The battlefield was stained with blood.

However, the blood had begun to spray in a peculiar pattern from a specific point, dyeing the ground beyond it red. Scattered among the sea of spilled blood were the bodies of Heinz soldiers and their severed heads.

The Divine Beasts that had sprayed the blood took to the sky.

The Divine Beasts, who had sliced through enemy necks with their blade-like wings in a single stroke, circled the sky before returning to the Rowen forces. Witnessing the true power of the Divine Beast corps was actually a first even for the current Rowen soldiers, as their king Taras possessed unremarkable abilities.

The Divine Beasts truly flew like the wind, unhindered by anything, slicing enemies with their wings before soaring back into the sky. Along with the spraying blood, the heads of Heinz soldiers floated up as if weightless before falling down in a shower. Then the remaining bodies collapsed in heaps.

Watching Duke Khalid dispose of enemies with a single finger movement, Sir Ian Connors of the Khalid Knights spoke.

“Shall we head back now?”

Of course, that wasn’t possible. More Heinz forces were gathering where the Divine Beasts had just swept through. After the crossbowmen in the front were swept away, now came the cavalry and infantry.

This time, the order to charge was given. Between the archers positioned on both sides, Rowen cavalry with spears charged forward on horseback. Arrows fired from the Rowen forces struck the horses of the Heinz knights directly. The horses hit by arrows reared up with loud neighs, throwing off the knights riding them.

Following Duke Khalid’s orders, the Rowen knights thrust their spears into the faces of the dismounted Heinz knights.

Squelch!

Unlike the Rowen knights armored by Kaiden, the Heinz knights wearing helmets with holes and no face guards were most vulnerable at their faces. The Rowen spears mercilessly pierced through their helmets.

Blood sprayed everywhere. The Rowen infantry held up shields to guard against possible crossbow attacks while fighting the Heinz soldiers. They swung their swords, aiming for gaps between the impenetrable chain mail.

The sounds of clashing weapons, flesh being cut, and agonized screams mixed together. Through the sounds of clashing blades, the flying Divine Beasts became additional blades, severing the necks of Heinz forces. The Divine Beasts continued to spray blood as they flew between the fighting soldiers.

Duke Khalid Kaiden also rode his horse with sword in hand. The black horse carried its rider in even blacker clothes as it charged across the ground.

Kaiden’s sword, imbued with Divine Beast power, pierced through chain mail and severed necks. It was truly an impossible power. The blade cutting through enemies left only flashes of its color behind. The movements of cutting through enemies like inanimate objects repeated.

Slash!

With one swing, a head flew. With another downward strike, another head flew. Before the burst blood droplets could hit the ground, the blade carved new places for blood to burst forth. Severed heads fell like hail. Above them rained a downpour of blood. It was a season of death.

Like a devastating windstorm, Kaiden swung his sword and slaughtered the Heinz knights. Only unvoiced screams and delayed spurts of blood remained in his wake. Kaiden rode on, leaving a trail of blood and enemy heads marking his path.

In the midst of soldiers from both kingdoms cutting each other down, a change occurred in this chaotic battlefield.

At first, it was a rumbling.

Boom. Boom.

“What’s that?”

The ground was shaking. Horses whinnied nervously, stamping their hooves. The animals were the first to tense up. Sensing the unusual situation, Kaiden quickly ordered his knights to retreat. The Divine Beasts could investigate this strange occurrence.

Behind the hastily retreating Rowen soldiers came the emboldened Heinz soldiers. Heinz cavalry drove their horses hard in pursuit.

“Cowards!”

“Where are you running to!”

Boom. Booom. The ground shook. Crack. Crackle. The sound of splitting earth echoed.

Once the Rowen soldiers had retreated far enough, Kaiden used the Divine Beasts to create a barrier. The Divine Beasts’ spread wings created a translucent, thin veil in the air.

“Oh…”

Someone gasped from inside.

The charging Heinz knights raised their swords toward the barrier. Just as it seemed they would shatter the thin barrier made of Divine Beast wings with their swords.

Crack. Crack. Something massive burst up through the splitting ground. The charging Heinz soldiers were swept up and thrown into the sky. Rocks flew everywhere.

GRAAAAAAAH―!

