Chapter 244
The next morning. The siege wall breach operation began with dozens of ships burning and sinking. Out of the over 200 ships originally brought along, only about 30 remained in Febria Bay. Knowing that they would have to scuttle the remaining fleet once the breach commenced, Jenis had already distributed most of the ships to the ports of Eramenia and Koesernis County Territory.
Even if not the entirety of the fleet was present, the sight of dozens of ships simultaneously ablaze and sinking filled the soldiers with overwhelming dread and fear.
There was nowhere to run. No further supplies could be expected. The only ones they could rely on were themselves. And alongside them, a single ironclad ship was emerging from the sea.
A massive structure several dozen meters long and wide broke through the water, crawling up onto the land. It was as if a Kraken was bursting out of the ocean or a Dragon was poking its head out of its lair. The soldiers who had never seen a dragon up close were shocked as the ship, which had previously only been at sea, made a clattering sound as it surfaced on land. For most of those present, it was a sight they’d never imagined.
Giant wheeled spires aided the land battleship in traversing the terrain of the bay. The Great Sage’s staff, which had helped the ironclad move in the sea, was still located in the engine room, used to maneuver the ship.
On the deck, along with hundreds of soldiers, Jenis Harker took the lead in a surprise attack. Gazing at the wall right in front of them, Jenis murmured.
“O sword that cleaves the ocean, now cleave the earth as well.”
And the HMS Victory broke through the fortress of Febria Bay. Just a short while ago, the wall that protected the Southern Alliance soldiers was utterly shattered and crumbled at Jenis’s hands. The Demon King’s Army, who were surrounding the fortress, were taken aback by the sight of their fortifications collapsing without their own attack, but when they realized that a massive ship had pierced through that fortress, chaos ensued as they struggled to think of how to respond.
Even in the midst of this, the battleship pressed on undeterred. The sturdy tracks did not break despite the weight of the ship, and it advanced through the rugged terrain between the two fortresses. As the ship jostled down the slope, Jenis instructed the soldiers.
“It’s steep! Be careful not to fall off!”
The allied soldiers had to grip anything they could find on the ship to maintain their balance. The soldiers on the deck were particularly precarious, but those below deck were just as shaken and rattled. Fortunately, not a single soldier fell behind as the ship completely navigated the hill. However, next was a steep incline that went in the opposite direction.
“This impact will be worse. All troops, prepare for shock and disembark!”
Then, the bow of the ship pierced through the magical barrier of the second defense line.
The fortress of the Demon King’s Army, protected by a magical barrier, was not easily breached. Jenis poured all her strength into the ship, driving the prows deeply into the fortress. Finally, with a sound like thunder, the fortress cracked open, and the tip of the ship plunged deeply into the wall.
“Deck soldiers! Jump down from the fortress and take care of the enemy! Soldiers in the cabins, head down and attack the riffraff around the fortress!”
Following Jenis’s commands, the elite soldiers on deck began jumping down onto the fortress, slashing or pushing the demonic foes off the walls. The Demon King’s Army, startled by the sudden appearance of the battleship’s rams, fell helplessly as hundreds of allied soldiers jumped down from the ship.
Jenis herself jumped down from the ship, mercilessly cutting down Orcs with the sword gifted to her by Margaret. Realizing that battle had commenced, Koesernis deployed all 40,000 soldiers positioned at the rear to charge forward.
The soldiers rushed through the opening created by the HMS Victory, slaughtering the confused Demon King’s Army. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of the Demon King’s forces were killed or injured, losing their combat effectiveness.
The ogre lord, who was in charge of this area, was also thrown into confusion.
“What… is happening? What the hell… is going on?”
The giant lord blinked as he gazed at the chaos around him, unable to comprehend the situation. He had never considered such a possibility since he had been hastily appointed by the Demon King. The Demon King, who also did not predict that Jenis would use such tactics, had never given him specific orders.
However, the ogre eventually regained his composure and faintly remembered one of the Demon King’s orders.
“If the enemy rushes out of the fortress in a frenzy, lead your troops to occupy the Febria Bay Fortress and encircle the enemy from behind.” The ogre felt that at least that command was worth acting upon.
“C-capture that bay now! Gather everyone and conquer that fortress!”
Among the foolish giants, the one who had the smarts to command bellowed orders. Following the giant lord’s command, a massive army began mobilizing to occupy the deserted Febria Bay and establish a blockade.
However, leaving the bay thoroughly empty was all part of Jenis’s plan. Seeing the enemy move as predicted, Jenis shouted from above as she struck her sword down from the sky.
“You’ve walked right into it! Blow it up!”
At her command, the gunpowder kegs inside the Febria Fortress erupted in flames all at once. It wasn’t just an explosion of gunpowder. The blast ignited the magic circles that responded, unleashing a torrent of flame that surrounded the fortress.
The state of the fortress was dire. Ships sank while ablaze. The walls of the fortress, engulfed in flames, sank even more tragically.
As Jenis, who was frantically cutting down the enemies atop the mountain fortress, gazed upon the blazing wreck that was the fortress, her face lit up with triumph.
“It burns beautifully. I dare say, No Member, even the Eramenia gorge hasn’t burned this bright! It burns more fiercely than any inferno in the world!”
Realizing she had completely grasped victory, Jenis threw her head back and laughed, channeling her magic into the ironclad. The HMS Victory, which had been buried in the fortress, roared back to life and surged forward.
The saw blade easily pierced through the brick wall, and the ship’s prow completely penetrated the fortress. As HMS Victory’s trajectory broke, its center tilted to one side. The fallen land battleship toppled at a shocking angle onto the Demon King’s army positioned at the base of the hill.
