Chapter 212: The Final Battle (4)

 

The battle began without delay.

 

It followed the method infused with Adam’s teachings from the past.

 

He had always emphasized that hesitation only breeds more worries. Battles were always fought head-on.

 

This was true during the Blackwood battle, as well as during the Celebrien family.

 

They never waited for the perfect moment.

 

As per the usual strategy, everyone except the Head Hunter unit moved forward, leading their respective troops.

 

This served a dual purpose: to attract attention and to clear a path.

 

In the past, Krian, who had been a senior leader, fell in battle against bandits. Now, Shawn led his unit in his stead.

 

Theodore watched Shawn leading his men forward.

 

The usual mischievousness on Shawn’s face was nowhere to be seen.

 

His entire focus was on a monster rushing toward them on all fours from a distance.

 

“…Finally…!”

 

Shawn shouted.

 

Like Berg, he seemed to have been eagerly awaiting this battle.

 

— Srrrng!

 

As Shawn unsheathed his sword, so did the numerous soldiers who followed him.

 

Theodore, too, drew his sword as he led his unit, though his squad prepared bows instead of swords.

 

“Shawn…!”

 

Theodore called out to Shawn, knowing they were about to part ways.

 

Shawn turned to Theodore and nodded.

 

With a silent exchange of glances to wish each other luck, the two split up, heading in opposite directions.

 

Theodore veered to the right side of the approaching Krund, while Shawn moved to the left.

 

They advanced as if to surround their opponent from a distance.

 

This tactic, too, was born from past experience.

 

Krund had summoned his monstrous army from the depths of the earth.

 

For now, the priority was to lure out Krund’s forces.

 

“Fire!”

 

As Krund entered the effective range, Theodore gave the command.

 

His troops unleashed a barrage of arrows.

 

From a distance, Theodore saw Krund’s eyes lock onto him.

 

It was a moment that stirred memories of past battles.

 

“Brace for impact!!”

 

Theodore shouted again.

 

Everyone gripped their reins tightly, following Theodore’s orders and preparing for the incoming shock.

 

— Rumble, rumble…

 

Soon, the ground began to tremble.

 

The tremor, growing louder by the second, culminated in a massive explosion.

 

— Boom!!

 

Hundreds of monsters erupted from beneath the ground.

 

The roar of the beasts shook the earth.

 

The familiar stench that accompanied them invaded Theodore’s nostrils.

 

Yet, strangely, Theodore smiled at the smell.

 

To someone who had survived hundreds of battlefields, this stench was a nostalgic reminder of the past.

 

It was a scent he had momentarily forgotten during the peaceful two years that had passed.

 

The smell sharpened everyone’s focus.

 

It seemed to rekindle the tension that their bodies had once known so well.

 

It was as if they finally realized they had returned to the battlefield.

 

From the opposite side of the battlefield, Theodore heard the sounds of intense combat erupting.

 

Shawn had apparently initiated his battle as well.

 

He was laying the groundwork to open a path for Berg.

 

Clearing a way through a chaotic horde of monsters always required creating confusion.

 

They needed to crush and kill until all attention was drawn to them.

 

Eventually, a path would appear. Widening that path would then create a corridor.

 

It was easier to think of the monster horde as a single massive organism.

 

Rather than viewing each creature as an individual, treating the horde as one giant entity allowed for more strategic decisions.

 

Theodore turned to look behind him.

 

In the distance, Berg’s figure appeared like a dot on the horizon.

 

He, too, seemed to be waiting for the moment to strike Krund.

 

Even new reinforcements were on their way.

 

Theodore smiled.

 

The thought of Berg holding the rear gave him a sense of reassurance unlike any other.

 

He shouted, “Swords!”

 

At his command, the soldiers swiftly secured their bows to their horses’ sides and drew their swords.

 

The noise from Shawn’s side grew louder.

 

Hearing this, Theodore spoke.

 

“It’s our turn to begin!”

 

With those words, he gripped his reins tightly and charged toward the monstrous horde.

 

****

 

For the first time, Shawn was leading his own unit.

 

It wasn’t by choice—it was a role he had to take up in Krian’s absence after his death.

 

Berg had trusted him, assuring him that he could do it, but Shawn knew.

 

The unit was already starting to fall apart.

 

“Fall back! Fall back!”

 

Shawn shouted urgently, but another soldier was bitten by a monster.

 

“Gah!”

 

Shawn quickly drove his sword into the monster, saving the soldier from further harm, but the injured man would be unable to continue the fight as before.

 

This was how they were crumbling, one by one.

