How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 290 - Romanek Plains (4)

Snow was still falling from the ashen sky. The darkness that had stained the plains continued to contaminate the accumulating snow.

Woong- The sound of horns echoing across the plains was majestic.

It was the same on the other side. Different notes signaling a charge blended together in the middle of the plains.

The soldiers rushed forward. The cavalry was at the forefront. The Empire took the center, those mixed from the West and Empire took the left wing, and those mixed from the South and Empire took the right wing.

It would be a lie to say there was no fear in the hearts of the soldiers running across the darkness-stained plains towards the approaching army of the Great Devil.

Even if Erendil’s speech had struck a chord, it’s a natural emotion that ordinary people should have. That’s why we paid a lot of attention when arranging the battle lines.

As we approached the northeast, the commanders observed the condition of the soldiers and identified those who were brave and fearless.

‘Collective action suppresses individual emotions.’

Of course, it could be unfortunate for them. They had to stand at the very front lines. However, they did not refuse the proposal.

An honorable death on the battlefield. This was something that I, who came from modern society, viewed differently from the people of this world.

This world reveres such people. The rulers have made it so. And looking at their retreating figures now, I thought they were worthy of reverence.

I wasn’t there yet. Despite the fact that Erendil and the Sword Masters weren’t moving, there was no apparent disappointment among the soldiers.

We had to face the devils after all. They knew that we had been assigned a more dangerous task than the soldiers charging from the front lines.

As I watched the advancing soldiers, I surveyed the enemy lines. The Great Devil was nowhere to be seen.

‘Is there a reason for it not to be there?’

There were two immediate speculations. Either it was waiting to target Erendil in the chaos of intensified battle.

Or it was preparing to achieve its intentions by utilizing the darkness that had stained the plains.

It didn’t seem likely that it was replenishing its strength due to the influence of the darkness that had stained the plains.

In any case, one devil visible in the middle of the enemy lines. Upon closer inspection, I recognized it as the devil of slaughter.

‘I had guessed, but if they could bring one, it would be the best choice.’

I clicked my tongue. A newly descended devil cannot exert its full power. However, things are a bit different with the devil of slaughter.

This devil grows stronger bit by bit as people die around it or as it commits slaughter itself.

It meant that it was the best choice if they could summon only one devil in an urgent situation. I observed its movements.

Three Sword Masters, excluding myself, Mondegreen, Rudehrn, and Faorn, were already on standby. Unlike us on this side, they were hiding among the advancing soldiers.

When the devil of slaughter moves, the three Sword Masters including Denif will step forward. For now, they were thinking of an ambush. The wait wouldn’t be long. The battle lines of both sides were about to collide.

The darkness engulfing the plains still showed no reaction. A knight of the Empire, once called a Sword Master candidate, raised his voice atop his horse.

“Don’t be afraid! Charge! Charge! It’s them who are intimidated!”

His voice, imbued with mana, filled the battlefield. It wasn’t wrong. I agreed as well. Their dominion wasn’t perfect yet.

Even under the devils, they weren’t able to control the psychology of every soldier. They had only captured those at the top.

If more time had passed, it might have been different. The soldiers of the East were mentally far inferior compared to us.

The morale of the Eastern allied forces couldn’t be said to be good even if we tried to sugarcoat it. Moreover, our number of soldiers was significantly greater.

The battle lines of both sides collide. The Empire’s cavalry pierced through the enemy like rhinos. The left and right wings encircled them as if to surround them.

“Devil!”

That’s when the devil of slaughter moved. It suddenly leaped off the ground and fell onto the Empire’s cavalry at the front line.

Kwoong- The tremor of the ground was strong enough to be felt even here. It wasn’t just a simple landing. The ground exploded and darkness shot up.

The darkness that shot in all directions enveloped the surrounding soldiers. Agonizing screams echoed. It was a shocking sight, but the soldiers did not stop advancing.

Fear is fear. Most of the soldiers here were those who had experienced several wars.

This was true for both the Empire and the soldiers from the West. Those who had survived the hells of the past know that to survive, they must follow the strategy.

Three Sword Masters moved towards the devil. Two Sword Energies cut through the tendrils of darkness attacking the surroundings.

‘Will they inflict damage?’

And the Sword Energy of the hidden Sword Master attacks the devil. Since it’s better to quickly subdue the devil of slaughter, I held considerable expectations.

However, unfortunately, it didn’t seem to have inflicted proper damage. Anyway, the battle with the devil had begun.

I quickly looked back at Erendil. Now that we had diverted the devil’s eyes, it was time to hide Erendil. This had been the plan from the beginning.

We were planning to hide and target the Great Devil after all. It was a bit difficult.

If the emperor doesn’t show herself right before the battle begins, the morale of the soldiers would plummet endlessly. That’s why we came up with a deception.

If the Great Devil had been there, we planned to momentarily blind it using the Archmage’s wide-area skill, but now that it wasn’t there, there was no need for that.

“Your Majesty.”

The preparations were swiftly carried out. While the Archmage temporarily maintained Erendil’s appearance with illusion magic, we switched with a body double.

In fact, this was an operation that couldn’t be disclosed even to the soldiers. We couldn’t know who might be a spy.

