Chapter 38
I thought the militia leader didn’t need grandiose encouragement.
Fair enough.
History guaranteed victory.
In history, Commander-in-Chief Hamerd reached the Sword Master’s realm amid a brutal struggle.
Navigating a blood-soaked battlefield, Hamerd grew at an astonishing pace.
Ultimately, he defeated Sir Dominic, the Defardly Empire’s sword.
So, I thought lavish encouragement was unnecessary.
‘…What a boast.’
Standing atop a high hill, I looked down at Sir Dominic.
Facing him, I understood.
A killing intent so vivid it felt like a tiger baring its fangs.
An instinct screaming to flee because he wasn’t human.
Fear felt at the cellular level.
“…That’s a Platinum Knight.”
A knight on par with Teacher Hectia, who slew a demon count in one strike.
In the Imperium Empire a thousand years later, only five such talents exist.
I glanced around.
The allied soldiers were calmer than expected.
“He’s just a man like us.”
“He uses aura, but numbers always win.”
Sir Dominic’s army corps numbered 80,000.
Yet, even split, the allied forces totaled 300,000.
The finest of the finest.
With more white dove flags than the empire’s raven flags, the allied forces seemed dominant by scale.
Arrogance was understandable.
Humans grow complacent in groups, blind to higher threats.
Then, Sir Dominic rode forward on his black steed.
He took a deep breath.
“I heard there’s a remarkable talent on your side!”
Terror struck.
His aura-laden roar staggered the 300,000 soldiers.
My body trembled too.
“Thanks to them, the empire’s officer corps is facing a shortage! Much appreciated!”
That’s me.
He’s definitely talking about me.
“Are you ready?!”
As Sir Dominic drew his sword, the pressure multiplied.
Know-It-All (Lv 2) analyzed the opponent but failed to measure him properly due to his exceptional strength.
[Name: Dominic Aturta]
[Age: 4■]
[Gender: ■]
[Personality: ■■, Cruel, ■]
[User Recognition: Noble■■ Insect■]
[Defar■■ Empire Secret ■■ Lv 7]
[Sword■ Proficiency Lv M■■ter]
[Mana■■■ Lv ■■]
[■■■■ ■■ ■]
[■■■■ ■■ ■■ ■]
[■■ ■■■ ■■ ■]
…
…
Much was listed, but little was readable.
Should I raise Know-It-All’s level?
‘…No.’
Movement (Lv 3) tenses your entire body.
I burned all points to raise Movement’s level.
First, I needed to survive.
“All forces, charge!”
At Sir Dominic’s cry, the imperial army ruthlessly climbed the hill.
“Hold them!”
The militia leader shouted, and the allied forces gripped their spears, swords, and shields.
While the militia leader commanded overall.
“All forces, hold your shields firm and stand your ground! This is the crossroads that will decide the continent’s fate! Believe the goddess of victory is with us, and we will triumph!”
Commander-in-Chief Hamerd, sword in hand, led the frontline defense.
His personal prowess matched a Gold Knight.
But.
The continent’s terror charged.
“Glory to the Defardly Empire!”
Sir Dominic’s greatsword swung, collapsing the allied frontline and signaling the war’s prelude.
***
The piled earth crumbled, and defenders behind were swept away by the slash.
Hamerd, leading the frontline, vanished in an instant.
“Commander-in-Chief Hamerd!”
“Hamerd!”
No matter how I searched, he was gone.
Perhaps buried under the rubble.
“W-W-What do we do?!”
The militia leader’s face paled.
“Snap out of it!”
I grabbed his collar.
“Calm the soldiers and focus on defense! Hamerd is alive!”
“R-Right! All forces! Hold your positions and fight! We will win! Commander-in-Chief Hamerd is alive!”
The militia leader bellowed.
I wasn’t sure myself.
Whether Hamerd lived or died.
History said he’d be the victor, but what I saw suggested otherwise.
When future knowledge clashed with what I witnessed, which should I trust?
“Fight!”
“Stop Sir Dominic!”
“Swarm him!”
The allied forces held a long frontline, blocking the charging imperial army.
Outmatched, the frontline soldiers, armed with pilfered imperial gear, somehow held.
“This is all you’ve got, rebels?!”
But where Sir Dominic personally broke through, defenders were sliced like tofu.
“…You’re Sir Dominic.”
A group blocked the continent’s terror.
Prince Kazaks and his lackeys, Muller and Shuga.
Elisha, Bord, Mary.
Other dungeon participants and the allied forces’ finest warriors.
The elite of the elite, specially selected to stop Sir Dominic.
The allied forces’ greatest asset.
“Hoh, special treatment? My thanks!”
Sir Dominic clashed with the nearly 100-strong special unit.
Their meticulously practiced formation unfolded.
“…This is fun.”
The bulldozer’s advance halted.
This bought time.
I hid behind a barricade and loaded my rifle.
