Ch.174White flash.

The command center of Fahrenheit froze in terror as they confirmed the movement of the Sword Master and his 10,000 knights.

“The Sword Master is coming!”

“W-what should we do?”

“…”

It was an idiotic exchange, but these people weren’t actually unintelligent.

They simply couldn’t figure out how to deal with a monster like the Master, who had transcended the boundaries of humanity.

“Eek! Order the knights to stop him! The situation is different from the last battle! We have enough troops and weapons! Bring ballistas, catapults, whatever—just stop him!!!”

“If we can’t kill him, we must at least buy time!”

But now things were different from when 400,000 soldiers were slaughtered by a single Sword Master.

More troops and more weapons began to move with the sole purpose of killing the Master, and the knights capable of producing the most powerful auras took the lead, raising Fahrenheit’s banners high.

“My name is Jeremy Gibson! High Knight of the glorious Fahrenheit! Sword Master of Amurtat! I shall take your head!”

“…”

Ignatz didn’t respond. Instead, he drew his sword and manifested a white aura.

As he swung his snow-white sword that seemed to embody the wind itself, thousands of knights began to be cut in half like sand washed away by the tide, as if a tsunami had crashed into the shore.

“ARGHHHH!!!”

Exactly 3,214 knights had their upper and lower bodies severed along a clean line, and the Fahrenheit knights who witnessed this couldn’t hide their shock.

“Good heavens! How can he be so powerful?!”

“Don’t be afraid! Even if thousands of knights die, tens of thousands remain! Ballistas! Catapults! Attack!”

Thud! Thud!

Swoosh!

The sound of catapult counterweights dropping and ballista harpoons being fired echoed.

“Hmph.”

And everything was cut down.

Boulders turned to pebbles, harpoons became fragments scattered in the air, and Ignatz, after leaping high, landed in front of the charging mounted knights and began swinging his aura-infused blade once more.

The manifestation of his aura shone like a momentary sun. And the Fahrenheit knights were swept away.

Witnessing this spectacle firsthand, the 10,000 knights raised their morale to the heavens and drew their swords.

“The Sword Master protects us!”

“Long live Amurtat!”

“Kill Marcus!!!”

The pride of having such overwhelming power on their side.

The self-respect of being part of this mighty force.

And the unique pride of knights combined—the 10,000-strong suicide squad began to radiate light from their eyes as if chosen by the gods, and their warhorses, caught up in the frenzied atmosphere, began to gallop even harder.

Ten minutes.

It took just ten minutes.

The time it took for over 10,000 Fahrenheit knights to perish was merely ten minutes, and the battlefield transformed into a place where corpses appeared with each swing of the Sword Master’s blade.

“Alkius, was it?”

“Pardon?”

“The Sword Master we captured.”

“Ah… yes.”

“I seem to be stronger than him.”

“Of course, Your Excellency.”

“I’ll clear the path, follow me.”

“Yes!”

Even in Polistory, the veteran system existed, and all users would engage in what was commonly called “veteran grinding” through repetitive training.

However, for Sword Masters, skill levels could only be raised through actual combat, which meant most users had to decide whether to send their Sword Master into battle to increase proficiency or leave them be.

Even a novice Sword Master could easily take down dozens of high knights, which is why Fahrenheit’s Sword Master Alkius, who died after consuming 40 expert high knights, belonged to this category.

As for Ignatz, he had experienced four years of intense combat without rest, and even before that, he had achieved glorious military accomplishments as a standard-bearer, so his basic proficiency was bound to be different.

“Stop him! Stop him!”

“AAAGH!! He’s coming! He’s coming!”

In simple terms, he was fucking strong.

One hour after the battle began.

Fahrenheit’s proud knighthood was completely annihilated without a single survivor.

*

“The Sword Master is cutting through the enemy lines.”

“As expected. Advance the flanks.”

“Yes! Flanks advance! Form the encirclement!”

Bwoooo!!

As the trumpet of advance sounded, the battalions on both flanks watching the bloody battle in the center gradually began to move forward.

