The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 352

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Mad Spearman of the Northern Front (352)
“…A Great Warrior, then.”
Belkain’s gaze upon the Battlefield grew more cautious than ever before.
Even amid the thick dust and mingled stench of blood, his eyes remained fixed upon a single point.
A Great Warrior of the Kar Tribe had appeared at the Forward Position.
That colossal figure advanced like a reef cleaving through waves, shattering the Imperial Army’s Formation as it pressed forward.
Spears and Swords bounced away before they could even make contact, and Soldiers who raised their Shields were sent rolling across the Ground by the sheer impact of the Aura alone.
By now, such a sight was no longer unfamiliar.
Having suffered greatly before, our preparations were flawless.
Belkain turned to an Officer beside him and spoke.
“Is that ready?”
His voice was low, yet it carried clearly even through the cacophony of the Battlefield.
“We can fire immediately upon your command, sir.”
At the Officer’s words, Belkain observed the Battlefield where thousands clashed in the Central sector.
The Battlefield where thousands of Soldiers were locked in combat had long since lost all semblance of order.
Blood-soaked earth clung to feet like mud, and more Soldiers trampled over fallen Corpses as they stumbled forward.
The Kar Tribe pressed a devastating offensive with their Great Warrior at the vanguard, and behind it, their forces poured down like a swarm of ants.
There was no fear in their movements—only relentless advance.
The Bellikejel Plain was drenched in blood, and the clash of weapons mixed with the screams of Soldiers into a deafening roar.
The ear-splitting ring of metal, the dull sensation of flesh being torn, and the endless cries of agony.
Yet amid it all, Belkain remained composed.
Belkain spoke.
“Deploy them as far forward as possible and strike the enemy’s Rear Position—cut off their momentum.”
It was a simple Command, but its meaning was unmistakable.
“Yes, sir!”
In that moment.
Screeeeeech!
With the sound of earth being scraped, heavy structures began moving toward the Forward Position.
Dust rose up, obscuring the Soldiers’ vision.
Dozens of catapults, each roughly the height of a man, began advancing toward the Forward Position.
Soldiers pushed, pulled, and hoisted them as they labored for breath.
These “improvised catapults,” designed on the spot, were another stratagem Belkain had prepared.
Though lacking refinement, their simple construction allowed for rapid assembly, and most importantly, they could be produced in great numbers.
While they might lack the size and power of siege catapults,
‘they are more than sufficient for use against men.’
Belkain’s gaze grew even colder.
The largest rocks they could hurl were limited to boulders roughly the size of an adult’s head.
A single projectile’s impact was weak, but with over a hundred of them, the story changed entirely.
Screeeeeech!
As the improvised catapults finished deploying, Soldiers swiftly loaded rocks into them.
And once all preparations were complete.
Pweeeeeeeee!
A Horn blared across the Battlefield, signaling the launch.
The sound rippled across the expanse, freezing every Soldier in place for a single, breathless moment.
And in that same instant.
“Fire!”
At the Officer’s cry, nearly a hundred stones rocketed skyward.
Kuguguguguguguguguung!
The simultaneous roar of launch was as colossal as thunder itself.
The air seemed to tear apart under the compression.
The stones, having traveled a full five hundred meters, descended directly upon the Kar Tribe’s heads.
Splat splat splat splat splat splat splat splat splat! Splat splat!
“It’s, it’s the Imperial Army’s attack! Raise your Shields!”
“Sh, Shields are useless… Ugh!”
Crash!
The Shields held by the Kar Tribe Warriors shattered under the tremendous velocity of the falling stones.
The iron Shields caved inward and crumbled, and the skull of the Soldier behind them burst open.
Moreover, since the simple catapults used small rocks, their loading speed was swift, making the firing rate inevitably rapid.
It was, quite simply.
Crash crash crash crash crash crash crash crash boom!
For the Kar Tribe Warriors in the Rear Position, it was Hell itself unfolding.
Blood and flesh sprayed upward, and screams were cut short instantly.
