Whether intentional or not, all the Transcendents' gazes were drawn to the Grandmaster, who had stepped forward.
The woman known as Number Two and the Grandmaster wielded swords so alike that their sword dance appeared as delicate as a butterfly's wings.
Clang! Boom!
"Truly! To remain beneath them in that place—! Was that what you truly desired?"
Despite the Grandmaster's sharp reprimand, the woman merely gave a light smirk, as if the answer to her question held no importance.
"That dream we wished for together beneath the moon—! Was it truly mine alone?"
Between the two women's swordplay, the one who wavered was the Grandmaster.
Isaac's mind felt frozen.
Still unable to recover from the shock of losing Silverna, he now faced the possibility of losing the Grandmaster as well.
'I cannot just stand by and watch.'
This time, things were different.
Before he realized it, he had collapsed to his knees, his strength drained.
Snapping back to awareness, Isaac clenched his fists and took a bold step forward.
As he swung his sword, he completely disregarded the Grandmaster's advice—to never grip too tightly.
His hand clenched his sword so tightly it seemed ready to snap, and he was about to charge toward the Grandmaster when—
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Baron Logan."
Hands seized him from both sides, and Isaac instinctively turned his head.
There stood the Leviath siblings, their eyes flinching as they met his gaze.
By then, Isaac's eyes were already gleaming with a chilling, murderous aura.
But he couldn't back down.
"If we retreat now, we all die! We must hold out until the right wing arrives!"
"We cannot stop them on our own. To minimize casualties, we need you."
The sounds of scattered words and fleeing footsteps filled the air.
Above them, knights and nobles screamed as they rode away.
Having fought the Transcendents before, they had learned of their power and adapted.
Yet precisely because of that knowledge, they knew they stood no chance against this number of Transcendents.
On the other hand, those who had resolved to fight dismounted from their horses.
Tucking their long spears into their waists, they began forming their own makeshift battle formations.
"We need you."
Marlin Leviath reached out, grasping his hand as if pleading.
It was always like this.
Emotionally driven, always wanting to charge forward as he desired.
Yet reality stood as a wall in his path, and reason cooled his fervor.
It had been the same when he injured his leg.
And it was the same now.
'In the end, I can never reach you.'
Realistically, it was wiser to stay and buy time with the remaining soldiers rather than fight beside the Grandmaster.
Most of the remaining knights, nobles, and soldiers were young.
Perhaps that was why they remained here without a second thought.
Or maybe they were simply desperate for merit, longing to etch their names into legend.
The Blue Wave Society had more than a few people like that.
Arrogant and brimming with youthful zeal, they eagerly spoke of battles and glory, as if yearning for the day they would fall in combat.
For them, a heroic sacrifice was nothing short of a reward.
"At least you weren't all just empty words."
Isaac's voice was as cold as the northern frost.
There was no reply, but their expressions spoke volumes.
"If we survive here, we will rule a new era."
"This war with the Transcendents will be etched into history."
"Young warriors, seek honor, and glory shall follow!"
Their shouts echoed from all around, yet they were anything but naïve.
They were afraid.
And to keep their legs from giving out, they disguised their fear with bravado.
"Numerically, we have the advantage."
Isaac turned back toward the battle between the Transcendents and the Grandmaster.
Their dazzling sword dance continued, untouched even by the northern chill.
Isaac continued speaking as he took in the sight before him.
"But once the number of Transcendents surpasses a certain threshold, the number of humans facing them no longer matters."
When they fight together, it's not simple addition—it's multiplication. Their overwhelming physical abilities complement one another so seamlessly that no gaps are left in their defenses.
"A lot of people will die."
Isaac's words were blunt and emotionless.
"Trying to block them is pointless. We'll be overpowered regardless. The proper way to deal with their attacks isn't to block, but to evade or deflect."
"Wait, Baron Logan. Are you saying we should disperse and fight them separately?"
"That's too dangerous! We'd be picked off one by one!"
"No, we stay together."
His comrades exchanged puzzled looks. If they stayed in a tight formation, they wouldn't be able to dodge and would have to face the enemy's attacks head-on. Wasn't that the exact opposite of what he had just said?
Isaac had fought Transcendents in various ways in his past life. Until now, their forces had always significantly outnumbered the enemy. But this time, the battle was more evenly matched. That changed everything.
The enemy numbered around thirty.
"No matter how many they kill, don't let them take more than ten of us."
"B-Baron Logan?!"
In simple terms, he was saying they had to sacrifice their comrades' lives to take down the Transcendents.
"Get your head straight. This is a war against them."
The idea of fighting Transcendents without taking losses was pure arrogance.
The nobles turned their gazes to Reian. Isaac was knowledgeable about the Transcendents, so they had listened to him, but this strategy was difficult to accept.
Killing the enemy at the cost of their own lives?
As the commander of the left flank, Reian could feel his subordinates looking at him, hoping he would offer a different plan.
"Baron Logan, is this truly the best option?"
"Yes. With our current forces, it's the only way to fight this many Transcendents."
