Chapter 191
As the smoke completely cleared and the allied forces began their advance, they looked nothing short of madmen.
Even after hundreds of soldiers at the front had died following Alexandro’s intervention.
“...Those damn lunatics.”
“They’re insane.”
The soldiers of the allied forces pressed forward undeterred.
Thick shields.
Armor that covered their entire bodies.
The vanguard shield-bearers wore armor and shields as heavy as their own bodies, yet they advanced step by step with a terrifying momentum.
But Alexandro remained calm as he addressed his troops.
“The soldiers in the front—just knocking them down will prevent them from getting back up. Use your spears to trip their legs and bring them down.”
“Understood!”
The spearmen among Alexandro’s troops swiftly moved to the front, adjusting their formation.
Meanwhile, the archers stationed on the fortress walls observed the forces behind the allied vanguard.
Even though they had widened the path, there was still a limit to how many could enter at once.
Of course, the long line of enemy troops stretching into the distance was unnerving.
“Target the rear where they’re unengaged with our forces! Archers, ready!”
The imperial archers swiftly drew their bows, preparing to fire.
Once more, arrows soared into the sky before raining down upon the allied troops.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
A cacophony of screams.
With their overwhelming numbers, so too was the number of those struck by the attack immense.
They raised their shields to defend, but in the cramped space, there was nowhere to escape.
But at that moment—
Rumbleeeee!
“Gaaaahhhh!”
“T-The wall is collapsing!”
“Uwaaahhh!”
Suddenly, part of the fortress wall near the main gate crumbled entirely, causing the imperial soldiers to cry out in horror.
As the thick wall was destroyed, massive debris rained down.
The soldiers crushed beneath the fallen rubble died instantly, while those who plummeted from the wall screamed in agony.
“Gaaaahhh! M-My legggs!”
“Lift him up! Hurry!”
“The enemy has infiltrated the fortress! Stop them! Hold them back!”
The situation inside the walls became as chaotic as the battlefront Alexandro was leading.
Hearing the sudden screams from behind, Alexandro furrowed his brows.
That attack that destroyed the wall—
It was aura.
‘They sent an Aura Master inside the fortress?’
How?
The left side was a sheer cliff, and the right side was a treacherous incline, steep enough to make walking difficult.
Even if they had climbed the mountain path on the right, the sentries guarding the area would have noticed them immediately.
‘They broke through the wall to get in?’
No, that couldn’t be. There had been no explosion.
They had infiltrated cleanly, and the havoc only began once they were already inside.
“.....”
Alexandro’s expression hardened.
He had considered heading inside to deal with the situation, but—
“Uwaaaaaah!”
“Push forward!”
Before he could act, the common soldiers behind the shield-bearers charged in with ferocious momentum.
Alexandro turned his attention back to them.
Ideally, he would conserve his strength in battle, but…
“The situation is dire on both fronts. I have no choice.”
Drawing his sword, Alexandro stepped forward.
The air around him grew icy.
Imperial soldiers flinched in alarm and shouted.
“E-Everyone, fall back! Get away from General Alexandro!”
Alexandro’s aura was as vast in range as it was destructive.
As his troops hastily retreated, Alexandro advanced toward the allied forces.
He had hoped to avoid using his aura from the start, but—
Crackle—!
Moisture in the air froze, forming countless ice arrows, each about the size of a palm.
There were hundreds of them.
It was like witnessing an immensely powerful high-tier spell, overwhelming in sheer numbers.
And the moment Alexandro swung his sword forward—
“Sh-Shield-bearers!”
“Raise your shields! Block the aura!”
The vanguard of the allied forces consisted of specially trained soldiers equipped with customized armor and shields.
They had been organized specifically to counter Alexandro’s attacks.
But as Alexandro’s aura surged forward—
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
With deafening explosions, the ice arrows engulfed the allied front lines.
“Gaaahhhh!”
“Ughhhhhh!”
Hundreds of ice arrows, bringing a bone-chilling frost, tore through them.
In the aftermath of Alexandro’s attack—
“...This… This is impossible.”
“You’re telling me one man did all this…?”
Hundreds of soldiers had perished in a single strike.
Even though the allied forces had fought against Aura Masters on the battlefield before, this sheer level of destruction was still incomprehensible.
Kiaran’s expression twisted in frustration.
“We changed the armor and shields of our vanguard completely… and it’s still not enough?”
The soldiers were weighed down by heavy armor and thick shields that made movement cumbersome.
Yet they had become nothing more than useless lumps of metal.
Even so, Kiaran could not afford to halt the advance.
“He can’t use his aura indefinitely! We have to keep pushing forward!”
She detested resorting to such brute-force tactics, but if they stopped now, the four elite soldiers who had infiltrated the fortress would be in danger.
They had to keep pressing until their mission was accomplished and divert Alexandro’s attention.
