Chapter 40: The Battle of the Kabachi Plains – Conclusion (*)

The war over the Kabachi Plains between the Holy Felcis Kingdom and the Tolmakia Empire had raged for two hundred years. Even in its long history, the battle in Kingdom Year 487 (Imperial Year 202) held historic significance in many ways. Just the fact that it was the first time in history that “firearms” were used made it noteworthy in military history.　

But from a romanticist’s perspective, it was the year when the greatest general of the age and two young heroes who would later shape history met on the same battlefield, and it became a year that would be told in countless stories for generations to come.

The clash between the famous generals over the Kabachi Plains shifted dramatically on September 8th. After enduring Phalanx’s fierce attacks for roughly a week, the Imperial Army received news of supplies and reinforcements. With food stocks nearly exhausted and retreat impossible in the face of the enemy’s relentless assaults, it goes without saying how wildly the Imperial soldiers cheered and how their morale soared.

And for the Kingdom, it was the worst possible news. The enemy’s morale suddenly exploded, and they showed enough momentum to launch counterattacks, forcing Phalanx to pull back the units he had sent charging in.

“General…”

“I know. Reinforcements, right?”

The report reached Phalanx on horseback. Hearing that voices shouting “two more days” and “food is coming” were echoing across the lines, Phalanx closed his eyes.

In just one week, both the Kingdom Army and the Imperial Army had suffered massive casualties. At the start of the battle, the Phalanx Army numbered forty-eight thousand five hundred, but the current fighting strength had dropped to thirty-three thousand. Over fifteen thousand were dead or gravely wounded.

The Imperial Army’s losses were equally severe. They had started with thirty-three thousand. Now, with most of the cannons damaged and troops pulled for fort construction, they had barely over twenty thousand combat-ready men. The fact that they could barely maintain “Phalanx’s Shield” was due not only to Austro’s command but also to the excellence of his trusted staff officers and mid-level commanders. But if over ten thousand fresh reinforcements joined them, the forces would be even, and considering the exhaustion of the troops, it would be as good as a reversal. It was only natural that Austro felt victory was assured upon hearing the news.

Even so, Phalanx smiled.

“Nnffuffu… The title of ‘General’ isn’t light enough for me to give up and retreat so easily. ‘Two more days’ means, conversely, we still have one day of leeway.”

He raised his fist and gave the signal. The remaining thirty-three thousand were reorganized. The sound of cannons had been absent for several days. Judging from the reports that they had broken from overuse, the enemy formed up out of arrow range and welcomed the evening.

Both sides’ men and horses were utterly exhausted from days of continuous fighting. Amid fatigue so heavy it felt like they might pass out, every single person on this ground felt it: tomorrow would be the final decisive battle…

“You’re still planning to fight?!”

“The opponent is Phalanx. He won’t make it easy. But this is the end.”

Austro’s staff officers took their respective positions. Austro felt a faint pain in his chest. He had avoided daily drug doses, but for the past two weeks he had been taking them every other day. It was because he needed the power of his partner, the Saint Knight Paladin Aisis.

“Tomorrow morning Phalanx will launch one last all-out assault. If we hold here, we win. Gladys will probably come out too. Aisis, I’m counting on you!”

“Yes, sir!”

The golden-haired Saint Knight was covered in wounds from days of fighting. After watching his Saint Knight’s back depart, Austro issued orders to the entire army.

“Tomorrow is the final battle! Rest your bodies as much as you can right now! Use up every last bit of food!”

“Are you okay? Including tonight, this will be three days in a row.”

The Kingdom’s strongest Saint Knight Gratina Wackenheim spoke to her husband with worry. The drugs that induced sex accumulated in the body with continuous use and shortened the user’s lifespan. But Walter smiled at his beloved wife.

“I’m fine. Tonight will be the last. I won’t take any after tomorrow.”

“But…”

“When else would I take it if not now? If we win this battle, it will be a devastating blow to the Empire. The two-hundred-year war might even end.”

Gratina had no choice but to nod. In this one week, two heroes had already died from drug abuse. Even members of the rear medical units had collapsed.

She looked at her own arm. The wound from two days ago was gone. It was thanks to healing magic, but that meant the heroes waiting in the rear were shortening their lifespans. All those sacrifices had been offered to end this war.

“When this battle is over, let’s take it easy in Ryune.”

