The Immortal Genius Spearman
Chapter 136

Chapter 136

“Damn Aura Master…!”

Heymond, who was advancing toward Sragan under Estevan’s orders, spat out a curse as he heard the sudden news of Galveron’s retreat.

Wasn’t the whole plan based on attacking Sragan from both sides with Galveron?

The troops provided by Estevan numbered 7,000.

That was a considerable number of soldiers, but even with this force, attacking Sragan would be a major challenge.

Not only were they outnumbered, but the defenders also had the advantage of fortifications.

‘Unless Galveron uses his Aura to completely destroy one side of the wall, breaking through will be difficult.’

Without Galveron, attacking the enemy holding the fortifications was an impossible task.

Heymond frowned as he listened to the report from his subordinate.

“Send a messenger to General Galveron immediately. Tell him to regroup with his 3,000 troops and rejoin us here.”

He couldn’t understand what had happened below, but without Galveron, this battle would be meaningless.

There was no way to take down a fortress guarded by over 20,000 soldiers with only 7,000 men.

Especially without siege weapons, the situation was even worse.

Heymond’s subordinate nodded and quickly left to deliver the message to Galveron.

After the subordinate departed, Heymond muttered quietly to himself.

“…How has the empire’s prestige fallen so low?”

His words were laced with frustration.

* * *

An oppressive silence hung over the meeting room.

Even Mateus, who held full military authority in the Spanian Kingdom, couldn’t make a quick decision.

At that moment, Hainel spoke to him.

“What does General Mateus think?”

As a duke from an allied kingdom, he asked for Mateus’ opinion.

As Damian had said, whether they fought or not was entirely up to Mateus.

However…

“If we do not fight, we will withdraw our forces and return to our homeland. Given the current situation, we cannot leave our homeland unattended for long.”

“…”

In other words, they had to fight.

Mateus furrowed his brow, deep in thought about the difficult situation.

He had to calculate how many casualties they would suffer if they left the fortress and engaged the enemy outside.

However…

“Will Duke Hainel also join the battle?”

“As I said earlier, I will suppress the Empire’s Aura Master. That should suffice.”

Mateus nodded at Hainel’s words.

If the Empire’s Aura Master didn’t interfere, then…

‘Perhaps this could be an opportunity.’

Though he hesitated due to the limited resources they had.

‘When you have nothing, you can afford to risk everything.’

If they could annihilate the Empire’s forces in this battle, their strength would be significantly weakened.

Mateus nodded again.

“Then let’s proceed. This battle will show the Empire that we are not a force to be taken lightly.”

At those words, Diorant’s eyes wavered.

“Are you serious?”

“There is no other option. If we just sit back and defend, and the Empire brings an even larger army, we won’t have the strength to stop them.”

If the Empire realized that they could be pushed back, they would have to be more cautious moving forward.

Hainel nodded.

“I respect the Spanian Kingdom’s decision. In that case, as promised, I will make sure the Empire’s Aura Master cannot act freely.”

“I will lead my troops to attack the Empire’s right flank.”

At Damian’s words, Diorant frowned. What on earth was happening?

But he quickly composed himself and spoke calmly.

“Then I will lead the main army and attack from the left.”

“But will the Caion unit be enough for the right flank? You may need reinforcements.”

Hainel asked.

There was a concern about balance in the attacks from both sides. However, Damian shook his head.

“If General Diorant’s forces initiate the attack, the enemy’s attention will focus on the left. At that moment, if I strike the right flank, a smaller force will actually be more effective.”

The Caion unit’s strength lay in its extreme mobility.

By utilizing that mobility to strike the enemy’s flank and quickly retreat, the main army led by General Mateus would be able to take full advantage of the situation.

Hainel nodded.

“In that case…”

He glanced out the window.

The sun was still up, bright in the daytime sky.

“After the sun sets, let’s prepare to move at dawn.”

All the commanders present nodded in agreement.

* * *

“Commander.”

After the meeting, Damian immediately returned to the Caion unit and began checking the status of his troops.

“What’s the current status of the unit?”

“We have 17 casualties and 32 wounded. While the injuries aren’t too severe, those wounded won’t be able to participate in the upcoming battle.”

Terka, who had been managing the unit in Damian’s absence, reported the situation.

The loss of 50 men was a significant blow to the Caion unit, which only had 300 members.

However…

“Exclude the wounded from the battle and summon the squad leaders.”

“Yes, sir.”

Terka nodded and quickly went to gather the squad leaders.

Once they were assembled, Damian spread out a map of northern Sragan that he had received from General Mateus.

“This is the map I received from General Mateus. Study it carefully after this briefing and memorize the terrain.”

“Yes, sir.”

The squad leaders responded in unison.

Damian nodded and continued.

