Chapter 699: The Wrath of Armand ( 699 )

The captain clenched his jaw, sweat trailing down the side of his face.

“What now, captain?” one of the lieutenants asked in a hushed, nervous voice. “We surrender… or fight?”

The captain didn’t answer right away.

He stared out past the border wall—at the sea of silver glinting under the sun.

Mithril. Full plate. Thousands of knights.

Not a single gap in their formation.

And beyond them, those… things.

Those flying constructs from Armand, floating silently with glowing red orbs—watching.

He tried to swallow, but his throat was dry.

“Calculate the range,” the captain muttered. “If our magic arrows and the mage squad’s full-cast spells can reach that line before they cross it…”

Another soldier beside him leaned forward. “You think we can damage them?”

“No.” The captain shook his head slightly. “I want to know if we can bait them. If they’re just puppets, then we’ll see how they move. How they respond. Buy time.”

The lieutenant blinked. “So… we’re fighting?”

The captain turned slightly, lowering his voice to a whisper.

“Prepare to attack on my signal.”

Shock rippled through the command group.

“Captain… are you sure? This isn’t like before. If they retaliate—”

“Just follow my command,” he snapped, low and cold. “We can’t surrender. You think the king will spare us if we do? He’ll hang every one of us for treason.”

Silence.

All of them knew it. Even if they gave up now, they’d be marked as traitors.

Their choice wasn’t life or death.

It was death by Armand’s hand…

Or death by King Edmund’s.

The captain turned back toward the army on the plains and raised a hand into the air.

Meanwhile, on Javier’s side.

The young commander sat atop his Pekko, eyes narrowed as he stared at the wall in the distance.

Through the small mana earpiece in his right ear, the hushed voices of the enemy captain and his subordinates echoed clearly.

Javier sighed quietly. “So they chose death.”

He turned his head slightly, noticing Liana riding closer on Pikko, her long hair tied up neatly for the coming battle. Gloria followed behind calmly, Peanut trotting obediently.

“So, young master?” Liana asked, eyes searching his expression. “What now?”

“…I don’t want to kill humans,” Javier muttered, voice soft but firm. “But I don’t have a choice if they raise their weapons first.”

“Knights! Raise shields!”

Front rows of mithril-clad puppet knights moved in unison. With perfect synchronization, thousands of shields rose in formation.

A seamless wall of silver and dark metal formed—interlocked, bracing tightly across the field like a living fortress. The tortoise shell formation of war.

Javier watched with calm pride as the line solidified.

Liana and Gloria exchanged glances behind him.

“Look at that,” Gloria said with a sigh. “Our young master is doing it again…”

Liana gave a small smile. “Pretending he’s a general in a historical play… and treating puppet knights like real people.”

“He does get really into it.”

“…and he enjoys it a little too much.”

“…but it’s kind of cute, isn’t it?”

“Mm.”

The two women smiled softly—just as the shadow of the flying battle drone passed over them.

Javier stood still atop Buddy, one hand resting lightly on the reins, the other holding a black and silver war horn, engraved with swirling runes. The wind tugged gently at his cloak.

The sound of restless movement echoed from the border wall. Soldiers shifting. Hooves stomping. Mana humming through the air as spellcasters prepared.

Javier’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the flickering shadows along the top of the wall.

Five minutes.

He was giving them exactly five.

Not a second more.

Behind him, the metallic ranks of puppet knights remained motionless—shield wall braced, weapons ready, unmoving like statues of war. Overhead, the drone circled in slow silence, its rotating fans humming softly, sensors scanning the area.

Liana rode closer beside him. “Young master?”

“Hmm?”

“What are you waiting for?”

Javier didn’t look at her. “Waiting for them to attack first.”

Gloria joined them, her arms crossed, her expression soft with amusement. “Still trying to hold the moral high ground?”

“It’s not about morals,” Javier replied, his tone quiet. “It’s about politics. If I strike first, it becomes an invasion. If they strike first… it’s self-defense.”

Liana gave a small smile. “I don’t think their attacks can even scratch your knights.”

Gloria chuckled. “Let alone survive long enough to regret it.”

Javier finally grinned and raised his palm slightly.

“The full barrier is already active,”

“Every unit is protected by layered defense: mana reflect, kinetic null, elemental absorption, and impact dampening. Their arrows and fireballs are useless.”

He raised the war horn to his lips and waited.

“One more minute,” he whispered. “Let’s see what kind of fools they are.”

Javier tapped the side of his magic glasses.

“…It’s because they sent their wyvern units to attack us first,” he muttered, voice calm but cold. “They crossed the line.”

He scrolled through the recorded feed—charred wreckage falling from the sky, mana missile trails still lingering in the atmosphere.

“Sky Eye picked up their mana trail the moment they entered our airspace,”

“And once the signal pulse wave from our border wall confirmed it…”

He clenched his fist slightly, then pointed toward the front.

“…the system launched the counter automatically.”

“They knew we never invaded their land… not even an inch. And still, they came.”

“They started it,” Javier said flatly. “Now I’ll finish it.”

He turned and mounted Buddy again, his face shadowed under the sunlight.

“While my father and real forces hold the front… I’ll bring them terror from behind.”

Liana looked up. “You mean—?”

“Yes,” Javier replied. “A full strike from the rear. We’ll create chaos… confusion… panic. Hit their camps, destroy their supply lines, tear apart their command units before they even realize what’s happening.”

“We’re taking down this border wall,” Javier continued, voice firm and eyes narrowed with quiet determination. “Once this place falls, we’ll march straight toward Armand territory and catch Edmund’s main force from behind.”

He paused, turning slightly to face Liana and Gloria.

“This time, I need you two fully prepared. Edmund won’t hold back. He’ll deploy his strongest personal units. They’ll probably be even tougher than Gilmon, considering he’s using those magic modifications similar to those Seventh agents we encountered.”

( End Of Chapter )

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