episode_0070
by fnovelpia
70. The Invincible One Makes Her Move
Reina, mounted on a crimson steed, charges toward the battlefield alone.
Even to my untrained eyes, the beast was clearly a magnificent horse, its beauty undeniable.
Like a gust of wind, the red horse and Reina swiftly began closing the distance toward us.
My body froze in terror, a feeling I had never experienced before, but Reina simply raced past us.
The monarchs who had followed to oversee the cannons… and to test my inventions.
And beyond where Reina galloped lay the main force of our army.
The main camp where nobles and generals—whose names I couldn’t even remember—resided.
It was such an incomprehensible act that I couldn’t help but voice my confusion,
blocking the wind whipping against my face from the speed of the red steed.
“Why did she pass us by?!”
Upon hearing my question, Erika gritted her teeth and assessed Reina’s actions.
“Damn arrogance…!”
“Even for someone hailed as ‘The Invincible,’ beheading a noble of such high standing would be too troublesome.”
In contrast, Cecilia calmly analyzed the situation.
Simply put, she couldn’t afford to kill the daughter of the former Duke Grace—a household with immense influence in the empire—nor the heir to the Marquisate of Laxia.
Not out of aristocratic courtesy, but because their political value was simply too high…
Even if that weren’t the case, someone like Reina, with her straightforward nature, would likely think this way:
**‘If I kill everyone, none will escape anyway.’**
If the soldiers and generals all fell to Reina, the nobles would have no means to resist.
No matter how strong Erika was—comparable to an A-rank warrior—she couldn’t possibly cut through hordes of soldiers and flee alone.
Reina was heading straight for the main force of around 20,000 soldiers.
The nobles, each commanding vast territories, and the generals leading their troops.
To any onlooker, it would seem like nothing short of a suicidal charge.
**“But….”**
Her previous feat of deflecting a 45kg iron ball with gunpowder-propelled force.
Not stopping there, she perfectly ricocheted it straight into a cannon. That was the act of a monstrous fiend.
Somehow, I believed she could do it. A chilling sensation crawled up from my toes to my scalp.
**【Peerless Under Heaven】**
A being without equal beneath the heavens.
The woman known as the strongest has finally taken the field.
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Reina grinned as she rode her red steed straight into the heart of the enemy’s main force.
About two kilometers away from the detachment with the cannons.
A distance her horse could cover in the blink of an eye.
And just as expected, she arrived within thirty seconds of setting off from the Dragon’s Nest walls.
Gradually, countless soldiers’ tents filled her vision—an overwhelming force of roughly 20,000.
Yet the wider Reina’s smile grew, the brighter it became.
**“I’ve been so annoyed lately….”**
She had arrived too quickly.
Chaos erupted among the soldiers as they scrambled to prepare for her approach.
A lone woman, armed only with a single halberd and a single horse, charging headlong into an army.
Panicked soldiers frantically adjusted their formations, gripping spears, swords, and bows.
The elite soldiers brought by the remaining nobles in the allied forces.
Surrounded on all sides, Reina leisurely lifted her halberd, unbothered.
The gleaming halberd point, raised high as if unconcerned by the heavens above.
**“Let’s relieve some stress.”**
**“CHARGE!!”**
A stern command rang out from somewhere.
True to their elite status, the soldiers tightened their formations in an instant, enveloping Reina in a circle of steel.
Generals, by definition, were monsters in human form.
Too strong for mere men, they hunted like wild boars, overwhelming with sheer numbers while slowly wearing their prey down.
Even the strongest humans had their limits.
As always.
Soldiers surrounded her, thrusting spears in a formation meant to trap generals.
Dozens of sharpened points aimed squarely at Reina, but….
**—CRACK**
Like someone biting into an apple with a crisp, refreshing crunch.
Instinctively, the soldiers turned toward the sound, only to freeze in sheer terror.
A swing.
Just a single-handed sweep of her halberd.
No excessive magical reinforcement like other warriors. Pure brute strength alone…
Yet the result was devastating.
Soldiers’ heads flew as smoothly as harvesting wheat.
Not necks—the weakest part of the torso—but their entire skulls, cleanly severed.
Even with their mouths closed, tongues spilled out from the horizontal cross-sections of their skulls.
Without even opening their jaws wide, bystanders could clearly see their exposed esophagi.
Cruelly severed faces, their internals laid bare.
Fallen comrades, cut down not like humans or beasts, but like straw.
Unfazed, Reina swung her halberd again.
**—SCHLICK**
Cleaner this time.
Five soldiers fell in an instant—slaughtered like cattle. No, like wheat.
Reina effortlessly raised her halberd once more…
She swung.
And swung again.
The damp brown earth disappeared beneath a carpet of crimson.
Yet Reina didn’t stop, cutting down soldiers like scything grain.
Her horse, as if playing its part, stepped forward leisurely, positioning itself perfectly for each swing.
It wasn’t cutting anymore—she was **threshing.**
And these weren’t ordinary soldiers.
As mentioned earlier, they were elite troops, skilled enough that becoming knights wouldn’t be out of place.
Perhaps among the mutilated corpses were even future knights.
Yet Reina pressed on, grinding through them relentlessly.
And then, the soldiers realized.
**“Pe… Peerless Under Heaven…!”**
Why an unknown warlord from the remote northwestern borders bore such a grand title.
Why barbarians would piss themselves and flee upon hearing the name “Peerless Under Heaven.”
Because even these prideful elites, nobles themselves, were now scrambling to escape.
