Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 251: Last Trump Card

CH251 Last Trump Card

***

Out of respect for Casper Schaumer’s valiant fight, Jared chose not to make a spectacle of his victory. He didn’t raise a war cry, nor did he display the severed head of the enemy’s general as one might normally expect in such a situation.

Instead, he simply whistled. Terror, his loyal steed, came galloping back through the haze of battle. Jared mounted in silence and rode steadily toward the fort.

The duel was done. The enemy’s Saint-ranked powerhouse—the pillar of the Kellerman army—was dead. And with the Fury army already crushing their opponents, there was no longer any need for him to personally intervene in the wider battle.

His duty now lay elsewhere: protecting the battlefield’s most vulnerable position until all danger had passed—Alex himself.

Jared had made no effort to draw attention, yet his presence could not be hidden. He and Terror were an unmistakable pair, and the absence of ’General Vance’ had not gone unnoticed.

Aside from Alex, who had witnessed the entire duel through ’Senu TV’, the first to truly grasp the outcome was Josiah Kellerman. The young heir had kept a close eye on the decisive clash, just as his Fury counterpart had.

’Damn you, Vance,’ Josiah cursed inwardly, nearly biting his own fingers bloody in frustration. ’You swore you could defeat Jared Rivia, yet you fall to him like this? If you wanted to die, you should have done it alone. Why drag my family—why drag me—into your failure?!’

Here, deep inside Fury lands, with his army crumbling and defeat looming, Josiah saw no path back to Warrington, the capital of the Kellerman Fief. Not unless it was inside a body bag.

A cruel light flickered in his eyes as desperation birthed a plan.

Turning to his adjutant, Josiah straightened his posture, masking his despair with the facade of a calm, competent commander. In a firm tone, he ordered:

”Send word. Instruct the special units to use their potions. The fort must fall today, no matter the cost!”

The adjutant saluted sharply and rushed off to relay the command to the few surviving officers still holding the frontlines, those who hadn’t yet fallen to the Dark Hound’s merciless hunt across the battlefield.

Watching the messenger mount his horse and ride off, Josiah’s expression twisted. His thoughts seethed with venom.

’Don’t blame me, peasants. It is your honour to give your lives to protect my noble blood.’

When his adjutant returned, Josiah Kellerman quietly delivered a set of secret instructions.

The man’s eyes widened in shock. He clenched his fist behind his back where Josiah could not see, but on the surface, he nodded with stiff obedience, his face betraying nothing but acceptance with only a hint of resignation.

On the battlefield, Josiah’s earlier commands spread like wildfire, igniting morale throughout the Kellerman ranks. Soldiers who had been on the verge of despair straightened their backs. Their young master was still with them—still fighting. Perhaps victory was not lost after all.

Those who had teetered on the edge of surrender now roared with renewed vigour.

The so-called special units mentioned in Josiah’s orders eagerly pulled out the vials they had been issued before the battle. Supposed miracle potions. With grim determination and desperate hope, they downed the contents in one gulp.

Almost immediately, their bodies flushed crimson. Steam hissed from their pores, evaporating the sweat that had once drenched them.

The signs were unmistakable: berserk potions.

And yet... something about these was different.

The warriors among them felt their muscles swell with raw strength, their speed and stamina surging beyond natural limits. The mages found their spellcasting sharper, their penetration far more lethal. And all of this came without the usual drawbacks—no haze of madness, no loss of awareness nor dimming of intelligence.

To the Kellerman troops, it was a miracle. A berserk potion stripped of its cursed side effects.

With reckless abandon, they hurled themselves at the Fury soldiers, their frenzy turning the tide of the battlefield.

The Fury army’s overwhelming advantage stalled.

The Kellerman berserkers couldn’t seize control, but they dragged the fight back into bloody chaos, preventing the Fury soldiers from pressing their victory.

From Senu’s aerial view, Alex observed the change. His sharp gaze noted that the bulk of these potion-doped soldiers were archers and mages stationed on siege platforms, raining hell down upon the walls. Only a handful were close-range warriors.

Alex had prepared for this possibility. He had a solution. But employing it meant spending the last reserves of the Grand Array’s energy.

’If I hold the array, I can keep the shield protecting our troops for another ten minutes. If I strike now, I can wipe out the siege weapons. Which is the right choice?’

The thought of Jared flashed in his mind—the memory of how the Dark Knight had deliberately severed the Grand Array’s link, ensuring its resources were wasted on him.

Alex exhaled, the decision crystallising.

’I should trust the soldiers. These are the elite of the Fury Army. They can hold their own even without the formation.’

Alex sent a prompt order to OmniRune, which in turn relayed the guidance instructions to the Control circle of the Grand Array Formation.

This was the moment he had been saving for—activating a contingency he had hidden within the Kellerman army long before, with the help of Cromwell Haggleworth and the Golden Palace.

Part of the procurements the Kellerman Earldom had purchased from the Golden Palace included a set of high-end parts critical for their siege weapons. Everything from the ballistae’s winding mechanisms, onager catapults’ torsion bundles, siege towers’ prefabricated iron wheels and axles, to the battering rams’ heavy iron ram-heads—many of these essential components could not be sourced on site. The Kellermans had been forced to acquire them directly from the Golden Palace.

