Becoming a Swordmaster by Reading Chapter 68
The Special Task Force Company's arrows continued to pour down.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
The third, fourth, fifth…
They succeeded in firing a total of five volleys this time as well, and in the meantime, the Imperial pursuit unit had only managed to fire three.
To make matters worse, as if flustered, the accuracy of the Imperial pursuit unit's arrows was also quite low.
‘…Was the difference in the archers' skills this great?’
Muhib, who was watching this, gritted his teeth without realizing it.
The loss of strength was too great even before the main battle had begun.
From the arrow attacks alone, more than 15 infantry and archers were either severely injured or had lost their lives.
But he could not retreat like this.
If they were defeated again, the morale of the Imperial Army would drop significantly.
Above all, in the midst of a tense tug-of-war with the Allied Forces, a situation could arise where the Imperial Army might be unilaterally dragged along.
Therefore, they absolutely had to secure a victory today.
“We are the strongest unit in the Imperial Army! Never lose! We must win!”
Thus, Muhib shouted to raise morale, and finally, the infantry units of both sides clashed.
Clang! Claang! Slice! Clang!
Despite being outnumbered, the Imperial infantry, befitting their elite status, did not fall behind the Infantry Platoon.
It was only natural, as Muhib's unit was composed of the most talented soldiers selected and trained from the Imperial Army.
Above all, Muhib's unit had a hidden trump card.
‘1-star knights!’
Mixed among Muhib’s unit of regular infantry were those who were 1-star knights.
And it wasn't just one person.
There were as many as three 1-star knights.
Therefore, the slight numerical disadvantage was surmountable.
He had certainly thought so.
But,
Slice! Slice! Slice!
As the battle continued, it was only the Imperial infantry whose body parts were tumbling on the ground.
The three 1-star knights from whom Muhib had expected a turnaround were completely powerless.
The reason was none other than this.
‘A regular infantryman… is blocking a 1-star knight's sword with a shield?’
The Imperial Army's 1-star knights had unleashed their aura from the very first clash.
It was calculated that if they didn't seize the momentum early on, they wouldn't be able to win this fight.
But the aura attacks were repeatedly blocked by the Infantry Platoon.
And it didn't just end with blocking.
“Squad Leader! There's a 1-star knight over here!”
“There’s one here too! Stall for time until Hugo gets here!”
“Those of you fighting the 1-star knights, switch out! I still have my defense left!”
They dealt with the aura attacks by changing positions in an orderly fashion.
And,
“Khaha! Bring it on! I'll take care of you!”
“A duel between 1-star knights! My blood boils!”
“Is it you? Are you the strongest one here?”
Finally, the Infantry Platoon's 1-star knights blocked their path.
‘They have 1-star knights among their regular soldiers too? And three of them?’
It wasn't three.
The Infantry Platoon had far more 1-star knights than that.
Zailo, Terne, Federico, Hugo, and Manolo had all ascended to the 1-star realm after taking the elixir this time.
Of course, it wasn't the elixir alone that had made them 1-star knights.
It was possible because of the aura they had absorbed into their bodies through diligent training until now.
In any case, the total number of 1-star knights among the regular soldiers of the Infantry Platoon was five.
Of these five, Terne, Hugo, and Manolo faced the 1-star knights of the Imperial pursuit unit.
And the remaining two 1-star knights were active among the regular infantry who didn't know how to use aura.
Because of that, the picture Muhib had expected was being painted by the Infantry Platoon.
It felt like a tiger had been let loose among herbivores.
‘Our Infantry Platoon Leader and Deputy Platoon Leader are also not able to perform properly because they are engaged with their counterparts from the other side. At this rate, we will be pushed back in the infantry engagement as well.’
All that was left was the cavalry.
If they were pushed back in the cavalry battle as well, the Imperial pursuit unit would have no choice but to suffer a major defeat.
If there was any consolation, it was the fact that their cavalry was composed of heavy cavalry, which was better armed than the enemy's.
But the Imperial pursuit unit lost this battle as well.
Kwoooong!
The moment the two units clashed, the Imperial cavalry could not withstand the rebound and fell from their horses like autumn leaves.
‘No!’
The shocked Muhib personally jumped into the battlefield for a final, desperate struggle.
The sortie of a 4-star knight, who was as good as invincible on most battlefields.
At this sortie, the expressions of the Imperial pursuit unit brightened for a moment, but darkness soon fell again.
Because another 4-star knight blocked his path.
It was Roden.
***
Roden blocked Muhib’s path and thought.
‘I can't gauge his level. That means he's at least a 4-star knight, same as me. Can I really win?’
In the meantime, Muhib frowned and spoke to Roden.
“How on earth can this be? Did you push yourselves to the limit just to disrupt our rear?”
It was certainly understandable for Muhib to misunderstand.
