Chapter 200: Unmatched

The march continued without much trouble.

Along the way, they encountered a few groups of monsters, but thankfully, none were as troublesome as gargoyles.

None survived the knights’ initial wave of attacks on horseback, much less the charge of the foot soldiers.

Eve’s team had it easy at the back.

By the time they reached the fight, it was already over. They didn’t have to lift a finger. Although they weren’t sure if this was by design or simply because the monsters were too weak, they didn’t mind.

Of course, there was a reason the knights were having such an easy time, allowing their marching speed to be about twice the norm.

They received several benefits from Axel—specifically, accessories.

Each knight received an accessory that added a random percentage of strength, stamina, and agility all at once! Thanks to this, they could display strength and speed beyond their normal limits.

These items weren’t exactly “given” to them; they were more like “rented out.” The girls suggested that Axel let Sophia’s men keep them for greater protection, arguing that they were cheap to make anyway.

While their words held some truth, Axel viewed the items not just for their material cost but for their market value.

In short, he had effectively handed over about 10 trillion worth of accessories!

Clearly, it was thanks to these accessories that nothing “bad” had happened to the army or the girls yet. Considering that, he felt his investment was worthwhile.

“Attention! The sun’s about to set in half an hour! Begin preparing the tents and barricades!”

It was time to rest.

They couldn’t march endlessly, day and night.

Even with the accessories, the soldiers still experienced fatigue and needed to rest whenever possible.

Tents were fetched from the wagons and carriages, quickly distributed, and set up in parallel all around. In just a few minutes, a couple dozen wall tents made of leather or canvas were standing, each capable of fitting up to 10 people.

Of course, Eve’s team received a tent designated specifically for them. One because they’re not really familiar with the others, and two… because Axel said so.

He wouldn’t let unknown men sleep with Eve and the other girls so easily!

Anyway, they wouldn’t be using it right away.

After the tents were set up, the soldiers began constructing a perimeter fence using logs. This fence didn’t offer true defense; rather, it served to mark their “zone” and keep the soldiers from straying too deep into the encroaching darkness as night fell.

Darkness arrived quickly.

The sun dipped below the mountains on the horizon, casting the wasteland into an unsettling gloom.

Without Axel’s floodlights illuminating their nights, the darkness felt more oppressive than usual…

“Light the torches!”

The “torches” here meant the fence logs. They served not only as a boundary but also as the army’s primary light source during defense!

Once lit, a perimeter of roughly a hundred meters in radius became visible. It was ample space for the army to maneuver freely, yet not so vast that they would struggle to traverse from one side to the other in a hurry, or cover all sides of it.

But this formation had its drawbacks.

When facing the Amalgam—a zombie that emits poison with each step—a smaller circle meant that everyone would be in danger very quickly. Typically, they would assign a few soldiers to fend off the larger monsters while the rest dealt with the smaller zombies.

This strategy minimized their damage and casualties.

However, their numbers were currently few. They couldn’t afford to lose any more soldiers. With even fewer, they would face difficulties defending against the regular zombies, let alone the larger ones!

That’s where Eve’s team came into play.

“Leave the big ones to us; handle the rest as you normally would!” she commanded, making her intentions clear to the Empire’s troops.

Bound by the Obedience Curse, none could defy her orders.

They recognized Eve’s power, having witnessed her strength, but they also understood that even the mightiest could fall victim to poison. They couldn’t help but worry about the little girl.

Death could strike as swiftly as inhaling at the wrong moment!

Of course, such fears were baseless.

“Everyone, prepare for perimeter defense!” Eve remained resolute.

She commanded the sniper troops, allowing all nine of them, including herself, to position themselves radially. Each stood a few paces apart, ensuring a clear view ahead.

They don’t plan to approach the giants, but rather, to kill them at distance!

However, the light from a small, burning stake was insufficient to illuminate everything beyond its reach. In fact, the flickering flame made it even harder to see the zombies lurking in the darkness beyond.

“Arianne!”

“Yes, Princess!”

Upon Eve’s command, Arianne stepped forward and raised her right palm toward the sky. Closing her eyes, she focused intently.

Soon, mana began to gather above her palm, forming a ball of bright light.

“Flare…!” Arianne exclaimed as she launched the spell upward.

The ball of light soared, reaching about a hundred meters in the air, brightening the immediate surroundings enough to reveal the hulking figures lurking behind the zombie army.

Eve wasted no time; she raised her rifle into a standard shooting position and commanded, “Aim at those within your line of sight! Fire at will!”

As soon as her words were spoken, all nine of them took the same position, with slight variations based on their individual styles.

They aimed their rifles and began gathering mana into the bullets.

This time, they were no longer using the expensive Holy Clips; instead, they infused the normal bullets with Holy Element mana, transforming them into makeshift Holy Bullets!

These bullets would last only about fifteen seconds at most, but…

BANG!

It was more than enough time for the bullets to fly from the muzzles toward their targets without the slightest deviation.

Nine bullets soared through the air, drawing bright lines across the darkness.

In the next instant, two Amalgams and seven Giant Zombies fell. They didn’t even know what hit them; their heads simply exploded without warning.

“O-Ohh…”

It was yet another display of overwhelming strength. They were killing enemies hundreds of meters away without letting them react at all!

But now, witnessing their ability to one-shot the most formidable zombie among the horde, the Empire’s soldiers couldn’t help but feel a mix of awe and fear.

After all, they had initially intended to attack “these people.”

If not for the gargoyle’s attack midway and reached Axevaria without problems… they might’ve been wiped out with no survivors instead.

Of course, Eve’s team didn’t stop there.

With 200 people, approximately 40 Giant Zombies were spawned around them. They needed to execute five more volleys, ensuring not a single shot was missed, before all the large ones were eliminated.

Even the Pouncers, which were quite noticeable as they jumped around, were swiftly taken out in the subsequent blasts.

“All clear.”

After confirming that no zombies remained except for the regular ones, Eve lowered her rifle.

“Reload, stand by, and wait. Fire at will if you see anyone who needs backup,” she instructed.

That night, the Empire’s troops experienced a no-casualty, no-injury defense in the wild for the first time.

All thanks to Eve’s team and their powerful “magic weapons.”

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