**“Damn it… Don’t run! Fight back!!”**
Even as the encirclement shattered, Reina seethed.
As if she’d kill everyone here… but couldn’t be bothered to chase down fleeing prey.
Just then, a figure swung a massive greatsword at her.
**—CLANG!!**
A sharp metallic ring resonated upon impact.
And yet, Reina blocked effortlessly with just one hand.
Instead, the general wielding the greatsword was the one sent stumbling backward.
**“Radzik, kill her now!!”**
**“Hanush! Bring me that beast’s head!”**
Another joined the fray—Hanush.
Reina now found herself surrounded by two burly generals: Radzik and Hanush.
**“Radzik and Hanush? Pretty big names in the empire, right?”**
**“Let’s fight together—just this once.”**
**“That thing isn’t human! Fighting together won’t tarnish our honor!”**
The two generals abandoned honorable duels for sheer survival.
Reina merely swung her halberd with one arm again—aiming to bisect them both like the rest.
**—CLANG!**
**“Oh?”**
But contrary to her expectations, Hanush blocked it.
A hint of surprise escaped Reina’s lips.
Yet, blocking was his limit—veins bulged on his temples as he clenched his teeth.
**“Grrgh…!! What kind… of strength… is this?!!”**
**“Not bad. Try blocking this.”**
Reina raised her halberd again.
Like wielding a hammer, she brought it down relentlessly—still using just one arm.
A monstrous display.
Of course, seeing an opening, Radzik swung his sword from behind, but….
**“A monster…!”**
Reflexes faster than human thought. Without even looking, she parried every swing.
The more Radzik failed, the more Hanush’s face darkened from red to blue.
**—CRASH!!**
This was the result.
With greater force, Reina’s halberd shattered Hanush’s sword.
This time, she reached out—grabbing Hanush by the throat.
**“Hanush!!”**
Hanush’s death meant Radzik would fall easily too.
In desperation, Radzik rushed in, blade raised—only for Hanush to suddenly appear right in front of him.
Reina had thrown the massive man directly at him.
Instinctively, Radzik caught Hanush midair and—
**—THUNK**
The halberd pierced through both men’s abdomens.
Thrown one-handed, yet imbued with terrifying force, the weapon didn’t stop even after impaling them—flying straight toward the nobles shouting orders in the distance.
Like a ballista bolt, it skewered both generals and buried itself into a noble’s gut before finally stopping.
**“Tch… Did it scrape a rib? Or is my hand still numb from deflecting that damn iron ball earlier?”**
Rather than satisfied, she seemed disappointed.
Extending her hand, the halberd ripped free from the nobles’ corpses and flew back to her grip.
She flicked off the blood with a single swing before resting it on her shoulder.
**“What? Is playtime over already?”**
Everyone was frozen.
All bore witness to the “Peerless Under Heaven’s” might.
Nobles and soldiers alike felt like frogs paralyzed before a viper.
Then, from afar, the nobles’ last hope arrived.
A handsome man riding a pristine white horse.
The White Horse General, Alvaren, wielding a longsword in one hand.
He swung at Reina without hesitation.
**“…Heavy. So the title ‘White Horse General’ wasn’t just won through dice games?”**
**“An honor. I didn’t expect the Peerless Under Heaven to know of me.”**
Though famously known as a son-in-law general, Alvaren was no weakling.
By adventurer standards, he was mid-tier S-rank—stronger than most generals.
Naturally, hope flickered in the nobles’ eyes.
Reina, for the first time, gripped her halberd with both hands.
Her silhouette blurred as she appeared before Alvaren in an instant.
**“Guh…!!”**
**“Is that all?”**
Like teleportation, she closed the gap and swung down.
Alvaren, living up to his name, barely managed to block with his sword.
Yes—**barely.**
Hanush had failed to defend even against one-handed strikes.
Radzik’s ambushes had all missed.
Compared to them, Alvaren fared better.
But what he felt… was the difference between a dog and a wolf.
No—an entirely different species.
A single exchange was all it took to understand the gap.
Yet escape was impossible now. Twisting his blade, he tried to counter—
**—THUD!**
Reina’s kick sent him rolling across the ground.
She closed in instantly, raising her halberd high before swinging ruthlessly.
Alvaren barely blocked—but the sheer force left his arms limp from the shock.
Muscles refused to obey.
Attempting to dodge was futile—he was already flat on his back.
And yet, Reina raised her halberd again—
Just as she was about to end Alvaren’s life—!
**“Hey.”**
A four-meter-long spear swept in, stopping Reina.
Not a block—it was a slash aimed straight for her face.
Fast and vicious, forcing Reina back before she could finish Alvaren off.
Clicking her tongue in displeasure, she turned to face her new opponent—
And couldn’t hide her disbelief.
**“…You. The trash I met at the training grounds?”**
**“The hell did you just call me?”**
Reina’s words instantly ignited the woman’s fury.
Having rushed in to save Alvaren, she twirled her spear in the air before settling into her stance.
**“You look dumb as hell, so I’ll repeat myself.”**
**“The hell did you just call me?”**
This time, it was Reina who bristled.
Unperturbed, the woman smirked and introduced herself.
Ruby-red short hair and eyes.
A tall, beautiful woman effortlessly wielding a four-meter spear.
A general who would one day be counted among the empire’s greatest.
**“Name’s Taysie. Wenz is my surname. The rising star who’ll crush you.”**
On this day, the tale of the Liriana sisters truly took flight.
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