Chapter 131 - What Changed the Direction of the Battlefield Was a Single Spar

Rem was excited.

Ragna was stimulated and burned with motivation.

Audin felt as if he had heard an answer during his spar with Encrid.

His prayers to the Lord were always questions, and no answers ever returned.

Because the Lord used silence as His weapon.

Finding the answer within that silence was meant to be their share of the burden.

However, he believed that sometimes, very rarely, God gave an answer.

Even if He did not speak with a physical voice.

He would express it through something else.

Through the spar that day, Audin heard that answer from Encrid. Or so it felt.

'What can that man gain from striving like that? Can his efforts bear fruit?'

One man's effort quickly reached the old topics he had long pondered.

'Even though You commanded to protect the weak, why do You not protect them? Why do You not bestow upon them the reward of their efforts?'

The strong and the weak, good and evil.

Old topics of contention.

Why did those he considered 'evil' gain power?

While those he considered 'good' suffer?

He had seen the good weak and the good strong collapse.

And he had seen evil gain power within the temple, which was meant to be the foundation and cradle created by God.

Why did God only watch?

Why did He not punish them?

Why did those Heresy Inquisitors only bind the powerless on carts with thorns?

And why did God just watch that, too?

In the midst of all that, there was a man who lived through reckless effort, like trying to drink a river dry.

Always standing resolutely before him, unchanging day by day, just as the sun rose every morning.

If God existed, He should give an answer.

He should not turn away from someone who lived burning himself up like that.

Was there actually any divine intervention?

He didn't know. Audin couldn't know.

However, it didn't matter if there wasn't.

Through knowing Encrid and spending his days with him, Audin had also learned something.

'The question is within me.'

The 'answer' was also within himself.

He felt as though he had found the answer to his question through the spar.

To speak honestly and truthfully.

A sense of relief filled his chest.

Enough that he felt fine crushing the heads of a few enemy soldiers just with this feeling.

With this, it meant that his spar with Encrid had prompted even Audin to step forward.

Since it had made Rem step forward, and Ragna step forward as well.

No one knew it before, and no one would know it after, but it could be said that what changed the direction of the battlefield right now was a certain fierceness from Encrid.

Because the spar with him had shaken the hearts of all the platoon members and brought them out to the battlefield.

'Lord, today I shall send those who will stay by Your side.'

Taking lives could be a sin.

But at the same time, it could not be called a sin.

Every religion reflected its era.

That was the same for Audin. His God did not shy away from taking lives.

In other words, if necessary, he could do it. He could spare no strength in sending those who would serve the Lord by His side.

Audin took a large stride forward. His allies recognized him and murmured before shutting their mouths.

"Those who have received a coin from the Goddess of Fortune had better step back."

Audin showed benevolence and mercy.

Because of the fog, one could barely see right in front of them.

One of the enemy soldiers saw Audin and sneered.

"Are you trying to imitate the giant on our side?"

In a way, it could have looked like that. Audin showed a faint smile.

He was neither displeased nor offended.

He just needed to send the opponent to God's dwelling and give him a chance to beg for forgiveness, so what was the point of getting angry?

At this moment, there would be no reason for a mortal's displeasure to intrude.

"I do not go out of my way to pretend to be another being, brother."

"Fuck, what do you mean, brother?"

They were facing off against the enemy forces with three or four steps between them. Audin slowly counted.

"Five."

No one knew the meaning of that number.

"What is he saying! Die!"

It was a battlefield that had started with the giant's appearance. The heat had reached the soldiers as well.

The Aspen soldier who had just talked back thrust his spear.

Tap.

Audin pushed the spearhead with the back of his hand. Smoothly outward.

Following the back of his hand, the spearhead lost its momentum.

The enemy soldier awkwardly almost fell before catching his balance.

"Four."

Audin continued counting.

"This son of a bitch?"

The hand gesture the opponent made was no ordinary skill. The soldier gestured. He was in a position leading a squad.

Soon, his squad surrounded Audin.

The spear was the best weapon an infantryman could carry.

All of their spearheads aimed at Audin.

It was a situation where ten men were layering up to target one person.

"Three."

Audin counted as he looked at that.

"You're completely crazy."

Even as he spoke, the Squad Leader felt like shit. His back tingled, and his stomach ached slightly.

'What was that just now?'

'How does one just tap away a spearhead bare-handed?'

'Is he wearing something on his hands? He is wearing thin white gloves. But they don't look like combat gauntlets.'

'Anyway, aren't his hands seriously huge?'

"Two."

While he was thinking, the number decreased.

The Squad Leader spat on the ground and spoke.

"Ptoo, kill him."

The order fell.

"One."

The final number left Audin's mouth as well.

