Chapter 29: The Battle of Kalia

A month had passed since the Vandel Alliance Conference, and most of the local forces had completed their preparations.
The Galic army led by Scott, along with the Operelles army led by Allen, two of the alliance’s three main forces, advanced to the front lines one after another, seemingly both eager to be the first to engage in battle.
Normally, the first battle on the battlefield affects the morale of the entire army. The side that wins quickly in the first fight often gains a psychological advantage. But for Scott and Allen, this battle held additional significance.
It determined whether the noble class or the merchant class would lead the alliance forces. The opponent in this first battle would “mislead” the people of the empire, and such misdirection would ultimately yield high levels of support.
In any case, Scott could not allow Allen to seize the initiative time and again. Though they were friends, they stood on completely opposing sides. The conflict between nobles and merchants had reached a point of no communication or reconciliation, making a conflict inevitable. As the heir to Galic, Scott had to plan for the future.
Moreover, intense hatred consumed him, forcing him to act sooner than planned!
In July of the new calendar year 407, Scott led over ten thousand Galic soldiers to launch an attack on Kalia first, seizing the opportunity to be the first to wage this major battle as part of the noble class.
However, the results were not ideal…
As Allen had said, even Galic soldiers, who ranked among the top three in combat skills in the empire, struggled to gain an advantage against the Saxon demon army. Especially their commander—Karl Lelarkin, the legendary archer among the seventy-two demons of misfortune—his extraordinary powers were a nightmare for any enemy who faced him.
After this small-scale battle, it was reported that out of the more than four hundred Galic soldiers who died, nearly three hundred were killed by Lelarkin’s arrows, which contained deadly poison and struck their hearts. Such inhumanly terrifying abilities even filled the top-tier Galic soldiers with fear.
“Karl Lelarkin…”
On the night after the first battle, Scott stood quietly in the camp, staring expressionlessly at the bright moon.

“Scott?” Suddenly, a gentle voice with a hint of nobility came from behind him. Soon after, a long-haired girl dressed in a black lace gown stepped out of the shadows, speaking softly with concern, “Don’t overthink it, Scott. Today’s defeat was inevitable. After all, we of Gallec don’t know much about that demon army…”
This girl was Scott’s fiancée and also a childhood friend of Thos and the others—Lerilla Geddis. Born into a lower noble family, she possessed beauty and intelligence that surpassed her status. In other words, she was a clever, perceptive, and strategic woman—precisely why Scott’s father, Duke Yvon, was the only one who didn’t object to this marriage. The head of the O’Gill family didn’t need a mere “vase” with only noble status and beauty!
“How did you get out?” Scott didn’t turn around, still gazing at the bright moon, speaking calmly.
“I’m worried about you,” Lerilla said gently, smiling as she walked over to Scott, lifting the hem of her dress. In a tone unbecoming of her status, she whispered, “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. With most of the empire’s forces united, even that AGages Gages will surely be defeated. All we need to do is capture the Saxon capital before Allen does, and raise Gallec’s flag on its walls and in its palace!”
“Oh?” Scott showed slight surprise, saying lightly, “Don’t underestimate AGages Gages. That man’s power far exceeds that of a high-level mage. Even the old dean isn’t his match… I’m not sure I can beat him!”
“I doubt even Allen has such confidence. Among us, perhaps only Thos is certain of success!” Lerilla smiled slightly before adding softly, “Fortunately, Thos won’t become our ‘enemy.’ He’ll help us open the gates of Saxon…”
“Hah, don’t forget what kind of relationship Thos and Ravia have…”
“I certainly know that. But I very well understand Avi. She’s not really interested in such things… If you don’t mind, I can try to persuade Avi…”

