ALL NOVEL Chapter 437
“Tsk.”
The princess, furrowing her brow, clicked her tongue to cool her anger.
“I thought they were all dead, but it seems they have a secret weapon hidden away.”
Just moments ago, after taking a direct hit from magic, she felt her fate, which should have led to her obliteration, flashing before her eyes.
The thrill of near-perfect victory faded quickly from her mind.
The hollow anger left in the empty space continued to gnaw at Adelhaite endlessly.
‘The power to change fate was supposed to lie solely with that strange man.’
Having twisted his death so boldly, the power that defies the heavens clearly isn’t just permitted to that man alone.
It was proven that this was not a unique power, but one that could be wielded by more than one being, making it worthy of study by itself.
But what was most important right now was—
‘The shamans have always claimed they would rewrite fate again.’
It wasn’t simply bravado from those who borrowed power from demons.
Just as they claimed that their strength had taken root deep in the northern lands, we could see the situation twisting and slipping away from us as we gained an advantage.
Only someone with the ability to penetrate through them could kill the demon.
‘Moving quickly to the west. With this…’
Thus, Adelhaite shifted her gaze to the entities that were tirelessly creating new facets.
Her eyes, soon aimed at the Arael Fortress in the distance, were filled with undeniable displeasure as she scowled.
“We must head to Arael Fortress immediately. We need to prepare to finish it off at the eastern gate of the fortress.”
“The kingdom’s wizards are all ready to follow your Highness’s orders.”
“Good. But to move a step ahead of the demon, resolving this blizzard is urgent.”
“Your Highness, leave it to this old man.”
“Can you handle it alone?”
“Even though I seem like this, I was granted the privilege of being the headmaster of the academy due to the trust of her Highness the Queen and Princess. How could I sit idly at such an opportunity to repay that trust?”
“Alright.”
The enemy had already noticed their position. There was no longer any need to hide from them. The headmaster’s magic twisted the path of both magic and snow in an instant.
“Then let’s depart quickly.”
With that, Adelhaite mounted her steed and began to lead the way.
“The plan proposed by Count Shianella should never come to fruition.”
The fate that the man had to penetrate was at Arael Fortress.
*
“It only takes hitting once, right? Shione, are you feeling confident?”
“Whether I’m confident or not, I have to try to find out…! Ray, hold the reins for me!”
“I’ll drive a bit more aggressively.”
“Go at it as if tomorrow doesn’t exist! If I hesitate even a little, the arrow might not hit at all!”
Shione and I quickly switched positions.
Shione was poised to shoot an arrow straight into the head of the Gluttony Demon.
And I was doing my best to steer the horse to create an angle for her to shoot.
“Now we’ll be taking a rougher path!”
“Understood… Waah…!”
Together with the support of Elvis and Orna, we began navigating the treacherous terrain.
The ground was bumpy, covered in snow, with tree roots and stones barely visible, and before I knew it, the heavily armed knights were tightening their formation around me.
“Baron! You suddenly surged ahead; do you have some clever trick?”
“One arrow! Shione-nim said just one shot will do!”
“Are you telling me that’ll kill the demon? Sounds utterly ridiculous…”
I wasn’t sure what expression Shione was making right now.
But as Aria Alenarr caught her gaze, it seemed she saw something in her and responded confidently.
“Seeing that expression, I can’t just leave you hanging. Heavy Cavalry of the Blizzards! From now on, we will support the Master and the Baron!”
The brave heavy cavalry of the north began to move solely for Shione and me.
“Lord Baron!”
“Teia! While we buy time, have the backup magic division and knights set up ahead and wait! The moment the path to the fortress opens, hell will break loose!”
“Understood!”
The soldiers of the Baron’s family moved in perfect coordination as well.
We couldn’t fall behind their momentum.
The heavy cavalry of the Marquis Family pressed the demon further.
“Ahhh!”
“If it seems like you’ll be eaten, abandon your horse!”
The Gluttony Demon was devouring knights who approached too closely, continuing its relentless advance.
“Do you see a spot to shoot the arrow?”
“Not yet! The torso is easy, but the head is just impossible!”
It might be because I had already been hit once; every time an arrow aimed for its vital spots, it twisted its body painfully or vanished behind a tree in a flash, desperately trying to dodge the attacks.
As we drew closer to the west, the situation remained unbearably tense.
“What the hell is that crazy woman…!”
“Everyone be careful not to collide with each other!”
Amidst the commotion of the Heavy Cavalry of the Blizzards, I turned my head to see a familiar figure charging forth, driving her horse directly at the Gluttony Demon.
“Diolia?”
“…Is this insane woman really our captain?”
No, it can’t be.
Diolia was a veteran who had faced demons alongside us two times.
She had felt the peril posed by demons firsthand.
There was no way she’d recklessly attack one equal to herself—
“Don’t forget why our order is called the Great Demon Tribe Special Mission Knight Order! We’ll stake our lives to uphold the Count’s honor!”
…Diolia was right.
Years of leading the Count’s heavy cavalry hadn’t gone to waste.
Charging at the enemy as if the fear of death didn’t exist, the Gluttony Demon responded.
“──!”
