novelraw Chapter 128 : Chapter 128
Chapter 128 : Chapter 128
Chapter 128: Counterattack (4)
Heriel Theron.
Morcal could never forget that name.
Ruling the kingdom’s north, known as the ‘Demon of the North,’ Heriel was a nightmare for the Kandahr.
As long as he stood, Morcal had never succeeded in crossing the coastline to invade the mainland.
He’d even considered bypassing Heriel, such was the extent of his nemesis.
“Heriel Theron! Today, I’ll sever your head and restore Bakan and Kandahr’s honor!”
Morcal had honed his spear relentlessly for this day.
The finest spearmanship in Kandahr, a technique of deception blending illusion and reality to target the enemy’s throat—
the Black Snake’s spearmanship.
―Clang!
Heriel, facing Morcal, felt a surge of fury.
“Anyone can spout boasts. That rotten honor of yours—I’ll shatter it here.”
The culprit who had invaded the kingdom multiple times, claiming countless innocent lives.
Heriel was determined not to miss this chance to crush the enemy.
Their clash turned the surroundings into a vortex of chaos.
The Duke and Morcal, their duel was monumental enough to shift the battlefield’s flow,
and around them, Black Snake Tribe warriors and the Duke’s coalition knights clashed fiercely.
“Attack the Duke!”
“Don’t let those bastards near His Grace!”
Amid this, the Duke and Morcal’s duel grew more desperate.
Morcal’s spear tip vanished, splitting into dozens of prongs.
His spear, perfectly blending reality and illusion, struck at Heriel’s vitals like a viper’s tongue.
A relentless assault from spear tips impossible to discern.
“Heriel, your clumsy swordsmanship can’t keep up with my spear!”
Heriel’s eyes gleamed as he swung his sword broadly.
His swordsmanship was simple and direct.
Lacking flair, but each strike was strong and heavy enough to cleave stone.
“Illusions are mere paper before my sword.”
Heriel’s sword wind tore through the air, precisely striking the true spear tip.
―Clang!
Solid sword strikes and dazzling, sharp spearmanship clashed countless times, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.
Morcal’s spearmanship was breathtakingly fast and deadly, but it was repeatedly thwarted by Heriel’s steadfast swordsmanship.
Both bore scratches across their bodies, yet neither flinched for a moment.
With completely opposing styles, they fought with all their might to overpower each other.
A literal bloodbath.
And its outcome would determine the war’s fate.
‘His swordsmanship is solid. My spear won’t easily break through.’
Morcal, creating distance, surveyed the battlefield and sharply ordered his warriors.
“All forces, split to both flanks!”
Pausing his duel with the Duke, he chose to rotate his troops.
The enemy’s encirclement wasn’t a perfect circle but pressed from front and back, making the sides and rear relatively sparse.
Morcal quickly analyzed and shouted again.
“Exploit the enemy’s weak flanks to break through! Regroup at the rear to encircle them!”
At Morcal’s command, Kandahr warriors agilely split to both sides, using mobility to escape the encirclement.
Duke Heriel, instantly assessing the situation, urgently ordered his lords.
“They’re rotating to encircle us! Guide their movements, split into a hook formation, and counter-encircle their flanks!”
“Trap them in smaller encirclements?”
“Exactly! Move quickly!”
As the commanders’ orders clashed, both armies moved like two snakes biting each other’s tails.
“Maintain formation and circle outward! Use mobility!”
“His Grace’s orders! Hold the line! If we falter, it’s over!”
In the rapidly shifting encirclement, Morcal’s forces, using superior numbers, broke through one flank, applying intense pressure.
“The enemy has breached our right flank! The rear is in danger!”
But this was what the Duke had anticipated.
He’d been waiting for this opportunity.
Heriel raised his sword with fierce momentum and shouted.
“Now! All forces, converge on me! Reform the formation and press the enemy!”
At his command, the Duke’s soldiers perfectly reformed, absorbing Morcal’s flank attack and forming an encirclement to engulf the enemy.
“Waaaaa!!!”
As both sides’ strategies and maneuvers intricately intertwined, the battlefield was engulfed in chaos and urgency.
Watching this, Morcal and the Duke were certain.
‘That man…’
‘Must die to seize victory in this war!’
Both reached the same conclusion.
Morcal, with a resolute expression, raised his spear and shouted to his elite guard.
“Sever the Duke’s head and claim victory! Follow me!”
Duke Heriel, raising his sword, led his soldiers in a frontal charge.
“Defeat him and end this war!”
The two commanders and their elite forces collided like a massive storm at the battlefield’s center.
“Throw me a spear!”
“Yes, Chieftain!”
Taking a spear from a subordinate, Morcal wielded two.
He unleashed a spearmanship twice as dazzling as before.
“Behold! This is all I’ve held back!”
