The sword aura of magical power carried a biting chill, instantly freezing the severed limbs and mangled corpses into glittering ice sculptures.
It had taken Nolan less than a third of the night, but that was already enough. Once you understood the method, casting Sorceries without a medium was not difficult at all.
Without the need for Glintstone as a catalyst, Sorceries both great and small were cast with effortless ease.
Wrapped in endless killing intent, overwhelming Magical Power crashed down onto the soldiers and knights.
A sickening burst of crackling filled the air as bodies were blown apart on the spot, scattering chunks of flesh in every direction.
Fear spread through the camp at once. In truth, Nolan had not even begun to use the truly powerful Sorceries he excelled in.
But the gap in strength was simply too vast. Even the lowest-tier Sorceries carried such horrifying force that ordinary soldiers and knights had no hope of withstanding them.
For a time, wretched screams and the commanders' hoarse cries of command tangled together, rising and falling without end.
The camp descended into complete chaos.
The Cuckoo Knights who recovered first raised their blades and began cutting down the panicked deserters even as they gathered their own forces for a counterattack.
Kercius himself took the field. He was a champion in his own right, and he had gathered several Tarnished who had made names for themselves.
With such a formidable force behind him, he had seized nearly half of Liurnia of the Lakes, and his swelling ambitions had been on the verge of becoming reality.
So at a moment like this, he could not retreat even half a step.
The camp was in ruins. Terrified soldiers fled in all directions, trembling as they ran.
Nolan rode Torrent forward at an unhurried pace.
Tilting his head back slightly, he took a slow breath of the air thick with endless fear.
If Alicia were here, she would probably be very pleased. This was exactly what the Cuckoos deserved.
The Cuckoos, who had always treated human life like grass beneath their feet, were now the ones being trampled like weeds under Nolan's boots.
And even this punishment was far too light for the crimes they had committed.
Nolan's gaze passed over the Cuckoos' broken bodies and settled on Kercius, who was frantically directing the troops in the crowd.
A greatsword of Magical Power formed in his hand, and Torrent stepped forward with him.
"Death is equal for everyone!"
In the Lands Between, there were not many who truly deserved death, but the Cuckoos were very fortunate to be among them.
A violent tide of murderous intent poured endlessly from Nolan, surging outward without the slightest restraint.
Kercius, who had been shouting orders at the soldiers, suddenly felt a chill race up his spine.
His eyelid twitched sharply, and he turned instinctively, only to see a knight radiating a terrifying aura bearing down on him at astonishing speed.
Where were the knights who were supposed to stop him?
The thought flashed through Kercius's mind for only an instant, because he immediately realized it no longer mattered. Nor did he have time to think about it.
That horrifying killing intent wrapped around him like something tangible, making his body tremble in spite of itself.
Several knights rushed forward, weapons raised, charging straight at Nolan.
In an instant, brilliant sword light flared.
After a crisp burst of clashing metal, those knights did not even have time to scream before they were cut to pieces, armor and all, their remains scattered across the ground.
Kercius stared wide-eyed as the bloodstained knight advanced on him like a demon.
His steps were steady and resolute, each one seeming to strike the hearts of everyone present with a rhythm that chilled them to the bone.
Faced with such a horrifying sight, some of the Cuckoo soldiers were already scared out of their minds.
As for the Tarnished, men long accustomed to violence and wrongdoing, they had even less reason to speak of loyalty. They turned and ran for the rear at once.
"What kind of monster are you!?" a Cuckoo soldier shouted in terror.
"A savage beast that feeds on blood and flesh. Can't you tell? I'm human."
As Nolan saw more than a dozen knights charging at him, his left hand clenched into a fist and a massive hammer condensed into being.
His arm bent slightly, then he swung the hammer forward with crushing force.
Gavel of Haima!
Earthshaker!
Boom!!!
A thunderous impact rang out as a surging shockwave exploded in the middle of the crowd with unstoppable force.
The knights trying to intercept Nolan felt as though they had been smashed aside by some enormous invisible beast.
Their bodies were flung helplessly into the air, tracing arcs before crashing heavily to the ground.
Mouthful after mouthful of blood sprayed from their lips, splattering everywhere.
By the time they hit the ground, the knights were motionless, their eyes hollow and vacant. Through darkening vision, they saw a figure riding a spirit steed racing onward.
Wherever he passed, no one could stop him.
Nolan tore through the Cuckoo lines like a feral beast, smashing through their defenses with sheer brute force.
He trampled over enemy corpses, kicking up sprays of blood and minced flesh as he charged straight ahead.
Soon, several huge and solid shields were raised before him. They did nothing to slow him down.
Bang!!!
The Dark Moon Knight brought his sword down in a single slash.
The shield-bearing knights felt an overwhelming force crash into them. Their hands flared with agony as though struck by a giant hammer, and their whole bodies were sent flying backward.
One of them was hurled straight at Kercius.
Kercius reacted at once. Raising his longsword, he swung with all his strength.
The blade flashed coldly through the air, and in the next instant he split the knight crashing into him clean in half at the waist.
That Dark Moon Knight was too strong.
The Cuckoos were all stunned, their faces full of horror. This man was even stronger than their old rival, the Carian Knight Raziel.
But the fighting was not over. Before the Cuckoo spears could thrust through the gaps between the greatshields, the second wave of attacks was already upon them.
Nolan swept his magical warhammer through the air, and the immense force it unleashed sent more than a dozen men flying.
As he watched the soldiers scream and flee, he swung his right hand and one slash tore dozens of intact bodies to pieces.
Magical Power poured forth. Even the heavy armor of the knights could not withstand that icy sword aura, and more and more soldiers collapsed and fled.
Torrent never slowed. The hammer in Nolan's hand vanished in an instant, replaced by Magical Power compressed to an extreme in a single moment.
Then several devastating Cannon of Haima shot out like meteors...
There was no need to hold back. Every last one of these bastards deserved to die, and killing them all would do more good than harm.
"Torrent, take a rest for now."
The moment the words left his mouth, two soft snorts answered him. Torrent responded with a breath through his nose, then his body dissolved into countless motes of light and vanished into the air.