The Immortal Genius Spearman

Chapter 88

“Are we not too late?”

Damian spoke quietly as he observed the Spanian Kingdom troops moving in the distance from the border.

Dianal, who had approached beside him, asked, “But this war… is it right for us to be involved?”

“Leave inter-kingdom diplomacy to the higher-ups. Our job is to faithfully carry out the orders we are given.”

“…Understood.”

Dianal nodded. He had spent much time reflecting on the journey here, pondering whether it was right to intervene in another kingdom’s war during this time of peace.

But Damian’s clear answer had given him direction: they were soldiers, and no matter the political motives, they were to follow orders.

Damian chuckled as he looked at Dianal. The troubled expression he had worn throughout the journey seemed a bit more relaxed now.

“We’ll advance along this ridge and flank the enemy from the side. The priority is to get close without being detected.”

“This terrain is much rougher than the rest.”

“So, is it too hard to traverse?”

Damian asked, and Dianal grinned.

“Of course not. If anyone finds this difficult, it would mean they’ve been slacking off during all our training.”

Dianal turned to address the rest of the unit.

“We’re moving along the ridge to flank the enemy. The terrain looks rough. Anyone who can’t keep up?”

The unit laughed heartily at his question.

“There’s no terrain here that we can’t handle!”

“We’d climb cliffs if we had to, so don’t worry!”

“Heh, you’re too heavy to climb, aren’t you? Don’t bluff!”

“Shut up, you idiot.”

With their spirits high and laughter all around, Damian nodded.

“Then let’s move faster than the enemy.”

As Dianal nodded in agreement, Damian gave the command.

“All units, move out!”

With Damian’s words, the Caion unit moved quickly.

* * *

“Phew.”

After swiftly navigating the long ridge, the Caion soldiers took cover and caught their breath.

Before them, soldiers in various armor stood near the Iren Kingdom’s border.

But then they noticed something strange.

“…!”

The catapults that had been hauled in earlier had suddenly disappeared.

Only the sound of the catapults moving could be heard.

Dianal approached Damian and asked, “Are they using magic? We can hear the catapults but not see them.”

Damian quickly scanned the enemy troops at the rear.

Imperial soldiers. But among them, no sign of any mages.

Damian bit his lip.

‘Could they be using an artifact?’

To completely conceal those massive catapults would require an artifact capable of advanced magic.

But to use such a thing in a small-scale battlefield like this…

‘This is why the Empire is the Empire.’

Their investment in war was on a scale unmatched by any regular army.

If the Iren Kingdom failed to detect the presence of the catapults…

‘They’ll be forced to retreat their formations instantly.’

Otherwise, they would have no choice but to engage in a chaotic melee with the Spanian soldiers.

“It won’t be easy.”

The worst case would be the Empire launching the catapults without regard for the Spanian soldiers, treating them as disposable.

From the Empire’s perspective, the Spanian soldiers were mere expendables.

Even if they died alongside the enemy, the Empire wouldn’t lose much.

Their ultimate goal was to breach the border and enter Fenrony.

“Relay this to all squad leaders: once the catapults launch, attack immediately.”

Once the catapults fired, they could no longer remain concealed.

When the invisibility spell broke, their primary target would be to destroy the catapults.

“Destroy the support struts of the catapults. If even one is broken, the catapults won’t function.”

“Understood.”

Dianal swiftly relayed Damian’s orders to the squad leaders.

The soldiers, having absorbed the plan, held their breath as they awaited Damian’s signal.

Moments later…

Boom!

With a heavy rumble, giant stones were launched toward the Iren Kingdom’s soldiers.

Bang! Crash!

Rocks fell from the sky like a deadly rain.

The atmosphere of the battlefield shifted instantly as the catapults struck the Iren Kingdom’s formations.

This was the sheer destructive power of siege catapults.

Then came Damian’s command.

“Caion unit, charge!”

“Chaaaarge!”

Dianal roared as he charged forward.

“Kill the enemies!”

“Destroy the catapult supports first! Kyle, lead your men to the catapults at the rear! Jerka, Terka! Each of you take one catapult and wreck it!”

“Yes!”

“Aye!”

Orders were passed swiftly, and the unit charged at the catapults in perfect synchronization.

Damian sprinted toward the nearest catapult, confronting the Imperial soldiers blocking his path.

“What the…!”

“Enemies! Enemies have appeared!”

The Imperial soldiers shouted belatedly, but by then, the Caion unit was already upon them.

Holding his spear tightly, Damian glared coldly at the Imperial troops.

“Finally, we meet, dogs of the Empire.”

How long he had waited for this moment.

The Empire was his true enemy all along.

“Massacre them all.”

Damian’s gaze sharpened, unlike anything seen before.

The spear in his hand moved swiftly, piercing through the bodies of three soldiers in an instant.

Thud, thud, thud.

The Imperial soldiers fell to the ground, unable to put up any resistance. Following behind Damian, Dianal felt a chill run down his spine.

