The Immortal Genius Spearman

Chapter 182

It was an infantry unit that appeared to be nothing special.

Even when they breached the gates, the commander defending Statznal’s eastern entrance merely thought it was a stroke of bad luck.

There were days like that.

Days where things just didn’t go your way.

That was his assumption.

That perhaps he had just been a little too careless.

But...

“Caion Unit! Formation!”

With the booming command from the man who had shattered the gate, the infantry unit of the Baroque Kingdom swiftly moved, forming multiple diamond-shaped formations in an instant.

Each formation consisted of no more than thirty to forty men.

Yet, the moment they took their positions—

“H-Huh...?!”

The commander involuntarily gasped for air.

The sheer pressure they exuded felt like a crushing weight upon his chest.

Was it because their formation was too perfect?

No.

But his instincts, honed from years on the battlefield, told him one thing for certain—these soldiers were far from ordinary.

As proof, the moment their formation was complete, his own soldiers flinched, unable to advance.

And that wasn’t even the worst of it.

Thud!

“Gah!”

“A-Arrows! Enemy archers!”

From the surrounding buildings, hidden coalition archers emerged, raining down precise and deadly volleys.

‘They’re accustomed to chaotic skirmishes. There’s not an ounce of hesitation...!’

Despite having the numerical advantage, the enemy utilized the city’s tight spaces to perfection.

“Damn it...!”

Still, they couldn’t just sit back and let this happen.

The commander gritted his teeth and barked out orders.

“Encircle them! Don’t let them move elsewhere!”

And to another unit—

“Take out those archers hiding nearby! Search every building and alley!”

They still held the numbers.

If they could slowly tighten the siege, even the most experienced soldiers would eventually tire out.

‘Once they’re exhausted, they’ll make a mistake.’

And that would be the opening needed to crush them completely.

Tap!

Dianal, who had been causing havoc atop the walls, leaped down and rejoined his unit.

“Lord Damian, I spotted what appears to be a supply warehouse up ahead.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Damian, keeping his guard up, turned to Dianal.

“Take command of the unit. I’ll burn down that warehouse first.”

“Understood.”

Without hesitation, Damian sprinted into the alleys.

Behind him, he could hear the eastern gate’s commander shouting, “Chase him down!”

But none of them were capable of keeping up with him.

Fwip!

Darting through the alleyways, Damian stayed low, moving swiftly along the narrow paths.

Occasionally, he encountered groups of two or three imperial soldiers.

“Out of my way.”

Slash! Thud!

Dispatching them with ease, Damian continued towards the warehouse Dianal had identified.

Years spent navigating backstreets made the unfamiliar layout of Statznal irrelevant to him.

Soon, he arrived at his destination.

Crrrack.

Breaking the lock, he swung open the doors to reveal sacks of grain and various stored provisions.

A smirk formed on his lips.

“Tch, you’ve got a good eye.”

Dianal’s instincts had sharpened considerably, likely honed by his mastery of twin-blade techniques and swift strikes.

Regardless, Damian surveyed the area.

Burning everything down would be ideal, but...

“If I can’t burn it...”

Boom!

Damian gathered his energy.

His spear trembled slightly as it emitted a faint blue aura.

“...I’ll just destroy it.”

His eyes flashed coldly.

Kwaaaang!

With a powerful strike, his spear tore through the grain sacks, scattering their contents across the dirt floor, mixing them with soil and rubble.

But he wasn’t done yet.

“Haaah!”

Crack! Boom! Kaaang!

He smashed through the shelves, bringing down the warehouse walls entirely.

Seeing the structure collapse, Damian swiftly retreated outside.

Rumble...!

The once-sprawling supply warehouse crumbled into rubble like a sandcastle.

Even if they salvaged some of it, the loss was substantial.

“Phew...”

His objective was partially complete.

But—

Swish.

He noticed something.

Imperial soldiers now surrounded him, weapons drawn and expressions filled with rage.

Perhaps it was the fury of watching their supplies be destroyed.

Their weapons were steady, but their eyes burned with murderous intent.

Damian quickly assessed them.

‘Knights...’

Around ten of them.

And among them, only a couple seemed capable of wielding mid-level magic.

It appeared they had rushed in without properly assembling their forces.

Clench.

Damian lowered his spear slightly.

If they were here, it meant Caion Unit had gained breathing room.

‘Now, I need to reach the next supply depot.’

Hainel, still engaged outside the city, needed this battle to end quickly.

“...Hoo.”

Damian let out a quiet breath, drawing in his energy.

The aura surrounding him surged, making the imperial soldiers hesitate.

They had all seen it.

How Damian had shattered the thick city gates with just a few swings of his spear.

But—

“Attack him!”

“Haaaah!”

“Die!”

At a knight’s command, the soldiers lunged, spears thrusting forward.

By maintaining distance and attacking simultaneously, they thought they could force him to dodge.

‘He has no choice but to jump...’

With the ruined warehouse behind him and spears forming a semicircle around him, they believed they had him trapped.

