How to Live as a Genius Knight in a Fantasy World

50.

Nothing is infinite.

No matter how wealthy a noble may be, they cannot endlessly hoard resources.

Frederick and Carlton, who had ruled as grand nobles for over several decades accumulating vast wealth, were no exception.

However, the fact that a considerable amount of resources were used in the siege implied that it inflicted more damage on the enemy.

More than half a day had passed since the demons’ invasion began.

The magical cannons, once boasting a destructive power akin to a harbinger of destruction, were emitting their power less frequently, and the holy water used for the arrows was running low.

Yet, the number of demons had also decreased significantly.

Beneath the towering walls, the bodies of demons were piled up forming a hill, and the demons constantly struggled to climb over their comrades’ bodies to reach the walls.

“It’s still manageable.”

The viscount, surveying the battlefield from atop the walls, slightly relaxed his tense expression.

The tall and sturdy walls held firm against the relentless physical attacks of the demons, and the demons who occasionally leaped onto the walls were swiftly dismantled by the knights.

Despite having secured numerous resources, the reason why the viscount specifically chose to defend the fortress was becoming increasingly apparent.

Furthermore, items akin to strategic resources like magical stones or holy water were starting to run low, but oil, arrows, and spears were still piled up like a mountain.

“Bring more oil!”

The demons drenched in the oil spread across the castle were burning fiercely, blocking the approach of other demons.

No matter how fearless the demons were, when their bodies caught fire, they often rolled helplessly under the mountain of corpses.

Watching the demons die powerless, hope began to rise among the soldiers that they might win this battle easily.

However, as always, it was not just one side that surveyed the battlefield.

Leading the faction of dark sorcerers, Harken, through the shared vision spell prepared in advance, was keenly aware of the situation on the battlefield.

“…Quite a lot have died.”

“Harken, should we not move now?”

The creatures that had stained the Arden Plains so darkly had dwindled by nearly half in just half a day.

The dark sorcerers, who had been confident of victory when they first unleashed the creatures, now had darkened expressions after confirming their powerful firepower.

‘That’s why they’re mere pawns…’

Seeing the pitiful sight of the creatures, Harken clicked his tongue inwardly.

The ones who had been about to shout wildly as if they could overturn the world were now showing signs of weakness upon realizing the actual possibility of turning the world upside down.

Unlike other dark sorcerers who were anxiously revealing their restless thoughts due to the rapidly decreasing number of creatures, Harken, on the contrary, felt the time ripening more and more.

‘Those creatures are mere expendables. Their firepower has noticeably decreased.’

The magical cannons that had been firing relentlessly as if they could sweep away the creatures in an instant were now only sporadically operating, and the arrows that had been raining down like a storm were no longer visible.

The only remaining means of attack for them were throwing rocks from the high walls or pouring oil to set fires, while the knights on the walls remained resolute, and the sacred magic sporadically cast by the priests still posed a threat.

‘But even with that, we cannot stop the Corpse Dragon.’

Harken’s gaze was still fixed on the head of the dragon crouching atop the ruins of the royal palace.

After thoroughly scouring the capital, pulling out numerous people, including high-ranking knights, and injecting advanced “ingredients”, the Corpse Dragon had reached a near-complete state.

Of course, it might not display the transcendental power it had in life, but it was evident that it was a monster that even a sturdy barrier could not stop.

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Despite rejecting numerous urgencies, Harken, who felt he could no longer delay, now felt the need to act.

“Yes, the time has come. Prepare to move.”

At Harken’s words, the dark sorcerers, who had been waiting for this moment, picked up bags laid out on the ground.

“At last…”

Finally, with the thought that the moment to completely destroy a kingdom was imminent, emotions that could not be contained bubbled up everywhere.

Dark sorcerers mounted on flying creatures they had preselected began to rise into the sky one by one, and Harken, along with his “puppet”, stepped onto the saddle placed on the dragon’s spine.

Dark magic emanated from Harken’s hand resting on the black crystal, causing the dragon, which had been dormant, to rise once more.

The immense dark magic, beyond description, surged within the dragon’s bones, and the body, with not even the slightest shred of wing membrane remaining, floated into the air as if in a lie.

Fluttering its wingless frame, the colossal dragon departed from Arden Castle.

Once a thriving capital of a kingdom, now nothing but an empty ruin devoid of both people and creatures.

The horde of dark sorcerers leaving Arden Castle had chosen the Marquisate as their first target.

Given its even greater formidable presence compared to the Viscount’s domain, it was judged that if the Marquisate fell, the kingdom would be no different from being overthrown.

Thanks to their sky domination, the time it took for them to arrive was mere moments compared to ordinary foot soldiers.

The first to spot the colossal dragon was a knight who had leaped up to the castle walls and swiftly struck down the creature that had leaped up there.

Due to him looking up at a relatively high place to face the creature, he was able to spot the Corpse Dragon faster than anyone else.

After slaying the creature and proudly shaking off the blood, his arm suddenly stopped, and the valiant gaze in his eyes shook mercilessly.

Though he had ignored all the chatter from the survivors of the second punitive force about the Corpse Dragon, the awe-inspiring presence he witnessed in person was beyond description.

In a figure akin to the harbinger of the apocalypse, the morale of the soldiers who had fought tirelessly thus far was greatly shaken.

“Good heavens…”

“…The intimidation is beyond expectation.”

