Chapter 197
“...Huh?”
“The air suddenly feels...”
The soldiers of the Caion Unit, engaged in battle with the Imperial forces, momentarily shivered at the sudden drop in temperature.
It felt as if the entire area had cooled by at least two or three degrees.
“Kill them!”
But there was no time to be distracted.
The Imperial soldiers were stronger than expected and continued pressing forward relentlessly.
Boom!
Though not enough to threaten the Caion Unit directly, they still posed a significant challenge.
The Caion soldiers used their shields to deflect the Imperial forces before swiftly striking them down with their spears.
“Hold formation! There are too many of them!”
Kyle shouted, raising his shield high.
Although they had managed to thwart the ambush quickly, he knew the entire battlefield couldn’t be secured.
‘We can’t defend everywhere at once…’
Even though they had reacted swiftly, their numbers were only about 300.
In contrast, the enemy, having launched a surprise attack, numbered at least 1,000.
Perhaps even double that when considering those spreading out to the flanks.
The Caion Unit had positioned themselves as widely as possible, holding off the Imperial soldiers, but it was impossible to cover every point.
Moreover—
Boom!
A thunderous explosion shook the ground.
Kyle turned toward the source of the sound.
It was the battlefield where Damian and Dianal fought.
Despite being the two strongest members of the Caion Unit, they were struggling to overpower their opponent.
‘Even together, they can’t dominate him…?’
Kyle knew well the extent of Damian and Dianal’s strength.
Damian was nearly inhuman, wielding an absurd mastery over the spear and having reached the level of an Aura Master.
And as for Dianal—
‘His magic control is on par with high-ranking knights.’
His dual-sword technique was unmatched within the Caion Unit, save for Damian.
Even within the kingdom, his swordsmanship was among the elite.
Yet, despite both of them fighting together—
“What kind of monster is that…?”
Could this truly be the man hailed as the continent’s strongest?
***
“Hup!”
Seizing the opportunity Damian created, Dianal dashed into Alexandro’s space.
Swoosh!
In an instant, he maneuvered behind Alexandro, his eyes glinting sharply.
His twisted torso rotated with full force, accelerating his strike aimed at Alexandro’s calf.
Whoosh!
But Alexandro simply lifted his leg to evade the attack.
No—at the same moment—
Thud!
He drove his foot into Dianal’s chest.
“Ugh!”
Dianal managed to block with his crossed swords, but Alexandro’s swift kick still contorted his expression in pain.
Not only was his swordsmanship exceptional, but his unarmed combat was also formidable.
“Hah… Impressive.”
But Alexandro, too, was surprised.
Has anyone ever pushed him this far?
‘Not since my fight with Hainel, long ago…’
Recalling that battle, Alexandro observed Damian and Dianal, who had him surrounded.
Their teamwork was precise and relentless.
However—
“It’s still not enough.”
This was a battle where only one side could survive.
Alexandro’s aura flared even stronger.
Dianal bit his lip.
“You’re getting even stronger…?”
What a monstrous old man!
Dianal moved swiftly, circling around Alexandro.
“Huff…!”
Damian took a steady breath, his gaze locked onto their opponent.
Even with Dianal by his side, he never expected this fight to be easy.
But there was one thing he was certain of—
‘The gap is closing, bit by bit.’
Fighting alongside Dianal, the feeling of total impossibility had faded.
With that, Damian’s muscles tensed, and he charged at Alexandro once more.
There was no time to rest—they had to keep pressing him.
‘Don’t give him a single opening.’
The only way to increase their chances of victory was relentless pressure.
Though Alexandro was powerful, age eventually took its toll.
Of course, an older warrior could surpass a younger one in stamina—
But only if they weren’t equals in training and experience.
If both had trained to the brink of death—
‘Then, as humans, we have the stamina advantage…!’
This was the prime of their youth.
Sorry, Alexandro—but their best chance at victory lay in exploiting this.
Swish!
Damian’s spear shot forward at terrifying speed toward Alexandro.
Alexandro, forced to react, swung his sword in defense.
Clang! Clang! Crash!
Each attack carried overwhelming force.
Damian’s thrusts were incredibly aggressive—
But Alexandro’s focus shifted momentarily.
He noticed Dianal waiting for an opening.
Damian’s attacks were dangerous enough on their own, but they also served as distractions to set up Dianal.
‘How… are they coordinating this perfectly?’
