Becoming a Swordmast Chapter 174 : Chapter 174

Chapter 174. Coward(4)

It could not be postponed any longer.

As for the Imperial Army, they had to force a showdown somehow now.

However, since neither the 3rd Corps nor the Glockner unit would fight at all, the Imperial Army was going mad.

Dmitri, his face flushed red, raised his voice.

“It is difficult to watch the troops dwindle bit by bit any longer! This will not do!”

Vlad received Dmitri's words.

“What do you mean, it will not do?”

“I myself must go out and pursue the 3rd Corps!”

“You must not! That is exactly what those Allied Forces bastards want!”

“Then what do you suggest we do! Are you saying we should just watch the troops decrease like this?”

“If you endure just a little longer, an opportunity will come.”

“Will you be satisfied only after all of the Empire's territory is handed over to those Allied Forces bastards? Opportunity does not come by enduring! Now is the time we must make an opportunity!”

Vlad made a groaning sound and could not refute Dmitri's words any longer.

Because Vlad also felt that the current situation was just as frustrating as Dmitri did.

It was then.

“It is the Allied Forces! The Allied Forces bastards are flocking toward this place!”

“…What?”

“Is that really true?”

A knight ran up to report, and Vlad and Dmitri hurriedly went outside the meeting tent.

When they raised their heads to check, the 3rd Corps was indeed advancing their troops from afar.

Dmitri shouted in excitement.

“It seems these cowards finally have the will to fight! The Imperial Army, assume battle formation!”

The moment they discovered the Allied Forces, the Imperial Army was able to assume battle formation without difficulty because they were already moving.

Dmitri, confirming this, tried to run out in excitement.

However, Vlad held Dmitri back.

“Count Sokolov. Please wait a moment. Since the Allied Forces bastards are advancing this way, there is no need for us to go out to greet them.”

Vlad spoke, feeling uneasy that the Allied Forces had suddenly set out for a fight.

Because they had to be fully prepared to minimize damage even if a situation arose where they had to retreat.

However, Dmitri seemed unable to hear Vlad's words.

“What do you mean! What will you do if we miss this opportunity! Then Count Tiaref, you stay here! I will go out to meet the Allied Forces bastards alone!”

“Count Sokolov!”

Dmitri did not listen to Vlad's words any longer and ran forward.

At the same time, because the Sokolov unit followed Dmitri, the battle line naturally had to become disorganized.

“Damn it! Respond to the Sokolov unit!”

Vlad raised his voice to reorganize the battle line somehow.

As a result, the entire Imperial Army took the form of running toward the 3rd Corps.

***

“It is just as you said. The Imperial Army is running toward us in excitement.”

Alexis spoke while watching the Imperial Army rushing toward the 3rd Corps, disrupting the formation they had taken such pains to arrange.

Roden quietly nodded his head.

“That is a relief. I thought we might not be able to fight today.”

It was true that he expected the Imperial Army to come out this way.

However, he also thought they might not.

Because Vlad, whom he had clashed with directly, was a calmer person than expected.

So, in that case, he intended to pull the troops back and lure the Imperial Army.

‘If this also did not work, I would have given up on the fight entirely.’

However, the Imperial Army was rushing in with their formation disorganized, just as Roden intended.

That meant the Imperial Army was feeling the limit of their patience.

Enough to not recognize that this fight was disadvantageous to them.

“Hahaha. It is clear that those Imperial Army bastards are still under a delusion. Thinking that they will win if they just unfold a head-on confrontation.”

It was just as Vanguard Battalion Commander Tobias said.

Certainly, just a short while ago, the Imperial Army was tricky, so it was difficult to easily predict victory.

However, the 3rd Corps had now reduced the Imperial Army's numbers considerably bit by bit while stalling for time.

So they no longer feared a head-on confrontation.

They thought there was a high possibility of winning even if they clashed normally.

They had not avoided fighting until now and led the troops here for no reason.

Yet the Imperial Army was even rushing in with a disorganized formation.

For the 3rd Corps, it was a moment where they had to foresee an even greater victory.

“We must let them know it is a delusion. Shall we move according to the operation, Main Battalion Commander?”

Adriel, who had led the Transport Battalion to join for this battle, asked Roden.

Roden nodded his head and confirmed the appearance of Dmitri rushing furiously toward this side.

“Yes. That will do. Then I will go over there.”

After answering, Roden moved to face Dmitri.

As long as the Imperial Army was rushing in having lost their reason, there was actually nothing special to call an operation.

Calmly leading the troops by battalion to fight, but when an 8-star knight appeared, Roden and Alexis stepping forward was everything.

However, for this purpose, it was decided that Chevalier would command the Main Battalion, and Michael would command Alexis's direct unit.

Because doing so would allow Roden and Alexis to move freely according to the situation.

“I will also go over there. Everyone, do not get excited until the end.”

Alexis also left words of caution to deal with Dmitri and followed behind Roden.

It was the moment the battle finally began.

