TRAIGS - Chapter 765

“Swarming like bugs!”

Martha was the first to leap off the wall, raising her sword high.

‘Boom!’

The Titan-like aura emanating from her sword struck like a giant’s fist, crushing the heads of the orcs climbing the wall.

“It’s the captain’s order. All of you, vanish.”

Runaan followed closely beside Martha, drawing a half-moon arc with her Snowflower Sword.

The frost imbued in her blade spread like ripples, freezing the trolls and orcs gathered at the gate in an instant.

‘Screech!’

As she tilted her sword, the frozen monsters shattered into dozens of pieces and fell.

“Don’t act alone—form up into ranks.”

Burren pushed between Martha and Runaan, thrusting his sword forward.

The icy gusts blooming from his silver blade shredded the monsters charging toward the wall.

“I’m with you, squad leader!”

Krein positioned himself behind Burren, splitting the heads of the wolfbears and gnolls attacking from the right.

His mastery of aura had improved, and his blade moved as if it weighed nothing.

“Eek!”

Despite being terrified by the sheer number of monsters, Dorian jumped off the wall without hesitation, saving soldiers who were near death.

‘Rumble!’

Mark Gorton unleashed a barrage of thunderous strikes, creating a wide space to ensure the Light Wind Division wouldn’t be ambushed.

‘Humm!’

Yua sang a battle hymn she had learned from Roenn, suppressing the monsters’ fighting spirit and boosting the morale of the Light Wind Division.

Yulius stayed close to Yua, cutting through every monster that charged at them.

‘Boom!’

The other members of the Light Wind Division extended their aura, the mark of Masters, slaughtering the monsters targeting the walls and gates.

However, the division had yet to reveal their full strength.

“Form ranks!”

At Burren’s command, the scattered division members regrouped in front of the gate.

Instead of their usual circular formation, they adopted a triangular formation, resembling the point of a sword.

“Break through!”

With Martha leading at the forefront, the swordsmen followed her, raising their blades.

The piercing charge, powered by the whirlwind aura unique to the division, tore through the enemy lines.

‘Boom!’

Wherever the formation moved, the monsters were reduced to unrecognizable pulp, leaving behind nothing but devastation. The sight resembled a green wave crashing into and breaking against a mighty seawall.

“Th-that’s the Light Wind Division…?”

Wendy swallowed hard as she watched the monsters being torn apart without resistance.

‘They’re all Masters…’

She had heard rumors about the Light Wind Division growing stronger, but she hadn’t imagined they had reached this level.

‘They’re not just ordinary Masters. Each one is incredibly strong.’

The way the swordsmen handled their aura with precision and massacred the monsters proved they weren’t Masters by mere coincidence.

The vivid radiance emanating from their diverse swords sent chills down her spine.

“Ah…”

Wendy, mesmerized by the Light Wind Division’s overwhelming display of power, turned to the right.

Neither Raon nor Rimmer, the leaders of these fearsome warriors, had moved yet.

“L-Lord Raon. Thank you.”

Wendy approached Raon and bowed deeply.

“I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly. I’m truly grateful—”

“Zieghart and Arian are not strangers. There’s no need for thanks.”

Raon showed a faint smile to the tense Wendy.

“Ah…”

Her hands clenched tightly. Hearing Raon’s considerate words, her tension eased, and a lump formed in her throat.

“You’ve continued your training. I can sense that you’ve grown stronger.”

Raon nodded as he gauged Wendy’s strength.

“I thought I had worked hard, but seeing them makes me feel ashamed.”

Wendy sighed briefly. She had poured all her effort into training while managing her duties as the head of the family, but the Light Wind Division’s strength left her feeling inadequate.

“There’s no need to compare yourself to others. What matters is that you’re not ashamed of yourself.”

Raon gestured to reassure Wendy.

‘She has nothing to be ashamed of.’

Although Wendy felt powerless from being overwhelmed by the monsters, her strength was undeniable.

Her training and combat experience had brought her to a level where she could reach even greater heights.

“Please wait just a little longer.”

After calming Wendy and the other knights, Raon descended from the wall.

‘Boom!’

In that short time, the Light Wind Division had cleared the monsters around the walls and begun advancing.

Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed the monsters who refused to flee.

‘They won’t back down.’

Despite feeling the overwhelming power difference, the monsters showed no signs of retreat.

Their ferocious aura conveyed their determination to fight to the death.

‘Then I’ll give them something to fear.’

