Xyrin Empire
Chapter 498: Chaotic Battlefield

Chapter 498: Chapter 498: Chaotic Battlefield

Under the bloody vestiges of broken clouds, the battlefield lay dismal.

Swords and blades entwined to form an endless thicket of thorns, where fresh blood—still warm—trickled freely down the sharp and icy curtain. The limbs belonged to either enemy or comrade; it was almost impossible to tell. Arms severed, amputated values strewn everywhere, and the chaotic scene echoed with the moans of the dying and the cries of the injured.

The final Rebel Army had retreated, and I too had encountered my last victory in life, yet there was no joy of victory in my heart—only a vast void and bewilderment.

Even the pain of my own wounds seemed but an Illusion in this bewildering haze.

Never had I imagined that the Knights who swore to follow me to the death would betray me. Now, few remained by my side. Under my leadership, they once cleaved through obstacles, erupting in triumphal cheers after each victory, glowing with heroic splendor, adored and supported by the people. Yet, on this ultimate victory’s battlefield, all I could see on their faces were dishevelment and darkness.

There were no flowers offered to the heroes, no songs of praise from the people, for the people no longer regarded these once-heralded heroes as their Guardian Gods.

The ultimate victory on the battlefield signified a lifetime of defeat. The King of Britain, wielding the Holy Sword, had bid farewell to her glory. Time had proven everything—she was not the most qualified King, and in the end, she did not protect her subjects. Thinking like a machine, she had firmly believed her sword alone could safeguard the kingdom, but what came instead was the loss of her people’s faith and a growing distance from her Knights. "A perfect king simply cannot understand ordinary citizens," such remarks wholly negated the Knight King’s lifelong beliefs, leading to the dissolution of her subjects, and eventually, she even had to raise her sword against the very people she had sworn to protect—and against those Knights who had vowed to shield her.

The advancing enemy Army merged with scenes from my memories, the cries and pleas of the past almost echoing in my ears again, alongside countless disputes erupting among the once-intimate Round Table Knights...

"Altoria," a pair of strong hands suddenly clapped onto the shoulders of the somewhat distracted girl, "Focus."

"Sorry." Saber quickly gripped the Holy Sword more tightly in her hand, redirecting her attention toward the distant formations.

As I had always said, if the Holy Grail ultimately fails to fulfill your wish, praying to us is still effective. I said gently, smiling, repeating the promise I’d made to her at the beginning. But this time, she must be able to discern the subtle understanding of that promise through the series of events that had recently unfolded.

"They’re attacking!"

Saber calmed down and swiftly got into position, then noticed the changes in the far-off battle formation. The tightly packed array abruptly began to separate by rows. The first line of Infantry carrying round shields stepped forward boldly, aligning neatly as they drew their Javelins, while the formations of the following lines began to disperse, with Light Infantry moving towards the flanks, preparing to provide cover for the upcoming battle.

Facing merely a dozen people, the deployment of such a tens of thousands-strong force seemed laughable at first glance. Not to mention, if a fight broke out, how many among those ten thousand wouldnwould be able to actually engage us? How few of their hurled Javelins would reach their target?

Yet, facing this seemingly overkill formation, I could only sense the impeccable discipline of this Army, the strict enforcement of orders.

Saber’s Invisible Sword pointed to the front, the blade slowly starting to release an increasingly powerful wind pressure. She was unveiling the Wind King Barrier that rendered the Holy Sword invisible, while Red A drew out a very peculiar Golden Bow, notching no arrow to the string yet mimicking the action of drawing a bow, while at the same time, a uniform roar erupted from the Heavy Infantry formation ahead.

"Drink up!!!"

A sky-covering swarm, like locusts filling the air, came the massive volley of javelins thrown by the front rank of infantry, their trajectories through the sky allowing me to initially deduce that these weapons were not all aimed at our heads, but were evenly blanketing the entire battlefield.