This was, in a way, like a final consideration.

Mercy and benevolence to step back if they were someone who had picked up a coin of the Goddess of Fortune.

'Just for today.'

Since he had decided to receive the call of the God of War.

There would be no need to become an apostle of the God of War. It wasn't to that extent.

Audin hoped that an opponent similar to a giant would appear from the enemy's side.

Since he had decided to use the God of War's name anyway, the fighting spirit to want to fight properly was natural to him.

"Then."

A dull word amid the flying spearheads.

Simultaneous with the word 'one' falling. Audin pulled out his weapon. It couldn't be called his favorite weapon.

He had left his beloved weapon behind when he left the temple.

This was, therefore, just a substitute.

It was an oiled wooden club. It didn't have studs hammered into it, nor was it made of iron.

This was enough.

Swoosh.

To the eyes of the enemy soldiers thrusting their spears, it looked as if Audin disappeared.

Of course, that wasn't the case. He had merely bent his waist backward to dodge the spears as if he were half-lying down.

Three men had thrust their spears at the same time, all aiming for his chest.

Audin, showing flexibility unsuited for his size, pushed the ground with the soles of his feet and stood up.

As he did, he lightly swung his club once with a swoosh.

CLACK!

With a single club swing tracing a semicircle, three spear shafts collapsed to the right.

"U-Uwaah!"

While the three soldiers holding the spears lost their balance and their stances staggered, Audin took another large step forward.

And the club fell onto an enemy soldier's head.

SMASH!

One head with a single blow.

SWOOSH, SMASH! SWOOSH, SMASH!

One with every blow, all three heads burst. It was in an instant. Despite his size, Audin was as quick as a squirrel.

"... Huh?"

What followed was similar. Whether a spear flew at him or a throwing knife flew at him, he either roughly dodged it or snatched it and threw it right back.

After that, when he approached and struck a head with his club.

The head would burst open like a smashing pumpkin with a thud.

No, the heads looked even softer than pumpkins.

A Naurilia soldier watching from behind clicked his tongue.

"He's a monster."

Dodge and strike. There was no one who didn't know that doing so meant victory. It was just that there was no one who could execute it like that.

Heads burst open with a smacking sound.

At first, just with two clubs.

Later, as the enemy began to shoot arrows and charge, he began to use his feet as well.

From then on, it felt like watching charging cavalry.

Every single person who approached was sent flying back.

"Hahahaha!"

And as he did, the allied monster burst into hearty laughter.

"May the God of War's protection be with you!"

And then he shouted out like that again.

He looked like a guy who was completely crazy.

Of course, the Naurilia soldiers watching that felt a sense of relief. Because that crazy guy was an ally.

"All forces, chaaaarge!"

The command staff was quick to grasp the situation. Following the shifted momentum, the entire army rushed forward.

Audin continued to rampage right in the middle of the enemy soldiers.

"You bastard, where are you looking!"

Amidst all that, a few skilled fighters from the Gray Dog rushed at him.

However.

"Welcome, brother!"

Audin faintly pushed his club out as a feint, then retracted it, pivoting on his left foot as he twisted his waist and extended his leg.

It was a kick in unison with his log-like thigh.

SMACK!

CRUNCH!

A light mid-level kick folded the opponent's body in half.

What kind of kick had this level of power?

Was he wearing iron greaves on his legs or something?

With that single blow, a human body was folded in half. Once folded, they died from ruptured internal organs. The capillaries in their faces burst, turning their eyes red.

The struck opponent flew to one side, knocking over three or four enemy soldiers.

"Fuck, what is that."

To the enemy soldiers, it was just absurd.

Like that, Audin fought like an anthill. An anthill that devoured everything that approached it.

* * *

The Fairy Company Commander faced her approaching opponent.

The opponent was also a Fairy.

Meeting and fighting a fellow kin in a place like this wasn't a big deal.

Because times had changed.

How many Fairies still lived huddled together in forests like in the old days?

A closed society naturally falls behind.

And once fallen behind, it is forgotten. Gods and Fairies alike would live in obscurity until eventually giving up their homes to the hands of invasion.

The choice of some Fairy from the past generation had changed the lives of future generations.

Among them were those who exchanged their Nidles for cronas.

This meant joining the military in exchange for working as a mercenary or receiving some other compensation.

Therefore, the Fairy Company Commander, Sinar, thought that she and her opponent were no different.

Whether their goal was cronas, or some other purpose.

Anyway, the fact that they had to fight the moment they faced each other as enemies did not change.

"A needle sword?"

The leaf blade was a Nidle.

The needle sword, a specialized thrusting sword with a pointed tip, was a Needle.

They were the exclusive weapons of the Fairy race. Two weapons that had faced each other with different purposes.

