The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 144

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front (144)

Under a sky shrouded in thick dark clouds, blackened and distorted tents stood in rows.

At the center, inside a tent with a red flag hanging, Korzan was breathing heavily.

His eyes showed an unusual restlessness, unlike his usual demeanor.

He gazed at the massive map spread before him.

The red lines marking the enemy’s advance route looked like streams of blood flowing across it.

“….”

Korzan placed his fingertips on the map.

After silently staring at it, Korzan soon asked his subordinate standing before him.

“Has there been any word from Bowkartaon?”

“We understand he has already annihilated one wave of the enemy’s forward reconnaissance forces and is drawing them in once again.”

“…I see.”

After his brief response, the tent fell into silence.

He had already received a report about that matter.

Even from just a single written report, he could fully understand how horrific it had been.

Though it was only a few sentences, just reading it was enough to feel the madness within.

The original Bowkartaon would never have done such things.

Korzan lowered his eyes in silence.

‘…Is it a side effect of the drug?’

Or perhaps it was pure hatred toward those who had made him into this state.

The cruelty that had changed so drastically from his former self was enough to make even Korzan click his tongue.

But that gave him reassurance.

If he had the resolve to do such things without hesitation, he could do anything.

‘Moreover….’

His mental fortitude was strong enough to maintain his sanity even after taking a drug that drives one mad.

Additionally, his legs that had been immobilized due to severed tendons were moving again, and the effects of the madness-inducing drug had tremendously enhanced not only his physical abilities but also his mana.

In his current state, he practically possessed skills rivaling Korzan’s own.

If he was determined to kill someone.

‘…Poor fool. He’ll receive the Death God’s wrath in full.’

They would definitely die.

Korzan rose from his seat and wrapped his cloak around himself.

The tent rustled as his silhouette cast a long shadow in the darkness.

Four days remained.

That was the final deadline given to him by Krelmuuk of the Taman.

If he couldn’t show meaningful results within that time, not only his position but his head wouldn’t survive.

“Have the Imperial Guard stand by.”

His voice was low and chilling.

“The moment we deal a blow to them, we’ll immediately flank and attack.”

“Are you moving the Main Force?”

His subordinate looked up in surprise.

Korzan slowly turned his gaze toward him.

His eyes seemed to gleam like blades.

“I cannot move the Main Force without Taman’s permission. However, moving my Imperial Guard is possible.”

Korzan’s Imperial Guard alone numbered five thousand warriors.

If they could move to strike the enemy’s flank.

‘They won’t be able to advance easily.’

If Bowkartaon could just get the first step right, everything after could proceed immediately.

At Korzan’s words, his subordinate bowed his head.

“I will follow your orders.”

The enemy was right before them.

Moreover, hadn’t they suffered consecutive defeats in the previous battles?

If they suffered any more defeats, there was no telling how the atmosphere might change.

Perhaps even the Main Force stationed here might face threats.

The first foreigners to set foot in Belikezel.

Facing their threatening advance, Korzan let out a heavy breath as he gazed toward the forward position.

*    *    *

The wind swayed heavily.

The plains reeked strongly of blood.

Arteon’s eyes flashed sharply as he charged toward Bowkartaon.

‘That guy….’

His appearance was clearly different from before.

Though he was from the Kar Tribe, he had possessed pale skin and smooth features….

‘But now….’

Should he say he looked similar to the madmen they had fought when they first arrived here?

Thick blood vessels crawling like earthworms, muscles ready to burst, and blood-red eyes flashed menacingly.

‘What a tingling level.’

The killing intent flowing from his body was enough to make every hair on one’s body stand on end just from facing it.

However….

“Do you think you can get away unharmed after committing such madness?”

“Thanks to that, you idiots fell for it one after another, didn’t you?”

The guy’s eyes flashed fiercely, and simultaneously an arrow nocked on the bowstring aimed at Arteon.

Soon after, Bowkartaon spoke coldly.

