NOVEL WEB Chapter 73
Chapter 73 – The Northern Gale (3)
‘What on Earth is happening?’
In that brief moment when his body defied the laws of physics and soared into the sky, Luhan, leading the charge, gazed blankly at the heavens.
They were simply galloping across flat ground. Yet, their horses suddenly sank into squishy mud and fell into a deep, long pit that someone had intentionally dug.
It was incomprehensible by common sense. The idea that the squishy mud was floating in blocks in the air or that such a wide pit could be dug in such a short time was absurd.
“Gack.”
“Charge them all!”
As Luhan plummeted to the ground, Balun’s main force barreled forward, not slowing down, charging toward the shattered remnants of their group.
Of course, Luhan, being the excellent warrior he was, managed to dismount properly and executed a quick roll to avoid injury. He sprang to his feet, unsheathing his sword, gritting his teeth as countless enemies rushed toward him, but they weren’t just attacking head-on.
“Hey, they’re coming from the sides too!”
“Impossible! Are they sprouting from the ground?”
As the front line fell into the trap and lost all mobility, they were horrified to see enemies unleashing an assault from both sides.
As one warrior screamed, the Arin tribe, lying in ambush, truly sprang from the ground. It was beyond their imagination that so many could have hidden beneath the earth, waiting there.
“Sh-shields! Raise your shields!”
In the cavalry clash, Luhan’s warriors instinctively felt fear and raised their shields as they lost their mobility.
As expected, the Arin tribe, including warriors like Riena, drew their bows in unison and began shooting arrows, easily slaying those who were halted in place.
‘How on Earth is this happening…?’
Luhan stared in a daze as a special arrow shot by Riena, wielding a unique bow, flew at tremendous speed, shattering the shield of an armored soldier and piercing his neck, killing the soldier behind him too.
The arrows weren’t just one or two; there were dozens, easily taking down a well-armed force—not the power that standard arrows could deliver. As the force unleashed this concentrated power in a single moment, Luhan’s troops found it impossible to withstand.
“You scoundrels!”
In such an extraordinary situation, it was only natural to think the opposing side was using some wicked magic he didn’t understand.
In a surge of anger, mana swirled around Luhan’s body and sword as he dashed toward the enemies intent on overpowering his allies.
His sword was surely powerful enough to cut down an opponent in armor, without even being mounted on a horse.
“Is that guy the leader?”
“Yes. He’s Luhan, a powerful warrior even Garhan can’t handle!”
As the pre-planned strategy unfolded perfectly, seizing the momentum against several times their number, Naru, who knew of Luhan’s reputation, informed Balun of Luhan’s identity. Truly, his fame was not undeserved.
Even now, caught in a deadly trap, Luhan remained steadfast with his warriors. The mounted soldiers were no easy prey for superhuman warriors capable of evading galloping horses and slicing their limbs with their swords.
‘My warriors must step up, but to deal with someone of that caliber, we need Riena.’
Balun fiddled with his druid staff, sensing that neither he nor the newly awakened rookie warriors stood a chance against them.
“We’ll take a shot too. With this Dragon Scale Armor, we might stand a chance.”
Naru pointed to the Drake’s Scales armor he wore. But Balun shook his head.
“We proceed as planned. The key is not the enemy warriors, but breaking the bulk of the enemy forces.”
Warriors are powerful assets that can change the tide of battle, but they’re not everything. To win the war, it’s ultimately more important to suppress the majority of the enemy forces.
Moreover, he had his reliable elements.
“W-watch out!”
Someone shouted at the sky. But by the time they were startled enough to look up, it was already too late. A gigantic, translucent hammer, the size of a house, began to fall forcefully upon Luhan’s resisting warriors.
“The Guardian Deity is watching over us. What is there to fear? All those waiting, charge!”
While Balun confined and battered the panicking opponents, he continued to give the order to charge, using the hammer falling from the sky as a cue.
It was time for a massive showdown, to crush the enemy in a battle of strength.
[Wind of Healing]
‘We will not be defeated.’
As they charged all at once, the hammer fell repeatedly, targeting the enemy warriors, and golden letters appeared in the sky, bringing a refreshing breeze.
This wind, imbued with special power, pushed the backs of the charging forces, deflected enemy arrows, and healed their wounds.
“Ugh, uaaah…”
“What is that in the sky!”
Luhan’s forces were completely stunned by the relentless attacks from the enemy. They were clearly outmatched and losing their morale.
“Graaah! How dare they use such vile magic!”
Luhan, gritting his teeth as he shattered the hammer aimed at him, was struck dumb by the sight of glowing letters in the dark, cloudy sky.
