Chapter 149: Ardius Fortress Siege Battle – Three-Person Counterattack

Chapter 149: Ardius Fortress Siege Battle – Three-Person Counterattack

The golden-armored soldier had concealed himself within the self-propelled artillery, hidden from our senses. To confront this threat, we sprang into action. Lady Altissia began channeling her potent spiritual arts, gathering her spiritual power, while master mounted his beloved steed and charged toward the golden-armored soldier.

“Hah!”

Now, what was my role in this unfolding scene? Using my spiritual power, I transformed the ground into sand and swiftly navigated beneath the surface as if I were swimming through the battlefield. Underground travel afforded me a speed advantage over master’s horse. I was likely to arrive ahead of him.

Although my vision was limited below ground, I could sense vibrations. All I needed to do was follow the tremors caused by the rampaging entity that emanated such a formidable presence. There was hardly anyone who could ignore a presence as overwhelming as that. With two targets to focus on, the choice was rather straightforward.

The immense presence seemed to plow through the soldiers on the central front, mowing them down mercilessly. Under normal circumstances, an attack from the flank wouldn’t have caused such a severe disruption, but our enemy was a beast capable of effortlessly reducing hundreds of soldiers to ashes. It was obvious that the surprise attack had taken a heavy toll on the targeted troops.

“Hmm? Could it be... Tigar and the others?”

As I continued to move underground, I sensed a familiar presence engaging the golden-armored soldier who had single-handedly broken through the infantry formation. It was none other than Tigar, Zald, and the rest of the special operations unit. They were holding their own against the formidable entity, but it was clear that they were in grave danger. I need to hurry.

However, panicking here wouldn’t do any good. My comrades had spent more time on the battlefield than I had, and they were battle-hardened veterans who had faced countless trials. They wouldn’t make the kind of mistakes that would lead to their immediate demise. So instead of simply rushing in between them, I decided to trust in my companions and plan an effective ambush.

When I reached directly beneath the golden-armored soldier, I patiently waited, listening carefully to the sounds from above. I desperately wanted to assist Tigar and the others, who were audibly struggling, but I restrained myself with sheer willpower.

“Now’s the time.”

Above ground, Zald had been sent flying, and Tigar had been forced to his knees through sheer force. The golden-armored soldier, believing he had the upper hand, was about to deliver a final blow. It was precisely when an opponent believed they were winning that they were most vulnerable...this was a lesson I had learned from master not long ago.

I transformed all the soil above into sand and let it flow downward. The sudden sinking of his legs threw off the golden-armored soldier’s balance, causing his fist to miss Tigar, whom he had been about to strike.

[What the...?]

“This bastard... retreat, all of you!”

While the golden-armored soldier appeared perplexed, Tigar seemed to grasp the situation in an instant. He got to his feet, shouldering his massive sword, and, with a command for his comrades to move away, he himself moved back.

That was the right move. I defied the flow of sand, rising upward as I drew both swords and thrust them with all my might into the back of the golden-armored soldier’s knee, which was buried in the sand.

[Ugh! It hurts!]

The golden-armored soldier seemed to be in pain, but it was best not to think the damage would last long, given his capabilities. I twisted the blades once before pulling them out, then leaped out from underground and clung to his back. From both sides under his arms, I drove the twin swords, and I drove my poisonous stinger into his neck.

The scream the golden-armored soldier let out right now was incomparable to when I stabbed the back of his knee. He thrashed his body wildly, trying to shake me off. Without resisting too much, I used his back as a stepping stone, leaped, and landed back on the ground.

“I won’t let you! Nuuuuu!”

[Gaaaah!?]

Before I could know it, master had appeared behind me and delivered a blow with his poleaxe to the golden-armored soldier who had been fixated on me. The strike crushed through the helmet and penetrated the top of the soldier’s head, causing him to collapse face down.

Master dismounted from his horse as he approached closer and then rushed towards us on foot. At that moment, I could see his figure, but his presence was eerily faint. I suspected it was the work of Lady Altissia’s concealment spiritual arts. To keep master out of my assailants’ line of sight, I had directed his attention away by provoking him.

The helmet was severely warped and crushed, with an incessant flow of blood pouring from the damaged area. master’s all-out strike possessed the power to shatter a fortress gate in a single swing. Even if one were a descendant of the gods, a head split open like that would not escape a serious injury.

“Guggee ...... Gaaaagh”

“Huh! How can one move with his head crushed like that? My disciple told me about you, but how stubborn can you be!”

...I take back my words. The golden-armored soldier was quite formidable. Just as master had said, his poleaxe had not only shattered the armor but also crushed the golden-armored soldier’s head. The pale fragments adhering to the blade and the bleeding from the gaps in the helmet were irrefutable proof of that fact.

Because master believed in my report, he struck with a deadly blow, determined to eliminate the threat in one strike. Although he succeeded in bringing down the soldier only temporarily, it was obvious that master’s strike had inflicted considerable damage.

However, even though the head should have been deeply gouged out, the golden-armored soldier still stood up. What’s more, right after his head was shattered, he emitted a surge of spiritual power, attempting to repel his assailants. It was a toughness beyond comprehension, surviving damage that would instantly kill not only an ordinary person but even a formidable demon.

Master, who had experienced the shockwave of the spiritual power at close range, leaped backward without resisting. His voice was a mix of astonishment at the unexpectedly robust life force and the elation of facing a formidable opponent.

[Grand... pa... Are you coming for me?!]

The golden-armored soldier had been continuously emitting spiritual power in all directions, but as soon as the bleeding from his head stopped, his spiritual power weakened. Thanks to the damage to his full-face helmet, the face that became visible was understandably contorted in hatred and ugliness.

As his head began to heal, the golden-armored soldier also regained his ability to speak. However, a beam of light that came flying from behind pierced through the gap in his helmet, causing it to explode. Undoubtedly, it was Lady Altissia’s spiritual arts—a precision sniper attack—that left one in awe.

Partially severed by my master and then shattered from the inside due to the explosion, the helmet disintegrated completely. Fragments of it scattered on the ground, and the golden-armored soldier clutched his face in agony, groaning.

“Let’s finish this, my disciple!”

“Yes, master.”

We had no intention of showing mercy just because he looked to be in pain. This was war, and the opponent before us was a force stronger than us that we must kill without hesitation. Any hesitation in facing such an opponent would only endanger our lives and the lives of our comrades.

Master and I launched a simultaneous assault on the golden-armored soldier from both the front and the rear. We aimed to finish him off right here, if possible. And if that proved impossible, our goal was to inflict severe wounds that would at least require a substantial amount of time to heal.