Chapter 196
Swish!
With a gruesome slicing sound, a soldier was split in half, collapsing to the ground without even a scream.
Beyond him stood a man exuding an overwhelming killing intent.
Alexandro Falcoz.
And with him, thousands of soldiers who had stormed out of Everblade, tearing through the allied forces' encampment like vengeful wraiths.
“Enemy attack! We're under attack!”
“The eastern camp is under attack!”
The allied army had set up a vast encampment to accommodate its large numbers.
And the force led by Alexandro had struck the outermost part of the camp.
Naturally, reinforcements would take time to arrive.
However...
“Caion Unit!”
Damian, gripping his spear, dashed forward and shouted.
An ambush.
Yet, the Caion Unit swiftly formed ranks and followed behind Damian without hesitation.
“We hold the line. Do not let them breach our defenses!”
“Understood!”
Rushing toward the battlefield, the Caion Unit quickly assumed a defensive formation and engaged the Imperial soldiers.
Spreading out on both flanks, the Caion troops used their shields to push back the invading soldiers.
The sudden nature of the ambush meant that allied soldiers needed time to properly prepare.
“Don’t overextend! Just hold your ground and repel them as they come!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
At Kyle’s command, the soldiers raised their shields high.
As the enemy’s spears came thrusting forward, they deflected the blows with their shields.
“Hraaah!”
With a forceful shove, they pushed the enemy back.
Seeing the sudden resistance from the Caion Unit, the Imperial soldiers scowled.
“Who the hell are these bastards?!”
“They reacted this fast?”
Their ambush had been perfectly executed.
They had broken through the eastern wall and spent half a day hiding in the mountain paths, waiting for nightfall to launch a flawless assault...
And yet.
Clang!
“Kugh!”
A shield crumpled under a devastating blow, and a Caion soldier collapsed with a cry.
Kyle's head snapped toward the source of the sound.
“B-Bagner!”
The soldier called Bagner lay unconscious on the ground.
Even in his unconscious state, he clung desperately to his mangled shield.
“D-Damian, sir!”
Kyle called out to Damian in alarm, his gaze locked onto the figure standing before Bagner.
Alexandro Falcoz.
Seeing the Caion Unit blocking his soldiers, Alexandro had personally stepped forward.
Yet, even he was momentarily surprised.
'It didn't cut through?'
True, he hadn’t used his full strength to conserve energy for the battle.
But his sword, which could slice through regular steel like paper, had only dented the shield instead of cutting it clean through.
'What is this thing made of?'
Or perhaps, which master craftsman had created it?
Swish.
Alexandro gazed down at the unconscious soldier.
The fact that he still held onto his shield was commendable, but he had no intention of sparing him.
Alexandro raised his sword.
But just as he was about to bring it down on the fallen soldier...
“Stop!”
With a thunderous cry, Damian charged at Alexandro.
“Haaah!”
His spear shot forward in a straight thrust toward Alexandro's chest.
However, before it could reach him—
Clang!
A resounding impact sent Damian’s spear flying upward.
Alexandro's gaze turned cold.
“So, you’re the variable.”
He recognized Damian instantly.
The presence emanating from this young warrior was entirely different from the others he had faced.
And just from that single attack, Alexandro knew.
This was the one who had been shifting the tides of battle.
Undoubtedly, this was the same warrior who had entered Everblade the day before and wielded that strange aura.
'I will eliminate him here.'
If he could kill this one, the ambush would be an overwhelming success.
Woom...
Alexandro’s sword began to hum with energy as a deep blue magical aura enveloped it.
Condensed to its utmost, his sword's energy was a miniature storm of power in itself.
“Hup!”
Boom!
Alexandro's next strike came crashing down.
Unlike before, he was now fighting in earnest.
Damian barely blocked the blow, but the sheer force sent him hurtling backward.
'What... strength.'
He had sparred against Hainel countless times, but this was an entirely different style.
If Hainel was like the wind, then Alexandro was a mountain.
'A massive, immovable mountain.'
Just one blow had been enough to tell him.
If he kept taking hits like this, he would be the one to break first.
“Impressive.”
After delivering the strike, Alexandro eyed Damian.
That attack had been full power, albeit without using aura.
He had expected some damage.
