless lives depended on their choices.
“…I heard that when attacking a castle, siege weapons are necessary. If not, the power of a mage is a great help.”
Great Warrior Chairun said.
It seemed he had picked up something somewhere.
The problem was that Kairak’s technology was not capable of creating siege weapons. Even if they somehow made one, it would only be something that looked the part. A mage? That was even harder than siege weapons. Kairak’s culture ignored and rejected mages.
I could get siege weapons. I could use dwarf slaves. I could also bring mages. If I sent a notice to the magic tower, hundreds would gather. But I didn’t feel it was worth it.
“Instead of racking your brains, do what you’re good at. Charge. Surely you’re not going to say you’re afraid of dying?”
“Your Majesty! We are not afraid of death! What we fear is a meaningless death! Too much time has passed! Just as our troops have rested, the enemy has also rested and reorganized! The charge we are about to make is a dog’s death! We need another way to attack the fortress!”
One of the high-ranking warriors gave his honest opinion. As their king, I couldn’t ignore it. I summoned an axe and struck the man’s head. Blood splattered everywhere.
“I gave you time. It’s your incompetence that you couldn’t find a way. Instead of using your head poorly, go and charge. That is the path to victory.”
I pulled the axe out of the corpse’s head and looked around. The warriors kept their mouths shut. I could feel their fear towards me. The great warriors were expressionless. It was hard to know what they were thinking. If they were going to rebel, I wished they would do it quickly.
“…We will begin the offensive as Your Majesty wishes. But please know this one thing. Many warriors will shed their blood because of Your Majesty’s orders.”
“Don’t shift responsibility. If the warriors die like dogs, it’s because you are incompetent.”
The Kairak forces, which had been hesitant in front of the fortress, began to move. Tension began to rise on the relaxed battlefield.
The forces took their positions. I looked at the front from behind the forces. A natural fortress in the center of a rocky valley.
The stone walls, carved from rock, were high, and mages, archers, and soldiers stood on top of them. The enemies, who had already repelled three offensives, were full of confidence. They had also completed their resupply during the past standoff, so their morale was high.
According to Chairun, there was a great general named Tupopo in that fortress. He was an aura master of the Thorn Kingdom.
That was why they hadn’t been able to capture the fortress, even with the aura master Chairun. Because the enemies also had an aura master.
“Begin.”
I gave the order.
Great Warrior Chairun took a deep breath and shouted.
“Blow the horns of charge!!”
Poooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!
“Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
The warriors charged, shouting. The archers on the fortress simultaneously drew their bows and shot arrows. Hundreds of arrows rained down on the warriors.
“Raise your shields!!”
“Don’t be intimidated by arrows!!”
“You can’t stop us with just this! Break through that damn castle! If we break through, victory is ours! There is glory, gold, women, and alcohol inside!”
The warriors blocked the arrows with their shields. The problem was the spells that followed. Fireballs, ice spikes, and rocks flew. Not only that, the ground was muddy, and gusts of wind pulled at the warriors’ clothes. The warriors did not easily adapt to the supernatural phenomena.
The warriors, who had been nonchalantly enduring the arrow rain, began to die. There was still more than 200 meters left to the fortress.
“Those damn mages…!!”
Chairun gritted his teeth. That was all. He had no other way.
I summoned Stormbreaker.
“Your Majesty?”
“I will open the way.”
I held Stormbreaker in a spear-throwing stance. I focused my mind and poured power into the spear.
Crack, crackle.
Aura blades and lightning began to gather and envelop the spear.
As the lightning began to crackle loudly, the surrounding gazes gathered on me. I could feel gazes from the fortress far away. I ignored them and continued what I was doing.
I poured my power into the spear to its limit.
Lightning Heaven Style (雷天流) Ultimate Technique (極技) Explosive Quake Lightning (爆震雷).
It wouldn’t explode immediately. But the moment this spear touched, it would explode. The explosion of Explosive Quake Lightning is affected by the amount and quality of lightning.
