Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 261: The Second Magician (7)

"Haaah!"

Clang!

"This is a surprise! A real big shot has shown up in person!"

At the front lines, clashing swords with one another—

Sade Astron, the supreme commander of Karelia’s army.

And, leading the interception unit of Lunarian’s Army, the ruler of Lunarian’s forces—Lunarian Iniang.

On horseback, without exchanging a word, their weapons collided several times.

Just from these brief exchanges, Sade quickly understood.

Lunarian Iniang—was a monster!

‘At first, when I saw a ruler charging into the front lines, I thought she was a madwoman...!’

Now, he could see the truth. Leaving someone like Lunarian to rot away in a command post rather than at the front lines was an utter waste!

Of course, this was purely the judgment of Sade, a warrior to his core. A ruler, no matter how strong, should typically not be on the battlefield—but regardless, facing such a powerful opponent in combat thrilled him.

Clang!

As those ruby-red eyes pierced into him with an intense glare, Sade shuddered for a moment and sighed.

He did not tremble out of fear.

No—it was the complete opposite.

Excitement. The exhilaration unique to battle maniacs when faced with an overwhelmingly strong opponent!

"With that level of strength, you actually stayed hidden all this time? You must have been itching to fight, huh?!"

"......!"

Luna did not respond to his words.

Instead, she silently and swiftly pressed forward, forcing Sade to defend.

'...Damn!'

Sade—was being overwhelmed.

Since the moment he entered Karelia’s army, back when he was still in his prime, before he lost his eye—no one had ever pushed him back this one-sidedly!

Even Chel Brans, the only person he thought might be able to challenge him, had never crossed swords with him at his peak.

But!

‘This °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° is dangerous...!’

Even though the thrill of battle had ignited his instincts, Sade was not a brainless brute.

Gradually pulling away from Luna, he turned his horse, intending to disappear into the ranks of his soldiers.

"Are you running away, Sade Astron!?"

"Think whatever you want! I’m not interested in getting skewered out here!"

There was no way he could defeat that woman.

The moment he judged that his own skills were not enough to subdue Lunarian, Sade didn’t hesitate to abandon the duel.

Any other warrior would have fallen into despair upon realizing that a much younger woman had completely outclassed them—

But Sade was not the type to cling to useless notions of honor. He was a man who prioritized practicality.

Winning a duel did not necessarily mean winning the battle or the war. That was an undeniable truth he had learned time and time again while leading mercenary forces.

Reinforcements had suddenly appeared on both flanks.

From what he had heard, their army was not at a particular disadvantage, but—

The unexpected arrival of enemy troops had lowered morale. The best way to restore it would be to take the enemy commander’s head. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

And there she was—the ruler herself, rampaging across the battlefield.

It had seemed like the perfect opportunity, but things had not gone as planned.

If he had taken her head, the battle would have been over.

But victory was not always about targeting the ruler alone.

Right now... yes.

The best course of action was to deal with another commander at the forefront—the other general leading the interception forces, Tifa.

Sade spurred his horse toward her.

Finding her was not difficult.

She was screaming at the top of her lungs, practically announcing her location to everyone.

Sade naturally threw himself into the fight.

"Having fun slaughtering small fry, you brute of a woman!"

"Oh? I was wondering who it was—looks like it’s the one-eyed bastard, Sade Astron!"

"Oh? So you know of me?"

"Of course I do! The pathetic loser who failed to manage Karelia properly, got kicked out, and now runs a third-rate mercenary band, jerking himself off to the idea that he wasn't wrong!"

"Hah!"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Hearing Tifa’s words, Sade let out a loud, booming laugh.

"Hey, woman. That’s not how you do a proper taunt. I can see right through you...!"

Clang!

"It’s almost cute!"

...Good.

This one, at least, is manageable.

Unlike when I crossed swords with Lunarian, where I felt an insurmountable wall—

This woman... I can beat her.

If I need a trophy to raise our army’s morale, taking her head should be enough.

"Shut up, you pathetic worm crawling back to a master who already discarded you!"

With a sneer on his face, Sade let out a metallic chuckle.

"No matter how much of a discarded dog I am, at least I'm still better than you!"

"What did you just say?!"

"I’m talking about your master—Lunarian!

"A ruler, and yet she has no choice but to fight at the frontlines?

"If you were even slightly stronger than that pathetic master of yours, she wouldn’t have had to make such a foolish decision, don’t you think?!"

"...!!"

For a moment, Tifa’s eyes went completely white with rage.

Then, gripping her axe tightly, she lunged at Sade with murderous intent!

Once again, their weapons clashed with explosive force.

