Imperial Throne

Chapter 194 : Breakout and Confusion

Chapter 194: Breakout and Confusion

As Aches’s piercing voice rang out, Sien and Roda did not hesitate in the slightest. They immediately moved to guard Aches’s sides, while the Bloodline Knight possessing the 【Eagle Eye】 ability narrowed his eyes slightly, swiftly scanning for enemies hidden in the surroundings.

The Bayor Territory was mostly flat plains, but there were still some low bushes scattered about—though they couldn’t conceal a person well during the day, under the dim light of night, they were more than enough.

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Especially since, at that moment, dark clouds covered the moon.

So, if there were enemies lurking nearby, it would naturally be difficult to notice them—if not for the fact that both their horses and the two soldiers guarding them had vanished, Aches and the others would never have been on alert.

However, while 【Eagle Eye】 granted extended vision, it did not allow the Bloodline Knight to see in the dark. Still, as a seasoned soldier, he had his own methods of detection. Before long, he noticed a few suspicious signs.

He nocked an arrow and drew his bow.

The first arrow flew—but it did not hit anything. The arrow only struck the grass.

That proved the first trace he had found was not correct.

Then came the second arrow.

Still, it struck no enemy.

Yet, he remained resolute and released a third arrow.

This time, as the arrow struck its mark, a scream finally broke through the silence!

「Attack！」

Realizing that their position had been exposed—not through deception but truly discovered—the enemy commander no longer hesitated. He hadn’t figured out how Aches and his group had located them, but he knew that if they didn’t act now, they would all be hunted down one by one.

「All units, attack！」

At once, more than a dozen soldiers rose, lit their torches, and hurled them toward Aches’s group.

In the darkness, the visibility affected not only Aches’s team but the enemy soldiers as well.

「Young Master Aches, we must break through immediately！」

The moment the torches ignited, his expression changed dramatically.

They had fallen completely into the enemy’s encirclement. A quick glance around revealed no fewer than sixty Aust Empire soldiers—

Even worse, there were four Bloodline Users among them, far exceeding their initial reconnaissance.

「Send the Flaming Signal Arrow！」 Aches took a deep breath and ordered grimly, 「Prepare to break through！」

The archer with the 【Eagle Eye】 Bloodline did not speak. Instead, he opened a specially designed case, pulling out a pitch-black arrow dripping with some thick, viscous liquid.

He drew the bow and loosed the arrow into the sky.

The next instant, it shot through the air.

Almost as soon as it left the bowstring, faint sparks began to flare from its shaft. As it ascended higher, the arrow ignited fully, turning into a blazing missile that howled through the night like the shriek of some fiery beast.

「Charge！」 Aches roared, drawing his longsword and charging at the front.

Everyone quickly gathered around Aches, forming a spearhead as they stormed forward in the direction they had come.

Several Aust Empire soldiers rushed forward with spears, but before their thrusts could land, Aches’s blade cleaved through the spearheads. Without pausing his stride, Aches plunged into the enemy formation, his sword slashing left and right. Blood sprayed wildly, and the soldiers blocking his path were cleaved clean in two—armor and all.

Such ferocity should have been enough to terrify the enemy—

But whether it was due to the darkness or something else, the Aust soldiers did not falter. Instead, they charged even more fiercely, hoping to use sheer numbers to trap Aches and his team.

Aches’s squad numbered only ten, but four of them were Bloodline Knights. Among them, Sien and Roda were both Second-Tier Bloodline Users. With those two guarding Aches’s flanks—and Aches himself wielding the razor-sharp Demonic Sword—the enemy ahead stood no chance of stopping them.

Still, even though their breakout momentum didn’t slow, none of them dared relax. They had sensed the aura of at least four Bloodline Users among the enemy ranks. Until those opponents were revealed or defeated, no one could afford to lower their guard. On a chaotic battlefield, anything could happen in the blink of an eye.

「Watch out—！」

A sharp warning rang out.

Sien dashed to Aches’s side, raising his shield to block a sudden flash of cold light from the flank.

A metallic clang exploded in the air—Sien felt his arm go slightly numb. The opponent’s strength far exceeded his expectations.

Still, though surprised, Sien countered immediately, swinging his blade at the ambusher while continuing his advance.

In a breakout, nothing was more dangerous than having the formation halted—if even one person was stopped, it could disrupt the entire unit and tear the formation apart. The only choice for anyone blocked was to charge the enemy head-on, even at the cost of their life, to buy space for their comrades.

Sien’s steps faltered for only a heartbeat—fortunately, he had been a few paces ahead at the start. Using that brief pause, he returned to his assigned position, keeping the formation intact.