I took a breath and threw the spear.
The spear flew with a sonic boom and collided with the main gate of the fortress. At that moment, the power that had been packed into the spear exploded.
An enormous amount of light burst out, as if a flashbang had gone off. Immediately after, the fortress collapsed. The solid walls and gate shattered, revealing the interior. The mages on the walls were caught in the explosion and disappeared.
“The War King has unleashed lightning and destroyed the fortress!”
“Let’s go!! Let’s go kill those cowards!!”
“Glory awaits us!!”
The fact that the mages were killed and the magic interference disappeared was more significant than the collapse of the fortress. The tide of the battle began to turn decisively.
“Chairun.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty. What is your command?”
“I heard there is a great general named Tupopo in that fortress? It will be difficult with ordinary warriors alone. Go and kill him yourself.”
“Understood. I will offer victory to Your Majesty.”
“Don’t disappoint me this time.”
Chairun ran towards the fortress. He was incredibly fast, as expected of an aura master. I sat in a chair and watched. I had spoon-fed him this much, so he should be able to handle it.
Thirty minutes later, Chairun killed Tupopo.
• • •
Hyaku Thorn, the 23rd king of Thorn, heard increasingly bad news as the days passed.
The new War King, Eugene Pruker, had joined the war, and Thorn was suffering repeated defeats.
The war was taking place all over the kingdom, so there were cases where the Thorn Kingdom won. However, from a macro perspective, those victories were meaningless. If the Thorn Kingdom was to win this war, they had to destroy the forces led by the War King.
“Bipu! It’s been a week since the fortress in the rocky valley fell! Kairak is coming! The War King is coming to kill me!! You said we could make a peace treaty, so why did you fail?!”
“Your Majesty. The War King had no intention of making a peace treaty from the beginning. How many times do I have to say it…”
“Damn it! The War King is coming to kill me! Can we stop the War King? We can stop him, right?!”
Hyaku was sweating profusely and biting his nails. Blood came out of his nails and dripped onto the floor. Yet, he continued to bite his nails.
“Your Majesty. You are harming your body. Please calm down.”
“Calm down? The enemies will arrive in a week! How can I calm down? …Maybe it would be better to surrender now. The War King wanted the Lery Tree, so if we trade that…”
“Your Majesty! There is still a way!”
Bipu shouted, channeling mana. Hyaku, who had been writhing in anxiety, looked at Bipu with desperate eyes.
“…What is the way? Don’t hesitate and tell me. How can we reverse this situation?”
“The War King does not know Your Majesty’s abilities. Only you and I know Your Majesty’s abilities. Your Majesty. Please use your abilities?”
“…Knowing what my abilities are, are you still saying such things?”
“It is connection and summoning. The power to connect and summon powerful beings. A power that can dominate the world depending on how it is used.”
“It sounds good, doesn’t it? The price is a person’s soul. One mistake I made when I was young is enough.”
“Nothing remains where the War King’s forces have passed. They kill men and the elderly, and enslave children and women. Imagine what it will be like when they conquer the Thorn Kingdom! Hell will unfold for the people of the Thorn Kingdom!”
Hyaku trembled.
Even now, reports of the enemy’s merciless looting continued to come in. It was not difficult to imagine the fall of the Thorn Kingdom.
“What, what should I do?”
“I have already prepared the souls. Connect with a great demon and make a contract. With the great demon’s powerful authority, you will be able to kill the War King.”
“G, good.”
Bipu put souls into a small bead. Thanks to this, Hyaku could use the souls without guilt. The souls in the bead disappeared, and Hyaku’s ability was activated.
Hyaku felt connected to a powerful being. Through his ability, Hyaku could know the name of the being he was connected to.
Halmon, the demon of rage. A top-tier demon with a high rank even among demons.
-A lowly mortal has an interesting talent. I will listen. What do you want from me?
“Please kill the War King, Eugene Pruker!”
-You crazy bastard.
Click.
The connection was severed.
