Chapter 878

【 ANNIHILATION 】

“An imperial supply convoy consisting of five thousand soldiers? Is this information reliable?”

Somewhere along the border between Maple Moon Free Territory and the Western Territories, All-Star Achan looked cautiously at the player who had brought him the intelligence report.

Behind him, nearly fifteen thousand players were stationed in a secluded forest, fully prepared and awaiting orders.

This was the main force of the legion Achan had personally led into battle, as well as one of the All-Star Guild’s core military units.

After the war began, the entire All-Star battalion had left fifty thousand players behind to help defend Ausburg City while the remaining hundred thousand or so had been divided into smaller units like this one, scattered across various locations and deployed deep within the Empire.

“Brother Achan, it’s true. The first person to report the enemy’s movements was an innkeeper in Black Date Town. We have missionaries from our guild in the surrounding villages, and one of them had already converted the innkeeper into a believer of the Goddess some time ago. He was the first to spot the enemy convoy and immediately sent someone to notify us.”

The player delivering the intelligence explained.

All-Star Achan raised an eyebrow.

“Wait, you said the innkeeper was the first to report it. Does that mean there’s a second source?”

“That’s right. About half a day after the innkeeper provided his report, someone in a town south of Black Date Town also spotted the Imperial convoy. The believers of the Goddess we’ve recruited there reported that several thousand Imperial soldiers were heading south. Their account was almost identical to what the innkeeper in Black Date Town had told us.”

The player continued.

Hearing this, Achan grinned.

“Then it looks like this intelligence is genuine.”

With that, he turned toward the newer guild members who had followed him into battle and smiled.

“See, guys? This is the advantage of establishing connections among the common people throughout the Empire. It’s time we taught those nobles from the Holy Mania Empire a proper lesson on what it means to be surrounded by the boundless sea of people’s warfare!”

“Brother Achan, if we’re planning to attack them, we’d better move quickly! This intelligence is no longer a secret. The other guilds operating nearby have probably heard about it too. I heard that Demacia from Heart of Nature knows about it as well. If we arrive too late, there might not be any enemies left for us to fight!”

The player delivering the intelligence report reminded him.

Achan’s expression turned serious, and he nodded in agreement.

Heart of Nature had the Amway Trading Group, whose network of branches and agents extended throughout the entire Human Territories. Their intelligence-gathering capabilities were probably even more efficient than their own.

Moreover, he had heard that Demacia, the president of Amway had also brought an enemy rear-area operation force consisting of more than twenty thousand players. They were currently operating somewhere east of Maple Moon Territory.

The distance between their respective positions wasn’t particularly great. Furthermore, Heart of Nature’s cavalry mounts consisted entirely of endurance-oriented magical beasts that were exceptionally fast over long distances.

If they didn’t hurry, Heart of Nature might really get there first.

That was unacceptable.

He needed to move quickly.

After all, the Northern Theater of Operations had been assigned to their All-Star Guild!

He took a deep breath, entered the legion’s battlefield command channel, then drew an ornate command sword from his chest and pointed it toward the sky.

“Brothers! We’ve got work to do! Stay close and follow me! I’m taking you all to pull off something big!”

After speaking, he turned toward the player who had delivered the intelligence report.

“Tell the brother who reported the enemy’s movements to join our legion immediately. Have him keep a close eye on the enemy’s movements!”

༺⟐༻

Southern Western Territories, along the main road leading to Maple Moon Free Territory.

A vast Imperial army was steadily advancing along the road, escorting a lengthy procession of supply wagons.

It was none other than the army of House Wagner.

At that moment, Viscount Wagner was seated comfortably inside an extravagant carriage.

He glanced through the window at the sky, which was gradually growing darker, before lightly knocking on the carriage door.

“My lord, what are your orders?”

One of the personal guard knights accompanying the carriage immediately approached and asked respectfully.

“How much longer until we reach Ausburg City?”

Viscount Wagner took out his ornate pocket watch and glanced at it before asking in an elegant manner.

“At most a day and a half, my lord. If we continue marching without resting tonight, we should be able to arrive even sooner.”

The personal guard knight replied respectfully.

Viscount Wagner nodded slightly.

“How long until we reach the next town?”

He asked again.

“My lord, the nearest settlement should be Little Stone Town, which lies along the border. However, during the rebellion in Maple Moon Territory, the entire town was massacred by the heretics. It should be nothing more than a ghost town by now.”

The personal guard knight answered.

Viscount Wagner frowned slightly.

After pondering the matter for a moment, he finally spoke.

“Then we won’t stop to rest. Have the troops maintain their current pace and march at full speed. We’ll take a detour around the town and rendezvous with the Duke as soon as possible. I’ve heard that settlements where entire populations have been massacred often become infested with undead creatures. They shouldn’t pose much of a threat, but encountering them would still be an unnecessary inconvenience.”

The personal guard knight nodded.

“Understood, my lord.”

The order to force-march was quickly relayed throughout the ranks, causing a slight commotion among the troops.