That was the instinct of a veteran commander. After all, Sien was one of the thirteen survivors of the first White Mountain War. Back then, he had often led breakouts alongside Ion, gaining invaluable experience.

「Thank you, Uncle Sien.」

Aches muttered his gratitude without turning back, his sword still cutting through the enemy ranks.

「Don’t get distracted！」 Sien barked, cutting down an approaching Aust soldier.

His gaze remained sharp, scanning for the hidden Bloodline User who had ambushed him. A foe with that much strength couldn’t be an ordinary soldier.

But before Sien could locate the enemy knight, the pressure around them suddenly eased.

That was when he realized—they had broken through the encirclement.

「Hold formation! Don’t scatter! Move quickly！」

Aches’s eyes gleamed, but he did not relax. Even in success, he ordered everyone to stay close and maintain their formation.

「Arrows incoming! Shield up！」

Just as they had run a few dozen meters, the Bloodline archer behind Aches suddenly tackled him to the ground, shouting a warning.

The next moment, the whistling of countless arrows tore through the air.

Screams erupted everywhere!

Aches instantly realized he had made a tactical mistake.

After breaking out, they should have scattered immediately—but fearing additional ambushes, he had ordered everyone to stay close. That hesitation had given the enemy a perfect target.

Just one volley of arrows, and Aches knew they had lost at least four or five men.

It was only because they had already slain dozens during the charge that their losses weren’t even greater.

「Scatter—！」 Aches shouted.

「Too late！」 Sien hauled the archer up while Roda grabbed Aches.

When they turned back, only three of their original ten soldiers remained—and two of those had arrows in their backs. The third was struck in the leg, unable to move.

Then—the whistling in the air began again.

「【Iron Bones】！」 Roda roared, spreading his arms to shield Aches beneath him.

Sien pressed Aches’s head down, crouching with his shield raised, while the archer joined them under Roda’s protection.

A cacophony of metallic clangs rang out as Roda’s body absorbed the second rain of arrows.

「Uncle Roda！」 Aches cried out.

「I’m fine,」 Roda said, shaking his head. 「Let’s move!」

Though the arrows pierced his armor and drew blood, Roda’s Bloodline ability rendered the wounds shallow. His back was slick with blood, but it was mostly surface cuts—barely scratches.

The remaining three soldiers, however, were not so lucky. All fell under the second wave of arrows.

Sien and Roda quickly pulled Aches up, and the four survivors fled into the darkness.

A third volley fell behind them, but by then, it could no longer reach them.

Once Bloodline Users decided to flee with no restraints, ordinary soldiers stood no chance of catching them.

Fortunately, under the faint moonlight and near-total darkness, the enemy couldn’t easily track Aches’s group—let alone pursue them. Only Bloodline Users could even hope to give chase.

They ran for a long while before stopping to rest. All wore grim expressions.

「It seems the enemy knew our movements completely,」 Sien said in a low voice. 「I fear they attacked our rear unit the moment we left. It’s likely they’ve been wiped out.」

Aches had planned this reconnaissance carefully—it was not some impulsive decision.

Because he was accompanied by Sien and Roda for protection, they had arranged a contingency: once the “Flaming Signal Arrow” was fired, the forty cavalrymen resting behind them were to rush to their aid.

Given that the distance to the base camp was only about an hour’s ride, they should have already rendezvoused by now. Yet, no one came. That alone spoke volumes.

「What worries me more,」 Aches said, frowning, 「is the one hundred and fifty infantrymen even further behind us.

If the enemy truly knew our movements and laid this trap for us, they wouldn’t spare our foot soldiers. With over three hundred troops, wiping out an unsupported infantry unit would be effortless.」

He paused, then added, 「But what troubles me most—are those Aust soldiers fleeing southward. Are they truly routed troops?

Their organization, their discipline, even their fighting will… none of it looks like that of a scattered army.」

Hearing that, Sien furrowed his brow as well. 「You’re right. They were clearly executing a coordinated, deliberate operation. But why?」

「Why go to such lengths？」

「What could they gain from this？」

「Even if they kill us, they can’t escape.」

Judging from the enemy’s ferocity, they had no intention of taking prisoners.

And yet, Bloodline Users—whether knights or not—were valuable assets. Under normal circumstances, capturing them would be far preferable to killing them. But these Aust soldiers, and the Bloodline Users hidden among them, all fought with a single purpose—to slaughter every last one of them.

That could only mean one thing—

Their deaths held greater value than their lives.

And that was why Sien asked, 「Why？」