The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 178

3.

From the moment the intelligence war began, the outcome of the battle was already determined.

Thanks to Seong’s efforts, they had obtained critical information about the enemy.

They now knew that Basilica’s invasion would begin in ten days.

Ninyaru’s course of action was clear.

They would strike first before Basilica could reach them.

However, gathering forces was not something that could be done so quickly.

Even if they rushed their preparations before Basilica could fully mobilize, the process of assembling soldiers and marching out would take longer than ten days.

They needed another plan.

Thus, the expeditionary force was formed.

Its purpose: to buy time for Ninyaru to complete its military preparations.

They had to shake Basilica to its core.

Basilica had the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) same ten days.

But if they disrupted Basilica’s main camp within that time?

Their forces would inevitably weaken.

And if Ninyaru’s fully prepared army joined forces with the expeditionary unit at just the right moment—

The advantage in the war would shift decisively in their favor.

Everyone understood this strategy.

However—

“Grrr... Why is some outsider leading the expedition instead of me?”

The voice of discontent came from a knight with white fur patterned like a cheetah.

Silberion, the captain of the White Knights, grumbled even under the decree of the great ruler of Ninyaru.

Most of the White Knights behind her shared her resentment.

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“The captain is right! Even if we’re a young order, this is too much!”

“Exactly! Giving command of the expedition to some outsider?! Isn’t that absurd?!”

“His Majesty is being unreasonable!”

Despite their complaints, none of them had the courage to go and openly challenge their king.

Silberion was no different.

And perhaps, deep down, there was also a sense of inferiority.

The White Knights were notably younger than other knightly orders.

They were all legitimate knights, yet they had always been sidelined from critical missions simply because of their age.

This time, they were finally entrusted with an important mission—

Only to have an outsider appointed as their leader.

It was hard not to be disappointed.

Damn it.

Silberion ground her teeth in frustration.

It felt like all her hard work had been dismissed.

She hadn’t heard much about Seong’s achievements.

To her and the White Knights, he was just some wanderer who had stumbled out of a labyrinth.

Of course, they underestimated him.

But ultimately, it was the king’s command.

They had no choice but to obey.

Still—

“Hmph. If an outsider wants to command us, he better prove he’s worthy.”

A thought that might be considered treasonous.

Yet, among the White Knights, it seemed completely reasonable.

Perhaps it was simply the nature of feline beastfolk.

This kind of challenge was second nature to them.

King Nyao had anticipated as much.

They had always been a rebellious bunch.

He hadn’t said anything because he believed that, in the end, Seong would handle them well.

And, truthfully, he was curious to see how things would play out.

With that, the expeditionary force was assembled, and the White Knights gathered.

Seong arrived late to the scene.

“My apologies for the delay.”

“Hmph.”

At a glance—

He does look... strong.

Even Silberion had to admit that Seong had an imposing presence.

She acknowledged it—if only slightly.

But she still didn’t like him.

Even if he was strong, there was no way he was stronger than her.

So she made up her mind.

I'll outpace him on the way to Basilica.

The White Knights were young and relatively weak compared to the Golden Knights and Black Knights—

But they had one undeniable advantage.

Speed.

They were the fastest among all the knight orders.

This was the main reason they were chosen for the expeditionary force.

With their speed, they could cover the distance to Basilica, which would normally take a full day, in just half a day.

Their unparalleled swiftness made them the best fit for this mission.

Seong was well aware of this.

After looking over the White Knights, he spoke.

“It looks like everyone is ready. Let’s depart immediately.”

“...Already?”

So soon?

They were prepared, but still—

Wasn’t this too fast?

Silberion voiced her doubt.

“Huh?”

Seong tilted his head, as if confused.

That slight condescension stung Silberion’s pride.

She cleared her throat.

“Ahem. Never mind! We’re already prepared. Let’s depart immediately.”

“Understood. I’ll meet you all at the west gate.”

“Fine.”

As Seong left after stating his orders, the White Knights turned to Silberion.

“C-Can we really leave right away?”

“Isn’t this too rushed?”

“Captain, are you sure about this?”

Their voices were filled with anxiety, and Silberion herself was feeling a little uneasy.

This was their first real deployment.

She could see the tension in their expressions.

But instead of soothing them, she snapped.

“Get a grip! Are you planning to ruin our first deployment?!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am?!”

“Ah!”

“Even that outsider is prepared! And yet, you’re hesitating like cowards?!”

Her roar snapped them out of their hesitation.

If the White Knights hesitated now, they would humiliate themselves.

The outsider was already ahead of them.

They had to get themselves together.

“Uwaaaah!”

“We will not fail!!!”

“We’ll correct our attitudes!!!”

The atmosphere flipped instantly.

Seeing their renewed determination, Silberion nodded in satisfaction.

They would not disgrace themselves in front of an outsider.

Just because this was their first mission didn’t mean they were weak.

Compared to the other knight orders, they might still be inexperienced—

But they were knights nonetheless.

They were still far superior to most adventurers and players.

This outsider might be strong, but at the end of the day, he’s still just an outsider.

If not for his noble title and achievements, they wouldn’t have tolerated him at all.

But regardless, the preparations were complete.

Silberion turned to her knights.

“He might be strong for an outsider, but I still refuse to acknowledge him as our commander. Let’s show him what we’re made of.”

“Yes!!!”

“For the White Knights!!!”

“For Ninyaru!!!”

“For His Majesty!!!”

