Shadows Advance and Retreat
The red light slowly faded, and the black shadows surged forward.
The setting sun that had blanketed the battlefield now burned black in the air like blood soaked into the ground.
A vast plain.
Velkain, at the center of the Imperial army, commanded the soldiers in silence, his gaze fixed on the battlefield.
They had the advantage, yet the battle had been so fierce that countless sacrifices had been made.
But at that moment, Claw raised his head and looked toward the sky.
“It looks like the darkness is about to descend, Commander.”
“……Issue the retreat order.”
The reluctant command slipped from his lips, and Claw nodded vigorously before quickly relaying it.
“All troops, fall back! Retreat order issued!”
As the command spread, the flags began to flutter.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
The trumpet blast signaling the retreat tore across the wind.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
“Retreat! Even during the retreat, confirm the enemy’s position!”
To avoid any friendly soldiers being stabbed in the back while falling back.
With the platoon commanders shouting at the top of their lungs, the soldiers raised their shields and slowly began to withdraw.
“Retreat!”
Through the flags whipping in the wind, a thick red-black dust rose.
Countless soldiers retreating back toward the camp.
But in the very center of the battlefield, the storm still raged as fiercely as ever.
Swooooosh!
The spear that had stretched out now grazed the air dangerously close.
Yet it did not stop there; it extended downward, aiming straight at Kortzan’s side.
“Hup!”
KWANG!
The spear clashed against the axe.
With every collision of aura and aura, flashes of light erupted and thunderous booms sounded.
The shockwave that tore through the air, accompanied by a sound like a massive iron mass being shredded, turned the surrounding area into utter chaos.
Whoosh! Boom!
Dirt and sand rose into the air, the ground cracked, and fragments of shattered stone flew in all directions.
Yet the two men at the center of it all refused to look away from each other.
“Huu.”
Arteon, who had steadied his breathing, lifted Iglis once more and resumed his battle stance.
Blood poured from his arms and shoulders, yet his eyes remained as sharp and unyielding as ever.
And the man facing him, Kortzan, was no different.
The left arm clutching the mace hung limp, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but the pupils burned with wild flames.
Kortzan sneered, grinding his nose.
“One of the two of us is going to die right here.”
“Obvious.”
Without a word between them, both men charged forward at the same time.
Arteon’s spear tip sliced through the air, aiming straight for Kortzan’s left thigh.
With the distance between them, Arteon believed he could easily land a decisive blow.
But Kortzan moved as if he had predicted the attack.
“Hup!”
He shifted his injured left arm and deflected the spear sideways.
Though the force was gone, enough strength remained to change its direction slightly.
And through that opening, Kortzan lunged.
“HAAAAAAAAP!”
With a strained roar, the axe in his right hand came down over Arteon’s head, ready to split him in two.
If he could end the fight like that…
But just as expected, the man was not so easy to handle.
PARRAT!
A movement that seemed to vanish before your eyes.
Arteon twisted his body sideways and spun swiftly, then swept the spear back to knock the axe away.
“Huff…”
Clenching his lips to suppress the groan, yet blood poured from the palm gripping the axe handle.
The hand had been torn.
But…
“HAAAAAAAAP!”
Kortzan’s arm muscles twitched like an ogre’s.
Ignoring the rebound, he attacked again with raw power.
KWAAAANG!
The axe, like a guillotine, slammed into the ground with a deafening boom.
Thick dust billowed up, obscuring the vision, until a gust of wind gradually cleared it away.
“……A damn rat.”
Kortzan muttered through gritted teeth.
Evading the attack had been one thing, but…
At that moment…
He had left a wound behind.
Rup.
It was not a deep injury, yet Kortzan stared at the blood flowing from his right forearm and snorted like a bull.
Soon, his figure came into view.
From the very beginning, even now—
That unmoving stance, unchanged no matter how long he had stood on the battlefield, was shaking even his own hardened mind.
……A monster.
His skill was one thing, but how could he remain so calm in a battlefield where life hung by a thread?
Only a monster could explain it.
“Damn it.”
Kortzan straightened up and raised the axe again.
His breathing was growing faster, and even channeling mana felt increasingly difficult.
But as always, Kortzan left no openings, hiding everything within.
“……”
“……”
They faced each other, eyes locked in a deadly stare.
The only sound was the labored breathing they forced to keep steady, while the world around them seemed to fade away.
In that frozen moment, the corner of Kortzan’s eyes trembled slightly.
Even he had shown no opening.
If the fight continued…
My… defeat.
Kortzan bit down hard.
But at that exact moment.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
A trumpet echoed from the Imperial army’s camp.
Along with it, Imperial soldiers shouted the retreat and hurriedly withdrew.
Arteon turned his head.
“……”
He could have pressed the advantage a little longer and ended it.