What emerged from underground with a mighty roar was a giant made entirely of stone. A body composed of stone fragments, wearing a stone helmet and wielding a stone sword. A massive stone shield moved through the air with a sound of cutting wind. A giant as tall as castle walls stood in the middle of the field.

The giant’s enormous shield sent charging Heinz knights flying.

CRASH.

Heinz knights flew through the air with crushed bones from the shield impact. The giant now fully rose from the split earth. Then it swept away the gathered Heinz knights with its stone sword.

SLASH!

The knights flew again from what was more of a crushing blow than a cut.

“Yaaaaaah!”

Though Heinz knights bravely charged in with swords raised, to the giant it was merely an irritating touch. The northern warriors were trampled like toys.

The Heinz soldiers’ swords had little effect on the giant when they stabbed it. This giant, being made of stone fragments, was immune to normal attacks.

Even if cracks formed and parts were cut, until it completed the command inscribed with royal blood, it would never die – the fragments would continue gathering to reform its body. The giant was Etrang’s giant soldier that couldn’t die no matter how many times it was destroyed until it completed its orders.

The giant’s catastrophic slaughter began.

From behind the Divine Beasts’ barrier, the Rowen forces watched as Heinz soldiers were crushed by the giant.

“Oh…”

“My…”

Among the knights expressing shock or amazement, Kaiden calmed his excited horse while watching the giant. Etrang’s giant soldier.

Under the giant’s swinging sword and shield, Heinz cavalry and infantry were endlessly crushed and sent flying. Far away, the Heinz forces that spotted the giant soldier halted their advance.

Then the giant soldier moved. Thud. Thud. Thud. The giant ran, shaking the earth. It charged forward leaving tremors across the ground. Clearly, the giant was targeting only Heinz soldiers.

“What’s going on?”

To Count Mirban’s question from behind, Kaiden answered.

“Maintain formation.”

Even Kaiden couldn’t know for certain. In his past life that he remembered, there hadn’t been any conflict with Heinz at this time, and thus no intervention from Etrang. He could only guess, based on communications exchanged with Dana in between, that the internal situation in Heinz might have become complicated.

Staying alert, the Rowen forces waited while watching the back of the giant attacking the Heinz forces. Knights or infantry made no difference before the giant. They were sent flying and crushed instantly. The giant’s slaughter finally stopped only after completely finishing off all the Heinz soldiers present.

Grooooan…

The giant stopped moving with a slow sound. The stationary giant looked like a massive mountain peak.

Crack.

Cracks spread from the center of the giant’s head. The giant’s stone body that hadn’t crumbled under any attack now fell apart after completing its commanded objective. Rumble, the falling stones pierced the ground and dust rose.

Even in the Etrang king’s castle far away, where the giant soldier had been moved with a single command, the stone piece set on the board crumbled. It had broken apart after killing its designated targets. Another piece that had served its purpose was gone. However, Robert III thought he still had many usable pieces remaining.

The barrier raised by Duke Khalid’s Divine Beasts blocked even the dust raised by the giant’s fragments. Looking at the space where the Heinz soldiers had been dealt with and even the giant had vanished, Count Mirban spoke from behind Kaiden.

“As expected, Etrang is reassuring when they’re on our side.”

Kaiden narrowed his eyes. Being reassuring when on our side meant they would be incredibly dangerous as enemies.

Gripping his horse’s reins tightly, Kaiden gave orders.

“Head to the Heinz camp. Gather the heads of the Heinz soldiers.”

The knights behind Kaiden looked at him upon hearing the order. Beheading enemies was done to confirm kill counts. But was there really a need to gather and take them?

While they looked on questioningly, Kaiden spoke while gazing at the distant place where Heinz soldiers no longer stood.

“There are boxes there. Fill them with the heads.”

Since the Heinz soldiers had been suddenly eliminated by the giant, their camp would be empty. There was still time before Heinz soldiers from territories outside Gent Castle would arrive.

In the Heinz camp set up on Mirbad Plains were boxes that had been used to transport the new type of monsters they had released in Rowen. Boxes that would now be empty after the released monsters had escaped. Kaiden intended to fill those boxes with the heads of Heinz knights.

When new Heinz soldiers come to check their camp after the Rowen forces leave, they will find the boxes that had contained monsters now filled with the heads of their dead comrades.

It would make for a good gift, and good compensation. Or a good warning.