The Immortal Genius Spearman

Chapter 164

"Your appearance is disgraceful."

Ailes' cold gaze lingered on Galveron as he spoke.

Galveron, who had narrowly escaped with his life thanks to Piaren and returned to the Imperial Palace, indeed looked pitiable.

Ailes continued, his tone dripping with disdain.

"How can an Aura Master fall into such a trap? How pitiful must your skills be to find yourself on the verge of death in such a situation?"

"…"

Galveron furrowed his brow at the scathing remarks.

Even though he had no defense for his failure, he hadn’t expected such humiliation right to his face.

Yet.

‘Damn it.’

The real humiliation wasn’t just falling into the enemy’s trap—it was the fact that he had been saved by both Ailes and Piaren.

"This won’t happen again," Galveron said through gritted teeth.

"It better not. Because if it does, you’ll die for real next time," Ailes replied with a calm expression, his words cutting deep.

"This is the only time you’ll be saved. There won’t be a second chance."

His icy gaze pierced through Galveron like a dagger.

Galveron’s face flushed with anger, but there was nothing he could say to refute Ailes' words. Instead, he let out a frustrated scoff and turned away, leaving the office.

As the door closed, Piaren approached Ailes.

"What do you plan to do next?"

"What else? I’ll give him exactly what he wants."

Ailes' sharp eyes gleamed.

The current Emperor’s goal and dream was clear—to claim the entire continent.

In that case…

"I’ll make that dream come true," Ailes said, his voice laced with chilling determination.

Though his years in the underground prison had left his body emaciated, his gaze was sharper and more intense than ever, with a hint of madness flickering in his eyes.

Piaren nodded solemnly.

"I’ll do whatever is required."

"First, we’ll need to deal with the rot inside. Without that, the continent is out of reach. And…"

Ailes' gaze turned toward the direction Galveron had left.

"There’s something he’s hiding. Find out what it is."

"You think he’s hiding something?"

Ailes nodded.

"Even if he fell into a trap, given his skills, the situation shouldn’t have escalated to that point unless there was an unexpected variable."

But it seemed Galveron hadn’t reported whatever that variable was.

"Go and prod him. Figure it out."

"Understood."

Piaren bowed deeply before leaving.

Left alone, Ailes sank into his chair, grabbing a glass of wine from the side.

"Now… it’s time to start setting everything right."

Inside and out.

The faint scent of blood seemed to fill the air already, making Ailes frown as he closed his eyes.

***

The meeting of the allied commanders was scheduled for an hour later, allowing time to organize the newly arrived forces from the Artian Kingdom.

After briefly exchanging pleasantries, the commanders dispersed.

Damian watched Celestine as she walked away.

He was still impressed by how she had seen through his capabilities instantly—and grateful that she had kept it to herself.

With a glance toward Kiaran, Damian made up his mind.

‘It would be disrespectful to let her hear about it secondhand.’

Kiaran had been his most steadfast supporter thus far, and he had already planned to report it to her.

Approaching her directly, Damian said, "Commander, may I speak with you for a moment?"

"What is it?"

Kiaran tilted her head slightly at Damian’s sudden approach.

After dismissing her aides, she gestured for Damian to speak.

"Go ahead."

"It’s about something I realized recently during my training with Lord Hainel," Damian began.

"…A realization?"

Kiaran’s eyes flickered slightly at his words, recalling the unusual sensation she had felt just before Damian left for the Tirkan Kingdom.

"Could it be… you’ve reached the realm of aura?" she asked cautiously.

"…Yes, I have," Damian confirmed.

"I knew it!" Kiaran exclaimed, leaping to her feet.

The feeling she had dismissed as improbable was now confirmed to be true.

Bursting into a broad smile, Kiaran laughed heartily.

"Unbelievable. That makes you the third Aura Master of the Baroque Kingdom! Hahaha!"

Kiaran couldn’t contain her excitement. She knew better than anyone how much of a game-changer an Aura Master was on the battlefield.

Damian, however, shook his head.

"I’m not sure I can be called an Aura Master yet. There’s still so much I lack."

"Nonsense. Every Aura Master said the same thing when they started. What matters is that you’ve crossed that wall; you can build from here."

She clapped Damian on the shoulder with a beaming smile.

"You’ve done something extraordinary. Truly."

Kiaran’s genuine praise left Damian slightly flustered, but he couldn’t help returning a faint smile.

"Thank you."

"I can only imagine how much effort you put into this. It must have been a grueling journey."

Becoming an Aura Master, often described as a gift from the heavens, required immense effort and determination.

‘This guy… an Aura Master.’

Kiaran thought back to when she had first met Damian.

Back then, he had been a young recruit stationed at the northern border, with an unassuming appearance but strikingly sharp eyes.

Since then, his incredible contributions had kept the war in balance, preventing total collapse.

"We’ll attend the meeting together in an hour. The Caion Unit will likely need to operate independently."

"Understood," Damian replied with a firm nod.