“Don’t bother,” Scott shook his head and smiled faintly. “Though I don’t know her as well as you do, I understand what kind of person Lavia is. Since I’ve convinced Thos to stay neutral, Lavia won’t do anything that contradicts her ‘husband’s’ decision… Altak won’t interfere! — It’s not Allen I care about, but Lelajin!”
“The divine archer who killed my grandfather?” Lelira was stunned and asked in surprise.
“Mm!” Scott nodded, crossing his arms and frowning. “I wish I could avenge my grandfather with my own hands, but I have to admit that Lelajin is a terrifying opponent… Anyone whose face he sees will never escape his divine arrows. With such terrifying power, to be honest, I’m not sure what I can do. But as the commander of the army, to avenge that hatred…”
Staring blankly at Scott, Lelira seemed to understand something and said in shock, “You… you can’t mean…”
“Ah!” Taking a slight breath, Scott raised his hand toward the bright moon in the night sky, then clenched his fist and said slowly, “I’ll make that demon understand human anger!”
“That’s insane!” Lelira exclaimed. Then, when she saw the determined look in Scott’s eyes, she sighed softly and said, “Then… at least contact Thos and get his help…”
“Hah,” Scott smiled faintly and shook his head. “That wouldn’t make any sense. — Whether it’s Thos or the two thousand black magicians he leads, if they need to do that just to capture this city, then my decision to attack first makes no sense at all! — What I need to show is the great power of our Galic! Besides, there are no magicians in the city of Kalia, so there’s no need…”
“I understand,” seemingly grasping the deeper meaning in Scott’s words, Lelira nodded and said softly, “In that case, at least ask him to bring ‘them’ along!”

“Of course! Ordinary soldiers can’t stand up to that demon army!” He glanced at the night sky and smiled softly, with a hint of competition in his voice. “I didn’t expect Galk’s secret army to be deployed so early. Hah, after all, our opponent is a legendary demon god… Watch closely, Allen. This is the special army of Galk I spoke of—no less powerful than your knight order… No, far surpassing it!” He then looked at Leryla’s thin dress, took off his own coat, and handed it to her, saying in a tone that carried a slight command: “Even in July, it can get a bit cold at night. Put it on!”
“Mm!” Leryla nodded obediently.
The next evening, Scott led his army once again to the outskirts of City Kalia, which raised some doubts—after all, few would choose to launch an attack at this time. But when they saw those strange figures in black-and-red cloaks mixed among Galk’s army, it became easier to understand.
Those figures had pale skin as if drained of blood and sharp, unnatural teeth, especially their long nails that resembled claws—wasn’t this the most accurate description of vampires?
Did Galk actually have a vampire army?!
About two hundred vampires laughed maniacally, shook off their cloaks, and transformed into giant blood-red bats that flew over the battlefield. Looking at the expressions of Galk’s soldiers, it seemed they were already accustomed to this and showed no sign of shock.
“Karl Leryarkin!” Scott shouted loudly from atop his warhorse, in a voice uncharacteristic of him.
As soon as Scott spoke, a group of cavalry clad in all-black armor rushed out of City Kalia. This was the Death Knight army that filled the empire’s commoners with terror—a force that existed between undead and dark creatures, and now the main military strength of Argus’s side.
Behind this Death Knight army, Leryarkin, dressed in dark green archer’s robes, jumped down from City Kalia’s walls at an extraordinary speed, weaving through the Death Knights. In just a few moments, he arrived not far from Scott’s army.

Glancing at the blood-red bats flying in the air, Lelajin spoke in a slightly stiff tone, “Back off, humans! This is not a place for you!” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but take another look at Scott—his eyes showing a hint of surprise.

Three years earlier, Lelajin had already met this young man at the gates of Alikok, the capital city of Galk. Back then, he had been sent to assassinate the lord of Galk…

In his memory, he was a polite noble youth—his attire, speech, demeanor, and temperament were almost flawless. If anyone bumped into him, he would politely apologize and offer a welcoming remark, which made Lelajin, who usually didn’t talk much, develop a slight fondness for humans for the first time.

However, Lelajin soon learned that the lord of Galk, whom he had assassinated with a poisoned arrow, was this young man’s grandfather. This made him reflect deeply on what he called fate.