The left flank didn't have many soldiers to begin with, and many had already fled.
"We have to kill them with the resolve to die."
They might have believed they understood the strength of the Transcendents, that they had gained experience fighting them. But now that the Transcendents were moving in full force, the battle would be far more brutal than they had imagined.
"…Baron Logan, since this is your plan—"
Isaac didn't respond. He simply adjusted his stance and stepped forward to the most conspicuous position in the front line.
A spot where one was most likely to die.
"We don't have much time."
Not even enough time to steel their resolve. The Grandmaster, who had been holding the Transcendents at bay, no longer seemed at ease. Her storm-like swordsmanship was starting to lose their attention, and the Transcendents were now eyeing Isaac's group instead.
At first, the Transcendents had tried to assist Number Two—the Grand Master's fellow disciple—but they gradually withdrew.
Against an opponent like her, sheer numbers weren't effective. Only those with overwhelming individual power stood a chance.
As the Transcendents approached, someone stepped up beside Isaac.
"I always envisioned a heroic death, but I didn't expect to die so soon."
It was Reian Leviath.
And following closely behind him was Marlin Leviath.
Their swordsmanship was formidable.
One would draw the enemy's attention, while the other launched a swift, stealthy strike.
Light and darkness coexisted in their techniques—it was as if they wielded a single blade together.
"Reinforcements will come, right?"
"Some people ran away. They'll probably end up spreading the word."
Those who had fled would unintentionally act as messengers.
At Isaac's calm remark, Reian let out a bitter chuckle.
"You seem unfazed by all this."
"…I'm not sure."
Isaac had fought Transcendents before. But never on this scale, in a life-or-death battle like this.
In truth, rather than feeling indifferent, His heart pounded slightly with excitement.
"I think… I've been waiting for this moment all along."
A battlefield he had always watched from a distance.
The years spent merely being protected, unable to fight because of his cursed crippled leg, even as his comrades died.
But now, he had surpassed that.
This time, he stood at the frontlines.
Though he had yet to reach the level of the Grandmaster,
There was a sense of accomplishment in having come this far.
That feeling gathered, condensed, and left a sharp, intoxicating taste in his mouth.
"Tch, now I understand a little why the Blood Rose fell for you."
"…It's probably for a different reason."
"They're coming."
Before Marlin could even finish her words, the Transcendants had already arrived, swinging their weapons at Isaac and Reian.
Isaac deflected an incoming attack at an angle, skillfully redirecting its force.
In contrast, Reian was sent flying, rolling backward.
The difference between the two lay in Marlin.
As if she had already anticipated her brother being flung away, she was positioned right behind Isaac.
"Haha! Is this all you've got—?"
Emerging from behind him, Her hair fluttering and swiftly thrust her sword from below.
Isaac saw it—an impeccable strike aimed to pierce through the enemy's jaw.
However—
Another Transcendant immediately intervened, yanking their ally back before the fatal blow could land.
"Tch."
"…What a shame."
Isaac clicked his tongue, while Marlin silently reprimanded herself.
This was the problem.
The more of them there were, the stronger they became—exponentially so.
There was a limit to this effect, but at their current numbers, they were at just the right level of synergy.
Isaac had said that no Transcendant should be allowed to kill more than ten people.
'But that's probably not going to be easy.'
Fighting against a lone Transcendant that had suddenly fallen from the sky and beating it to death didn't mean they had truly fought against them.
It just meant they had learned something about them.
A blue aura surged around Isaac's body.
As he had mentioned before, a single exceptional warrior was far more effective against Transcendants than an army.
Determined not to let the frontline collapse, he raised his sword—
And then he saw it.
From afar, a crimson energy surged into the sky, slashing across the ground like a raging tide and crashing down upon the Grandmaster.
Her body was thrown into the air.
Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, her garments stained and tattered.
Suspended midair, she lashed her tail, correcting her balance before landing.
Kneeling on one knee, she glared at the Transcendant who had intervened in her duel with her fellow disciple.
It was a strike of overwhelming force.
"...!"
Isaac found himself speechless.
It was similar to the crimson descent Arandel had once shown him—
Yet fundamentally different.
It was cruder, wilder—
The very embodiment of Primordial Helmut power.
And then, without realizing it, Isaac muttered—
"Something like that—?"
"Baron Logan!"
Marlin's urgent cry rang out—a rare moment of emotion in her voice.
By the time he snapped back to his senses, it was too late.
For a brief instant, he had been distracted by the unbelievable sight.
And in that moment of carelessness, a Transcendant's spear was already upon him.
The tip of the spear closed in on his chest.
Kudududuk!
Right before impact, a vortex erupted before him.
An overwhelming suction force disregarding both space and matter swallowed the Transcendant in an instant.
"Damn it—!"
The creature let out a frustrated cry, lamenting its lost opportunity—
Only for even its voice to be consumed.
It was the same phenomenon as with the Black Hound before.
And once again, it had unfolded right before Isaac's eyes.