With their battle cries, the White Knights marched toward the west gate.

There, they saw Seong waiting for them.

He looked them over, fully armed and ready—

Though due to their focus on speed, their armor was lighter than most knight orders.

Seong scratched his cheek and asked curiously,

“Do you not have horses?”

That’s when he realized—he had never seen any horses in Ninyaru.

Silberion scoffed.

“Our White Knights have the fastest legs among the three knight orders.”

“Oh? I see.”

“Why don’t you take a horse? Not that it will help. You still won’t be faster than us. If you lag behind, it could slow down the entire expedition.”

Her words carried concern more than disdain.

But Seong simply smiled.

Silberion was about to get irritated when—

Snap.

Seong snapped his fingers.

A gate to the underworld opened.

A portal of glowing teal light materialized before them.

Silberion’s eyes narrowed.

What was he doing?

A powerful shockwave of plasma energy burst out as a mighty bird emerged.

Anemore had arrived.

PIIIYEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!It let out a thunderous cry, piercing through the skies of the Labyrinth Rift.

Silberion gulped.

What was this creature?

The White Knights behind her were just as shaken.

An outsider had a summoned beast this powerful?!

Seong smirked.

“I’m glad you’re confident in your speed. Well then, I’ll see you at the destination.”

PIYEEEEEEEEEK!!!With that, Seong and Helena soared into the sky, disappearing in a flash of lightning.

Silberion, snapping out of her daze, screamed.

“E-Everyone, move!!! W-We can’t fall behind!!!”

““Y-YES, CAPTAIN!!!””

They all shouted in unison.

But honestly, they were all thinking the same thing.

How the hell are we supposed to keep up with that?

They had to push themselves to the limit.

Only by doing so could they maintain their dignity as the expeditionary force—no, as the White Knights.

At the very least, they had to avoid utterly disgracing their order.

Damn it!!!

Silberion gritted her teeth in frustration.

An outsider—just an outsider—had a summoned beast that powerful?!

It was downright unfair.

4.

Riding atop Anemore, which accelerated through the air at a breathtaking speed, Seong and Helena soared toward their destination.

Helena, in particular, looked delighted.

But it wasn’t just because of the flight itself.

Or maybe... it was partly related?

“Hahaha! Seong, well done.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Hmm, never mind. It was just fun.”

Helena had thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Silberion had subtly looked down on Seong, only to be humiliated in the end.

Seong, however, was completely unaware of the tension and didn’t think much of it.

Helena, too, knew that this wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

As they continued their journey, Seong instructed Anemore to slow down.

Even at its reduced speed, Anemore was still incredibly fast—

Though compared to earlier, it was significantly slower.

Was it out of consideration for the White Knights?

Of course not.

“Oh? You’re getting ready in advance?” Helena asked.

“Yeah. The more materials I have, the stronger I’ll be.”

Hearing that, Helena nodded in agreement.

She then glanced down at the ground beneath Anemore’s wings.

All across the landscape, gates to the underworld were opening.

Each one absorbed the corpses of labyrinth monsters, players, or NPCs that had been swallowed by the Labyrinth Rift.

Seong was gathering an enormous amount of corpses into the underworld as they advanced toward Basilica.

The expeditionary force was one thing—

But for a large-scale war, this was absolutely necessary.

He was preparing to ignite the flames of war.

With hundreds, even thousands of corpses amassing, Seong methodically laid the groundwork for his Overlord battle strategy.

At the same time, a thought crossed his mind.

‘It’s been a while since I used the Explosion Build.’

With this many corpses—

How devastating would it be?

A flicker of curiosity sparked within him as he continued his meticulous preparations while advancing toward Basilica.

5.

Basilica’s fortress walls were vastly different from those of Ninyaru.

Ninyaru was a natural stronghold, surrounded on all sides by the labyrinth, making it nearly impossible to breach.

The tiny gap that Shivren had recently discovered—

Had remained undiscovered for hundreds of years.

In contrast, Basilica’s walls were like those of any ordinary city.

Three of its sides were enclosed by the labyrinth, but the eastern wall jutted outward, leaving it completely exposed.

Unlike Ninyaru, Basilica’s sky was wide open.

However, its eastern fortress wall was incredibly tall, thick, and sturdy.

It gave Basilica’s soldiers a sense of security.

To the point where they didn’t even feel the need to remain vigilant.

And today was no different.

The guards at the east gate lazed around, dozing off and grumbling among themselves.

“I mean, seriously, why do we even need to guard this place? No one’s attacking us.”

“Hey, at least it’s better than patrolling the city.”

“Heh, can’t argue with that.”

“Let’s just slack off a bit and head back in.”

These were the watchmen of Basilica’s eastern gate.

There was no discipline in them.

Not even a hint of loyalty.

As they lay around, one of them absentmindedly glanced down at the ground far below the fortress wall.

It was some distance away—

And then.

“Huh?”

“What is it?”

“I think... the ground just moved?”

“What the hell are you talking about?—Wait, huh?”

At his words, another soldier lifted his head.

And he saw it too.

The ground was moving.

No—

Rather than moving, it was undulating.

The soldier rubbed his eyes and looked again—

That wasn’t the ground.

A horde of bodies, black as shadows, slithered forward, emanating a ghostly teal glow.

An army of the undead was reaching toward the fortress.

“E-EVACUATEEEEEEE!!!”

The alarm bells rang frantically.

And with that—

The first act of war in Basilica had begun.