Raon moved to the forefront of the division, unsheathing the Heavenly Drive.

‘Boom!’

Flames erupted from his blade, forming a towering inferno that surged like a tidal wave.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation – Heavenly Inferno.

The Immaculate Sea of Flames.

The storm of fire engulfed the battlefield, reducing dozens of monsters to ash in an instant.

‘Growl…’

‘Whimper…’

Finally, the monsters began to feel fear. Their steps faltered, and they slowly started retreating.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Martha stomped forward, unleashing her aura with a ferocious growl. Krein and the other swordsmen followed her lead, leaning into the charge.

“Stop.”

Raon swung the Heavenly Drive to clear the flames and stepped in front of the division.

“That’s enough.”

“But why…?”

Martha frowned, unable to understand the command.

“You don’t even realize you’re exhausted.”

Instead of Raon, Rimmer pointed out their heavy breathing and labored movements.

“You pushed yourselves too hard breaking through in one go. The path is clear now; the best option is to retreat here.”

Raon nodded, supporting Rimmer’s statement.

Although the Light Wind Division had displayed absolute power, even they had their limits. It was time to conserve aura and stamina for what lay ahead.

– “You made the right call.”

Wrath nodded toward Raon.

– ‘War devours both the victor and the vanquished. Losing composure in battle is dangerous.’

‘That’s not the only reason,’ Raon thought, narrowing his eyes as he gazed into the forest.

‘You know as well as I do—there’s a monster in there.’

As he extended his sensory perception using the Glacier’s abilities, he detected the presence of someone controlling the monsters within the forest.

Their aura alone felt strong enough to rival his own.

‘The bigger problem is that they’re not alone.’

Behind the one controlling the monsters, Raon sensed two additional presences—both powerful. Although their identities couldn’t be pinpointed from such a distance, they were at least Grand Masters.

The atmosphere felt eerily similar to the oppressive conditions of Holram’s arena, and his honed senses sparked a sense of foreboding. These presences felt stronger than the Two-Headed Ogre they had faced before.

– ‘Three of them, huh?’

Wrath stroked his chin and chuckled.

– ‘Now that you mention it, I do sense something similar.’

He muttered something incomprehensible and laughed to himself.

‘Hmm…’

Raon extended his senses again to confirm, but the presences had receded too far to be detected.

“You’re right, Captain.”

Burren let out a heavy breath and nodded.

“We’ve used up a lot of aura holding the walls and pushing back the monsters. Let’s retreat for now.”

Following Raon’s suggestion, he slowly stepped back.

“Hmm…”

Runaan furrowed her brows, as if reluctant to stop fighting, but stepped back next to Raon without objection.

“Tch.”

Martha clicked her tongue, sheathed her sword, and stepped away.

Leading the Light Wind Division, Raon returned to the Arian family’s stronghold.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you so much!”

Wendy and her subordinates immediately bowed as they returned.

“It’s fine. Please, rise.”

Raon smiled and gestured for them to stand.

“Let’s assess the situation first. I was told there was time to prepare—what caused the sudden outbreak of battle?”

“I’m not entirely sure.”

Wendy’s shoulders trembled as she lowered her head.

“The monsters moved as if they were one entity, surging in all at once…”

She exhaled deeply, explaining that prior preparations had helped them hold on as long as they had.

“Did you see the king?”

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t. I should have acted on my own—”

“No, you did well.”

Raon nodded slightly, reassuring Wendy.

“The one in there isn’t a king.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Right now, the monsters aren’t being controlled by a king. The one controlling them…”

Raon turned his gaze to the now-quiet forest and growled.

“…is one of Eden’s fiends.”

There was no way there could be three monster kings. The entity commanding the monsters in the forest had to be an Eden fiend.

“Ah…”

Wendy averted her gaze, swallowing hard.

“For an Eden fiend to control this many monsters…”

“They must have some special ability.”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the corpse-littered battlefield.

“Burren. Report to the family that Eden’s forces are involved.”

“Understood.”

Burren nodded and began drafting a provisional report to send to Zieghart.

“The war hasn’t truly started yet. For now, let’s regroup.”

Raon gestured toward the ruined gate and cracked walls.

“The wall can be repaired, but the gate is impossible. We’re short on iron since our supply run yesterday…”

Wendy lowered her head apologetically.

“It’s fine.”

Knowing that the Arian family had sent for reinforcements and prepared immediately after their request, Raon saw no reason to blame them.

“Dorian.”

“Yes!”

