Return of The Martial King

Chapter 245

The sound of hooves thundered across the horizon. Dust clouds billowed like smoke, and the earth trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

Thousands of troops were advancing toward Koln Canyon. Among them were the regular army of Zeppelin, which had mobilized late, the Royal Knights of Chatan, and the Zeppelin Knights leading them.

It was evident that they had brought their entire forces, sparing nothing for city defense. This was a clear display of the Chatan Duchy nobility's overwhelming fury.

Beyond Zeppelin’s forces, the massive canyon began to reveal itself.

Sheer cliffs jutted skyward on either side, and a dark, deep chasm stretched between them, its maw wide open. It was still early morning, and the cliff tops were veiled in faint mist from the lingering night. Below, thousands of non-human beings gradually came into view.

At the forefront of the army, a knight clad in crimson armor atop a massive black horse raised his hand. This was Sir Klat, a famed Aura User and hailed as the strongest swordsman of Chatan.

At his command, the army began to slow its advance.

Neigh!

Sir Klat brought his horse to a halt. The black horse pawed at the ground, snorting impatiently.

The adjutant beside him glanced toward the canyon’s entrance and scoffed.

“Hmph, fools who couldn’t even run far. What’s the meaning of such a ridiculous act...?”

But Sir Klat couldn’t afford to look on as casually as his adjutant.

“The slaves seem far calmer than I expected.”

Surely, they must have seen Zeppelin’s army. It would have been natural for the escaped slaves to panic and scatter in terror upon encountering a human military force. Yet, strangely enough, they moved in an orderly fashion, retreating further into the canyon.

Though unease rippled faintly through their ranks and their fear was evident even at this distance, they managed to maintain a surprisingly composed formation as they proceeded into the canyon’s depths.

The non-human leaders herding the slaves were equally disciplined. Each moved with the sharp precision of a finely honed blade.

Sir Klat muttered gravely.

“As I thought, it must have been the Duchy of Antares that orchestrated their escape.”

One of the knights in his retinue nodded solemnly.

“Undoubtedly. Where else but the Duchy of Antares would dwarves or orcs capable of using Aura come from? And many of our soldiers claimed to have seen the golden pillar piercing through Zeppelin’s skies.”

The adjutant sneered.

“Hah! For someone of the Fist King’s caliber, stooping to such petty tricks is laughable!”

At that, the other Royal Knights of Chatan clicked their tongues and cursed loudly. Most of their complaints targeted Repenhardt, accusing him of using brute strength to steal the property of others, while also ridiculing the foolishness of the non-human slaves who dared to follow him blindly.

"After everything we've done for them, they dare to betray us?"

"Even beasts recognize their master when treated well!"

"They're worse than animals!"

"What kind of nonsense is this, dragging us out at the crack of dawn because of those wretches?"

The very knights who had once ignored their orders or accepted bribes elsewhere now shamelessly voiced their grievances. Unable to tolerate their remarks any longer, Sir Klat let out a sharp, irritated shout.

"Enough! What right do you have to complain after letting them escape?"

Indeed, they had no right. The murmurs among the knights and soldiers quieted slightly. Sir Klat's frown deepened.

‘Pathetic fools.’

Even now, it seemed that all the other knights and soldiers cared about was recapturing the slaves to earn absolution for their failures. In truth, it was undeniable that they had all disobeyed orders to some extent. The truth was, nearly the entirety of Zeppelin’s regular army had failed to follow directives properly. As a result, this mission to retrieve the slaves was merely an excuse to pardon them all collectively.

But unlike them, Sir Klat was a proper knight, one who could not afford to watch this situation so indifferently.

Fixing his gaze on Koln Canyon, a bead of sweat trickled down Sir Klat’s temple, betraying his tension.

"Damn it, am I really about to face the Fist King, the man whose name carries such renown?"

Although Sir Klat was an Aura User himself, he could not deny that the Fist King and Chatan’s greatest swordsman were on entirely different levels. And the bigger problem was that it wasn’t just the Fist King awaiting them in that canyon.

His expression hardened as he turned his horse toward the Zeppelin Knights, a group of dark mages clad head-to-toe in magical artifacts. Approaching them, he addressed them coldly.

