The Villain Who Robbed the Heroines Chapter 207

༺  Gremory Elden Ishtar Elmark (1) ༻

      Just as Prince Raymond had warned before their departure from the capital, the horrors of war could not be masked by any rhetoric.   The soldiers were constantly subjected to sounds they wished they didn't have to hear.   Unpleasant sights unfolded before their eyes wherever they looked.   These were the very essence of war and everything it encompassed.   Keheuk... Heuakkk!   It was akin to crushing a crawling ant underfoot.   Everyone on the battlefield witnessed just how easily and meaninglessly a person's life could be taken.   Since the magic that blanketed the sky couldn't be dispelled, once it struck the soldiers, it would immediately claim the lives of countless comrades.   Bodies that were still intact enough to be controlled would be raised by the warlocks, wielding spears and swords even in death.   Beneath the feet of the two warring Empires lay things that no longer moved...   They were not mere human corpses, but fragments of what had once been a person.   Even the Knights and Wizards whose protection they were under, fell victim to a sudden attack by an enemy knight who exploited a split-second opening.   The only thing that the elite troops and ordinary soldiers shared on this battlefield was….   In their final moments,   They all called out for their mother, father, son, or daughter as they met their end.   ...Of course, no one heard.   After all, the song of spears and swords resounded throughout the battlefield like the booming of a colossal drum, drowning out those heartfelt cries.   * * * * *   The battle lines had taken an unusual turn.   Instead of a war of attrition unfolding in the center where the two armies clashed...   The Ernes Empire pushed through from the left, while the Elmark Empire advanced from the right, gradually devouring the enemy forces.   The reason behind this was simple; there was no one capable of stopping Ferzen on the left,   And on the right, no one could halt Empress Gremory.   ‘What's disappointing is that they didn't come to face this Empress.’   But as long as she killed more enemies than the number of her own soldiers dying, it should be sufficient, shouldn't it?   With that thought in mind, Empress Gremory swung her sword at the forefront of their right flank attack.   Her sword held no sincere conviction or earnest wish.   Evident in the peculiar smile that graced her lips, only the pleasurable ecstasy that war brought resided at the tip of her blade.   Slice-!!   The soldiers were sliced through like paper by her swift slashes.   Those caught in the aftermath of her sword's wind were crushed like clay.   "Uh, huu...!"   When Empress Gremory spotted a young-looking soldier from the Ernes Empire standing before her, she threw her sword outward, as if protecting him, her mind filled with thoughts of a mischievous prank.   And then, countless bodies of fallen soldiers began piling up in a circle around the terrified soldier.   The young soldier, frustrated that he couldn't even properly throw the spear he held, broke down in tears.   "Huu, huaaaaah!"   However, after enduring repeated taunts from Empress Gremory, the young soldier finally erupted in anger and hurled his spear...    Snap-!!   Unfortunately for him, the tip of the spear shattered into pieces without even leaving a scratch on the hem of Empress Gremory's garments.   "Ah..."   When the young soldier's eyes met Empress Gremory's gaze as she turned her head, all the strength drained from his legs and he collapsed onto the bodies of his fallen comrades, trembling.   "M-mommy..."   His instincts told him that his end was near.   All the young soldier could do was desperately call out for his mother, who awaited his return in their hometown, stripped of his weapons and defenseless.   Eventually, Empress Gremory shifted her gaze away from the young soldier and looked ahead once more. In that moment, she witnessed soldiers from the Elmark Empire swiftly converging on the area behind the young soldier.   With their spears and swords...   Neigh-!!   They failed to sever the young soldier's head from his body.   "Keuheuk!"   Suddenly, a large hand grabbed the soldier from behind as he sat there, pulling him away.   "Rearrange your battle lines!"   Simultaneously, the thunderous sound of hooves kicking up dust announced the arrival of the knights from the Ernes Empire. They charged through the ranks of the Elmark Empire soldiers, swiftly correcting the disarrayed battle lines.   Prince Raymond, drawing his sword and cutting down enemies in the center, addressed the soldier who stared at him with a vacant expression.   "Snap out of it!"   "Ah, ah..."   "There are weapons scattered around you, aren't there? When you feel lost on the battlefield...! Always look ahead."   Just as he had promised.   And vowed.   I will not hide behind your backs.   And I will always expose my back to you.   "To guide you through this treacherous battlefield, I will become your beacon of light."   "Ke, keheuk...!"   Upon hearing Prince Raymond's cry, the young soldier hastily wiped his tear-stained eyes, seized the spears abandoned by his fallen comrades, and stood up.   Prince Raymond was not someone gifted in magic.   Even though he might have learned swordsmanship, on this battlefield, he was no different from the young soldier.   Yet, seeing him standing at the forefront, swinging his sword without a hint of fear of death, brought tears to the young soldier's eyes.   The flickering lights seemed too feeble to dispel the darkness of the battlefield...   Nevertheless, the young soldier still yearned to protect those lights with his spear.   "What a peculiar sight."   Meanwhile, Empress Gremory maintained her composure despite her isolation, concealing her sneer.   The battle of Eliatta Gorge would not end simply by killing Prince Raymond.   Though his power was formidable, it was only equivalent to that of three soldiers.   But wasn't there something called symbolism?   At the very least, severing his head from his body and raising it high in the air would shatter the morale of the Ernes Empire's army.   Of course, Prince Raymond was not alone; a few Auror Knights stood beside him, their eyes bloodshot as they stared at her.   However, breaking through their ranks and slaying Prince Raymond could hardly be considered a difficult task.   ‘It is absurd to claim that a sword is a warrior's lover on the battlefield.’   With a light swing of her sword, Empress Gremory shook off the blood that had accumulated on its blade.   Then, she raised her left foot, enveloped it in an indescribable surge of magic power, and slammed it into the ground.   Boom-!!   The earth, assaulted by the violent force unleashed by Empress Gremory, trembled like the waves of the sea, defying the belief that such power could be wielded by a mere human body.   As the Auror Knights guarding Prince Raymond were momentarily thrown off balance by the rising earth, Empress Gremory seized the opportunity and drew her sword back...   ──!   Then, she hurled it.   Paang─!   Thanks to her physical abilities surpassing human limits, the sword she threw broke the sound barrier for an instant, creating a noise that tore through the air.   Moreover, due to the sword's spinning motion as it soared through the air, a swirling spiral of wind formed, causing the battle lines of the Ernes Empire to crumble like they were made of mere child's play.   Soon after, Empress Gremory, the only one able to track the sword's trajectory, witnessed it piercing through the blind spot of the Auror Knights...   There was no doubt in her mind that Prince Raymond's body, impaled from front to back, would be sent flying in a clockwise direction.   Yes, she had complete certainty in the outcome.   Flash──!   Rumble-!!   Like a ray of dawn breaking through the dark sky.   The surge of electricity, born from an immense magical power, crashed down to the ground like thunder, reducing her sword to ashes without a trace.   Rumble-!!   "......"   Observing this, Empress Gremory turned her head to the left, facing the shards of stone scattered in all directions by the thunderous impact.   Bzzt-!!   Even though she stood at a considerable distance, residual currents still surged through her body, devouring her own magic power.   The sword she had released was undeniably enveloped in an enormous amount of magical power.   However, the lightning strike nullified all of her magic and incinerated her sword.   This meant that the lightning strike possessed an even greater magical power than what had surrounded her sword.   At that moment, amidst the chaotic battlefield where her soldiers clashed with the forces of the Ernes Empire...   She spotted a man approaching her, accompanied by a beautiful woman exuding a somber aura.   Surrounding them were four corpses, their swords and spears wielded with precision, as if protecting the man and woman. They wore uniforms adorned with the symbol of scales.   Empress Gremory easily recognized the man's identity as Ferzen.   He had slain a significant number of her soldiers, drenched in their blood, resembling a demon.   Step-!!   Taking the place of the disheveled Auror Knights, Ferzen positioned himself to guard Prince Raymond.   In response, Empress Gremory stooped down and picked up a sword lying on the ground, a smile playing on her lips like that of a child.   "This Empress emerges victorious."   For some reason, she felt a sense of satisfaction.   For triumphing in a childish game of wit on the battlefield.   * * * * *   Both Prince Raymond, steadfastly guarding Ferzen's back while keeping his gaze forward, and Ferzen, protecting Prince Raymond while keeping his eyes fixed on Gremory, remained silent, each focused on fulfilling their respective roles to the best of their abilities.   If it was the duty of the roof to protect the pillar, then it was the duty of the pillar to support the roof.   "......"   However, unlike Gremory, Ferzen had little time for leisure.   He was controlling a total of 13 bodies through his magical powers, including Isabel and the previous heads of the Brutein family.   Although the previous heads moved autonomously, their consumption of magical power was relatively low.   Nevertheless, managing such a large number of bodies, each possessing considerable power, caused Ferzen's magical power to rapidly deplete.   Gremory likely engaged in this childish fight because she was confident that Ferzen would be the one to approach her first, knowing that his magical power would be depleted before hers.   After all, regardless of how the war unfolds, his magical power would be the first to run out.   The reason he did not immediately open the gate to the Underworld when the war began, but instead waited until his magical power was nearly depleted, was because it was the only way to defeat Gremory.   Yet, even though both him and Gremory were aware of this fact, Ferzen showed no signs of weakness. Instead, he faced Gremory head-on as she steadily closed the distance between them.   "Do you not think you are being too arrogant, coming to meet this Empress with only four previous family heads?"   "......"   "Furthermore, what is this talk of roofs and pillars? The sight of weaklings like you licking each other is truly repugnant."   "......"   "You see, a roof collapsing despite having a sturdy pillar happens more often than you think. However, it might be amusing to first dismantle the pillars one by one before causing the roof to collapse this time."   The battlefield resounded with screams and the clash of weapons, drowning out all other sounds.   Yet, her voice cut through the chaos with crystal clarity.   Ferzen exhaled a hot breath and spoke.   "Empress."   Corleone Wayne Barretta Alfred.   Ferzen despised that cunning old man with every fiber of his being.   However, he couldn't help but agree with the notion that noble character held no place on the battlefield.   Despite appearing composed on the surface as he stood amidst the turmoil, he too harbored the same fears that plagued everyone else. After all, this was his first experience in war.   Even now, if he closed his eyes and opened them again, he could still see himself waking up to the morning light with Euphemia or Yuriel in his embrace.   But that was an unattainable reality in their current circumstances.   If he could return from this battlefield and live that life once more...   No, as long as he didn't lose his way back to that life, Ferzen was willing to do whatever it took.   "It seems you have the ambition to be remembered in history as a conqueror. But do you know how you appear right now? The soldiers and nobles of the Elmark Empire fear you more than they rely on you. And now, with the war underway, they tremble even more at the prospect of death. Your inability to control their fear of dying at the hands of the enemy shows that you have failed to rule as a tyrant. The title of Empress is wasted on someone like you, who unknowingly wields a sword amidst enemy forces like a reckless girl."   “……”   "Do you believe your swordsmanship to be flawless? My answer to that is no, it is far from flawless. Your stance when wielding your sword lacks proper formality, indicating that you have never had a proper teacher due to your arrogant personality. While your talent for magic may have shielded you from defeat, your self-taught swordsmanship only makes you appear like a young girl hastily applying strange makeup in an attempt to appear more mature. No, there is a subtle vulgarity hidden within... Have you used your position to pursue any men you desire?"   "......"   "It is evident that you hold a sword, yet it seems as though you are grasping a man's genitals, reflecting your usual behavior."   "......"   "Gremory Eldin Ishtar Elmark. Convince me that I am facing the leader of a nation, and not a prostitute who is ignorant of her own domain."   "Ha, ahaha!"   In truth, there was no flaw in Gremory's stance.   While it was true that she had not received formal swordsmanship training, to claim that her self-taught skills were flawed was nothing more than criticism.   However, this was not a duel.   In war, there were no set rules that needed to be followed.   In that case, was it not natural to use provocations to unsettle the opponent and slightly increase the chances of victory?   "It's amusing how such unexpected and venomous words can come from someone with such a pretty face."   "......"   "Are you so afraid of this sword that you have resorted to taunting and provoking this Empress?"   Gremory casually brushed her signature blue hair and adjusted her posture.   "Later, before I kill you, I will douse your pretty face with urine so that you can witness firsthand the extent of your foolishness."   Soon after, the hand gripping the sword tightened.   It was more than before.   No—much more than before.      

---