We left the territory of Bartenberg and rushed onward.
The forced march continued relentlessly, leaving us exhausted, and the ever-tightening miasma grated on our nerves.
“The further we go, the worse it gets.”
I looked up at the sky. It was as if only that side was filled with black clouds, drawing out a gloomy, ominous energy.
Surely, it wasn’t supposed to be this bad.
I couldn’t even imagine how much worse it must be at the battlefield.
“We need to hurry.”
“Yeah.”
We picked up our pace.
***
Pauline Castle, called the Baren Kingdom’s First Fortress, it stood at the southernmost tip of the northern continent—a sort of border.
At the same time, it was the shield that had blocked the southern continent’s invasions countless times, and the cradle of the renowned martial Pauline family.
But now, that was just a memory.
The sturdy shield had rotted away, becoming the very source of a terrible Curse.
“Commander Leon! What are we supposed to do about this!”
The tragic King, having lost half his own lands to the Undead, cried out in despair.
His face was ashen, and his anxious eyes darted about restlessly.
The dignity of a once gentle and wise King was nowhere to be found.
“King Barentis, please calm yourself.”
“How can I possibly calm down? If even Riot Castle falls, the damage will be beyond measure! I’ll send my soldiers, so make room for them in the allied army!”
“Your soldiers will only swell the enemy’s ranks.”
“Commander Leon!”
Even at the King’s sharp tone, the Commander remained calm and composed.
“Your Majesty. The miasma here is especially vicious. Please, return to the capital and preserve your royal body.”
The hastily formed Martial Union’s Commander and First Knight Order’s Captain—Leon.
At his respectful persuasion, the King bowed his head.
Even as a King, he knew he could not compare to the prestige of Bartenberg.
“…………. Please, please, protect the kingdom of our ancestors.”
Barentis had nothing left to lose.
No, only that which must never be lost remained.
“I trust in the Martial Spirit of Bartenberg, and in the valor of the allied army.”
“Please, I beg you.”
The dejected King departed.
Leon sat quietly, closing his eyes.
The situation had reached its worst.
His words were nothing but empty reassurance for the King.
“Damn it…”
By the time the First Knight Order received Ludwig’s order to search for Richard, the enemy had already formed the Undead Army.
They had devoured the area around Pauline Castle without a sound.
“It’s not just the Baren Kingdom that’s in trouble.”
Just as the King said, if even this place—Riot Castle—were to fall, there would be no stopping it.
The entire northern continent would be overrun by corpses.
‘I must prevent that at all costs.’
As Leon swallowed a heavy sigh and racked his brains for a solution—
Bwooo—
The blaring of horns and the ringing of bells echoed through Riot Castle.
From that moment, the air grew heavier, and the stench of rotting flesh began to sting my nose.
“Captain! They’ve attacked!”
Addrun, the youngest of the First Knight Order, hurriedly ran to Leon.
“They really never end. Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
He led them out of the silver citadel, heading for the towering castle walls.
The stench and miasma grew ever thicker.
Leon frowned and looked around.
“Damn it, damn it! How many are there this time?”
“We’re all going to die! We’re dead for sure!”
The assault team gathered below the wall was gripped by fear and terror.
“Aaaagh! Why are the dead moving!”
Archers atop the wall screamed in despair at the sight of their fallen comrades, now Undead.
Hell on earth.
That was the only way to describe this place.
“Anyone who saps morale from now on, I’ll behead you myself!”
Leon, already mounted, shouted with all his mana.
Then, he raised his hand with the ring.
“Everyone, look at this ring! Remember your mission!”
The Faithful Ring he had received from Richard.
It was only after the Martial Union had formed that he realized it brought calm and stability to mind and spirit.
Until now, it had helped tremendously, but the allied army was already too exhausted.
“Young Master Richard…
If only Richard were here, would things be different?
His martial prowess was only comparable to an upper-class Knight, but he could wield this mysterious power…
Leon shook off the image of Richard that had come to mind.
There was no time for useless speculation.
“Open the gates! Charge!”
The battle began.
Beyond the open gates, a black tide surged forward.
Knights, peasants, and all manner of monsters, their flesh half-rotted away.
The assault team gritted their teeth and spurred their horses at the horrific enemy.
“Open fire!”
“Once you’re out of arrows, get ready to charge!”
The officers on the wall shouted commands.
A rain of arrows was loosed at the Undead Army.
In an instant, the Knights ran out of arrows, threw aside their bows, and dashed down from the wall.
“Uaaah!”
Screams, shouts, and the wailing of the Undead filled the battlefield.
Originally, the Martial Union’s plan was a Siege, but the allied forces gave up the advantage of defense and chose Offensive Battle.
