The Immortal Genius Spearman

Chapter 128

The low hum of magic filled the air.

Sitting cross-legged with his back straight, Damian adopted the posture that had become second nature to him during his mana training. Whenever he practiced his magic, it was always in this position.

Hoo…

With a long exhale, the ambient mana in the air began to accumulate inside his body.

Once gathered, the mana started circulating within him, moving according to Damian’s will.

‘…Obey me,’ Damian thought, almost as if speaking to the mana as though it had its own consciousness.

To his surprise, the unruly mana that had previously resisted his control began to settle down, following his command.

Damian recalled Hainel’s words:

—Your mana must be controlled with immense force. That means the caster wielding it must be even stronger.

Control through force.

Reflecting on it, his magic had always been stronger when he commanded it with firm control, rather than allowing it to move freely.

However, he had dismissed this approach in the past because of the intense physical strain it caused.

‘But… this was the right way all along.’

He had avoided this method, thinking it was incorrect, but now he regretted how far off course he had gone in trying to find the right approach.

Still…

‘At least I know now.’

There was no use dwelling on past mistakes. Regret was fine, but letting it stop him from moving forward would be a far greater loss.

He would use his previous failures as stepping stones to rise faster and higher.

Tightening his grip on the mana coursing through his body, Damian increased its rotation.

As he did, Hainel, who had been observing him, wore a pleased smile, clearly enjoying the progress of their training together.

But…

“Hainel, my lord,” Villipt, Hainel’s steward, approached, carrying a letter.

It was a missive from the Caion Unit.

Hainel’s expression shifted slightly to one of disappointment as he took the letter from Villipt.

“It seems something urgent has come up,” he remarked.

“It appears so,” Villipt agreed.

As Hainel opened the letter, a hint of regret passed over his face.

As expected, the message requested Damian’s swift return to his unit.

“…The Empire is on the move again.”

“It seems they are serious this time.”

The Empire’s ambition was no secret to the continent’s kingdoms.

They had long been threatening to expand, and their hunger for conquest had always been apparent.

However, the delicate balance of power had kept them from acting too aggressively—until now.

“Perhaps I stayed away too long,” Hainel mused.

Though he had been known as the protector of the Baroque Kingdom, he had distanced himself from the kingdom due to his distaste for the political scheming that had taken over.

While his reputation remained, his influence had undoubtedly waned over time.

Hainel wondered if his absence had contributed to the current crisis.

But Villipt shook his head.

“This is not your fault, my lord. The balance has simply shifted.”

The appearance of the Empire’s fourth Aura Master was the true catalyst behind the current turmoil.

Moreover, the Empire’s soldiers were strong enough that a single one could easily match several soldiers from other kingdoms.

“It seems today’s sparring session may be our last,” Hainel said, disappointment clear in his voice. Still, he was determined to make the most of it.

Hainel approached Damian as he finished his mana training.

“…Hoo.”

With a deep breath, Damian slowly stood up. As always, after completing his mana training, his mind felt clearer, and his body felt revitalized.

And today, something was different.

‘I feel like… I can take a big step forward today.’

Just then, Hainel approached and handed Damian the letter.

“A message from your unit.”

“…What?”

A letter from his unit? Damian’s expression hardened as he quickly read through the contents.

Hainel spoke as Damian read.

“The situation seems to be changing quickly. It looks like today will be our last sparring session…”

“…”

Regret was plain on Damian’s face.

He had just begun to grasp something significant.

Grit

‘Damn Empire bastards…’

They were giving him no chance.

But Damian knew that this was the nature of war—unpredictable, filled with disruptions.

Letting out a small sigh, Damian composed himself. He had to adapt to the circumstances.

Turning to Hainel, he spoke.

“Please take care of me today.”

“Haha, I can tell you’ve gained something valuable. I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do today. Shall we begin right away?” Hainel asked with a smile.

“Yes.”

From now on, every second was precious.

Damian nodded firmly. Then, he made a request.

“Would it be alright if I used my own spear?”

“In that case, I will use my real sword as well,” Hainel replied.

Understanding that this would be their final session, both expressed their regret by opting to use their preferred weapons.

Damian retrieved his spear from within the house—a spear made from Amantatium by Torrel.

Though he hadn’t used it for over twenty days, the moment he gripped the spear, it felt like an extension of his own body.

Without realizing it, a small smile appeared on Damian’s lips.

“That’s a good look on you.”

“…What?” Damian responded, confused by the remark.

Villipt, who had been watching, approached with a comment.

“Having a weapon that suits you well is truly a wonderful thing. It can elevate your skills to a whole new level.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Damian agreed.

“That spear surely carries your story, which is why you look the way you do now,” Villipt continued with a warm smile.

“I expect to see a very different version of you today. But there’s one thing I’d like you to keep in mind…”

Villipt glanced toward Hainel, who had already stepped outside.

“Remember that the duke is also wielding his beloved sword.”

“…”

Damian suddenly felt a cold sweat run down his back.

He understood all too well what Villipt was hinting at.

Villipt’s next words only confirmed it.

“When Lord Hainel holds Gracel, he becomes an entirely different person.”

Damian swallowed hard, his eyes shifting toward Hainel, who was waiting for him outside.

A cold wind blew through the air.

But instead of its usual refreshing feel…

“…Haha.”

Damian’s entire body was on high alert.

