Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Red Knight Of War

The Red Knight of War.

Her name itself symbolizes war, and among the Four Knights, she possessed power enough to be called a disaster based solely on her pure force.

The strike she unleashed previously was the maximum force she could muster in an instant.

The moment her power clashed with the opponent, she felt a considerable sense of unease from her own sword.

Even though her opponent was completely obliterated, she felt that her full-force attack had been slightly hindered.

‘It’s hard… No, it feels as though the attack itself was distorted.’

It was likely an ability that nullified physical attacks that touched the body.

But such abilities ultimately respond to the user’s magical power, and typically, if pushed with power exceeding magical force, they are bound to be breached.

As a result, although the opponent’s ability was extraordinary, she was superior in capability, which decided the outcome.

Had the opponent engaged in combat more cautiously, there was a considerable chance they could have neutralized her attacks multiple times.

‘Indeed, troublesome… These heroes are.’

Indeed, purely in terms of ability, they were not to be underestimated.

This was the Red Knight’s evaluation of the hero from their previous clash.

“What? Is he an idiot?”

To those unaware of the process, it would have simply appeared as if the hero charged recklessly and died.

Aware of this blunt evaluation being voiced nearby, the Red Knight quietly turned to look at the undead figure beside her.

Unlike the other undead who were busy attacking the fortress wall at her command, this one, wearing a mask, was the only one who ignored her orders and stayed by her side.

“I thought they might have something up their sleeve, but they just ran in and got killed immediately… Pfffft, it’s astonishing that someone with such low intelligence survived this long~”

“…Blight, why are you in the army I lead?”

Blight, the White Knight of Plague.

No, more accurately, a ‘puppet’ created by his hand.

He merely assembled suitable corpses to form a body, injected it with his magic, and replicated his consciousness within it.

While the original was likely engaging in a feint attack from another direction, she was curious why he attached this clone to her.

Was there some message he needed to convey?

“Why did I come? I came to keep our Red Knight company, so she doesn’t get bored~”

“…Blight, you…”

“Whoa~! Don’t be so harsh~ I mean, comrades can share a joke or two while running operations, right?”

Blight stepped back two paces, startled.

Arguing was normal for them, but that was strictly when they weren’t in the middle of an operation.

“Do you think what we are doing now is a joke?”

Despite it being a command from their master, how could he so casually speak of jokes when facing their enemies?

“Puhuhu, it’s a joke~!”

Even so, Blight maintained his characteristic playful demeanor as he responded to her.

“It doesn’t matter how many living humans come at us; it’s not really a problem, is it? You know well what our ‘titles’ signify.”

As he said, each of the Four Horsemen of the Corpse Lord embodied the potential to bring about humanity’s downfall.

For beings like them, created in their image, humans were no more than insects to be crushed underfoot.

In fact, if they didn’t even have the leisure to joke around, it would be considered an insult.

“…It’s a matter of attitude.”

Yet the Red Knight steadfastly maintained her stance.

No matter how easily they could defeat humans, if discipline wasn’t upheld, loyalty would eventually crumble.

“Ah, it’s always like this with you.”

“You’re right, Blight. I don’t care what you are or what thoughts brought you here. But if it means ignoring the orders given by our mother…”

“Yeah~ Got it~ For the sake of serving our great master, I’ll refrain from jokes from now on.”

Blight grumbled that it would have been more fun if a certain other person had come along.

The Red Knight, losing interest in his complaints, turned her focus back to the battle, when Blight’s clone called out to her again.

“Enough jokes, I actually came here to seriously ask you something.”

“What are you going to say this time…?”

“Annabel Britannia.”

The Red Knight’s movements halted abruptly.

If it had been another joke, she would have sliced him in half, but she did not raise her sword.

The name mentioned was something she could not ignore.

“…You’ve always said you couldn’t remember your name. Is that really your name?”

“……”

The Red Knight silently turned to look at Blight.

Blight, still wearing a mask and draped in white rags, was there, but the mischievous smile was gone.

Yes, it seemed the question was of significant importance to him.

“…Is that really so important?”

