The Indomitable Martial King

[ Chapter 139 ]
Stalla frowned slightly as she looked at the wall.

“Hmm, what should I do…”

Typically, most Aura Users wouldn’t use such a massive technique capable of demolishing a wall, except for someone like Kalken who foolishly pursued brute strength, dwarves who used the power of earth resonance, or someone like Russ who excelled at stealing others’ techniques. Generally, there was no skill for it, nor was there any need.

There was no reason to train in a technique that was easy to dodge and had such immense destructive power, primarily intended to kill people. Honestly, why waste a perfectly good wall? An Aura User could simply fly over the wall, kill the soldiers nearby, and take over the area.

“But it’s embarrassing to be the only one who can’t do it when everyone else is.”

Stalla’s skills were by no means inferior to theirs. However, in her approach to using Aura, she favored precision and accuracy over brute force, much like most modern Aura Users.

After pondering for a moment, Stalla’s eyes suddenly lit up. She realized she had a method. She smiled coldly and waved her hands.

“Go! My twelve sisters!”

Twelve daggers imbued with Aura shot out, becoming flashes of light. Their mere momentum split the air, causing a storm and tearing up the ground. Twelve beams of light tore through the earth, splitting the sky, and embedded themselves in various parts of the wall.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions echoed as the wall shook in multiple places. With her eyes gleaming, Stalla shouted.

“Scream! My sisters!”

Woooooong!

The daggers embedded in the wall resonated, shaking violently. The Aura contained within them harmonized, shaking the entire wall. The wall, the surrounding ground, and even the distant fortress of Carsus trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

“Ugh!”

“What the hell is this!”

It was at this moment that Spirius cursed and supported Carsus. Suddenly, the entire wall collapsed.

Rumble!

Stalla’s daggers, embedded in various parts of the wall, caused a chain reaction of explosions, destroying the wall’s structure. The vast wall, nearly 100 meters long, collapsed all at once, sending up clouds of yellow dust. Stalla alone had caused as much destruction as all the other Aura Users combined.

Kalken muttered, slightly surprised.

“Huh? Who knew my wife could do that?”

The dwarves rounded their mouths in astonishment and exclaimed.

“Oh, that’s a fresh demolition technique.”

“Right, do orcs have talent in architecture too?”

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“That lady would be great to call for demolishing buildings later.”

And Russ was grinning slyly, his eyes sparkling.

“Sweet, got another one. That looks like something I could master with a bit of practice.”

The southern wall of the royal city of Krotin, boasting a long and storied history, was no longer a wall thanks to the misdeeds of the six Aura Users. Carsus muttered in despair.

“Damn, I didn’t expect them to come out like this.”

If the gate was destroyed or the wall was occupied, there were strategies to counter that. But with the entire wall completely demolished, there was no solution. Sir Spirius gritted his teeth.

“I’m sorry. If it were just one or two of them, I could handle it…”

Sir Spirius couldn’t leave Carsus’s side at the moment. If those Aura Users aimed for Carsus’s life, he was the only one who could stop them. Carsus clicked his tongue and rubbed his forehead.

“This is why I tried to avoid a siege at all costs…”

If the battle were fought on the plains in a pitched battle, there were ways to manage even with fewer Aura Users. No matter how skilled an Aura User was, they couldn’t focus their Aura on full-body defense throughout the entire battle. The only group on the continent known for such extreme physical training was Gym Unbreakable; most Aura Users would lose focus or get tired, making them vulnerable to stray arrows or swords. With a mass assault, even regular knights could defeat an Aura User, though it would come at a great cost.

But in a siege, there was no strategy. They couldn’t overwhelm with numbers, and with the Aura Users’ agility, moving between buildings and cover rendered arrows useless.

“We have no choice. We must retreat to the palace.”

“Indeed…”

With a heavy heart, Carsus nodded at Sir Spirius’s suggestion. With the wall completely destroyed, there was no point in holding the defense. They needed to quickly retreat to the palace and reorganize their forces.

Then, surprisingly, the Aura Users and Prince Yubel’s army simultaneously retreated.

“Huh?”

“Why are they withdrawing from a battle they’ve already won?”

Leaving the puzzled forces of Carsus behind, Prince Yubel’s army returned to their main camp. A herald came out and shouted again.

“Traitor! Your life is already in Prince Yubel’s grasp! You must have realized that if we wished, we could advance to the palace right now!”

Carsus had nothing to say. There was no flaw in their words. Retreating to the complex royal palace would only provide more opportunities for the Aura Users to wreak havoc.

“But how can a true king put the citizens of the royal city at risk? If you truly care for their safety, raise the white flag and surrender yourself to judgment!”

Carsus’s expression hardened.

“They’re playing it like this…”

Prince Yubel intended to not only claim victory but also strip Carsus of his popularity. In this situation, Carsus would be seen as holding the citizens of the capital hostage.

Of course, Carsus had considered using the citizens as hostages in a siege, but he had dismissed the plan, believing Prince Yubel wouldn’t care about their safety. However, Yubel’s forces had gone a step further, using the citizens as leverage to pressure Carsus.

‘What kind of vile person came up with this tactic?’

‘Given Carsus’s character, he won’t continue the siege after hearing such words.’

That vile person, Repenhardt, was chuckling as he looked at the shattered wall of Krotin. He knew Carsus’s character well and had purposely devised this strategy. This way, not only would the damage be minimized, but Prince Yubel’s popularity would also rise significantly.

