I Became the Commander in a Trash Game Who Copies Skills

Chapter 46. The Pale Moon (6)

Warlord Conquest is a ‘strategy game’.

No matter how powerful a hero is, they cannot replace an army.

Personally, I think I’m a pretty well-raised hero for this point in time.

I have an unshakable mentality and command ability, have learned spells up to level 7, possess the mana and traits to cast level 5 spells, and am proficient in swordsmanship, archery, horsemanship, and spearmanship.

Even such a hero, with all conditions and plans perfectly set, barely managed to wipe out three or four enemy units.

Even that would have been impossible without a large amount of gunpowder and materials, laborers to handle them, and troops to assist the operation.

However, one should not underestimate the role of a hero.

A hero is the center of all strategy.

Throughout all ages and places, the death of a commander has lowered the morale of the entire army.

It's no coincidence that Admiral Yi Sun-sin left the last words, "Do not let the enemy know of my death."

So what about a fantasy world where the hero is the commander, a superhuman, and a tactical weapon all in one?

The death of the commander can turn the tide of battle.

Especially since the beastmen are a tribal society.

The role of a warchief is absolute to them.

Something came flying.

I raised my shield.

[[Ironclad Defense] is activated.]

Paaaaarack-Kwang!

A numbing shock was transmitted through my staff.

The shield that could even block a bullet was torn to shreds in a single blow.

An axe.

A Minotaur’s axe.

Gwoooaaar!

Those formidable monsters threw their two-handed axes as lightly as if they were throwing hatchets.

I quickly counted their numbers.

One, two …six.

The second axe came flying.

This was as far as I could hold out on the roof.

Paaarack-

I rolled my body to dodge and slid down from the roof.

Crack!

Hearing the sound of roof tiles being shattered by the axe, I dropped behind the barricade.

[[Wind Spirit's Aid] is activated.]

Borrowing the power of the spirit, I landed softly on the ground and entered the church.

Inside, the soldiers and the two priests were waiting.

After locking the door, I reformed the ranks.

“Spearmen, forward.”

I blocked the entrance with the spearmen.

“Crossbowmen, split into two and wait behind.”

I moved the crossbowmen to the back, arranging them to allow for crossfire.

On the opposite side of the entrance, on the wide chapel's dais, the symbols of the Luark Church were piled up haphazardly.

William and Alina stood in front of them.

Tactically speaking, it was a standard formation.

Support troops at the very back.

Ranged units in the middle.

Melee units at the very front.

“…….”

I briefly checked the soldiers' faces.

Although it was a standard tactical formation, in a way, it also looked like the Imperial army was protecting the symbols of the church and its priests.

Just because the Luark Church was the state religion of the Empire didn't mean everyone in the Empire had faith.

I drew my sword and stood about midway between the crossbowmen and the spearmen.

There was no time for a long speech.

“You men are not defending the church.”

[[Lord’s Unyielding Mind] is activated.]

A tense silence.

The sound of swallowing saliva.

“You are defending this city and your families.”

There was no answer.

But the air had changed.

“I won’t lie. Five hundred beastmen died in the square, and what's coming this way is the enemy commander and his royal guard.”

Most of the Imperial soldiers here were either from here or had served here for a long time.

There would be those who had started families.

“We will strike their head. Beasts that have lost their heads are bound to scatter. Your parents, brothers, wives, and children will survive tonight thanks to you.”

The only reality I could tell them was this.

The reality that what they were protecting was more important than the city walls.

“Let’s show these beast bastards who brazenly stuck their heads in here what we’re made of.”

Gunterburk was one of the largest cities in the south.

Unlike Burken Fortress, which was literally a fortress, or Wolfskrig, which had been abandoned for 300 years, this was a place where people breathed.

The home of merchants and vagrants.

A city where the poor and the wealthy lived intermingled.

Unlike places where you could just retreat to a second or third line of defense if breached, a city was a place where people lived.

One of the reasons for luring the enemies to the church was to minimize the damage to that home.

Dudududu…….

The heavy sound of hooves grew closer.

Their advance was slowed as they had to circle around the collapsed square.

Based on my last check before jumping down, there were six Minotaurs rushing towards the church.

I quickly briefed them.

“The Minotaur’s weak points are the roof of its mouth, its eyes, and the inside of its groin. Crossbowmen, aim for the head. Spearmen, aim for below. Anywhere else is useless.”

The hide of a Minotaur was tough.

