Chapter 95
Chapter 95
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 95
"The main camp's been hit!"
Viscount Belmaron, who had led part of the force out of the fortress, had gone completely silent, and with Duke Perren's main camp smashed apart in an instant, the unrest among the North Roselin soldiers swelled.
Before the barons commanding the troops could even make a decision, Samdopyo surged out from the inner wall, and the South Roselin army's counterattack pushed the battle into chaos.
"Don't fall back! Their numbers are small! We clear this area first, then drive the enemy outside in one sweep!"
Baron Ducon Sebain, who had taken up Viscount Belmaron's baton of command, worked to steady the soldiers' agitation.
"Kh! Shut your mouth and stick out your neck!"
"Eeyik! Die!"
Samdopyo was not about to stand by while they quelled the unrest. He tore through the soldiers blocking his way and charged straight at them.
Clang!
"Damn!"
A curse spilled from Dupyo's lips. His staff had been blocked and could not break through Baron Sebain's sword. Baron Sebain's face, by contrast, filled with confidence.
Before their blades had met, there had been unease. Facing Dupyo's martial prowess—he had single-handedly sent more than ten knights to their deaths—tension had gripped him the moment their swords touched, impossible to ignore.
But the force transmitted through the sword's grip was clearly not the monstrous strength he had displayed before.
"Hup!"
SWISH!
Clang—clang!
As Baron Sebain's sword thrust at Dupyo's neck, Dupyo's Mukbit Bong barely shifted its direction. But he could not fully deflect it.
RIP!
"Kugh!"
Dupyo's leather shoulder-guard was ripped away by the sword, and the blade gashed his shoulder as it passed. Watching Dupyo's face twist in pain, Baron Sebain's sword came faster and faster.
SLICE!
"Son of a—!"
Had his strength drained away during the fierce battle?
The small wounds on Dupyo's body only grew more numerous.
SWISH!
Clang!
"Kugh!"
Unable to fully dissipate the force behind Baron Sebain's sword, Dupyo was sent flying backward, dark-red blood spilling from his lips. His insides had been shaken badly.
"Heh-heh-heh."
Baron Sebain smiled as though victory were already his. Anyone watching could see Dupyo's situation was dire. At that moment, Baron Silen Bels drew close beside Dupyo.
"I'll take this one."
"Cough! Snort—get out of my way!"
Dupyo, who knew full well that Baron Bels's martial skill could not handle this, was not about to step aside, nor was he the sort to yield his opponent.
"Hwoo."
Drawing a deep breath, Dupyo began to summon every ounce of energy in his body.
"Hrm?"
As Dupyo's energy shifted, wariness crept into Baron Sebain's eyes. Then Dupyo's Mukbit Bong began to vibrate.
HUMMMMM!
"Wha—what is that!"
"Hraaap!"
With a spirit-shout that seemed to rumble up from his gut, colorless energy shimmered along Dupyo's Mukbit Bong. The shimmer surged upward over the staff. What this continent called Sword Aura—sword energy—no, it was Staff Aura.
"Th-this can't be!"
"Hwooooo!"
Crrrack—crack!
Seizing the opening left by the startled Baron Sebain, Dupyo's Staff Aura flew at him with a harsh noise. Baron Sebain let out a battle cry and wrapped his sword in Aura to block.
"Euyaap!"
Clang!
The clash of energy against energy ended quickly. Dupyo's staff shattered Baron Sebain's sword, aura-coated surface and all.
"Kuhk!"
The hand gripping Baron Sebain's broken sword flew up into empty air. Dupyo's body spun a full turn as he swung his staff.
"Die!"
WHOOOSH!
Parting the wind, the swung staff slammed into Baron Sebain's side with devastating force.
THWACK!
"Kraaaak!"
Whether it was a blow given with everything he had, Baron Sebain let out a single death-scream and, his waist folding backward, flew more than ten mir through the air before crashing into the ground.
"Kuuugh."
Thud.
"My lord!"
"Baron Sebain!"
Even the trusted Baron Sebain writhed on the ground, then his movements ceased. The soldiers' anguished voices rang out.
Thud!
"Hik!"
Driving his staff into the earth, Dupyo glared at the enemy soldiers with murderous eyes. Baron Bels's shout burst forth.
"Drive them out!"
"Waaaah!"
Watching the South Roselin soldiers surge forward, Dupyo let out a sigh of relief.
'Damn! With my energy unable to stay contained and spilling out all over the place, and I still pulled off the win.'
Though he stood as solid as a boulder, the truth was Dupyo had not even the strength left to lift a single finger.
Attacked from both inside and out, the North Roselin army lost all cohesion the moment its command staff completely collapsed.
"Huk!"
"His Grace Duke Perren!"
"How can this be! Viscount Belmaron and Count Muen, too!"
Even amid the chaos, they could see with perfect clarity—the heads of their command staff, mounted high on spear-shafts.
"Baron Sebain has fallen!"
His head, along with the heads of every staff officer, was mounted on spear-shafts without exception.
"Surrender! Unless you want to die!"
Eulji Buru's voice shook the hearts of the North Roselin soldiers. And in that moment, another cloud of dust rose on one side.