“Important? Of course. To us, attachment is power, and names play the most crucial role in that…”

Slash!

His neck was severed by a belated swing of the sword.

It was flung away, but the Red Knight’s attention had long since turned to the battlefield.

“If you’re going to talk nonsense, get lost. Even if your real body is focused on the operation, babbling beside me will only hinder what I’m about to do.”

“…Kuhuhu. It’s troubling how sensitively you’re reacting. It’s different from usual.”

The clone’s head chuckled.

As the power within it gradually faded, Blight’s clone began to leave its last words using its crumbling consciousness.

“Fine, let’s save the unfinished conversation after the operation. Please take your time, Princess Annabel~”

The head collapsed as its power completely drained.

Withdrawing his interest, the Red Knight stepped towards the fierce battlefield at the walls.

As she did, the name he had mentioned gradually resurfaced in her mind.

‘Annabel Britannia. The last heir of a kingdom destroyed by plague.’

Had she lived, she would have been destined to be a leader, but such hypothetical musings meant nothing to the dead.

Everything achieved in life must be abandoned the moment one is buried in the grave.

Even if those memories formed her foundation, indulging in the past glory would accomplish nothing in the present.

‘Yes, I am but a puppet existing for mother.’

And her lingering attachment was solely to fight for her mother.

To become the sword that fulfills the lingering regrets of her mother in her previous life.

‘A tool living for mother…. If mother wishes for the extinction of humanity, I, too, must dream of humanity’s extinction.’

Annabel, revived solely with that single attachment, soon began to observe the siege conducted by the undead.

KRAAAAAAAAH!!

Undead, far more ferocious and powerful than the ordinary, aimed to gnaw through the walls situated within the valley.

Empowered by the strength of war she bestowed upon them, their power and violence far surpassed that of typical undead.

No matter how sturdy the walls were, without strong resistance, it was only a matter of time before they crumbled under their power.

“The enemies are shaving down the walls!”

“Archers to your positions! If the enemies notice and respond, set up palisades to conceal and ready yourselves!!!”

However, their opponents were the legion summoned from the Empire to defend this place.

Following a competent and passionate officer, they, despite holding the advantage of the walls, were determined to drive back the undead’s assault without complacency.

“Mage Battalion, 1st Unit! Lay down a barrage on the outer areas to herd the enemies towards the center! If the enemies are driven into one spot to avoid the attack, annihilate them there!”

“Infantry, wait behind! If the enemies can’t get over the walls, there’s no need to go out and fight!”

CRASH! BANG!

A volley of arrows and magic rained down from atop the walls.

With the undead swept away helplessly by the attack, the shouts of the humans, sensing an advantageous turn in the battle, began to resound loudly.

“Don’t lose heart! These walls are protecting us!”

“If it continues like this, the advantage in the fight is ours! Sweep them all away!”

Indeed, in war, defense is overwhelmingly more advantageous than siege.

In human history, it wasn’t uncommon for sieges to drag on for years, making it inefficient to throw troops at such battles.

That is, if this were a war between humans.

“Defense Captain! The enemies are climbing the walls from the sides!”

“Cut them off immediately!”

“It’s impossible! We’ve exhausted too much magical power on the barrage, cutting off our firepower!! We need time to gather more magical energy!”

Yes, to live means to expend energy.

Physical and mental strength needs replenishment, but the undead were free from such concerns.

As long as they have the magic to reanimate their bodies, they could fight endlessly.

If drawn into a war of attrition with such beings, gaps would inevitably form in human defenses due to their limited stamina.

RUMBLE!

Such a gap emerged at this moment.

Realizing this, the Red Knight prepared to swing her sword, gathering her magic.

“Defense Captain! The Red Knight is gathering magic over there!”

“Wh-what is she trying to…? Oh no! Everyone, get down!!!”

BOOOM!!!!!

A storm shot forth, swirling with an aura of immense magical power.

The impact sheared off the surface of the walls, starting cracks that reached where the soldiers were stationed.

At that moment, the walls, erected and reinforced over a month, showed signs of collapse from a single strike.

KWANG, KWAANG!

