Chapter 145

Chapter 145: Even a Cat Can’t Beat a Chicken

Mudside, inside the defensive position.

“Haaaaahhhh…”

“Wh-What the hell is that?”

“Why is something like that here?!”

Just moments ago, the Tread troops had been gleefully driving back the forces of Daphne. But now, their march had come to a halt.

Their faces twisted with confusion and fear, and their mouths hung open in shock.

Screeeeech!

 KIEEEEEEEH!

The cockatrice smashed through the rear gate of the defensive position and let out a roar as it spread its wings wide.

The morning sunlight reflected off its smooth white feathers, making it look as if it wore golden armor.

And atop the cockatrice’s head—

“Alright, louder!”

Thud! Thud!

Beryl, perched at the very top, slapped the cockatrice’s head with his palms as he shouted.

“B-Beryl Hyuuuuuung! Why are you so late?!”

Mikkelsen, who had been standing below, jumped up and down as he shouted.

“Late?! I came exactly when I was told to!”

Beryl shouted back in annoyance.

“……”

As the Tread troops hesitated, unable to advance or retreat,

Beryl raised his hand to his brow to block the sun and looked straight ahead.

He spotted Hardin standing far ahead at the front of the defensive position, facing off against Commander Pattinson.

‘I can’t believe they’re actually using this crazy plan.’

Beryl sighed as if steeling himself for what was to come and narrowed his eyes.

Then he brought his palm to the cockatrice’s head…

Wooooooong—

As he sent mana flowing into the beast through his fingertips, he shouted boldly.

“Let’s go, Kkokko! Wipe them out without mercy!”

And then…

 KIEEEEEEEEK!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The cockatrice, now fully fired up, began charging forward once again.

“Aaaaargh!”

Crack! Crunch!

Enemies were either trampled beneath its feet or sent flying to the sides.

“U-uh, uuuhhh?”

“Th-This is insane!”

The Tread formation naturally broke apart and began to retreat.

From behind, Cobalt watched the scene unfold, his eyes filled with awe and emotion.

‘They actually… pulled this off.’

He recalled what Hardin had passionately explained during the meeting just yesterday.

—We’ll hold out as long as we can while slowly luring them inside the stronghold.

—Lure them in? Then what’s the point of building the defensive position?

—No, no. You have to hear me out. Once they’re convinced they’ve won, that’s when we unleash the cockatrice!

—The cockatrice…?

—Yes.

It had sounded like an absurd plan—trap the enemies inside and then unleash the cockatrice to scatter them.

He had followed along because there were no better options, but it seemed nearly impossible to pull off.

And yet, just as Hardin had described, everything was falling into place step by step, as if it had all been foretold. It felt like a dream.

‘How the hell did Hardin…’

At that moment—

“Lord!”

Mulgybson gripped Cobalt’s shoulder tightly, his face tense as he spoke.

Cobalt responded with a firm nod, then shouted in a booming voice.

“Everyone, charge! Pursue the enemies and wipe them out!”

“Chaaaarge!”

“Let’s gooo!”

Manton, captain of the Jellyfish Unit—

Beryl, riding atop the cockatrice—

Mikkelsen, the knights, and even the once-terrified conscripts—all screamed fiercely as they surged forward.

“Uwaaahhh! D-Don’t push me!”

“Move out of the way!”

The fleeing troops of the Count of Tread collided into each other in chaos. They stumbled, tripped over one another, and some even crushed their comrades’ heads and ribs underfoot.

These were the same men who had been so certain of victory, who had never once considered the possibility of defeat. That certainty made their fear spread all the faster.

Commander Pattinson’s face flushed red as he watched this hellish scene unfold.

‘We’ve been had.’

His forehead burned, and his heart began to race.

Perhaps that was why—

—for the first time since the start of this battle, no, even before that, one word crept into his mind—a word he hadn’t even considered until now.

Defeat.

That the Count of Tread, the strongest in Luden Shire, might be defeated by the likes of Daphne—a house that had only just begun to rise again—such an absurd idea was starting to feel possible.

‘No, it’s still fine.’

They were only shaken by the sudden momentum shift. If they could just reverse it, the overwhelming difference in military strength still remained in their favor. That hadn’t changed.

And the best way to do that was—

Pattinson narrowed his eyes and locked onto Hardin.

“Impressive. I thought you were a third-rate house… but you’re putting up a better fight than expected.”

“Right back at you.”

Hardin shrugged.

His reply was plain, but something in his demeanor gave off a subtle air of confidence, as if he had already secured victory.

Pattinson scowled in displeasure.

“Then I have no choice. I’ll rip you to pieces myself—and that chicken too.”

“Sorry, but I already told you. We’re right on schedule.”

Hardin slung his black spear over his shoulder and grinned.

