The Spearhead's Warning
The northern cold wind howled like a wailing spirit, whipping through the narrow pass with razor-sharp fury.
The towering mountains had always been treacherous, their rough boulders and frozen earth paths ready to snare a man’s ankle. Today, however, they felt even more hostile.
Yet the Silent Spear unit climbed the trail without a hint of worry, their expressions calm and steady.
In the lead.
Arteon clenched his fist and dropped into a low stance. Every soldier around him mirrored the motion, sinking to the ground in perfect sync and scanning the surroundings for danger.
“….”
Arteon drew in his mana and expanded his awareness to its fullest.
The long reach of that awareness revealed details far beyond the reach of any ordinary soldier.
Isaac, moving beside him, asked quietly.
“Why the concern, Commander?”
The words left his throat and vanished almost instantly into the freezing air.
Arteon gazed at the opposite ridge and spoke.
“Captain Tairen’s unit… they are advancing far too quickly. It feels as if they are in a hurry.”
Isaac turned his head toward the opposite mountain, but the swirling snowstorm and tangled trees made it impossible to see anything clearly.
He swallowed hard and forced a calm expression as he looked back at Arteon.
*…So he has surpassed even human-level perception.*
The thought slid down his spine like ice, leaving a chill that had nothing to do with the weather.
But then.
“There is no need to be so alarmed. One day we will all reach this realm.”
“…?”
Isaac turned at the voice.
It was Kairon.
Kairon met his eyes and continued without hurry.
“You already have sharper senses than most soldiers. The feelings ordinary people feel when they see you… they would be much like what you are feeling now.”
Kairon spoke lightly, but the gap between him and Arteon was still wide.
Still, brooding over it would only make him trail behind the man forever.
Using that frustration as fuel, he would close the distance somehow.
“…You are right.”
Isaac nodded at Kairon’s words.
And when Isaac looked at Arteon.
“…”
Arteon turned his gaze to the soldiers for a moment.
The northern gale whipped their cloaks wildly.
Advancing at full speed was possible, but…
“We will maintain our distance from the main force. If we pull too far ahead, we cannot respond if something happens on their side.”
“Understood.”
They had to account for every possible danger.
Isaac accepted the order, but then.
“Still, I sense why Captain Tairen is rushing. It may be something I can guess.”
“What is it?”
“Perhaps he believed our tactics helped in the previous battle.”
“…Not a great achievement. In fact, Tairen should be grateful that we followed his plan.”
“But he probably will not feel that way. He surely has his own reason for wanting to help this time.”
“…Perhaps.”
Arteon let out a soft breath at Isaac’s words.
He understood the meaning, yet in war such haste often brought trouble.
He could only hope nothing would go wrong.
Arteon nodded.
“I will respect his judgment. We will focus on what we must do.”
“Understood.”
“Advance.”
Arteon signaled the unit to move forward.
Keeping the proper distance from the main force, they stayed alert for any ambush or surprise from the enemy in front.
But then.
**BOOM!**
A thunderous explosion split the mountain like lightning, erupting from below the opposite ridge.
The entire mountain seemed to shudder violently. Frozen leaves rained down like a sudden storm.
The wind shifted. A cold gust warned of danger.
Arteon’s eyes widened sharply.
In that instant, Kairon shouted.
“Arteon!”
“Damn it.”
Arteon’s voice was short. His face twisted sharper than the wind.
The explosion moments ago.
The power contained within it.
At least a 5-star. No, more.
It was not Tairen’s doing.
And that meant.
*…The mad ones have drawn their blades.*
A 5-star or higher warrior had appeared in the Kar advance guard.
They had begun to reveal their true cards.
Arteon made his decision in a heartbeat.
“Isaac, take command of the unit and follow the commander’s orders. I will move first toward the source of the sound.”
And then…
“Kairon, come with me.”
Mana surged through Arteon. His body became hazy before Isaac’s eyes.
Steep slopes, icy rocks—nothing could hold him back.
**Pa-bat!**
The only trace left behind was the cold imprint where his feet had crushed the ground.
Watching Arteon and Kairon vanish in an instant, Isaac hurriedly dispatched one soldier to the main force.
Speed was needed to relay the current situation.
“Damn it.”
He had never thought it would be this fast, but a battle had broken out so quickly.
As the massive roar continued to echo, Isaac simply stared at the distant explosion with worried eyes.
* * *
Among the northern chill that sliced through the wind, Belkein listened on horseback as the advance guard’s clash report arrived.
The Kar tribe’s unexpected movement narrowed his eyes.
“What is the damage so far?”
“Only the fact that a battle has begun. No other details. Currently, Captain Arteon and the mercenary Kairon moved first.”
“Hmm…”
Belkein let out a soft sigh.
Beside him, 4th Regiment Commander Colonel Harben clenched his jaw in irritation.
“Disregarding protocol, he voluntarily left the formation and advanced. Captain Tairen is so arrogant these days!”
This was clearly a reprimand.
Harben’s tone dripped with barely contained anger, like a blade at the ready.
But just then, Lieutenant Colonel Luo Kal turned his gaze toward him.
“It is possible that during their search for the advance guard they were ambushed. We cannot judge hastily.”
Harben let out a scoff and turned his head away sharply.
“After the last battle when the Silent Spear unit distinguished itself and got cocky, you call it a rash judgment?”
The sharpness at the end of his sentence felt like he was biting down and spitting out every ounce of his resentment.
He clearly disliked the current situation.
But Belkein, still mounted, slowly turned his head.
“If you only punish for mistakes made while trying to do well, who will ever dare to push forward again?”
His voice was calm, yet the weight behind it was heavy.