"So there was a fellow kin."

The Aspen Fairy was a man with sharp eyes.

His hair was short, and the shape of his mouth looked stubborn.

Well, most Fairies tended to be stubborn. That was something even Sinar, a Fairy herself, acknowledged.

The tip of the opponent's sword was red. The blood stained on the tip dripped onto the ground.

At some point, the unit had stepped back, forming a circle around the two.

One side was a Company Commander.

The other side was the army's trump card.

"If you run away, I won't chase you down to kill you."

The man said. Looking at his blood-stained Nidle, Sinar also drew her sword.

SCHWING.

It was a Nidle. A leaf blade.

"I was going to say that first."

Soon, the two exchanged swords.

The contest was not long. Sinar was several levels above the Fairy holding the Needle.

Talent, skill, experience, and veterancy.

In none of these could the male Fairy surpass Sinar.

After a few sword strikes, the edge of the leaf blade grazed the male Fairy's neck.

SLASH!

Through the feeling left in her hands, Sinar was certain of her opponent's death.

The Fairy, clutching his neck, pitched forward.

Seeing that, Sinar felt quite displeased.

'Sons of bitches, aren't they?'

This had been a bait.

The real threat came next.

While she was fighting this guy, there were more than three murderous intents aiming at her.

So it was a tactic of drawing her attention with the bait and striking from behind.

This was how they had been assassinating commanders.

Their purpose was all too obvious.

The only variable here was that this guy's allies didn't come until right before he died.

Which was why he died with his eyes wide open.

'How filthy.'

Of course, being filthy could be an advantage on the battlefield. Assuming it succeeded, that is.

Unfortunately for them, the enemy forces lost the chance to show their filthiness.

The murderous intents had been there, but they were erased.

There could be two reasons for that.

One was that the enemies got scared off and ran away.

Another was that an outside force intervened.

The answer was the latter.

She saw a man wiping his sword clean on a corpse's clothes.

Pupils with a reddish hue within brown eyes.

Reddish-brown hair similar to his eyes.

Not a single drop of blood had splashed onto his moderately grown hair.

Actually, the Fairy Company Commander, Sinar, had never once seen that guy covered in blood.

He was always neat.

Ah, his clothes were a mess when he hung out with prostitutes, though.

She had seen that as well. It had been right when he came out after finishing up with a woman.

"What are you doing here?"

"I didn't have anything to do."

Jaxon replied to the Company Commander's words.

Was it any different for Jaxon?

Watching Encrid, he was immensely pleased by his growth. He felt like he wouldn't be able to stand not mentioning it if he stayed nearby.

His mouth was itching. His hands were itching too.

He wanted to release this somewhere. And right on cue, some guys giving off a similar scent seemed to step forward.

Jaxon, stepping through the fog, had simply followed behind the Fairy Company Commander.

And slit the throats of the three assassins.

It wasn't a difficult task.

The opponents were Fairies, and by an ordinary person's standards their skills could be considered outstanding, but to Jaxon personally, well, they were just so-so.

Because rather than properly trained opponents, their fighting style relied on honing their innate talents.

In a way, they were the easiest type of opponents for Jaxon to handle.

"And you just left your Captain?"

At the Fairy's question, Jaxon tilted his head.

"If he was going to die in a place like this, he would have died a long time ago."

It was high praise.

It was no different from saying he believed in Encrid.

He was now at a level where he no longer needed watching over.

'Next time.'

He would have to try teaching him something other than footwork.

If he honed his senses, what was the next training?

If he had opened the Sixth Sense.

'Watch carefully and react.'

Things that still required time and effort to ingrain into the body.

Had he ever properly taught something like this?

'I don't think I have.'

"Huu."

Jaxon let out a sigh, wondering why he was being so serious while lost in thought.

In truth, he didn't really have to teach him.

The Fairy Company Commander saw that and spoke.

"The new Battalion Commander is not a moron. He knows how to read the flow and fight."

Did she think he was sighing because the unit wasn't moving?

That wasn't it at all.

Jaxon was someone who was exceptionally good at hiding his inner thoughts.

The Fairy Company Commander did not misunderstand his sigh. Would that lunatic platoon even care about such things?

It was just that Jaxon was in front of her. Showing off his skills by killing three assassins, at that.

The Company Commander's words meant that the flow was changing.

Her words reached the ears of the surrounding soldiers, rather than Jaxon.

It meant that the momentum would change, and that would bring victory to their allies.

"All forces, get in formation."

At her words, the five company members who had followed her as escorts but had only stood there blankly lined up behind her.

As soon as those words ended, horn flutes rang out from all directions and messengers ran.

Just as she said.

Marcus knew how to ride the flow.