There was no time even to flee.
Belkain’s eyes grew cold as he observed the carnage.
“Do we have sufficient quantities of stones?”
“We’ve secured enough to launch continuously until sunset without pause.”
The Northern Region was littered with rocks and boulders.
Belkain nodded at the Officer’s words.
“Keep close watch on the Combat Situation with the Great Warrior. If we find ourselves pressed even slightly, we’ll need to reinforce our Military Strength.”
“Understood.”
Currently facing off against the Kar Tribe’s Great Warrior at the Vanguard were four Warriors.
All had reached the 6-Star Realm, specially dispatched to contend with the Great Warrior.
Their Swords gleamed with Aura, and the mere collision of their blows distorted the surrounding air.
‘Now… things are different from before.’
In the past, the Northern Region had always suffered from insufficient manpower, forced to deploy Prisoners as Meat Shields to barely hold back the Kar Tribe.
Those were days when mere endurance was the only option.
But once Sedrian began dispatching Reinforcements to the North, the entire situation transformed.
The minerals extracted from the Northern Region enriched the Empire, and with that wealth came a flood of renowned commanders and Trained Soldiers.
And now that the Kar Tribe had evolved, the old methods had to be completely abandoned.
‘Capturing the Great Warrior is ultimately an impossible task.’
I had to acknowledge what deserved acknowledgment.
Unless another 7-Star Warrior joined their ranks, even the Empire had only a handful of Warriors at that caliber.
Then what was the answer?
‘Minimize casualties and sever their bodies.’
That was the solution.
I had to reduce the Kar Tribe’s Regular Warriors through other means while keeping our own losses to a minimum.
No matter how exceptional a Warrior was, they couldn’t win a War without Soldiers.
And this strategy was proving devastatingly effective.
In barely half a day, the Kar Tribe Warriors’ casualties had already reached several hundred.
“Keep firing until those bastards collapse from exhaustion!”
“Fire away!”
With the Officer’s cry, the loaded siege catapults erupted once more in flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boulders soared skyward, raining down relentlessly upon the Kar Tribe’s Rear Formation.
As if the heavens themselves had become our enemy.
It was equally crucial to minimize casualties among our Allied Forces fighting on the Front Line.
But that was the moment.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”
“Enemy! A Kar Tribe Great Warrior…! Kyaaaah!”
Suddenly, screams erupted from the left flank of our Formation.
In an instant, every Soldier’s gaze snapped toward that direction.
And then…
The air itself tore asunder!
A blue Aura exploded outward.
The shockwave alone sent a dozen Soldiers flying through the air.
“Step aside, you Imperial insects.”
A voice cold as ice.
Devoid of all emotion.
Only slaughter in pursuit of a singular objective.
“Stop him! We must prevent him from advancing further!”
“Block that monster!”
Officers and Soldiers alike rushed desperately toward Erka, the Kar Tribe’s Great Warrior.
But those who couldn’t even wield an Aura stood no chance against one bearing seven Feather Tattoos.
A sharp crack split the air!
A single swing.
That alone shattered the Soldiers’ Formation.
Belkain’s eyes narrowed at the sight.
‘Could it be… two Great Warriors moving at once?’
The Forward Position.
And here, right now.
Being compressed simultaneously from both sides was enough to make even Belkain feel threatened.
I didn’t know who was commanding the Kar Tribe now, but they were undoubtedly unconventional and mad.
Such a tactic could yield great results, but the risk would be proportionally enormous.
However….
‘It means they have enough conviction to bear that risk.’
Belkain opened his mouth.
“…Can you stop that man?”
“I’ll give it my best.”
A brief, resolute answer.
At Belkain’s words, the man who had been assisting him stepped forward.
The pale Northern sun bore down, illuminating his crimson hair.
Beneath the strands that fluttered slightly in the wind lay eyes of serene composure.
The surrounding noise seemed to fade into strange distance.
Belkain spoke.
“I’m counting on you, Kailun.”
With those words.
