Chapter 566
If You Run Now, You Can Live. (3)
The infantry commander of the 6th Legion of the Atrodean Army, Viscount Kedren, felt like he was dying.
They weren’t even fighting directly, yet just moving was already exhausting.
Wasn’t marching supposed to be the virtue of infantry? They truly had to walk without rest.
"Move quickly! We need to set up position at the next location!"
The soldiers were too busy following orders mindlessly. They had no idea why they were moving or where they were going.
That was a matter decided and communicated by those in power.
The soldiers grumbled with tired expressions.
“Damn, this is crazy.”
“Are we even in a war?”
“Why do we keep going back and forth?”
Even though they were elite troops, they had never experienced such an insane march before. And in the meantime, they hadn’t even fought a proper battle.
They were either hiding somewhere, waiting in place, or digging countless traps that never got used.
It was supposedly a "tactical maneuver," but if they could understand it, they wouldn’t be mere soldiers.
Though dissatisfied, they had no choice but to follow the 6th Legion diligently.
Viscount Kedren wiped the sweat off his forehead as he studied the map.
"Hah… at least this time it's a bit better."
Their mission was to establish a defensive position at the designated location. Once the stronghold was built, all they had to do was hold the line.
Their role was simply to be the first to block the enemy’s attack and buy time, but at least it was an assignment they could actually do something with.
"Move faster!"
Even though the enemy forces had significantly dwindled, they could appear from anywhere. Since they were a relatively small infantry unit, they needed to move as quickly as possible.
As they were marching tirelessly, a cloud of dust began to rise in the distance behind them.
A soldier stationed at the very rear one with sharp eyesight spotted it first.
"Huh? Huh?"
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The ground trembled faintly as a group rapidly approached from the distance. Every single one of them was mounted.
As the soldier observed closely, his face twisted in shock.
“Shit, they’re not on our side.”
It was obvious at a glance. The enemy had caught their tail.
The soldier shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Enemy! The enemy is here!"
Viscount Kedren was startled by the sudden alarm.
"What? Why?! That shouldn't be possible!"
They had accurate intelligence on enemy movements. They had long since left the battlefield where the Allied Forces had begun their pursuit.
Moreover, they had deliberately taken a detour to make their path unpredictable.
So how had the enemy found them so quickly and started chasing them?
"Form a defensive formation! Now! We have to hold them off!"
The soldiers here were elite warriors, battle-hardened and seasoned with victories.
In an instant, they lined up in formation, thrusting their spears forward. The archers stood ready in the rear.
It was a formation meant to stop a cavalry charge.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The soldiers crouched low. If they could withstand just the first charge with minimal casualties, victory was still within reach.
They had plenty of experience with this.
Dududududu!
The soldiers in the front line gripped their shields tightly, clenching their teeth.
A cavalry charge always inflicted the greatest damage upon first impact. Facing it head-on made their hearts pound as if they would burst.
Even so, they did not lose their fighting spirit. They trusted in their experience and had confidence that they would survive.
Dududududu!
The thunderous charge of the cavalry gradually began to slow. The soldiers exchanged puzzled glances.
They should be speeding up so why were they slowing down?
Only the man at the very front maintained his speed, continuing his charge without hesitation.
Seeing this, the lower-ranking officers shouted loudly to rally their troops.
“The enemy is slowing down!”
“We can hold them off!”
“It’s just one man! Don’t fire your arrows yet!”
It was actually good news. A slower charge meant less impact force. It also made them more vulnerable to arrows.
The soldiers felt a surge of confidence.
It was just one man. No matter how strong he was, a single person alone wouldn’t be enough to break their formation.
At the forefront of the cavalry, Julien pulled tightly on his reins as he neared the soldiers.
Drdrdrdr!
His horse veered sideways and came to a halt, positioning Julien to face the enemy from the flank.
He slowly raised his sword.
