Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 371

371

Counterattack

If you were to ask who the strongest human is, most would point to the highest-ranking knight of their country.

There might be some unofficially as strong, but officially, the highest-ranking knight holds the title.

The power and prestige that a high-ranking knight holds is immense to humans.

However, even these high-ranking knights wouldn’t commit the folly of charging alone into a well-formed battle formation.

Even if they are clad in the armor of a high-ranking knight, they are still flesh and blood, vulnerable to fatal wounds and death from blood loss, just like any ordinary human.

Although the battle formation is composed of ordinary soldiers, these soldiers are trained in basic mana manipulation and can exploit the openings of knights who rely on mana for defense.

No matter how much a high-ranking knight displays their power, they cannot block all the spears flying from all directions. Some spears will inevitably find their mark, and a strike to the heart or neck is invariably fatal.

Even if they avoid such direct hits, they could still fall victim to a stray arrow or be subdued by other means.

The skilled individuals among the fairies or beastmen were comparable to high-ranking knights. They, too, understood that rushing into a well-formed battle formation was practically suicide.

‘That was the conventional wisdom, and I assumed other beings would think the same.

But…’

Marquis Volkov could only watch as his soldiers were crushed, utterly helpless.

It was an absurd display of power.

This was a formation of elite Hispana soldiers, skilled enough to grab a high-ranking knight by the ankle, drag them down, and exploit an opening for a spear thrust.

Yet, the attacker was tearing through the formation with ease, massacring the soldiers as if an adult were toying with a child.

Even wielding two iron maces, each requiring both hands to manage, the soldiers struggled to find an opening. When they thought they saw a gap and lunged with their spears, the head of the massive iron mace would swing in and shatter them.

“This is insane!”

“Fall back! Reform the formation! The enemies are pushing through!”

“Reinforcements! Reinforce the formation!”

“Stay focused and hold on! Just hold on!”

It was only thanks to their rigorous training and battlefield experience that they managed to hold their ground.

Ordinary soldiers would have panicked long ago, abandoning their formation and allies to flee.

“Commander! The fog makes it impossible to assess the situation! It seems like we’re being attacked from the rear, but we can’t even confirm the state of the formation!”

“It’s night, and there’s fog. The enemies can’t see either! Hold your ground. If you turn your back now, the soldiers who flee will be slaughtered. If we can’t see, the enemies can’t see either, so don’t be afraid and maintain the formation!”

It seemed like a foolish decision to hold their ground, but it was the best option available.

In such a chaotic battle, a collapsed formation would only become a slaughterhouse.

Even with a monstrous woman wielding an iron mace and massacring allies before their eyes, turning and running would only hasten their annihilation.

“Exploit the gaps. If we can bring down that Celestial [a being of immense power], we can break the enemy’s spearhead. Nothing else matters! We have to eliminate that Celestial first!”

The sounds of impacts, screams, and shrieks echoed from all directions.

Fire arrows flew through the fog, announcing their presence with trails of flame.

They could only see the enemy directly in front of them, with no idea how many more lurked behind.

Marquis Volkov and his soldiers had no way of knowing whether their allies were nearby, whether enemies surrounded them, or whether the rear was compromised.

They desperately wanted to turn and run, but they all knew that doing so would lead to a catastrophic rout, resulting in their deaths and the deaths of their comrades.

That’s why they held their ground to the bitter end, even knowing the situation was hopeless.

When the comrade next to them collapsed, vomiting blood, a new soldier from behind filled the gap. When that soldier also fell, the soldiers beside him immediately closed ranks to maintain a tight formation.

It was an incredibly disciplined response, one that only those trained and hardened on the battlefield could display.

But despite their efforts, the situation continued to deteriorate.

“Uwaaaagh!”

“Keuk!”

Wajik!

Kwajijik!

What kind of being was this? No matter how many times they aimed for the gaps and stabbed with spears and swords, it didn’t even flinch.

Instead, the soldiers who tried to attack were sent flying into the air with a single flap of the Celestial’s wings, soaring before crashing to the ground with broken necks or grievous injuries.

“What the hell!”

It was a natural consequence of their ignorance and inexperience with top-tier Celestials.

They thought they could handle the situation by comparing the Celestial to a strong person like a high-ranking knight, but the opponent was an undisputed powerhouse who could toy with a high-ranking knight with one hand.

“Marquis! Marquis! This won’t do. We’ll be annihilated at this rate! The front is collapsing, the flanks are crumbling, and attacks have started from the rear. It’s impossible!”

“What about the northern warriors who were waiting in the rear, the ones who were supposed to watch our backs?”

“I don’t know. If we could at least properly check the visibility, but it’s the middle of the night and the fog hasn’t cleared yet, so there’s no way to know the surrounding situation.”

Marquis Volkov gritted his teeth and looked around.

Originally, Zann and Eos’s northern warriors would have arrived and somehow opened a retreat route, but he couldn’t tell whether they had betrayed Hispana and fled, or whether they were also fighting a difficult battle due to the enemy’s surprise attack and were gradually being pushed back, as his adjutant said.

“You must escape, Marquis.”

“Don’t say foolish things. Are you telling the commander of the army to abandon his subordinates and run away? I’m quite taken aback that you, who have known me for so long, would say such a thing.”

“It’s a futile death. You must retreat and somehow deliver this news.”

“That’s something for young friends like you to do, not something for an old man to do.”

With that, Marquis Volkov drew his sword.

For the commander of the army, the one who must be protected, to prepare for the final battle meant that the formation had completely collapsed, and from now on, they had to fight for their own survival.

“…”

The adjutant, who had been watching Marquis Volkov’s figure, turned around and began to call someone.

“Rick! Rick!”

A young man holding a shield and holding his ground turned his head.

The adjutant beckoned him and gave him an order.

“It’s not completely surrounded yet. You lead your men and get out of here right now.”

“Yes? N, no, what are you saying…”

“We need people to deliver the news. I’m not telling you to run away. I’m entrusting you with the most important task. In fact, this is more dangerous and may lead to a more miserable end.”

“…”

“Get out of here. And somehow get to the defense line and deliver the news. The enemies attacked much faster than expected and are much stronger. You must deliver the news.”

At the adjutant’s words, a lower-ranking commander named Rick looked at Marquis Volkov.

Marquis Volkov nodded, signaling him to follow the adjutant’s orders. Rick bit his lip and looked back and forth between the two before bowing in understanding and quickly disappearing.

“Geez, you really don’t listen.”

“Didn’t you say that young people should live? If we’re going to talk like that, that’s why that guy has to live. The same goes for the other guys. But not me. I’ve grown very old in both body and mind while assisting you, Marquis.”

“You’re making jokes even in this situation.”

“Isn’t it the situation we’re in?”

Hwaaaah!

Once again, the front formation collapsed, and dozens of fire arrows rained down.

The surrounding guards hurriedly raised their shields, but damage was already done, with several arrows hitting the guards’ arms or shoulders.

“…It seems I was careless after all.”

“You weren’t careless. It’s just that the enemies are too strong.”

“Still, isn’t it a relief? I don’t see anyone running away.”

At the adjutant’s words, Marquis Volkov gave a faint smile.

As he said, everyone was screaming and yelling that they were going to die, but they never abandoned their posts.

Whether they were hit by arrows and died standing in their place, stabbed by the enemy’s spears and swords, or crushed to death by an iron mace that flew in from somewhere, they were meeting their deaths while guarding their posts.

‘If this was going to happen, I should have at least said something properly to my son.’

He never got to say those words.