Yet standing by to finish the man felt wrong.
“It seems that’s all for today.”
Looking at the Silent Spear unit that showed clear signs of exhaustion, Arteon decided to retreat.
If he had stubbornly continued the fight, casualties among his men were inevitable.
Moreover, with the allies gone, there was no one left to assist them.
If they were isolated, it could lead to an irreversible situation.
“Let the next fight be for the winner.”
Arteon did not take his eyes off Kortzan as he took one step back.
The wind swept past, fluttering the bloodied edges of their clothes.
“Silent Spear unit! Retreat!”
“Retreat! Follow your commander!”
“Retreat! Carry the wounded! Watch for enemies pursuing from behind!”
“Retreat! Fall back!”
As the Silent Spear unit withdrew quickly alongside Arteon, the remaining Kortzan stood motionless for a long while.
He simply…
Clenched his fist tighter.
If I had kept fighting…
I would have won.
He knew it, yet he refused to accept it.
And…
If we don’t prepare countermeasures quickly, perhaps this war…
An ominous thought flashed through his mind, but Kortzan immediately shook his head.
“No, that can never happen.”
Even if those men’s strength was overwhelming, the picture of them defeating Krelmuk and his people could not be drawn.
Only the current situation, which he himself had failed to prevent, was both frustrating and infuriating.
Kortzan looked in the direction Arteon had vanished and muttered quietly.
“Next time… you will feel hell.”
He would know what it felt like to face an absolute wall.
Kortzan immediately shouted toward the warriors standing beside him.
“Take up the body of Heretican. We’re retreating too.”
Now, her death seemed to be drawing near.
He could not guarantee what outcome Heretican’s death would bring…
When we meet again… the situation will be different.
Enjoy the victory from today to the end.
The footsteps of the retreating Kortzan were filled with lingering regret.
* * *
This battle could be considered a victory.
But inside Velkain’s tent, a heavy tension hung in the air.
“……Even now, we have not perfectly analyzed the enemy’s full strength.”
“……”
Should we form another scouting party?
Even that thought now felt terrifying.
Hadn’t most of the scouts sent out from here in the past lost their lives and never returned?
Claw stood silently at his post as Velkain leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.
But…
“Have you confirmed it?”
“No such signs have appeared yet. However… we have captured suspicious movements and will continue to investigate before reporting.”
“Very well.”
The conversation was short, but the meaning within it was heavy.
They had seized the advantage, yet ever since the first day of the Belikezel campaign, an odd pattern had emerged.
“Clearly… he will show his hand again soon.”
If the timing was predictable, it would not matter.
But no matter what, those men always struck at the most critical moments and places.
That was why they had to find him before this war deepened further.
“If we fail, we must remember that returning here covered in blood may be our fate.”
“We will move as quickly as possible.”
Claw answered with a calm expression.
Yet the beads of sweat soaking through his clenched fist proved he understood just how critical the matter was.
And at the same time.
Scritch.
Arteon sharpened the edge of Iglis on the whetstone he carried.
The two men he had fought today—
No, one was dead, so he only needed to think about the remaining one.
Clearly…
He must have known he was being overwhelmed.
Yet the light in his eyes refused to dim.
Because Kortzan was an outstanding Kar warrior?
No…
It was not the kind of eyes that belonged to that type.
Clearly, he had been expecting death, so his heart was giving way.
Yet those eyes still held something he believed in.
The life of the past, ten long years of repeatedly dying and killing those men.
With just a glance at his eyes and expression, one could see through what those men were thinking.
“If I fought as well as he did today… does it mean there is someone who can overwhelm him?”
Otherwise, there was no way to explain the gaze and expression directed at him.
Moreover, even if that were not the case—
We must prepare for it.
Undoubtedly, tomorrow he would sharpen his blade after today’s defeat.
Perhaps even more blood would flow than today.
Sshhh.
In the dark night.
The sound of the spear blade being honed echoed softly around them.
And at that moment, someone approached Arteon.
Arteon turned his gaze and saw.
Grein.
Seeing Grein approaching with a rather stiff expression, Arteon straightened up slightly.
Arteon asked.
“You found them?”
“……Yes.”
He would not have known otherwise.
Even Grein would not have expected it to be true.
“I confirmed every detail you asked me to check for Arteon-nim… and there were matches.”
“There were many units. To find them so quickly means they are near our forces?”
“Yes.”
As Grein nodded, Arteon let out a small sigh and rose from his seat.
These damned bastards.
Since the war would never end in victory, the blood shed by our soldiers would only grow more.
But still…
“Raising their heads so sneakily from the very beginning… that’s crossing a line.”
A murderous intent flowed through Arteon’s eyes.
“Continue investigating. When a more precise situation appears… I’ll behead them and report first.”
Grein simply nodded without a word.
As the thick darkness of the night passed.