It was screaming at him to flee immediately.

He let out a small, involuntary laugh at the feeling.

Despite hearing Villipt’s warning and preparing himself mentally, he hadn’t expected this.

‘This… this is something else entirely.’

Damian swallowed hard as he stared at Hainel, who now wielded a real sword.

The pressure radiating from Hainel was incomparable to when he had been sparring with a wooden sword.

It felt as if Hainel had transformed into a completely different person.

But then…

“How long are you going to just stand there, staring? You don’t have much time,” Hainel’s voice called out, breaking through the tension.

“…I know.”

Damian was acutely aware of the time slipping away. No one understood that better than he did.

But still…

Drip

A bead of sweat rolled down Damian’s cheek, hanging at the tip of his chin before dropping to the ground.

He felt like he was staring death in the face.

Even though the fear of it clawed at him, as Hainel had said, time was a luxury he couldn’t afford to waste.

Swish

Damian lifted his spear.

After all, the opponents he would face in the future were bound to possess the same overwhelming presence as Hainel.

‘Don’t get intimidated.’

He had come too far, fought too hard, and ran too relentlessly to back down now.

Whenever Damian found himself being overwhelmed by his opponents…

‘Remember all the effort you’ve put in.’

Each and every day, without fail, he had pushed forward without ever stopping.

His hard work had always been the foundation that supported him in these moments.

Damian’s eyes grew cold and focused, his presence shifting.

Wooooo

The aura around him wasn’t sharp, but it was incredibly solid and tightly controlled.

Hainel, sensing the weight of the energy emanating from Damian, lifted his sword.

‘It seems he’s understood.’

Mastery over one’s mana through firm control.

Even now, Damian’s body must have been under tremendous strain.

‘I can’t even imagine how far he will go.’

Damian was certain to grow yet again from this encounter.

With that in mind…

“This time, I’ll start.”

For this final spar, Hainel needed to push Damian to the brink, extracting every ounce of power from him.

Bam!

In an instant, Hainel’s form vanished.

He disappeared so completely that a flicker of confusion crossed Damian’s face. But only for a moment.

Thud!

With a strong kick of his foot, Damian dashed to the side, thrusting his spear in response.

“Impressive.”

To think Damian could react to that.

No, it wasn’t just a reaction—he had actually managed to keep up.

Although Damian’s timing was a bit late, it was remarkable.

‘Most knights wouldn’t even have time to realize their head had been cut off.’

Swish!

Hainel lightly deflected Damian’s spear with his sword.

Then…

“You’ll need to block this one well,” Hainel warned.

Without hesitation, Hainel swung his sword downward, splitting the air with a force that felt like it was tearing reality itself apart.

BOOM!

A deafening sound erupted as his sword unleashed a powerful wave of energy.

But…

Swish

Just as Hainel’s strike came down, Damian twisted his body to the side, taking two steps back.

Hainel couldn’t hide his surprise at Damian’s fluid evasion.

He had just released an attack powerful enough to tear through the air, and yet…

‘Has he grown again?’

Hainel had expected Damian to dodge. But to evade it with such perfection…

A grin tugged at Hainel’s lips.

“Interesting.”

He wanted to push Damian further, to see how much more he could unleash.

Without wasting time, Hainel swung his sword at Damian once again.

Clang!

When Hainel’s beloved sword, Gracel, clashed with Damian’s spear, a tremendous force exploded from the impact, sending Damian staggering backward.

“Urgh!”

“That’s a good spear. I didn’t think you’d be able to absorb Gracel’s recoil so well,” Hainel commented, impressed.

He didn’t know what material the spear was made of—its faint purple sheen was unfamiliar—but the fact that it remained unscathed after clashing with Gracel was no small feat.

It must have been a weapon of incredible strength.

But Damian had no time to appreciate Hainel’s compliments.

‘I just need… a little more… just a little more!’

Wooooong

Damian compressed his mana with such force it felt as though he was crushing it in his hands, spreading the power throughout his entire body.

Crack, crack!

Every muscle fiber in his body, every cell, responded to his intense focus. He forced all his mana into his spear, ensuring not a drop would be wasted.

All of Damian’s concentration was focused solely on Hainel as he continued his relentless barrage of spear strikes.

Swish!

As Damian swung his spear in a horizontal arc, Hainel bent backward, avoiding the strike by a hair’s breadth.

The moment Damian’s spear passed over his head, time seemed to slow.

‘…What?’

For a split second, everything became crystal clear, as though the world had slowed to a crawl.

Damian’s eyes flickered in shock.

But…

Grit

He regained his focus, stepping further into that strange state of clarity.

And then…

Boom!

A surge of mana erupted from Damian’s spear, powerful and raw.

Gritting his teeth, Damian gripped the spear tightly and twisted his body, pulling all the scattered mana into the weapon.

At that moment…

Woooooong!

A massive wave of compressed energy extended from the spear, like a tidal wave ready to crash down.

All of Damian’s energy and killing intent concentrated into the length of the spear.

“Haaaaaaah!”

Just as Hainel had done moments before, Damian unleashed a devastating wave of energy from his spear.

BOOOOOOM!

With Damian’s shout, his spear lashed out toward Hainel, releasing an enormous surge of destructive energy.

And then…

“…Ha.”

Hainel let out a chuckle as he stood there, having blocked the attack. He looked down at himself, clearly amused by what had just happened.