“I didn’t expect to see you again, human boy!” Lelajin broke the silence first.

“I also didn’t expect to meet you so soon!” Scott replied with a cold smirk.

“Is that so… Do you want to avenge your grandfather?” Drawing an arrow from his quiver, Lelajin took out the giant bow slung on his back, nocked an arrow, drew the string, and stared at Scott coldly. “Three years ago, I used this bow to kill your grandfather. Three years later, I’ll use it to kill you too! If you want to live, leave this place!”

Seeming to notice Lelajin’s actions, the Galk soldiers formed a shield wall in front of Scott. But Scott shook his head to stop them, saying calmly, “It’s useless. Lelajin’s arrows can ignore distance and hit their mark every time…”

“Hm?” Hearing Scott’s words, Lelajin showed surprise in his eyes. “You actually know about this? It seems you’ve investigated quite a bit about me!”

“Of course. After all, my enemy is one of the legendary seventy-two demon gods!” With that, Scott dismounted from his warhorse, drew a small, exquisite magic wand from his magic cloak. Soon, dense dark energy surrounded his body, with strange and obscure runes floating around, appearing and disappearing.

“Cursesmiths!” Relagin’s eyes took on a serious expression. After all, cursesmiths were the closest to dark mages among black mages. They could use various restrictive spells to manipulate their opponents, gradually draining their strength and magic until they achieved victory. But compared to ordinary mages, cursesmiths required extremely high mental strength and comprehension skills; without certain talent, it was impossible to succeed in this field.

“So what?” Relagin pulled the bowstring taut again, shaking his head at Scott. “I admire your courage, but your actions seem utterly foolish! Since you’ve heard of my reputation, you should know that once I see an opponent’s face, they can never escape my divine arrows! I’ve already seen you!”

“Hah!” Scott smiled faintly, raised his wand, and sneered, “It’s time for your title of ‘infallible archer’ to be tarnished! Try it then—see if you can kill me!”

“Hm?” Relagin frowned, showing surprise, and shook his head with a sigh. “Foolish!” With that, he released the bowstring.

Amidst the horrified gazes of countless Gallic soldiers, the divine arrow flashed across the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, it reached Scott.

But strangely, as the arrow entered the dark area around Scott, its speed slowed down unbelievably, as if constrained by something. Even more bizarrely, the arrowhead, shaft, and fletching rusted, corroded, and withered at a visible pace. In just two or three seconds, before it could hit Scott, it turned into ashes and fell to the ground.

“How is this possible?!” Relagin was filled with shock. After staring deeply at the dark area beside Scott, he murmured, “A domain?”

Scott pushed up his glasses and said sarcastically, “Surprised?” His expression changed slightly as he spoke in a low voice, “This is my domain. Anything I refuse to acknowledge will be swallowed by endless time the moment it enters this area, perishing rapidly…”

[Endplace: Andebode]!

“Amplified aging magic…” Relagin murmured.

“Hmph!” Scott snarled in disdain. “Not bad! This is precisely the field I’ve dedicated myself to studying for you—how could you possibly kill me so easily?” With that, he took a deep breath and said in an eerie tone, “Now, I at least have the minimum qualifications to fight you!”
“…” Glancing deeply at Scott, Lelarkin raised his right hand expressionlessly, waved it, and immediately, the Death Knights beside him began to clash.
Yes, this was different from the previous one-on-one battles—it was on a battlefield!
“It’s here!” muttering to himself, Scott took a deep breath and shouted, “Warriors of Galik, the moment to prove your glory has arrived—attack!”
“Ooh!” Thousands of Galik soldiers let out a thunderous roar and charged fearlessly at the Death Knights. At the same time, the vampires flying above the battlefield also launched attacks, sometimes using their claws, sometimes returning to human form, and unleashing their unique blood magic.
To be honest, the title “Archer of Misfortune” truly suited Lelarkin. Every time his bowstring was drawn, several unlucky souls would suffer the fate of being kissed by death. He didn’t even need to aim—once he saw the faces of those human soldiers, a simple draw of the bow would send arrows seeking their targets on their own. Fighting such a being was no different from fighting death itself.
Seeing that guy draw five arrows at once filled the Galik soldiers leading the charge with extreme fear.
Yes, this power, beyond human comprehension, was simply too bizarre. Aside from the arrow shot at Scott earlier being deflected, all of Lelarkin’s other arrows were perfectly accurate… no, absolutely accurate, often hitting the heart in one shot. The deadly poison carried by the arrows left the victims no time to even cry out in pain—most simply went numb before losing consciousness.
Besides this terrifying demon, Lelarkin, the army of Death Knights also caused massive casualties among the Galik soldiers.
Whether it was their strength beyond human limits or their ability to continue fighting even after having their heads cut off, the ferocity of the Death Knights filled even the mighty Galik soldiers with deep fear.
Some say that when an army is in trouble, it’s a test of its commander’s ability—and this is certainly true.