He showed a smile even though he couldn’t possibly be free of fatigue, trying not to worry her. His wife felt a bittersweet happiness at that kindness.

On the morning of September 9th, the clash between the famous generals over the Kabachi Plains reached its final phase. The Kingdom Army of thirty-three thousand led by Belgarad Phalanx did not use the wave attacks from before; this time it was an all-out assault with the entire force.

“The enemy has formed a △-shaped formation to avoid attrition at all costs and solidify their defense. But we have the advantage in numbers. All we have to do is surround and annihilate them.”

What Phalanx had in mind was the so-called “crane wing formation.” Austro, seeing the movement, gave instructions to Saint Knight Aisis.

“Aisis, go to the front of the formation. That formation will come at us trying to envelop us. The central army where Phalanx is will clash first. Your opponent should be there too.”

Drums thundered and flags were raised. Thirty-three thousand men charged all at once. A rumbling like an earthquake echoed across the plains. The beautiful golden-haired Saint Knight stood at the head of the formation. Her blue eyes reflected the approaching enemy army. Within it, she spotted the brown-skinned woman with silver hair.

“Aisisss!!”

“Come at me!! Wackenheim!!”

As the two armies collided, their swords sparked against each other.

“Kaito, I had a dream. A dream where General Phalanx loses…”

When Sasha told him, at first he thought it was “just a dream.” But Sasha’s expression was dead serious, and she had even written it down and started explaining the detailed situation.

“Phalanx tries to surround and annihilate them, but Austro solidifies his defense with a △ formation, huh…”

“Yeah. Gratina was fighting the golden-haired person.”

Placing the pieces for the war game map on the paper, Kaito rested his chin on his hand. Sasha’s description was as detailed as if she had seen it with her own eyes. The Kingdom Army had more troops—roughly 1.5 times as many. The formation was rational too, and there didn’t seem to be any elements that would lead to defeat.

“Would General Phalanx really lose with this? Even I would think of a surround-and-annihilate strategy with this kind of numerical advantage?”

But Sasha shook her head and prepared a new piece. She placed it diagonally behind the Phalanx Army.

“…They got attacked from behind and lost.”

Kaito’s eyes sharpened. He placed both hands on the desk and glared at the pieces below. He muttered something under his breath.

“This formation is good for annihilation, but it’s bad at responding to new changes. But it’s the Phalanx Army. No, depending on the size of the rear force, any army caught in a pincer attack would…”

Eventually Kaito let out a breath and took his hands off the desk. This was a “dream.” It didn’t necessarily mean it would happen. He stroked the head of Sasha, who looked anxious.

“Keep this story between us here. Especially don’t tell Elsa, no matter what.”

“Okay.”

The young beauty nodded. It was September 7th.

The battle that began in the morning was a brutal bloodbath. The Phalanx Army was already down below thirty thousand. But they had achieved results worth the sacrifices. The Imperial Army, hardened in their defense, gradually began to be pushed back.

“Kuh… After coming this far…”

Austro’s fist trembled. Then even worse news arrived.

“Your Highness, the Saint Knight…”

Aisis was carried in on a stretcher. She had been slashed diagonally from the left shoulder. Her white skin was stained with dark red blood. Austro jumped down from his horse and rushed to his partner.

“Your Highness… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t speak! Get her treated immediately!”

After seeing off his Saint Knight being carried away, he had the doctor check the wound. He had braced for the worst, but the doctor nodded with a slight smile.

“Aisis is very lucky. It looks terrible, but it didn’t reach the internal organs. With proper treatment she’ll be fine.”

“I see. Thank goodness…”

Thanking the goddess for the good fortune, Austro turned back to the enemy before him.

He welcomed his beloved wife covered in wounds. He had lived on battlefields for nearly twenty years, but he never got used to it. But those wounds were honorable. She had defeated the enemy Saint Knight Aisis Elenskaya. Yet Gratina shook her head.

“I didn’t kill her. Right before the final blow, Aisis seemed to slip and lost her balance. The diagonal slash went in, but it only cut the flesh. It didn’t reach the bone.”

“But she won’t be able to fight in this battle anymore. She has fulfilled her duty as a Saint Knight. Rest now.”

“Can we win?”

To his wife’s question, the husband smiled.

“Yeah, we can win.”

It happened in the early afternoon. Amid the fierce fighting, an urgent report reached Phalanx.

“Report! A new enemy force has appeared from the rear! Their numbers are roughly three thousand!”