Even the composed Frederick, the Marquis, momentarily lost his composure upon the dragon’s appearance.

Soon, regaining his senses, he quickly issued orders.

“Have all the wizards focus on restraining the dark wizards. Aim all the mana cannons at the corpse dragons! Ask the priests to use holy magic instead of blessings.”

Having heavily relied on the high castle walls until now, the wizards and priests were not in terrible shape even after a long battle.

Knowing it wasn’t a desperate situation, they held back from unleashing their full power.

The dark wizards, now close to the castle, began casting dark magic into the air, and wicked curses rained down upon the knights battling the monsters.

The wizards tried to respond, but their opponents were freely flying in the sky.

With overwhelming superiority in mobility, they could do nothing but take the attacks head-on.

“It’s not a favorable situation. But we have no choice but to endure.”

The dark wizards were not numerous to begin with.

Even if their wicked schemes had succeeded in capturing the capital, their numbers couldn’t suddenly skyrocket.

Though they were casting magic incessantly into the air now, their numbers didn’t even reach a hundred.

With nearly fifty wizards in Frederick Castle alone, and over a hundred priests holding the line, a sudden attack like this wouldn’t cause significant damage.

Instead, the Duke of Frederick’s gaze turned towards the giant dragon hovering in the sky.

“They must be preparing something…”

And just as the Duke thought, Harken and the remaining dark wizards were preparing a grand spell to bring down that behemoth.

Stones imbued with mana extracted from thousands of corpses through demonic remnants were handed to the dark wizards.

To them, these stones were precious items that could be easily replenished if the castle fell.

Without hesitation, they infused the stones with dark magic, and the runes inscribed on the stones resonated with the mana, creating a harmonious connection with the other stones.

Overwhelming dark magic burst out from the stones, and soon, a sinister magical circle engraved itself in the sky, emitting a ghastly light.

As the precursor to the grand spell, the wizards who had been battling the dark magic pouring from the sky turned their attention to the magic circle.

“We must stop it! We have to stop it!”

Desperately shouting, the wizard knew there was no spell strong enough to counter the grand spell being cast under the relentless dark magic.

The mana cannons appeared to move urgently, but with their slow firing rate, disrupting the already cast spell was impossible.

The dark magic emanating from the massive magical circle shot towards the pile of bodies in front of the castle gate, seemingly absorbing into them.

As the dark magic disappeared as if nothing had happened, the priests concentrating on radiating holy power showed a hint of confusion.

“Don’t stop! With such powerful dark magic absorbed, something must happen!”

At the head priest’s shout, the priests, with lowered heads, began channeling holy power once more.

The head priest’s prediction was correct.

From under the mound of bodies, sounds akin to flesh and blood being torn apart could be heard.

The writhing mass of bodies, as if something was about to burst out, condensed into a single point under an unseen force.

Though the priests realized the anomaly and continued to radiate holy power, the number of gems used in the grand spell alone exceeded twenty.

It was an immense amount of mana carried by over twenty people.

With the priests already dispersed in defending against the dark wizards’ attacks, it was impossible to deliver an effective blow with magic.

Successfully condensed within the pouring holy power, the bodies flew towards the castle gate and stuck to it.

Though reduced in volume, each flesh lump forming the mass held an extremely dense concentration of dark magic.

Witnessing the dreadful sight, the onlookers felt a strong sense of foreboding as the flesh near the gate began to bubble as if boiling.

“It’s a success.”

Seeing the grand spell successfully cast, Harken smiled deeply.

No matter how potent dark magic might be, there was no way they could breach the solidly built castle walls layered with magic dust in one go.

However sturdy the castle walls were, there was undoubtedly a weakness.

And that was the castle gate.

They say that no matter how sturdy the steel was made, there were clear limits to its strength and thickness.

Moreover, being a metal, it was rapidly corroding in the presence of the decay-infused black magic.

Injecting magic at the level of grand sorcery to trigger the corpse explosion, coupled with the breath of the corpse dragon, made it impossible to penetrate.

Vast amounts of dark magic surged from the gem embedded in the corpse dragon’s head, swirling dark magic coalescing within the dragon’s jaws.

As the dragon opened its mouth, the condensed dark magic shot towards the castle gate, and the flesh touched by the dragon’s breath triggered a massive explosion.

“What? Huh!?”

Startled by the sudden shaking of the castle walls, the bewildered soldiers let out sounds filled with confusion.

Amidst the great vibration, stone fragments and flesh mixed, creating a red-hued dust that swirled, revealing the completely collapsed castle walls around the gate.

Through the fallen walls, the faces of the soldiers, engulfed in fear of the unbelievable reality, were revealed.

Numerous demons began to surge through the breached walls like waves.

“What the hell is that?”

Enduring the cold winter weather, having walked for over a fortnight, the punitive expedition faced a sight akin to a nightmare.

As the colossal corpse dragon exhaled its black breath, the majestic castle walls shattered completely.

Resembling a legendary evil dragon from the tales grandmothers used to tell, most of the expedition members felt a strong urge.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to run away now?’

Rohan was no exception.

After confirming the effects of the newly acquired skills, Rohan, who maintained a surprisingly calm mind considering the imminent perilous battle, was now faced with the horrifying power of the corpse dragon, making everything suddenly seem futile.

‘No, how can one defeat that?’

No matter how much he thought, the overwhelming strength seemed to have no answer.