So tough that ordinary swords and spears couldn't pierce it.

This bull giant, nearly 4 meters tall, was harder to deal with than ten Horned Ones combined.

In the game, it was a level 4 unit.

Higher than a Necro Ogre.

The time bought by the collapsed square had already run out.

The sound of hooves stopped.

Crack!

Kwaarrrr….

The barricade was breached.

They were pounding on the main gate.

Bang!

The head of a bull was visible through the broken door planks.

Without delay, I raised my staff.

[[Fireball] is activated.]

The ball of fire flew into its wide-open mouth and exploded.

Guwoooaaargh!

At the same time, the door was completely shattered, and the Minotaurs poured in.

“Hold them off—!!”

[The spearman unit activates [Spear Wall].]

The hammer of massive muscle and hide fell upon the anvil of cold steel.

***

“Hmmmm….”

A deep breath.

The air was filled with a fragrant smell.

Hebrun wore a comfortable smile.

The human city she had visited for the first time in fifty years was fragrant.

Of course, it was a sensation that only she was enjoying in this city.

The city was collapsing.

The smell of blood rose all the way to the high roof she was sitting on, so how much blood must have been shed?

Nearly two thousand humans had already died at the walls alone.

Twice that number of beastmen were torn apart by cannons and magic.

Right now, in the square below, about five hundred beastmen were floating in the water, burned to death.

Meanwhile, the magician who had achieved a victory akin to a massacre was confronting the Minotaurs with only a hundred soldiers.

“He fights well, that one. Looks like he uses spirit arts too? A holy knight who learned magic made friends with a spirit?”

Strange.

Don't spirits only make friends with the fairy folk?

Hebrun scratched her chin.

Anyway, it was a good thing for her if the two races fought tooth and nail.

The Imperial family and her father had been at war for the past few hundred years, and the beastmen would poke around the Archduchy here and there with their disgusting bodies whenever they had the chance.

If both sides killed each other off nicely, it would be like sucking blood without even having to grind her teeth.

It was a good spectacle, so normally she would have sent one or two of her subordinates to watch safely from a distance.

The problem was the request she had received a few days ago.

A necromancer had put in a request, saying there was an item he wanted.

On top of that, as if he took her for a nobody, he added an assassination request as a bonus.

‘Kihihit, this time, you’ll have to grant my request.’

Of course, Hebrun was one to settle her debts of gratitude and grudges.

Since he had been a decisive help in killing Count Calvenia, she could find him one item.

But an assassination request.

And to jump into the middle of a battlefield to kill one of the commanders?

The cost-benefit analysis didn't add up.

But the necromancer, as if he had expected it, threw out bait.

‘Alright.

Let’s do this.’

Bait she could never refuse.

‘Duke Yulister von Zarhill.

I will tell you how to awaken your father.’

‘……What?’

‘Kihihi, honestly, the reason Calvenia turned his back was all because the Duke was asleep, wasn't it?

If only the Duke awakens, you can restore your legion, and you can easily absorb the remaining dregs that followed Calvenia, can't you?’

Honestly, she was surprised.

She thought he was some bookworm who just holed up in a cave doing research.

The guy knew more than she thought.

That the Zarhill family’s army was in a state of eternal sleep along with her father.

And even how to awaken her father and restore his power.

‘The third highest peak in the Ashupireu Mountains.

There is an altar in a cave near the summit there.

Offer the hearts of twelve vampires on that altar.’

Furthermore, he readily offered the method to awaken her father first.

And he added.

‘However, there is a condition.’

‘What is it?’

‘What I told you is only the method to awaken the Duke, not how to regain his power and legion.’

‘Are you trying to joke with me right now?’

‘Krihit, of course not.

It’s insurance, insurance.

If you perfectly fulfill my request, I will personally visit the Duke's castle and tell you the rest of the method.’

The conditions were as follows.

First.

Wait near the cathedral of Gunterburk and kill the Beastpriest of the Full Moon when he appears.

Second.

The mercenary Ash will lure him, so make sure he and his priest companion are not harmed.

They were not difficult conditions.

But a question arose.

‘That mercenary uses miracles, you say.

Why are you trying to save a guy like that?’

‘Because I’m going to kill him.

That guy is my prey.

And I'm under him to do just that.’

‘You went under a mercenary?’

‘I’ll flay his skin, boil his muscles after tearing them out, and grill his organs one by one… Kihihihi…….’