 

Shawn wished his soldiers could see everything he could.

 

How much easier it would have been if they could all move as one, without needing him to shout instructions.

 

“Haah... haah...”

 

But Shawn understood.

 

This wasn’t happening because the soldiers were lacking—it was happening because he was.

 

Even in the more dangerous battlefields he had faced alongside Berg, fights had gone far more smoothly than this.

 

Only now did he fully appreciate how precise and swift Berg’s orders had always been.

 

But there was no time to dwell on such realizations.

 

Shawn could feel the horde of monsters pressing toward his unit.

 

A moment’s hesitation, and they could all be caught and devoured.

 

“Fall back further! Think of it as a full retreat!”

 

Gone was Shawn’s usual playful tone as he barked his command.

 

Pulling his reins sharply, he led the retreat.

 

As expected, the monster horde surged toward his unit like a wave, lunging in pursuit.

 

Shawn glanced around as he pulled his horse back, checking if his men had survived.

 

Fortunately, none had been left behind.

 

Shawn turned his horse around, heading back toward the edge of the monster horde.

 

In the distance, he could see Berg watching silently.

 

It seemed no opening had yet appeared, as Berg hadn’t made his move.

 

“...”

 

In that moment, memories of the past flooded Shawn’s mind.

 

All the things Berg had done for him. The trust and training Berg had given him.

 

And how devoted Berg had been to Captain Adam.

 

This wasn’t just a battle. It was revenge.

 

One could say that the entire Red Flames group had risen to avenge Adam’s death.

 

Though protecting Stockpin was their stated mission, the desire for revenge against Adam’s killer burned in everyone’s hearts.

 

“Haa... haah...”

 

The more Shawn thought about it, the more he realized how much harder he needed to push himself.

 

At this rate, they would achieve nothing.

 

When he had worked alongside Berg in the vanguard, they had faced far graver dangers than this.

 

And the more risk they accepted, the higher their chances of victory had always been.

 

Yet now, they had barely even seen Krund’s face since the initial clash.

 

The longer this dragged on, the more casualties they would suffer—it was all too clear.

 

“Phew!”

 

With that thought, Shawn clenched his teeth.

 

‘…Like the Vice-captain…!’

 

Though Berg was now the captain, Shawn would always think of him as the vice-captain.

 

Recalling the past, Shawn tightened his grip on his sword.

 

Then, without hesitation, he charged deep into the horde of monsters.

 

“Shawn...!!”

 

His comrades called out his name from behind.

 

But Shawn didn’t falter, swinging his sword with resolve.

 

—Shraaaak!

 

He successfully cut down the monsters in his path, driving deeper into the horde.

 

His comrades followed, cutting down monsters along the path Shawn had carved.

 

Deep within the horde, Shawn raised his voice.

 

“Come out, Krund!!”

 

It was widely known that Krund possessed intelligence.

 

If that was true, then perhaps this provocation would reach him.

 

“Are you going to run away like a coward again?!”

 

Shawn shouted mockingly, a grin on his face.

 

His comrades, emboldened by his taunts, swung their swords with even greater ferocity.

 

For a brief moment, a gap appeared in the horde, revealing a wide space.

 

In its center, Shawn spotted Krund.

 

Finally, he saw the monster again.

 

Shawn locked eyes with Krund for a fleeting moment.

 

At the same time, he thought to himself:

 

No matter the outcome, this moment would be burned into his memory until the day he died.

 

****

 

Gale couldn’t easily comprehend what he was witnessing with his own eyes.

 

The Red Flames seemed like an entirely different mercenary group.

 

Their movements were nimble, precise, and disciplined.

 

Every one of them fought against Krund’s monstrous horde as if they were unafraid of death.

 

It was as though the two years that had passed had left no mark on them.

 

No one ran. They all stood their ground and pressed on.

 

It wasn’t surprising for one or two individuals to show such resolve, but for everyone to act this way was something entirely different.

 

“...”

 

Gale let out a short breath.

 

Was it because of Adam’s?

 

He couldn’t help but reconsider his thoughts about the human race.

 

Were these the strengths Adam had tried to show him about humans? Or was it just that Adam’s dream had planted this bias in his thoughts?

 

Either way, Gale couldn’t deny the sheer impression of what was unfolding before him.

 

Turning to Berg, who was overlooking the battlefield beside him, Gale spoke.

 

“Berg, if we win this war… we might be one step closer to Adam’s dream.”

 

His words were meant to offer encouragement, to give Berg a bit more strength.

 

But Berg remained silent.

 

“....”

 

“So let’s win. Let’s win and spread this heroic tale far and wide.”

