Chapter 128 - The Red-Blooded Beast
Chapter 128 - The Red-Blooded Beast
"Watch closely. This will be your next lesson."
The ones at the vanguard of Naurilia's forces were all salaried soldiers.
They received their wages in krona and focused solely on training.
They acted as they had been trained, as they had been drilled.
The vanguard, armed with short bows, could serve as scouts in urgent situations or as swift light-armored archers in battle.
Now, they all released their bowstrings.
Tudududung!
Shiiiiiiiik!
Arrows sliced through the air, embedding themselves in a massive shadow—something too large to be human.
Tatadatak!
Some soldiers cheered, pleased that they had hit their target.
Some tilted their heads, wondering why there was a strange tatadatak sound.
And some among them—
"Why isn't it stopping?"
They were startled that the shadow's charge had not slowed in the slightest.
A gust.
The mist parted, pushed away by the creature's sheer bulk.
And its form was revealed.
If it had been a bear, that would have made sense.
As the mist cleared further, those in the back could also see it.
Of course, Enkrid saw it too.
Even though he was positioned somewhere in the middle of the unit, the sight was unmistakable.
There was no way it wouldn't be.
A body so massive that it warped one's sense of perspective.
At first glance, it resembled a giant porcupine.
And being that large meant it was an equally large target.
The allied archers were skilled.
Dozens of arrows were already lodged in its body.
It was impossible to count them all, but at least twenty had struck true.
So, the initial impression was that of a giant porcupine bristling with dozens of arrows.
Whoom.
Then, the thing that had emerged from the mist swung something in its hand in a massive arc, a full swing from back to front.
Huaaang!
A sound like the air itself bursting rippled outward.
The mist was pushed back even further.
Then, with a motion from its back to the front, the object in its hands slammed into the ground.
Kwa-ang!
A thunderous boom erupted.
It sounded like a magician had cast an explosion spell.
It was as if a trebuchet had launched a boulder.
The devastation was inevitable.
"Guh-ack!"
"Aaaaaagh!"
Screams erupted in chorus.
Soldiers caught within the hammer's reach were crushed like tomatoes.
One soldier on the right had his leg shattered.
And that was after barely dodging in time.
A soldier to the left felt the hammer's shockwave and instinctively raised his shield.
Crack.
Splinter.
He heard the sound of his body being torn apart.
The oiled wooden buckler provided no resistance at all against the monster's strike.
Like a rotten tree branch, the shield shattered, and the soldier's right side was torn apart.
No, he was blown apart.
The hammer's devastating force sent his body flying sideways, his pink innards spilling into the air.
Blood, guts, bones, flesh, and severed limbs filled the sky.
They had once been part of someone, working tirelessly for their survival.
But there was no need to wonder whose they had been.
Anyone caught in that attack was already dead.
All anyone could hope for now was that Vengeance was not the one standing at the front.
Fuhuuu.
The monster exhaled long and slow after its strike.
The mere sound of it was enough to ring in their ears.
An overwhelming presence.
It wielded a giant hammer.
A being taller and stronger than any human, with thick, solid skin and muscles that swelled unnaturally.
A race just as dangerous as the Frogs—the Giants.
They possessed strength three to four times that of a human and skin that ordinary blades could barely cut.
People often called them the Red-Blooded Beasts.
The creature looked at the carnage its hammer had wrought and hummed a tune.
"Khhuhng."
Its voice was like an echo from the depths of a cavern—low, deep, and wide.
As the cave-like humming spread, the atmosphere among the allied forces turned deathly cold.
A giant.
Where had something like this been hiding all this time?
"Shit, move!"
A soldier, a step further back, shouted.
"Puny—things."
The giant murmured, sounding almost delighted.
Like a curse echoing from a deep cavern.
"Aaaah!"
Just because they were trained soldiers, paid to specialize in war, did not mean they were without fear.
Did not mean they were without terror.
Of course not.
The frontline began to waver.
Fear settled in, and some soldiers started to step back.
That was unacceptable.
The commanding officer bellowed.
"Do not retreat!"
Shiinng!
A few vanguard officers drew their swords—a clear warning that retreat meant death.
"Damn it."
What were they supposed to do?
The frontline soldiers felt like crying.
This was hell.
They were supposed to fight that?
Looking at the giant's full form, its armor was made of wood.
Thin wooden plates covered its body, and arrows stuck out from it.
There were gaps in the armor at its joints.
But no arrows had even grazed those spots.
Krrhrrhrrh.
A giant porcupine laughing.
