The thunderous stomping of Tide's boots, the grinding and shattering of metal, and the bloodcurdling screams of soldiers coalesced into a cacophony that instantly plunged the battlefield into chaos.
Because Tide moved with such blinding speed, only those directly in his path could discern his form. To those on the flanks or at a distance, he appeared as a crimson blur streaking across the field.
Originally, Tide's armor had been silver-white, but after crushing and flinging aside countless soldiers along his rampage, the splattered blood had stained it almost entirely crimson.
The once-orderly shield formation dissolved like butter under Tide's charge. These fully armed shieldbearers couldn't even slow him down, let alone halt him.
In a mere ten seconds, Tide had plowed through the shield wall, leaving behind layers of shattered wooden barricades before reaching the archer ranks. The archers had unleashed a volley of arrows at the start of his charge, but Tide's blistering speed rendered most of their shots useless.
A very small number of arrows strayed off course, and by sheer chance, a handful flew toward Tide. However, these arrows didn't even touch Tide's Plate Armor; they were swept away by the wind generated by his sprinting, scattering elsewhere.
"Get out of the way!"
"Save me!"
The archers panicked, shoving each other aside. General Montgomery, witnessing the chaos, roared, "Don't run! Maintain formation! Hold steady! Hold steady!"
One could only say the general was stubbornly old-fashioned, lacking adaptability. His military education had instilled in him the belief that in war, whichever side broke formation first had already lost half the battle. Maintaining formation was paramount.
Yet in this situation, preserving formation was utterly pointless. Staying put wouldn't help the archers withstand Tide's onslaught any more than fleeing would.
BOOM—!
Tide relentlessly smashed through the layers of wooden palisades, trampling over the archer formation. He even snapped a towering observation tower in half as he plowed straight into the heart of the Kingdom of Green Eagle's army.
As for General Montgomery, Tide had long left him in the dust. Even if he wanted to pursue, he couldn't keep up. Staring dumbfounded at the carnage, he muttered, "This... what kind of monster is this?!"
Even the front lines, fortified and prepared for battle, couldn't withstand Tide's charge, let alone the defenseless interior of the camp. In no time, Tide had carved a path straight through the encampment and burst out the other side.
Montgomery, utterly bewildered, exclaimed, "What the hell is going on? So this monster was just passing through?!"
In reality, that wasn't the case. After breaking through the Kingdom of Green Eagle's camp, Tide veered sharply and quickly doubled back. He had been searching for the "General"—surely the strongest person in the entire army? He assumed that someone of that caliber would immediately step forward to intercept him as he rampaged through their ranks.
But no such champion had materialized during his initial charge. Since the first wave had yielded nothing, he resolved to try again.
Unbeknownst to Tide, Montgomery, though a Warrior Class Holder with impressive strength—likely at the Gold-tier level—stood no chance against such a devastating charge. A direct collision would have crushed him instantly, just like any other soldier. How could Montgomery possibly dare to intervene?
Seeing Tide return, Montgomery immediately roared, "Where are the Wizards?! Where are the Wizards?!"
Unlike three centuries later, Wizards were exceedingly rare in this era. There was no such thing as a Wizard legion; at most, an army might have one or two Wizards accompanying it to handle special situations.
These Wizards were all of noble birth, their status no lower than that of a General. As such, Montgomery found it difficult to command them. Now, after the entire camp had already been ravaged once, two disheveled Wizards finally rushed out.
"What's happening?!"
Montgomery pointed at Tide, who was charging back for the second time. "Quickly, find a way to stop him! Don't let him break through again!"
Though the Wizards didn't understand the situation (and neither did Montgomery), they swiftly began casting spells.
"Fireball!"
"Human Immobilization Spell!"
These were arguably the most common battlefield spells. The former, when hurled into a crowd, could devastate enemy formations, while the latter, even if it only froze an opposing General for a fleeting moment, could decisively alter the course of battle between two Generals.
Naturally, the two wizards cast these spells, clearly making the same mistake of relying on experience as Montgomery had.
A Blazing Fireball streaked through the air. Moments earlier, the Human Immobilization Spell had struck Tide, who was charging forward... to no effect whatsoever.
Theoretically, Enchantment School magic should be a hard counter to Barbarians. The problem, however, was that Tide no longer fell within the category of "human." The Human Immobilization Spell worked by paralyzing human nerves and willpower to control the target.
But Tide was simply too massive! It was like trying to anesthetize an elephant with a dose meant for a normal person—it would have no effect.
Tide's stride never faltered as he continued his charge. Only then did the Fireball finally crash down at his feet.
BOOM—!!!
The colossal explosion, which would have sent an ordinary man flying, failed to so much as stagger Tide. He burst through the flames unscathed. Yet the spell wasn't entirely useless; it had inadvertently pointed him in the right direction. Tide veered slightly, heading toward the source of the Fireball.
Wizards were rare, so the source of the magic likely meant the general was nearby.
Seeing Tide barrel around the corner, Montgomery cursed furiously, "Damn it! Damn it! What the hell are you two good for?!"
The two Wizards, drenched in sweat, stammered, "I don't know! How could the magic fail?"
As Tide bore down on them, Montgomery roared, "Get out of the way!"
Just moments ago, he had been ordering his soldiers to hold their formation, but now, with Tide bearing down on him, it was every man for himself.
Montgomery grabbed one Wizard by the collar, hoisting him like a chick before tossing both aside. He then executed a desperate dive, barely dodging Tide's relentless charge.