 

“...”

 

Still, Berg neither agreed nor disagreed.

 

His gaze was fixed solely on the horde of monsters before them.

 

It was as if he were reliving the past.

 

Seeing Berg like this, Gale couldn’t find any more words to say.

 

Instead, he stood beside him, silently watching and waiting for Berg’s next move.

 

Who would have thought this day would come?

 

Berg had always been the one to teach and guide, yet now Gale felt overwhelmed by Berg’s sheer presence, waiting for him to act.

 

Gale had once thought himself special, back when he became the greatest warrior among the dragonians.

 

Even when he was prophesied to become a master for future warriors, he believed in his uniqueness.

 

…But now, he understood.

 

True greatness was what he saw in Berg.

 

Perhaps he was watching a hero who would be remembered in the annals of human history.

 

Not just someone who would defeat monsters, but someone who would change the very perception of human race.

 

“…Let’s go.”

 

At that moment, Berg seemed to notice something and whispered to Baran, who stood beside him.

 

Baran nodded and pulled out his horn.

 

Gale also steadied his heart, bracing himself for what was to come.

 

Their battle was about to begin.

 

*****

 

Shawn was already bleeding from his forehead, despite not having been in the monster horde for long.

 

The risks he had taken came with their share of consequences, and he was now bearing them.

 

His comrades were quickly sustaining injuries as well, some barely holding on.

 

It might have been the right time to retreat, but Shawn kept whispering to himself, “Just a little more.”

 

His comrades shared the same determined glances.

 

If fear had overtaken their faces, Shawn would have surely chosen safety and pulled back.

 

But their eyes still burned with resolve, and that unyielding spirit kept Shawn and his unit pressing deeper into the horde, wreaking havoc.

 

Krund’s form was becoming more visible, more frequent.

 

The remnants of his severed left hand, a wound inflicted by Berg long ago, stood out.

 

His body bore numerous scars, signs that even Krund wasn’t in perfect condition after his relentless march.

 

The weakened state of their opponent fueled Shawn with a newfound energy.

 

Taking a deep breath, he shouted, “One more time!”

 

Driving his horse forward, he led his unit deeper, carving a path toward Krund.

 

Blood splattered everywhere, and the stench of spilled entrails filled the air.

 

Sticky fluids seeped between the cracks in Shawn’s armor.

 

Shaking his head repeatedly, he tried to fling off the blood—his own and the monsters’.

 

“...?”

 

In one such moment, as Shawn shook his head, the pressure from the surrounding monsters suddenly vanished.

 

The horde, which had been blocking their advance, dispersed in an instant.

 

It all happened in a flash.

 

The path ahead opened, and Shawn and his unit found themselves far too deep within enemy lines.

 

“…Oh no.”

 

At a stone’s throw away, Krund stood.

 

It dawned on Shawn that he had made a grave mistake.

 

—Boom!

 

Krund turned sharply and charged toward him with frightening speed.

 

Shawn wasn’t prepared to handle such a force.

 

As Krund barreled toward him, Shawn’s life flashed before his eyes.

 

All his memories came flooding back, including thoughts of his daughter.

 

‘I promised I’d come back…’

 

Krund let out a metallic growl, his voice dripping with malice.

 

“Got you—”

 

—Boom!

 

At that moment, Shawn saw a figure dart past him.

 

Krund collided with the figure mid-charge, tumbling across the ground.

 

Simultaneously, Shawn felt his comrades closing in around him.

 

“Shawn, are you alright?”

 

It was Baran’s voice.

 

Gale also joined them, cutting down the monsters that had begun to swarm.

 

“Haah… haa…”

 

Shawn realized that he had once again been saved by Berg.

 

“V-Vice-captain, thank you.”

 

In his dazed state, he reverted to calling Berg by his old title, as he had in the past.

 

But Berg, who had just saved his life, didn’t even look at him.

 

Dismounting from his horse, Berg drew his sword and stared at Krund.

 

“…I’ve been waiting for this.”

 

Berg’s words carried the weight of restrained fury.

 

Krund’s expression twisted violently at the sight of Berg.

 

Shawn could feel Berg’s barely-contained rage, built up over years of loss and grief.

 

Losing Captain Adam had been a wound Berg had buried deep, a pain he had suppressed for too long.

 

“Let’s end this here.”

 

Berg’s voice was calm but resolute as he stepped toward Krund.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

[TL: Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 5 chapters ahead of the release: https://www.patreon.com/readingpia

 

Join Our Discord for regular updates and have fun with other community members: https://discord.com/invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]