At the very least, he thought Damian’s spear would break.
Yet...
'Who the hell made these weapons and armor?'
They were far beyond standard military equipment.
No, they were on par with the finest weapons forged by the Empire's top blacksmiths.
“You wield an interesting weapon.”
“Not that I find this amusing.”
Damian responded curtly to Alexandro's remark.
It was no joke.
Against this monster, he had to figure out how to fight—and fast.
But
'...If I can just kill him.'
The Empire's strength would effectively be halved.
Damian clenched his spear tightly. Then—
Boom!
With a powerful stomp on the ground, Damian surged forward toward Alexandro at an incredible speed.
Alexandro’s expression slightly twisted.
'He's attacking first?'
For someone wielding a spear, such an aggressive charge was audacious.
And from outside his own striking range, Damian swung his spear in a wide arc at maximum reach.
Whoosh!
A swift yet precise strike.
But such an attack could not threaten him.
Swish!
Alexandro took a light step back, easily evading Damian's strike.
Using the momentum of his retreat—
Swoosh!
He lunged forward, slashing his sword toward Damian.
Whoosh!
"...!?"
Yet his blade sliced through nothing but air, and Alexandro's eyes wavered slightly.
It was natural for attacks to miss.
The opponent could dodge, after all.
But the way Damian had evaded—
'It's different.'
This was unlike any opponent he had faced before.
Though he couldn't pinpoint exactly why, it felt as though Damian had anticipated where the strike would land.
Clench.
Alexandro tightened his grip on his sword.
He needed to confirm whether this was merely an illusion or something real.
“Hmph!”
Taking a short breath, Alexandro launched a relentless barrage of strikes at Damian.
Tracking them with the eye alone was impossible.
But Damian focused his magic into his vision, tracing the sword’s trajectory.
'...I can see it.'
Faint, but discernible—his attack pattern.
Whoosh! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Stepping back, Damian evaded every strike using only his upper body movements.
In mere moments, Alexandro had swung his sword six times, yet every slash struck nothing but air.
Though his expression remained composed—
'Is this even possible?'
Damian hadn't blocked the attacks, nor had he widened the distance significantly.
Yet he had dodged everything with minimal movement.
“Huff...!”
But there was a reason Damian had chosen to evade that way.
'If I had stepped back too much or tried to block, I would've been cut down instantly.'
Dodging with just his upper body had been the best option.
And the moment Alexandro’s assault faltered—
Swoosh!
Damian quickly retreated, creating some distance.
“Haa…”
Exhaling deeply, he gathered his magic once more.
The intense exchange had left his entire body tense with exhaustion.
He looked at Alexandro.
'...This is tough.'
Though he had improved tremendously, fighting Alexandro alone was impossible.
'Not on my own…'
Only Duke Hainel might be capable of facing him one-on-one.
But even if he couldn't win alone—
“Dianal!”
“Yes, Damian!”
Dianal, who had been engaged in battle nearby, swiftly leaped to Damian’s side.
Damian turned to him and said,
“Help me fight that monster.”
“Understood.”
Dianal didn’t hesitate. Seeing that, Damian quickly continued.
“Use your full magic reserves. And don’t block his attacks head-on. Your job is to find openings, not to take hits.”
“Of course, I understand.”
Hearing Dianal’s response, Damian tightened his grip on his spear and looked ahead at Alexandro.
There was no denying it—
This was the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
Perhaps even death awaited him here.
But…
Clench.
For some reason, Damian’s heart pounded with excitement.
Was it because Dianal was by his side?
Or was it the thrill of facing the continent’s strongest warrior?
He didn’t know the answer.
But one thing was certain—
'I will win.'
If he couldn’t overcome this mountain, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his vow to bring down the Empire.
Damian lowered his stance, eyes locked onto Alexandro.
Alexandro, in turn, eyed the two warriors before him.
Sensing the controlled magic emanating from them, he raised his sword.
Two opponents.
Ordinarily, it wouldn't be enough.
Yet, looking at these two, he didn’t think they were lacking at all.
No—perhaps…
“I won’t be holding back.”
Boom!
A terrifying aura exploded from Alexandro’s body.
“I’ll come at you with everything I have—try to survive.”
The surrounding air grew chillingly cold.