“This place will become your grave.”

Creak!

With those words, Bowkartaon slightly twisted the bowstring.

Whoooooooong!

Intense mana concentrated at a single point, and starting from the guy’s center, wind spread powerfully in all directions.

And then….

Shweeeeeeeeeeeeek!

With a sound like the bowstring snapping, the released arrow cut through the air.

Just one shot.

But the flying arrow instantly split into more than ten pieces, extending forward, upward, left and right, covering Arteon like a net.

It was truly an acrobatic and miraculous attack, but the red mana contained in each arrowhead was not something to be taken lightly.

“…!”

Arteon’s expression hardened.

Arteon, who had been charging forward, hastily raised Iglis and concentrated his mana.

“Hup!”

Clang! Clang! Clank! Clank! Boom!

Did the last arrow carry explosive power?

Instantly, a tremendous explosion occurred, and smoke rose thick enough to completely obscure the surrounding view.

“C-Captain!”

“Lord Arteon!”

The unit members following behind shouted urgently.

They knew that Arteon had blocked all the attacks instead of dodging them to protect them.

However….

“You move to the rear and annihilate the enemy. I’ll handle this place.”

Arteon glanced sideways and looked at Grain.

“Grain, command the unit members.”

“Understood!”

He could tell from just one clash.

This place was not somewhere they should be.

“Silent Spear Battalion! Change direction and attack the enemy soldiers!”

“Yes!”

“Follow the Deputy Commander!”

“Move quickly! Don’t stop your feet!”

The most important thing in a surprise attack is speed.

Grain immediately changed direction according to Arteon’s command and led the unit.

Soon the unit members targeted Bowkartaon’s archer unit in the rear.

“Do you think I’ll just let you go easily?”

Bowkartaon glared with wide eyes and reached for his quiver.

In the blink of an eye.

No, at a speed almost invisible, Bowkartaon drew two arrows and immediately turned toward the Silent Spear Battalion led by Grain.

Though it was a unit he was seeing for the first time, they had broken through the encirclement surrounding the area and reached this place in such a short time.

It might be because the commander leading the unit was strong.

‘It would have been impossible if that unit couldn’t keep up.’

In other words, even those unit members without their commander posed a considerable threat.

Therefore, he had to inflict at least minimal damage.

However…

“Did you already forget having both your legs cut while looking away like that?”

“…!”

At the voice suddenly heard right beside him, Bowkartaon felt chills throughout his entire body.

At the same time, the pain of the tendons in both legs that had been cut by that guy came to mind, and he instinctively threw his body quickly.

Swoosh!

Tremendous speed.

Bowkartaon, who had instantly created distance from Arteon, aimed his arrow tip at Arteon.

Swish!

Whoooooosh!

It was virtually impossible to dodge arrows shot from such a short distance.

Short distance could be disadvantageous for an archer, but conversely, if one could overcome that risk, they could make attacks that the enemy couldn’t avoid.

But that was only in general situations.

The moment the arrows shot out.

Swoosh!

Arteon instead leaped toward Bowkartaon while lowering his body as much as possible.

Whiz! Whiz!

One by his ear, one past his left shoulder.

Arteon’s eyes flashed like a hunter who had spotted prey as he barely dodged the arrows by lowering his stance to the extreme.

At this distance, that guy wouldn’t have the leisure to shoot arrows.

Wooooong!

Soon after, Iglis vibrated slightly and emitted a strong aura as if drawing out power.

Swoosh!

The moment the distance closed, Arteon’s eyes changed like a beast of prey.

At this distance, there was no escape.

But then.

“Hyaaah!”

Bowkartaon, who had been retreating, concentrated mana in his legs.

At the same time, he stomped the ground hard with his right foot.

Kwaaaang!

Cracks formed in the ground and broken stone fragments shot upward with a tremendous roar.

“…!”

This was ridiculous.

Could a single stomp produce such tremendous power?

The stone fragments that shot up in an instant completely blocked his vision.