“Well then, see you!”

TAAH!

He turned his back on Pattinson and sprinted away.

“Why you—! Running away?!”

Pattinson flinched and tried to give chase.

‘He’s fast!’

But instead of closing the distance, Hardin only grew farther and farther away.

It might’ve been because he had exhausted himself earlier using Shockwave and fighting in close combat…

‘That bastard… was hiding his true strength!’

Pattinson’s instincts as a knight screamed at him.

In terms of speed alone, there was a clear difference in class between them.

Even as Hardin dashed past him, the man didn’t blink. He stared straight ahead with unwavering focus.

“Eek!”

“D-Don’t come this way!”

Tread soldiers were fleeing in panic under the pressure of the cockatrice.

‘Alright, time to go wild.’

Hardin hurled himself right into the midst of them.

Slaaash!

“Guh!”

As Hardin swept his black spear horizontally, several enemy heads soared into the air in a single strike.

“H-Huh?”

“……”

The nearby soldiers' eyes shook violently.

Though they were soaked in their comrades’ blood, their dazed faces suggested they hadn’t fully grasped what had just happened.

Slaash! Slaash!

Before they could even process the situation, Hardin’s spear struck again, claiming more lives.

Then—

“W-What the hell is this guy?!”

“Aaaaaargh!”

The soldiers, eyes wide with panic, began swinging swords and spears and firing arrows at him.

Of course, it was all in vain.

Slaaaash!

“Gahk!”

In the meantime—

“Stop him!”

Pattinson had somehow closed the distance.

But—

Taah!

Hardin, unfazed, leapt once more right into the center of the enemy ranks.

“Aaaargh!”

Amidst the throng of enemy troops, heads, flesh, and sprays of blood exploded into the air, followed by a chorus of dying screams.

 KIEEEEEEEEK!

The cockatrice continued tearing apart their formation.

“Push forward!”

“Follow the Lord!”

The Daphne knights and soldiers, now riding high on momentum—

“Eeeeek, he’s a—he’s a monster!”

And Hardin, who dove right into the heart of their formation, wreaking havoc at will—

To Tread, it was nothing short of hell.

Beeeeeeep—

A high-pitched ring echoed in Pattinson’s ears, overheated from rage.

“Grrrragh! Gilton! Bohim!”

He charged forward, slicing through Daphne soldiers, and let out a furious roar.

Before long—

“Yes, Commander!”

“Huff, huff… Did you call for us?!”

Two blood-soaked unit commanders approached him.

“Target that cockatrice first. If we take it down, we can flip the tide of battle.”

“Yes, understood!”

“A sound judgment.”

As the two nodded—

Taah!

All three knights launched forward nearly simultaneously.

All of them were at least 3-star knights.

If the three of them attacked together and fought seriously, taking down a mere cockatrice would be no trouble.

“Support them.”

“Yes, sir!”

Gilton cleaved through enemies with his twin axes, clearing a path, while Bohim extended his rapier to finish off stragglers, quickening their pace.

 KIEEEEEK!

As they neared the cockatrice—

‘Now.’

‘This is it!’

The three leapt toward the beast’s exposed rear almost simultaneously.

But then—

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Three shadows fell from the sky in perfect timing.

CLANG! CLAAAANG! CLANG!

Sparks flew as the Tread knights were forced to fall back.

“Tch… Who do you think you are, coming after our Kkokko!”

Beryl, still riding atop the cockatrice’s head, shouted with a fierce expression.

“Whooo… Are you alright, Young Master?”

“Yeah… Just a little tired, that’s all.”

Manton and Hardin, drenched in sweat and blood, steadied their breaths.

Gritting his teeth, Pattinson sharpened his senses to gauge his opponents’ aura.

‘Daphne… was this really their level?’

Including Hardin, the other two were knights roughly at the 3-star level.

Though their mana reserves were inferior to his own, they were more than capable of dragging things out and tying him down.

“Kill them!”

“Yes, sir!”

The three charged forward once more.

CLANG! CLAAANG!

Metal clashed, and sparks flew.

“I’ll take you on!”

“Grrrah!”

CLAAAANG! CLAAANG!

3rd Unit Commander Gilton, wielding twin axes, lunged at Beryl.

“There’s someone better than expected in Daphne.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

SWISH! CLINK!

4th Unit Commander Bohim thrust his rapier, which Manton intercepted with precision.

“…You’re really getting on my nerves.”

“Well, that’s just too bad.”

Hardin and Pattinson—

The two of them now exchanged fierce blows, their spears swinging without pause.

---

A short while later—

CLANG! CLAAANG!

Sparks burst from Hardin’s spear tip.

He had parried an incoming strike from Pattinson, pushing back and gaining distance.

“Hooooo…”

Hardin exhaled heavily and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Then he quickly scanned his surroundings.

