The Air of the Battlefield Changes
The air of the battlefield had changed.
Soldiers’ screams and the clash of metal rang out. Blood and snow sprayed together, a strange metallic tang scattering on the wind.
“Push them back! Kill the bastards!”
Isaac, leading the 3rd Company, never stopped cutting down Kar warriors even as he urged his men on. Seeing him fight at the very front in the most dangerous place, the soldiers of the 3rd Company clenched their teeth and raised their spears.
“Follow the company commander! Slaughter every last one of those Kar dogs!”
“Three-man teams—cover each other’s backs and hold formation! Don’t give them your rear!”
The arrival of the 3rd Company’s reinforcements into the enemy center sent the Kar battle line reeling. The sudden addition of roughly three hundred men was not overwhelming in number, but the timing of the thrust was perfect. Under the 3rd Company’s assault the Kar warriors failed to react in time and collapsed like a snow fort.
Slash! Thud!
“Kraaaaaagh!”
“Aaaargh! My aaaaarm!”
“S-save me!”
Screams rose with the stench of blood. Death bloomed amid the tangled throng, and the blood they spilled fell onto the snow and spread in crimson stains.
Yet even in that blood-soaked melee—
...What a monster.
Isaac watched Arteon whirling his spear on the opposite side. Movements like a mirage. Even while standing in the very heart of the enemy encirclement, he unerringly found the gaps and kept carving a path toward friendly forces.
Whoooosh! Thunk!
Speed beyond reaction. The spear shot out and punched through a Kar warrior’s throat.
“Grrrk...!”
A grotesque, bubbling gurgle of blood came from the man’s mouth.
Thud.
“Maintain formation and move with the unit commander! Left side! Close up tighter—leave no gaps!”
Right behind him, Grein bellowed until his throat nearly burst, continuously holding the unit’s formation together.
...Incredible.
How was something like this even possible? They had driven deep into the enemy center; for all practical purposes they were isolated. If Company Commander Isaac had not brought the 3rd Company, they might all have been overwhelmed by sheer numbers and met their deaths.
In the brief breathing space the 3rd Company bought them, Arteon instead advanced the unit toward the friendly lines. Easy to say—finding and forcing a gap while completely surrounded by enemies was another matter entirely.
Does he have eyes in the back of his head...?
In a place this densely packed with friend and foe, vision inevitably narrowed. The entire body was swept up in the whirlpool of the battlefield, making clear judgment nearly impossible.
And yet...
Arteon was different. As if he had experienced this kind of battlefield dozens of times, he surveyed his surroundings with masterful ease and made the optimal decisions. The direction of the wind. The trajectories of flying blood. Even the exact timing of an enemy’s flinch. It was virtually impossible unless one was reading every single condition of the battlefield.
Is it truly... an innate sense...?
That alone was already absurd, and considering Arteon’s age it became even more so. Genius. No—two simple syllables were nowhere near enough to define the martial prowess Arteon was displaying.
“Grein!”
“Yes, Unit Commander!”
“A little farther and we link up with friendly forces. The moment we join them we change formation and turn together toward the enemy commander!”
“Understood!”
At Grein’s reply Arteon exhaled sharply.
“Hah!”
The atmosphere shifted. Arteon flicked the blood from his spear tip and scanned the surroundings. With the 3rd Company properly joining the fight they could now press the enemy hard. That cut the movement of the enemy forces trying to advance as the central vanguard and lent strength to their own side.
Now we wait until friendly forces break through to us.
He had scraped and harried the Kar from the rear as much as possible, but once the momentum had swung there was no need to push further. The unit had already expended considerable stamina advancing from the enemy’s right wing all the way to the center. If they did not deliberately kill the tempo here, an explosive charge would be impossible once they linked with the friendly forces that had punched through the middle.
We plant our feet here and hold the Kar back.
That alone would be more than enough support for the friendly forces.
Arteon drew up his mana and watched the Kar warriors charging toward them. Every one of them rushed in with impatient faces; they too seemed to sense how dire the situation had become. But he had no intention of opening a path.
“Silent Spear unit! Deflect every enemy that comes at us! Focus on stopping their advance!”
“Push them back! Just keep them from getting past!”
“Yes, sir!”
Thunderous shouts rose and the unit’s morale soared.
But in that very moment—
Whoooooooooosh!
“...?”
An enormous tearing of air from far away made Arteon’s brow twitch. He lifted his gaze.
“Watch out!”
Before his warning even finished—
BOOM!
A massive impact rocked the formation. Snow and blood exploded outward as if a storm had struck. The front-rank soldiers raised their shields, but the violent shock still sent several of them flying at once.
“Gah!”
“Kraaaaaagh!”
