The Immortal Genius Spearman

Chapter 157

The moment the Caion Unit’s mobile force appeared, the forest descended into utter chaos.

Amidst the confusion, Dianal stomped powerfully on the ground.

Boom!

With the momentum from his left foot.

Swish!

Dianal’s figure disappeared.

Amplifying his mana to the maximum, Dianal concentrated it into his legs, further increasing his speed.

As a result, not a single member of the empire’s cavalry could keep up with Dianal’s movements.

Slash!

“Aagh!”

An imperial soldier, struck in the right thigh by a sword, fell from his horse.

Though the lightness of his armor softened the impact, it wasn’t enough to allow him to spring back to his feet.

Moreover, the wound inflicted by Dianal’s blade was so deep that the soldier’s thigh bone was visible.

“Ugh… R-run! Escape!”

“Scatter and flee! We must inform Galveron of this!”

“…Galveron?”

Watching the battle unfold from behind the bushes, Damian narrowed his eyes.

As expected, the one leading them was an Aura Master.

And if it was Galveron…

“That guy from last time.”

The Caion Unit had already incurred a heavy debt to him once before.

Perhaps this battle in the Tirkan Kingdom was an opportunity to settle that debt, Damian thought.

Shing!

“Don’t let them escape! Kill them all!”

Dianal shouted, glaring at the scattering imperial soldiers.

One soldier, fleeing at the very front, had been promised a chance to escape.

“Let’s make it seem as close as possible.”

“Chase down that fleeing soldier! Capture him!”

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

The archers fired arrows at the imperial soldier riding at the front.

Thunk!

“Ugh!”

One arrow struck his right shoulder, but the rest barely missed him, slicing through the air with a hairbreadth margin.

Thud.

Meanwhile, Dianal and the mobile force had finished dealing with the remaining cavalry and stood over the fallen soldiers.

“…Hah.”

“Wow… Turns out it wasn’t so bad. I was pretty tense about fighting cavalry, to be honest.”

“Same here… It didn’t feel too hard. There weren’t any particularly dangerous enemies either.”

The mobile force always fought with their backs to each other, ensuring no one was struck from behind. This allowed them to focus entirely on the enemies in front of them, significantly improving their combat effectiveness.

Though the numbers had been roughly even, they had expected greater resistance. But…

“Have we gotten stronger?”

“I think all the training we’ve done… actually paid off.”

After achieving victory more easily than anticipated, the Caion Unit reflected on how much they had changed through their training.

Dianal, too.

Grip.

Dianal tightened his grip on his sword, his expression complex.

But soon, he sheathed his sword and wore a look of relief.

How grueling had Leonhark’s training been?

There had been countless moments when he wanted to give up, but those hardships were now bearing fruit in this place.

“Well done.”

At that moment, Damian approached them with the main force.

As Dianal turned to look at Damian, the latter remarked,

“You’ve changed so much that I wouldn’t recognize you with your helmet on.”

“You flatter me,” Dianal replied with a faint smile to Damian’s compliment.

Even Dianal could feel it. He had undeniably grown stronger.

Damian spoke again.

“The enemy commander is Galveron, the Aura Master who attacked you last time.”

Nods followed. Everyone remembered that day.

The bitter memory of fleeing, leaving Dianal and the archers behind.

For Dianal, it was the day of a crushing defeat.

“Even though we’ve grown stronger, we still won’t be able to defeat him.”

Such was the nature of an Aura Master.

No matter how much they had improved through months of hellish training, an Aura Master was beyond their reach.

But…

“Still, in this war, we’ll make sure to deliver a serious blow to him. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers roared in response to Damian’s words.

The prospect of landing a blow against that man alone was exhilarating.

Damian and the soldiers then concealed themselves once more in the bushes, their gazes fixed on the Tirkan Kingdom’s capital.

Since a survivor had escaped into the city…

“There’ll be another move soon.”

With the city abandoned, staying holed up there would achieve nothing.

Eventually, the main force would have to come out.

“And when that happens…”

At least half of them would be killed.

Like predators lying in wait for their prey, Damian and the Caion soldiers prepared themselves.

***

Meanwhile, the Caion Unit wasn’t the only group that had successfully carried out a surprise attack.

This naturally led to Galveron becoming isolated in the Tirkan Kingdom’s capital.

“Haha, so they’ve already made their move?”

Fortunately, among the soldiers sent out for reconnaissance, a few survivors had returned to report on the situation.

Their reports revealed something critical.

“They’ve divided their forces and stationed them strategically.”

Estimating the exact number of enemy troops, especially considering the possibility of hidden forces, was challenging.

However, they must have given their best effort to capture the reconnaissance soldiers.

Taking that into account…

“We’ll head south from here. It’s unlikely they’ve abandoned the Tirkan Kingdom altogether, so if we stir up other territories, we’ll find the answers we’re looking for.”

Galveron unfolded a map of the Tirkan Kingdom and identified the nearest city.

It was a fairly large city that could be reached in half a day’s travel from the capital.