‘Of course, it won’t be that easy.’

Not long ago, the Tread soldiers had been fleeing in panic. But now, they were regrouping and mounting a counterattack.

“C-Counterattack!”

“Aaaaaah!”

Despite their losses, the overwhelming difference in numbers meant the fight was far from over.

And to make matters worse—

“Target the cockatrice!”

“Sharpshooters! Fire!”

 KIEEEEEK!

WHIZZZZ!

Scattered across the field, sharpshooters began firing arrows at the cockatrice.

Ordinary arrows might bounce harmlessly off its thick feathers and hide…

CRACK! THUD! CRACK!

But the mana-infused arrows of the sharpshooters pierced its tough skin and embedded themselves deep.

Red dots bloomed all across its white feathers.

Its massive size kept it alive for now, but if this continued, it would eventually collapse.

“Take out the sharpshooters! Everyone, protect the cockatrice!”

“Follow the Lord!”

“Damn you all to hell!”

Cobalt's desperate shout urged Mikkelsen and the knights to charge toward the sharpshooters.

But—

“Not a step further!”

“You’re not getting through!”

The enemy knights put up fierce resistance, preventing any easy breakthrough.

Cobalt longed to rush in himself and decapitate every last one of them.

‘But these bastards are the problem.’

Hardin looked ahead to see Pattinson glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.

“Huff… Huff… What’s wrong? Getting impatient?”

“Cut the crap.”

Though clearly exhausted, Pattinson’s face was twisted with ghostly tenacity, showing no intention of backing down.

Had it been back in the days of Varlach, Hardin would’ve cut off his head without hesitation…

‘Damn this useless body.’

At his current level, he might be able to defeat Pattinson—but it would take more time.

The problem was… he didn’t have any time.

Of course, it wasn’t any different for Beryl and Manton either.

“Haaah…! Damn it!”

“Ptui!”

Both of them were drenched in blood, locked in combat with their respective opponents, but the fights weren’t reaching a conclusion.

“Aaaaagh!”

“Eeeek!”

Even as this continued, Daphne soldiers were dying, their death throes echoing across the battlefield.

At this rate, even if they won, the cost to Daphne would be devastating.

‘In the end… do I have to use that?’

Maelstrom.

A forbidden technique that burned the vessel itself, allowing one to temporarily exceed their limits.

When he’d used it during the war with Calpion, he had suffered from the aftereffects for a long time.

Now that both the level and form of his Core had changed, the risk would be even greater.

Avoiding it was obviously the better choice. But from the start, they had accepted the possibility of such heavy losses and planned accordingly.

In war, it was nonsense to expect no bloodshed. If they could protect the port, then this much was a price worth paying.

However…

—Captain Varlach! P-Please save us!

—Aaaaaagh!

A phantom voice suddenly echoed in Hardin’s ears.

His expression twisted in disgust, and his heart pounded.

‘Damn it.’

All surrounding noise vanished. The world turned to grey.

Only the red lights flaring all around him stood out starkly.

Deaths. His allies’ deaths were bursting like fireworks all around.

Hardin exhaled and closed his eyes.

And then—

‘Let’s do it.’

He bit down on his lip and focused his consciousness on his Core.

Even if there were side effects, even if he risked becoming crippled—

If he kept watching that red spread any further, he felt like he would truly go insane.

Just as flames began to ignite atop Hardin’s mana—

BWOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Suddenly, a horn blast echoed from beyond the defensive position.

Snap!

The flame on his Core vanished in an instant, and Hardin’s eyes widened.

‘What the…?’

More of Tread’s forces?

But outside… there shouldn't be anything left.

Caught completely off guard, Hardin quickly scanned the battlefield.

From a distance, a unit of troops surged into the defensive position.

Flap!

A flag fluttered among them.

And the moment he saw it, Hardin’s jaw dropped.

“That’s…”

A sword standing behind the sun.

That symbol unmistakably represented the Fabian Imperial Family.

‘Why… is that here?’

Then, at the front of their formation, he spotted a familiar face sprinting toward the battlefield.

A female knight with silver hair flying behind her, expressionless, charging in with a two-handed sword.

To her right, a middle-aged man with an eye patch ran alongside her.

It was Princess Medeia and her aide, Benjamin.

“Aaaagh! Where do you think you’re going?!”

“You bastards!”

Tread’s knights tried to block their way—

Slaaaash!

“Gah!”

—but Medeia casually swung her sword, beheading them and dyeing her silver hair red with their blood.

She adjusted her stance and calmly gave the same command she always did, in her usual quiet voice.

“All units, charge.”

The knights beside her grinned and shouted back.

“Chaaaaarge!”

“Support Daphne!”

Their battle cries echoed loudly throughout the stronghold.

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