So that was their plan, to directly utilize numerical superiority to create fire coverage and block any agile Heroic Spirits among us. Under such a widespread javelin downpour, even a Rider would have trouble escaping to safety in time, wouldn’t they?

Then, without any warning, a hurricane swept across the front.

The Wind King Barrier that enwrapped the Holy Sword was finally released by Altoria at just the right moment, forming a tornado that completely enveloped us. Thousands of javelins, entwined with chaotic magic power, were sucked into the vortex, hitting each other uncontrollably, causing a chain of massive explosions. The magic power explosions created a domino effect, nearly detonating all the javelins. For a moment, the sky above us seemed to collapse amidst the deafening noise.

This was the power of the Heroic Spirit Army. Even though their first wave of attack had been intercepted, the overwhelming force surpassed that of any human army, and could not be denied. Just a volley of javelins contained the destructive power equivalent to a full barrage of strategic bombers. If not for the cunning use of the Wind King Barrier, that attack would have been enough to obliterate any Heroic Spirit.

The Einzbern Castle was undoubtedly destroyed in such an attack, and Uncle B actually managed to carry Ilya away from the mountain mansion under hundreds of such javelins. Should I say he’s a very awesome MT?

"Bang, bang, bang," the continuous twang of bowstrings rang beside my ears. Red A pulled the strings of her bow without arrows, launching air arrows, invisible yet palpable, accurately killing several Centurions from the charging infantry Spirits. Clearly, this strange bow didn’t need arrows at all; its ammunition was naturally generated through magic power.

Wow, the legendary orange bow?

Such trivial counterattacks, of course, would not deter the well-trained Roman army. With the fall of the leading Centurions, the enemy’s charge became even more fierce. After throwing their javelins, all of the first-rank infantry drew their broadswords, shouting as they surged towards us, while the second rank’s javelins had been launched, flying past the first rank’s formation and quickly approaching overhead.

"Void Explosion!"

Being strongly spectated by ten thousand Heroic Spirits was not the time to continue playing it cool. As soon as all of the javelins entered the attack range, I unhesitatingly opened a Void Rift amidst them. Even though the rift lasted for less than a millisecond, the leaked Void Energy was enough to cause the pure energy javelins to explode more violently than before, creating a chain reaction. During the roar, a black sphere with a radius of hundreds of meters suddenly swelled in the sky. The massive magic power and the traces of Void Energy intertwined within it, unable to dissipate, formed an energy conglomerate phenomenon. Then came a sound like the shattering of heaven and earth.

The air shockwave was visibly expanding in a frenzy from where the black sphere disappeared, and the mere pressure caused deep, broken gouges across the ground. The infantry formation right beneath the sphere suffered a catastrophic disaster; the pressure of several tons generated in an instant turned many Heroic Spirits into scattered magic power in the air, while those further from the center of the explosion were knocked awry. A single Void Explosion had nearly annihilated a thousand Heroic Spirits.

The scene lasted only two to three seconds, yet it evoked unrestrained exclamations from Tohsaka and the others. Including Saber, everyone cast their stunned gazes in this direction.

This was not the same cunning dispersion of thousands of javelins by the Wind King Barrier but a direct and thorough frontal attack—one explosion destroyed all the magic javelins while also killing nearly a thousand Heroic Spirits.

For the first time, this was the first time they had witnessed the full force of the "Centaurus Photography Enthusiast." And so, after a brief shock, everyone’s confidence soared exponentially.

"Although I can’t be as exaggerated as you, Mr. Alien Uncle, I’m not slacking off either!" Tohsaka zealously patted her modest chest, then summoned several magic power-filled rubies, ready to deal with the Heroic Spirit Infantry that had already charged close, but someone was even faster.

And much more dramatic in victory.

Sandora hovered in midair, her golden hair fluttering in the wind, constantly shedding dandruff-like fluorescence that, although I would definitely get beaten up for saying this at this moment, I still want to mention. The sharp lines of gold formed a wall-like expanse, connecting the ground to the sky. In the middle of this ’circuit board’, playing the role of a CPU, the indifferent Sandora issued a command to the closely approaching enemies.

