Chapter 134: Victory
The view from the Fortress Wall gave Edgar a perfect understanding of the battlefield.
The Northern Sect camp had completely collapsed.
Soldiers who had arrived with confidence were now running through the darkness, desperately searching for somewhere safe.
Edgar quietly watched the scene before him. ’Using the Soul Guardians was definitely the right decision.’
Nobody outside the Fortress knew about their existence, and the Eternal Night made things even better.
The enemy couldn’t properly see what was attacking them, while every Soul Guardian could move through the darkness without hesitation.
One soldier would disappear behind a tree, while another would suddenly collapse beside the burning Unbroken Fire.
There was no formation anymore. Still, Edgar noticed something unusual.
Two soldiers were somehow holding their ground against the Soul Guardians.
"...Aberrants?" Edgar narrowed his eyes.
One of them carried a sword surrounded by blazing flames.
Every time he swung the weapon, burning arcs tore through the darkness and forced the nearby Soul Guardians to retreat.
The other man’s arms were completely covered in thick layers of stone.
His fists looked more like massive rocks, and every punch sent cracks through the ground.
’Interesting.’
Edgar hadn’t expected the Northern Sect to bring two Aberrants.
He slowly turned toward Gordon. "Follow me."
Gordon immediately straightened. "My lord?"
Edgar simply stepped onto the edge of the Fortress Wall and jumped.
BOOM!
His boots struck the ground below with a heavy impact. Dust spread around his feet, but Edgar didn’t even stumble.
Gordon stared down from the wall. "Ah, show-off."
Edgar calmly dusted off his clothes before beginning to walk toward the battlefield.
His expression remained completely unchanged.
The screams and explosions around him didn’t seem to bother him.
Several soldiers noticed his approach. Their faces became pale.
"That’s him!"
"Edgar!"
Mord, who had been desperately retreating, suddenly looked toward him.
His remaining eye widened.
"You..."
For a brief moment, hope returned to his expression. He looked toward the two Aberrants fighting nearby.
"Kill him!"
The two men immediately turned.
Mord pointed toward Edgar with a trembling hand.
"Kill Edgar Atreus!" He took a step backward while desperately trying to regain his composure. "Those monsters are connected to him somehow!"
His voice became louder. "If you kill him, they’ll disappear!"
The two Aberrants exchanged glances, and they chose to believe him.
The flame-wielding man moved first.
His burning sword dragged a trail of fire behind it as he rushed directly toward Edgar.
The stone-covered Aberrant followed from the opposite side.
Edgar stopped walking as Gordon immediately moved forward.
"My lord, I’ll--"
Edgar raised one hand.
"Stay back."
Gordon stopped in his tracks with his hand on his sword hilt.
Edgar looked at the approaching Aberrants with curiosity. "I want to see how strong I am."
Gordon hesitated before stepping away.
The burning sword was already approaching.
Edgar calmly activated his new skill.
⟨Heavenly Spirit Body⟩.
Golden light erupted around him. A translucent skeletal structure appeared over his body, perfectly following every movement like a second layer of skin.
The burning sword came down as Edgar raised his bare hand.
CLANG!
The Aberrant’s eyes widened.
The flames surrounding his sword burned against Edgar’s hand, yet the blonde boy didn’t even move.
"...What?" Edgar looked at the burning blade. "That’s it?"
The Aberrant’s face became terrified as he tried to pull his weapon away.
Edgar tightened his fingers around the blade before using his other hand to grab the man’s chest.
"You’re stronger than an ordinary soldier." He paused before throwing the man away. "But that’s about it."
BOOM!
The Aberrant was thrown several metres across the ground.
Before he could recover, the second Aberrant had already arrived.
The man’s stone-covered fist came directly toward Edgar’s face.
"Die!"
Edgar simply raised his own fist.
BOOM!
The two fists collided, and the shockwave spread across the ground.
The stone-covered Aberrant stared at Edgar in disbelief.
Edgar’s feet hadn’t moved even an inch as he pulled his fist back and struck again.
BOOM!
The stone armor covering the Aberrant’s arm shattered.
The man screamed as he was thrown backward.
The first Aberrant recovered and charged again with his burning sword.
Edgar turned toward him. The golden skeletal armor moved with his body.
He stepped inside the sword’s range, and his fist struck the man’s stomach.
BOOM!
The Aberrant’s body folded around the impact before crashing into the ground.
Edgar didn’t stop there. He walked toward the stone-covered man and struck his knee.
CRACK!
The man’s leg collapsed beneath him.
Another strike broke the stone armor covering his shoulder and another sent him crashing into the ground.
Within only a few seconds, both Aberrants were lying helplessly on the battlefield.
They were still alive, but neither could continue fighting.
Edgar looked down at them. "...Stay there."
He turned and began to walk toward the settlement like nothing had happened.
Mord had watched everything as his face had become completely pale. The confidence he had shown earlier was gone.
His lips trembled as Edgar approached.
"W-Wait..." Mord immediately dropped to his knees. "Please! I can work for you!"
Edgar stopped in his tracks and tilted his head in response.
Mord hurriedly continued.
"I know how to build things! I can help you expand the Fortress!" He lowered his head until his forehead nearly touched the ground. "I’ll work under you!"
His voice became desperate. "Even as a slave, I’ll do anything!"
Edgar stared at him for several seconds.
The former builder of the Yamhad Clan looked nothing like the confident man who had arrived earlier.
He looked like a frightened animal.
"You’ve already lost."
Edgar reached forward, and his hand wrapped around Mord’s neck.
The man immediately grabbed Edgar’s wrist.
"Please, don’..."
CRACK.
Mord’s eyes widened as his breathing stopped. Edgar released him and allowed the corpse to fall to the ground.
"...One less problem."
He turned away without another glance, by now, the battlefield had become completely silent.
The Soul Guardians had already dealt with the remaining soldiers.
Bodies and broken weapons covered the ground around the abandoned camp.
The Unbroken Fires continued burning quietly.
Edgar looked around. "Bring everything useful inside the Fortress, including their bodies."
The Soul Guardians immediately obeyed.
They started with the Anti-Tower, which was carefully transported toward the Fortress.
Edgar looked at the captured machinery with interest. ’This could become useful.’
He finally turned toward Gordon as the veteran soldier was still staring at the battlefield.
"Knight Gordon."
Gordon immediately snapped out of his thoughts.
"Yes, my lord."
"Prepare the soldiers." Edgar looked toward the distant darkness. "Tomorrow morning, we’re visiting Soragon Bazaar."
Gordon’s expression changed. "...We’re taking the fight to them?"
"We’re going to finish this before they have the chance to recover." His gaze became cold.
"The Northern Sect will not survive another day."