Arteon quickly swung his spear to cut through the obstructing obstacles.

Clang! Clang!

At the same time, he prepared for any additional attacks from that guy, but he was several steps back, drawing his bowstring.

“…”

“…”

A breathless silence flowed between the two. To think he would overcome the crisis by concentrating aura in his legs.

“That leg of yours seems unusable now?”

“It doesn’t matter, an arrow will be stuck in your forehead.”

Just about ten meters.

It was a distance that could be closed in one breath, so they couldn’t let their guard down.

In the gap that seemed ready to ignite at any moment, Arteon looked at Bowkartaon and said.

“Here… one of us will definitely die.”

Last time, he had no choice but to let that guy live in order to escape.

He hadn’t expected him to come back like this.

‘Should I have pushed myself harder then…’

Arteon soon shook his head.

Nothing would change by dwelling on what had already passed.

However, it seemed inevitable that such thoughts would occasionally surface due to that guy appearing stronger before his eyes.

“Huu…”

With a small exhaled breath, Iglis held in Arteon’s hand vibrated slightly.

They both knew.

That this one exchange could determine the outcome of this fight.

It was a moment of hesitation about who should move first, but the wait wasn’t very long.

“Uaaaaaaah!”

“Hyaaaaah!”

The shouts heard from where the Kar Tribe Warriors had gone became the fuse.

Swoosh!

Bowkartaon was the first to move.

He shot only one of the three arrows nocked on his bowstring, then immediately nocked the arrow he held in his hand and drew the bowstring again.

Since there was no need for the process of drawing arrows from the quiver, the speed was truly in the blink of an eye.

Whoooooosh!

Watching the incoming arrow, Arteon charged forward recklessly head-on.

Whiz!

He barely dodged the arrow by tilting his head back and focused all his concentration on Bowkartaon.

A feeling as if the world was slowing down.

Excluding everything else.

When he focused solely on that one guy, even the movement of mana flowing from Bowkartaon’s hands was vividly visible.

Such supersenses that he had never experienced even once in his past life.

Was this visible because he had reached the 5th Star realm?

‘…No.’

Even Lucael, who had been at the edge of the 5th Star realm, had never mentioned having such an experience.

Perhaps it was the mysterious power of the Heart of Ether coiled inside his body manifesting once again.

But even such thoughts were momentary.

Clang!

Soon Arteon struck down the second incoming arrow with his spear.

Whoooooosh!

Seeing the third arrow coming in succession, he quickly rotated his body.

Swish!

Arteon’s movement, spinning like a top with his right foot as the axis, lowered so much it nearly touched the ground.

For a moment, Bowkartaon’s eyes wavered as he lost sight of Arteon’s movement.

Slash!

“…!”

Along with the red blood spraying from below to above, the trembling in his eyes stopped.

“…Ah.”

A small gasp escaped from Bowkartaon’s mouth.

He had come to this battlefield even choosing the path of becoming a madman.

‘From the beginning… was it a gap that could never be bridged?’

As much as he had grown stronger, Red-haired Comrade had become even stronger.

In that short time.

Perhaps the sense of unease he had felt from Red-haired Comrade was exactly that.

Thud.

Blood flowed down in streams from the long wound carved from his right side to his left shoulder.

Bowkartaon, who had fallen to both knees on the ground, trembled faintly as he looked up at Arteon.

‘Still….’

This young one who didn’t even seem to be an adult yet was already at such a level.

‘In the future… he could become the greatest threat to our tribe….’

However, Bowkartaon’s thoughts could not continue any further.

Slice!

The moment Arteon’s spear, filled with desperate resolve, severed Bowkartaon’s neck.

“I have taken the enemy commander’s head! The enemy commander is dead!”

Arteon’s cry to boost his allies’ morale rang out loudly across the battlefield.

And that day’s battle.

With fewer than twenty Kar Tribe warriors returning alive, it was a complete victory for the Imperial Army.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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