"The traitors’ souls shall serve the Soul Taker—kill your comrades!"

The Heroic Spirit Infantry at the front, as if electrocuted, suddenly stiffened, their bodies violently shaking, then they simultaneously raised their swords, turned around, and without hesitation, split their fellow soldiers behind them in two.

That moment of turning against their own immediately threw the originally fairly organized phalanx charge into disarray (having rapidly reformed their formation after enduring a Void Explosion decimation, their fierce coordination was likely matched only by Xyrin Soldiers), and even outstanding soldiers would fall into panic if they suddenly saw the comrades at their front charging back and crazily slashing their own. Thus, the infantry formation, which had not been disturbed by the Void Explosion, finally fell into chaos amidst a round of fratricide.

"Imperial Suppression!"

Taking advantage of this, Tsuruya quickly drew her Commander’s Sword, pointing ahead, and a dark red halo rapidly expanded around her. Above all the enemy soldiers, except those already under Sandora’s Mind Control, appeared a flashing crosshair mark, and next to the crosshair, a number that was swiftly decreasing.

"Attack while we have time." I reminded everyone, who were somewhat distracted by Sandora’s terrifying ability; they then remembered that the enemy had not yet been wiped out!

Berserker, under Ilya’s command, charged into the enemy lines that had already advanced close, his enormous stone ax swinging wildly with no discernible pattern, but achieving astonishing battle results. Dozens of soldiers swathed in Heavy Armor could not withstand a single blow, falling to pieces that flew in all directions. In just two or three seconds of combat, he had taken out all the fellow soldiers under Sandora’s Mind Control...

"Ilya! Make that Foolish Big Guy aim properly!" I hurriedly reminded the daydreaming silver-haired Loli, seeing the almost fiery expression in Sandora’s eyes.

Then, turning around, I saw Uncle B kicking away another innocent fellow soldier who happened to pass by.

You’re an undercover agent, right? You must be an undercover agent, Uncle B!

Fortunately, except for Berserker, who spectacularly took out countless of our own people as soon as he entered the scene, the others’ attacks did not cause any friendly fire incidents. Saber and Sasaki, proficient in close combat, swung their sharp swords after the removal of the Wind King Barrier. The dazzling Golden Sword and the Ghost Energy-infused ’Drying Pole’ operated like two compact meat grinders, shredding approaching enemy soldiers. Their combined killing speed, though not as fast as the now gleefully addicted Little Scorpio, was remarkably impressive. Agile Rider had already mounted her Heavenly Pegasus, soaring on flapping wings around the battlefield perimeter, constantly using her speed and altitude advantages to pick off Centurions commanding the troops. With Saber and others distracting the enemy, Caster was free to unleash her divine-era spells to their full extent: a myriad of Arcane Missiles, Blizzards, Eye Beams, Multiple Arcane Shooting, Qi Gong Waves, and Little Li’s Flying Knife created a bewildering display of powers.

Hello, everyone. I’m a photography enthusiast from the non-serialized Undead Star...

As soon as they engaged in battle, Saber immediately noticed the difference between these enemies and the heavy infantry she encountered last time. If the soldiers she faced previously still possessed the strength to spar with her, then the enemies this time...

Were as fragile as paper, slow in their movements, and inaccurate in their attacks, with nearly all of them dying upon a single strike.

Of course, she didn’t think she’d suddenly made a breakthrough, nor did she expect the armor on those soldiers to be made in China. Naturally, her suspicion fell on the red crosshairs atop the helmets of the enemy soldiers.

That was certainly Tsuruya’s doing. As I’ve said before, in a large-scale battle involving armies, a Storm Commander can play a role often greater than an entire military force. She can enhance or weaken soldiers by the legion, which can virtually reverse the strength of both sides in combat. If it weren’t for the fact that we hadn’t deployed troops and Tsuruya’s enhancement skills weren’t much in demand, Saber would have been even more surprised.

