Charlot couldn’t help but think: “Can’t I first turn this into a byrinth and then repel Lady Nancel’s eighteen waves of attacks?”

  If Silver Dove Castle could be byrinthized, Charlot was confident he could transform the invading South Seraph restorationists into NPCs.

  Despite the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind, Charlot’s command was precise and methodical.

  He sequentially subdued Baron Feller’s defeated troops and two thousand South Seraph soldiers. Although nearly forty percent of them deserted, all their weapons were confiscated. Combined with the stockpile in Silver Dove Castle, they managed to gather three thousand firearms of varying ranges, along with a batch of bows and arrows.

  Charlot organized the weapons by range, positioning the rifles for the first volley, followed by the short guns and archers for the second volley. After two rounds of firing, hundreds of South Seraph restorationists fell, but the remainder reached the foot of the castle walls.

  Then, six or seven Transcendents surged forward, leaping into the air to assault the battlements. These Transcendents, some protected by magic and others fortified by combat energy, shimmered in various colors. Bullets and arrows either bounced off them through magical or combat energy barriers or were deflected with casual sweeps of their weapons. The sheer momentum of these Transcendents momentarily intimidated the defenders of Silver Dove Castle.

  Dolores Soumet pulled out a set of cards and murmured, “Making him fight outside the castle would’ve been better than forcing him into a defensive battle.”

  Frederica sighed as she gripped two throwing knives in a reverse hold, preparing to cover for Charlot.

  Charlot, holding the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle, observed the six or seven unyielding Transcendents charging with unrivaled courage. A single thought crossed his mind: “Heh! This time, I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t keep the Fme Dragon’s Hands and Firequell Silver Rhinos in reserve while you drag me into close combat.”

  He raised the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle and pulled the trigger. At the same time, seven massive hands formed of bloodfme emerged behind him. Two of them wielded Firequell Silver Rhino VI and Firequell Silver Rhino X. Another three carried the Blood Rose, the Vampiric Hand Axe, and an Assassin’s Dagger. The remaining two were empty, but their fingertips shimmered faintly with golden light, signaling the activation of the Bde of Emptiness.

  This was Charlot’s ultimate form.

  The first to be targeted by the Anti-Magic Armor-Piercing Round was the Blood Butcher mid-leap. Compared to the ones Charlot had encountered earlier on the battlefield, this one’s strength was cking. He was obliterated into fragments mid-air.

  The second was a proper knight. Witnessing his comrade’s gruesome demise, he had no time to change course in mid-air. In desperation, he channeled all his combat energy and roared, imbuing his nce with energy in an attempt to pierce the Anti-Magic Armor-Piercing Round.

  His attempt was valiant but futile. His abilities fell short, and he was turned into a brilliant explosion of light, nce and all.

  The third Transcendent appeared to use some secret technique, shifting half a pimi sideways in mid-air to avoid a fatal strike. However, his face turned green with terror.

  Charlot’s Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle and twin Firequell Silver Rhinos unleashed a barrage resembling a miniature artillery assault. Two Transcendents were blown apart mid-air. The others managed to react in time during Charlot’s second volley.

  Two of them, demonstrating exceptional reflexes, cshed their combat energy together, propelling themselves diagonally to the ground and retreating hastily into their ranks.

  Another Transcendent, moving with extraordinary speed, wasn’t chosen as Charlot’s initial target due to the difficulty of hitting him. By the time of Charlot’s second volley, he had already nded atop the Silver Dove Castle walls. Swiftly, he leaped back down, refraining from continuing his ascent.

  Upon nding, the Transcendent darted between seven or eight positions, continuously shifting his location. Charlot aimed for a while but found no clear shot, ultimately letting him escape back to his formation.

  Charlot’s dispy of firepower had repelled the attackers, boosting the morale of the West Wind Knight Order and Silver Dove Castle’s militia. They engaged in fierce combat with the South Seraph restorationists, who had reached the base of the walls and begun their climb.

  Charlot had initially worried that the West Wind Knight Order and Silver Dove Castle’s militia would crumble upon the start of the battle. To his surprise, the knights, having once defeated the Byron riders head-on, proved more resilient than he had anticipated. Meanwhile, the militia, driven by their determination to defend their homend, dispyed even greater resolve than the knights.

  After four to five hours of grueling combat, nearly a thousand South Seraph restorationists y dead at the foot of the castle walls. Finally, under orders from their leader, Jonan, the restorationists retreated in an orderly manner, like a receding tide.

  Reluctant to expend more Anti-Magic Armor-Piercing Rounds, Charlot switched to a standard rifle, managing to take down over a dozen retreating soldiers. Once the South Seraph troops had withdrawn, he suppressed his physical and mental exhaustion, first comforting the soldiers of the West Wind Knight Order, then delivering an impassioned speech to rally the Silver Dove Castle militia. Only afterward did he begin tallying the casualties.

  Despite the advantages of defending their stronghold, over three hundred members of the West Wind Knight Order and the militia had perished, with numerous others gravely injured.

  War was far from a game. Watching countless lives vanish and witnessing the grievous injuries sustained by so many warriors, Charlot felt an overwhelming heaviness in his heart. He couldn’t fathom why these people fought.

  If it were to overthrow tyranny or because they could no longer survive, he could understand. In such a situation, he, too, would rise in rebellion. But South Seraph had been annexed into the Fars Empire for many years. While not idyllic, life wasn’t unbearable.

  Moreover, Charlot knew the South Seraph people didn’t particurly hate the Empire. Their true animosity y with the Behemoth Principality.

  But... this hatred had been maniputed by the major empires.

  As someone who had lived through it, Charlot knew all too well that the assassination of Grand Duke Ferdinand and his wife had been part of a grand conspiracy. Neither the Behemoth Principality nor South Seraph mattered to the masterminds behind it. Their hatred and suffering were nothing more than pawns to ignite a war that would inevitably reduce both regions to ashes.

  Both the Behemoth Principality and South Seraph had been conquered by the Fars Empire, yet their people bore no hatred toward the Empire.

  Charlot couldn’t comprehend this or empathize.

  As he issued orders to collect the dead and transport the wounded back to the castle, he summoned every doctor in Silver Dove Castle to tend to the injured.

  After completing the post-battle cleanup, Charlot had no energy left to inspect the baron’s treasury. Standing atop the battlements, he gazed out at the South Seraph restorationists preparing for their next assault. He muttered to himself, “I truly am a political idiot.”

  “I only hope for peace in this world, for an end to meaningless wars...”

  “Perhaps, to them, this war holds great significance.”

  “May your deaths serve your ideals, and not someone else’s schemes.”

  “If given a choice, I’d never want to kill.”