Arms twisted and broke; soldiers who lost their shields tumbled across the ground and were thrown clear. Then something lying on the ground entered Arteon’s sight—a large spear half-buried in blood and snow. The shaft was twisted black metal, and red energy still rose from its tip.
“Aura...?”
Arteon’s brows drew into a sharp V. He shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Reform defensive formation!”
“R-reform the formation!”
“Get up! Stay down and you die! Raise your shields!”
They dragged a few unconscious soldiers into the center of the formation while the rest filled the gaps and lifted their shields. Through the blizzard two silhouettes became visible. The distance was considerable, yet killing intent sharp enough to prickle the skin came through with perfect clarity.
Hair black as night streamed in the rough northern wind; skin pale as frost. And the spear in her hand—the same aura he had felt from the spear that had just flown here.
That one...?
A master at a glance. Even in a head-on fight Arteon could not guarantee he would overwhelm her. But—
“...”
There was not only one. Another presence a short distance away. A Kar warrior with thick muscles that called an orc to mind. One hand gripped a massive axe; the other held a mace. Terrifying pressure. One alone would have been burdensome enough—two of them...
Stronger than the archer from last time...
He could tell with certainty. Arteon raised his spear with a calm expression. But then—
“Arteon.”
“Lord Isaac.”
“Know them? They don’t look ordinary.”
Even in the thick of fierce combat Isaac had somehow drawn up beside him. Arteon shook his head. Isaac let out a sigh.
“I’ll try to hold one of them somehow... Finish yours quickly and come help.”
“They can use aura.”
“I can’t use it perfectly, but I can at least defend. If I team up with the better men in the unit we should be able to pin one down.”
To block aura one needed to wrap a weapon in mana approaching aura level even without fully manifesting it. Isaac, who had grown recently, should be capable of that much. It would not be easy, but—
...I’ll trust Lord Isaac for now.
If, as he said, they could finish one quickly, the rest would become far easier. The moment the decision settled, Arteon looked at Grein.
A nod. That single strike a moment ago had made it clear.
This isn’t a fight we can join.
Then their duty was to hold this ground and focus on stopping the other Kar warriors. When Grein nodded, Arteon immediately kicked off the ground.
Thud!
With a single stamp his form shot forward like a bolt. A few deranged Kar warriors tried to block his path, but—
“Tsk tsk. Idiots.”
“We’ll finish him quickly with a joint attack. It’s the Taman’s order.”
Kortzan spoke while looking at Heritikan, who clicked her tongue. Heritikan shot him a displeased glance, yet—
“Don’t get in my way.”
—she could not refuse a Taman’s command, so she answered curtly and raised the spear she held. But in that instant—
“Sorry, but one of you will have to deal with us.”
“...?”
Kortzan turned his gaze toward the imperial soldiers suddenly charging him from the side. Five of them in total. Just as he and Heritikan were about to face Arteon together, unexpected foes had burst out.
“...Trash who can’t even handle aura, acting so bold. I’ll clean them up quick and join you.”
At Kortzan’s words Heritikan simply turned her expressionless gaze and fixed it on Arteon. She alone was more than enough for him.
Arrogant imperial dog...!
How dare he set his filthy feet on sacred Belikezel. After she killed every last one of them she planned to cut off their heads and string them all the way to the entrance of Helikel Canyon. Then they would never dare set foot on this land again.
“I’ll kill you in one breath...!”
There was a mountain of enemies still to deal with. Heritikan’s dark hair streamed as the spear in her hand thrust straight out in a single line. A simple thrust—yet among all the Kar warriors in Belikezel fewer than twenty could block it. That was how thoroughly she had polished this thrust.
Woooooom!
From the tip of the spear she drove forward, red aura blazed brightly, amplifying its power still further. But—
Clang!
“...!”
Before it could fully extend, her spear was knocked aside midway. Heritikan’s pupils shook violently. And that was not the end.
Whoosh!
Arteon, having deflected her spear, sprinted in and closed the distance in a flash. Watching him drive into her guard, Heritikan’s face twisted.
This crazy bastard...?!
A spear user who couldn’t even manage basic distance control? Or did he intend to try hand-to-hand?
Fool...!
Though she had a woman’s body, she ranked among the best in the tribe at unarmed combat as well. Heritikan glared and clenched her left fist tight. The instant he entered range she drove that fist straight at Arteon’s jaw.
“Closing the distance was your mistake.”
“...Is that so?”
Arteon answered with cold eyes. Then he tucked the spear at his waist, bent low, and twisted his body.
Slash.
“...!”
In that instant the fist Heritikan had thrown at Arteon’s jaw sprayed red blood as it shot skyward. The whole thing happened so fast she could not even register it, yet staring at her own arm floating before her eyes, Heritikan could not hide her shock.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Her scream of agony rang across the battlefield.