The Atrodean Army soldiers thought he looked almost picturesque. They had no idea why he had suddenly separated from his unit and lifted his sword.
‘What the hell? Why does he look so cool?’
‘Is he trying to offer us a chance to surrender?’
‘Seeing as the cavalry slowed down, that seems likely.’
They all came up with their own interpretations.
Meanwhile, Julien’s sword traced a smooth arc as it descended once more.
And in that instant—
Kagagagagak!
The ground split apart in a perfect line. At the same time, the bodies of the soldiers standing in the sword’s path were severed in half.
It was as if a massive invisible blade had cleaved straight through the enemy formation.
It happened in a blink of an eye. The soldiers who missed what had occurred could only stare blankly.
It was only after a brief moment had passed that they grasped the situation by then, they were too overwhelmed to process the sheer brutality of what had transpired.
“Uwaaaah!”
“What the hell?!”
“How did this happen?!”
He had merely swung his sword once from a distance yet the formation had been sliced apart.
Everyone standing in that path had been cut down.
Instinctively, the remaining soldiers stepped aside.
The unmistakable fissure in the ground and the halved corpses of their comrades made one thing abundantly clear this was reality.
The soldiers were thrown into confusion by the incomprehensible phenomenon. Their determination, once steeled for death, had completely vanished.
Clop, clop.
Julien urged his horse forward at a slow pace. In the heavy silence, he began passing through the formation that had parted on either side of him.
The soldiers didn’t dare attack. All they could do was watch as Julien passed through the path they had instinctively opened for him.
It was no different from how a weak animal freezes in place upon encountering a powerful predator.
Clop, clop.
Even though an enemy had ridden alone into the very heart of their formation, the soldiers didn’t attack. In fact, they backed away even further. A singular thought had settled over them all We must not approach him.
At the very rear, Viscount Kedren stammered.
“W-what are you all doing? A-attack him, now….”
Even he couldn’t finish his sentence properly. His mind had gone blank with fear.
Is this even possible? Can a human possess such power?
It was only natural that they couldn’t understand.
Julien had become even stronger. His battles with Helgenik and Leonard had granted him new insights, allowing him to grow naturally.
The higher Julien’s level, and the greater the difference in skill between him and his opponents, the more devastating his attacks became.
Clop.
Before anyone realized it, Julien had already reached the pale-faced Viscount Kedren.
He swung his sword again.
Swish.
Thud.
Viscount Kedren’s head fell to the ground. It was so natural, as if it had always belonged there.
Julien cast a brief glance behind him and spoke in a low voice.
“If you run now, you might live.”
With those final words, he spurred his horse forward once more. His demeanor made it clear he no longer had any interest in the soldiers.
Thududududu!
At the same time, the cavalry that had been waiting behind him picked up speed again.
The Atrodean army was already paralyzed by fear, their formation in shambles. Once the cavalry charged in, they would be completely crushed.
“R-run!”
Someone shouted.
The moment those words rang out, the soldiers scattered in all directions.
Even battle-hardened veterans couldn’t endure such an absurd situation.
Thududududu!
The cavalry ignored the fleeing soldiers and followed behind Julien.
Not a single one of them needed to fight.
Terror had already taken root in their enemies’ minds there was no longer any will to resist.
Julien continued to ride, following Dark’s lead.
“……”
He remained silent, making no effort to gather additional information.
There was no need. It wasn’t difficult to predict what their enemies were aiming for.
As expected, Count Sroque, the commander of the 6th Legion, had positioned himself along the route where the coalition’s reinforcements would be arriving.
“Scout the area and find a place to conceal ourselves.”
He decided to wait at an appropriate location. From this point on, he had to move even more cautiously.
Count Sroque reviewed the strategic objectives once more.
"After striking the reinforcements and securing the supply route, the Ritania army will have no choice but to make a move."
At that point, the other legions lying in wait would join in. Afterward, the legion that had crushed the allied forces would pursue the Ritania army.
