The day after the duel.
As the White Sword Saint Cloud, I was at the border of the Kingdom of Albios.
The reason was that the Imperial Army had invaded with a massive army of one hundred thousand.
I thought they had been quiet recently, but this happened.
I rushed to the scene as soon as I received the news, so the border line had not yet been breached.
However, the kingdom’s army stationed at the border fortress was only ten thousand.
The tenfold difference in troop strength was difficult to overcome.
If we don’t retreat quickly, the Imperial Army will flow into the kingdom.
”Is it a command post raid after all?”
The usual method.
It’s the best way to minimize damage to our own army.
Annihilation would deal a blow to the enemy, but our allies would die in the process.
The other side is a great power that can easily send a massive army of one hundred thousand one after another. If it becomes a war of attrition, we will lose.
The battle time must be kept as short as possible.
In the center of the enemy army.
I descended from the sky and landed there.
The imperial soldiers who had been on standby for the attack on the fortress stared at me with dumbfounded faces.
After all, this is the center of the one hundred thousand Imperial Army.
Every direction is the Imperial Army. They would never have thought that an enemy would fall from the sky.
I slashed such imperial soldiers with the swords in both hands.
By the time I had decapitated most of the surrounding imperial soldiers, the entire Imperial Army seemed to have finally noticed the anomaly.
”The Sword Saint…!! The White Sword Saint has broken through!!”
”Are you sane!? He’s charged into a massive army of one hundred thousand alone!!”
”His target is the rear command post! Don’t let your guard down! To him, about a hundred people are no different from paper!!”
The field commanders immediately laid a defensive line in front of the command post.
Because it’s always my aim to target the command post.
However, the Imperial Army is not stupid.
Since they’ve been beaten by the same tactic over and over again, they will come up with countermeasures.
It’s just that the countermeasures have always been breached.
”Heavy armored magic armor corps! Forward! Stop him!!”
It seems they’ve prepared a new toy this time.
Armor that is even thicker and more solid than the usual knight’s armor. It seems impossible to stand independently in such armor, but it can walk on its own without any problem.
As expected of the ‘country of magical tools.’
They develop interesting things.
The Kingdom of Albios, the country of swords.
The Lutetia Empire, the country of magic.
Against these two countries, the Galiard Empire is a country skilled in the production of magical tools.
While the Kingdom of Albios and the Lutetia Empire train those with talent to become warriors worth a thousand, the Empire is different.
If the former two countries train someone with the power of five to reach ten, the Empire trains someone with the power of one to reach two or three.
They use magical tools so that everyone, regardless of talent or aptitude, can be evenly part of the fighting force.
With the logic that numbers are power, they swept across the continent.
That’s why they are strong. No country can beat them.
Because they do not rely on a limited number of warriors, they always exhibit stable power. It’s easy to calculate, so there are few miscalculations.
But.
Even if they are somewhat enhanced, they are no different from weak soldiers to me.
”The undefeated legend of the White Sword Saint!! Today, we, the heavy armored magic armor corps, will end it!! Make this his grave!! Prepare the magic spears!! Chargeeeee!!”
They lined up side by side and charged straight at me.
Holding large spears under their arms, they were densely packed.
It’s like a tsunami. If you run, you go up, but if you fly, countless projectiles will be fired.
That would be troublesome in its own way.
So.
”Don’t be afraid of his sword that can even cut through steel! This magic armor is the latest model! Even he will have to use a magic sword to…”
The words of the commander who was encouraging those around him stopped.
Because he was split in half from top to bottom by the slash I sent with magical power.
”Captain oooooo???”
The slashing did not stop.
The elites of the heavy armored whatever corps that had charged in a line, one by one, were split in half and fell.
Eventually, the last one was split in half, and the corps that had charged was annihilated.
The enemy commander, who probably didn’t think they would be annihilated in such a way, was stunned.
If this is their trump card, their fate is already sealed.
”Well then—shall we go?”
”F, fire!! Fire! Fire away!! He’s human too! Overwhelm him with a barrage!!”
I started charging towards the enemy command post.
If the defense line is breached, it’s only a short distance to the command post.
Therefore, they aimed their magic guns.
A great invention that allows even amateurs to shoot moderate magic.
It was fired in tens of thousands of units.
Bullets filled my field of vision.
A rain of bullets laid out without sparing any space in the air.
I dodged them all.
Moving sideways, jumping, accelerating, I dodged everything without using my sword.
”Second shot ready! Fireeeee!!”
Magic guns are convenient, but they take time for each shot.
So the ones who fired first fell back, and the ones behind came forward and fired.
The same number of bullets as before.
And the distance is closer than before.
But the result is the same.
I dodged everything and slipped through.
”Third shot ready!! Uh…”
The commander’s instructions did not continue to the end.
Because he was beheaded by me, who had cut into the defense line.
From there, I rampaged through the defense line like a storm, cutting down the enemy.
The Imperial Army, which had no way to stop me, could do nothing and continued to produce a vast number of dead.
And.
”You’re here already…”
In the center of the command post, an old general stood with his sword drawn.
No one else was around.
Did he let his aides escape?
”I take it you’re the enemy general.”
”Indeed… Imperial Army Major General, Egon Hyatt. May I have the honor of a match, White Sword Saint?”
”I don’t have time, so I’ll finish it with one stroke.”
”If you’re trying to chase after the aides who fled, it’s futile. The promising ones have been let go the moment you appeared.”
”…Why do you attack knowing there’s no chance of winning?”
”It’s the emperor’s command. This life is dedicated to His Majesty.”
With that, Egon drew his sword.
Quite capable.
There are many warriors among the veterans in the Imperial Army.
This old general is one of them.
”When I was young, I crossed swords with the Sword Saint at the time. I almost died, but I was able to escape. How about you?”
”Try and see.”
”Let’s do it!!”
With that, Egon slashed at me.
I caught his one stroke and pierced Egon’s abdomen with the returning blade.
But Egon clung to me.
”You too… will go down with me…”
”A magic bomb, huh? It’s a big deal, but I’m not foolish enough not to notice.”
I pulled my sword out of Egon.
When I pierced his abdomen, I destroyed the ‘magic bomb’ that Egon had wrapped around his body.
Egon twisted his face in frustration and fell, spitting blood.
Now, many soldiers are heading to the command post to save this general.
If the magic bomb had been activated, they would have been caught in the blast.
It’s war, so it can’t be helped if you say so.
But I don’t think it’s the right thing to do.
”Ah ah ah…”
A young soldier entered the command post.
Seeing me, he lost his nerve.
But somehow, he aimed his magic gun and fired at me.
However, I easily dodged it by shifting my body.
”Ah… help…”
The soldier begged for his life with tears streaming down his face.
As I passed by the soldier, I told him.
”It’s over now that the commander is dead. I don’t like unnecessary killing. Run away. Don’t waste your life.”
”Eh…?”
”Hurry up. Soon, retreating soldiers will come pouring in like waves, right?”
‘Ah, um… thank you…! Thank you!!’
With that, the soldier ran away.
If all the Imperial soldiers were utterly evil, how easy it would be.
But most of the Imperial soldiers are good people.
They have no choice but to join the army to live, and they come to the battlefield because they are ordered to.
Some are not originally from the Empire.
It’s not going well, I thought as I left the place.
