Ch.167167. The Final War (5)

Bjorn, who spread his shadow wings born from chaos and took flight, was in a state of such excitement that he could barely see anything.

—Slash!!

As a result, Bjorn immediately sliced a Pegasus knight in half with a swing of his demon sword, cutting through both rider and mount.

Without time to scream or groan, the Pegasus and its rider were completely bisected.

And as the four pieces of flesh fell to the ground, everyone present froze at his sudden appearance—at that very moment.

Woong—CRUNCH!!!

Not missing this opening, Bjorn extended his free hand to control his “power,” and the mighty invisible aura that emanated from it instantly crushed another knight.

Blood and flesh poured out from inside the armor that had crumpled like a crushed can, and the Pegasus, similarly crushed by the effect of the “power,” plummeted to the ground.

Having brutally killed two soldiers in an instant upon his arrival, Bjorn charged again toward the knights who were frozen in shock—swinging his sword.

And… the battle that followed was so one-sided it was embarrassing to even call it a battle.

Bjorn casually held his divine weapon, shaped like a greatsword, in one hand, swinging it without even the minimal awareness or aim.

It was like a farmer harvesting grain with a sickle, and the results were not much different from a farmer’s harvest.

With just a casual swing of his aura-wrapped greatsword, dozens were crushed, and even a careless punch could easily shatter a knight’s head.

His actions took place in a mere 20 seconds, but that brief time was more than enough for Bjorn to wipe out all 87 Pegasus knights.

[…Phew.]

After completing the slaughter, Bjorn exhaled the breath he had been holding and finally turned his gaze toward the angels who had been watching him.

[…Sigvalt?]

Bjorn could recognize a familiar face among the angels.

Sigvalt, originally an exile from an enemy tribe, whom Bjorn remembered recruiting into his personal guard.

He was especially talented among those who had awakened their aura, and Bjorn recalled how he had fought to the death against two imperial legions in the final battle.

So it was shocking to see Sigvalt, whom he had assumed was gone forever, among the angels sent by the Bleeding God of Vengeance!

With a comical expression mixing shock and joy, Bjorn suddenly had a thought as he looked at the other angels.

Could they also be people he once knew?

Unable to hide his emotions, Bjorn’s face openly displayed his joy, and beginning with “Great Axe” Sigvalt’s smile, the angels one by one removed their helmets.

[Hildmar! Gunhil! Rosemark! Belthazar!]

Those faces, too, were familiar to Bjorn.

“The Brave” Hildmar, famous for being the strongest among the berserkers; “The Madman” Gunhil, a shaman (priest) who fought on the front lines like a warrior.

“The Great Wall” Rosemark, praised as the greatest shield-bearer, and Belthazar, who carried Bjorn’s banner—his most trusted companion.

Bjorn stared at his former subordinates, whom he thought he would never see again, his face contorted with sadness and joy.

And then, behind him, he began to sense a presence—firm yet warm—that he thought he would never forget in his lifetime.

Bjorn forcibly calmed his trembling heart and turned his head.

Please let this not be a dream, please, please let this be reality.

More desperately than ever before, he slowly turned his body completely around and, finally opening his eyes wide, looked ahead—

[…Rael.]

In Bjorn’s eyes was the beautiful woman who looked exactly as she did in his memories—Rael Auredottir, who had removed her helmet and was smiling at him.

Bjorn shed tears but couldn’t bring himself to move.

As his tears flowed and disappeared somewhere into his helmet, Bjorn approached Rael, praying this wasn’t just an illusion.

Suddenly realizing he was still wearing his helmet, Bjorn raised his hand to remove it, wanting to show his bare face to his beloved Rael.

Thud.

But his action was stopped by Rael, who reached out and grabbed his raised hand.

Her will was both firm and resolute.

Now is not the time.

Though she spoke no words, her meaning was clearly conveyed to Bjorn.

And Bjorn, understanding her intent more desperately than anyone, took a moment to collect himself and steady his breathing—

KWAAAANG!!!

He kicked the air with his legs and, using the recoil, began to descend to the ground as if falling.

As Rael had conveyed, Bjorn still had a duty to fulfill.

※ ※ ※

At the same time, on the ground.

Just after the soldiers learned that the Angels of Vengeance had descended to earth at His call, their morale soared to its peak.

Buuuuuuuuu—!!

“Advance!!”

“Advance slowly forward! Maintain formation!!”

As the horn signaling the advance blew from the command post, the Army of Vengeance moved forward in perfect order, following the commands of the field officers.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The Army of Vengeance advanced according to drill, with even their footsteps in perfect unison, every movement as precise as if it were a northern military parade.

In modern times, drill is merely formal, a relic of bygone eras, but at a time when magical-muskets were the main weapons, this relic of the past—

In other words, this legacy from the era of formation infantry—shone brilliantly, making the advancing Army of Vengeance appear as if it were a single living organism.

“W-what is that…!?”

‘…Can we… win…?’

This movement, perfected over centuries, created a strange sense of anxiety and tension among the Imperial Legion soldiers.

The movement of the Army of Vengeance was so strict that the Legion had never experienced anything like it, and the legionnaires felt an ominous premonition and tensed their bodies—

“””””””””AWOOOOOO—!!!”””””””””

“””””””””AWOOOOOOOOO—!!!”””””””””

“Advance, advance!! Victory and glory lie before us!!”

“””””””””WAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!”””””””””

Then, suddenly from within the ranks of the Army of Vengeance, thousands of cavalry with lances charged forward rapidly.

At the forefront were the Blood Wolf Riders, heavy cavalry of the Avenger Corps mounted on Blood Wolves.

These massive crimson wolves, as large and heavy as bears, carried the cavalry of the Avenger Corps, demonstrating the wild yet orderly charge characteristic of wolves.

These beast familiars, superior to horses in both speed and power, carried the Avenger Corps cavalry as they charged with all their might toward the enemy lines.

Toward the enemy formation that had been completely shattered by the Holy Assault Team, plague-zombies, undead, and vampires, destroying their specialty—the dense phalanx.

The cavalry, relying on a single lance and charging without a moment’s hesitation, crashed into the enemy lines without the slightest flinch or fear—

—KWAAANG!!!

The moment the lances, Blood Wolves, and riders collided with the enemy, hundreds of legionnaires were sent flying into the air with a thunderous boom.

Like wolves opening their jaws to tear into prey, the front-line legionnaires were ripped away in clusters.

Soldiers unable to form dense formations were crushed by the Blood Wolves’ charge, and even pilum-based phalanxes and tight formations collapsed too easily.

Having shaken the enemy lines to what seemed like the limit of shock cavalry’s capability, the wolf riders abandoned their tattered lances.

“It’s hunting time!!”

“””””””””AWOOOOOO—!!!”””””””””

“Wolves, tear them apart!!”

“””””””””AWOOOOOOOOO—!!!”””””””””

Immediately, this brave pack of wolves drew their auxiliary weapons and began to slaughter the surrounding soldiers with teeth and claws.

These were the most fearless members of the Avenger Corps, already famous for their disregard for their own lives.

Following the actions of the wolves they rode, they tore through the collapsed enemy lines, swinging their weapons relentlessly at the surrounding soldiers.

And toward the completely collapsed front-line formation—

“Charge!!”

“””””””””No mercy!! No fear!!”””””””””

The cavalry of the Black Sun Legion, numbering in the thousands and led by the corrupted half-demon Helena Valerinus, formed a wedge formation and crashed into the enemy.