However, after several noble knights intervened and dealt with a few troublemakers who had voiced their dissatisfaction, the unrest soon subsided.

The army of more than five thousand soldiers resumed its march, continuing southward without stopping.

Gradually, the sun sank below the horizon, and night descended upon the land.

The main road slowly disappeared beneath the darkness. One after another, the soldiers lit their torches, illuminating the procession as the army continued its march under the flickering flames.

From a distance, the formation of more than five thousand men resembled an enormous fire dragon, its long, winding body slowly crawling through the darkness.

As the road continued to wind its way forward, the wheat fields stretching along either side gradually gave way to rolling hills and dense forests.

House Wagner’s army was now approaching the border of the Western Territories.

However, just as the troops were making their way through the hilly terrain, a sudden commotion erupted at the front of the formation.

The advancing army gradually slowed down before eventually coming to a complete halt.

The heavily guarded carriage came to an abrupt halt, jolting Viscount Wagner awake from his sleep. He had been resting comfortably against the soft, fur-covered bedding inside.

Hearing the commotion outside, he frowned slightly and pulled back the curtain to look out.

“What happened?”

“My lord, it appears that several large boulders are blocking the road ahead. We’ve already dispatched some knights to clear the obstruction.”

The personal guard knight hurried over and reported respectfully.

“Boulders?”

Viscount Wagner was momentarily taken aback.

He immediately became alert, his expression turning wary as he muttered to himself:

“How could there be boulders here?”

After putting on his overcoat, he stepped down from the carriage with the assistance of his attendants.

By now the weather was already in late spring. A cool night breeze swept across the land, while countless stars glittered in the clear sky above.

Viscount Wagner turned his attention toward the dozen or so enormous boulders blocking the road. Each was nearly as tall as an adult man.

He couldn’t help but frown.

The surrounding area was a stretch of hilly terrain, with the main road running through a low-lying valley between the hills. Dense forests covered both sides of the road, their thick foliage concealing much of the surrounding landscape.

Occasional bird calls echoed from within the woods, accompanied by the gentle rustling of leaves stirred by the night breeze. In the darkness, however, these otherwise ordinary sounds carried an inexplicably eerie quality.

Viscount Wagner’s gaze shifted between the enormous boulders obstructing the road and the dense forests on either side.

Suddenly, his expression changed.

“Something’s wrong! We’re walking into an ambush!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a sharp whistle rang out from the forests on both sides.

Following a furious shout of “Fire!”, countless arrows shot out from the trees, forming a dense rain of projectiles that descended upon the Imperial army.

Screams erupted throughout the formation as House Wagner’s soldiers were thrown into chaos.

Immediately afterward, excited battle cries rang out from both sides, accompanied by the thunderous roars of magical beasts. One after another, pairs of crimson eyes began illuminating the darkness like glowing red lanterns.

Dark silhouettes suddenly burst out of the forests. They were enormous, ferocious magical beasts.

Fully armed elves rode upon their backs, brandishing their weapons as they charged headlong into the panicked Imperial troops.

“C-Cavalry! It’s the elves’ cavalry!”

One of the Imperial nobles shrieked in terror.

However, in the very next instant, his scream turned into a bloodcurdling cry of agony as an elven warrior cleaved him in half with a single sword strike.

The sounds of battle erupted everywhere as a brutal slaughter unfolded along the narrow road.

Viscount Wagner stared in shock, fury, and terror at the growing number of elves pouring out of the forests on both sides.

He knew that it was impossible to conceal their convoy’s movements completely. Sooner or later, the elves would discover their whereabouts.

However, no matter how hard he tried to make sense of the situation, he couldn’t understand how they had managed to ambush him here so quickly.

His army had been marching at full speed throughout the journey. He had even deliberately avoided the towns and villages near the Vymur River.

So even if the elves had discovered his movements, he should have already rendezvoused with the Duke by the time they managed to catch up.

How, then, had they managed to launch a preemptive attack at this particular location?

Of course, he had no idea that players equipped with a gaming system didn’t need any time to relay information.

Once they discovered an enemy, a single chat message was all it took.

More and more elves emerged from the forests, pouring into the Imperial formation and mercilessly cutting down the soldiers.

Flames soon erupted throughout the battlefield. Magic spells and flaming arrows had ignited the supply wagons, setting their contents ablaze.

Some unfortunate soldiers found their clothes catching fire, transforming them into human torches. They screamed and struggled desperately, but their frantic movements only added to the chaos, causing the flames to spread even further.

Before long, the entire supply convoy had seemingly been engulfed in a vast sea of fire…

Watching the horrific slaughter unfold around him and seeing the countless elves surrounding his army, Viscount Wagner trembled with rage. His expression grew increasingly distorted.

“M-My lord! We can’t hold them off! There are elves everywhere! I’ll cover your escape! Run!”

His personal guard knight, who had already sustained several arrow wounds while protecting the Viscount, shouted desperately.

However, in the next instant, the sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.

A sharp sword pierced straight through his chest.

Blood sprayed across Viscount Wagner’s face. Watching his personal guard knight fall to an elven warrior’s blade, he finally felt genuine terror.