As such a powerful strike hit several times, despair began to bloom on the faces of the soldiers stationed on the walls.

Surely, conducting a siege with comparatively fewer forces was supposed to be merely a distraction.

Could it be that this monster intends to break the walls and invade right here?

“S-stop her! Stop her now!!”

“It’s impossible! The undead have already climbed up to the walls…!”

“Shoot regardless! If we can’t stop that thing, the walls will collapse!!”

The undead took advantage of the chaos to climb up to the walls.

Although armed forces were sent up belatedly to protect the archers and mages, by then, Annabel was already prepared to deliver the decisive blow.

Indeed, if it could be brought down, launching a direct invasion rather than just causing a disturbance would be perfectly acceptable.

KWAAAAH!!

When such a single-minded strike hit the main beam, the already unstable walls finally crumbled down on the spot.

All the humans standing atop could do was futilely resist the gravity and falling rocks crushing them.

“AAAAAAH! S-save me…”

CRASH, BANG!

A river of blood flowed through the scene of the disastrous collapse.

Annabel, stepping into the silent scene caused by this, soon drove her magic-infused sword into the ground.

‘Half of the forces I brought were consumed in breaking down the wall…’

Even an army that knows no fear suffers heavy losses when charging recklessly.

Yet, Annabel did not consider the battle unfavorable.

‘Numerical disadvantage can be made up for during the course of the war.’

CRACK, CRACK.

Magic spread from her sword, reanimating the corpses buried in the rubble, forcing them to stand.

The corpses, now reanimated, joined her ranks.

Sensing alarm, the commander urgently shouted to the soldiers defending the defensive line formed across the gorge.

“Damn it, assault team! Block the enemies’ entry right now! If they break through here, the damage will be even greater!!”

“Oh, it’s no use. There, my comrade is…”

“Hansen! Snap out of it! It’s me! Your best friend… Ack!!”

Those who had been their comrades just a moment ago suddenly turned into their enemies.

The undead, unrelenting, rushed towards their former comrades, unable to accept the change, seeking to quench their thirst with their flesh and bones.

The soldiers, barely grasping the situation and attempting to regroup, found that over a hundred of those near the walls had already been infected and joined the undead legion.

“My army. Sweep away everything in sight.”

Yet, no one dared to charge at the commander leading them.

The adversary was a being with the strength to single-handedly break walls that thousands of troops couldn’t.

With no assurance of victory, even if they risked their lives, morale rapidly declined with each step she took.

“Plunder their lives, and mock the dignity they hold dearer than life itself.”

Yes, humans were such insignificant beings.

No matter that war starts at the hands of humans, it is called a disaster because they cannot suppress the waves of madness themselves.

For her, who was war itself, this current fight was not even a source of amusement.

“And prove to those foolish ones.”

“That everything happening here is the result of the original sin held by humanity…!”

“Ah, aaaah! Save me!”

Following that, even the soldiers who lost their will to fight and dropped their weapons began to flee in droves.

But the corpses had no sympathy.

They merely followed their instincts, persistently pursuing to incorporate them into the whirlwind of madness.

CRASH, BANG!!!

Just as the advance was about to breach the valley and crash into the main base, the upper part of the valley collapsed, beginning to block their path forward.

The survivors managed to narrowly save their lives due to the path being blocked by falling rocks.

Following that, the ground where the rocks had fallen began to turn upside down due to some force, turning the inside of the valley into a battlefield.

RUMBLE, CRASH!

It was a phenomenon that seemed like gravity had been reversed.

Then, as gravity restored, the earth and debris rained down on the undead.

“…Who are you?”

Seeing her troops buried alive, Annabel halted her advance momentarily and raised her sword towards the one blocking her path.

There stood a paladin, heavily armored in white.

“A knight of the Meter Order, Nam Ja-seong.”

With his back to the blocked entrance of the valley, he began to make a display of his presence, his symbolic weapon ‘Large Shovel’ slung over his shoulder.

“I’ve come to bury you in this valley.”

Though he was alone.

He presented an appearance more solid than hundreds of troops and even the walls themselves.