The Immortal Genius Spearman

Chapter 162

"How dare such insignificant fools…."

Piaren Tale, who had been attacking the Tirkan Kingdom soldiers alongside the Rose Knight Order, glared sharply at the soldiers.

He felt deeply irritated by their futile attempts to resist him without knowing their place.

No, his displeasure wasn’t entirely because of them.

Without a second thought, Piaren drew his sword and gathered his aura.

Killing these pests in one swift strike seemed like the only way to ease his vexation.

"I’ll kill them all."

Woouuung!

As a blue light flickered on his sword, an overwhelming wave of energy swirled around him.

Above him, an enormous aura began to form, with dozens of blades imbued with sword energy pointing sharply at the soldiers of the Tirkan Kingdom.

The sheer intensity caused even the knights of the Rose Knight Order standing nearby to flinch.

The soldiers of the Tirkan Kingdom could hardly be expected to fare better.

"A-Aura!"

"R-Run for your lives!"

"We can’t stop him! Run, everyone!"

It was the beginning of a catastrophe.

The Tirkan Kingdom's commander, who had been wielding his sword and shield in combat, immediately turned tail upon witnessing Piaren's aura.

But

"Do you think I’ll let you escape?"

The moment Piaren’s eyes flashed,

Swiiiish!

Booom!

Like dozens of arrows carrying explosive charges, the swords rained down with deafening roars, tearing the soldiers apart.

In an instant, over a hundred soldiers lost their lives. The ground was drenched with their blood, pooling around their lifeless bodies.

A vision of hell.

The scene created by the Aura Master’s strike was horrifying beyond measure.

Even the knights of the Rose Knight Order standing beside Piaren could only gulp in silence.

Piaren raised his head, looking toward the mountain.

"If I’ve caused this much commotion, he should have noticed by now."

It was up to the target to respond. But before that—

"Rose Knight Order, slaughter the enemies."

"Yes, sir!"

As the chaos subsided, the knights of the Rose Knight Order moved in to deal with the remaining enemies.

They drove their swords into the backs of retreating Tirkan Kingdom soldiers, ending the lives of the fallen with final strikes to their chests.

It wasn’t a battle.

It was a merciless massacre.

The commander of the Tirkan Kingdom soldiers desperately tried to retreat with his men.

"Do you think you can flee at such a sluggish pace?"

"How foolish to try escaping from the Rose Knight Order!"

Slash!

Splat!

"Aaargh!"

"Nooo!"

The knights of the Rose Knight Order vented their fury on the soldiers, ruthlessly slaughtering them.

By the time over 500 soldiers lay dead, there were no more Tirkan Kingdom soldiers left to block the path into the mountains.

Yet, even then, Piaren frowned.

"…What a wretched feeling."

Why did he have to be here?

Why did he have to save someone like Galveron?

He couldn’t understand it.

Still.

"…Did he foresee this?"

Piaren recalled the person who had sent him here.

A move no one could have predicted.

Who would have thought that even an Aura Master like Galveron could end up cornered like this?

And by the Tirkan Kingdom, of all places.

Although they had heard that the allied forces were mobilizing, Galveron had been sent to Tirkan to sever their arm before their forces could merge with the alliance.

But everyone’s predictions were wrong.

"To think this was a trap."

The identity of the strategist orchestrating the alliance was still unknown, but if this was their ploy, then they had played everyone perfectly.

"That might explain why the previous plans all failed."

Piaren spoke dispassionately, though his displeasure remained evident on his face.

He wanted nothing more than to leave this place as soon as possible.

Swoosh.

Piaren turned his head toward the mountain.

"Surely, he sensed my aura by now."

Hadn’t he unleashed all this chaos precisely for that reason?

If even this didn’t reach him, then…

"He’s probably already dead."

Though losing him would be a significant blow to the Empire, Piaren wouldn’t mind the outcome too much.

Just a little.

"Just a little longer."

Since he had orders to carry out, he decided to at least pretend to comply.

Piaren resolved to wait exactly 10 minutes.

If no one appeared by then, it would be their misfortune.

He sat silently on his horse, staring at the mountain.

Was 10 minutes always this long?

Had he known, he might have decided to wait only 5 minutes.

Tick, tick, tick.

The pocket watch at his waist ticked steadily.

In the eerie silence of the battlefield, filled with the sound of the wind and the stench of blood, the ticking sounded even louder.

Eventually, 10 minutes passed.

Piaren scoffed at the absence of the one he was waiting for.

"He must be dead."

Turning his horse, he addressed the knights of the Rose Knight Order.

"We’re returning."

"Yes, sir!"

Just as Piaren prepared to leave with the knights—

"Wait a momeeeent!"

"…?"

A shout echoed from the mountain as someone sprinted toward them.

It was Galveron.

"Huff… huff… huff…"

Alone, with no soldiers left, and his appearance was in utter disarray.

Galveron looked at Piaren and the Rose Knight Order at the base of the mountain, his expression one of shock.

"Piaren Tale…?"