His personal guard knight was a Lower Gold-rank expert.

Anyone capable of killing him with a single sword strike had to be considerably stronger!

Viscount Wagner let out a terrified shriek. He immediately threw himself to the ground and scrambled desperately toward the rear of the formation.

However, before he could get very far, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck.

In the next instant, he felt as though he were flying through the air.

He seemed to catch sight of a body wearing clothes identical to his own. However, that body had no head, and a torrent of blood was gushing violently from its severed neck.

Ah…wait.

That was… me?

Viscount Wagner stared in bewilderment.

Then, his vision faded into darkness.

༺⟐༻

When the first rays of sunlight pierced through the darkness and illuminated the earth through gaps in the trees, the ambush along the western border had already come to a complete end.

The main road winding through the hills was now littered with wreckage.

Some of the battered supply wagons were still smoldering, while others had overturned and lay scattered across the roadside. Crimson blood stained the earth, and scattered corpses, pieces of armor, and abandoned military equipment could be seen everywhere.

Tall, long-eared figures moved busily throughout the hills. Some excitedly gathered the spoils of war, while others crouched in secluded corners, carefully drawing offering arrays and quietly chanting incantations.

The five thousand soldiers belonging to House Wagner had been completely annihilated.

By the time All-Star Achan led his guild’s legion to the area, this was the scene that greeted him.

He paused for a moment, visibly taken aback. His gaze lingered on the iris banners fluttering among thr crowd, and a brief look of frustration flashed across his face.

“Damn it, It’s Heart of Nature’s legion! It must be Demacia. Looks like we arrived one step too late.”

The player who had originally delivered the intelligence report stood beside him, smiling bitterly.

Achan nodded ruefully. His gaze continued sweeping across the vicinity until he soon spotted a particularly recognizable figure: a heavily armored tank sporting a bright red afro.

The moment he noticed the other man, the latter spotted him as well.

Loud laughter rang out as the heavily armored elven tank approached, wearing his usual mischievous grin.

“Hahahaha! Well, well, well! If it isn’t Captain Achan of the All-Star Guild! Sorry, bro! We just happened to get here a little earlier and swallowed this entire convoy!”

“Demacia, you guys sure move fast.”

Achan replied with a wry smile.

“Hey, of course we do! Our agents from Amway had their eyes on these bastards ever since they left Morningstar City!”

Demacia declared smugly.

“How was the haul? I heard this was a supply convoy.”

Achan asked, unable to hide his envy.

“Hehehe! We got pretty lucky this time. We managed to seize quite a few magic crystal cannons!”

Demacia looked thoroughly pleased with himself.

“Holy crap! Then you guys must have made a fortune! Besides, what’s this about first come, first served? Wait, no, we discovered this territory first! Brother Mu explicitly said this area belongs to our All-Star Guild. Don’t you think you should at least give us a little something for our trouble?”

As he spoke, Achan rubbed his thumb against his index and middle fingers, making an unmistakable coin gesture.

Demacia burst into laughter before immediately shooting down his suggestion.

“Keep dreaming, bro! First come, first served! However, I suppose I could sell you some of the equipment at a discounted price. We really can’t transport all these magic crystal cannons in such a short time anyway.”

“Bah! What a scam!”

“Hahaha! Just say whether you’re interested!”

The commanders of the two major guilds immediately began haggling over the spoils.

Just then, an excited voice suddenly rang out from the direction of the battlefield.

“Bro! Brother Demacia! Come and see what I’ve found!”

It was a member of Heart of Nature.

The player hurried toward them, visibly excited, with something clutched in his hands.

“Hm?”

Both Demacia and All-Star Achan turned toward him curiously.

The excited player quickly reached them and handed over a sheet of parchment covered in densely written text in the common language of the Continent.

Demacia accepted it and began examining its contents.

With the assistance of the gaming system, he could easily understand the writing. However, as he read through the document, his eyes gradually widened with excitement.

“An attendance list of the nobles participating in the war on the Northern Front, along with the sizes of their respective armies? Wait, there’s even a map showing the territorial holdings of the Empire’s nobles? Damn! This is some valuable intelligence!”

His eyes shifted as he began considering the possibilities.

Suddenly, Demacia turned toward Achan, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

“Captain Achan, how many people did you bring with you this time?”

“About fifteen thousand. We still have more than fourteen thousand after making it all the way here… Why? What are you planning?”

Achan asked suspiciously.

Demacia chuckled mischievously and winked at him.

“I heard your guild is under considerable pressure defending Ausburg city. How about we work together and make some really big news? Something that might take a little pressure off your shoulders?”

༺⟐༻

Two days later, outside Ausburg City.

A massive human army had gathered outside the city, its forces bearing down upon the walls.

Joseph von Lawson, commander of the Imperial Northern Army and the newly appointed Duke of House Lawson, examined the densely packed heavy crossbows and magic crystal cannons lining the city walls.

He then glanced at the sky and frowned slightly.

“It’s been two days… Why hasn’t that fellow Wagner arrived yet?”

—