A prince who thinks of his people’s safety even at the brink of victory!

This was more than enough to restore the fallen reputation of Prince Yubel.

“Repenhardt, you truly are a wise man. Given Carsus’s temperament, he won’t remain holed up in the castle after hearing those words. It seems this war is my victory,” Prince Yubel said, praising Repenhardt’s wisdom with a satisfied expression. Repenhardt wore a slightly embarrassed smile. In truth, he felt awkward because he was merely using information from his previous life rather than possessing exceptional strategic and tactical prowess.

Count Feonin also looked pleased.

“Then let us return to Viscount Zedrin’s mansion for now. Seeing such a display of strength, they will soon surrender. There is no need to shed more blood.”

With that, Prince Yubel’s forces raised their banners proudly and withdrew from the capital, leaving the despaired Carsus behind.

It was a flawless victory.

In the office within the royal palace of the capital, Krotin, where the king once conducted the kingdom’s affairs, several nobles were now gathered, all wearing faces of despair.

The Duke of Fernando, a robust middle-aged man of fifty, furrowed his brow deeply and spoke.

“What do you think, Prince Carsus? Do we have any way to seize the advantage now?”

The Duke of Fernando addressed his son, Carsus, using formal speech, reinforcing his son’s authority as the heir. The elderly Marquis of Brozen, with his white hair, shook his head.

“Ha ha, I don’t know. I can’t fathom what those lowly creatures have done, but it’s undeniable that they possess the strength worthy of Aura Users.”

Everyone was intimidated by the power of the alien Aura Users who had demolished the wall. Despite being competent knights and commanders, their minds were paralyzed in the face of such terrifying feats.

Even Carsus, whose mind was still clear, had no solution.

“Where on earth did they get such power…?”

Six Aura Users were practically the equivalent of a national military force. No matter how ingenious their strategies, there was no way to counter it.

One of the nobles cautiously offered a suggestion.

“They’ve arrogantly withdrawn without even besieging Krotin. Perhaps we should retreat and plan for the future…”

Carsus shook his head.

“That won’t work. They already possess the seal and the crown. The moment we lose the Sacred Scepter, Prince Yubel can hold a coronation. Losing this capital means our defeat. They withdrew knowing we would understand this.”

“I understand, but isn’t there no other way right now? If we retreat and engage in a prolonged conflict, while seeking aid from the Principality of Chatan or the Vasily Kingdom…”

Carsus waved his hand dismissively, seeing no value in that suggestion.

“Allowing foreign intervention would lead to the fall of the Crovence Kingdom, even if we win.”

The Crovence Kingdom, with its long and storied history, could not afford to make the mistake of allowing foreign interference. The noble who had suggested it spoke regretfully.

“But if we don’t, Lord Carsus, you will fall!”

Carsus quickly saw through the true intent behind those words.

‘Precisely, they fear their own downfall.’

He felt nothing but contempt for those willing to sell out the country to protect themselves. Seeing Carsus’s expression, the noble flinched and fell silent. Yet, others seemed to secretly agree with that sentiment. Even his father and grandfather seemed to be considering it!

“Sigh…”

Carsus sighed. He had no intention of selling out the Crovence Kingdom, even if it meant losing his own life. However, his followers thought differently.

Then Marquis Brozen muttered regretfully.

“We should have assassinated that despicable prince.”

“We’ve already tried several times, haven’t we?”

Carsus responded wearily.

The forces of Carsus had already sent numerous assassins to kill Prince Yubel. Sacrificing a few lives in this way was far less costly than plunging the kingdom into civil war, so Carsus had no qualms about it.

However, all assassination attempts had failed. Finia, who was always by Yubel’s side, had thwarted every attempt.

Finia, who could hear the truth, could detect any assassin, no matter how well they disguised themselves. It was not feasible to order an assassin to infiltrate the castle and eliminate the guards before killing Prince Yubel.

The common people might believe that a famed assassin could sneak up on their target and kill them unnoticed, then disappear like the wind, but the reality was not so simple. If an assassin had such skill, why would they work as an assassin? They could easily secure a knight’s position anywhere.

“If we had someone with that level of skill and trustworthiness, it would have to be…”

The nobles all turned their eyes to Sir Spirius. If anyone had the capability to infiltrate and kill Prince Yubel, it was the Aura User among them.

The Duke of Fernando pleaded.

“Sir Spirius, is it truly impossible?”

There had been subtle requests made to Spirius before, and once again, he declined for the same reason.

“No matter how vile he is, he carries the blood of the Emperor. As a knight, I cannot commit such treachery.”

The nobles sighed in unison. Their collective sigh carried an undercurrent of frustration toward Sir Spirius’s stubbornness.

Then, Sir Spirius changed his expression and spoke up.

“However, regarding the idea of assassination, I agree.”

“Hmm?”

Carsus looked at him with surprised eyes. Sir Spirius’s eyes gleamed.

“Instead of Prince Yubel, let’s assassinate that mysterious mage, Repenhardt.”

Carsus had ordered the collection of every piece of information, no matter how trivial. It had long been known that Repenhardt had brought those mysterious beings.

“Those slaves are rampaging because of that mage, aren’t they? If we eliminate him, they’ll likely revert to their docile nature.”

Carsus and the nobles pondered this plan. Repenhardt was the key figure who had orchestrated the recent events, and removing him might indeed destabilize Yubel’s advantage.