Fortune favored Jenis. With a terrible roar, the ship’s parts flew in all directions, yet the actual damage to the allies was minimal. The Orc army waiting below, prepared for the Imperial forces, suffered catastrophic losses just from a single ironclad collapsing towards them. Meanwhile, Koesernis’s main forces, who had already pierced through the confused Demon King’s Army, reached the second defense line, breaking through the fortress.
The 500,000-strong army of the Demon King evaporated like a bubble. Not all were dead, but when the giant regained consciousness, he found that the forces he could command were less than a quarter of the original army he was given.
Most of the legion had completely lost their will to fight and scattered. Even the remaining soldiers seemed not to know who their leader was, nor did they want to find out.
The shattered army encountered allied soldiers who were passing through and was either quickly dispatched or shuffled away in small groups, escaping of their own accord. Infuriated, the giant lord trudged onto the battlefield himself, wielding a mace.
“You bugs! You trash! Unable to charge even with ten times the numbers, you just scatter like fools!”
It seemed he had completely forgotten who had given such foolish commands. Although he was a giant prince, the ogre’s inherently dull mind might have genuinely forgotten.
Regardless, the fearless giant who dashed into battle was soon spotted by Jenis due to his large size. Jenis smiled broadly and pointed at the giant prince.
“If I were you, I’d run as far away as possible! What can you change by stepping forward? Just because your head is big, doesn’t mean the brain inside is too! Your entire race is a blot on science, a blot!”
The giant, enraged by this blatant insult, lifted his head high.
But the head that was raised couldn’t stay up for long. With lightning speed, Jenis took flight, wielding her sword from Eramenia, severing the giant prince’s neck, sending it tumbling to the ground.
Seeing not only the army break apart but also their commander slain, the Demon King’s army completely lost their fighting spirit. Witnessing Koesernis gathering troops to pursue the fleeing Demon King’s army, Jenis approached the Baron and stopped him.
“Do not chase them, Baron.”
“Why not? The enemy is unlikely to execute a strategy to lure us in and ambush us right now. If there’s a chance to expand our gains, it’s now!”
“I agree with that, however, our numbers are too few, and expanding our gains here would be pointless. In fact, even if we annihilate the 500,000 strong army here, the enemy has the luxury to call forth another 500,000 troops right away. There’s no need to concern ourselves with reducing their numbers. It’s better to regroup our own forces in the meantime.”
Compared to moments ago when she had been laughing at the shattered Demon King’s army, her tone was surprisingly calm now. Recognizing Jenis’s resolute will to achieve her goal, Koesernis nodded and issued a stop order to his soldiers.
The casualties among the allied forces were few. Out of the 40,000 soldiers deployed, around 300 were killed or injured. In contrast, the number of corpses of the Demon King’s army filling the space between the fortress and mountain was certainly in the tens of thousands. As Jenis gazed down upon the river of blood from the defeated monsters flowing from the walls, she nodded.
“This could be useful.”
“Useful? What do you mean…?”
“We won’t be able to use the battleship anymore, and we should consider the dangers of ambushes and surprise attacks from the enemy along our path. Since we could suffer immense casualties, we’ll need an extra layer of protection or shield.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
While the Baron was perplexed, a soldier emerged from the wrecked HMS Victory’s cabin, offering Jenis the Great Sage’s staff. Jenis slightly bowed her head in thanks and accepted her staff.
“O minions of evil, slaves who do not even know for what you fight. You stirred without purpose, but now fight for me. Your lives have flowed meaningless, but offer your deaths for me. Arise!”
At that moment, thousands of Orc corpses standing on the intact side stood up in unison, letting out strange groans. The soldiers screamed in shock or sat down in place, but the Baron gaped, recognizing the dark mana flowing from Jenis.
Jenis turned to Koesernis and asked.
“Why are you pretending to be surprised? You’re not hearing for the first time that I have an aptitude for dark mana, are you?”
“But this method….”
“Necromancy is not a pleasant kind of magic. But since I can use it, it’d be a waste to hold back. It’s not a humanitarian method, but aren’t we in a situation where we shouldn’t worry about such things?”
With that, Jenis glanced around at the Southern Alliance soldiers, realizing that most of them were indeed filled with fear. It would be a natural reaction for them to be terrified at the thought of enemies rising from the dead with the thick power of darkness and standing up once more.
The Great Sage seemed to enjoy the soldiers’ reactions, chuckling.
“Don’t worry! Nobody’ll bite! At this rate, they’ll think the enemies have risen from the dead! Now those things aren’t the foes anymore; they’re precious shields that will take the hit for us. If anyone’s legs are still shaking, go give them a hand to wipe those corpses down and put on the armor we’ve taken.”
There didn’t seem to be any soldiers whose legs weren’t trembling, and despite Jenis’s orders, nobody moved right away. Jenis chuckled and stepped forward.
“Well then, shall I do it myself?”
Just then, a few soldiers, realizing the gravity of the situation, rushed to clean the Orc corpses that had risen as zombies. Koesernis quietly advised Jenis.
“Just to mention, this won’t be politically beneficial for you, My Lady. There are still quite a number of people harboring doubts about your lineage.”
“I will bring this war to an end with my own hands, Baron.”
Jenis said.
“After that, who knows if I’ll need to be mindful of petty bloodline issues.”
Koesernis couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of her words. Jenis’s statement could mean that if she became the great hero of the war, no one would dare touch her due to petty lineage matters, or it could also mean she wanted to retire from trivial political squabbles once this war was over.
Whichever it was, the Baron did not inquire further into her true meaning. That was far beyond the concerns that Douglas Koesernis needed to know.