“It’s impossible to evacuate all the kingdom’s citizens from both the capital and a city of that size.”

In the end, it was nothing more than abandoning the capital and fleeing. It wasn’t a solution that could truly stop them.

“If they think the forces stationed outside the city can achieve anything, they’re gravely mistaken.”

The Tirkan Kingdom lacked an Aura Master.

Ultimately, there was nothing they could do.

Analyzing the reconnaissance reports, Galveron assessed the situation.

And then…

“We’ll exit through the western gate.”

Although only one soldier had survived to report, the west seemed to have the fewest enemy forces.

At Galveron’s command, the soldiers quickly formed ranks and prepared to move. Then…

“We’ll see if they dare to strike the main force.”

Leaving the burning capital behind, Galveron led his troops forward.

***

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

The ground trembled slightly as thousands of soldiers moved forward.

Damian and the Caion Unit watched the imperial army advancing toward their position.

‘…As expected.’

Damian clenched his fist.

Unlike other directions, it seemed the enemy had determined that this area was the least guarded.

The strategy of deploying only the mobile unit to attack the cavalry had successfully manipulated the enemy's movements.

However…

“...They’re more meticulous than I thought.”

Damian observed the scouts riding ahead of the main force.

Even as they moved the main army, they had sent scouts to check for possible ambushes.

“...Hmm.”

Galveron scanned the area, glancing at the surroundings.

The terrain was dense with foliage and led into mountain paths—prime conditions for an ambush.

While the enemy’s numbers were indeed small, it made sense that the scouts sent earlier had been overwhelmed in such terrain.

“That’s true...”

But that was only for ordinary troops.

With Galveron present, such ambushes would no longer be effective.

His aura could consume them in an instant.

“Move out.”

Galveron dispatched his scouts ahead and began advancing his forces.

If they could march without issue, they could reach their destination within a day.

From his hidden position, Damian carefully observed Galveron’s advancing forces.

Though they seemed cautious, sending out scouts…

‘They won’t find us easily.’

The ambush site was far enough from the enemy that even their scouts wouldn’t be able to detect them.

Damian kept his eyes fixed on Galveron’s steadily approaching army.

And then—

“Commander.”

Damian turned to see Dianal approaching him.

Dianal asked, “How will we execute the attack?”

“We wait until they’ve come fully into our range. Then…”

Swish.

Damian glanced at Galveron’s position within the formation.

The soldiers were arrayed in front and behind Galveron, with him positioned roughly in the center.

From the perspective of their formation, drawing Galveron forward would be key.

“We’ll lure Galveron to the front and then attack their rear.”

“It’s too risky to divide our forces.”

Though the Caion Unit was strong, their strength came from remaining united. Dividing their forces, especially against an army ten times their size, would only lead to their defeat.

Damian shook his head firmly.

“I’ll handle luring him on my own.”

“...What?”

“I’ll act as bait and attack the vanguard, drawing Galveron forward. Dianal, that’s when you lead the unit to strike their rear.”

This would ensure a more decisive blow to the enemy.

But Dianal shook his head.

“No, it’s too dangerous.”

No matter how strong Damian was, fighting an army alone was a completely different matter.

If he were surrounded, it would all be over.

And, moreover…

“…That man is strong,” Dianal muttered softly.

He knew all too well just how powerful Galveron was.

Hadn’t he already experienced it once, an ordeal that was etched into his very bones?

Thump.

Damian placed a reassuring hand on Dianal’s shoulder, his face radiating confidence.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make it work somehow.”

“But…”

Dianal hesitated, but Damian drew the staff from his belt and gripped it tightly.

“Just as you’ve worked hard and changed, so have I. Trust me.”

Damian’s voice was filled with conviction.

Dianal sighed deeply.

“...Fine. I’ll trust you.”

“Focus on your role.”

With that, Damian turned away. Before leaving, he gave Dianal one last instruction.

“The moment I attack and Galveron moves forward, that’s your signal. Don’t miss it.”

“Yes, sir. I won’t let it slip.”

Dianal’s eyes sharpened with determination.

He wouldn’t squander the opportunity Damian would create at great personal risk.

As Damian moved swiftly through the underbrush toward the approaching enemy, Dianal returned to his troops.

Once there—

“Summon all squad leaders.”

Dianal began explaining the plan to the assembled squad leaders.

It was a daring, borderline reckless operation.

Kyle and Jerka exchanged incredulous looks.

“Commander is going alone?”

“That’s too dangerous!”

Their protests were strong.

“Enough.”

But Dianal silenced them with a single word.

“The commander and I have already discussed this. Any hesitation now could jeopardize the mission. Focus on your duties.”

“...Understood.”

“Yes, sir…”

The squad leaders nodded grimly.

Swish.

After briefing the rest of the troops, the Caion Unit completed their preparations for the attack.

Dianal held his breath, waiting for Damian’s signal.

And then—

Boom!

Damian launched his assault on the enemy vanguard. Galveron immediately surged forward.

“Now!”

Like predators pouncing on prey, the Caion Unit struck the enemy’s rear with ferocity.