Kiaran bit her lip.
‘…We have no choice but to trust them.’
For now, she had to believe in those who had made it inside.
Unease and urgency flickered in her eyes.
***
Swoooosh!
Four figures shot skyward at astonishing speed, reaching the top of the fortress wall.
Imperial soldiers stationed there looked up in confusion at the black figures suddenly soaring from below.
“T-Those are enemies!”
“Allied soldiers have leapt into the sky!”
The soldiers guarding the eastern wall quickly identified the intruders and shouted in alarm.
A commander bellowed desperately.
“F-Fire arrows! Shoot them down!”
But before his order was even finished, Damian and the elite soldiers had already cleared the wall, landing inside.
The moment they passed over, they shoved each other apart.
Landing while clumped together would have been too dangerous.
Count Vasili Waker of the Artian Kingdom shouted loudly.
“Be careful when landing!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Watch out for the soldiers below!”
Apel, too, raised his voice.
At the same time, the four of them gathered their mana, strengthening their bodies and forming thin protective barriers.
Swoooosh!
Boom!
“Uwaaaah!”
“Guhhh!”
It was as if boulders had been hurled from a catapult.
As the four landed, the ground caved in, sending nearby soldiers sprawling with screams.
Imperial troops quickly surrounded the suddenly appearing elite forces of the allied army.
But—
Clang!
Whoosh!
A flash of blue light swept in a long, semicircular arc.
Damian, infusing mana into the polearm at his waist, swung his spear.
Splat!
Was this what a painless death felt like?
The imperial soldiers, cleaved cleanly in half, bore expressions of utter disbelief, unable to comprehend their own demise.
Thud. Thud.
Six men fell.
Damian exhaled softly as the imperial soldiers near him collapsed lifelessly.
“Hoo…”
The scent of blood filled his lungs as he inhaled deeply.
His eyes glinted sharply, his muscles tensing as they swelled.
“M-Mana! He’s a warrior using mana!”
Though their armor was thin, it had been sliced through like tofu. The remaining imperial soldiers shouted in alarm.
Shield-bearers retreated, while spear-wielders encircled Damian.
They knew well that against someone who wielded extreme mana control, shields and heavy armor were useless.
The best course of action was to attack from outside his reach…
“Damn it!”
“He’s got a spear too!”
“And it’s longer than ours!”
Unfortunately for them, Damian was wielding a spear rather than a sword.
Thud!
He stomped the ground with tremendous force.
The impact left a deep imprint and sent tremors through the earth.
As the soldiers stumbled from the sudden imbalance—
Swish!
Damian lunged forward.
Spears were most effective when used to maintain distance and counter incoming attacks.
‘But I am…’
Damian excelled at initiating attacks.
Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!
In an instant, three imperial soldiers fell, holes bored through their bodies and heads.
Before the rest could react—
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted from behind Damian.
Celestine had unleashed her aura, obliterating part of the main gate.
Damian glanced back at the devastation.
He had heard that Everblade’s fortress walls were exceptionally thick and sturdy.
‘The rumors didn’t do it justice.’
It was said that even the finest sword techniques couldn’t breach the gate easily.
Yet Celestine’s aura had completely shattered the symbol of Everblade’s might.
And with that, over a hundred imperial soldiers stationed before the wall perished in an instant.
‘…A strong start.’
However, the remaining imperial troops still packed the area, their hostility palpable.
They had no intention of letting invaders run free within their stronghold.
Damian turned his gaze to the surrounding soldiers—
Thud. Thud.
Suddenly, the ground quivered slightly as a massive knight emerged.
“How dare you intrude upon Everblade. A foolish mistake.”
The knight was clad in armor so thick and dense that not a single gap was visible.
The sheer weight of his full plate was evident at a glance.
In one hand, he held a kite shield, and in the other, an enormous mace embedded with spikes.
One strike from that weapon would surely reduce an ordinary soldier to pulp.
As he approached with an overwhelming presence, a powerful aura radiated from his form.
It was clear at a glance.
‘That won’t be easy to cut through.’
The armored knight gazed down at Damian.
Then—
“If you’ve made it this far, you must be someone of considerable renown. What is your name?”
“…Damian. Damian of the Caion Unit.”
“Damian of the Caion Unit? So you’re the youngest Aura Master!”
Hahahahahaha!
The knight erupted into boisterous laughter.
To think that such a young whelp was the famed Damian.
But soon, his eyes gleamed from within his helmet.
“I shall take your head and claim your title. Remember this well, for the one who will kill you is—”
“There’s no need to introduce yourself.”
“…What?”
“You’re about to die anyway.”
A surge of immense energy erupted from Damian’s body.
The presence he had displayed so far had been mere child’s play.
As his aura spiked—
“W-Wait!”
The knight shouted desperately.
But Damian thrust his spear forward.
“Die.”
Boom!