Volume 6 Chapter 82-2 It's Unfair! No Wonder They Said That
Here it comes.
Getting stronger again.
Everyone is on guard, but the moves of the Knight with the wounded gauntlet don't change.
For the first time, an unprecedented situation arises, making not just Conrad, but everyone on the battlefield wonder.
"Is it not just about being cut down..."
Conrad furrowed his brows, tracing his memories.
Did the Knights who've powered up so far have anything in common...
And as Conrad traces his memories, the image of a torn and broken red piece appears in his vision.
"...Tabard."
When Conrad muttered this, a loud voice from the Empire side also shouted, "Don't cut the mantles!"
"Don't cut the mantles! They get stronger!"
To someone not on this battlefield, it might sound like a foolish order, but everyone here has experienced it.
But the battlefield isn't so sweet that you can carry out those orders well.
The enemy moves, and even if their movements are slow, you can't just limit where you cut against a Victor Knight.
And if you don't swing your sword, you'll be the one getting swung at.
To avoid that, the imperial soldiers swing their swords wildly.
The blade tears through the Tabard.
The momentarily surprised Victor Knight powers up.
"So don't cut the mantles!"
The silly-sounding order echoes, and even the coalition forces maintaining the defense line can't help but laugh.
Before they know it, that tension is gone... Conrad gives orders to the soldiers who have completely regained their morale.
"Each unit, support Victor while dividing the Empire!"
Switching from defense to offense, Conrad and his troops charge into the treacherous sandy ground, and with momentum, they launch a combined attack on the imperial soldiers.
Because of Victor, the imperial soldiers in the rear are thrown into confusion.
In the pouring rain that makes following orders difficult, the Hartfield-Gardner coalition shows perfect teamwork, slowly reducing the number of imperial soldiers.
Alternating between charges and retreats, the magician unit that had turned back to the rear is also mobilized, and the brave coalition forces have no match for even the robust imperial army.
After all, there's no way back, and...
"Shame on them! They took off their mantles themselves!"
...not dirty.
It's just normal.
But Conrad found himself oddly convinced by the enemy soldier's words, as he watched the Victor Knight Brigade display a courage that matched, or even surpassed, the rumors.
Only 20 people.
No, it's 20 monsters.
Among them, 2 stood out as clearly insane.
Of course, that's Abel and Galhart.
A pitch-black flash that made the rough terrain feel easy.
A massive unsinkable ship that crushes all enemies in its path.
With just the two of them going wild, the enemy numbers dropped quickly.
The siege had already collapsed, and the situation was completely decided.
But the Empire does not retreat.
"I am Chrome Rossi, commander of the Imperial Navy's second flagship 'Chrome Fang'."
The Imperial commander, finally appearing, turned to face Victor Knight with a sword in one hand.
Seemingly wanting a duel, Chrome faced Abel and Galhart, who exchanged glances and waved their hands, saying "rock-paper-scissors."
"Damn it!"
Galhart frowned as he stared at his own palm.
"...V"
Abel approached Chrome while making a peace sign.
"I see you are a prominent Knight."
Abel twirled his daggers in both hands as Chrome thrust his sword forward.
"Victor Knight Brigade, Second Squad Leader, Abel Black."
At Abel's introduction, Chrome raised an eyebrow, saying "Hmm..."
A bit confused by the unfamiliar name, but Abel didn't care.
"I'm not as famous as [Black Steel], though."
Abel shrugged and stuck out his tongue, saying "but I will be soon."
"Make sure to remember my name. The top disciple of [Black Flash], Abel Black."
Abel's eyes sparkled, and Galhart shouted from the back, "That's unfair!"
"What do you mean, top disciple?!"
His loud voice cut through the rain, but Abel completely ignored him, still facing Chrome.
"Interesting. I've heard of [Black Flash]. Show me your skill!"
With a rush that tore through the rain, the battle for supremacy on the sandy beach began.
* * *
During "Operation Steel Fang," the reinforcement from the kingdom that arrived was only about 20 soldiers, known as the "Red Hounds."
They said they showed up on the battlefield wearing collars.
Today, nobody believes in such wild stories anymore.
A fool bringing chains to a battlefield where death is close──that's just nonsense.
Now, the common belief is that they acted as if they were stronger after that event, as if something triggered it.
This "pretending to be weak then suddenly breaking free on purpose" tactic is called in military strategy the "Fake Weakness" or "Mask of Power." Even today, it's studied as part of small-scale combat tactics.
They made it look like they were cut by cloaks, creating a clear visual effect.
When their cloaks were cut, it looked like they became much stronger.
That probably made them more threatening to the enemies.
Also, some surviving imperial soldiers from that time said with a laugh things like "I forgot," or "That's right," and then they took off their cloaks themselves──these are stories about the dogs.
Many of these stories seem like tricks with no clear explanation, but they definitely had a strange impact on morale and psychology.
Excerpt from "Basic Tactics and Applications," Chapter 5──"Tactical Use of Unexpected Morale Boosts"
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