With their faces close enough to feel each other’s breath, Tifa’s lips trembled as she spoke.

"You... what did you just say?"

"Am I wrong? If you were just a little bit stronger, your master wouldn’t have to risk her life fighting on the battlefield!

"In other words, if Lunarian dies in this battle...!"

Clang!

"It’s all your fault, Tifa! You killed your own master!

"You—are a murderer!"

For the first time in the fight, the battlefield fell silent around Tifa.

She took a step back.

Her burning gaze fixed on Sade as if she wanted to incinerate him on the spot.

Then, in a low voice, she muttered,

"You son of a bitch...

"Today, either you die, or I do.

"And it will be you, Sade...!"

‘Got her.’

Sade smirked and shouted,

"Then go ahead and kill me, Tifa!!!"

And once more, the two warriors clashed.

***

How much time had passed?

The battle was chaotic, soldiers clashing all around them, yet none dared to approach the two locked in a ferocious one-on-one duel.

Sade and Tifa—the fight between them seemed like it would continue until one of them lost their life. But as time went on, the scales of battle slowly but surely tipped in favor of one side.

That person was...

"Give up and accept your fate, you stupid woman!"

The one gradually being pushed back—was Tifa.

‘No...!’

She was losing.

She couldn’t win.

To be honest, she had realized long ago that she didn’t stand a chance against him.

And yet, she had no choice but to keep fighting. If she fled here, then wouldn’t that mean... that he was right?

She had taken up arms as a general to support Luna, but what if, in this battle, she performed far worse than Luna herself?

Aside from Luna, Tifa was the most combat-capable person in Lunarian’s Army.

Francis and Charlotte were there, sure, but they were still inexperienced, far from capable of fulfilling their roles as generals.

In moments like these, she should have been the one holding the battlefield together.

But she wasn’t.

And because she wasn’t, Luna—who should have been leading safely from the command post—had been forced to step onto the battlefield herself.

That thought alone was unbearable.

"Haaaah!"

‘Kgh!’

Sade’s strike nearly knocked the axe from her hands.

She barely managed to regain her stance and avoid dropping her weapon, but—

That slight opening.

That tiny gap in her defenses as she reset her posture.

"I’ve got you!"

There was no way Sade, a man who had made a career out of battlefield slaughter, would miss it.

And so, the moment his sword lunged toward her chest—

‘No...!’

Tifa saw her death.

In that brief instant, time slowed to a crawl.

Like a warning from fate itself, telling her this was her final moment.

Was she... going to die here?

She had always been prepared to die in battle.

But now... now, of all times, just as the Lunarian banner had risen over the castle once more—

She hadn’t even done anything yet.

She had trained relentlessly, endured hellish discipline day after day, all to be ready for this moment.

And now, in their first battle since their uprising—

She was going to die?

Without having contributed anything?

‘I don’t want this...!’

It wasn’t that she feared death.

She just wanted to leave something behind.

Anything.

If she could serve as a stepping stone for Lunarian’s Army, that would be enough.

She wasn’t blind—she knew her own limitations.

Francis and Charlotte had talent.

They were going to grow into exceptional warriors, the twin blades of Luna’s forces.

At the very least, she wanted to live long enough to fight until they could take their rightful place.

‘I can’t die here...!’

In that last moment—

Countless faces flashed through her mind.

Her childhood friend, her sovereign, Lunarian.

Cain—the old man who had turned out to be a remarkable figure.

The children he had taken in.

The people she had met and bonded with after coming to Karelia.

And finally—

The tactician who had wrought impossible miracles, now far away—Swen.

And in her final moment, the last face that came to mind was—

"Listen. I’m saying this for your sake—if you don’t want to die, you should just surrender."

"...Shut the fuck up, you bitch...!"

"Foolishness isn’t courage, my friend. What a shame. If we had been on the same side, I could have taught you so much more."

A knight with striking red hair, looking down at her from horseback, showing unmistakable mercy toward the weak.

She still hadn’t repaid that debt.

She still hadn’t landed a proper blow on that woman—Airen Juliet.

She couldn’t—

—Die here!!!

—Schhk.

"...?!"

The moment he had thought he had won, Sade’s face twisted in shock.

What...?

What just happened?

The final strike he had swung at Tifa—had been cut.

It wasn’t a metaphor.

His sword had quite literally been cleaved in two the moment it clashed against her axe.

Stunned, Sade’s gaze shot toward Tifa.

‘W-what the hell...!!’

Something—a blue light—was emanating from her axe.

No.

Not just her weapon.

She herself was glowing.

Like a raging, azure flame.