The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 140: The End of the Rampage (4)

Theodore Altaria looked down from the mountainside.

Below, the Adalbert family’s banner waved proudly.

On either side of it flew the banners of the White Dragon Knights and the Gold Dragon Knights.

“Martin Adalbert… he really is relentless. To cut down a week’s journey to just five days.”

Even if he’d only brought his elite forces, it was clear the enemy had shown remarkable speed and mobility.

Yet Theodore felt no fear.

In fact, he even wore a calm smile.

He’d never doubted that Martin would come to Claudia’s aid.

For this reason, he’d stationed his forces along the Mountains, a route Martin had no choice but to pass through on his way to Morlok.

“Even if they’re elite, they’re still human. After such a forced march, exhaustion is inevitable.”

The bait had worked perfectly.

As he’d planned, the enemy was now in a state where they couldn’t fully utilize their strength.

“It’s only polite to welcome a guest who’s traveled so far. Let’s get the festivities started.”

“We obey your command, Your Highness!”

The nobles beside Theodore responded in unison, then issued commands.

“All troops, open fire!”

“Wipe out every single one of those northern pests!”

Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom!

The soldiers lying in ambush sprang into action.

Infantrymen channeled mana into their rifles, pulling the triggers, while artillerymen manned their magic cannons.

A storm of bullets and shells rained down the mountainside, targeting the advancing White Dragon and Gold Dragon Knights.

Naturally, Martin’s side didn’t just stand by.

Flash!

Philip Alofs, the commander of the Gold Dragon Knights, activated his unique ability.

Countless spheres of light materialized, forming a barrage that intercepted the bullets and shells, detonating them mid-air.

Zzzap!

Not to be outdone, Lucas Hoffman, commander of the White Dragon Knights, erected a barrier of lightning to shield his allies as much as possible.

“It’d be simpler if they’d just take the hits,” Theodore remarked with a smirk. “But at best, they’ve only bought themselves a bit of time.”

With a light tap of his foot, Theodore activated a white magic circle on the ground, causing flashes of light to flare up around him.

“Kill every enemy you see!”

“Leave no one alive!”

Hundreds of figures surged forward from both flanks.

Their clothing and armor were mismatched, but each wore a necklace-like artifact, which emitted a glow.

Theodore chuckled at the sight of them.

“They should be grateful to me. I’ve given value to the pitiful lives of these underworld rats.”

The effect of the artifacts worn by his men was straightforward: they nullified any sense of fear, transforming them into berserkers willing to fight to the death.

To ensure they took as many lives as possible in their final moments, Theodore had even administered Doom to them.

These fighters would become living bombs, taking the enemy down with them upon death.

—Roar!—

Just then, a massive flaming dragon appeared in the sky above the Adalbert forces.

“It’s Christian Havertz,” Nicholas observed. “He must intend to prevent us from advancing through area-wide attacks.”

“A good tactic, though I doubt it will make much difference,” Theodore replied, remaining calm.

After all, Martin wasn’t the only one with a 7th Circle warrior on his side, and as long as his nobles combined their efforts, they could easily counter the dragon.

Indeed, none of the Second Prince’s nobles showed any sign of panic. Each prepared to unleash their own power to bring down the fire dragon.

—Roar!—

The dragon roared fiercely, as if refusing to be outmatched.

But then something unexpected happened, throwing the Second Prince’s forces into chaos.

“Aargh!”

“Ahhh!”

All the men who’d taken Doom suddenly clutched their heads, writhing in agony.

And it didn’t last long.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A chain of explosions erupted as they were wiped out on the spot.

“…Did they forcefully trigger Doom?”

Nicholas’ eyebrows twitched.

If someone had interfered with Doom, it meant they’d deciphered its magic circle.

For Nicholas, a 9th Circle mage, to be unable to unravel it while the enemy could?

It defied reason.

Which could only mean…

There was only one person in the Empire capable of such a feat.

“Werner von Klaus! That damn traitor! So he’s abandoned us now?”

Realization dawned on Theodore, and his face contorted with rage.

“I’ll kill that Martin Adalbert and make sure Werner pays for this betrayal!”

Theodore steeled himself.

No matter what, he would make Werner regret this betrayal.

But to do that, he first had to defeat Martin.

“Don’t think everything will go your way!” he snarled.

He looked past the White Dragon and Gold Dragon Knights to the rear of their formation.

There, Martin was standing, watching with a smile.

The sight made Theodore grit his teeth.

—

The method Werner had shared to counter Doom was simple.

Doom’s explosions were triggered by pure mana, and thus were extremely sensitive to pure flame.

With this knowledge, Martin had thought of Christian and had successfully used him to detonate the Doom users from a distance.

Not that he hadn’t already devised another way to neutralize Doom’s power.

‘All I need to do is keep them at a distance.’

There was no need to develop an antidote.

By killing Doom users from afar, the impact of the explosion and the deadly debris could be minimized.

This was why Martin couldn’t help but find Theodore’s arrogance laughable.

‘There’s a limit to how foolish one can be. Imagine relying on the same trump card over and over in battle.’

As any competent commander would, Martin reviewed past battles and prepared effective countermeasures.