At Raon’s call, Dorian stepped forward eagerly.

“You’ve been swimming beneath the surface, haven’t you?”

“Of course! I paddled so hard I scraped the bottom clean!”

Dorian nodded confidently, in stark contrast to his earlier hesitation in battle.

“Then bring it out.”

“Got it!”

Grinning, Dorian descended from the wall and reached into his dimensional pouch. One by one, he began pulling out massive steel plates.

– ‘Hmm, those steel plates should be enough for gate repairs. That wallet is frighteningly thorough.’

‘Exactly. The steel he bought in Mirthan… Wait, what?’

Raon’s smile froze as he stared. Instead of steel plates, Dorian pulled out an entire steel gate.

– ‘Ack…’

Wrath’s jaw dropped as he let out a small groan.

“Ugh…”

“A steel gate? And it’s perfectly sized for this fortress…”

“It’s even thicker than the original gate.”

“This is insane…”

The Light Wind Division and the Arian family members stared in disbelief at the massive steel gate now towering over them.

“Truly remarkable… The Light Wind Division is full of extraordinary individuals…”

Wendy let out a stunned breath as she gazed at the gate.

“…”

Ignoring her comment, Raon turned to Dorian.

“Why do you have a gate…?”

“It’s an essential item! And it fits perfectly!”

Dorian beamed as he began pulling out tools and materials to repair the walls as well. He looked absolutely delighted.

– ‘This king is beginning to fear that wallet…’

Raon swallowed hard and nodded.

‘Me too.’

—

‘Tsk.’

The Dual-Headed Ogre clicked its tongue as it watched the Arian family repair their walls and gate.

‘They must have spotted us while we were in the dungeon.’

Having sensed no observers before entering the dungeon with the Green King, it was clear their movements had been detected while inside.

‘The head of the family must be competent.’

Despite rumors of the Arian family’s decline following the deaths of its leaders, the family appeared to be functioning surprisingly well.

“Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind Division…”

The Dual-Headed Ogre twisted its lips into a grin as it observed Raon and his division working on the repairs.

‘Impressive talent.’

Recalling the overwhelming flames that had annihilated the monsters, it felt a chill run down its spine.

Ordinarily, retreating would have been the logical choice. But the situation was far too entertaining to leave.

“What about you? What do you want to do?”

The Dual-Headed Ogre turned to the Green King and the Silent Blade, who stood silently in the shadows.

The Silent Blade stood motionless, hand resting on the hilt of its sword, as if guarding the Green King.

‘Grind.’

A harsh grinding sound emanated from within the black orc helmet the Green King wore.

The seething fury of her bloodlust radiated outward, as though the massacre of her monsters filled her with rage.

“You want to fight, don’t you?”

The Dual-Headed Ogre nodded knowingly, as if expecting this reaction.

“Very well. I’ll accept your determination. Kill them all.”

With a snap of his fingers, he stepped back.

‘Boom!’

The Green King planted her right foot firmly into the ground. Crimson energy radiated from her, spreading out in concentric circles that enveloped the surrounding monsters.

‘Roar!’

At the call of their king, the monsters let out earth-shaking howls and raised their weapons high. They moved with a unity that rivaled even the most disciplined knights, their battle spirit soaring skyward.

‘Screeech!’

The Green King raised the Lion Sword and pointed it toward the Arian family’s stronghold. The monsters, like a well-trained army, marched forward in unison.

They stepped on the corpses of their own kind, drinking their blood as they advanced toward the cracked walls of the fortress.

‘Howl!’

Unlike their previous mindless charge, this time the Green King used the sight of their fallen comrades to fuel the monsters’ morale, turning their advance into a disciplined and terrifying onslaught.

“As expected…”

The Dual-Headed Ogre raised his chin slightly, a grin spreading across his face as if this exceeded his expectations.

‘Fate is truly amusing.’

He found the unfolding situation entertaining in a way only someone privy to the details could, a chuckle escaping his lips.

“…”

“You don’t need to go.”

When the Silent Blade moved to follow the Green King, the Dual-Headed Ogre raised a hand to stop him.

“Let’s see how far she can go on her own.”

The Dual-Headed Ogre smacked his lips, as though relishing a plan he alone understood.

‘Boom!’

The monstrous army advanced relentlessly, halting just outside the range of the fortress’s archers.

“…”

The Green King did not hide among her monsters but marched at the forefront, her gaze lifting.

‘Howl!’

Her blood-red eyes locked with Raon’s crimson gaze.