***

“Sweep away those Allied Forces bastards!”

“Fight! Pour out all the strength you have saved until now!”

Early in the battle.

The Imperial Army rushed toward the 3rd Corps overflowing with confidence.

However, that confidence did not last long.

It was because the aura arrows, the pride of the Main Battalion, welcomed the Imperial Army.

Shuk! Shukshukshuk! Shukshuk!

The arrows reduced the number of the Imperial Army at a rapid speed.

Because they were aura arrows, they could not simply be struck away with a sword or blocked with a shield.

If one could not raise aura, one had to use a defensive crystal orb.

“It is an aura arrow! Do not react complacently!”

Fortunately, one of the commanders noticed the identity of the aura arrows not too late and raised his voice.

And the other commanders propagated this.

“It is an aura arrow!”

“Use the defensive crystal orbs!”

It was a response made possible because they at least knew of the existence of aura arrows.

Like that, the Imperial Army succeeded in reducing the damage caused by the aura arrows.

However, wasting defensive crystal orbs before they even properly clashed was a huge blow.

“All troops, charge!”

As if to prove this, the 3rd Corps quickly rushed toward the Imperial Army.

As expected, the performance of the Main Battalion and the New Recruit Unit was dazzling this time as well.

It was natural since most of the soldiers in the two units were knights.

Since their martial prowess was outstanding and they even used imprinted weapons at the appropriate timing, the Main Battalion and the New Recruit Unit had to feel invincible to the Imperial Army.

“Do not be pushed back! We just have to deal with those guys somehow!”

“Use the recovery-type crystal orbs and endure!”

The Imperial Army endured with the thought that they just needed to take care of the Main Battalion and the New Recruit Unit somehow.

But that did not go as they wished.

The Main Battalion and the New Recruit Unit were stronger than expected, but also because the 3rd Corps had become stronger overall.

“Wh-what! Why are even these guys like this?”

“This is different from what was said! Save me!”

It was thanks to the improved training method Roden had transmitted taking effect as time passed.

In fact, in the Vanguard Battalion and Transport Battalion, there were not a few among the common soldiers who had risen to the rank of 1-star knight.

It had to be seen that about one-third of the Vanguard Battalion and Transport Battalion forces were aura users.

So, in a situation like now where the troop scale was similar, there was almost no possibility of the 3rd Corps losing to the Imperial Army.

Furthermore, because the Imperial Army's formation was disorganized, the 3rd Corps could roam among the Imperial Army like fish meeting water.

Eventually, Dmitri, who had run toward the 3rd Corps more heroically than anyone, instinctively realized that something was wrong.

‘Wait, wasn't it that we avoided them because we were scared until now?’

However, it was a situation where he could not pull his body out either.

Because Roden had blocked his front with good timing.

“Persistent fellow! It cannot be helped! I will kill you and lead this battle to victory somehow!”

Certainly, for Dmitri, this was the only way.

To quickly take care of Roden and lend a hand to the battle himself.

If not for this, there was no way to win this battle.

Because of that, he began to swing his sword furiously toward Roden.

Like that, the sword containing 8-star aura poured out various secret techniques and attacked Roden.

However, because Roden was also an 8-star knight, he was able to narrowly block Dmitri's attacks.

‘...I heard he reached the stage of 8-stars during this war, but he is stronger than I thought. Like this, there will be no end. Damn it.’

Dmitri thought while looking at Roden, who blocked everything no matter what secret technique he used.

He wasn't even just defending.

He occasionally launched counterattacks and threatened Dmitri.

Due to that, he could know.

That the secret techniques Roden used were also of a rank no less than his own.

‘Why did things turn out like this? Nothing is unraveling according to my thoughts. This will not do. I have no choice but to use the final means.’

Because he knew that the situation was disadvantageous for the Imperial Army as time passed, Dmitri decided to use all his strength.

It was when Dmitri was about to use the secret technique of Sokolov Swordsmanship.

Shuyuk!

Someone swung a sword with tremendous momentum from behind his back.

Dmitri, instinctively feeling this, used a sword curtain.

Chaeng!

Dmitri had narrowly escaped the crisis, but his expression did not brighten.

It was inevitable.

Because the one who swung the sword from behind his back was Alexis, the other 8-star knight of the 3rd Corps.

Only then did Dmitri regret running toward the 3rd Corps without measuring front and back due to frustration and impatience.

‘I was stupid! As Count Tiaref said, I should absolutely never have let my guard down….’

But it was a regret too late.

Now he had to stall for time somehow and seek survival until Vlad came here.

However, Roden and Alexis read Dmitri's thoughts and began to pour out sword blasts.

Kwaaaaaang! Kwaaaaaang!

Sword blasts exploding consecutively.

Dmitri unfolded a sword curtain and blocked them, but his aura had to run out quickly.

Eventually,

Seogeok.

Dmitri had his neck cut without being able to unfold the sword curtain one more time.

‘Ah.... So futilely....’

This was the thought Dmitri recalled at the final moment.