Chapter 510

Chapter 510: Battle of Wits and Courage

Aileen’s army marched steadily towards Seven Forks Fortress.

As long as they break through this fortress, pass Yalaghar, they will reach Fiercelion City, meaning Aileen’s army just has to conquer two more obstacles to reach Pande’s political center.

Seeing the enemy army advance towards them, the soldiers guarding Seven Forks Fortress panicked.

They have a full hundred thousand soldiers, and both their equipment and the number of eighth-tier warriors are stronger than Aileen’s, yet they are scared.

Karoso broke through Larya Fortress with a few sword strikes; what does that mean for them?

"Damn, it seems they have planned this; Karoso will definitely come!" The leader, Garden, said with a dark expression, "Can our fortress’s magic circle withstand a ninth-tier warrior?"

Garden, an eighth-tier knight, was accompanied by an eighth-tier Nature Mage and an eighth-tier Pastor, making a strong fighting team.

Along with the hundred thousand soldiers in the city, it should be easy to defeat Aileen.

"Maybe it can withstand a couple of blows…" the Nature Mage said helplessly, "In past wars, there were no strategies to resist ninth-tier warriors at all."

Aileen rode an Earth Dragon and arrived not far from the fortress, with Merlin and Sophia following her.

"Garden! The Pande Empire has treated you well; why do you choose to betray us?" Aileen pointed her Sword in the Stone directly at Garden, "You are bringing shame upon your ancestors!"

Garden felt somewhat speechless; if it weren’t for dealing with this little girl, would it really be worth it?

He had no good response to that.

"Aileen, stop saying those silly things. Back in the day, the Knight King forcefully conquered several countries to create what is now Pande. Isn’t that a joke? The Emperor of Pande, I’m sure of it!" Garden shouted.

"Alright, since you say that, let’s fight!" Aileen swung her sword and shouted, "Attack the city!"

Suddenly, airplanes took off one by one, heading straight for the fortress.

Rat-tat-tat…

The Exorcist Bullet from the heavy machine guns fired wildly, and a transparent shield appeared in everyone’s view.

"Cannons, move forward."

After two years of war, Aileen could skillfully use modern weapons.

She was not one to stick to old ideas.

She thought these things were cheap and effective, with powerful coverage and less need for people.

The Pande Empire always saw itself as traditional, but in truth, it had become stagnant.

The artillery slowly pushed the cannon forward, while many heavy-armored soldiers helped guard it.

After so many years, turning the empire modern all at once seems unrealistic, leading to this mixed army of past and present.

Boom, boom, boom…

The shells crashed onto the enemy’s walls as if they were free.

"Duke, use the Magic Cannon; with a simultaneous launch, we can shoot down those planes," Pastor said.

"Damn it, she is forcing me to use the Magic Cannon," Duke Garden said coldly. "If Karoso comes and finds out our Magic Cannon’s location, what will happen? Don’t forget, he is an all-powerful Card Maker; he can use hunter’s arrows and wizard’s spells."

"So, should we just let them hit us?" Pastor’s mouth twitched.

Taking hits passively, what a huge loss that would be!

"Hmph, I don’t believe the people of Fiercelion City can sit still." Garden sneered, "After all, we are still helping the king fight. If he doesn’t show some sincerity, we won’t fight today; let them do the fighting."

Garden had long left behind the glory of his ancestors; in his heart, politics was more important than anything.

The fighting spirit of his ancestors? Don’t be silly, who dares to do that now? If you make a mistake, the problems are too big. It’s better to be a bit timid than to go into battle.

As long as we defend and don’t leave the city, waiting for help means we have done nothing wrong.

Even if Karoso comes and breaks the city, he wouldn’t have any problem with it because the enemy is too strong, and he cannot win.

He doesn’t seek to achieve glory, just wants to avoid making mistakes.

Aileen, seeing the enemy not attacking, quickly threw out a card.

[Name: Falcon Knight Order]

[Category: Spell]

[Star Level：8]

[Rank：Golden Legend]

[Occupational Restriction：Knight]

[Description：Summons members of the Falcon Knight Order]

Suddenly, a hundred knights riding six-meter-wide falcons appeared in the sky.

They held crossbows and long spears, wearing light cloth armor, showing a fierce presence.

