Flames Over the Kar Camp
Whoooosh—!
Tongues of flame whipped like banners, licking the night sky. The acrid stench of burning filled the air, and black soot flung up by the fire drifted through the dark like falling snow.
"Wh-what?! What's going on?!"
Kar warriors who had been asleep came pouring out at the sight of the blaze roaring up from the supply depot.
"This is insane…!"
"What are you standing around for?! Put out the fire!"
"Hurry! Haul water, now!"
"If you can't find water, shovel snow over it!"
Shouts erupted from every direction as the Kar warriors scrambled into motion. But the flames only swelled larger, as if mocking their efforts. The camp dissolved into chaos in an instant, and the warriors' movements grew more frantic still.
Then it came.
Twee-ee-ee-ee-ee!
A sharp whistle split the night sky. At the entrance to the Kar camp, the Silent Spear unit—having slipped in like shadows—suddenly revealed itself and charged.
"H-how did they get this far?!"
"Th-the Empire dogs are here! It's an Imperial attack!"
"Battle stations, all of you!"
"Stop them!"
Pure pandemonium. Without command or order, nothing but raw shouting, the thunder of Kar warriors' feet rolled through the entire camp. They fumbled for weapons and rushed out—but the Silent Spear had already driven deep into the gaps between them.
Slash! Thud!
Seizing the entrance in a heartbeat, the Silent Spear soldiers thrust their spears, cutting throats and punching through chests. It happened so fast the Kar warriors collapsed without mounting any real defense.
"Formation Four!"
Grein's shout rang out short and hard. At once the soldiers snapped into formation and split to either side. His next order followed immediately.
"Cut down everyone here as fast as you can, then we pull out! Do not push any deeper inside!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
Their answering roar seemed to overwhelm the Kar themselves. The soldiers scattered outward and dropped the enemy without mercy. Fire and shadow tangled into a thick confusion—but for the Silent Spear, that chaos was a perfect screen.
The seething flames swallowed the darkness and lit the far reaches of the camp. Through the firelight, the faces of the Kar warriors showed shock, disarray, and fear. Kar banners planted throughout the tents toppled and were flung to the ground; bodies crashed down over them, spraying red across the dirt.
"Vice Leader—when is the Platoon Leader joining us?"
Ragnel, the Second Squad Leader, asked. Grein glanced toward the supply depot where the flames still climbed.
"Stop worrying about the Platoon Leader. He's not someone who gets taken down by the likes of these. Focus on our job."
"Yes, sir."
The reply was brief, but the soldiers' eyes cooled and hardened at once. This was what Arteon had drilled into them: a swift strike that inflicted damage on the enemy without costing their own side a single life.
We can't drag this out.
Right now the chaos kept them in control—but this was the enemy's main camp. If the Kar managed to form up properly, it would be Silent Spear that found itself surrounded in moments. And more than that…
If the commander holding this place shows himself… we run. No questions.
They had trained hard under Arteon and even learned mana cultivation, but none of them were ready to face a Kar officer of command rank. Grein's eyes swept constantly left and right, tracking his own men's positions and the enemy's movements, holding the distance carefully.
And just as he expected, the Kar warriors began to recover their composure and form ranks. Grein clenched his fist. Formation Four split each squad into five groups to hit the enemy hard—fast, yes, but vulnerable to being picked off one by one if held too long. Now that the enemy was organizing, he needed to pull his scattered men back together.
"Formation One!"
At Grein's shout the soldiers converged at once into a single solid mass, raising their shields into a tight wall.
From here on…
We hold until the Platoon Leader arrives.
Come back soon, Lord Arteon.
Grein's gaze stretched cold and sharp toward the Kar warriors ahead.
"How dare youuuu!"
The instant Morkadon saw the flames surging from the supply depot, rage detonated inside him. His roar rolled through the camp like thunder, and in his iron grip he held a massive two-handed axe. Ordinary warriors would have struggled to swing that weight with both hands—Morkadon lifted it in one as if it were nothing.
His eyes raked the surroundings with lethal intensity.
They said the Empire would hit the left flank…
That was the opposite side of the camp entirely. So why were flames rising here—of all places, from the most critical supply depot?
Morkadon's teeth ground together, his face murderous. His thoughts tangled into a snarl.
Was the attack on the left flank a decoy from the start?
Or had the informant betrayed them? Confusion tore through his mind, but there was no time to dwell on it.
"Imperial attack! Stop them!"
"Battle stations! Hold the line!"
"Raaaaagh!"
From the entrance came the crash of Kar warriors colliding with Imperial soldiers—war cries, screams, and the clang of steel ringing out in a furious din. Morkadon bit down hard on his lip without realizing it. Whatever the situation…
The insolent bastards…
Anyone reckless enough to charge into this place was going to die. Breathing hard with fury, he turned toward the entrance.
That was when it happened.
"Found you."
"…?!"