But—

Swish!

“.......”

“...?”

A faint blue glow flickered as a blade smoothly cut through the air.

Thunk. Clatter! Clang!

All the spears aiming for Damian dropped uselessly to the ground—their shafts severed in an instant.

“H-Hiiik!”

“Uwaaaah!”

The soldiers gripping the broken weapons staggered back in terror.

But that was only the beginning.

Boom!

In a single bound, Damian lunged forward, his spear slicing through the ranks.

Slash!

A single stroke.

A flash of blue aura swept across them, and in an instant, ten men fell, cleaved in two.

“R-Run!”

“Aaaaahhh!”

Watching their comrades get effortlessly slaughtered shattered their will.

Even the famed soldiers of the Empire were rendered helpless by sheer fear.

They had no chance against him.

As they fled in terror, the knights remaining looked on in disbelief.

They needed to act.

But—

Shiver.

Their hands trembled violently around their swords.

Their legs refused to move.

That overwhelming presence.

That murderous aura.

‘W-What... is he...?’

Who is this man?

The murderous aura he exuded was as if he were facing his lifelong nemesis.

Damian raised his spear, staring down the knights before him.

As if in perfect synchronization, the knights charged at him simultaneously.

“D-Die!”

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

“You monstrous bastard!”

Their eyes were filled with fear.

Yet they chose to fight rather than flee.

As knights of the Empire, they could not disgrace themselves by retreating from the battlefield.

Damian muttered softly.

“...At least you’re still knights of the Empire.”

He acknowledged their courage, their spirit.

But that alone—

“—is not a reason to let you live.”

Wooooooong!

A powerful surge of energy pulsed from Damian’s spear.

The deep blue aura rippled intensely.

Swaaaaaaash!

It slashed outward in a wide arc toward the knights.

Not quite aura, but—

Fwoosh! Clang!

For knights who barely had control over magic, it was enough to annihilate them.

Half of the dozen knights fell instantly, the others severely wounded.

‘So only the mid-tier ones managed to block it?’

Two of them barely survived, having just enough magic to shield themselves.

But even they were trembling, grimacing in pain.

And in battle, even the smallest opening could be fatal.

Thud! Thud!

Damian’s spear lunged forward, piercing their chests with deadly precision.

They had blocked his first strike, but they had no way of stopping the follow-up.

Slump.

Damian wiped the blood from his face as he dispatched the remaining wounded knights.

And then—

“The eastern gate is secured, Vice Captain.”

As Dianal and the Caion Unit approached, Damian nodded.

Then he turned to Dianal and spoke.

“Now, we sweep through all of Statznal and destroy their supply lines.”

“Yes, sir!”

It was time to wipe Statznal off the map.

***

Fwooooooosh!

“...!”

A red signal flare shot into the sky from within Statznal, catching the attention of officers fighting outside the city.

“D-Did something happen inside?!”

“Damn it! What the hell is going on?!”

A red flare meant the gravest of emergencies.

For it to come from within the city meant something catastrophic had occurred.

Even Alexandro’s expression hardened slightly at the sight.

But—

Swish!

Clang!

“Haha, shouldn’t you still be focusing on me?”

Hainel smirked as he blocked Alexandro’s strike.

He forced a grin, but his body was a wreck.

More than half his armor was shattered, and his wounds were bleeding profusely.

Alexandro stared at him and asked.

“Are you planning to die here?”

“Do I look like it?”

“...”

Alexandro couldn’t understand.

What was driving this man to fight so fiercely?

His magic was nearly depleted, his breathing erratic.

Yet he persisted.

The only reason—

‘His swordsmanship has only grown sharper over the years.’

Hainel’s strikes were precise enough to keep Alexandro at bay.

He had supposedly left the battlefield long ago...

‘But he’s become even stronger than before.’

Alexandro pushed Hainel back with brute force, leaping away.

He wanted to end it with his aura, but there were simply too many enemies.

If he wasted his energy on Hainel, the army of over 100,000 would pounce on him immediately.

For them, losing half their soldiers would be acceptable if it meant killing Alexandro.

Alexandro turned to Hainel.

“Our duel will have to wait.”

“Haha, are you retreating?”

“This time, yes.”

He didn’t bother to deny it.

If a red signal flare had been launched from within Statznal, then their side was facing a serious crisis.

The priority now was to retreat and regroup.

Alexandro swiftly mounted a nearby horse.

Looking back at Hainel, he spoke.

“We will meet again.”

Dududududududu!

Rallying his knights, Alexandro galloped toward Statznal.

Hainel exhaled quietly as he watched him disappear.

Though he had acted nonchalant, his body was barely holding together.

Yet—

“Hahaha.”

Laughter escaped his lips.

There was only one reason the enemy was retreating in such a hurry.

Hainel thought of the one inside Statznal.

“They pulled it off.”

Perhaps this war—

‘—will end in our victory.’

With a confident smile, Hainel turned and walked away.