‘Target…’
Like Hamerd, Sir Dominic must’ve delegated command.
I needed to eliminate them.
‘There.’
Despite hearing of my sniping, the imperial command moved without concern.
‘Something’s up.’
I’d find out by engaging.
Firearm Proficiency (Lv 1) reports the target is within range.
I fired a piercing bullet.
Despite the 1,000-meter distance, with Firearm Proficiency surpassing Comprehension, I rivaled Earth’s snipers with modern gear and spotters.
The bullet flew across the battlefield, aiming straight for the imperial commander’s head, but was blocked by a blue barrier.
‘What?’
It couldn’t pierce the blue barrier around the commander.
Startled, he flailed, then grinned at me.
His jabbering and gestures were clearly insults, even if I didn’t understand them.
He couldn’t see me, but he’d heard of the sniper’s infamy.
‘Let’s see.’
Know-It-All (Lv 2) recognizes the barrier took damage.
‘How long can you smile?’
In less than a second, I reloaded, aimed, and fired again.
Blocked.
Again.
Blocked.
Again.
Pierced.
The commander, pale as the barrier gave way, took a bullet to the forehead.
His fall was vivid, like slow motion.
‘Four shots per target.’
A dismal 25% hit rate.
Unsatisfactory.
But the imperial army, shocked their defense was breached, sent messengers, and the command hid behind fortifications, not a hair visible—an obvious outcome.
‘Not so fast.’
One shot per second.
Four seconds per kill.
Five with errors.
While the commanders hid, I sniped dozens more.
‘Tch, is this my limit?’
Killing commanders lost impact as the enemy’s scale and battle duration grew.
New commanders would rise.
Above all, with Sir Dominic as the army’s linchpin, sniping commanders wasn’t a solution while he stood.
‘But this lays the foundation for the allied strategy’s success.
Dominic, the enemy’s spearhead, is pinned, and their command is disrupted, so the upcoming…’
Wild Instinct (Lv 2) senses a turning point that will affect the battle’s outcome.
‘…What?’
From the collapsed frontline rubble, survivors rose, trembling.
But in imperial-controlled territory, they were slaughtered as they stood.
The issue was Commander-in-Chief Hamerd surviving there.
“Damn it!”
I mounted my black horse and charged across the allied camp.
“Black Knight! Where are you going?!”
Ignoring the militia leader’s call, I rode to the frontline.
Thump! Thump!
I kept sniping.
My sniping support gave Hamerd breathing room to gather survivors, forming a circular defense.
But it looked ready to collapse.
“Black Knight! Support!”
“Who sent you?!”
“The acting commander ordered us.”
A cavalry unit joined.
A reserve for emergencies—this was that emergency.
I inwardly praised the militia leader’s foresight.
‘Breakthrough power secured.
Now what?’
Hamerd was behind Sir Dominic.
Charging through him was insanity.
‘I’ll go around.’
I turned my horse and shouted to the frontline troops.
“Clear the way!”
The defensive line parted, creating a path.
Switching to buckshot, I fired, felling five imperial soldiers at once.
The cavalry swept through the infantry.
I rode, issuing commands.
“All units, charge at a 45-degree angle! Form a semicircle!”
Galloping down the hill, the cavalry broke through the imperial infantry, reaching Hamerd’s struggling position.
“Commander-in-Chief Hamerd!”
“Black Knight!”
Seeing salvation from above, Hamerd smiled warmly.
“We charge for Sir Dominic!”
“Got it!”
The cavalry wheeled, striking Dominic’s rear.
“What?!”
“Argh!”
Soldiers following Dominic screamed, trampled by hooves.
“Hm!”
Caught off guard in contested territory, Dominic couldn’t hide his surprise.
But only briefly.
He sneered at the charging cavalry.
“Ha! Bold fools!”
Brushing off the special unit, Dominic swung at the cavalry’s lower ranks.
A crescent aura slashed, severing over a hundred horses’ legs.
Movement (Lv 3) executes a safe landing.
Landing, I checked my suffering black horse, its legs severed.
Its large eyes looked only at me, without resentment.
“…Good work.”
I drew a dagger, ending its pain.
Reloading my rifle, I stood.
The dismounted cavalry formed a defensive line to block the advancing rear troops.
Dominic was fully isolated.
Yet, surrounded on all sides, he seemed relaxed.
Relaxed enough to jest with me.
“So, you’re the allied forces’ black ghost.”
Another weird nickname I didn’t know about.
I smirked.
“Not as grand as the continent’s terror.”
“Both ridiculous nicknames.”
“Indeed.”
Meanwhile, the special unit reformed and prepared to charge Dominic.
“Why do you think I’ve been stalling here?”
“….”
“Did I really fail to break through these whelps? Then why am I the continent’s terror?”
Mana erupted from Dominic’s body.
Facing it made my body tingle.
His sword blazed with aura.