Seeing this, the Fahrenheit side also began to deploy their left and right wings while providing cover with catapults and ballistas, and the Fahrenheit infantry engaged in the bloody battle at the center screamed.

“Damn it! Where are the knights and what are they doing?! Those guys are moving!”

They’re dead.

“Captain! If we continue like this, we’ll be completely wiped out! We need to retreat!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! If we retreat without orders, we’ll all lose our heads.”

That would probably be true.

Then there was only one option left.

“Everyone prepare to charge! If we’re going to die anyway, let’s die with a bang!”

“Discard your spears and draw your swords! We’ll charge after one volley!”

Hearing those words, the infantry, realizing that even the slightest hope was gone, gritted their teeth and drew their swords and shields.

The equipment was inadequate for stopping bullets, but they were still useful weapons in close combat.

“The enemy is preparing to charge!”

“Prepare to fire! Tighten the formation!”

Since they were close enough to see what the enemy was planning, Amurtat’s front-line infantry quickly filled the gaps in their formation caused by the continuous exchange of fire.

Soon, crossbow bolts and musket minié balls were exchanged…

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

Ratatatatat!

“Everyone still alive, charge! Long live Fahrenheit!”

“All draw swords! Let’s show these fools the steel of Amurtat!”

And thus began the dialogue of swords and blades.

*

“What’s the situation in the center?”

“They’ve engaged in close combat.”

“Then it’s already too late. We continue to advance.”

Boom! Crash!

“Yes!”

Even as they conversed, ballista bolts and catapult projectiles continued to fly, with casualties already exceeding thousands.

But such sacrifices were necessary to maintain formation and gain the upper hand in both ranged and close combat.

That’s why they could ignore the massive arrows and stones flying toward them now.

CRASH!

“AAAGH!!”

“My arm!! My arm…!!”

Even if there were those dying with screams.

Step! Step! Step!

Eventually, the left and right wings faced Fahrenheit’s similarly deployed flanks, and Amurtat, able to utilize their superior firing range, formed their lines first and began pouring fire.

Ratatatatat!

At the sound of unified gunfire, Fahrenheit’s first line collapsed ungracefully, and as their formation opened, the knights behind began charging en masse.

“The knights are charging!”

“Fire once more, then finish them with the cannons. The grapeshot is loaded, I presume?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Firing the old cannons for suppression would be even more effective.”

The commander gave the order, and tens of thousands of cannons and guns opened fire, turning the charging knights into minced meat.

But that alone couldn’t stop the knights’ charge, and soon they rushed the front line with auras blazing, instantly collapsing the first line before setting their sights on the second.

“Fire!”

Ratatatatat!

“GAAACK!”

Another volley followed, and the severely wounded knights failed to overwhelm the second line, either falling from their horses or dying with them.

Even with powerful auras, they were useless against tens of thousands of bullets and shells.

Of course, the Sword Master was an exception.

“Advance again! It’s time to finish Fahrenheit!”

“Amurtat’s victory is near! Think of your families back home!”

“We fight to return victorious! Long live Lord Tiberius!”

After the Amurtat army crushed the knights’ charge, the army’s morale rose once more, accelerating the soldiers’ advance toward enemy lines.

So far, only a few hundred thousand had died, and both sides still had over a million troops.

“Move the artillery batteries forward! We’ll need fire support!”

“All reserves move to designated positions! Prepare to intercept expected enemy counterattacks!”

The Sword Master had turned Fahrenheit’s knighthood into minced meat, and his 10,000 knights, intoxicated by the glory of fighting alongside him, were rampaging like berserkers.

The enemy’s center, left, and right wings were empty—this was an opportunity to advance.

“All forces advance! Free fire is authorized while moving to designated positions!”

“Yes!”

“Let’s finish Fahrenheit! For Amurtat!!!”

With the sound of marching boots shaking heaven and earth, infantry, knights, and the Sword Master began advancing toward Fahrenheit’s command center.