Kiaran nodded at Damian’s response, then patted his back firmly once more.

It was an incredible achievement—worthy of pride and admiration.

Turning away, Kiaran entered her tent, her thoughts returning to a report she had once received from Leonhark.

It had been the first time she realized that the instructor’s prediction had been wrong.

‘Instructor Leonhark. When Damian joined the Caion Unit, you said it wasn’t among the top-ranked units.’

Now, she could confidently declare otherwise.

It might very well be the strongest.

After all, it was now a standard unit led by an Aura Master.

‘I’ll need to update that report.’

There was much work to be done, but with the army poised to cross into Imperial territory,

“It’s time to focus.”

Her expression shifted into that of a serious commander once more.

Meanwhile, Damian returned to his unit.

“In one hour, the allied forces’ meeting will begin. Prepare yourselves to move out immediately after.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Got it!”

The decisive moment was drawing near.

Unlike the past, they were now the ones advancing toward the Empire with weapons drawn.

‘…Everything is about to change.’

Until now, they had lost nothing.

And from here onward, it wouldn’t be a battle to avoid losses—it would be a battle to seize everything.

‘I will take it all.’

Damian clenched his fists tightly.

***

The northern region of the Spanian Kingdom was, for all intents and purposes, under the Empire’s control.

Without support from the Baroque Kingdom, the Spanian Kingdom could no longer stand on its own.

As a result, the population had retreated south of Sragan, leaving the northern border desolate.

Casalt, the Imperial commander stationed at the border, smirked as he received word of the allied forces’ movements.

“Heh, no matter how much they unite their forces, what do they think they can accomplish?”

“Still, there are rumors that the Artian Kingdom sent an Aura Master as a commander,” one of his aides remarked.

Casalt burst into laughter.

“Ha! Do you hear yourself? Didn’t you hear how we devastated the northern Artian Kingdom in our last attack?”

In that battle, the Artian Aura Master Kalen Diego had suffered severe injuries.

“With one Aura Master left, do you think they’d send that one to join the allied forces?”

“Well… that’s true. They’d definitely keep an Aura Master stationed within their own kingdom.”

“Of course. What would they do if we attacked again? The Artian Kingdom is too cowardly to risk deploying their only remaining Aura Master.”

Casalt’s confidence was evident. His reasoning was sound, and his aides nodded in agreement.

“Casalt, your insight is unmatched. That’s why you’ve earned your position as commander of the border forces. Hahaha!”

One of his aides flattered him openly.

Moreover, with news of the allied forces gathering in the Spanian Kingdom, all Imperial border garrisons had bolstered their defenses.

Even at their current position, the number of stationed troops had increased fivefold.

No matter how large the allied forces were, breaking through this defense would be nearly impossible.

“If they attack here, all we need to do is delay them. Reinforcements from other borders will arrive soon enough.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Make sure the sentries stay alert. We don’t know when they’ll come.”

“Yes, understood!”

At Casalt’s orders, the aides quickly dispersed to relay his instructions.

Casalt gazed toward the Spanian Kingdom.

‘Fools. Do they really think they can launch a preemptive strike against the Empire?’

If he could crush their forces here,

‘It would deal a massive blow to their kingdoms.’

With that success, the Imperial army could simultaneously advance by land and sea, targeting the Baroque and Artian Kingdoms.

With depleted forces, their enemies would have no time to mount a defense.

Casalt’s lips curled into a grin.

His mind was already filled with visions of victory and the glory it would bring him.

“Come, then,” he muttered confidently, preparing for battle.

***

“At dawn, we will cross the border,” Celestine declared firmly.

Kiaran nodded in agreement.

“If that’s the plan, we’ll take the vanguard. Your troops must be exhausted from the long march.”

“Thank you for your consideration, but I must lead the vanguard myself,” Celestine responded.

Given her unparalleled destructive power within the allied forces, her presence at the front was essential to minimize casualties during the advance.

Kiaran nodded again.

If Celestine was to take the vanguard, she would need strong support.

“In that case, you should advance with the Caion Unit,” Kiaran suggested.

“The Caion Unit?”

“It’s the unit led by Sergeant Damian, who attended the meeting earlier. They currently have the strongest offensive capabilities in our kingdom.”

“Sergeant? The man who was standing to your left earlier?”

“Yes.”

“...What?”

Celestine’s expression twisted in surprise.

An Aura Master holding the rank of sergeant?

Sensing her disbelief, Kiaran offered a sheepish smile.

“Things will likely change significantly after this war.”

“...I see.”

There must be some internal circumstances at play.

Accepting this, Celestine returned to the topic at hand.

“Our reconnaissance shows that the Empire’s border defenses have been significantly reinforced, likely in response to news of the allied forces.”

“Yes, but that won’t matter. And with Sergeant Damian’s Caion Unit, we should be able to…”

Celestine coolly assessed the situation before addressing Kiaran.

“Before dawn, we’ll breach the border and advance into Imperial territory.”

With firm conviction, Kiaran nodded, her expression filled with determination.