Chapter 59

The ground shook as the massive cavalry charged forward, and even the demons that had gathered at the final line of defense took a few steps back. Lionel and the officers quickly surveyed the situation. The demons pouring out from the tower seemed endless. Even ogres, which could only be seen at the second-level tower, were visible. Duke Despone, the head of the mage corps, had not even arrived yet. The mage corps, led by Renox, were still far behind, merely observing the situation.

“Henri, take the right flank! Lil, you take the left! Larin, go request support from the mages!”

At Lionel’s command, the knights moved in unison. Their task was clear: to clear a path for the mages to reach the tower. They had to split the sea of demons that were surging forward. The knights advanced toward the tower, like sharp spears, inch by inch. Adept, who was watching from behind, turned to look at the mages. They still remained calm, staying in the rear. Adept, feeling a surge of anger at their inaction, clicked her tongue and turned away. At that moment, a wyvern, leading with its sharp claws, descended toward the advancing knights. Adept quickly controlled the magic around the wyvern, binding it, and then lifted it high into the sky before plunging it into the mass of demons below. With a terrifying roar, the wyvern and dozens of demons beneath it were instantly killed. The knights, witnessing this unbelievable scene, forgot to cheer. After a moment of silence, Lionel, the first to regain his composure, took a deep breath and shouted loudly.

“Advance again!!”

Duke Despone, who had arrived late, was speechless at the scene. At that moment, the Empress slowly turned to look at the mages, her gaze so cold that it could be felt from a distance.

“Can you just stand there with your arms crossed?! Even the Empress is supporting the knights, and we cannot stand idly by!”

Brunhild Alexa, unable to hold back, strongly protested, but Duke Despone only grew angry.

“Be quiet!! We will move as we always do!!”

Meanwhile, the 1st and 2nd regiments of the Royal Guard continued to advance toward the tower, maintaining their formation despite the increasing number of casualties. Lionel, amidst the chaos, adjusted the positions of the knights to maintain the best possible formation. The Royal Guard had been able to endure for so long due to Lionel Valdur’s excellent tactics. Even in the midst of a battle where one could not see a step ahead, the knights followed Lionel’s orders with absolute trust, swinging their swords. Despite the battle having been ongoing for some time, the mages remained stationary, even as the Empress continuously supported the knights by pouring magic into the demons.

Finally, Adept could no longer bear it and ran toward Duke Despone.

“Duke Despone! What are you planning to do just by watching? Why isn’t a single mage supporting the knights?!!”

“What do you mean, Your Majesty? We are doing our jobs! Once the knights clear the path to the tower, we will move without delay!”

“With wyverns, ogres, werewolves, and weredogs swarming like that, how can the knights alone clear a path with their blood?!”

“We don’t know how they destroyed the tower in Gotrof! Echmont has its own way of doing things!!!”

At that moment,

“Your Majesty!”

A knight guarding Adept urgently called out to her. Turning her head, she saw a horde of ogres charging toward the knights advancing toward the tower. The massive demons, each at least 3 meters tall, were causing the ground to shake, and even the well-trained warhorses began to step back. Sensing the imminent collapse of the formation, Lionel quickly gave orders.

“Henri!! Take the 1st platoon of the 2nd regiment and deal with the ogres!! Everyone, move to the right!!”

As Henri Jacal’s platoon aimed their swords at the ogres, the rest of the knights retreated to reorganize their formation. Lionel’s eyes were painfully distorted. This was a choice to prevent total annihilation, but the sacrifice of the knights moving forward was inevitable. Henri Jacal and the 1st platoon of the 2nd regiment took a deep breath, their chests about to burst, and their eyes wide open. The families they had left behind flashed before their eyes as they gripped the reins of their horses, which were trying to retreat.

“Echmont’s way of doing things? Get rid of it!!”

Seeing this, the Empress finally exploded, pouring out fierce criticism.

“What kind of way is this?! It’s clear that you have never truly tried to destroy the tower and the demons!!”

The Empress’s relentless criticism made Duke Despone’s eyes blaze with anger. This insolent one?! However, before he could retort, the Empress turned and shouted.

“Watch this!! This is how mages and knights should fight together!!!”