The Special Task Force Company was overwhelming his unit, which was classified as the elite of the elite in the Imperial Army.
That was how absurdly strong the Special Task Force Company was.
However,
“It's a misunderstanding. We were classified as unnecessary forces and were forcibly pushed here.”
“Lies!”
“It’s true. Though I don’t think you’d believe me no matter how I explain it.”
“To think you'd try to mock the enemy until the very end, you have no honor! Even if I die here, I will take your head! Hiyah!”
Muhib quickly spurred his horse and charged toward Roden.
At the same time, he unleashed his aura, and Roden guessed Muhib's level.
‘4-star.’
As Roden had this thought, he also unleashed his 4-star aura and took a defensive stance according to his swordsmanship.
However,
Slice.
Roden could not completely block Muhib's attack.
Muhib's sword suddenly lengthened and slashed Roden's left shoulder.
Fortunately, his body reacted instinctively and prevented the sword from piercing through the joint of his armor, but he couldn't help the pauldron from falling off.
‘The sword momentarily lengthening. So this is his secret technique. I was almost done for.’
While Roden was thinking, Muhib expressed his annoyance.
“The commander is a 4-star knight, yet you were the Allied Forces' disposable card? So it was a lie after all!”
From Roden's perspective, it was somewhat unfair.
It was true that the Vanguard Battalion had used the Special Task Force Company as a disposable card.
But there was no time to feel wronged.
Muhib's attack was aimed at Roden once again.
Swoosh!
As expected, it was a secret technique, as the sword that flew along its path lengthened once more.
However, there was no way Roden would fall for the same trick twice.
He used the Variola Swordsmanship's secret technique in timing.
His sword momentarily multiplied into three, and Muhib, flustered, changed his offensive stance to a defensive one.
Clang!
Roden's attack was narrowly blocked by Muhib's sword.
But Roden did not stop there and pressed Muhib.
Thus, three swords pressed Muhib from different directions.
Muhib increasingly felt himself being pushed into a corner.
It was only because his sword was long that he was able to defend; otherwise, he would have been hit long ago.
‘At this rate, I'll run out of strength and eventually be defeated.’
Thinking this, Muhib decided to go for broke.
At the same time, he dodged one of the attacks he thought was the real one and then swung his sword at Roden with all his might.
Slice.
There was a sound of something being cut, but Muhib's attack did not reach Roden.
A step faster, Roden's sword, like a snake, slid up Muhib's sword and cut his chest.
“Cough… You were hiding another secret technique.”
As soon as Muhib uttered his last words, he fell to the ground with a thud.
Roden silently looked down at the unhorsed corpse of Muhib before belatedly opening his mouth.
“You must have been hiding something too. Why didn't you use it?”
Roden asked, but there was no answer from Muhib's corpse.
***
“Waaaah! We won!”
“We are victorious!”
In conclusion, the Special Task Force Company achieved another great victory.
It was a natural result, as the Special Task Force Company had overwhelmed the Imperial pursuit unit not only in the infantry, archery, and cavalry battles but also in the fight between the commanders.
Moreover, despite a head-on confrontation, the damage suffered by the Special Task Force Company was quite small.
“Light Cavalry Platoon reporting. Three seriously injured, two dead. The enemy cavalry commander's performance was painful.”
“The Archery Platoon has two seriously injured and one dead. Most of the damage was sustained during the exchange of arrow fire with the enemy archers at the end of the battle.”
“As for the Infantry Platoon, there is one seriously injured and no deaths. The serious injury occurred when a soldier failed to withdraw quickly after using his defense.”
In turn, Liviano, Olinto, and Chevalier reported the damage situation to Roden.
Although there were some seriously injured and dead, it was a remarkable achievement for having annihilated an entire company.
It was even more so, considering that not only had they defeated nearly 100 enemies, but they had also killed one 4-star, three 2-star, and six 1-star knights.
“You've all worked hard. Let's hurry up and finish cleaning up, then move to a suitable place to rest.”
At Roden's command, the three men moved in an orderly fashion.
It was a movement that seemed to show no sign of the fatigue of war.
But Roden knew.
That the three of them were also very tired.
In fact, it wasn't just the three of them.
The entire Special Task Force Company was now quite exhausted.
It was unavoidable, having been chased, hidden, and fought two battles throughout the operation.
‘But I can't retreat yet. I haven't achieved the desired result.’
Roden desperately wanted to retreat.
But if he retreated now, he would surely be severely reprimanded.
The Imperial Army's rear had not yet been properly disrupted.
‘I hope the results of today's battle are well-communicated, and the Imperial Army's anger boils to the top of their heads.’
Roden silently watched the fleeing remnants of the Imperial pursuit unit running away unarmed in the distance.
He had let them go on purpose.