It was the separate force led by Leopold Schwaik. They had originally been the unit meant to build the fort on the south bank of the Arus River, but judging that the fort would be meaningless if they lost this battle, they had circled around to strike Phalanx from behind. To avoid detection, they had first gone downstream on the Arus River, re-landed, and come around.

“General, the enemy is only three thousand. We should split the army and—”

Phalanx shook his head at his staff officer’s words. This formation was a V-shape meant to envelop the opponent. Every unit had enemies right in front of them. Pulling back from there was no easy task.

He involuntarily looked up at the sky. The previous retreat in the face of an unknown weapon had been a strategic decision. But this retreat would be a complete “defeat.” Despite having superior numbers and sufficient logistics, he had still failed to break the enemy. It was nothing but a loss.

“…We will withdraw starting from the ends of both wings. When withdrawing, do not pull back in a straight line. Have them retreat diagonally behind their allies to stay hidden. Our central army will withdraw last.”

Gongs and colored flags issued the orders. The V-shaped formation began an orderly withdrawal from both wings, as if folding in on itself. Meanwhile, the central army continued attacking without pause. Then at the right moment, Phalanx’s direct units also withdrew. Almost no meaningful sacrifices were made.

“Your Highness…”

Chief of Staff Partina Sircury watched the withdrawing Kingdom Army with deep emotion. The staff officers were utterly exhausted from the continuous fierce fighting. The soldiers stared blankly at the retreating Kingdom Army. Realizing they no longer had to fight, many collapsed to the ground in relief.

The Kingdom Army’s week-long assault had been relentless, with not a single moment of carelessness allowed. All the cannons were unusable, and they had no choice but to endure. Despite anxiety over supplies and being steadily whittled down, they had somehow held out.

The supreme commander in white-silver armor quietly muttered from horseback.

“Magnificent. An orderly withdrawal with no slack in their vigilance. If we tried to pursue, we’d be counterattacked in an instant. But… it was like walking on thin ice over Lake Horoi, yet we somehow made it through.”

“Then…”

“Yeah. Everyone fought well! This battle is our Empire’s victory!!”

Austro roared loudly and thrust his fist toward the sky. Cheers from the Imperial Army echoed across the center of the Kabachi Plains.

“I’m so anxious… What if I never see Papa again…”

The usually prickly red-haired beauty clung to him with tears welling in the corners of her eyes. He wiped the tears with his thumb and pulled her into a hug.

“It’s okay. General Phalanx won’t die.”

“Really? You’re not lying?”

While stroking her glossy red hair, Kaito nodded. Elsa’s shoulders were trembling. Even though she acted tough, deep down she was delicate and fragile. That was part of her charm.

“Honestly, I don’t know how the battle will turn out. But I can say this for sure. General Phalanx can’t die. It’s not that he won’t die—he literally can’t.”

He gripped Elsa’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes. To the tilting-headed Elsa, Kaito explained.

“Even if they lose on the Kabachi Plains, there’s still Valihart Grand Fortress. In the end, wars are decided by people. Who else could defend the fortress besides General Phalanx? The general understands that too. So he can’t die. For the sake of protecting the kingdom, he can’t die.”

“I hate the idea of Papa losing… but I hate him dying even more!”

“The general will definitely return to Valihart Fortress. We’ll definitely meet again. So Elsa, all you have to do is wait with peace of mind.”

Saying that, he hugged her again and ran his tongue along her neck. She hadn’t bathed yet, so there was a slight salty taste.

“Nn? Nooo… after I take a bath…”

“When I see your cute side, Elsa, I suddenly get horny. I’ll make you feel really good.”

“Yeah. Make me feel good… so good it erases all my anxiety.”

Their lips met. The two tangled together as they entered the bedroom.

Elsa was on all fours on the bed. Both knees planted, ass raised high, exposing it right in front of Kaito. Only a single pair of white panties hid her most precious parts. As per Kaito’s orders, the front and back were V-shaped and tied at the waist. Custom silk panties from a high-end shop in the royal capital. They cost a full gold coin each—an outrageous price—but they were an incredibly lewd piece of underwear that stimulated a man.

“Uuu, it’s embarrassing…”

Whether embarrassed from being watched, Elsa wriggled. But that only fueled Kaito’s lust even more. Her ass swayed as if begging to be eaten soon.

“So beautiful. Looks absolutely delicious.”

