Fanaticism and Superstition (1)

Temporary headquarters conference room.

Following the unexpected clash at the gateway, a somewhat uneasy and heavy atmosphere hung in the conference room.

Operations Staff Officer Bern stood and reported the final results of the gateway incident.

“…Finally, all traitor identification and executions have been completed. That’s all.”

“Good work.”

Loen, sitting at the head with her chin resting on her hand, answered briefly.

Her red eyes slowly scanned the conference room.

After this incident, some staff members seemed to deeply sense that the Western expedition would be no easy task.

Snap!

Loen snapped her fingers to focus everyone’s attention.

She needed to steady the unsettled atmosphere and remind everyone of the objective once more.

“I’ll review this expedition’s objectives one more time.”

Her finger pointed to the center of the Western Empire map spread on the table.

“Our primary objective is to rebuild the Western Corps, broken by internal division.”

There were many reasons the West fell into extreme chaos.

The most fundamental cause was that the Western Corps, responsible for regional defense, had lost its functionality.

Therefore, rebuilding the corps was the most urgent task.

The staff nodded in unison at Loen’s clear explanation.

Their anxious eyes seemed to gradually find stability.

Next, Loen’s finger pointed to the north of the map, the vast territory ruled by the Western Grand Duke.

“Afterwards, we’ll march north to rendezvous with Grand Duke Ferdin. Cooperating with him to precisely identify the forces behind this chaos, and ultimately eliminate them completely – that’s this expedition’s final objective.”

Different from the Southern situation.

Unlike the South with its clear enemy in the Southern Alliance, Western chaos had its background shrouded in mystery.

Even mobilizing all intelligence networks couldn’t pinpoint the background forces.

Only circumstantial evidence existed showing Partisans and demon forces were deeply involved.

‘Perhaps seeing the Southern Alliance’s annihilation made them hide deeper.’

For this reason, securing friendly forces and regional stabilization would be prioritized in the Western expedition.

“Yes! Understood!”

The staff nodded again, deeply inscribing the corps’ final objective in their hearts.

The meeting naturally moved to the next topic.

“Corps Commander. What are your plans for the Southwest Gateway?”

“I plan to leave part of our forces to control and defend the gateway.”

The gateway where the commander and entire leadership had been purged.

Discussion centered on how to fill this void.

Staff presented their opinions.

“What about detailing ten elite knights to guard the gateway with remaining defense soldiers?”

“The Partisan bastards could ambush anytime. We should leave sufficient forces in preparation.”

The Southwest Gateway was almost the only land supply route between South and West.

Strategically, it was extremely important.

Losing the gateway meant supply lines would be cut.

‘With unknown length of Western expedition, securing supply routes is paramount.’

Even Loen, not a military expert, knew the importance of supplies.

For tens of thousands of troops to eat, sleep, and fight daily required massive material quantities, and sourcing everything locally was nearly impossible.

Synthesizing staff opinions, Loen made her final decision.

“Leave fifty elite knights and three thousand infantry at the gateway.”

Sufficient force to guard the fortified gateway.

Then Loen asked the Intelligence Staff Officer.

“What are the reconnaissance results?”

“Reports indicate ambush signs in forest areas near the path to the city adjacent to the gateway.”

The conference room stirred at the intelligence officer’s words.

“Ambushes already?”

“Tsk, must be those Partisan bastards.”

Loen frowned and asked.

“Estimated enemy size?”

“Due to deep forest concealment, exact size couldn’t be determined. However, based on compiled reports, we estimate minimum regimental strength.”

Partisan regiments typically number between 1,000 to 3,000 men.

Being ambush forces, they couldn’t be ignored.

“Wouldn’t it be better to bypass the forest, even if it takes more time?”

To one staff’s suggestion, Loen firmly shook her head.

“No.”

The corps needed to establish a path for continuous supplies and reinforcements.

Bypassing would only be temporary, not a fundamental solution.

Then… one answer remained.

“We’ll break through directly along the forest path as planned.”

The vast, dense forest area near the gateway.

Deep forest shadows.

On either side of the only path through the forest, large forces prepared for ambush in suffocating tension.

“Regiment Commander! The Southern Corps has entered the forest path!”

“Finally…!”

A cruel sneer hung on the Partisan regiment commander’s lips.

He had worried they might bypass, but they walked right into the trap.

Then the scout carefully added.

“However, there’s one peculiarity.”

“What?”

After a brief pause, the scout reported.

“The force consists of only about five thousand.”

“Only five thousand?”

Only five thousand despite being elite. Too few.

The regiment commander quickly concluded that arrogant woman had divided her corps.

“Seems she divided her forces.”

“Appears so.”

“Utterly foolish. Dividing forces will only increase ambush damage.”

The regiment commander secretly rejoiced.

The situation was far better than expected.

News of Southern Corps reorganization was well-known in Partisan circles.

Information about their elite training had also been obtained.

But it didn’t matter.

Their goal was never to defeat them in battle.

Even sacrificing the entire ambush force to inflict maximum damage on the Southern Corps!

That was the true objective of this ambush operation.

The commander’s eyes gleamed with madness.

Like a fanatic offering sacrifices, he proclaimed to surrounding officers:

“Comrades. Finally, revenge time has come. That evil witch who trampled our freedom and cause, who drove respected Lord Yorhan to death through cowardly means! Now we have the opportunity to clearly show our fury to Loen Franz!”

About one year ago.

A 6-star meteor magic struck the Western duchy area.

An artifact activated by Loen Franz caused it.

As a result, Partisan 2nd Corps Commander Yorhan and top leadership were annihilated.

