The Immortal Genius Spearman

Chapter 139

Whoooosh!

“F-fire! The wagon carrying our supplies is on fire!”

“Hurry! Find something to cover it! Quickly!”

“It’s a fire arrow! Raise your shields!”

The battlefield was a cacophony of chaos.

Swords and spears clashed in quick, lethal arcs, and soldiers—some ducking in fear, others gritting their teeth as they thrust their weapons at their enemies—fought desperately to survive.

In this violent frenzy, where everyone was determined to either kill or be killed, one figure stood amidst the chaos.

“…Damn it.”

Heymond’s brow furrowed as he watched the encroaching enemy forces and the spreading flames.

Nothing was going their way.

“Where the hell is General Galveron?”

While he understood Galveron was keeping Hainel occupied, the delay was far too long.

‘Could it be… Galveron is losing?’

Galveron had been a force on the continent for over 20 years now, and he was facing a man well over 50.

There was no way the Empire’s Aura Master could be pushed back by an old man like that.

“Damn it… Damn it!”

In hindsight, this whole operation had been plagued with issues from the start.

‘Nothing has gone right.’

The Baroque Kingdom’s reinforcements were still hammering at their flanks. They should’ve been killed by Galveron long ago.

Without those reinforcements, the army of the Spanian Kingdom wouldn’t have dared launch a preemptive strike.

“Could it be… This preemptive attack was all the Baroque Kingdom’s idea?”

It was a real possibility. After all, the Spanian Kingdom, which had been on the defensive, wouldn’t suddenly charge forward like this unless they were pushed by a third party.

“Where is Phaedon? What’s taking him so long?”

The battle still raged on the left flank. Despite the rumors about the Caion unit having decimated half of the Rose Knight order, Heymond had assumed much of it was exaggerated.

‘No ordinary unit can defeat a knight order without catching them off guard.’

And this time, Phaedon was the one on the offensive. With so many allies surrounding the enemy, his assault should have been devastating.

But time was dragging on, and Heymond’s anxiety grew.

Suddenly, there was a deafening boom from the direction where Phaedon had gone.

“…?”

Heymond blinked in confusion. A chilling sense of dread began to creep over him.

“Damn it… What’s happening over there?” he muttered, clenching his teeth.

* * *

Boom!

The sound of metal being torn apart echoed across the battlefield, making even the hardened Imperial soldiers and the Caion unit grimace.

As the blinding light from the clash faded, Phaedon’s massive body lay crumpled on the ground, his axe shattered, his body torn as if mauled by a beast.

His disfigured corpse sent a wave of fear through the Imperial soldiers.

“W-what…?”

“What the hell… is that…?”

None of them had ever seen anything like it before.

For a brief moment, the battlefield fell silent in sheer disbelief.

“Caion Unit!”

Damian’s voice boomed across the battlefield, snapping his soldiers back to their senses.

“H-huh?”

“Yes, sir!”

The Caion soldiers quickly regained their composure and responded. Damian barked another order.

“Kyle, Creon! Clear the way! We’re breaking through!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Got it!”

As Kyle and Creon surged forward, a voice from behind them cried out.

“Don’t let them escape! Kill them all here!”

The man shouting orders was Phaedon’s second-in-command. Despite the horror of what had just happened, he knew they couldn’t afford to let the enemy escape.

But in the back of his mind, he couldn’t shake the sight of Phaedon’s brutal end.

‘Phaedon… taken down this quickly?’

Phaedon was a renowned warrior, known throughout the 3rd Legion for his strength.

Even though he knew the Caion unit had defeated the Rose Knights, he had been confident Phaedon could handle them.

And yet… a mere child had cut him down.

‘This… this can’t be happening!’

The second-in-command pushed down his shock and gave the only order he could: “Chase them! Do not let a single one of them escape!”

With that, the soldiers Phaedon had brought began to encircle the Caion unit.

Kyle and Creon, realizing their escape route was rapidly closing, cursed under their breath.

“We’re about to be surrounded…”

“Run faster!”

Creon, gritting his teeth, sprinted ahead. But as they watched their escape route narrow, despair began to creep into their faces.

Then, out of nowhere—

“I’ll buy you time. Keep moving forward!”

“What? B-but, commander—!”

Damian suddenly surged past Kyle and Creon, pushing himself forward with all his might.

Kyle shouted after him, “Commander!”

But it was too late. Damian had already leaped ahead, and the rest of the Caion unit had no choice but to follow.

Damian’s breath came in ragged gasps. The heavy use of magic earlier had taken a toll on his stamina.

‘I have to hold them off. If I don’t, my entire unit will die.’

He couldn’t stop now. Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on his spear.

At least, thanks to Torrel’s craftsmanship, his spear had held up even after that brutal technique.

‘Just a little longer.’

Whether he was talking to the spear or himself, Damian didn’t know.

Whoosh!

Damian concentrated his magic into his legs, propelling himself forward even faster.

“Block him!”

“He’s coming! Stop him!”

The Imperial soldiers thrust their spears forward as Damian charged. They had already witnessed the destructive power of his attacks, so they decided it was better to strike first before he could make his move.