Fortunately, this 16-year-old young commander did not disappoint the Galkic soldiers. With a wave of his wand, the Death Knights fighting against them seemed to be constrained—their speed in swinging weapons dropped dramatically, and some were even completely immobilized, being chopped into pieces by the overwhelming Galkic soldiers. On the contrary, whenever those Death Knights approached Scott’s domain, they were consumed by endless time. Walking around the battlefield, Scott seemed as relaxed as if he were in his own backyard. Of course, judging from the sweat beading on his forehead, maintaining this domain was not easy at all, not to mention the need to benefit his own army, even though it was just a domain less than three or four yards in diameter. But as Scott said, only in this way could he have the slightest chance of fighting against Lelajin, one of the legendary 72 Demon Gods! This battle was bound to be tough! Meanwhile… —Sassen Imperial City— After fighting Professor Hode and Thos, Agus, who had not appeared in public for three years, had already become a fully formed Apostle. While gaining immense power, he also paid a heavy price—such as his identity as a human… “Humans…” In a room in the palace, Agus stood by the window, staring blankly at the starry sky outside. Compared to three years ago, he no longer resembled the center of attention at balls; he appeared lifeless—not due to some kind of deathly aura, but rather a sense of aimlessness after losing his life’s purpose. “Those people are so pitiful…” Behind him, little Lily shrank on the sofa and said weakly. She was referring to the imperial civilians taken captive by the Death Knights and brought to Sassen. For the arrival of the ancient will Mamon, Agus needed a large amount of pure soul energy. “Had another nightmare?” Agus asked indifferently, glancing at the little girl behind him. “Mm!” The little girl nodded seriously. Three years later, she understood much more than before and gradually grasped who this man, who resembled a father to her, really was. A good person? A bad person? Such a simple comparison made no sense at all. The world’s colors were not merely black and white, and the same applied to people. “Why do we have to kill them?” Little Lily asked timidly.

“Yes, why?” Argus laughed self-mockingly. In the past, he would have said, “Because I hate them,” but now, the man who had brought this country to the brink of collapse felt a sense of emptiness and confusion, as if his goal had been achieved. After all, Argus had traded with Mammon to gain power in order to destroy the empire, and now that goal had been far exceeded. Even if he died now, the country would not regain its former peace and would continue to be plagued by endless wars. At first, Argus believed his purpose in life was to avenge himself on the empire, but once that goal was achieved, he lost the meaning to continue living. Yes, what should he do after revenge? More importantly, Argus gradually realized that, in his relentless pursuit of revenge, he had somehow become the very kind of person he once hated… This realization caused him immense pain—more painful even than losing his humanity. I must have become a stranger to you now, Claire… “Can’t we let them go? Let everyone live happily…” the little girl Lily whispered. “Hah!” Argus couldn’t help but laugh at the girl’s naive words. Then, his expression changed slightly as he saw faint blue lights flash by, streaking toward the direction of the dark altar—those were the energies of souls! Glancing at the dark tattoo on his hand, Argus sighed softly. “It can’t be stopped anymore… a new era…”