Chapter 138
“War is madness.”
It was also a battlefield where the question of who was more insane was decided.
A scene from hell.
The soldiers charging at the enemy at the front lines couldn’t move without losing their minds.
Just think about it.
How could anyone, in their right mind, charge at an enemy wielding sharp spears and swords?
Shields clashed against shields, and in the midst of it, swords and spears pierced through arms and legs, causing blood to splatter onto the ground.
But in the heat of battle, there was no time to feel pain.
It was truly a clash of madness against madness.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
“Push! Push!”
“Aaaargh!”
A scream was heard from right beside him, the result of a comrade’s arm being slashed by an attack.
The madness that had peaked just before the clash suddenly cooled down at the moment of impact.
And as his field of vision gradually cleared, he began to understand his situation—standing in the middle of a battlefield filled with clashing swords and spears.
Shudder, shudder, shudder!
His whole body trembled, and his legs felt like they were going to give out. But then,
Bang!
“Get a grip, you idiot! You wanna die here?!”
“N-No, sir!”
The scream snapped him out of his daze as his superior officer struck his helmet.
The superior yelled again.
“If you fall back, you’re dead! We’ve got to push forward no matter what!”
He pounded his chest and said,
“Just stay behind me! Don’t you dare fall back!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
The rookie soldier replied and began running again, following closely behind his superior. But just then,
“Die, you damned scum of a fallen kingdom!”
“How dare you charge at us!”
Imperial soldiers suddenly charged at them from the side, causing the rookie to panic and raise his shield.
“Aaaaargh!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each blow from the enemy’s attacks made his shield tremble and his whole body feel like it was about to break apart.
Then, at that moment,
Crack!
“Argh!”
With a sickening crunch, the Imperial soldiers in front of him were suddenly split in two.
Standing before them was none other than the commander-in-chief, Mateus.
“Reform the ranks! Kill every enemy you see!”
Mateus swung his blood-soaked sword, cutting down the Imperial soldiers in his path.
Although the enemy was putting up fierce resistance, making the battle seem evenly matched,
‘They’ll break soon.’
The Baroque Kingdom’s forces were pressing in from both sides, and their attacks were proving to be devastating for the enemy.
With their middle line cut off, the front ranks of the Imperial soldiers were gradually weakening.
‘And...’
In the rear, where the Imperial commanders were stationed, it seemed they were attempting to reorganize, but...
“What... is this?”
Heymond, the Imperial commander, couldn’t wrap his head around the situation.
Not only had he not expected the enemy to launch a preemptive strike, but the bigger problem was...
‘The attacks from both sides are too overwhelming.’
Although he had quickly reorganized the lines and reinforced the formation, one unit was relentlessly breaking through and disrupting their ranks.
“Is that the Baroque Kingdom’s Caion Unit?”
“Caion Unit?”
“The ones who took down the Rose Knight Order?”
The mention of the Caion Unit made the other officers look shocked.
If it was true, it made sense.
There weren’t many units, barely 300 strong, that could cause this much destruction.
Heymond grimly issued his next command.
“Captain Phaedon! You take your troops there and stop them from breaking through our formation again!”
“Understood!”
Phaedon, the Imperial captain wielding a massive axe, led his troops toward the left flank to intercept the Caion Unit.
If they could just hold off the enemy’s disruption, they could maintain balance in the large-scale battles on the front and right flanks.
A battle between Damian’s spear and Phaedon’s axe caused an explosion of force. However, it was Phaedon who was forced back.
“Ugh!”
Phaedon gritted his teeth as pain surged through his hand. Blood began to seep from his torn palm, and his expression twisted in anger.
“You little brat...!”
Had he really just been pushed back by this boy?
With a furious growl, Phaedon raised his axe high.
Woooong!
Blue energy surged around the massive weapon. Phaedon wasn’t just any commander—he could channel a significant amount of magical power.
And then—
Boom!
Phaedon’s axe smashed into the ground where Damian had been standing, shattering the earth with overwhelming force.
The surrounding soldiers stared in awe at the display of destruction.
“...!”
But despite the direct strike aimed at his head, Damian had casually dodged backward, leaving Phaedon in disbelief.
“You... don’t have much real battle experience, do you?”
“What did you say?”
“Your movements are too predictable.”
Damian didn’t need to see more to understand.
‘He’s strong, probably relying on finishing fights in a single blow.’
Phaedon had enough raw power to send Kyle flying with one swing of his axe. A typical soldier wouldn’t be able to withstand that kind of strength.
‘It would usually take no more than five or six exchanges to finish his opponents.’
That kind of overconfidence, the assumption that no one could block or dodge his attacks, was working against him now.
Whoosh!
Damian’s spear flashed again, darting toward Phaedon’s chest. Gritting his teeth, Phaedon hurriedly lifted his axe to block, planning to parry the spear and strike at Damian’s legs.
But just as Damian’s spear was about to reach Phaedon’s chest, it suddenly...
Swoosh!
“...!”
...changed direction, plunging into Phaedon’s left thigh.
Thud!
“Aaargh!”
Phaedon’s massive body jerked violently as a scream burst from his mouth. The spear had pierced deep, and blood poured from the wound, revealing a glimpse of bone.
With a single precise strike, Damian had crippled Phaedon’s mobility.
Damian took a step back, twirling his spear. He normally wouldn’t need to use this level of technique against someone like this, but...
‘If I drag this out, my unit will be in danger.’
The Caion unit’s tactic was hit-and-run. They needed to strike quickly and pull back, but if they wasted too much time, they could get surrounded.
Damian glanced over his shoulder.
The archers were holding back the approaching Imperial soldiers with their arrows, but...
‘It’s not enough.’
Despite the strain it would place on him, Damian began to gather more magical power.
Woooong!
A powerful surge of energy spread through his body, causing his heart to race and his muscles to tighten painfully.
‘This is it.’
Damian recalled the last strike he had delivered against Hainel during their training.
Spinning his spear rapidly, Damian prepared for the final blow.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The spear twirled faster and faster until it settled firmly in Damian’s grip.
Snap!
Damian’s eyes gleamed fiercely as his entire body became shrouded in a shimmering blue aura.
Phaedon instinctively realized something was terribly wrong.
‘This kid...!’
Panicking, Phaedon gripped his axe with both hands and raised it into the air. But it was too late.
“Hraaaaaaah!”
With a powerful shout, Damian unleashed his attack.
BOOOOOM!
It was as if an explosion had erupted. Damian’s spear shot toward Phaedon, and in that moment, the Imperial commander was paralyzed with fear.
‘This... this is...’
The pressure was so immense, it nearly knocked him unconscious.
Desperately, Phaedon raised his axe to block the incoming strike, but...
CRACK!
Damian’s spear shattered the axe into pieces.
“Disappear.”
“W-Waaaaah!”
Phaedon’s massive figure was completely consumed by the overwhelming power of Damian’s strike.