Chapter 48 : Second Clash (7)

Chapter 48: Second Clash (7)

-Waaaaaaah-!

The Centuria broke from the shield wall and charged, fired up by Shatien and Miles’s brave rush.

Shatien was tense inside.

He remembered a similar situation when he led that third rate mercenary band. Their discipline had collapsed in an instant and they had scattered, running for their lives.

In truth, that was only natural for mercenaries.

They bet their lives for a handful of coins, so when their lives were on the line, they were bound to be skittish.

“Follow our leader!”

“Shatien and Miles are charging ahead. We cannot fall behind. Go, go!”

Yet his Centuria threw those worries aside and rushed in with redoubled courage. It left Shatien dumbfounded.

‘This is shocking. Why… are they going this far?’

They were shouting his name as they followed. He did not know about their skill, but their fighting spirit alone was worthy of a first rate troop.

But he had no time to be moved.

“!”

Above, the crossbowmen had finished reloading and were taking aim.

‘One mistake and it’ll be a disaster.’

Shatien clenched his teeth.

“Shatien!”

“I know, Miles.”

They had thrown away their shields and were running, which meant the casualties this volley could cause would be horrific. He could not allow that.

“Huup-!”

Shatien tightened his core and lunged forward in a single great stride.

“H-Huh? H-Hey! You crazy bastard.”

“The commander-looking bastard is out in front! Aim for him!”

-Ziiiing.

A cold chill ran down his spine.

Cold sweat trickled along his back.

In an instant the world turned the red of warning as that mysterious sense screamed.

But Shatien did not retreat. He did not even flinch.

He only gripped his sword more tightly and braced for the impact that was about to follow.

‘I can do this-!’

He remembered the rock cutting drills with his master. The armor defense techniques he had been given, using a knight’s plate as a shield.

And the realm he had touched, though only for a moment, where he placed his will inside the blade.

-Riiiiiing!

A rising hum answered his unwavering intent. That strange power surged.

Then,

“Fire-! Kill that bastard!”

-Swish, swoosh.

As soon as rain of bolts came down from the palisade,

-Clack, clang.

-Clang!

Sparks formed around Shatien.

Sometimes his sword batted them away.

Sometimes his thick gauntlets and pauldrons deflected them aside.

“Kgh!”

A few bolts punched through the armor and bit into flesh, but not deeply. It was enough for him to endure it and keep going.

“?!?!”

“Waaaaah-!”

Both sides reacted to that astounding display of skill.

The imperial soldiers on the palisade gaped in horror. The mercenaries of Shatien’s Centuria howled with boiling excitement.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

-Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.

His breathing became rougher and his heartbeat became faster as well.

‘...I blocked it. The next volley is in fifty seconds again…!’

Then the next step would be the palisade walls!

Miles, seasoned as ever, sensed exactly what Shatien intended.

“You idiots, what are you doing! Our leader is in front. Run, you slugs! Shatien took the volley that was meant for you! Charge in! Hyaaah! Rai rai yaa!”

He roared and whirled his axe, charging straight for the palisade.

“Agghhh! They are climbing up.”

“Stop them! We must hold the line.”

“Reload, is it done? Not yet? Do not fall back, you bastards!”

The imperial officer on the palisade screamed himself hoarse, but it did no good.

-Crack!

-Aghhh!

-Crack, crunch!

Shatien’s Centuria scrambled up and over and began to butcher the imperial soldiers. The officer was no exception.

“Hold! We just have to hold them until we finish reloading. Raise your shields and just block! Do not counter, just endure… Ugh!”

A blade flew in and rammed through his neck. He dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Look for an opening. If they finish reloading, we will take heavy losses. Now!”

Shatien yanked a bolt out of his shoulder guard and shouted.

He had bought them precious seconds. He could not afford to waste them.

“Tch.”

Even so, the imperial shield wall lived up to its name. It was solid. Shatien clicked his tongue and bounded forward. He planted a boot on a shield and leapt.

“H-Huuuh?”

“Hey, hey, hey! What are you fools doing?”

-Thud.

He crashed down in the middle of the imperial formation with a heavy thud. Crossbowmen in front. Shield bearers behind. He was surrounded by a sort, but Shatien stayed relaxed.

The crossbows were still half loaded, their owners grunting and struggling with the winches. The shield bearers had enemies in front of them, so their backs were completely exposed.

-Slash!

-Slice!

Thanks to that, his blade danced without resistance.

“Urrghh.”

“Egh.”

Gurgling cries and sharp squawks rang out as the shield bearers were cut down, blood spraying from the back of their heads. Several crossbowmen dropped their half loaded weapons in a panic and drew their swords instead. But it was a foolish mistake.

-Slice!

Their blades were short, their armor light, and their skill lacking.

Shatien’s sword traced a half circle through the air.

“Aaagh, my hand! My haand!”

Several crossbowmen went rolling on the ground, shrieking as their severed wrists spun away.

-Thunk.

He drove his sword into the chest of one man who was screaming. It was a mercy killing in his eyes, a way to cut the pain short. But the sight said something else.

“Ugh… Oughh…”

“What kind of monster…”

He stabbed and stabbed with a flat, untroubled expression. It was terrifying. Every step he took made the crossbowmen step back.

Of course, some still had courage.

“You idiots, he is only one man!”

“If we keep backing off, we really will all die. Draw your blades! This is our last stroke of luck.”

One crossbowman drew his sword and charged, voice booming. A few nearby found their nerve and rushed in with him.

‘Damn. Nothing is ever easy.’

Shatien clicked his tongue and answered with steel.