The divine golden letters seemed too holy for wicked magic. However, such divinity wasn’t on their side.
“Surrender. Surrender and we shall not kill you.”
Once the clash began, the outcome was already half determined. Including Balun, the Arin tribe warriors commanded their soldiers, actively demanding surrender from their opponents.
Indeed, those who dropped their weapons and surrendered were allowed to pass unscathed.
They swept away the startled Luhan’s forces before they could regroup and, unable to resist any further, Luhan’s soldiers fell apart.
“What the hell are you? Where do you come from?”
“All of you say similar things. But we are from the same Tribe of the Grassland as you. We’ve simply been on the looted side due to a lack of power.”
All Luhan could see were his soldiers either falling off their horses or surrendering. He gritted his teeth, while Balun calmly shook his head.
“Nonsense! We don’t use such bizarre magic!”
When Balun summoned thorny vines from the ground to bind him, Luhan easily sliced them apart and yelled back.
“You should surrender as well. If you do, I’ll tell you the true truth about us that you don’t know.”
“We are…proud warriors. We won’t surrender to a Shaman…! I’d rather die fighting!”
Balun urged Luhan to surrender, but Luhan, growling defiantly, rejected the offer. Instead, he aimed his sword and lunged at Balun, furiously charging him.
“Well then, you leave me no choice.”
Startled, Balun glanced sideways. Almost simultaneously, just as Luhan lunged to cut him down, another sword rushed in to intercept him.
The clash of steel was unbelievable, and the impact forced Luhan’s eyes wide open. Gripping the sword that blocked his, was a female warrior with her hair tied back, flowing in the wind.
[Cross Slash – Judgment]
With her hair and skirt fluttering, Riena’s eyes sparkled golden, and with a dazzling flash, her skill activated.
In a moment, the slashing strike, enhanced by Celestial Blessing – Judgment, knocked Luhan backward in shock.
*
‘It feels like I’ve got the hang of it.’
I’d lost track of time, not even taking a bathroom break, just watching the war unfold on screen. The battle didn’t allow me to look away for even a moment.
I believed synchronizing with them was the most important task, so I was careful in deploying hammers to assist them.
I subdued the enemy warriors and targeted their leader.
However, as I focused on shooting the leader, I felt it was time to upgrade from merely destroying backgrounds. The basic weapon, the hammer, seemed limited in utility.
“—!”
Still, this time it was enough.
As I supported them, they devised their strategy and executed it flawlessly.
With that, they achieved victory in the war.
Of course, it didn’t seem completely won yet, but if we could take out the few enemies fiercely resisting in a completely broken state, we would claim victory.
“Are you refusing to surrender…?”
I sighed quietly, observing several warriors donned in wolf skins. Including the enemy’s leader, they seemed willing to fight to the death rather than surrender. Particularly, the leader named Luhan was barking meaningless shouts as if he could be understood without sound.
“–. —.”
But Riena, facing him, maintained a calm and cold expression, steadily pushing him back.
Her growth was evident. The emotional child I had first met was gone; in her place stood a capable knight who had rapidly grown from extensive experience.
‘I think we might win.’
Other enemies were also collapsing one by one, taken down by well-trained warriors like Shura and Rakum.
The last hammer didn’t seem necessary.
[Achievement Unlocked: Defeated 200 Hostile Forces]
[Achievement Unlocked: Defeated 300 Hostile Forces]
…
During this war, I achieved a few accomplishments as well. Considering I still had to watch the fighting, I quickly skimmed through the achievements, collecting points along the way.
“It’s time to finish.”
In the meantime, the battle had been decided. Riena’s blade had severed the enemy’s sword cleanly in half.
While I watched with interest, Riena swung her sword without hesitation at the staggering enemy, beheading him.
“—, –! —!”
The battle ended in victory, but it wasn’t completely over yet. Balun subdued those who surrendered while reallocating a portion of his troops to another area.
‘Damn, if I could use a mouse…’
To catch those fleeing and search for the bulk they left behind.
I could see them on the screen—the elderly, children, and women—those who couldn’t be front-line fighters waiting behind.
The problem was I couldn’t use mouse control in a screen that still represented an enemy. Thus, I could only watch, hoping our forces would catch them.
“—!”
The fleeing enemies, aware that our forces were chasing them, some decided to escape entirely to other places instead of joining up with their remaining forces.
It seemed our side had given up on capturing them, focusing on securing the remaining bulk instead.
Not knowing that they had been defeated and that their chieftain was dead, they were startled to find our forces rushing in, ultimately leading to their surrender.