"Zeppelin Knights, for this battle, you'll follow my command. Whether those over there are slaves or not, I couldn’t care less."

The Zeppelin Knights, who had long harbored resentment toward Sir Klat, stiffened at his words. Yet he paid their reactions no mind.

"Slaves or not, that's none of my concern."

Rumors from the Crovence Civil War told tales of the Fist King and his allies. Even if only half of those stories were true, the canyon likely contained numerous Aura Users, with the Fist King at their head.

"What I do know is this, those people have multiple Aura Users among their ranks, and their soldiers are far from ordinary!"

The faces of the Zeppelin Knights grew even stiffer. Yet, none dared to oppose Sir Klat’s words. Considering their usual behavior, this response was surprising.

Sir Klat let out a bitter chuckle.

‘When I think about it, only the worst remain.’

The Zeppelin Knights present here were those who had taken bribes and shirked their duties, only to appear now at the last moment. Those who had followed the plans diligently had all been slaughtered by the Duchy of Antares forces. The reward for their loyalty had been a brutal and merciless death.

‘And now I have to lead this rabble against the famed army of the Fist King...’

A sigh escaped his lips, but as a knight sworn to loyalty, disobeying his lord’s orders was not an option.

Klat forced himself to compose his expression.

‘At least their numbers are smaller. Most of them are escaped slaves, and the forces of Antares are few. The main problem is the Aura Users... but the Zeppelin Knights should be able to handle that. They can at least grasp the gravity of the situation.’

As if on cue, Veneth, the vice-commander of the Zeppelin Knights, begrudgingly nodded in agreement. With their commander, Sir Brilt, dead, Veneth had taken up the mantle as the new leader of the Zeppelin Knights.

“Very well. We shall follow your command, Sir Klat.”

*         *         *

Hurrying along, Repenhardt asked a question.

“What’s the size of the pursuit force?”

Following close behind him, Siris answered.

“They say it's around seven to eight thousand. Among them, there are about 800 to 1,000 knights, around 2,000 cavalry, and the rest are infantry.”

After assessing the enemy’s forces, Repenhardt gave a faint smile.

“That’s a relief. At least the mages are still caught up elsewhere.”

Zeppelin, the capital of the Chatan Duchy, was a hub of commerce where goods from all over the continent converged. As such, the city boasted a significant number of mages who specialized in handling magical tools.

Even Repenhardt himself, back in his dungeon explorer days, had sold countless magical devices in Zeppelin. With rare magical tools and artifacts from across the continent being traded there, mages capable of appraising their authenticity were indispensable.

Normally, Zeppelin hosted around 200 mages at any given time. Additionally, the Royal Mage Corps, including Grand Mage Hajil, resided in the royal palace.

But on this particular day, all of those mages had vanished from Zeppelin.

As Siris moved closer to Repenhardt, she cautiously asked a question.

“But... what exactly did you do, Repenhardt-nim?”

"I prepared bait no mage could possibly resist," Repenhardt said with a sly smile.

"Do you remember that village about three days south of Zeppelin, Siris? We visited it before the operation."

Siris tilted her head in slight confusion. She vaguely recalled accompanying Repenhardt on that trip.

The place Repenhardt had taken her to was a massive, abandoned dungeon near the village. Judging by its size, it must have once been a significant location, but it had long since been ransacked and left in ruins.

Repenhardt's grin widened with satisfaction.

"I left something valuable there. No mage would be able to resist it."

During his visit to the dungeon, Repenhardt had spent three full days engraving the walls with intricate magical formulas, mysterious numbers, and ancient scripts. He didn’t just write them down, every character was meticulously carved into the stone walls in relief.

Thanks to his ability to unleash Aura through his fingers, Repenhardt could pierce solid stone as easily as slicing through tofu. Siris also recalled using her spirit magic to assist, working hard to follow his instructions.

Her brows furrowed.

"So all that exhausting work back then was for this?"

"I’ve developed quite a bit of magical theory for fun in my younger days," Repenhardt explained. "And I also remember the unpublished new theories from the Three Great Magical Academies, which were being developed thirty years ago. I carved all of that onto the stone walls and leaked the information to the mages in Zeppelin."

Word spread quickly among the mages of Zeppelin about the discovery of new magical theories in the abandoned dungeon. At first, they didn’t act immediately; instead, they sent their apprentices to investigate.