The units shrouded in "Imperial Suppression" were weakened, not only suffering from the usual effects such as reduced speed, inaccuracy, and debilitation, but the most outrageous aspect of this halo skill was an "Damage Limit" attribute. In essence, any attack launched by a weakened target will always inflict minimal damage, while they would certainly receive maximum damage when hit.

For instance, a weakened soldier swings a blade at you, which might sever your arm, or might just skim off a layer of your skin due to a slight angle deviation. In that case, congratulations, apart from possibly losing a few hairs, you won’t sustain any damage. For the opponent, however, the situation will be exactly the opposite.

Whether it’s Saber or Rider, every Heroic Spirit on our side has the potential to kill these Infantry Spirits in a single blow under the right conditions. Under the influence of Tsuruya’s skills, the possibility of a one-hit kill becomes a certainty, and a multitude of enemies begin to fall to an endless assault of exploited weaknesses.

If only this skill could last indefinitely...

As I gazed at the crosshairs with numbers quickly dropping to zero, I began to indulge in wishful thinking.

And as the front line of soldiers had already engaged with us at close quarters, those behind the formation were equally busy, throwing their javelins relentlessly. Initially, I was deeply shocked by this tactic of injuring comrades to kill the enemy, but soon I noticed a rather unfair phenomenon: the javelins could differentiate friend from foe!

When they hit an ally, not only did they not cause damage, but they quickly dispersed into magic energy, which then flowed into the hit soldiers, healing their wounds at a visible rate. Thus, with the end of Tsuruya’s ability, the arrival of freshly positioned forces from the first row, and the second row of Heavy Armor Big Men constantly replenishing energy to their charging comrades (...), the small initial advantage we had gained from the surprise attacks was finally pushed back. Countless enemies surged from all directions, everywhere the eye turned was filled with the cold light of hostile blades.

Sandora had already abandoned the mostly dead or injured Puppet Soldiers she initially controlled, and her continued attempts to seek new Spiritual Slaves seemed rather ineffective. After all, the enemy consisted of Heroic Spirits, far surpassing the ordinary creatures we usually crushed, the "World Power Laborers." The spiritual power needed to control a thousand Heroic Spirits would be enough to control thousands more ordinary humans, yet the effect was negligible: after the initial panic, the enemy soldiers had smartened up. Whenever a soldier was controlled by Sandora, his comrades would preemptively dismember him with a chaotic flurry of blades. After several fruitless attempts at Mind Control, Sandora gave up on this wasteful strategy and instead started to unleash wide-ranging Spiritual Shock. Consequently, enemy soldiers charging from the rear of the battle formation began to suffer mysterious large-scale casualties: some would suddenly convulse during their swift charge, spewing blood to the sky, and that was the better outcome. More often, they would foam at the mouth while running, their brains cooked to a mush by the Spiritual Shock, yet their bodies still instinctually moved forward, drawing abstract curves, segmented lines, and parabolas with the foam as they fell, dousing their comrades behind them, not killed by the attack but utterly disgusted...

The enemy was the Roman Legion, and there was no doubt about it now.

The strict infantry formation, the first volley of javelin throws, the charge, the second volley of javelin throws, close combat, the Light Infantry flank guards engaging in harassment, all executed in a tight, cyclical tactic that only the elite troops of the Ancient Roman Empire could perform so skillfully. So, was it the Makoto Family Head, that damn traitor, who summoned the Roman Legion?

The battle was still ongoing, and though the enemy forces were vast and aggressive, thanks to Sandora’s powerful Spiritual Power, and my sporadic disrupting their formations with Void Explosions and Heavenly Light, what should have been a battle greatly disproportionate in numbers turned into a stalemate. And this was even when neither Sandora nor I were fighting at full force.

However, gradually, I began to notice something amiss...(To be continued. If you wish to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more Chapters, to support the author, and to read the official version!)