Chapter 220

There was no scouting or probing between them.

“Haak!”

A fierce roar erupted from Bayatur’s mouth.

His ferocious strike that had terrified everyone on the grassland cut through the air of the plain.

Zweeng!

Spartacus did not dodge Bayatur’s scimitar.Neew updates at novel/bin(.)com

He clashed his sword head-on with the blow aimed at his head and pushed back his opponent.

Kwang! Kakakak!

The swords of both sides collided, producing a loud metallic sound.

Neither of them faltered as they exchanged blows with a force beyond imagination.

Both warriors’ eyes sparkled at the same time, as they had never met anyone who could not be overpowered by their strength.

The cavalrymen who had been fighting fiercely around them also stopped their weapons and watched the fight between the two.

The attack and defense that continued at a speed that could not be followed by eyes.

But as time passed, Bayatur’s body swayed slightly.

“...!”

He was being pushed back little by little.

Their levels of strength and skill were similar.

The difference was only a sheet of paper between them.

The reason why Bayatur was being pushed back was because of the difference in armor.

Spartacus, who wore plate armor, did not have to worry about defending himself against attacks that were not very threatening. He could rely on the strength of his armor to block and deflect them.

On the other hand, Bayatur had to inevitably spend more concentration to fend off his opponent’s attacks.

Zweejung!

This time, Bayatur was pushed back enough for anyone to notice.

He did not miss the opportunity and swung his sword reflexively at Spartacus, who was rushing in.

‘This one is dangerous!’

He could not pierce Spartacus’ armor with an attack that was not properly powered.

As expected, Spartacus did not avoid the sword and knocked away Bayatur’s scimitar with his opposite hand holding the sword.

Bayatur, who sensed the danger a step faster, lowered his head and barely dodged Spartacus’ sword.

He felt a strong wind pressure above his head that made his spine shiver.

‘It was a mistake not to consider the difference in armor.’

He knew well that his sword would not penetrate properly, but he did not expect it to be this bad.

He was able to balance his weapon by using the equipment he had obtained from the Roman army, but he could not do so with his armor.

Even if he hit it with a weapon made of iron that was much harder than the original one, that monstrous armor hardly broke.

In front of Spartacus, who swung his sword without any hesitation, Bayatur could hardly find a chance to counterattack.

The Huns cavalrymen who had been watching the duel from a distance also noticed that Bayatur was being pushed back.

They thought he looked more and more dangerous as they watched him fight from the beginning.

They had refrained from interfering in their 1-on-1 fight, considering their high pride as warriors.

But the situation was getting worse.

In fact, this duel was not a fair one from the start. They had not agreed to fight 1-on-1 beforehand, nor had they received any orders not to interfere.

Moreover, if something went wrong with Bayatur here, the Huns would suffer unimaginable damage.

“Get Lord Bayatur out of there!”

Finally, some warriors who could not stand it anymore threw themselves into the fray.

Spartacus saw them coming and hesitated for a moment.

Should he take a risk and go for Bayatur’s life here or should he retreat?

The conclusion came quickly.

He had been dominant in the duel, but Bayatur was not an easy opponent to k**l outright.

If he hesitated too much, he might be surrounded by the incoming cavalrymen.

The Roman cavalrymen also realized the situation and were coming, but they were inevitably slower than the Huns who moved first.

Spartacus licked his lips with regret and backed away.

Bayatur also joined his subordinates who were coming towards him with an expression full of annoyance and frustration.

“Lord Bayatur! Are you alright?”

“Who told you to interfere in my duel?”

“It wasn’t a fair duel from the start anyway. Didn’t they have overwhelmingly better armor than us?”

It was an argument that it didn’t matter if they interfered because it wasn’t a proper duel anyway.

Bayatur was furious, but he did not show his anger at his subordinates here.

They exchanged dozens of blows in an instant.

Shugak!

Spartacus did not even glance at the sword that grazed his hair and passed by.

It was too late to see and react.

The movement of the sword was the result of experience that had honed his reaction and foresight to the limit.

And the same was true for his opponent.

Spartacus could confirm that Bayatur was a swordsman of his level as their swords clashed.

His smile on the corner of his mouth naturally deepened.

There was not a single person who could make his heart beat like this since Crixus.

And unlike Crixus, Bayatur did not hesitate to face Spartacus head-on.

This was the first time he met an equal opponent in a contest of strength.

He could not help but feel a special admiration as a warrior.

Kwang!

The sound of weapons colliding echoed fiercely.

The soldiers on both sides who were watching from a distance clenched their hands with sweat as they witnessed the fight between the two warriors.

The faces of the Hunnic warriors, who knew well the strength of Bayatur, gradually turned to horror.

They thought that the reason why Bayatur was pushed back earlier was solely because of the difference in equipment.

If it was an equal duel, they were confident that the sword of Cheontae Sunwoo, who no one in the plains could match, would pierce through the heart of the Roman general.

The Roman army also thought similarly.

They had never seen Spartacus struggle in a confrontation with an enemy before.

They naturally expected him to take the enemy commander’s neck and triumphantly cross the river as he always did.

But the battle did not end even after tens of minutes passed.

The two people who exchanged blows without hesitation slightly distanced themselves and measured each other.

They had enough understanding of each other’s level through the previous clashes.

If they let their guard down for even a moment, they would immediately head to defeat. The skills of both sides were equal.

Their strength was almost identical, Bayatur had more stamina, and Spartacus had slightly higher technique.

If the duel continued like this, it would not be strange for both sides to fall bleeding.

Even those who were watching the duel seemed to sense that fact and unconsciously swallowed their breaths.

Among them, there was one person who showed unwavering faith in Spartacus.

Marcus’s eyes looked towards the eastern sky.

‘It should be about time now.’

The air that had been filled with the weather of the plains began to change slowly.

The wind that was blowing answered his question.

※※※

Altan, who was ordered to defend Thessalonica, led 15,000 soldiers and held his position firmly.

But the atmosphere in the area was not favorable to the Huns at all.

Unlike Thrace, which was far away, Thessalonica had already heard all the news of Marcus’s northward march.

The residents of Thessalonica, who had surrendered to the Huns, were eagerly waiting for Marcus to defeat the Hunnic army and save them.

Altan could not help but feel their expectations and desires.

He mobilized all his troops to monitor the city and prevent any rebellion from happening.

As a result, his attention to the port side was relatively weak.

And as if they had been waiting for that moment, a fleet carrying 50,000 troops led by Antonius appeared proudly.

At that very moment when Spartacus and Bayatur were having a historic duel,

The Roman army that landed at Thessalonica’s port began their landing operation.

“In the name of great Rome and Marcus, I Antonius command! Hear me, Greece. Rise up, Thessalonica. This is the promised time!”

Altan, who had been paying attention only to the city, was suddenly confused when he heard that an enemy army had appeared in the sea.

Where did 50,000 troops suddenly pop up from?

‘They must have left some troops behind pretending to defend Athens and secretly sent them this way. I fell for it!’

Marcus’s main force moved slowly northward not to lure Bayatur’s army in,

But to buy time for Antonius’s army to reach Thessalonica by boat.

‘Damn it... I should have deployed all my troops to the port and blocked their landing.’

Once the Roman army started landing, Thessalonica’s residents would naturally join them and rise up together.

He did not have much time left.

Should he retreat or fight thoroughly here?

A moment of urgency flashed in Altan’s eyes as he faced a dilemma between two choices.

End