Theodore, however, was intoxicated by Doom’s power, fixated solely on it. Martin felt a strong urge to mock him if he were standing right in front of him.

“Well, maybe I’ll get that chance soon,” Martin thought, then turned to Barthez beside him.

“Would you care to demonstrate to them, Elder? Show them just how reckless it is to challenge elves in forests and mountains.”

Barthez smirked at Martin’s words. “It’s impressive how you lift our pride with such few words. Now I see why humans say you’re so skilled with language.”

“The truth is always the most effective,” Martin replied with a chuckle.

Barthez gave a quiet laugh and raised his right hand. “All units, assist our benefactor.”

Swoosh!

At Barthez’s command, the elf rangers moved with fluid grace, as if they were part of the mountain itself, advancing silently toward the Second Prince’s forces.

Watching with satisfaction, Martin issued his own orders.

“White Dragon Knights and Gold Dragon Knights, eliminate the enemy in front of us.”

“We obey, Young Lord!”

Lucas and Philip responded in powerful unison.

In sync, the two commanders split to either side, and their knights charged forward in formation.

“Guess it’s time for me to stretch my legs,” Vincent said, looking up at the mountainside with a sinister smile.

His opponent, a warrior clad in black armor, was already watching him from above.

The man’s name was Gunter Royce, a knight of the Royce family and an 8th Circle powerhouse. He was currently serving as the commander of the Royce Knights.

“Mind if I take him, Young Lord?” Vincent asked.

“Of course. Make sure you return victorious.”

“Will do. Sien, make sure you protect the Young Lord.”

“I’ll keep him safe,” Sien replied with a nod.

With that, Vincent leaped into the air, gesturing to Gunter to follow.

The black-armored knight lifted off as well, and they moved away from the main battlefield to engage elsewhere.

Martin then turned to Sien and Adel. “I have a task for you two.”

Sien raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “I just agreed to stay and protect you.”

“With Elder Barthez here, there’s nothing to worry about. Besides, we’re a bit short on forces. It’d be a waste to tie up valuable warriors as my guards.”

“I agree with the Young Lord. We should fight, Sien,” Adel replied firmly.

“If even you’re saying that… What’s the mission?” Sien asked.

“Subdue the traitor Theodore Altaria. But don’t kill him—dealing with the consequences would be annoying.”

Even though Theodore had committed treason, he was still one of the Emperor’s sons. Martin had lost all respect for the Imperial family, but now wasn’t the time to further complicate relations with them.

It would be better to let the Imperial family decide Theodore’s fate.

“Understood, Young Lord.”

“Stay safe, both of you.”

As Sien and Adel departed, only Barthez remained at Martin’s side.

“It seems you’ve sent everyone away on purpose. Or am I imagining things?” Barthez asked with a knowing look.

“You’re quite right. I had no choice; this way, the enemy will take the bait.”

“A cautious human, I see. Despite having power greater than my own, you still prefer not to take action yourself.”

“I have no choice. The enemy knows that if I fall, it’s over for them,” Martin replied calmly.

Roar!

No sooner had Martin spoken than a massive dragon, glowing with brilliant white light, appeared in the sky.

It was over twice the size of Christian’s fire dragon, its presence alone enough to overwhelm the battlefield.

The dragon focused solely on Martin, baring its fangs.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A barrage of light poured down from the dragon’s jaws, resembling a torrent of deadly lightning.

The terrifying energy crackled as it surged downward, yet neither Martin nor Barthez showed a hint of fear.

Barthez gently tapped his staff on the ground.

Instantly, the nearby tree branches stretched and intertwined, forming a massive barrier.

Booom!

The fierce light struck, breaking through two-thirds of the barrier before dissipating.

“‘Blessing of Yggdrasil,’ huh… That’s quite the formidable ability,” Martin murmured, slightly taken aback.

Although subtle in movement, plants were indeed alive.

To control them was to wield life itself.

“This is my first time facing a 9th Circle mage, so I wonder how this will go,” Barthez mused, sounding relaxed despite his words.

As he spoke, Barthez continued his magic without pause.

Rumble.

A massive magic circle appeared on the ground, causing even more branches to shoot skyward.

These branches thickened and merged, forming a colossal hand that reached toward Nicholas in the sky.

But Nicholas wasn’t caught off guard.

He launched hundreds of beams of light, each becoming a blade that sliced through the branches with ease.

“To think you’d stand by under an elf’s protection. Do you still consider yourself worthy to lead one of the Empire’s three great families, Martin Adalbert?”

“If I hadn’t come to the battlefield at all, that would be a valid criticism,” Martin replied. “But I did come here to fight. Yes, with Elder Barthez’s help, but I’m an 8th Circle warrior. It’d be foolish for me to fight you head-on. That kind of stupidity would disqualify me as head of the Adalbert family.”

“True enough. Judgement is a required skill for any leader,” Barthez added, causing Nicholas’ face to twist in irritation.

“A lowly elf, so ignorant of his place. I’ll make you regret meddling in human affairs.”

“Growing old has its disadvantages, it seems. To hear such insults from someone who’s lived less than half my years…” Barthez quipped.

The two 9th Circle mages locked gazes.

And with that, the true battle began.