-Clang!

The instigator was not entirely hopeless. He somehow managed to block Shatien’s first strike.

But that was all.

-Ugh.

Shatien’s sword moved faster and harder. The man could not endure. He dropped with a dull thud. Shatien caught him by the neck and hauled him upright.

His master always said the knight who ruled the battlefield had to know how to work the mind.

“U-Ugh! Ough!”

The man was big, armored, a fully grown fighter, and his weight was considerable. With a mortal wound, he could only flail weakly.

“How dare you bastard! Put John down!”

Because of that, the crossbowmen who had dared to come close froze. They did not want to hack into their own comrade, who was now serving as Shatien’s human shield.

“What is wrong? You don’t wanna take a swing?”

“You coward! That is cheap.”

“I suppose that's the only line you know. Fine. I will return it in a way that is not cheap.”

Shatien shoved the man away with all his strength.

“Ahhhh?”

“Put your blades away!”

-Crash.

The stumbling body crashed into the others and sent them tumbling. Shatien did not miss the opening. He grabbed the fallen men one by one and stabbed them in the ankles and wrists.

-Thunk!

“Aghhhh!”

-Thud.

“U-Ugh.”

Crossbowmen writhed in agony. They did not die, but the blood gushed and they screamed. The uninjured men who had surrounded him went pale.

The scene was grotesque.

“Out of the wayyy!”

“We are ready now. Give him a hail of bolts. Let us see if he can dodge at this range!”

The crossbowmen in the rear had finished loading and raised their weapons toward Shatien. Shatien snatched up one of the wounded men and held him as a shield.

“If you shoot, your precious comrade dies.”

“You filthy mercenary!”

“Filthy you say. You think you are clean, sitting up high and shooting bolts into a crowd?”

The imperial soldiers scowled. They had no proper answer to that. In the end, they decided to shoot anyway.

They were sorry for the man in front, but the living had to live.

Just then,

-Waaaah-!

A roar sounded behind him.

“Miles! Why are you so late? I opened the way!”

“Ahahaha. Sorry, Shatien! It was a little rougher than I thought.”

Miles had finally smashed through the imperial shield wall, and now the Centuria rushed in, raising fallen shields and planting them in a tight wall before Shatien.

“… Shatien, he said?”

“Wait, that bastard?”

The mercenary who had felled the elven warrior, saved Count Bellua, and now shrugged off entire storms of bolts stood only a few paces away with his sword in hand.

The crossbowmen wavered. Stories about nameless knights took time to trickle down to the bottom. Stories about mercenaries raced like wildfire.

“N-No way.”

“Why… is that monster of all people in front of us…”

They started to back away in fear.

“D-Do not panic! He is just a mercenary in the end. We are the Emperor’s elite crossbowmen!”

A veteran barked at them, but it did nothing. The crossbowmen curled their toes, ready to bolt. The imperial infantry who were supposed to guard them were losing heart as well.

“Good! Let’s push those cowards back! Follow me, Shatien’s spearhead, Miles! Uoooh!”

“Let’s go!”

Miles, a veteran to the bone, did not miss that scent of collapse. He spun his axe and charged.

“A-Ahhhh!”

“Run!”

The imperial line that was barely holding on until now, crumbled.

“This is crazy! Stop t— Ugh.”

The bravest men were the first to step forward and the first to die. That simple truth worked as a vicious cycle and dragged their morale down.

Will to resist vanished. Discipline blew apart like sand. It felt as if this flank would be finished soon.

‘There had been a few close calls, but it was not a bad… Hgh!’

As soon as Shatien allowed himself the slightest easing of tension.

The mysterious sense screamed. Every hair on his body stood up.

“!!”

He quickly jerked his head back on instinct. A sword flash sliced past the tip of his nose.

-Splatter!

Blood sprayed as a shallow cut opened. A little deeper and it would not have been his nose, but his whole face.

But he had no time to dwell on that.

The enemy sword aimed for his head again.

-Claang!

“Hugh.”

Steel clashed with a sharp ring. Shatien blocked and slid back with a grunt.

“Oh? Stronger than I thought huh? Aren’t you supposed to be a mercenary?”

The voice was curious rather than scornful.

Shatien had no time to answer. He had to get his breath under control. The imperial knight’s skill was frightening. It was almost impossible to find an opening.

-Ziiiiing.

The mysterious sense kept washing the world in red. Once the rhythm and flow were stolen, even a seasoned fighter like Shatien struggled.

Then,

“Aryaaa-!”

-Clang!

Miles swung his axe, aiming for the opening. It was a sharp blow, but the knight parried it as if he had been expecting it.

That did not mean it was useless.

“Thank you, Miles!”

“No time for that! But who the hell is this bastard?”

They had bought a breath of time and reclaimed the flow.

The man in front clicked his tongue in mild regret and stepped back, returning to stand among the imperial soldiers.

‘Just… who is he?’

Shatien swallowed.

Even with a clean block, his palms tingled.

Furthermore, the man’s swordsmanship was uncanny.

From his gauntlets and greaves to the full plate that covered him, he was a knight from head to toe, and clearly a highly skilled one.

-Clack.

The knight raised his visor, perhaps feeling Shatien’s gaze.

A younger face than expected showed beneath.

But Shatien’s own face hardened when he saw it.

“This is interesting. I am Ludwig, also called the Eagle’s Talon. Who are you? I did not expect anyone in this backwater to block my blade.”

Ludwig von Heidenberg.

Yes. The Emperor’s sword, the strongest fighter in Shatien’s memories of the past, stood right in front of him.