‘…Is this really Damian?’

It was a different feeling from the Damian he had known. And more than that—

‘He’s a completely different person from four months ago.’

It wasn’t just Dianal who had grown stronger during that time. Damian had also pushed himself to the limits, striving forward.

Clenching his grip, Dianal tightened his hold on his swords. He had no intention of leaving everything to Damian.

Swoosh!

Dianal charged forward, slicing through the Imperial soldiers. Damian glanced at him briefly.

‘…Pretty stable.’

In the heat of battle, where one could easily be intimidated by the enemy’s presence, Dianal instead pressed on, crushing his foes.

Damian nodded in approval. “I’ll take out the catapult. Hold the line with the troops.”

“Yes, sir!”

With Dianal’s reply, Damian dashed toward the nearest catapult. The Imperial soldiers, realizing the threat, shouted in panic.

“Their target is the catapult! Defend it!”

“Protect the catapult! Stop them!”

But unfortunately for them, they lacked the strength to halt Damian.

Swish!

Charging toward the catapult, Damian effortlessly cut down the soldiers in his way. Standing before the catapult, he gathered his mana.

Vwooom!

The energy surged throughout Damian’s entire body, concentrating at the tip of his spear, vibrating with intense power.

“Hup…!”

Holding his breath, Damian tightened his muscles, twisting his waist.

Gripping his spear with both hands, he spun his body and struck at the catapult’s support beam.

Swoosh!

Crack!

Damian’s spear tore through the support beam, splintering the solid wood as if ripping it apart.

Crash! Boom!

One of the catapults collapsed, utterly destroyed. And then…

“…You’re late.”

Damian turned his gaze toward a commander charging at him with fierce determination.

* * *

Boom!

The boulders raining down from the sky were nothing short of a disaster for the soldiers of the Iren Kingdom.

“Dodge!”

“Brace yourselves! The debris scatters after impact—use your shields!”

“Shields up! Protect against the fragments!”

“Medic! Medic! We are wounded!”

Only a few boulders had fallen, yet the battlefield had completely turned chaotic.

The soldiers couldn’t even think of firing arrows at the enemy crossing the traps with ladders.

Amidst the turmoil, Acar knew a decision had to be made.

‘Engage.’

There were two ways to deal with the catapults: either pull the troops back out of their range or engage directly with the Spanian soldiers.

If they engaged, the enemy wouldn’t be able to continue using the catapults.

For Acar, retreating meant allowing the enemy to trample on their homeland.

“Drop your bows! Grab your shields and spears! Advance! The archers are up front! Charge!”

Acar led his troops forward, shouting orders. Even now, the catapults were being reloaded.

“Charge!”

“Run! Forward!”

With Acar’s command, the soldiers roared and charged at the Spanian troops. But then, suddenly—

Crash!

A tremendous noise caught Acar’s attention.

“…What?”

One of the towering catapults was toppling sideways. Next to it, a new force had appeared.

‘What… is that?’

Acar’s eyes wavered. The newly appeared troops—who were they?

Allied forces?

Given that they were destroying the catapults, they seemed to be allies, but their identity was unknown. Acar, the commander of the operation, knew nothing about this reinforcement.

Still—

“Reinforcements have arrived! Slaughter the enemy!”

“Uraaaah!”

Acar’s shout bolstered the advancing soldiers’ spirits. He turned to his rear troops, issuing new orders.

“Archers, draw your bows again and fire at the enemy! Shoot down as many of them as possible before they engage with our forces!”

The battlefield was fluid, but the soldiers quickly adapted to the revised orders.

“Front line, shields up to block the incoming enemies! Relay the command!”

“Front line, raise your shields! Block them!”

“Front line, shields up! Block the enemy!”

Acar’s orders spread swiftly.

“Archers in the rear, fire again!”

“Archers, fire!”

The command was passed on, and arrows once again rained down on the Spanian soldiers.

“Aaagh!”

“Move faster! We need to engage them!”

The battlefield was now a chaotic melee. The sudden appearance of new troops had shifted the tide of battle.

Watching the unfolding scene, Pakilonte roared in fury.

“How dare you disrupt the Empire’s affairs!”

Pakilonte, gripping his massive mace, charged at the newly arrived forces.

By now, one of the catapults had been completely demolished, lying in ruins.

Dead Imperial soldiers and the wreckage of the catapult littered the ground. Pakilonte fixed his murderous gaze on Damian.

“You will not die a clean death. I’ll grind you into mincemeat!”

His voice, dripping with rage, exuded a terrifying presence that overwhelmed the Caion troops. But in that tense moment—

“State your rank and name.”

“…?”

Damian’s cold voice cut through, directing the question at him. Pakilonte frowned, feeling a sudden chill run down his spine.

Ignoring his expression, Damian demanded again.

“Name and rank. I’ll tear you to pieces.”

Pakilonte could only swallow hard, momentarily lost for words.