“You devilish bastard.”

Why would one go to such lengths to kill a single person?

It was an act incomprehensible to a gentlemanly vampire who just drew some blood and turned them into undead.

In fact, the guy’s growth rate was on a devilish level.

When she saw him ten years ago, he was a novice who had just taken his first step into necromancy.

If he was really the one who dropped the Infernal Meteor at Burken Fortress, he was already an 8th-rank spellcaster on par with her.

Since she had clearly seen him steal Count Calvenia’s spell, that rumor was highly likely to be true.

‘…Come to think of it, it’s still strange.

Copying a unique spell would require a really long time of research even after digging out all the elements of the formula.’

Copying a unique spell was more difficult than she could imagine.

Just copying a low-rank unique spell required a mid-rank or higher magician to pour years into it.

Stealing a level 6 spell was something she had never seen before.

Of course, beings who transcended tiers were said to see through the principles of lesser formulas just by looking at them, but….

‘…No way.

That can’t be.’

If that were the case, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a real devil.

Come to think of it, presenting an irresistible bait and making someone do work was similar to a devil in a fairy tale.

“…Is he a real devil?”

It was hard to say.

In a world where there were even outer gods beyond the statue, was there any law that said there couldn't be devils?

On a whim, Hebrun took out the statue and used its ability.

As she thought of the masked necromancer and infused mana, the trembling statue moved its eight arms to make four circles.

It meant he was within a day's walk.

“Hmm.”

It seems he’s watching, hidden like a devil.

Hebrun stopped dangling her legs under the eaves and stood up.

Imagining the identity of the human necromancer and watching the fight of the holy knight named Ash was enjoyable, but it was about time to step in.

The six Minotaurs were now all dead but one, and on top of the giant crossing the square was her target.

Thump….

Thump….

She had to take care of it quickly and go get the item said to be in the lord's castle.

Although she had heard the method to awaken her father, she wouldn't know if it was true until she tried it herself.

If it didn't work, she would make him pay dearly, but just in case it was real….

She needed to establish a better relationship with that devilish necromancer.

***

It was a world full of superstitions.

And it was a world where they weren't entirely fiction.

The superstition about devils was one of the bestselling superstitions here, just as it was on Earth.

Generally, the conditions for a devil were a goat's horns, a huge and twisted body, and pitch-black eyes.

“Ah, a devil…”

In that sense, the being before my eyes deserved the nickname of a devil.

Its unit name was even Bakmut.

In the ancient imperial language, it meant demon-beast.

Thump….

Thump….

Footsteps that shook the earth.

A colossal body comparable to the city walls.

A bizarre mix of features from dozens of beasts, such as a bird's beak, a sheep's eyes, a goat's horns, and a lion's claws.

Just as we had barely finished off the group of Minotaurs, that monster appeared in the square.

That beast was a tactical weapon created through artificial breeding and rituals among the beastmen.

It was also the most powerful siege weapon in the beastmen faction.

But what was important wasn't that giant.

It was the beastman riding on the giant's shoulder.

The beast was looking down at us.

“Grrrr….”

The whites of its eyes were pitch-black.

Its pupils were as pale as the moon in the night sky.

“Beastpriest of the Full Moon….”

A soldier muttered.

I wasn't the only one who knew its identity.

The beastman with pale eyes was a superstition that circulated like a legend among hunters.

The commander of the enemies who manipulated the celestial bodies to change the moon above our heads.

The 6th-level spellcaster of the beastmen and a legendary hero who could give an area-of-effect buff to the entire legion, the Beastpriest of the Full Moon, Rishubak.

The beastman with blazing eyes opened its mouth.

Surprisingly, the beast knew how to speak the human language.

“O, inferior race. The great goddess of the moon commands you to be burned, devoured, and slaughtered— aaargh…!”

Thud thud.

The dismembered beastman fell to the ground.

Like meat carved up by a butcher, the two beastmen collapsed, cut into dozens of pieces.

With a splat, overflowing blood, intestines, and flesh were splattered all over me.

While everyone was bewildered, letters floated up before my eyes.

[[Warrior’s Insight] is activated.]

[Skill acquired.]

[Hebrun’s Blood-Red Wings (Level 4)]

[Hebrun’s Crimson Bloodbird (Level 6)]

[Hebrun’s Blood Scent Concealment (Level 5)]

[Hebrun’s Vermillion….]

…….

What is this?

Did she just spam her skill hotkeys?