Smashing through the enemy’s wall, the two forces finally merged.
Though both flanks remained squeezed within the encirclement, one crucial thing had changed.
"Oraaaaa!!"
Arcadia had pierced the enemy's strategy and unified its will. Dragonia, having had its scheme shattered, was plunged into confused disarray.
Unlike moments before, it was now the Dragonians who were left reeling, unable to comprehend what was happening. Despite having surrounded the Arcadians on all four sides exactly as planned, their formation had been breached by a simultaneous, single-point breakthrough from within and without.
Leo and Iricobert’s Knight Orders didn’t stop there. Having broken through, they maintained their momentum, tearing into the edges of the perimeter that was supposed to be trapping them.
Under normal circumstances, this was impossible.
The restoration of Crest Power was an unprecedented irregularity. In the heat of that chaotic slaughter, who could have coordinated a single-point breakthrough? Who could have unified the soldiers' shattered wills? And above all, how could anyone have possibly restored the power of the Knight Emblems?
With too many "impossible" events stacking up, Dragonia could no longer grasp the reality of the battlefield. Conversely, Arcadia—now the ones performing the pincer maneuver on a local scale—used their overwhelming numerical advantage to shave away the enemy’s strength.
The tide of battle had shifted significantly.
"Iricobert-san!"
"Leo!! You really pulled it off, kid!!" Iricobert barked, clapping a hand onto Leo's shoulder with a grin. "I’ve got a mountain of things to say to you, but seriously, well done! ...Hm? Why is the young lady sitting behind you?"
"Young lady?"
Leo followed Iricobert’s stunned gaze back to Flare, who was perched on the back of his Emblem Horse.
"You have the wrong person," Leo said flatly.
"No, but she looks exactly like—"
"You have the wrong person. I think we have more important things to worry about right now."
"............Y-Yeah... I guess you're right." Iricobert turned his gaze toward the hill. "Leo, we’re going to charge straight up that hill and take the enemy general’s head."
"What? What about the right wing?"
"The tide has turned thanks to you. That’s bought us a momentary opening. That’s why we need to take the hill now. For some reason, Dragonia’s coordination has been unnaturally fast for the past few years. Any chance we painstakingly create usually gets crushed instantly. This right wing might be in retreat now, but they’ll regroup before we know it. If we climb now, we can seize this opening. The risk is massive, but... it’s worth the gamble."
"Coordination speed..."
Leo remembered. Dragonia likely possessed communication devices. If the movements of this right wing were being monitored and reported in real-time, they truly had no time to waste.
Leo looked toward the hill where Arcadia’s First Army was locked in a fierce struggle with the Dragonians. From their current position, they might actually be able to take the enemy from the rear.
It was said that whoever held the hill won the plains. Not only did it provide a perfect view of the entire battlefield, but the topographical advantage of the high ground was absolute. Right now, it was a stalemate, but if one side secured it completely, the hill would become a natural fortress.
"Besides... the best kind of war is the one that ends quickly," Iricobert said. "Leo, there’s no time. Give me an answer in five seconds."
"............I..."
Leo wanted to go. But he had one lingering concern: his squad. A squad was a team, and if he left, Laphroaig and the others would be in even greater danger.
Smack!
A heavy palm struck Leo’s back.
"Honestly, you’re a boy, aren't you? Go on... go win some glory! I’ll stay here and protect Laphroaig and the others."
"Flare... are you sure?"
"In exchange, you better come back alive. And when you do, you're taking me on a full-day date."
"A date? Why?"
"G-Geez!! Just go! You too, Iricobert!"
Tilting his head in confusion, Leo met Iricobert’s eyes and nodded. Flare slid off the horse, and Leo and the knights spurred their mounts into a gallop.
Their target was the summit—to strike down the enemy general in the heat of the fray.
"Leo!"
He looked back. Flare stood with her hand over the emblem on her chest.
"...May you have fortune in battle."
Leo performed the same gesture in return.
At the top of the hill, a death match beyond imagination was unfolding.
Leading the Arcadia Sword Kingdom’s First Army was a Three-Star Knight, a man of the same rank as Iricobert.
His name was Dunkel.
He was roughly forty years old, a genuine warrior with a thick beard and sharp, piercing eyes. He was one of the few men who had fought alongside Gaia for the longest duration of his career.
His opponent was Gregori.
A Three-Star Knight of Dragonia, Gregori was the acting Commander-in-Chief of this operation.
The two armies clashed relentlessly. Neither gave an inch, constantly shifting formations and rotating tactics in a desperate bid to claim the summit. They were both veteran knights who had crossed blades on previous battlefields.
Despite the complex history between them, they fought to kill.
Why? To protect.
Their ideals differed, but both fought with their own sense of justice. How much better would it have been if they could have settled things through words? But they couldn't. That was why the world had been locked in a thousand-year cycle of conflict. There was only one way to end the struggle: for someone to become the True King and rule the world.
And so, the kings were destined to clash. In a world where words no longer held meaning, knights had no choice but to grip their swords.
Now, one more person... a Nova... gripped his sword as well.
Even if his own sense of justice was still unformed.
"Huff... huff... We’ve lost... a lot of men."
Iricobert and his group had reached the final stretch near the summit. They were covered in blood and shallow gashes. Because Dragonia held half of the hill, they had been forced to charge through enemy-controlled territory to reach the rear.
Sentries were everywhere. They had cut their way through the enemy knight orders guarding the slopes, clashing and killing as they went. Iricobert had been forced to leave the majority of his men behind to hold the line and block reinforcements.
His elite unit had been whittled down to a mere twenty men. Every one of them had laid down their lives just to pave the way for Iricobert and Leo.
Finally, the backs of the Dragonian forces fighting at the summit came into view. Standing among them, directing the battle, was the enemy general—Three-Star Knight Gregori.
They hadn't been spotted yet, though enemy knights were already scrambling up the hill behind them to report that their line had been breached.
"We’re right in the heart of the enemy camp. You scared, Leo?"
"A little... yeah."
"Good," Iricobert grinned, his teeth white against his blood-stained face. "Anyone who says they aren't afraid is full of shit. You might die. You might get cut down. You might get captured, tortured, and die a miserable death. I’m terrified too. But..."
Iricobert’s grin widened into a predatory smile.
"But letting kids who don't know any better face that terror instead of us... that's a hell of a lot scarier. That's why we fight! Let's go, you bastards!!"
""Oooooooo!!""
Iricobert and his men surged up the final incline at full speed.
With lightning-fast precision, they cut down the enemy soldiers before they could even register the threat. Their goal was to slay the enemy general and seize victory for Arcadia.
Leo gripped his sword tight, cutting his way toward the top. To end this war, he climbed.
Even if destiny itself awaited him at the summit.