Their gazes were unwavering, their movements were perfectly synchronized, and even the falcons moved together.

It was clear that this group was well-trained when they were alive, the Iron Army of the Knight King.

After their deaths, their heroic spirits remained undying, willingly collected as Soul Fragments, and became this card.

Looking at their clothes and mounts, it is clear they are a very powerful army.

"Charge!" Aileen threw three cards into the sky again.

[Name: Blessing of the King]

[Category: Spell]

[Star Level: 8]

[Grade: Blue Rare]

[Occupational Restriction: Knight]

[Description: Greatly increases the target’s strength, magic, and agility]

This is a military card; one hundred Falcon Knights have been enhanced.

The other two were also the same kind of cards.

When Merlin saw this, he threw out two Mountain Giant cards, and the huge giants walked step by step toward the enemy’s city.

Seeing this, Sophia also mercilessly tossed out a large pile of enhancement cards.

The Mountain Giant was already as big as a mountain, and it had some grass and trees growing on its body.

Now, their skin looked like it had an extra layer of metallic shine, and the big trees they held turned into heavy hammers.

Whoosh…

The Falcon Knights reached the enemy’s attack range, and all their magic gathered in the crossbow arrows.

Bang bang bang…

The arrows hit the shield and exploded with a loud bang.

The Mountain Giant came to the outside of the magic circle and raised his giant hammer…

Boom, boom…

The giant hammer seemed to strike the air, but would hit an iron-like barrier at some point.

The sound was like smashing mountains and splitting stones.

The huge protective magic circle had already begun to show a few cracks.

Three eighth-tier strong warriors were recklessly using their magic to strengthen these powerful followers.

"Damn it, at this rate, we won’t last five minutes without Karoso!" Pastor was a bit anxious.

In a battle, it’s all about back and forth; if we just keep getting hit, no matter how strong the magic circle is, it won’t help!

"Let’s make our move," said the Nature Mage. "Those three have already used up most of their magic to break this magic circle. I will cover you, Your Grace, lead the charge! Pastor will ensure your safety, and we can carry out a decapitation action!"

"Ah, so that’s how it is, so that’s how it is!" Garden understood at that moment, "They are trying to lure me out!"

"If I go out, I might end up like Quinn, captured by that Karoso!"

"At that time, our fortress would fall without a fight."

"Hahaha, what a clever plan, truly a clever plan."

"Unfortunately, they underestimate me too much…"

"Someone, take down all the magic crystals used for attacking and strengthen the defense magic circle!"

"This…" Pastor widened his eyes, "If we can convert half, that would be great!"

"We need time, more time!" Garden raised his head, "It’s wrong to attack now; if we can just hold our ground, we will win."

"The more the enemy wants us to do something, the less we can do it; that is the true essence of battle!"

Although Pastor felt a bit unwilling, he thought Garden’s words seemed quite reasonable.

"But didn’t the international community say they would take action against Karoso?" Nature Mage still felt they should strike.

"Hmph, with the way the international community works, who doesn’t know? They will delay things as long as they can." Garden said dismissively, "Even within our own organization, it takes one or two months to get a single certificate. By the time they take action, the Kingdom of Persia might already be defeated."

Nature Mage thought about how civilians handle things, running around everywhere, and how it takes at least two months to enroll in school. He couldn’t help but nod.

Surely, the international community’s efficiency must be the same.

……

At the same time, in the Laria Sea.

Karoso stood proudly in the sky, with 『』 beside him.

As he looked at the seven people approaching, 『』 felt a little nervous.

Karoso noticed 『』’s fear and couldn’t help but grab her little hand.

"We have already made it past Acheron; they are just some weak enemies, no need to be afraid," Karoso comforted her.

"Hmm," 『』 nodded.

"This lineup is truly impressive," Karoso looked around at everyone, "Hyros, a ninth-tier warrior; Master Norma, a ninth-tier Nature Mage; Joseph, a ninth-tier wizard, a living encyclopedia of arcane knowledge; Calia Minai Hill, a ninth-tier Pastor; Stan Eichler, a ninth-tier Knight; Berdace, a ninth-tier Knight; Diefu, a ninth-tier Hunter."