And in an instant, she spurred her horse and leaped forward to the front line.

“Your Majesty! Get on the horse, it’s dangerous!”

The knights who had followed her tried to stop her, but the Empress firmly planted her sword, an amplifier, into the ground and replied.

“You, go tell them to move forward and kill the demons while I hold them back to clear a path.”

Though the knight couldn’t understand what she meant, he quickly ran to his comrades.

“You, cover me.”

Adept gave orders to the remaining knights and took a deep breath. She knew this would bring her much suffering for a while, but it was unavoidable. It seemed that Duke Despone would maintain the outdated methods. Moreover, to gain strength against the Emperor, she had to achieve something significant on this journey. The flow of magic, which had been scattered like air, began to rapidly converge on Adept. Like water being drawn from above, the magic flowed into her and then into the sword embedded in the ground. The air around her began to churn, and a strong wind blew. The magic, seeping into the ground through the sword, rushed toward the demons according to her will. It sprang from the ground and latched onto the flowing magic. The horde of ogres charging at Henri Jacal and the knights were also bound by Adept’s magic and fell forward. The knights, amazed by this unbelievable sight, were startled when a knight, who had received Adept’s orders, shouted from behind.

“The Empress will hold the demons! Kill them and clear a path while she does!”

The elite knights, who had already advanced halfway under Lionel’s command, would not miss this opportunity.

“1st regiment, move forward!! 2nd regiment, 2nd platoon, help deal with the ogres!! The rest, cover the rear!!”

Lionel, who understood the situation faster than anyone, gave the optimal orders, and the knights, as if they had been waiting, swung their swords at the bound demons. The knights quickly dispatched the demons and advanced toward the tower. In an instant, the path to the tower was opened.

“Your Majesty!!”

The problem was Adept. Her once proud posture was beginning to crumble. Her hand, which had been holding the sword, now leaned on it for support.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?!”

The knights, seeing Adept’s body hunched over the sword, were restless. Viscount Vuita, who had been watching the entire situation, also circled around Adept with a serious expression. Lionel, who had been holding back the demons at the front line, kept looking back. The Empress’s figure was too far to see clearly. Cold sweat trickled down his back, and a foreboding feeling crept into his heart. Fortunately, the mages were riding their horses along the path cleared by the knights. Renox, despite his personality, was an outstanding striker. As soon as they reached the tower, the keepers controlled the tower’s magic, and Renox and the strikers began attacking the core of the tower. Soon, the tower was engulfed in white flames. Cheers erupted from all around. As the tower was destroyed, the bodies of the dead demons were also enveloped in white flames, and the living demons turned to stone. Renox, looking around proudly, declared the end of the tower.

“The tower is destroyed!!”

“Indeed, Deputy Commander!”

As Renox’s close mage allies praised him, the knights turned their heads with cold expressions. Lionel turned to the knights and shouted.

“Good work! Carry the injured on stretchers and gather the dead! Officers, follow me.”

While the lower-ranking knights tended to the injured and the dead, the rest of the knights and mages rode toward the line where the Empress was. Lionel’s gaze was fixed on one point. He urged his horse faster, his heart growing more anxious as he approached the Empress. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, obscuring her face. Leaning on the sword embedded in the ground, she was already half-fallen. The knights guarding the Empress were relieved to see Director Lionel approaching.

“Your Majesty! It’s over! Everyone is coming this way!”

At last, the Empress’s shoulder moved slightly. As she raised her head, her pale face was revealed, and even the seasoned knights swallowed hard. Looking like a messenger of death emerging from hell, the Empress stared straight ahead. Renox and some mages were trying to take all the credit, riding at the front with their shoulders back.

‘I can’t let you take all the credit.’

At the moment the tower collapsed, Adept wanted to collapse and lose consciousness, but she held on with all her strength for one reason. She gripped her trembling legs tightly and straightened her back. The knights and mages who had rushed over were stunned by her ashen face and wide, terrified eyes. Lionel, who was the first to dismount and run to her, seemed to stretch out as he approached. Ignoring her darkening vision, Adept opened her mouth.

“I wanted to save everyone, I’m sorry. Don’t wait, I should have...”

Though her voice was not