An unfamiliar voice spoke from directly behind him—and in the same instant—
Sssseeeeeeek!
A piercing whistle of air so fierce it made his whole body go cold. Morkadon wrenched up his mana on pure instinct and swung the axe.
CRAAAASH!
The roar of steel on steel shook the camp. The tremendous impact drove Morkadon's massive frame backward, and a cloud of dust billowed up. A searing jolt shot through his wrist as if the bone had cracked. The hand gripping the axe trembled faintly. His pupils shook wide.
I… was pushed back?
He had always prided himself on strength no one could match. That pride was the very reason he wielded this axe. But that last blow—
Cold sweat beaded on Morkadon's brow. And standing before him was a single man.
"Who the hell are you?"
He wore a Kar warrior's cloak, but the face beneath the fur cap was unmistakably Imperial. His eyes held a beast's cold ferocity, and the aura pouring off him was savage enough to crush everything around it. And yet, for all that presence—
"…?"
The face was startlingly young. Morkadon's gaze wavered. A youthful appearance, a spear, and power like this—among the Imperials he knew of, there was only one.
"Don't tell me… you're—"
Morkadon's expression hardened. The Imperial officer who had crippled Bowukartaon and annihilated their vanguard force…
The man in front of him answered quietly.
"Yeah. That's me."
"You bastaaaaard!"
At that casually tossed reply, Morkadon bellowed. Mana surged from his body hard enough to make the ground shudder and scatter the snow. Aura began to bleed from his axe—unstable, but the mere fact that he could manifest it spoke to how strong he was.
Watching him, Arteon set his resolve even firmer and raised his spear.
I can't let this one leave.
"You won't take a single step from this place."
"Arrogant little shit!"
Morkadon roared and charged. The force behind him was considerable, true enough—but—
Everyone lost to kids like this?
Ridiculous. Rumors always inflated the truth. Even granting that you couldn't judge an Imperial's age by face alone—
A brat who isn't even twenty?!
That first exchange had only felt so heavy because it was a surprise attack. One proper blow with aura behind it would split a greenhorn like this clean in half.
"Hraaaaaaaah!"
A raw, emotion-soaked cry tore from Morkadon's throat. The muscles in the arm holding the axe bunched and coiled—
Swoooosh!
The heavy axe, saturated with aura, came crashing down toward Arteon's skull.
But—
Ssshk!
In a blink the figure before him seemed to split left and right—
BOOOOM!
Morkadon's axe smashed into the ground. The impact shattered the earth and sent stone fragments flying in every direction. His eyes swept the area at once. The man had vanished right in front of him.
Where—?!
He couldn't sense him at all. Had he withdrawn his mana the instant he moved?
No one has mana control that insane—!
Then a fierce presence flared from his left. Morkadon spun hard—just as the spear, already at point-blank range, drove straight for his heart.
"Ghk—!"
He twisted his body in pure panic. Dodging completely was impossible.
Slash!
"Kh…!"
Arteon's spear grazed Morkadon's left shoulder and flung a spray of red into the air. "Grazed" was generous—the aura-edged strike split flesh deep enough to bare bone. Morkadon only gritted his teeth and poured power into the hand still gripping the axe, as if the wound meant nothing. His eyes flashed sharp.
"You idiot…! A spearman closing in this tight?!"
The axe whipped sideways in a vicious arc aimed at Arteon's waist, meant to cleave him in two on the spot.
But—
CRAAAASH!
"…!"
Another thunderous impact—and Morkadon's axe was driven skyward. Arteon had already braced the spear across the small of his back and spun, catching the blow clean.
H-how, at this range—
Defending that fast with a spear? It defied belief. But disbelief changed nothing about the result. Morkadon bit down hard on his lip.
"You bastaaaaaard!"
"It's over."
Arteon's voice was low as he answered the raging man. In the same breath his spear shot forward at blinding speed.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
A merciless barrage aimed only at vital points. Morkadon crossed both arms to shield himself, but the spear punched holes through his arms and legs all the same.
"Gahk!"
He barely avoided a killing blow—but the wounds alone were catastrophic. As Morkadon crumpled to the ground, Arteon raised his spear. Setting the supply depot ablaze and killing the commander would be a haul far beyond what he'd planned.
But—
"Lord Morkadooon!"
"You son of a—!"
"Protect Lord Morkadon!"
Warriors who had already gathered nearby hurled every weapon they held at Arteon. Swords, axes, and javelins came in a single volley. Arteon sprang back and swept his spear in a wide arc.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
He knocked aside more than a dozen weapons, brow furrowing. The Kar warriors' formation was locking fully into place.
He could kill this man right here. But—
If I take any more time…
Casualties among his own men would become a certainty. Arteon made the call instantly and turned.
This was more than enough damage. And now…
Time to go back.
By now Grein would have a clear read on the situation.
Dash!
"H-he's running!"
"Catch him! Don't let him escape!"
As he spun and sprinted away, Arteon's mind held only one thought.