Drawn by the overwhelming aura, he hadn’t expected Piaren to be there.

Piaren clicked his tongue and spoke to a knight beside him.

"Give that man a horse."

"Yes, sir."

Following the order, the knight handed an extra horse to Galveron.

Galveron mounted the horse and approached Piaren.

"Why are you here…?"

"…"

Piaren said nothing to Galveron’s question and simply stared at him.

His gaze was anything but friendly, causing Galveron to furrow his brow slightly.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Don’t you have something else to say before asking questions?”

“What?”

“Thanking me for saving your life would be the proper order.”

There was a faint killing intent in Piaren’s eyes.

It couldn’t be helped—Galveron’s rise to the rank of Aura Master had upended Piaren’s standing completely.

Although the Empire couldn’t afford to discard Piaren, also an Aura Master, his status had plummeted, relegating him to a mere afterthought.

Adding insult to injury, Galveron, his so-called successor, had been excessively arrogant, further souring their relationship.

Galveron bit his lip tightly at Piaren’s words.

It was an infuriating situation where Piaren clearly held the upper hand.

“…Thank you for saving me.”

“A meaningless sentiment,” Piaren scoffed. Still, for someone as prideful as Galveron to say even that much was enough.

Galveron felt a surge of indignation at Piaren’s snide remark but chose to restrain himself.

“…How did you know to come here?”

That was the question weighing on him most.

Piaren answered with a calm but sharp tone.

“He sent me.”

“He?”

“Ailes Vilzen.”

“…!”

Galveron’s eyes widened, trembling visibly.

He was so stunned that he nearly fell off his horse.

“A-Ailes Vilzen?! How could he send you? He’s supposed to be—!”

Locked in the Empire’s underground maximum-security prison, doomed to live and die there for the rest of his life. How could such a man have sent Piaren?

Piaren looked at Galveron with cold eyes and replied.

“Because of the mess you fools have made, they had no choice but to bring him out. You haven’t achieved a single meaningful result lately.”

“Even so…!”

Galveron’s voice rose in anger.

Ailes Vilzen.

A legendary genius who had once staged a rebellion and ended up imprisoned in the Empire’s underground dungeon.

He had been the Empire’s greatest strategist, serving as the right-hand man to his younger brother, the current Emperor, during the rebellion against the throne.

The plans Ailes devised had been nothing short of monumental.

Their rebellion had come close to being a full-blown revolution.

But their efforts failed due to one unforeseen factor:

The emergence of a new Aura Master, Galveron.

Ailes’ plans had not accounted for this once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, a variable so extraordinary it could only be described as a gift from the heavens.

As a result, their revolution was crushed.

Most of those involved were executed, but Ailes’ remarkable talents earned him a lifetime sentence in the underground prison instead.

And now, here he was…

Galveron’s expression twisted into something grotesque.

Seeing this, Piaren felt a small sense of satisfaction.

Smirking, he spoke to Galveron in a mocking tone.

“You’d better start being more cautious. Heh, heh, heh.”

Piaren tried to stifle his laughter but failed, his shoulders shaking with mirth.

Galveron could only remain silent, watching Piaren laugh.

Finally, Piaren turned away.

“We’re heading back.”

He had completed the mission that brought him here.

As Piaren and the Rose Knight Order began their march, Galveron followed silently behind them.

‘Ailes Vilzen…’

What on earth was the Emperor thinking?

***

In the vast throne room, only two figures were present, but their positions could not have been more different.

Sitting on the throne was Valentia Seymour, Emperor of the Cartelia Empire.

Kneeling on one knee in the center of the hall was a man.

Valentia gazed down at him and spoke.

“It has been a long time.”

The man’s body was gaunt and frail, as if drained of vitality. His overgrown hair obscured half of his face.

Yet Valentia could sense it.

The eyes filled with deadly intent lurking behind that unkempt hair.

Valentia addressed him again.

“Your family is said to be living quite comfortably.”

“…This unworthy servant can only bow his head in gratitude for Your Majesty’s boundless grace.”

“Hah. Do you know why you were freed from that underground prison?”

“I have been informed of the reasons in brief.”

“Then you know your task. Should this mission be completed successfully, I shall pardon your crimes and restore you to prominence. However…”

Valentia’s eyes glinted sharply, like those of a serpent.

The man—Ailes Vilzen—lifted his head slightly to meet the Emperor’s gaze.

More than anyone, Ailes knew how cruel and malevolent Valentia could be.

This was no simple deal.

If he failed to carry out his orders, not only he but also his family, now living comfortably, would all be killed.

“That’s precisely why they’ve been spared,” Ailes thought bitterly, biting his lip.

But he quickly composed himself and replied.

“Do not worry, Your Majesty. I shall give my utmost to present this continent to you.”

He already knew what schemes would follow.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

After all, there was still time before that day arrived.

Ailes fixed his gaze on the Emperor.

‘The continent you so desire… I will deliver it to you. But the day you claim it…’

It will be the day you draw your last breath.

Ailes rose and bowed deeply to the Emperor before taking his leave.