"That's the flag of South Roselin!"
"Damn it."
The wave of soldiers running toward them, spread wide across the field, shattered the last will to fight among the North Roselin troops.
Clatter.
"Damn... I want to live."
Tang—clang!
"Me too."
As always, the hardest part is the start. Once one man threw down his weapon, others all around began hurling theirs to the ground as well, no one holding back.
"Pick up your weapons!"
A few knights, panicked, raised their voices sharply and swung their swords at the soldiers.
"Throw down your weapons and you'll be executed on the spot!"
Shuk—shuk-shuk-shuk!
"Guruk!"
Thud.
But the knights' threats toward the soldiers could not continue. At the sight of a knight collapsing, riddled full of arrows in an instant, the North Roselin soldiers unhesitatingly threw down their weapons. Every knight who tried to swing a sword fell, their bodies bristling with arrows, all of them the same.
To begin with, not a shred of fighting spirit or courage remained in a unit that had been assembled purely as bait and a delaying force.
The battle was over.
"W-We won!"
"We're alive!"
"Uwaaaaah!"
The soldiers who had pushed out from Vihanen Fortress roared in triumph at the sight. Having escaped death, they had earned the right to cheer. Baron Silen Bels, too, watching their shouts of victory, felt the tension drain from his body at last.
"We won."
Though the air reeked of blood, Baron Bels drew in a great, deep breath. A smile tugged at his lips.
Step. Step.
"Ah."
A blood-soaked giant figure brushed past him. It was Samdopyo. As though concerned for Dupyo's safety, Baron Bels hurried to catch hold of him.
"Here now!"
If one were to weigh the credit for this battle, Dupyo's contribution was the greatest. It was he who had always blocked the most dangerous points, who had shielded the withdrawal by holding off the enemy knight order when the troops fell back toward the inner fortress, and who had led the soldiers from the very front when the final great reversal was achieved.
"Are you all right?"
"Cough! I have to go."
"What do you mean?"
Baron Bels opened his eyes wide in surprise and asked again. The language spilling from Dupyo's lips was not the Continental language, but that of Gauri.
"Ah!"
Clop, clop, clop.
In the direction Dupyo was moving, the demon cavalry that had carried this war to victory was approaching. At their head came Go Jin-cheon, his armor adorned with five horns, riding straight toward him. Overwhelmed by the unbearable presence, Baron Bels stopped the steps that had been following Dupyo and gazed on with trembling eyes. The tension returned.
The same was true for the other soldiers: every eye was fixed in this direction.
Thud.
"No—!"
A startled cry escaped Baron Bels's lips. Samdopyo, who had spoken so boldly even to him, had dropped one knee to the ground.
Slowly, Dupyo's head bowed lower.
"Your Majesty, Supreme One of All Heavens who embraces all people and all things, I, Balwisaja Samdopyo, present my respects! For only now being able to pay my respects, I bow my head before Your Majesty and beg forgiveness!"
Despite his exhausted state, the voice carried such spirit that Baron Bels stood frozen in shock. He could not understand the words, spoken in an unfamiliar tongue wholly unlike the Continental language—but the sight alone left no room for guesswork.
"You look a wreck."
"It is only my shame!"
Baron Bels could understand the words slowly coming from Jin-cheon's mouth. Gerard's Translation Bracelet made it possible, but he understood them unmistakably. Natural casual speech. And natural submission. Baron Bels recalled the way Dupyo had trembled when these men first appeared.
"The detailed report will wait. We'll share a drink this evening."
"As commanded!"
"Go rest now."
Clop, clop, clop.
Jin-cheon spurred his horse and slowly passed beside the kneeling Dupyo. Even then, Dupyo seemed unable to rise. He had lost consciousness in that position. Baron Bels pulled his gaze away from the demon cavalrymen supporting Dupyo as they disappeared and turned to see Jin-cheon slowly approaching him. He swallowed hard.
Gulp.
The sound of his own swallow rang in his ears like a crack of thunder. He knew he was wound tight with tension.
"You. Are you the commander here?"
"That's... correct."
Honorific speech came from Baron Bels's own mouth. The man was somehow daunting. Jin-cheon's eyes swept past Baron Bels to survey the shattered remnants of the fortress.
"A useful bunch. Come see me this evening."
"Yes."
Without so much as a backward glance at Baron Bels, Jin-cheon delivered his words and slowly rode toward where the South Roselin forces stood watching him in tense silence.
Jin-cheon was riding into a place that might well have been dangerous, yet no one stopped him. No one even followed as an escort. Aside from the soldiers clearing the battlefield, the Black Armored Ghost Cavalry stood nailed to the spot.
'What in the world is happening right now!'
Clearly, they did not seem to be enemies. Yet the situation was like trying to grasp a drifting cloud. Baron Bels watched Jin-cheon's back as he halted before his soldiers. Jin-cheon's hand rose slowly toward his helm.
"A Northerner?"
When Jin-cheon removed the horned helm, his hair was black—blacker than any Northern mercenary's, close to pitch-dark.
