Revenge of the Iron-Blooded Sword Hound Chapter 451

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

Chapter 451: Declaration of War (2)

Numerous documents lay scattered across the desk.

Despite each report detailing different issues, the word written at the end of all of them was the same.

Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat.

And the person staring down at them spoke in a heavy voice.

“......The Western Front has collapsed.”

Respane Morg.

As the head of the Morg Clan spoke, the atmosphere in the conference room grew tense.

The Iron-Blooded Swordsman Clan Baskerville, the Mage Clan Morg, the Religious Quovadis Clan, and the influential Bourgeois Clan had gathered for a crucial alliance meeting.

The main agenda was the current state of the ongoing civil war.

The Poisonous Clan Reviadon.

A Clan renowned for its poison-making skills since the era of the Warring States.

Recently, Reviadon had absorbed the power of the Donquixote Clan and the Divine Archer Clan Usher, and they’re rapidly increasing their strength.

Respane frowned as she spoke.

“Dealing with the ‘Poison Humans’ created by Reviadon is more challenging than we anticipated. An army of crazed beings who have lost their sanity, spreading disease wherever they go...”

“The ‘Red Death.’ Those infected lose all vitality and eventually perish. After death, they become puppets... living corpses, if you will. It’s difficult to even describe.”

Cardinal Martin Luther of Quovadis also had a troubled expression.

Morg and Quovadis, primarily dealing in magic and divine holy power, had suffered relatively fewer losses.

On the other hand, the knights of Baskerville, who fought directly with swords, had sustained significant damage from the attacks of the Poison Humans.

Had it not been for Osiris, the young head, and the seven counts excelling in various skirmishes, they would have lost a considerable portion of their territories.

Eventually, everyone’s gaze turned to Damian, the representative of the Bourgeois Clan.

“Wasn’t the Bourgeois Clan allied with Reviadon in the past?”

“Hmm. That was during the time of the previous head, so I’m not entirely sure.”

“But aren’t you the current head?”

“Strictly speaking, I’m the acting head. The actual head of the Bourgeois Clan is currently elsewhere...”

“Even so, didn’t you obtain a significant number of the secret documents? We’re not blaming you, but please share any information you have.”

At Cardinal Martin Luther’s polite request, Damian began to speak.

“Many documents were lost, so I don’t know the details. However, I do know that the Red Death was initially tested on native tribes of the Red and Black mountains. When the natives surprisingly managed to contain it, Reviadon, alarmed, developed a more infectious and lethal variant. The result is the Poison Human Army currently defeating our troops daily.”

The monsters created by Reviadon were as strong and fierce as demons but lacked intelligence and moved solely under the control of their masters.

Additionally, they exuded a red mist that drained mana and sapped vitality upon contact, turning even healthy people into monsters if inhaled for long.

Reviadon had even absorbed the remnants of their former allies, the Usher and Donquixote families, to create more Poison Humans, growing stronger by the day.

Adolf Morg, the leader of the Light side, spoke with a furious expression.

“Losing the Western Front means we’ve lost all the rubies we painstakingly mined. We’ve worked so hard to extract those ruby veins! Damn Reviadon bastards!”

“The world is becoming more chaotic with the rise of heretics and cults. It’s giving us a headache.”

“Wildfires, drought, famine, monster outbreaks, disease, and now heretics and cults... It’s the end of times.”

Cardinal Martin Luther and Damian also had dark expressions.

At that moment, a new voice spoke up.

A force combining Reviadon, Usher, and Donquixote.

If their Poison Human army, spread across the nation, gathered and advanced, the might would be tremendous.

It was likely to be the final showdown that would determine the fate of the war.

“......The problem is, we don’t know where, when, or how they will strike.”

Everyone nodded in agreement at Respane’s words.

Where, when, and how.

Out of these three, the most crucial was “where.”

It was essential to station defensive forces in advance at likely battlegrounds.

The scholars of the time began to put their heads together to figure this out.

Soon, various regions were identified as potential targets for the attack.

“It might be Red Castle, where the massive ruby veins flow. Since rubies are the best conduits of magic, they would be eager to secure them...”

“Or perhaps Dortsmile? It’s the hub of the magic train facilities, so destroying it would cut off the alliance’s supply and distribution lines...”

“It could be Saint Mecca, where the ‘Red Death’ was first discovered. The first instance of the Red Death was found in a well in the slums there, so something might be hidden in that area...”

Political reasons, strategic reasons, cultural reasons, and many other factors were presented with detailed analysis and justification.

A hundred schools of thought contended.

Everyone suggested different locations.

All of them could potentially be targets of Reviadon’s attack, making it difficult to pinpoint a single area.

...Just then.

“Tochka.”

A voice broke the discussion.

No evidence was presented, but it was a voice filled with certainty.

Everyone in the meeting turned their attention to the speaker.

“......”

A cold, imposing demeanor.

An aura as sharp as a blade emanated from his entire body.

Every movement exuded the scent of blood, and his gaze felt like a drawn sword.

It was Hugo.

Hugo Le Baskerville, the head of the Iron-Blooded Swordsman Clan, Baskerville.

He looked down at the map and spoke again.

“They will go to Tochka.”

Despite the absolute certainty in his voice, everyone questioned him.

“Fort Tochka? Why that remote highland area?”

“It has good defenses, but there’s no water supply for drinking, so it holds no tactical value.”

“Anyone with even a basic knowledge of strategy would avoid such a place.”

“Reviadon has no reason to attack that area.”

“Do you have any basis for this?”

Hugo responded simply and succinctly.

“My son is there.”

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]