It wasn’t just good teamwork—
It was as if Damian could predict Dianal’s movements, anticipating every shift and opening.
‘They would need at least ten years of practice together for this.’
Their timing was near perfect, down to their very breaths.
Then—
Swoosh!
Damian’s spear, originally aimed at Alexandro’s shoulder, suddenly redirected toward his thigh.
“...!”
The movement was so fluid, it almost seemed like the spear was alive.
Startled, Alexandro stepped back.
And at that moment—
“Dianal!”
Dianal, having anticipated the retreat, lunged forward like an arrow, swinging his sword.
Slash!
“...!”
It was shallow.
But it landed.
Alexandro furrowed his brows at the pain seeping from the back of his thigh.
“I cut him!”
Dianal exclaimed, seeing the red stain on his blade.
For the first time, they had drawn blood.
A grin crept onto Damian’s face.
For the first time, the unbreakable fortress had begun to crack.
“…”
Alexandro stared at Damian.
Their attacks were growing more dangerous, little by little.
‘They actually landed a hit.’
That alone carried enormous significance.
And Damian, too, understood the weight of it—that was why he was smiling.
‘I can’t let this drag on any further.’
It was truly astonishing.
These two were growing stronger as they fought.
Through countless battlefields, Alexandro had taken the lives of many to stand where he did today.
‘This is the first time.’
The first time he had ever felt such a chilling sensation.
Not even his greatest opponent, Hainel, had given him this feeling.
Thus—
“You both must die here.”
Swoooosh!
With those words, an overwhelming energy erupted from Alexandro’s body.
His eyes, as cold and sharp as ice, showed that he no longer intended to prolong the fight.
The faint smile on Damian’s lips disappeared in an instant.
‘No way… this guy—’
Here, of all places…?
“Everyone, fall back!”
Damian infused his voice with magic and roared.
“Caion Unit! Scatter immediately! Spread out as far as possible!”
The moment his command rang across the battlefield—
“Scatter!”
“Scatter!”
The Caion soldiers, without questioning, echoed the command and began sprinting away.
The allied soldiers and Imperial troops still engaged in combat turned to look, bewildered by the sudden shift.
Crackle, crack-crack!
Then, to their horror, frost began forming on the ground, and snow flurries danced in the air.
“A-Alexandro, sir!”
“I-It’s Aura! Run for your lives!”
The Imperial soldiers belatedly screamed and attempted to flee.
“Die.”
But it was too late.
Alexandro had unleashed his full power.
He had held back, wary of harming his own forces, but now, he had no choice.
These young warriors needed to be eradicated here and now.
‘Even if it means losing my entire ambush force.’
A vast wave of magic energy crystallized, forming thousands of razor-sharp ice spears, each longer than a man’s finger.
With a single slash of his sword—
BOOOOOOM!
A massive storm, a fusion of blizzard and hurricane, erupted from Alexandro’s Aura.
It was nothing short of a natural disaster.
But at that moment—
“You think I’ll just stand and watch…?”
Damian’s eyes gleamed with a crimson light, his body surging with tremendous magical power.
Then—
ROOOOOOAR!
A black knight atop a phantom steed materialized beside him.
“Split him apart.”
The knight swung a colossal spear toward Alexandro’s head.
BOOOOOM!
The impact seemed powerful enough to cleave the earth in two.
As the black knight’s attack bore down on him, Alexandro gathered all his strength into his blade.
If he didn’t, he would be split in half.
Crack, crack-crack!
It was a clash of sheer power.
Like a battle between a giant shadow and a single man.
“D-Damian, sir!”
“This… this is insane.”
The Caion soldiers watching from a distance could only gape in disbelief.
How strong could a human become to reach such a level?
Zzzt! Zzzzt!
As the black knight’s spear clashed with Alexandro’s sword, electric blue sparks burst from the impact.
Yet the struggle did not last long.
“Uoooooh!”
With a deafening roar, Alexandro unleashed his Aura, freezing everything in its path.
CRASH!
Hundreds of ice spears erupted from his sword, consuming the black knight entirely.
And as the knight vanished—
“Gah!”
Damian coughed up blood and staggered back, glaring at Alexandro.
The destruction of the black knight had sent a massive shock through his body.
But Alexandro, too, was not unscathed.
Drip.
Blood trickled from his nose and lips as he locked eyes with Damian.
Then—
Swoooosh!
Unlike Damian, who had been drained of strength, Alexandro’s Aura flared up once more, even stronger than before.