Devastating losses.

Barely rallying scattered forces, Yorhan’s brother Darus had dreamed only of revenge since. The Partisan leadership likewise.

Hatred and vengeance blinded them,

ultimately they… joined hands with demons.

Now they had only fanatical obsession with revenge.

Freedom and cause had become mere hollow slogans.

Rage and fanaticism completely consumed their reason.

They were traitors in the truest sense.

The regiment commander surveyed his grave-faced officers and shouted again.

“Comrades! Don’t fear death. The Southern Corps will ultimately meet a miserable end here in the West.”

Then he shouted the salute motto.

“For freedom and cause!”

Officers consumed by blind fanaticism echoed his motto in unison.

The roar of fanatics charging toward death echoed throughout the forest.

Heavily armed infantry and knights steadily advanced along the forest path.

Five thousand elite troops’ rhythmic footsteps regularly echoed through the forest.

Corps of steel.

Even ordinary soldiers wore full plate armor – anyone seeing them would inevitably think of that phrase.

Ambushed Partisan soldiers watched breathlessly.

‘How much common people’s blood did they suck to afford such equipment…’

‘Wicked imperial bastards.’

Comparing to their own shabby appearance, the soldiers’ hearts boiled with rage and deep inferiority. They gritted teeth and gripped weapons tighter.

Each unit commander waited for the moment.

They well knew they had no chance of victory.

The quality of equipment and elite forces presented an insurmountable wall.

But it didn’t matter.

Inflict maximum damage on imperial bastards through death-defying charges.

That was the ambush force’s only objective and reason for existence.

Step, step, step.

Finally, all five thousand Southern Corps troops entered the ambush point’s center.

Time had come.

Commanding officers’ foreheads streamed with cold sweat. Soldiers swallowed dry saliva and readjusted sweaty grips on weapons. Hearts pounded wildly.

Everyone tensely waited for the attack signal.

Swoosh—BANG!

Suddenly, a red flare shot skyward signaling attack commencement.

“Everyone charge!”

Partisan commanders’ frenzied cries erupted.

“WAAAAAAH!”

About three thousand Partisan soldiers crouching in undergrowth simultaneously roared and began madly charging down the hillside.

Like an army of undead unafraid of death, they rushed forward toward the Southern Corps’ exposed flanks.

Bang! Ta-ta-tang!

Simultaneously, two hundred marksmen fired muskets in unison.

Elite snipers chosen carefully. Their shooting skills approached perfect accuracy.

“Die!!”

“Fireball.”

“Mana Blade.”

Following them, the few Partisan mages poured out attack spells with their reserved mana.

The ambush was perfect.

The surprise successful.

At least hundreds of casualties would result!

Just as the Partisan regiment commander and officers were certain of successful ambush attack—

Ping! Ping! Pi-ping!

“…!?”

“W-what?”

The marksmen’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Despite hundreds of bullets fired…

Not a single imperial soldier fell.

The moment bullets hit the plate armor.

Blue magical patterns flashed from the armor center, and bullets either bounced off harmlessly or flattened powerlessly.

Not a single dent remained on the armor, and soldiers hit by bullets didn’t even stagger slightly.

Magic attacks fared the same.

BOOM! RUMBLE!

The fireballs and mana blades mages unleashed scattered powerlessly against large protective barriers deployed by imperial mages positioned among troops.

Some spells directly hit knights in barrier blind spots, but they easily blocked with magically engraved shields.

“…”

“What on earth…?”

Partisan commanders’ minds went blank witnessing this.

Only then did they realize something had gone terribly wrong.

Magical defense was one thing.

But magic engravings on all those soldiers’ armor that even repelled bullets?

The funding and mages consumed was unimaginable.

Just as they froze in shock and disbelief,

Loen Franz’s firm cry erupted as she monitored the situation.

It was the counterattack signal.

“All troops. Fire!”

With Loen’s command, flames erupted simultaneously from the gun barrels of Southern Corps infantry armed with new muskets.

Overwhelming firepower incomparable to Partisan marksmen’s shots.

The violent noise of countless gun barrels firing simultaneously shook the entire forest and trembled the earth.

BOOOOOOM!

Sounds merged into one godlike thunder.

Immediately after.

“Kaugh.”

“AAAGH!”

Partisan soldiers charging down the slope fell like autumn leaves. They crumbled helplessly like paper dolls.

Instantly, over hundreds of lives vanished without trace.

The firing didn’t end with one volley.

As first-row soldiers reloaded after volley fire, second-row soldiers spat fire again. Then third row followed.

The wave of madness surging forward was suddenly pushed back like a lie.

More precisely, evaporated.

Endless bullet barrage.

The horrific sight of comrades torn apart and exploding like paper.

In this hellish scene mixing ear-splitting thunder, gunpowder smell, and bloody stench, even the formerly gleaming madness in Partisan soldiers’ eyes finally began giving way to creeping fear.

No matter how armed with brainwashing and fanaticism,

The overwhelming firepower and one-sided slaughter unfolding before them was enough to shake even their twisted beliefs.

In that moment of silence after firing, when soldiers’ charge faltered,

Loen soared high into the sky.

All eyes turned skyward simultaneously.

As she coldly looked down at enemies with black hair fluttering, her lips finally opened.

“Dark Light Sphere.”

Two spheres of light hovering in empty air.

Two suns clearly reflected in the eyes of Partisan soldiers staring skyward in shock.

Then as Loen mercilessly clenched her hand like crushing insects,

A storm of black fragments covering the entire sky poured down toward the ground.