But before Montgomery could breathe a sigh of relief, he saw Tide slam his foot into the ground, digging his hands deep into the earth. The behemoth skidded to a halt, carving three deep, visible furrows through the ground that stretched twenty to thirty meters—a brutal, improvised braking maneuver.
Tide's gaze locked onto Montgomery. Every other soldier had been crushed under his charge, but this man alone had reacted swiftly enough to evade the impact and even save his companions. He was by far the most formidable opponent Tide had encountered in his rampage.
Tide asked in a muffled voice, "Are you the general?"
Montgomery, his face twisted in terror, stammered, "W-what kind of monster are you?!"
Receiving no answer, Tide turned to the two Wizards standing beside Montgomery and demanded, "Are you the general?"
Tide's overwhelming presence terrified even the battle-hardened Montgomery, let alone the two noble-born Wizard lords beside him. They frantically pointed at Montgomery, betraying their comrade with panicked cries of, "He is! He's the general!"
Hearing this, Tide strode toward Montgomery. A few soldiers rushed to intercept, attempting to protect their general, blocking Tide's path, but with a casual sweep of his arm, he sent them flying in twisted, broken shapes, each impact echoing like a small explosion.
Yet Montgomery was, after all, a general—he refused to surrender passively. Stifling his fear, he drew his longsword. As a Warrior - Battle Master, he possessed unparalleled combat skills, his swordsmanship and agility far surpassing those of ordinary men. Faced with Tide's devastating strike, he executed a nimble roll to evade it, then spun around and precisely thrust his sword into a joint in Tide's arm guard.
Clang!
The strike merely bounced off, failing to penetrate Tide's defenses. His armor was extraordinarily thick, even reinforced at the joints. Normal armor designs prioritize weight considerations—how long can a warrior fight while wearing it?
But Tide needed no such compromise. His monstrous strength and stamina allowed for armor designed to maximize protection without hindering mobility.
Tide's first attack missed—though it was less an attack and more an attempt to grab Montgomery, who nimbly evaded it. Tide reached again, with the same result.
Seeing this, Montgomery suddenly thought, Maybe I can actually fight him! If he kept dodging and stalling until his troops regrouped, perhaps they could grind this monster down!
Meanwhile, the two nearby Wizards hesitated, weighing the risks of intervening. Would assisting mean being casually swatted aside by the Giant?
As for Tide, he realized that the General before him moved like a slippery eel, far too agile to be captured. After a moment's thought, he raised his right foot and brought it down with tremendous force.
BOOM!
In an instant, the ground within a ten-meter radius erupted as if struck by a massive earthquake. Montgomery, his face a mask of utter bewilderment, was blasted into the air. Airborne and helpless, he could no longer evade. Tide seized him mid-air, cradling him in his hand like a life-sized action figure.
Montgomery thrashed wildly, but his struggles were futile. Tide lowered himself into a crouched, sprinting stance.
Boom!
He slammed his foot down again and charged forward, his destination: the edge of the Kingdom of Green Eagle's military camp, where Tribios, Jay, and Olivia awaited.
A few minutes later, when Tide finally reached them, Montgomery's eyes had rolled back in his head, and he was foaming at the mouth from the relentless battering.
"This must be the General," Tide stated.
Tribios, Jay, and Olivia surrounded Montgomery. Tribios exclaimed, "You actually managed to capture him?"
Charging into the enemy's main camp, capturing their General alive, and escaping unscathed? Isn't that a bit... absurd?
Of course, the military technology of this era was woefully outdated. There were no organized Wizard legions—a critical factor. Replicating such a feat three centuries later would be far more challenging.
Jay stepped forward and slapped Montgomery several times. "Hey! Wake up! Snap out of it!"
The slaps slowly roused Montgomery from his daze. It was fortunate he was a Gold-tier Warrior with exceptional physical resilience; anyone else might have been shaken to death by the brutal ride.
"Where's the Divine Artifact?" Jay demanded.
After enduring the earlier "torture," Montgomery had lost all his spirit. His lips trembled as he said, "At... at the camp. Four watchtowers stand on the left side. The artifact is stuck in a large stone between them."
However, this vague description wasn't precise enough for Tribios to pinpoint the exact location and open a portal. But it wasn't a problem. They could simply take the general through the Century Gate into the camp and have him guide them personally.
"Grab him. Let's go," Tribios ordered.
At her words, Tide tightened his grip on Montgomery, who was now visibly terrified. "No, no! I've already told you everything! Please, no more torture!" he pleaded. "I can't take it anymore! Just kill me!"
Seeing his desperate state, Tribios couldn't help but wonder, "Was it really that torturous?"
Then she thought about how her butt had been jolted into eight pieces just from Tide walking normally. If he were to charge at full speed... Hmm, she suddenly understood the general a little better.
As Tribios opened a Century Gate, Montgomery, his teeth chattering, exclaimed, "It's you?! You're the ones who defeated the Kingdom of Ukel—the people of the Grand Duchy of Augustus?!"
Beyond the Century Gate lay an utterly chaotic encampment. The moment Tide appeared, the surrounding soldiers scattered in panic. In truth, Tide's initial charge had only flung a few hundred men into the air. However, the subsequent stampede and trampling, caused by soldiers fleeing in terror, likely resulted in over a thousand deaths.
Yet even this staggering number seemed insignificant within the hundred-thousand-strong army. If properly organized, they could still put up a fight. But the army had completely lost its morale; no one dared to confront Tide, this monstrous figure.
Guided by Montgomery, Tribios opened three more Century Gates in quick succession, finally arriving at the location of the Divine Artifact: a golden one-handed sword thrust into a stone, gleaming before her.