The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 332: The Northern Reclamation War (4)

Since ancient times, one of the tactics most loved by countless great generals was the encirclement formation. The significance of an encirclement formation was simple and clear. Once formed, no one would be allowed to leave alive. That was the very reason the tactic of encirclement existed in the world.

Of course, as powerful as it was, it was a tactic difficult to utilize, and thus came with strict preconditions. First, the allied forces had to outnumber the enemy. That was one of the basic conditions of an encirclement formation. If the troops were insufficient and they tried to surround the enemy by force, they would only end up being defeated one by one.

The second was the soldiers’ abilities. In MID Online, this was something to be even more mindful of. Surrounding a thousand knights with ten thousand soldiers was a foolish act that held no meaning at all if they weren’t capable enough.

The third was the coordination of the soldiers. Fundamentally, an encirclement formation wasn’t complete simply by taking position. It had to be fluid and adapt to the enemy's movements, changing dynamically in real time. Naturally, the soldiers and their commanders needed to be perfectly in sync, as it was a high-difficulty tactic that only worked when all parts moved as one.

Lastly, the most important factor was none other than mobility. Even if the enemy tried to flee by finding a gap, swift maneuverability was required to block them.

These were all facts well understood even by Krom, an inquisitor of the Church of Muldine, so rather than feeling bewildered, he felt genuine confusion. novelbuddy.cσ๓

What exactly are they trying to pull off here?

Krom turned his head to look at the Rashion army which had surrounded the main force in a formation resembling three tightly grouped squares, one in front, two in the rear. There were approximately fifty thousand people. They were divided into fifteen thousand, fifteen thousand, and twenty thousand troops.

That must be the fifty thousand troops led by Count Hind.

But instead of hiding away in their fortress, they were lying in ambush.

Krom shook his head. “So, I guess they'd rather die fighting than starve to death in disgrace.”

To him, it seemed as though the enemy had come to the battlefield just to die. And it made sense, as aside from the skill or mobility of their troops, this side outnumbered them overwhelmingly.

How disappointing. I heard Count Hind was the northern commander of Rashion and a renowned general even the Empire had trouble with...

However, the disappointment that surfaced on his face quickly vanished.

“Well, at least it's less of a hassle.”

To destroy all those who opposed the name of Muldine was the mission Krom had been born with.

“Everyone, raise your weapons.”

At Krom’s command, a single sound cut through the air of the plains.

The Dark Knights were connected to one another by a shared consciousness through the Essence of Darkness.

A fearless army. Truly a force worthy of bearing the name of Muldine.

Naturally, those managing such forces were the high-ranking overseers of the Church of Muldine, and today, that glorious role belonged to Krom.

“No need to greet dogs who’ve given up on life,” Krom muttered briefly and lowered his helmet visor.

Through his narrowed field of vision, he could see the fools surrounding them.

Krom raised his weapon high and forcefully pulled his reins. “In the name of Muldine!”

“In the name of Muldine!”

The massive army that blackened the plains charged toward the force of twenty thousand.

***

“Commander, I must repeat, this operation is...”

“Trust.”

Despite the nobles’ continued earnest advice, Count Hind wore a relaxed expression.

In his view appeared the massive army of one hundred thousand charging toward the fortress. Yet, he looked down at them with a steady gaze.

“Count Kai is not one to speak empty words. You can trust him.”

“But the promised time has already passed. I fear something may have happened at Siris Fortress...”

“If that’s true, then this is no different from a suicide mission. We must open the gates and call the troops back immediately.”

“The encirclement is already complete. There’s no turning back,” Count Hind calmed the nobles with a gentle tone and let out a chuckle. “A hundred thousand... haha, that is quite a number.”

Were there truly that many remnants of the Church of Muldine hiding in this country? He hadn't fought so hard to defend the North just to protect such people.

“The more I think about it, the more infuriating it becomes.”

With his eyes growing colder, he fixed his gaze on the plains and said, “You said all communication magic is currently disabled?”

“Yes. Something unknown is disrupting the flow of mana. We suspect Muldine’s sorcery, as both communication and teleportation magic are unusable at the moment.”

“Hmm. The more I learn about Count Kai, the more fascinating he is.”

Even in this situation, he had the miraculous ability to move between the capital and the North with ease.

“But will Count Kai really be able to turn the tide if he returns?”

“Well, he did make such a claim... Surely he has a plan.”

“Don’t you think he’s planning to bring reinforcements?”

“Hmm, reinforcements, huh... Even if he does bring some, I wonder how many he could actually bring.”

The nobles continued their heated debate with grave expressions.

Count Hind, who remained silent and watched the plain, finally said, “Quiet.”

At that one word, the nobles fell silent and followed Count Hind’s gaze.

“They’re about to clash.”

The nobles’ eyes widened, eager to witness the clash between the two armies.

***

Interestingly enough, Inquisitor Krom was unique in that he didn’t wield a sword or a mace, but a scythe as his primary weapon. A massive scythe with blades protruding on both sides.

The typical image of a scythe was that it was simply sharp and nothing more, but he wielded his scythe like a greatsword. Together with his brute strength, the weapon was infamous for cutting through enemy swords, shields, and even armor.

“Foolish ones who reject the true word of God, atone with death!”