Unbeknownst to them, every single shipment supplied by the Golden Palace bore a derivative of the Phone Rune. That was how Alex had been able to track their army’s supply line. And now, those very runes hidden within the siege weapon parts were about to serve him one final time.

This was Alex’s trump card—the final ace he had prepared for this battle and, perhaps, the entire war.

The Grand Array formation began preparing to unleash another spell.

Just as before, a massive spell circle manifested in the skies above Northern Dankrot Fort. From its burning lines extended a variation of Alex’s most favoured spell.

[Grand Firebolt Array]!

Dozens of fiery lances emerged from the spell circle, their heads emitting heat like hardened lava. Before firing, OmniRune embedded each one with the runic-equivalent of targeting data, transforming them into the next evolution of Alex’s runic-guided missile project.

Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!

Siege towers, archer towers, arcane towers, ballista, battering ram—siege weapon after siege weapon was annihilated with frightening accuracy, the firepower tearing through even the reinforced barriers protecting them.

Potion-doped archers and mages stationed on the platforms were caught in the inferno. Their deaths sent shockwaves through the Kellerman lines, while the Fury soldiers roared as the tide of battle swung back firmly in their favour.

Alex’s consciousness withdrew from the mindspace and returned to his body, severing his link with the Grand Array Formation.

Exhaustion crashed over him. His limbs lost strength, and he slumped to the floor, pale and trembling.

”Master!” Udara rushed to his side in alarm.

”I am fine... just a little fatigued.” Alex forced himself upright, managing to sit with visible effort.

”Impressive work, young master.” A familiar, steady voice rang out.

”Same to you, Jared.” Alex managed a nod. ”You are no longer participating in the battle?”

”The battle is already decided. It is only a matter of time now. My presence is more prudent here than elsewhere.” Jared’s calm reply carried the weight of certainty.

Alex nodded in understanding.

In his weakened state, he was in no condition to defend himself, and while Udara’s strength was considerable, there were limits to what she could do in a battlefield of this scale. Jared’s presence was a far sturdier shield than anything else Alex had at hand.

And so, Alex chose to rely on it.

”Udara, I need you to get to Colonel Hoist or Major Jaeger—preferably both. Follow Senu, track down Josiah Kellerman, and capture him. He must not be allowed to escape,” Alex ordered firmly.

Udara glanced at Jared, who gave her a reassuring nod—his calm eyes promising ’your master is safe with me’. She returned the gesture, then mounted her warhorse and dashed into the battlefield.

The first she encountered was Colonel Hoist, not far from the wall.

Whistle!

She blew the secret rhythm of the Fang unit. Colonel Hoist instantly recognised it. Without hesitation, he abandoned his current engagement, vaulted onto a riderless horse galloping wildly across the field, and spurred it after her.

As they rode, Udara pointed towards Major Jaeger. Hoist caught her intent immediately. He sent a sound transmission that cut through the chaos of the battlefield, reaching the Major with clarity.

Major Jaeger quickly disengaged as well, pulling back with his squad of Dark Hounds to join them.

Shreeee~!

Senu let out a sharp cry, swooping low to guide the group. With unerring precision, she led them toward Josiah Kellerman—who had already turned tail and was fleeing after seeing the result of the command to deploy the berserk potion.

---

Back in the central plaza of Dankrot Fort, Alex exhaled deeply, relief washing through him.

The battle had turned. The Fury Army pressed the advantage, victory drawing closer with every heartbeat. With Udara, Colonel Hoist, and Major Jaeger closing in on Josiah, Alex was confident the fleeing Kellerman heir would soon be captured.

Victory was within reach—he could almost taste it.

Only Jared remained at his side, so Alex allowed himself to drop the facade. He let his weakness show, the fatigue seeping into his bones.

Though the control formation had enabled him to wield the Grand Array, the strain of coordinating its immense power had taken a brutal toll on his mind. At last, he could relax—if only for a moment.

But then—

A chilling premonition struck. The same kind that had saved his life once before, during the assassination attempt in Moormont City.

Uthvaazgol’s voice echoed in his mind.

”No matter what you are doing—cultivation, politics, battle, or even a simple walk—until you cross the final threshold, never assume you have arrived. The moment you believe you are safe... is the moment you are most vulnerable.

”Never grow complacent!”

Alex’s eyes snapped open. His fatigue was instantly pushed aside as his Mana and Spiritual Force surged to his eyes.

Spirit Sight Lv.2!

Gasp!

His breath caught in his throat. Horror gripped him.

A suffocating killing intent blanketed the plaza, surrounding him on all sides.

Before Alex could turn to Jared—before he could utter even a word—the world itself was consumed by darkness.

This abyss was familiar, reminiscent of Jared’s grasp over the Concept of Darkness. But it was not the same. This was infinitely deeper, overwhelmingly stronger.

The Law of Darkness!

Unlike Jared’s mere concept, this world was forged from the very Law itself.

Alex’s blood ran cold.

’That means... this is... a Legendary Domain!’

In other words, he had stepped into the crosshairs of none other than a Legendary-ranked killer.

***