For this moment, a body double who had dyed their hair the same color as Erendil and wore Osten’s color lenses had been hiding and moving with us.

Erendil quickly changed into armor and stood beside me. She looked like an ordinary knight.

The body double was holding Teme’s Spear. It didn’t matter. With Erendil’s will, it would return to her hands. The body double had a calm face.

We had secretly selected someone who was promised a massive reward. They were known for their acting skills.

‘How will it play out?’

The devil and the three Sword Masters were engaged in an intense battle. I supported their bodies with winds while waiting for the Great Devil.

The original reason for using a body double was for me and Erendil to move stealthily and intercept with Teme’s Spear.

But now the situation had changed. We couldn’t know how the hidden Great Devil would appear.

The darkness on the plains reacted briefly due to the devil of slaughter, but there was still no significant change.

We couldn’t know whether it would try to target Erendil from the sky, or if it was working on something on the plains. I rather hoped for the former.

That would mean the Great Devil hadn’t recognized the body double. It wasn’t impossible. We even gave them Teme’s Spear.

‘When striking from the sky, there won’t be leisure to look that closely.’

That’s also why we positioned three Sword Masters around the body double. Surely the Great Devil wouldn’t fear them.

If it had been misled once, wouldn’t it come down confidently? I hoped so.

While the three Sword Masters kept it occupied, I and Erendil could intercept the Great Devil.

***

The decisive battle that had been filled with worry for days was unfolding before our eyes. Yet, I was surprisingly calm. It felt like extreme concentration had been activated.

I surveyed the battlefield with winds and my eyes. Thanks to the numerical advantage, we were winning for now. Even with the devil present.

‘Not bad.’

The devil of slaughter didn’t fly into the sky. In addition to the three Sword Masters, the Eastern soldiers themselves were being overwhelmed by the continental allied forces.

It was certain that the devil’s physical condition wasn’t yet perfect. The battle itself seemed easier than when we faced the devil of domination in the East.

However, it fought intelligently. It didn’t engage in a frontal battle. Instead, it jumped between the Imperial soldiers, wreaking havoc around.

The Sword Masters’ Sword Energy couldn’t sharply penetrate towards it as it leaped around in our forces’ ranks.

‘The moment it’s surrounded, it briefly flies up and dives back into the soldiers.’

We couldn’t view it entirely positively. The devil of slaughter would gradually become stronger. Perhaps it might be better for additional Sword Masters to join and end it quickly, but…

We couldn’t move easily. The enemies might be aiming for that. If the Great Devil appears in the meantime, it would be difficult to respond.

“Your Majesty, this way.”

In any case, we had to be prepared. I distanced myself and Erendil from the fake emperor. It was to avoid being caught in the aftermath if there was a surprise attack.

We also intended to hide in a non-existent season without the Great Devil knowing. There was only one thing we hoped for.

That the enemy’s condition wasn’t as good as we had expected. I had destroyed one of the three orbs needed for its summoning.

I was desperately hoping that the power of the being that had descended in the distant past had decreased by more than 30%.

‘The more, the better.’

The best scenario would be if the effect was greater than our expectations. If the trinity, those three orbs, maintained a balance to summon the Great Devil…

There’s a possibility that it might have lost more power than just 30%. I placed my hand on Moonlight’s hilt.

It was an unconscious action. As the time of observation lengthened, it seemed a bit of impatience had grown. After about 15 seconds had passed, I narrowed my eyes.

It was because an anomaly started to occur on the darkness-stained plains. The surrounding soldiers noticed it immediately too.

The darkness that had been barely rippling above the soles of their feet started to rise up to below their knees. However, it wasn’t aggressive yet.

Was this a signal that the Great Devil was coming, or was it a sign indicating some kind of attack? Maybe both.

“Oh no…”

And soon, darkness began to rise up and coalesce on the black plains. Dozens of thick tentacle-like things emerged.

Each tentacle had blade-like darkness protruding from it. The whips of darkness fell towards the soldiers. A flood of red was added to the black and white world.

“Aaaaargh!”

The density of terrible screams increased. It was because those tentacles didn’t discriminate between friend and foe. Of course, the damage to the Empire’s side was greater, but…

The Eastern soldiers at the colliding front lines were no exception. Terrible laughter echoed across the battlefield.

“Hehehehe!”

It was the sound coming from the devil of slaughter. It jumped around on the corpses that were beaten to a pulp and bleeding. The blood fallen on the snow rose up and was absorbed into its body.

It was a grotesque sight. I could feel the surrounding soldiers being terrified. It was not a good phenomenon.

‘Did the Great Devil aim for this instead?’

I thought that it might have been waiting to erode our forces while we were conscious of and preparing for the Great Devil.

After all, the more warriors fall on this plain, the stronger they become. If that’s the case, I should find the Great Devil first…

The thought couldn’t continue further. The back of my neck tingled. My body hair stood on end. It wasn’t a warning from Death Avoidance. It was intuition.

I wasn’t the only one who felt it. Rudehrn, Faorn, and Mondegreen also looked up at the sky at the same time.

“Damn it!”

The Great Devil was in the air. When on earth did it approach? It wasn’t even far away. About 40m high in the air, considering the speed, it was right in front of us.

Under the ashen sky, a pillar of darkness was falling through the snowfall that was thick enough to blur our vision.