The soldiers, caught between panic and terror, neither advanced nor retreated.
The giant took its time.
To it, these were just insects.
Unless they were the knights humans so proudly spoke of.
To the giant, they were all just insects.
Easy to crush and kill.
To smash and destroy.
This was fun.
A giant.
Even Enkrid was at a loss.
Where had something like that come from?
He reviewed everything he knew about giants, and naturally, the characteristics of different races surfaced in his mind.
Frogs lived consumed by dreams and desires.
Fairies worshipped nature.
Dwarves were obsessed with metal.
Beastkin prioritized reproduction.
Dragonkin walked their path alone.
And giants—
"Creatures intoxicated with slaughter."
They lived to kill and be killed, reveling in the violence their bodies allowed.
And yet, they had never managed to claim dominion over the continent.
Why?
Because, aside from their lower intelligence, their instincts were too dangerous to form a proper army.
They were beings addicted to bloodshed and carnage.
They were called the Red-Blooded Beasts for a reason.
They were insane for battles where both sides perished.
To rule, one needed political acumen.
And giants were incapable of that.
Meanwhile, among all these races, humans had risen to the top.
"Because humans can become anything."
Surpassing Frogs, Fairies, Dwarves, Beastkin, Dragonkin, and even Giants, humanity became the center of the world.
As the giant silently surveyed its surroundings—
As the soldiers in the vanguard barely managed to hold themselves together, save for the fact they had not pissed themselves—
Swish.
Enkrid heard a strange sound.
The sound of flesh being sliced.
The sharp, clean cut of a well-honed blade.
It could have been instinct.
It could have been a gut feeling.
Or perhaps, pure reflex.
His head turned.
Jaxen, who had been standing beside Enkrid, was already looking in that direction.
"Ghk."
"Enemies!"
There weren't many.
Enkrid narrowed his eyes.
It was on the right flank.
They had closed the distance, taking advantage of the obscured vision caused by the fog.
A unit of around ten men, each seemingly skilled.
Attacking here with just those numbers?
They must be confident in their abilities.
"If they're using the giant as a distraction and striking from the right, then something is bound to come from the left as well. Damn, I think we've walked right into this."
Krais muttered as he turned his head left and right.
Was there anything he could see?
If even his eyes couldn't pick up anything, then to Krais, the fog would be all there was.
Surprisingly, he wasn't scared by the sight of the giant.
Instead, his eyes darted wildly before he spoke.
"We have to stop them here."
In reality, several scenarios and assumptions were running through Krais's mind.
He could see what the enemy was aiming for.
He also thought the battlefield was advantageous to the opponent. But he could roughly guess what their own commander was planning as well.
After all, the enemy wasn't the only one who could use the fog.
If the enemy was using the river to target their rear base, then why couldn't their side do the same?
That was likely the reason why the border defense unit was currently nowhere to be seen.
The enemy had hidden themselves, while their side had freedom of movement.
That meant they had more options.
And so, their commander must have made a choice.
'The main force will hold with sheer numbers.'
Since they had won the previous battle, there would be a numerical advantage.
If their level of training and morale were also higher, then who had the upper hand?
No matter how fierce the independent unit "Grey Hounds, the Persistent Lovers" was, there were limits.
How many men could they even have?
At best, two to three hundred.
And they had additional intel.
For instance, one of his own platoon leaders had fought with some Grey Hound troops from Cross Guard and killed them.
So how many of them could possibly be left?
Even if the unit had originally been formed with a generous estimate of four hundred men, by now, they'd be lucky to have two hundred remaining.
The battalion commander would know that too.
So what had the enemy chosen to do?
'A full frontal assault.'
They had thrown everything into this charge.
Either they would win here, or they would suffer near-total annihilation.
And the means they had prepared—
The giant wouldn't be their only asset.
Krais calculated all of this in an instant and reached a conclusion.
That didn't mean he was going to explain everything.
In this moment, all he had to do was make the best decision to survive and keep breathing inside this platoon leader's tent.
"The giant isn't all they have. If we don't stop the vanguard here, we're finished."
He laid out the simple truth.
Solving it was no longer his job.
The frontier defense unit had vacated their positions.
Their main force was planning to endure.
If things went poorly, they could end up getting wiped out instead.
So, what options did they have left?
There were still some.
Krais looked at the platoon leader who had fought off a Frog.
Then he looked at the madmen platoon members suited for that.
"Captain."
Krais called out to Enkrid and explained.
Enkrid nodded.