No, they were forced to open the gates and fight outside.
Because the enemy was the Undead.
The already-dead kept moving even with arrows stuck in their bodies, never tiring, and their morale did not falter before the strong castle walls.
The only strategy was to cut off their heads—there was nothing else they could do.
And that wasn’t all.
The greatest enemy of the allied army was the miasma.
With each battle, as the Undead grew in number, the miasma thickened, and the Knights’ morale plummeted.
To make matters worse, the horses the assault team rode were terrified by the miasma, making them nearly impossible to control.
Kreeegh!
Leon sliced off the neck of a wailing Orc Undead and surveyed the battlefield.
The Martial Union’s forces numbered only two thousand.
Yet the visible enemy was at least six thousand strong.
“Don’t fall back!”
A hopelessly disadvantageous fight.
This was already the thirtieth such battle.
“Aaagh!”
Every Knight gathered here was a member of the Martial Union, and with five Martial Heads present, they had managed to hold out this long.
Most crucially, Bartenberg’s greatest force, the First Knight Order, had fought with all their might again and again.
But even that might not be enough now.
Leon began to see Knights collapsing one by one.
“Second Division! Rotate!”
Leon’s commanding shout rang in everyone’s ears.
The assault team fighting the Undead immediately wheeled their horses and galloped along the walls of Riot Castle.
From the wide-open rear gate, the Second Knight Order charged in with spears and swords raised.
“Ah, aaagh…!”
“You idiot!”
“I’m finished!”
Yet there were still Knights unable to follow the rotation order—those who fell from their horses or were bitten by the Undead.
Utter chaos.
Shattered morale led to mistakes they would never normally make, and those mistakes led straight to death.
Kwang!
A war is not won simply by having a brilliant general.
No matter how hard Leon and the First Knight Order fought.
No matter how wisely the officers made decisions on the field.
Riot Castle was slowly being pushed to the brink.
“Captain! We have to go after Richard ourselves!”
“We can’t do that!”
At Addrun’s outcry, Leon shook his head.
A Commander must always assume the worst-case scenario.
Even if a special force were sent to strike at Richard, if the Undead were unleashed on the continent, disaster would follow.
No matter what, they had to stop them here—or at the very least, within the Baren Kingdom.
***
“This is horrific.”
Everything about it was horrific.
The pounding miasma and stench were unbearable.
A battlefield of utter chaos unfolded before my eyes.
A battlefield of the living and the dead, yet all I could see were living corpses.
Even the living wore dead eyes; it was hard to tell friend from foe.
I watched the dreadful scene, gasping for breath.
Fear, terror, confusion.
Everything they felt crashed down upon me as well.
Ugh…
The Third Knight Division was no different.
I could plainly see morale dropping.
Perhaps only Polk and Jack were managing to stay calm.
“Hey! What are you doing? Get in there and help already!”
“Wait.”
Huger pressed me, whether out of fear or excitement I couldn’t tell.
But now was not the time to move.
“I’m waiting for the right timing.”
The dead had come back to life.
And now, they were making the living into their own comrades.
“Y-Young Master! Please, give the order!”
From the Crown of Ice, a chill flowed into my head, cooling my thoughts.
Thanks to that, I could watch the dying without being swept away.
Though I was grinding my teeth hard.
“In Offensive Battle, your vision narrows.”
If we barged in recklessly, it would only add to the chaos.
We might even be stabbed by our own side, lost in madness.
As the commander of the Third Knight Division, I was here to make wise, rational decisions.
“Everyone, keep your mouths shut and hold position.”
The battle was growing fiercer by the moment.
The crazed Undead were already at the castle gates.
Meanwhile, the repeatedly rotated assault team was visibly dwindling.
‘If we hadn’t arrived today…’
We might have found Riot Castle already in ruins.
That’s how desperate things were.
A few conspicuously strong individuals and the First Knight Order slaughtered Undead like reapers, but the exhausted allied forces could barely support them.
Then—
It happened.
Something changed on the battlefield.
Crunch, crunch—
Dozens of Undead began to fuse their flesh together.
Like someone kneading clay.
“A Corpse Mass!”
One of the most troublesome types among the Undead.
Its massive body towered over the battlefield.
Now was the time.
I shouted loudly.
“Third Knight Division, join the fight!”
We mounted up and charged like arrows.
At the front, I drew my sword and fixed my gaze on the Corpse Mass.
A perfect offering to turn the tide had appeared at just the right moment.
Fwoooosh—!
Faith, drawn to its limit, blazed brightly throughout my body.
Our first battle here.
“A little performance wouldn’t hurt.”
[Lone Swordsman’s Sword Star – Activate]
Dragon Tooth became a star.
A star of Faith, banishing the darkness.