Harben’s shoulders twitched.
He could not meet Belkein’s eyes and looked away.
“Commander, I was only… reporting the situation.”
“This matter can be settled later. Right now, too much talk only clouds the front. We must observe the enemy and save our own men first.”
His words were short and decisive.
Everyone fell silent and waited for the order.
Belkein asked the messenger.
“Captain Arteon and the mercenary Kairon moved first, you said?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Then we must hurry as well.”
No matter what, fighting in this narrow pass was impossible.
At least they needed to reach the valley to form a proper line.
“All troops, increase speed and move quickly to the valley.”
“Understood.”
“Yes!”
Before the order fully left his lips, the officers began issuing commands to the soldiers and the main force surged forward.
The northern wind grew even more vicious.
The terrain here was completely different from the open plains of Belikezel, working a serious disadvantage.
*No…*
The ground was simply unsuitable for large-scale troop movements.
In the end, the key would be how to divide and operate this limited force.
And the final piece was to seize the perfect moment to encircle the enemy all at once.
*If they move first…*
We have no choice but to accelerate.
Belkein pulled on the reins.
The entire main force followed, galloping along the narrow paths between the hills.
Armor clanked. Cold breath scattered into the air. The hooves of warhorses filled the pass.
And in front of them.
**Sssshhh.**
Arteon had already reached the objective. He stood before the Kar warriors and drew out Iglis.
* * *
“…They are coming.”
His tone was almost relaxed, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
The first strike from moments ago.
That single wave had been both a silent signal and an invitation.
He had not revealed his full power, yet the enemy had surely understood the message.
Krelmuk stared straight ahead and spoke softly.
“Kortzan, drive these men toward us. Kill them as cruelly as possible.”
Kortzan lowered his head, a fierce smile tugging at his lips.
“Understood.”
Soon, the ground erupted with flying snow and mud as the Kar warriors led by Kortzan charged forward with thunderous force.
Heavy, ragged breathing tore through the northern air.
Tairen, seeing the broken formation from the previous strike, scowled deeply.
A power so overwhelming that his body had frozen in place.
It was beyond belief that a mere 6-star aura axe could cause such destruction.
*…The damage is worse than expected.*
The enemy had collapsed their own upper mountain slope, sending an avalanche of massive boulders and dirt down.
Thanks to that, more than fifty soldiers were now bloodied.
“Huff… huff…”
His heart pounded as his breathing grew ragged.
Even an aura user could not withstand an attack that crossed the line of humanity.
*6-star… that must be it?*
He had fought alongside strong warriors before, so he could gauge the opponent’s strength.
And the man who had thrown the axe clearly bore six feather tattoos.
The ugly scars crossing them sharpened the threat even more, instilling dread just from sight.
But he could not remain still.
“Enemy movement detected! Form up quickly! Focus on defense and hold until reinforcements arrive!”
Tairen roared, and the soldiers gritted their teeth, scrambling to prepare.
Unlike the main force’s sturdy shields, they only had small 50-centimeter bucklers.
Better than nothing, but they could not be sure how long they would last against the brutal Kar axe charges.
And the enemy gave them no time.
“Hyaaaaah!”
“The Empire’s dogs! We will kill every last one!”
Tairen gripped his sword as the Kar warriors charged.
Aura began to wrap around his blade.
**Slash!**
He carved through the Kar warriors in an instant.
He could not sustain the aura for long, but his display was far more stable than before.
“Hang on! Hold until reinforcements arrive!”
“Kill every Empire dog!”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
In the chaos of screams and clashing steel, Tairen’s soldiers clashed with the Kar warriors.
Yet they held on thanks only to…
**Slash!**
Tairen’s masterful use of aura.
And the sight of that moved him.
“So there was a skilled one among them.”
A voice carried from nearby, laced with the edge of a blade.
Kortzan, having recognized that Tairen’s presence was disrupting the flow of battle, charged straight at him.
“I will kill you miserably…!”
**Kwang!**
Tairen’s body shook violently from the blow, as if it would shatter.
He had blocked the attack, but he could not fully release the shock from within.
“Ghk…!”
Hot something surged up his throat.
“Now the real fight begins, Empire filth.”
**Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!**
With every axe swing, pressure surged, pushing Tairen backward.
He poured every drop of mana into maintaining aura, but he could only endure.
Yet even that…
**Hup!**
**Swaaaash!**
The man swung the axe gripped in both hands down from above, charging at Tairen.
Tairen hurriedly raised his sword to block.
**Crash!**
“Kyaaaaah!”
Tairen was flung away and rolled across the ground.
In the chaos, the soldiers rushed to surround him, pointing their blades at Kortzan.
“Company Commander!”
“Captain Tairen! Are you all right!”
But Kortzan laughed mockingly at the sight.
“Like moths to a flame.”
The moment he stepped forward, the soldiers’ legs began to give way.
The aura user’s sheer presence was pure terror.
“Ghk…!”
Tairen bit down and forced himself up.
He already knew.
*That man…*
Could not be stopped.
And Kortzan knew it too, approaching with a smug smile.
“Not a single one of you will return alive.”
His sentence was death.
Alongside it, Kortzan lifted his aura-thickened axe menacingly.
But in that instant.
**Swaaaash!**
The sonic boom of a flying blade.
Kortzan instinctively swung his axe to meet it.
“…”
The pain in his wrist made him frown.
The destructive force ordinary warriors could never produce.
If someone could unleash such an attack…
Kortzan lifted his head and looked toward the rear of the battlefield, at the distant ridge.
And then…
“Come.”
The moment he saw Arteon standing on the ridge, Krelmuk’s lips curved upward.