A dual-headed spear strike, the two spears interlocking.
The already dizzying Black Snake spear doubled, overwhelming the Duke’s defenses.
“Hahaha! Where’s your earlier confidence?”
One of Morcal’s spears pierced the Duke’s leg.
“Ugh!”
As the spear was withdrawn, the Duke lost balance.
‘A chance!’
The steadfast Duke faltered, and Morcal thrust both spears at the staggering figure.
“It’s over!”
Morcal launched a fatal spear strike to end the duel.
The black aura at his spear tips exploded, targeting Heriel’s throat like countless viper jaws.
The blend of illusion and reality was a final attack certain to claim its target’s life.
But Heriel didn’t dodge.
Instead, he stood firm on his injured leg, drawing his sword back.
“Hoo…”
Taking a deep breath, he imbued his sword with strength and will.
“Hah!”
A blinding flash erupted from Heriel’s sword.
A straight, powerful sword light tore through the spear’s illusions, splitting the true spear tips in half.
―Crack!
Both spears shattered, and the Duke’s strike slashed Morcal’s chest.
“How can this be…?”
Morcal, incredulous, clutched his broken spears.
He knelt, and in rage, threw the broken spears.
“Argh!”
The Duke deflected the spears with his sword and approached.
“Did you think you tricked me by feigning injury?”
“That’s the difference between us. I knew your cunning wouldn’t miss this chance.”
When the duel didn’t yield an easy victory, the Duke had opted for a desperate ploy.
He deliberately let Morcal’s spear wound his leg to lure him into overconfidence.
“But your injury is real, isn’t it?”
“For a man like you, this wound is a small price.”
“Should I be honored?”
Acknowledging defeat, Morcal drew a dagger from his chest, aiming for the Duke’s heart.
The Duke severed Morcal’s arm.
―Slash!
“Argh!”
Morcal screamed, bleeding profusely.
“You and your ilk will never threaten the kingdom after today.”
“Heriel!!!”
The Duke coldly raised his sword to behead Morcal.
Morcal, mustering his last strength, glared with furious eyes.
But that defiance was brief.
His body swayed and slowly collapsed forward.
The earlier wound had burst open in his rage.
―Thud!
Morcal hit the ground, motionless.
A complete victory for Duke Heriel Theron.
The Kandahr warriors, shocked and terrified, lost their will to fight, while the kingdom’s soldiers cheered, rallying to press the enemy.
The Duke raised his bloodied sword high and shouted.
“All advance! Victory is the kingdom’s!”
***
While a grand battle raged at the rear with the Duke and Morcal’s duel, the front at the royal castle saw even fiercer combat.
Amid this brutal fight, the most striking was Drenbalk, the Kandahr Tribe’s champion.
As the vanguard, he faced the Executor cadets’ charge with a cruel smile, welcoming the challenge.
“Fearless brats, rushing in so boldly!”
He caught a flail swung with full force by cadet Jerito with his bare hand.
Drenbalk’s massive hand, like a bear’s paw, stopped the flail’s spikes, unable to pierce his tough skin.
“You think this can scratch me?”
Drenbalk yanked the flail’s chain roughly.
Jerito, caught off guard, stumbled forward, and Drenbalk delivered a powerful kick to his stomach.
―Thud!
“Guh!”
Jerito spat blood, flying back and collapsing limply.
His armor dented, his ribs clearly broken.
“Jerito!!”
Furious, Jack swung a punch at Drenbalk.
But it was easily blocked by his axe, and Drenbalk brushed off the feeble attempt.
“Pathetic. Is this the level of Executor candidates?”
Undeterred, the cadets rushed Drenbalk again.
Jaina and Elliott attacked from both sides, but Drenbalk dodged with ease.
Jaina’s sharp sword grazed his side, but astonishingly, it left no mark.
When Jaina blocked Drenbalk’s casual punch, her wrist felt the shock of breaking.
“You monster…!”
Elliott shouted, thrusting his spear from behind, but Drenbalk twisted, grabbed the shaft, and lifted it.
“Ugh! Let go!”
Elliott struggled, but Drenbalk’s arm didn’t budge.
“You greenhorns thought you could beat me? That was your mistake.”
With a sneer, Drenbalk slammed Elliott into the ground.
Dust and blood sprayed, and Elliott screamed in pain.
“Guh!”
Already, all nine Executor cadets bore injuries, large and small.
None were unscathed.
In contrast, Drenbalk’s body showed not a single scratch.
Turning to the fallen cadets, he sneered again.
“What? Where’s all that bravado from before?”
The cadets bit their lips, suppressing their rage.
But, as he said, their resolve was waning before the overwhelming gap in strength.
“Playtime’s over.”
Drenbalk advanced, exuding menace.
For the first time, fear flickered in the cadets’ eyes.