Like a tiger lunging into a flock of sheep, Krom charged in alone and dove into the enemy lines. His ferocious aura was so overwhelming that the hearts of the twenty thousand soldiers sank as he came near.

War begins with morale and ends with morale.

Krom’s eyes turned red.

The first clash was one of the most critical moments in a battle, determining the morale of both armies, which was why he stepped forward himself. His scythe could slice through anything and behead enemies, no matter what stood in the way.

“Hraaaah!”

Just as he was about to charge into the tightly braced forces of Count Hind, two people suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Huh...?!”

Perhaps this was how a driver felt when spotting a deer on the road.

Krom’s eyes widened at the absurd sight. Currently, no one in the entire northern region of Rashion could teleport or arrive from elsewhere, and yet, two people suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Krom quickly scanned them. One wore a pure white cleric’s robe, and the other gleaming blue scale armor.

Of course, Krom had no intention of avoiding them. His path was that of domination—one that destroyed anything that stood in his way.

"Unlucky bastards. Take your grievances to the heavens!"

Krom’s warhorse didn’t slow down as it charged toward the two people.

Tsk, I planned to kill at least ten in one strike. Oh well.

Though the impact of the first clash would be reduced, he had to settle for the two in front of him.

Krom twisted his waist and swung his scythe. A sound like that of a massive airplane passing overhead roared from the scythe.

“Huh?”

Only after hearing that sound did the cleric in pure white become aware of Krom’s presence and tapped the shoulder of the warrior beside him.

“Blizzard. Take care of that.”

“Yes, Master.”

Though the warhorse charged toward him, Blizzard ran to meet it without hesitation.

And the moment the enormous scythe swung toward his neck, Blizzard planted his feet firmly on the ground and said, “Counter.”

His opponent’s scythe struck his curved blade. Anyone watching would have expected Blizzard to be flung away, but the opposite occurred.

“Ku...gh?”

There was a vast difference between bracing for an attack and being caught off guard, and Krom was no exception.

His opponent’s stance was completely defensive, so he hadn’t anticipated any pain. Yet, at the moment of impact, searing pain shot through his abdomen. For a moment, the impact was so intense it felt like his consciousness might slip away, and both he and his warhorse were hurled backward. With that, Krom was crushed beneath the massive weight of his own enormous warhorse.

Both armies, who had been roaring with battle cries, fell utterly silent. And for good reason, as the one who had just been brought down was none other than the supreme commander of the Church of Muldine.

Unfazed by the extraordinary feat he had just accomplished, Blizzard calmly sheathed his curved swords and went to Kai.

“It’s done, Master.” His voice was emotionless as if he were reporting back after cleaning a restroom.

Kai’s reply was equally indifferent. “Mhmm, good work. But it’s not dead yet.”

“Huh?”

Blizzard turned his head and saw the enemy squirming beneath the warhorse, letting out a quiet remark of admiration. “He’s tougher than he looks. I honestly thought it was over.”

“Right? You think he might be one of the Muldine elite?”

“I’m not sure. That guy?”

Krom’s rage surged as he overheard the two casually chatting about him.

H-how dare they speak such nonsense about me, Krom, an inquisitor of the Church of Muldine?

Krom twisted the neck of his useless warhorse and flung its limp body off him.

The horse had been bred from only the finest stock and, despite being a mere horse, was covered in full plate armor.

Moreover, enhanced by the Essence of Darkness, its size had grown even larger, reaching nearly a thousand kilograms, one ton.

Yet, Krom hurled such a massive beast with a single hand and rose to his feet, grinding his teeth. “Who are you... Wait, you’re...”

A familiar face, paired with a pure white robe. It was only then that Krom recognized Kai.

“Kai! Cleric of a filthy false god!”

Startled, Kai looked up toward the sky, checking for any reaction.

“Whew. Thank goodness. She didn’t hear that.”

Kai tapped Blizzard’s shoulder and looked at Krom, commanding, “Deal with that thing right away. Make sure he can’t speak recklessly. Only polite, proper words are allowed to reach Her ears.”

“Understood.”

“Well, well, to think you’d show up right before me on your own. How considerate of you.”

Krom kicked his scythe off the ground to lift it and dashed forward at the same time. If he could get the head of Kai, the church’s most wanted enemy, his promotion to bishop would be guaranteed.

However, something stood in his way. It was none other than the blue-armored knight who had earlier sent him flying with a strange technique. Of course, the Counter skill had a five minute cooldown, so this time, Blizzard launched a full-on attack from the start.

"Someone like you has no place interfering!"

Whoooosh!

Despite his massive size, Krom smoothly spun his body and hurled his scythe. The end of the scythe had a sharp blade, allowing it to be used like a spear for moments like this.

Clang!

Blizzard barely managed to block Krom’s attack and began fighting using his two curved blades and tail.

“Hm.”

While Blizzard and the unnamed extra fought, Kai quickly scanned the battlefield.

Our forces are fifty thousand, and the enemy’s probably a hundred thousand.

That was twice the difference in force. While he could move a few people using Shadow Shift, it was impossible to relocate an entire army.

However, Kai knew a way to turn this battle into an even match. The ring on Kai’s left finger began to emit a brilliant glow.