The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 327

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

Mad Spearman of the Northern Front (327)
Towering trees stretching tens of meters high intertwined their branches overhead, creating a colossal canopy.
Beneath it lay layers upon layers of impenetrable darkness.
Not merely the absence of light, but a deep, suffocating darkness—the kind that seemed poised to swallow everything whole.
Through the gaps between those ancient trees, the bitter northern wind swept in, stirring up dust and soil from the forest floor.
“…The trail diverges here.”
From within that darkness.
Morganteron turned his gaze toward the low voice that had spoken.
Though it was merely a single statement, its implications were considerable.
Scrape, scrape.
The Kar Tribe Warrior knelt, examining the traces left upon the ground.
He scraped soil between his fingertips, lifted a broken branch, studying the depth of footprints, the direction the earth had been displaced, the precise angle at which trampled grass had bent.
He was conducting one final verification to ensure nothing had escaped his notice.
At last, he rose to his feet.
“This direction and that one. They moved like this.”
Yet there remained one thing he could not determine.
“Which direction the Supreme Commander took… I cannot ascertain with my abilities.”
He spoke with his head bowed.
But Morganteron shook his head in response.
That hardly mattered.
Escaping across vast distances in so short a time through this treacherous mountain terrain would be impossible.
Morganteron’s gaze swept across the surroundings.
A forest shrouded in darkness.
Stars glittered brilliantly in the sky above the towering trees, their light strangely incongruous with this place.
The trees obscured one another, forming a black curtain, which served as an excellent obstacle.
Whoosh.
The dense woodland.
Morganteron shifted his steps toward one particularly tall tree rising among them.
Though bare of leaves, its trunk and branches were so thick that two grown men embracing it fully would not have their hands meet.
“….”
Morganteron’s toes lifted slightly from the ground.
And then….
Boom!
The earth resounded briefly beneath him.
Simultaneously, his body rocketed upward.
Tearing through the air, he cleared the midpoint of the tree in an instant.
Boom!
A second leap.
That was all it took.
Though the tree towered well over twenty meters high, it took Morganteron mere seconds to reach its summit.
I stood there as if I had always been in that spot, quiet and unwavering.
“….”
Morganteron gazed silently into the distance.
It was darkness where nothing should have been visible under normal circumstances.
But light gradually filled his eyes.
As my Aura concentrated, my field of vision expanded.
Not simply becoming brighter.
The contours hidden within the darkness revealed themselves, and movements became crystal clear.
And far, very far away….
I could see the subtle, undulating flow of a mass of troops.
“….”
Morganteron’s eyes narrowed.
The approximate size of the force moving along the left mountain path had become clear.
‘Roughly… five hundred, perhaps.’
Just as the Warrior had confirmed, the troops that had moved here had split into two groups once again.
They must have realized they were being pursued.
It could be called a trivial maneuver.
‘Not a bad tactic.’
The only problem was their opponent.
Morganteron drew up his Aura and focused it into his axe.
I had enhanced my vision to confirm their positions, but I needed to verify their exact location.
Soon, the axe gripped in Morganteron’s hand began to glow red.
Then, as I swung it toward that direction.
Shwiiiiiiiiing!
With a sound like the air itself tearing, a semicircular Aura cut through the darkness and flew forth.
The distance was far too great to inflict direct damage.
But that was never the purpose to begin with.
Boom!
The Aura burst within the darkness, releasing light.
In that instant.
“…?!”
Light spread across the path where the Imperial Army was moving, revealing what lay there.
Troops cutting through the trees as they advanced.
Groping along the ground in the darkness, their expressions troubled.
But at the center of their formation, a single flag fluttered clearly through the air.
Even at a glance, it bore an extraordinary pattern.
And beneath it.
There was someone dressed distinctly differently from the others.
A magically-treated coat-form armor worn only by high-ranking commanders within the Empire.
Soon the light faded, and darkness once again shrouded that place.
But this is enough.
Morganteron’s lips slowly curved upward.
“…Found it.”
There was no room for doubt.
Morganteron immediately threw himself beneath the tree.
Thud!
The sound of impact against the ground rang out sharply.
The warriors around him instantly turned their gaze toward him.
Morganteron lifted his head.
His eyes gleamed with intensity.
“To the left.”
And the command that followed.
“Close in instantly.”
His feet surged forward.
In that moment, the momentum of the Kar Tribe Warriors shifted.
Their breathing deepened, their gazes sharpened.
Pursuit—was this not what they excelled at most?
And….
“Move.”
With a single word from Morganteron.
Whoosh!
The Kar Tribe Warriors surged into the darkness like beasts unleashed.
Watching them, Morganteron’s lips curved upward.
Tonight, in this place….
The Supreme Commander of the Empire would die.
As if pronouncing an unshakeable death sentence, Morganteron too began to sprint rapidly into the darkness.
* * *
“Have we been discovered?”
The sky split with a brilliant flash.
The light of an Aura tearing through the darkness, streaking past.
That momentary brilliance was no mere light.
I had never anticipated they would use Aura Discharge in such a manner.
Halt.
Claw’s running feet came to an abrupt stop.