And most importantly, the supply route would fall into their hands. That would practically mark the end of the war.
"The timing has to be perfect…"
Of course, this was assuming that each legion's commanders gathered intelligence and acted swiftly with sound judgment.
If smaller legions fought the Ritania forces separately, they could face annihilation. That was why they had to stay vigilant and keep moving without pause.
"It's a fully achievable plan. We can make it work."
The other legion commanders were at least as capable as he was if not more so.
Everything had been going exceedingly well so far. Some minor details had shifted, but the grand strategy was progressing smoothly.
As he was reviewing the plan and waiting for reports from the scouts—
"Enemies! The enemy has appeared!"
A scout came rushing in, shouting in alarm.
Count Sroque frowned and muttered,
"Enemies?"
How could they already be here? The allied forces weren’t supposed to be moving along this route.
His own forces had taken a long detour from their previous battle site. Besides, infantry units should have been stationed along the path.
Even if the enemy had fought and moved on, they shouldn't have arrived so quickly.
But the scout hurriedly continued,
"About twenty thousand cavalry! They're closing in at an incredible speed!"
"Tch. So they took a different route. But how did they know to come here?"
Count Sroque clicked his tongue. They also outnumbered them. Even if they tried to flee, it would only turn into an endless chase.
That meant there was only one option fight.
"It's unfortunate that the Fifth Legion hasn't arrived yet. But no matter. Everyone, prepare for battle! Mages, deploy the mana barriers just in case!"
The Atrodean army swiftly formed battle lines.
A cavalry battle would ultimately be determined by which side could unleash greater devastation.
The Sixth Legion had two superhumans among them. If they took the lead, victory was within reach.
Count Sroque turned to the priests.
"You two, hold them off first. Just for a moment. We'll circle around and strike from the flanks."
"Understood."
The priests confidently stepped forward. Unless it was the main Ritania force, there wouldn’t be many superhumans among the enemy.
They assumed this cavalry unit would be no different from the rest of the allied army.
Dududududu!
A massive cloud of dust rose as the enemy cavalry charged forward.
"They’re coming! Get ready!"
At Count Sroque’s command, the Sixth Legion’s cavalry began spreading out to the sides to launch a flanking attack.
Kwaaang!
At the same time, the two priests shot forward toward the enemy.
Their role was to pierce into the enemy formation and disrupt their movements. In cavalry battles, maneuvering tactics were especially crucial.
Paaaaah!
The two priests wore smirks as they sped toward the enemy.
The enemy cavalry was slowing down, clearly attempting to avoid a flanking attack.
But that wasn’t the only reason for their mocking smiles.
Dagdak, dagdak, dagdak.
A lone man was riding toward them at the front.
He had to know there were superhumans here. He had to know that those very superhumans were the ones charging straight at him.
"How arrogant!"
"Does he think he’s the Duke of Fenris?"
The priests felt insulted.
The entire continent knew that priests of the Salvation Church were considered "half-baked" superhumans. Everyone also knew how they had been repeatedly crushed whenever they challenged the Duke of Fenris.
Though this war had helped them restore some of their reputation, priests were still underestimated.
Every time they clashed with the allied forces, knights would charge directly at them. The prevailing belief was that if enough knights joined forces, they could take them down.
Goooooo!
The priests channeled their power, and black energy surged around them.
Their plan was simple slaughter the foolish enemy before them and then massacre the rest.
Only by doing so could they rekindle fear of the Salvation Church across the continent.
Kwaaaaang!
The two priests accelerated even further, hurtling toward the lone rider Julien.
"Die!"
Their blackened hands reached toward Julien.
He had simply watched them approach until now.
Schlack.
"Huh?"
One of the priests sensed something was wrong. His body had stopped advancing.
Puzzled, he lowered his gaze only for his eyes to widen in shock.
"What is this…?"
His body had already been sliced clean in half.