Even after hearing Krais's words, he couldn't fully grasp the situation.
Yesterday had been spent sparring, and when he finally tried to get a good rest, even his dreams had been awful.
But now, Krais's eyes seemed to shine.
Like Ragna's had yesterday.
Like Rem when he was excited.
Like Jaxen when he suddenly became kind.
Like Audin when he was at ease.
"Got it."
And so, he gave his answer.
Enkrid scanned left and right.
On the right, it looked like a squad-level force.
Not just one or two, at least five or more?
And the left?
"The left seems to be our own."
When had they gotten so close?
It was the Fairy company commander.
Shouldn't the commander stay further back?
"I'll handle the left."
Wait, why was she announcing that here and then leaving?
The Fairy commander glanced at Enkrid.
Their eyes met.
"What? Do you need a blessing kiss?"
"No, I don't."
Why was he suddenly thinking about Esther?
The young panther should be well hidden in the back, right?
Enkrid shook his head.
The Fairy commander had made her joke, but her expression remained unchanged.
She didn't laugh.
She just silently looked at him before moving toward the left.
Some of her troops followed.
Even if they weren't an independent unit created specifically for Enkrid,
The Fairy commander had picked out some of the swiftest and most dexterous among her company.
They were like an elite guard for her—
Or perhaps, an elite force within the 4th Company.
That was how their commander moved.
"Good. Very good."
Rem nodded.
He was in a great mood.
An exceptionally good mood.
The reason?
If he had to name one, it would be yesterday's sparring.
He had been incredibly frustrated for a while.
No real fights.
Pointless duels.
He had no desire to participate, and Enkrid wasn't even around.
Then Enkrid came back, and his wrist was injured?
All that pent-up frustration had been gnawing at his chest.
But just before he exploded, his captain returned.
And he recovered almost immediately.
Then, they had a conversation through sword and axe.
How to describe that moment?
Simply put—
'It was damn fun.'
In an instant, all his irritation had vanished.
Every little thing that had been nagging at him disappeared.
His heart felt light.
When had he last felt like this?
At least, not since coming to this continent.
But he had felt it elsewhere before.
It reminded him of his first battlefield.
Back then, it had been exhilarating.
Truly fun.
He had been so excited, he had stuck out his tongue and rampaged.
Casting aside his thoughts, Rem grinned.
And he spoke.
"Watch closely. This is what you'll be learning next."
Then he started walking forward.
Marching straight toward the giant, who was grinning with excitement, soaking in the wary and fearful stares of the surrounding soldiers.
As he walked, he shoved aside allied soldiers.
They fell away, creating a path.
"Out of the way, you bastards."
Rem seemed the same as usual—
But he was clearly in a good mood.
An incredibly rare, deeply excited mood.
Enkrid simply watched.
Rem had said to watch closely, so he would.
"I'll take care of that side."
Even Ragna, for some reason, seemed unusually eager today.
He was heading toward the commotion on the right.
It was completely unlike him.
Just like Rem—
Their sparring session with Enkrid had settled something within them.
Instead of being lazy, he now wanted to swing his sword.
"You can't go alone."
When Enkrid voiced his concern, Ragna thought for a moment before replying.
"Then I'll go after this is done. It shouldn't take long."
He didn't seem to care whether the right flank was being overrun or not.
Enkrid had considered intercepting the enemy pushing in from the right.
They were clearly a fast-moving raiding party.
Perhaps drawing them in and engaging them would be the better option.
But before he could decide, someone else acted first.
"Fall back! Don't die like idiots fighting at the front! Gather up! Back to back with your allies!"
A familiar voice—Vengeance.
He's doing well.
The enemies pushing in from the right—
If they lured in the enemies approaching from the right and dealt with them from within, they would have some time.
They also needed time to drag them in deep enough to ensure they couldn't escape.
"Well then, I should get going."
Audin spoke as he strode toward one side with confident steps.
Jaxen had already disappeared long ago.
The entire squad, having finally shaken off an indescribable sense of frustration, felt lighter on their feet.
Their sparring with Enkrid had made them that way.
For a brief moment—while they waited for the enemies on the right to approach—Enkrid fixed his gaze on Rem.
Whether Rem advanced or not, at that very moment, the giant was pulling up his hammer to swing it down once more.
Overwhelming brutality.
An attack that clearly conveyed the sheer force of the giant's power.
A dizzying intensity.
If it were him, how would he withstand that blow?
And then, Rem effortlessly surpassed Enkrid's expectations.
After all, Rem was Rem.