With an earsplitting roar, it opened its jaws wide, ready to swallow Diolia.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the captain dismounted and drew her sword.
“Shione-nim, I’ll create a gap!”
Diolia, having wrapped her horse around the demon’s mouth, unleashed her sword strike.
In an instant, her blow aimed at its flank sliced through its flesh, causing blood to gush.
However, the demon’s momentum didn’t wane as it instantly healed from the devoured horse’s flesh.
Clang—
The subsequent attack was blocked by the demon’s claws.
“Gah…!”
Despite being no larger than a wolf, its strength was monstrous.
Diolia’s own might was enough to withstand its assault, but her sword could not hold out.
She sensed a tiny crack forming in her blade and let out a groan.
“Done! Now…!”
In that moment, Shione, having been granted time by Diolia, aimed her bow.
Kuwuung─!
Before I even willed it, the ground shook, and a booming roar echoed through the skies.
Caught off guard, Shione clenched her teeth in frustration.
“Damn it…! Why does this always happen at such critical times!”
Unwilling to miss this unforeseen disaster, the Gluttony Demon seemed to enjoy the moment, grinning as if the world were turning just for it.
‘Whether it’s the status window or the Demonic Realm, they’ll keep speaking of destiny and fate.’
How absolute that destiny had become.
It seemed as if the world that was meant to fall was supposed to fall in the demon’s favor, having crafted an absurd level of advantages in its favor.
As soon as I realized the unfairness of the situation, it was too late.
Kuwaaang─!
Diolia’s balance wavering, the demon seized the opportunity to send her crashing to the ground, while Shione’s supportive attack hit the demon’s torso, barely grazing it.
The Gluttony Demon, having bitten into the Heavy Cavalry of the Blizzards, surged forward with an augmented power, systematically breaching our defenses.
“The demon heads toward Arael Fortress!”
In the knot of a spiraled situation, the demon finally managed to break through.
*
With each swish of the dragon’s tail, a strong wind swept through.
As it moved violently, knights who could not evade simply vanished without a trace.
A dragon was indeed such. A colossal natural disaster.
‘It’s monstrous.’
The dragon’s gaze and malice struck at the core of primal fear.
We called it death.
And since the Master was not merely a cold magic weapon, every interaction with it gradually sprouted the fear of death.
Nevertheless, Ainel was facing the dragon head-on, braving the frontlines more than anyone else.
“The demon’s movements are slowing! Its endurance is near depletion! Even if we must stab it with a broken sword, let’s make it bleed!”
Fear was chased away by her rallying cry.
Though knights stuck by her side had long since died, she had no doubts that they continued to fight with her.
And as a result, the fruits of the fierce battle emerged.
Kuwaaaang─!
The Arael Fortress shook.
The reason was simple.
“Commander! The dragon has knelt!”
“Drag its neck lower! It’s out of strength; we just have to push it now!”
The dragon subjugation operation had reached its climax.
The elderly and battered dragon could not endure the attacks from the knights and wizards.
Ultimately, it gave in to the overwhelming onslaught.
“Now’s the perfect time to bind its body and finish it off! Wizards, cast binding spells!”
At Ainel’s command, the knights restraining the dragon were uplifted by the sight of victory before them.
“It’s our chance!”
Ainel, with her exhausted and battered body, stood before the dragon’s neck.
Even as a knight of the Master, to face the dragon directly while watching over her fellow knights was an unparalleled feat.
Her talent had reached its peak, but her breaths were long gone. She had been crushed by that massive body so many times, her body screamed of its limits.
Yet Ainel’s spirit soared higher than ever.
‘One strike to sever its head.’
There was no time to waste.
Half of the fort’s walls had already been demolished, and the surrounding terrain was in ruins, no longer resembling its previous state.
If she didn’t cut off its life now, the opportunity to let it struggle free would only complicate matters further.
“…!”
Ainel’s mana ignited in her heart, illuminating her attack that found its way to the dragon’s neck.
“Grrr…!”
It wasn’t easy.
The dragon’s scales were as tough as armor forged for decades by dwarves.
Its flesh and bones bore an otherworldly tenacity compared to ordinary creatures.
But Ainel never let go of her sword, even with trembling hands.
“─!”
With a successful strike on the thrashing dragon’s neck, she managed to leave a mark.
“Hah… ha…”
Blood flowed from its neck, not from its torso or body.
That was sweeter than any toast she could dream of.
“…Damn it, this is one tough beast. Its body is far stronger than the demon.”
A far stronger foe than the demon they faced during the wall wars back at the Count’s estate.
Yet even amidst the recoil from draining her mana, a glimmer of hope flickered on her face.
“Is that fear in your eyes?”
Just before she perceived the dragon’s pupils flinch.
She realized that the tremor in its eyes stemmed not from her blade but from an ancestral fear cultivated over time.
Thus, without the leisure to rejoice, she must take up her sword once more.
In the end, just as her ominous premonition suggested, the worst scenario came to pass.
An entity with overwhelming magical powers approached. Just sensing it made her skin crawl.
“I guess… I’m relieved I discussed this with your Highness beforehand.”
If she wanted to shine in the counterattacks she had woven, what happened now was crucial.