“At dawn tomorrow, we will leave through the eastern gate of Sragan.”

He used a stick to trace a path on the map.

“We’ll circle around and occupy this hill. Once the battle begins on the left, we’ll immediately descend and strike the enemy’s right flank.”

“We’re attacking the Imperial army?”

Terka asked, looking a bit surprised. Damian nodded.

“Is there a problem?”

“N-no, sir.”

Terka’s hesitation likely stemmed from the fact that the Empire hadn’t made a move yet.

If they fought after being attacked, it would be considered ‘defense,’ but at this moment, it would be a ‘preemptive strike’ on their part.

‘It’s an unavoidable choice.’

But that was why this attack had to succeed.

It could change the perception of many.

The Caion unit’s squad leaders focused on Damian’s words as they continued to refine the details of the operation. Then…

“Commander, who will fill in for Vice-Commander Dianal?”

“Leave that position empty. I’ll handle it myself.”

“Managing both command and communication will be difficult. Are you sure you can handle it?”

Relaying Damian’s orders to the squad leaders and directing the troops had been Dianal’s role.

It would have been ideal to have him, but…

“I can do it.”

“Understood.”

“Yes, sir.”

The squad leaders all nodded in agreement.

“Tell the soldiers to rest before the operation begins. If they can’t sleep, at least close their eyes and rest. The dawn battle will be…”

Damian gazed toward the Imperial army waiting to the north of Sragan.

He spoke with determination.

“It will be a fierce fight.”

This battle could very well become a pivotal moment that would reshape the entire continent.

Everyone nodded and began to move to their respective positions.

* * *

“…How long has it been?”

The sun had set, and night had fallen.

Hainel stood under the dark night sky, recalling memories from long ago.

Memories from the time before peace, when the continent was engulfed in endless war.

“Only 12 years…”

No, should it be considered a full 12 years?

In a way, the peace had lasted for quite a while.

Of course, there had been skirmishes here and there, but nothing like before.

Now, however, things were different.

The Empire, with its greed to conquer the continent, required a force capable of resisting.

‘…Damian.’

—How about striking first?

Many would say he was bold, arrogant, and unaware of his limits.

But to Hainel, Damian seemed like a soldier from an entirely different era.

He had the look of someone who had lived through the war-torn days of old, not the current age of peace.

‘How can such a young man have eyes like that?’

For a moment, Hainel wondered what kind of life Damian had led. But…

“First, we need to deal with the task at hand.”

It was now dawn.

Hainel turned to his subordinate, who had entered the room.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What’s Galveron’s position?”

“He’s stationed slightly east of Sragan.”

“Of course…”

Although Galveron had withdrawn, he was still close enough to rejoin the fight at any moment.

They hadn’t given up on Sragan yet. In that case…

“We’ll have to make them abandon it completely.”

To do so…

“I’ll place my trust in them.”

The future now rested in the hands of the next generation.

* * *

The moonlight was hidden behind clouds, leaving the night in complete darkness.

The Caion unit moved swiftly and silently under the cover of this blackness, positioning themselves on the eastern hill where the Imperial forces were stationed.

The hill wasn’t very tall, but the dense thicket provided perfect cover if they crouched low.

Damian, at the front, observed the Imperial soldiers from a distance.

‘If we charge down the hill, it’ll take about five minutes…’

Without moonlight, they could get within two minutes of the enemy without being detected.

And if the western forces launched their attack, drawing attention away…

‘We’ll hit them before they even know we’re there.’

If everything went according to plan, they could start the battle with a

decisive blow.

Damian silently led his unit down the hill.

Nodding once, he signaled the others to follow.

The rest of the soldiers moved quietly behind him, every movement calculated and precise.

The plan was already set.

All they needed now was the signal.

Thud, thud, thud.

For some reason, Damian’s heart was racing faster than usual.

Everyone instinctively understood the weight of this battle.

This fight was different from the ones before.

But one thing was certain: when this battle was over…

‘Everything will change.’

The geopolitical landscape of the continent, the Empire’s position, and even the Caion unit’s standing.

Damian gripped his spear tightly, confident in what lay ahead.

And then, in the chilling silence…

Shoo-shoo-shoo-shoo!

Arrows pierced through the darkness, raining down on the Imperial soldiers.

“Argh!”

“We’re under attack! The enemy archers are attacking!”

The Imperial army erupted in chaos.

They had never expected the forces in Sragan to initiate an attack.

Fwoosh!

“Slaughter the Imperial soldiers!”

“Charge!”

As Diorant led his troops in a frontal assault, the Empire’s attention was fully diverted.

And that was when…

“Caion unit, keep low and charge the enemy!”

Like a hidden dagger, the Caion unit surged forward from the shadows, aimed straight at the heart of the Imperial army.