He slowly lifted his head, then lowered it again.
He was already certain.
That there was no escaping them.
Bassel approached his side.
“Claw, sir.”
At his call, Claw turned to him and spoke with a composed expression.
“Escape seems… impossible, Captain Bassel.”
His tone was measured, yet it already contained a conclusion.
A moment of silence.
But that silence did not stretch on.
Their gazes met.
Bassel nodded.
“I’ve already made my peace with it.”
“I’m sorry. Because of me, you and your soldiers have been placed in such danger…”
“Claw.”
Bassel cut off Claw’s words and spoke.
His eyes had taken on a quality both firm and resolute—
the gaze of a true soldier.
Bassel spoke.
“Those words insult me and my company. Both I and every member of the 1st Company…”
He turned his gaze.
Toward the soldiers of the 1st Company.
Their eyes, fixed upon Bassel, were equally unwavering and steadfast.
Bassel continued.
“We chose this path despite knowing such danger existed. I harbor no regrets about that decision.”
His voice carried not the slightest tremor.
At those words, Claw drew a faint smile and bowed his head.
“Forgive my rudeness.”
Bassel placed a light hand upon Claw’s shoulder.
“I watched over you throughout all the years I served under the Commander.”
Bassel had fought alongside Belkain for a long time.
And during that span, naturally, he had stood with Claw as well.
Bassel spoke to Claw.
“Every battlefield where I stood beside you was an honor, and it was glory to fight at your side.”
“I too have felt honored by every moment spent with you, Captain Bassel.”
As if exchanging a final farewell.
But Bassel’s eyes shifted.
His lips parted slowly.
“We will meet the enemy here.”
The decision was swift and resolute.
“Quickly now—form your formations and prepare for battle!”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
The moment the order fell, the entire stationary force moved.
Their affirmations rang out sharply, yet beneath those cries lay a faint tremor.
They too understood whom they would have to face.
A Kar Tribe Warrior bearing seven Feather Tattoos.
A 7-Star Warrior… I would have to face a monster that transcended humanity itself.
The outcome of this battle was already decided.
All we could do here was.
“Buy as much time as possible and pin them down in this location.”
At Bassel’s words, the soldiers’ expressions grew resolute.
Bassel quickly issued orders to his troops.
“Shield Bearers, deploy to the front! Use the spacing between trees—scatter your formation, don’t form a single line!”
“Spearmen behind the shields, maintain your intervals!”
“Archers, move to the rear and flanks! Position yourselves where you have clear sight lines!”
Commands poured forth.
The soldiers moved swiftly in response.
Those bearing shields filled the spaces between trees.
Then, creating distance between themselves, they formed their formation.
“The enemy is a monster capable of wielding Aura. Spread out by squad to engage them.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
They knew that if they bunched together, dozens of soldiers could fall in a single strike.
Following Bassel’s command, the soldiers spread out roughly ten meters apart, forming a formation like a net.
All of them gazed forward with steady, unwavering eyes.
Knowing that this choice.
Led toward death.
‘I will… return alive.’
‘I must….’
This formation was but a single fragment that might raise their chances of survival, however slightly.
And not long after.
Crunch!
With the sound of accumulated snow being trampled.
“Archer Unit! Fire!”
They appeared.
* * *
Darkness had completely descended upon the mountain terrain.
Before the Gracekal Mine, the strategic pass carved from a section of the vast mountain range bore an atmosphere entirely different from daylight. Even moonlight could not penetrate the canopy to reach the ground, and beneath lay a thick darkness like a Black Curtain.
An invisible tension hung suspended above that darkness.
As if the entire mountain were holding its breath, it trembled quietly like a beast.
Wind swept past.
Whiiing!
Branches scraped against one another with a low cry.
A subtle resonance as if something were about to burst forth.
“….”
Berkal watched the scene unfold in silence.
The battlefield was a place where no one could predict when, where, or what would happen.
No matter how strong Morganteron was, he could not foresee every variable.
And that was precisely why….
“….”
Berkal kept his senses razor-sharp, observing the situation with heightened vigilance.
Perhaps on this battlefield… I could even kill the Empire’s Supreme Commander.
Dozens of scenarios were already running simultaneously through my mind.
But then it happened.
“Military Strategist Berkal!”
A cry that tore through the silence.
My eyes shifted ever so slightly.
A warrior was rushing toward me from behind, gasping for breath.
My gaze turned slowly toward him.
“What is it?”
“Currently, from the Mountain Outskirts… approximately one thousand Imperial cavalry are approaching…!”
My eyes narrowed slightly.
“…Cavalry?”
Confusion lingered in my voice.
The two individuals most worthy of caution within the Empire were Duke Carbain and Marquis Arteon.
Having already transcended the 7th Star and entered the 8th Star realm, they were calamities unto themselves.
But….
‘Duke Carbain could not possibly have come this far north.’
The unit led by Marquis Arteon was an infantry unit.
There was no way they could have converted to cavalry in such a short time.
Nevertheless….
“It does no harm to verify.”
The words flowed low from my lips.
At the same time, my eyes grew completely cold.
I spoke.
“Send warriors there at once. The commander shall be….”
At my continued words, the warrior responded loudly and rushed off somewhere at great speed.

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