"For me, Karoso, each of the five permanent members of the United Nations sent a ninth-tier warrior, and the Church of the Dawn Goddess and the Hunter Association also sent their strongest knights and hunters. They really put everything on the line."

"If we had been this united during the battle with Modred, maybe we could have defeated a demi-god… No, you all can definitely defeat a demi-god."

"Karoso, surrender now; you are no match for us," Hyros raised his battle axe. "Your power is good, but it is too far behind ours!"

He clearly seemed to have forgotten the last battle in Presea Winterfell City.

"With so many people here, you can’t even escape."

Joseph gently stroked his wand. As the strongest wizard of the greatest empire, he truly did not want to team up with anyone.

However, there was no other choice; it was necessary to ensure that Karoso was defeated in this battle.

"Hmph, stirring up trouble in our Pande territory, you should have expected this day," Stan sneered.

"Karoso, do you know what you have done?" Berdace stepped forward and shouted, "You have torn up years of agreements!"

She was a knight sent by the Church of the Dawn Goddess.

The Church of the Dawn Goddess originally wanted to send Celica, but Celica had a wild imagination, and since she had a past with Karoso, she might let him off the hook, so they sent the Church of the Dawn Goddess’s top knight instead.

"This agreement is good, but I don’t want to follow it. Is there a problem?" Karoso drew the long knife from his waist.

He never expected that after practicing swordsmanship his whole life, the weapon he would end up using was a knife.

This knife felt very comfortable to use, as if it was connected to his bloodline.

"Child, you are confused…" Master Norma sighed, "Back during the battle of Laria, I watched as the God of Wisdom made the judgment."

"We fought side by side and defeated the evil Modred. I thought you were a good child…"

"Child, surrender now. I will persuade everyone not to kill you, just to lock you up instead."

"Master Norma, I have great respect for you," Karoso said softly. "When the fighting starts, I will not harm you."

He knows his friends from his enemies; Karoso is clear about that.

Even though it was business with the Nature Mage Association, without Norma, Neymar might have been sabotaged by the Church of Dawn Goddess.

Master Norma is a true scholar, or rather, everyone present is pure; otherwise, they could not have trained to this level.

But for the sake of the great reform, Karoso has to stand alone against the world’s ninth-tier beings.

"Is there no negotiation?" Master Norma was still making one last effort.

"No negotiation." Karoso said firmly, "I will tear up this agreement! Unless you listen to me and draft a new one."

"What agreement?" Master Norma asked.

"High-level Professionals cannot get involved in any war," Karoso replied.

"Ha!" Hyros laughed, "You are too naïve. You think one person can threaten all the high-level Professionals in the world? I don’t know where you get your courage or why you want to do this. But I can tell you now, it’s impossible!"

"Then let’s fight!" Karoso declared with determination.

"You are looking for trouble!" Diefu readied his bow and arrow, "Do you really think you can fight against us? Think about it, how long will it take you to break through? It’s uncertain if you even have a level nine card."

"Wait!" Calia stopped the hunters and said, "Master 『』, you may be deceived by him."

"This matter is between us and him; we do not want to hurt you."

A level nine Card Maker is a treasure wherever they go.

In the eyes of others, Karoso is a pest; killing him is just fine, but not for 『』.

"I have already decided to fight alongside him." 『』 took a deep breath and took out her own card, "If you want to fight, then let’s go."

『』’s card-making speed was far greater than what she had before; with the teachings from the Card God and her training in Acheron, neither the quality nor the speed of a current Ninth Stage Card Maker could match her. This is the true worth of a main character controlled by a player.

"Master 『』, we respect you. Although your brother wants to cause trouble in our Presea, we have not treated him badly. I have hardly touched him," Hyros said. "He is now safely at the Card Maker Association, where no one forces him to do anything, and no one restricts his freedom."

"I understand, but you acted before under his threat, didn’t you?"

Everyone’s attention turned to 『』.

They did not act earlier because they were afraid of hurting 『』.

If the Card Maker Association gets involved, it is not a joke.

"You don’t need to say any more," 『』 smiled lightly. "Let’s fight."

"Did this little trickster use mind control magic to take over Master 『』?" Joseph squinted his eyes, "Let’s act! Our main goal is to rescue Master 『』!"