“Attack together!”

“Don’t give him any room to dodge!”

Swish!

“Die!”

Seeing the dozen spears aimed at him, Damian leaped into the air, his powerful legs propelling him upward.

Thud!

As Damian soared above, the soldiers craned their necks, their eyes tracking his movement. But Damian was already poised with his spear in hand.

“Sorry, but I don’t have time to waste.”

His eyes flashed, and in the next instant—

Swish!

Damian’s spear pierced through an Imperial soldier’s head, driving deep into his body.

Crunch!

Once inside the enemy’s ranks, Damian became like an unchained beast, swinging his spear with reckless abandon, cutting down soldiers left and right.

Thud, thud, thud.

In a matter of moments, the Imperial soldiers around him had fallen, leaving a clear path. But just then—

Wobble.

Had he pushed himself too hard with his magic?

Or was it that his body had finally reached its limit after so much exertion?

Damian’s grip on his spear weakened as his body swayed slightly.

“Commander Damian!”

Kyle rushed over and hoisted Damian onto his shoulder without hesitation. Damian looked momentarily surprised.

“Take a breather. We’ll get out of here,” Kyle reassured him.

“Leave the rest to us,” Creon added. “The other squad leaders will handle the rear.”

Without a word, Damian glanced back at his unit.

They were defending against the Imperial soldiers’ attacks with shields, while the archers provided cover, firing arrows as they moved.

Damian had always led from the front, so he rarely had the chance to observe what was happening behind him.

‘They’ve been keeping up well.’

A sense of relief washed over him.

Leaning his weight on Kyle’s shoulder, Damian muttered quietly.

“Run faster, idiot.”

The mission had been a complete success.

* * *

Fwoosh!

As flames began to spread, the fire quickly engulfed the nearby area. The supply wagons loaded with provisions were ablaze, and the soldiers guarding them were being pushed back.

“…We’re retreating,” Heymond finally decided.

It was a choice filled with regret, but he couldn’t afford to lose any more troops.

‘How did things end up like this…?’

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when everything had started to go wrong.

He hadn’t expected the enemy to launch a preemptive strike, but what shocked him even more was what followed.

The Imperial soldiers were elite, and despite being outnumbered, they had managed to hold their own against an enemy force twice their size.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

Heymond’s gaze drifted toward the disorganized left flank.

It looked like a long, sharp spike had pierced through and torn apart their ranks.

Deep wrinkles formed on Heymond’s brow.

“Could it be… because of them?”

The Caion Unit had wreaked havoc, preventing the Empire from focusing fully on the frontlines and right flank.

Could it really be that a mere 300 soldiers had managed to push back the Empire’s forces?

‘I can’t believe it…’

How was he supposed to report this? Eventually, he sighed in resignation.

“Retreat. Inform all forces.”

Bwooooooo!

The sound of the retreat horn echoed across the battlefield.

Hearing it, the Imperial soldiers faltered, turning their heads in disbelief.

Were they really retreating?

“Damn it…!”

“Retreat! Fall back!”

The Imperial soldiers hurriedly fled.

The Spanian Kingdom’s soldiers and the Baroque Kingdom’s forces, led by Diorant, pursued the retreating enemy with enthusiasm, but—

“Stop! This is far enough!”

“Don’t chase them! Re-form the ranks!”

The commanders quickly reined in their forces, organizing their soldiers as they watched the Empire’s army retreat.

“Did we… win?”

Mateus stared at the shrinking Imperial forces, feeling an unexpected rush of exhilaration.

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine they would attack the Empire first and force them to retreat.

‘Could it be…?’

Was the world finally beginning to change?

The Empire was a colossal force, the most powerful in the continent. To launch a preemptive strike against them was unthinkable for most.

Of course, it made sense. Who would willingly challenge a giant monster, knowing full well they’d be killed?

‘But…’

If that monster was coming to devour you, wasn’t it natural to resist?

Even if it meant attacking while the monster slept.

‘Were we not even putting up that minimal resistance?’

If they had cowered in fear and allowed the Empire to advance unhindered, what would have become of the continent?

If the Empire had conquered their kingdom as planned and moved on to the Baroque Kingdom…

“Perhaps the continent would have already been consumed by flames.”

Despite this victory, Mateus knew all too well the immense power the Empire still held.

With four Aura Masters at the helm, they commanded an army of 300,000 strong.

‘All the other kingdoms must unite.’

But that would not happen easily.

Preparing such a vast army would take an immense amount of time and resources.

Swish.

Then, Mateus spotted a small group approaching from a distance.

Just 300 soldiers, a tiny independent unit.

And yet…

‘…That boy made this miracle happen.’

— We must strike first!

He remembered the bold stance Damian had taken in the war council.

And how the boy had fought his way into the enemy’s ranks, disrupting their formation, and paving the way for victory.

Mateus found himself thinking.

‘…I envy them.’

The Baroque Kingdom, with talent like his.

His gaze remained fixed on Damian, the young commander who had changed the course of the battle.