Baron Bels's pupils widened. The Northern mercenaries were dropping to their knees one by one. No—not just the Northern mercenaries. Even the surviving South Roselin soldiers were sinking to their knees, as if swept up by the atmosphere around them. As naturally as breathing.
The army that had come charging up late beneath the South Roselin flag was none other than the Remnant Unit. Not the five hundred of the South Road Army who had ridden with the Gauri force, but the more than one thousand soldiers who had abandoned the battle.
The warriors bowing their heads deeply before Go Jin-cheon were all the remaining knights—every one of them except Sir Hekate.
"We are sorry."
Puh-reung!
These words came from the bowing warriors. Those words carried repentance: they had distrusted these men from the beginning, and they had held themselves back from a battle that was their own, thinking only of their own safety. Before them, Gangsoe let out a whinny that sounded like mockery.
Hwoong.
Cheol-keo-deok.
Jin-cheon flung himself from Gangsoe, his feet slamming to the ground. The eyes of the bowing knights caught Jin-cheon's feet, still caked with blood and flesh. No doubt the steel studs embedded thickly in his soles had crushed the faces of countless enemy soldiers.
"Why did you come?"
"We are sorry."
A single sentence left Jin-cheon's lips, carrying no trace of any emotion. The South Road Army warriors, unable to raise their heads, only repeated the words "We are sorry."
"I know you're sorry. So lift your heads."
"......Yes."
At Jin-cheon's comparatively longer words, one South Road Army commander raised his head. Jin-cheon's expressionless face met the eyes of the South Road Army commanders.
"Still, that was commendable."
"......."
At Jin-cheon's offhand remark, color rose on the commanders' faces. Whether he realized it or not, Jin-cheon continued.
"At least you meant to witness our end."
"......We did."
The knight did not deny it. These were men who, at the very least, owed their lives to them, and a sense of shame that they had held themselves back from a battle in which they should have stood at the forefront had eaten at their hearts. The sight of the Gauri soldiers laughing with abandon and dancing as they drank before the battle had been seared into the South Roselin natives more deeply than into anyone else. The soldiers of South Roselin birth had felt at ease with the Gauri army.
They had looked up to them.
And the shame—that their life-saving benefactors had gone onto the battlefield while they themselves had tucked tail and run—had spread even more fiercely among the common soldiers. They had realized it only later, after the Gauri army had departed with such dignity.
Though the time had been short, the Black Armored Ghost Cavalry's battles and victories had planted themselves deep within the hearts of the South Roselin army. In the end, they had no choice but to come here. Dangerous though it was, they had wanted to witness these men's final fight. If they could, they had meant to at least retrieve their bodies—that, they had thought, was the duty owed to them.
"We have learned that we are not, in the end, fit to command a thousand men."
"The reason?"
Jin-cheon asked for the reason.
Until the very moment the walls of Vihanen Fortress crumbled, they had believed Jin-cheon's unit had given up. On one hand, they had felt relief—and as they watched the South Roselin soldiers in the fortress dying, they had secretly prayed for them to charge out.
Then from one side, they had seen the black cavalry racing toward them, a flag they too had never seen before fluttering, and they had felt both a cheer rising and a pang of regret. They had felt, also, how treacherous the human heart could be. That was something they could feel only because they were still young. And then a miracle had begun to unfold before their eyes. They had seen it with their own eyes and yet could not believe it—the scene of the enemy knight division being annihilated in a single clash.
And then the charge that followed.
A deep penetration charge that looked like madness splitting the enemy formation apart, the archer cavalry circling and plunging the enemy into ruin without pause, the formation assembling like lightning pouring from the wagons, and then three-thousand five hundred soldiers clashing.
Wherever they passed, no enemy remained standing.
Their clenched fists grew damp.
Sweat overflowed on the hands of the South Road Army commanders as they watched the scene. With only a few, afraid of being spotted, they had been watching when the common soldiers gathered around them. They saw dozens of heads mounted high on spear-shafts. And they saw the enemy main force that had entered the fortress now surging back out.
The South Roselin commanders could watch no longer. The moment they turned their heads toward their own soldiers, they felt their own appearance was shameful. In the hands of an old soldier standing near them, the South Roselin flag, stained crimson everywhere, had been raised high into the sky. And the other soldiers, too, had each drawn their weapons—their hearts were already racing toward the battlefield.
The South Road Army commanders, who had insisted on avoiding a dog's death, who had heard only the enemy's numbers and given up without even listening to the battle plan, now ran in belated regret. And they had spread out wide as they ran, to at least give the appearance of a large force.
There was only one excuse, one reason, they could offer Jin-cheon.
"We are cowards."
It was a voice without strength.
Clank. Clank.
Jin-cheon's footfalls drew nearer to them.
"Take command of your soldiers, sort the prisoners, and gather the wounded inside the fortress. The faster you move, the more of them you can save—even one more."
"Huh?"
At the unexpected order, the young commanders raised their heads. But what flew straight into their faces was a shout that cracked against their ears.
"Move!"
"Yes!"
Answering without conscious thought, the commanders scrambled to run with no further thought at all. They felt only that a strange stirring had kindled in their chests.