Shing.
A cold metallic ring cut through the air.
And Kailun, his coat fluttering, began to surge rapidly toward the Battlefield where combat raged.
* * *
Given the Northern Region’s vast expanse, no single location could be designated as the primary Battlefield.
This Land, tangled with Mountain Ranges and Gorges, frozen Plains and deep Forests, contained countless Battlefields within itself.
When one point breaks through, the aftermath spreads in a chain reaction.
And those connecting links… were invisible.
Moreover….
‘Predicting their movements in advance is impossible in this situation.’
Arteon frowned while studying the Map of the Northern Region spread across the Table.
Lines drawn upon thick parchment.
Already dozens of marks were layered upon it.
Regions where Engagements had occurred, their movement routes, and even the points where their Troops had gathered.
All of it was completely off.
Isaac spoke, looking at Arteon.
“Even after dispatching the Reconnaissance Unit deep into the Northern Region, it’s difficult to grasp their movements. It seems… someone among the Kar Tribe is disrupting their movements.”
At Isaac’s stern expression, Arteon nodded.
He shared the same thought.
The Reconnaissance Unit was far from incompetent.
They had spent considerable time here in the Northern Region.
The fact that they were capturing nothing meant.
‘They are moving so as not to be caught.’
Unless someone was artificially disrupting things as Isaac suggested, the current situation made no sense.
But there was one thing.
“No matter how much I think about it, something feels off….”
Arteon tapped the Map with the Command Baton he was holding.
Where the tip stopped were the three locations where recent Engagements had been concentrated.
They were points far separated from one another.
“Here and… here. And this place.”
As the Command Baton moved, the Officers’ gazes followed it.
The concern that had been circling in my mind all this time was finally reaching its conclusion.
“Someone from another Kingdom is helping the Kar Tribe… isn’t it?”
“…What?”
Isaac’s eyes wavered slightly.
“No matter how much I think about it… this isn’t the Kar Tribe’s way.”
Arteon’s voice was low, but resolute.
My Past Life and now.
I have fought the Kar Tribe for a very long time.
I have experienced their habits, their Battle methods, even the Flow of their judgment through my own body.
The Kar Tribe is simple, but they primarily wage Battle by crushing their opponents centered on their formidable Combat Power.
Momentum over Tactics.
Instinct takes precedence over calculation for those Bastards.
But now….
‘It’s too refined.’
Disrupting enemies in this manner and inducing chaos through massive Troop deployments was not the Kar Tribe’s way.
Deliberately creating gaps, Luring enemies through those gaps, then applying Compression from elsewhere.
It resembles the Continent’s.
A method used by Kingdoms other than the Empire.
Especially the method used when the weak face the strong.
It was the same as what those who considered themselves weak had done when fighting powerful enemies.
At Arteon’s words, Isaac and the other Officers in the room shook their heads.
“That couldn’t possibly be.”
“No matter how poor our relations with another Kingdom are, would they really help the Kar Tribe?”
Their reaction was natural.
But Arteon did not answer their words.
Instead, I slowly lowered my gaze.
Even if it wasn’t related to another Kingdom, the way I had been dealing with Those Guys up until now would have to change completely.
‘At this rate….’
In the end.
I would have no choice but to be dragged along by Those Guys.
Soon after, Arteon grasped the Pen placed on the Table and began writing something rapidly on Paper.
There was no hesitation.
Short sentences, but ones containing only the essence.
It was not a request, but rather a plea for permission to execute an operation that would shift the board itself.
Before the ink could dry, I folded the paper and slipped it into an envelope.
Then, sealing the Letter with a Seal, I extended it forward and spoke.
“Send this Letter to the Imperial Palace immediately. It must go with haste.”
“Yes, understood.”
The Officer received the envelope with both hands.
With this single Letter.
Everyone understood that the flow of the Northern Region could change.
To alter the current atmosphere.
Arteon slowly opened his mouth.
“…We must move first.”
At those words, all the Officers in the room slowly nodded their heads.

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