Episode 114

As I led the soldiers under my command to the front, charging forward, those following behind also shouted and chased after us with all their might.

“Follow Captain Martin of the White Unit!”

“Let’s kill all of those bastards today!”

“Show them what a real man is!”

I’ve launched attacks on the enemy’s flank like this several times before, and each time, I’ve been cheered on by the soldiers following me in this manner.

“Tired of it? No, it’s thrilling every time.”

Just like this saying goes, the thrill of risking one’s life to exploit the enemy’s weakness, and the weight of responsibility from the high expectations of many subordinates.

The anticipation of what kind of achievements I will secure in this assault, and to what extent our unit will excel, sends my heart racing.

“That’s why I can’t stop being at the forefront. Turns out I’m addicted to being a vanguard?”

Meanwhile, those who were suddenly struck by arrows and magic were left in a daze, panicking.

A newbie, looking like a rookie, hesitated about where to go after seeing his comrades vanish in an instant.

“Platoon leader, where should we go?”

The platoon leaders, upon seeing such rookies, couldn’t bring themselves to scold them and instead grabbed them by the nape and pulled them along.

“You idiot! Didn’t you learn to run towards the squad leader in times like this?”

“But I can’t see the squad leader?”

“Then run towards the White Unit’s flag!”

Being stabbed by a sword hurts less when you brace for it because the tension in the muscles and various tissues is higher, but being stabbed unexpectedly can cause much more significant injuries. The state of those guys was the same.

Knowing someone could die from magic or arrows, commanders of each unit try to cope somehow…

But being caught off guard causes them to be momentarily stunned.

Even in such a situation, proving that their heads weren’t filled with noodles, some managed to somehow reorganize the chaotic formation.

“Anyone who’s running around cluelessly like a deserter will be executed on the spot! Everyone, freeze!”

Despite the chaos, the command to ‘freeze’ was immediately understood by all, and the frantic movements ceased at once.

“Ah, if the formation gets organized like this, it’s dangerous.”

Not knowing the number of enemy mercenaries or the extent of their power.

The difference in combat power between fighting in a proper formation and not is enormous, so preventing them from regrouping is crucial.

Aware of this principle, they paused their actions and then immediately started running towards the location of the White Unit’s flag.

“The flag, the flag! Damn it, run towards the White Unit’s flag!”

“If we get there, we can survive!”

“Those bastards aren’t even holding spears or forming a defensive line! Block them like this!”

If they weren’t in such a panicked state, our position would be slightly disadvantageous, but how do we solve this?

‘What if, in this situation, the leader who’s trying to organize them suddenly dies?’

Surely, the unity of those trying to gather would disperse instantly.

“Senior Karin! That guy waving his sword around over there! Do something about that guy!”

Upon hearing that, Karin confidently responded.

“Understood, Captain Martin.”

As soon as I heard Karin’s reply, I immediately gripped my sword with both hands and charged towards the enemies like a mad bull.

Circulating aura throughout my body and with the mindset of a bullet speeding straight towards its target.

“Karin never misses.”

From the moment our bodies intertwined, she became the person in this world I could absolutely trust, never to disappoint my expectations.

Meanwhile, the guy who was fixing the formation on the flank we attacked, upon seeing me charging, began to laugh heartily.

“That idiot, must be crazy wanting to die!”

“Captain, that guy’s that mad dog…”

“We’ve taken damage, but there are at least dozens of them! I’ll block them for a moment; you guys surround and beat them!”

That guy, he’s planning a strategy under the assumption that he can block my attack by himself for a while…

“Do you think that’s going to be so easy?”

Maybe if I were alone, but now Karin is behind me. Would that work?

The White Unit’s captain boasted of his valor at this opportunity, trying to recover the morale of his devastated troops…

With pretentious words and exaggerated gestures, he swung his sword, gathering attention from those around.

“Captain Calvin Kurt of the Black Brothers Mercenary Group will take your head! Experience death today!”

As he said this, he also drew his sword and advanced towards me.

The faint but visible blue aura wrapped around it suggested he was no easy opponent.

‘He’s not without skill.’

I, too, infused my legs with aura, increasing my speed as I advanced forward.

As the distance between us closed, and we were about to swing our swords at each other…

The sound of an arrow wrapped in wind passing by my ear reached me.

It was loud enough to momentarily deafen me but not enough to disrupt my determination and focus to kill the enemy.

‘…There’s no way my focus would be disrupted by just this.’

Smirking at that thought, I quickly thrust my sword towards his neck, but…

Calvin was momentarily distracted by Karin’s arrow flying straight for his forehead.

To avoid the potentially fatal arrow, he tilted his head to the left, causing his sword tip to waver.

“Damn it.”

His expression was one of shock, as if he had aged ten years in that moment, but I didn’t miss this opportunity created by Karin.

My sword finally pierced through his neck, and Calvin could not even scream his last words as he became a sorry sight, vomiting blood on my expensive armor.

“Do you think you’re the only one with someone you can rely on?”

As I murmured this quietly, those attempting to encircle me in a crescent formation, following Calvin’s strategy, charged at me all at once.

“Captain Calvin of the Black Brothers has fallen!”

“I’ll cut down that mad dog’s throat and avenge him!”

“Don’t try to stop me, I’ll start by cutting down that bastard’s neck today!”

It wasn’t the smartest move, but I was far from weak enough to be taken down by a mob of mediocrities like them.

‘I wish I could lift Calvin’s severed head to properly lower their morale, but.’

There was no time, so I quickly scanned the surroundings to eliminate those running towards me.

“If that’s not possible, then so be it.”

Facing knights who wield aura, a spear is the most convenient, effective, and efficient weapon for the average person. However…

A spear, being long, becomes just a cumbersome stick if its tip doesn’t stab the target.

Using this weakness, I quickly lowered my stance to dodge the initial attacks of those around me safely.

“Like a damn rat!”

Even if it’s as ugly as a rat, surviving and cutting down the enemy’s neck is what’s most important.

Better to survive cowardly and despicably than to die nobly in battle.

That’s the best way to stay alive until victory is achieved, and even in defeat, it allows for a chance to rise again.

“Thanks for the compliment, bastards.”

And then, I charged straight ahead.

I had already dodged the spear tips of the first row, but the second and third rows occasionally launched threatening attacks at me.

I saw each attack and, filled with aura, sliced through those spears.

The sound of wooden sticks with blades attached dropping, soldiers gasping and stammering, and panicking filled the air.

The morale of those in front of me would be completely shattered by this.

“May you all have an easy journey to the afterlife.”

I swung my aura-filled sword swiftly.

Where my sword passed, there were no longer any living people.

Those who lost an arm or a leg weren’t dead ‘now,’ but they would suffer and eventually die over time.

Only those fortunate enough to be instantly killed by a strike to the neck, waist, or a vital spot remained.

And then, I shouted loudly to drive the point home.

“I, Martin Meyer of the Whitebeard Mercenary Group, personally beheaded Calvin, the captain of the Black Brothers Mercenary Group!”

Upon hearing this, the movements of those who had been trying to kill me momentarily ceased.

It wasn’t that they were unaware their captain had died.

Rather, it was because the morale of my followers, the Whitebeard Mercenary Group, had incredibly skyrocketed.

“Long live Captain Martin!”

“Damn, our captain is no ordinary man!”

“He comes back alive even when surrounded by dozens!”

I neither confirmed nor denied their words.

Adding anything to this would be foolish.

Instead, I shrugged and pointed at the enemy in front of us, saying,

“Those guys are our prey today! And tell Captain Dalton to contact the Red Roses. As long as we’re here, the Black Brothers are doomed.”