He stroked from her white, healthy thighs up to her ass. Then slowly kneaded both cheeks with his hands. He savored the smooth white skin that sucked his hands in and the soft, springy ass flesh. When he spread them apart, the part covered by the thin cloth became clearly visible. She was already soaked, so the slit stood out sharply.

“Looks tasty…”

He licked his lips and pressed his mouth to the thin cloth. While stroking her ass, he sucked the honey through the fabric.

“Nooo… don’t suck it…”

Even as she said that, she pushed her ass back against him. Elsa got more aroused the more she was abused. She acted reluctant but sought it herself. So he abused her thoroughly.

“Elsa, you’re such a lewd girl. Getting this wet…”

“Uuu, that’s not true. It’s because Kaito does lewd things…”

She shook her head in denial. But that was nothing but a signal for “abuse me more.”

“You love it when I do this, right?”

He grabbed the panties and yanked them upward. The thin cloth dug into her slit, stimulating her most sensitive spot.

“Hiuuuu…”

While listening to Elsa’s moan, he rubbed his cheek against her now-exposed pure white ass and gave the soft flesh a gentle bite. He left teeth marks, branding proof that this body was his.

Honey dripped plop plop and ran down her thighs. Breathing heavily, Elsa turned her face toward him with the expression of a bitch in heat.

“Please… already… already…”

Normally he would abuse her even more from here, but perhaps charmed by how cute Elsa had been earlier, Kaito himself couldn’t hold back the flames of lust.

“I can’t hold back either. Time to eat Elsa.”

He untied the waist strings. Slowly he peeled off the white cloth. The dug-in part came away with strings of juice. The flower garden releasing an incredible scent was revealed. Because it had been stimulated, her clit was already red and twitching.

“Hurry…”

She raised her ass even higher and pushed it toward him. He pressed his throbbing cock to the entrance of her flower garden and thrust in all at once.

“Hiuuuunnn!!”

The bitch let out a happy cry. He hit her deepest spot with a thump. But he didn’t devour her right away. It was to savor the twitching of her folds. It already felt incredibly good like this, but doing one more thing would turn it into an even more incredible flavor.

Slap

The sound of flesh being struck rang out. He lightly spanked the plump, white, soft ass. Just that made the twitching grow frantic. He slapped it again. Elsa’s back jerked.

“Nooo… don’t spank my ass…”

Slap

She cried out happily. After spanking her several times, her white skin turned red and the twitching became magnificent. Once he had drawn out enough flavor, he began to devour her.

“Being spanked on the ass… I’m loving it!!”

While moaning, she blamed herself. That made her even more aroused. That was Elsa’s kink. He thrust his hips roughly and spanked her from time to time. Each time she let out a happy scream.

“Like I thought, Elsa, you’re a pervert who gets off on having her ass spanked.”

“That’s not true, that’s not true… I’m not a pervert…”

It wasn’t just about abusing her. He accepted every twisted part of her.

“It’s fine, Elsa. I love you for getting wet when I spank your ass.”

“Really? Even though I’m a pervert, you won’t hate me?”

He spanked her again with a loud slap. Then he moved his hips gently and hugged her from behind.

“Yeah, because you’re my Elsa. I’ll keep spoiling you like this forever.”

“Yeah… spoil me… lots and lots…”

From there he stopped spanking her ass. He simply devoured the soft flesh without pause. Gripping her slim waist, he slammed in deep. Soon the urge to cum rose up.

“I’m gonna cum!”

“Cum inside!! Fill me up!!”

The moment he thrust one last time, his cock pulsed hard. Hot lava erupted, painting her insides white. Her womb burned and Elsa let out a huge scream of ecstasy. Her pussy clamped down tight, folds writhing as if trying to milk out every last drop. Kaito stayed still, letting her spasms do the work. He pumped and pumped, flooding her womb.

Elsa collapsed onto the bed with a blissful expression. Her red hair was a mess, her body trembling in the afterglow of a bitch’s climax. Just watching her made his chest and cock burn hotter. He wanted to see more. He wanted to make her even lewder.

“I’m still not done eating. This time how about you use your mouth?”

When he pulled his cock out, thick white lava gushed from her pussy with a glorp. “Nnn,” she shuddered and sat up. She grabbed his still rock-hard cock and opened her mouth.

The situation on the Kabachi Plains was brought to the royal capital four days later……