But once the apprentices returned with rubbings of the carvings, the mages couldn’t help but be captivated.

Repenhardt's advanced magical theories as a 10th-circle Grand Mage, combined with the latest unpublished theories of the Three Great Academies, represented an extraordinary opportunity for the mages of this era. To them, it was a treasure trove, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

However, the rubbings alone were insufficient to grasp the entirety of the theories. Afraid that someone else might beat them to it, the mages hurried to the dungeon. Since the theories were carved into thick stone walls, they had no choice but to go in person. They even mobilized their apprentices to extract every detail.

Among those racing to the dungeon was none other than Grand Mage Hajil of the Chatan Royal Court Mage Corps.

The sheer volume of information inscribed within the dungeon was enough to overwhelm the 200 mages of Zeppelin. It wasn’t surprising, considering that it contained not only the immense breadth of Repenhardt's personal knowledge but also every new theory published by the Three Great Magical Academies over the past 30 years.

“The mages in Zeppelin are probably still glued to those dungeon walls, frantically deciphering the theories,” Repenhardt said with a smirk.

“That’s what that was about... Wait, won’t this eventually become a problem if Zeppelin’s magical forces grow stronger?” Siris asked with a hint of concern.

“Do you think I didn’t plan for that? I left out all the critical parts and only included tantalizing fragments. I just tossed the bait to get the fish wriggling. Let them keep chomping at it,” Repenhardt replied, sticking his tongue out playfully like a mischievous child.

Siris let out a dry laugh.

She knew from his stories of his past life that Repenhardt was actually over fifty years old. Yet here he was, wearing an expression that was more boyish than youthful. It was almost absurd.

Still, it was undeniably impressive. The method he’d used to completely neutralize Zeppelin’s magical forces was worthy of admiration.

“You’re surprisingly clever, Repenhardt-nim.”

“Surprisingly? Hey, I was a 10th-circle Grand Mage, you know!” Repenhardt exclaimed indignantly.

Siris smiled, amused by his reaction, as Repenhardt pouted and kept walking.

“Well, either way, with no mages to deal with, the plan should proceed smoothly.”

As Repenhardt continued forward, Malroid and Attila approached to walk beside him. The dwarven warrior, shoulder to shoulder with him, spoke up.

“We’ve received news that the pursuit force is closing in, O Savior.”

“Yes, Sir Malroid. What of the preparations?” Repenhardt asked.

“They’ve been long completed.”

This time, it was Attila who spoke.

“I’ve delivered the word to everyone, O White King. They will all gather.”

One by one, the other Aura Users joined Repenhardt’s side. Among them were Russ, Iniya, Sloytle, and Tassid, as well as several orc Aura Users. Russ and Tassid, their eyes gleaming with anticipation, tightened their grips on their weapons.

“We’re ready, big brother,” Russ said confidently.

“Let us show them what we’re made of, O Benefactor!” Tassid added with fiery determination.

With the strongest warriors from every race by his side, Repenhardt advanced toward the entrance of Koln Canyon.

Even though evacuation orders had already been given, a significant number of escaped slaves were still present. The front of the group had begun to penetrate deeper into the canyon, but due to the massive number of people and the narrowness of the canyon, the rear had yet to fully leave the outskirts.

Parting through the crowd of non-human escapees, the long formation of the Zeppelin pursuit force came into view. About 300 meters away, they were preparing for their advance, shouting out menacing threats.

“Foolish slaves! Surrender immediately and abandon your resistance!”

“Resist, and we will slaughter every one of you!”

With every shout, the escaped slaves, those who had not yet managed to escape far enough, quaked in terror. Some even trembled visibly, paralyzed by fear.

But just then, a thunderous voice rang out from behind them.

“Fear not! They shall not lay so much as a finger on a single strand of your hair!”

The powerful roar shook the air, resounding with a force that seemed to dispel the paralyzing fear that had gripped the crowd. Within the elven, orcish, and dwarven onlookers, the glimmer of terror in their eyes began to fade, replaced by awe and reverence.

One of the knights from the Zeppelin forces, staring at the massive, muscular figure standing imposingly at the front of the group, shouted aloud in alarm.

“The Fist King, Repenhardt!”