The Genius Archer Who Became a One-Man Army

Chapter 27

*Boom!*

With a tremendous noise, two soldiers holding shields were flung into the air.

Gallel, who had swiftly swung his axe to clear a path, saw Raymond on horseback beyond the soldiers.

‘Are they finally moving?’

He had worried they might blindly rush inside, but now it seemed they were beginning to focus on him.

Lian looked at his squad members around him.

“Stay on high alert. A monster is coming.”

“Are we finally noticeable now?”

“…Mother, I guess I really will meet Father first now!”

Lian chuckled and smacked Kyle on the back.

“Get a grip. You might be the only one who can block his attacks.”

“How am I supposed to block aura-infused attacks?”

“…With skill?”

Kyle’s expression turned sullen at Lian’s words. Lian then looked at the approaching Gallel.

*Slash!*

Gallel’s axe showed no mercy.

Anyone who stood in his way was struck down in a single blow.

And that wasn’t the only problem.

The warriors following behind him.

‘Elite soldiers?’

There were about twenty beast warriors, their presence as intimidating as the kingdom’s elite forces.

Lian quickly nocked an arrow.

“When the enemy gets close, we move inside.”

He had no intention of facing the aura-wielding monster head-on, as Kyle had mentioned.

They needed to draw him into a crowded area to induce chaos.

*Ping!*

*Whoosh!*

Lian’s arrow shot out at incredible speed toward Gallel.

*Clang!*

Gallel, who had been charging at Lian, knocked the arrow away and stood still.

“Impressive.”

He could certainly tell that few among his own could shoot arrows with such precision.

‘To hit a moving target like this…’

The face of the shooter still looked very young.

By the kingdom’s standards, he couldn’t be older than 15 or 16.

If he was already at this level, what kind of monster would he become in ten years?

If, by any chance, these arrows were infused with aura…

“Theobal, take ten men and hit him from behind.”

“Yes.”

At Gallel’s command, the beast warrior named Theobal immediately moved to the side.

The plan was to sneak up on Lian from behind amidst the chaos of battle.

*Thud!*

Despite being aware of Gallel’s approach, Lian continued fighting.

He had no choice.

The battlefield was a chaotic melee of over two thousand people clashing.

While they seemed to be pushing the enemy back with their shield formation, there were still areas where the formation had broken down, causing utter confusion.

“Isaac! Break through the side!”

“Yes!”

“Jedron! Semut! Guard Isaac’s side to prevent encirclement.”

“Yes!”

Lian glanced at Kyle,

“I’m already on it!”

Kyle followed closely behind Isaac, ready to defend against any unforeseen danger.

Seeing this, Brent sidled up to Lian.

“That guy really looks up to you, squad leader.”

“Kyle?”

“Well, so do I.”

Smiling, Brent jumped at a beast warrior coming at him, kicking him in the chest.

He then climbed onto the fallen warrior and slashed his throat with his sword.

*Slash!*

“Huff… squad leader.”

“Speak.”

“Do you think we can survive this?”

With each passing moment, the danger of this battle became more palpable.

At Brent’s question, Lian nodded.

“Absolutely.”

With that assurance, Lian raised his bow.

“So move quickly.”

“Yes, sir!”

Brent followed Lian, heading towards where Isaac had charged.

By then, Gallel had closed in.

Fighting him in the open was not an option. Moreover,

‘The enemy forces… are fewer?’

The beast warrior with the menacing face who was by Gallel’s side was gone.

He seemed to have taken some warriors and moved elsewhere…

‘Are they planning to flank us?’

Gallel might think he’s enough to deal with them, but if the forces had split for a flank attack…

“Brent, can you climb that tree?”

“That’s easy enough. Why?”

“Remember the beast warrior with the long scar on his left face?”

“Yes, the one with the scar down his left face?”

“Right.”

Brent nodded, having kept track of him.

“But… he’s not there now. And their numbers seem fewer.”

“Can you find him?”

“…I’ll try.”

He had to climb a tree amidst the chaos and track the moving enemy.

Time was short, but Brent was determined.

“I’ll go.”

*Whoosh!*

Brent sped up, quickly running.

Beast warriors noticed Brent as he suddenly darted out, but *whoosh!*

Lian stopped and quickly shot two arrows.

*Thwack! Thud!*

The arrows pierced the necks of two beast warriors, one on each side of Brent’s path.

Ignoring the tingling in his fingers, Lian turned his gaze back to Gallel.

Tremendous speed.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Gallel caught up. But,

‘Keep following me.’

Lian began to run again.

—

This wasn’t the scene he had imagined.

“How can we lose to such primitive creatures…!”

Baron Biovan could feel that something was off as time passed.

It was inevitable because the kingdom’s shield formation, known for its strongest defense, was gradually collapsing.

Of course, the number of beast warriors dying in the process was tremendous.

An enormous number of casualties in a remarkably short time.

The problem was that the casualties were severe on both sides.

“Baron! We need to re-form our ranks! This is an unavoidable battle now!”

It had become a chaotic brawl devoid of any strategy.

The formation was breaking down, and small-scale skirmishes were erupting all over the battlefield of thousands.

His haste had created this hellish situation.

But retreat was not an option.

“Have all platoon leaders quickly re-form their soldiers! Since it has come to this, we’ll create platoon formations to confront the enemy!”

“Yes, sir!”

The captains near Baron swiftly moved to relay the orders to the platoon leaders.

Even the soldiers who had been fighting haphazardly began to quickly form platoon shield formations upon receiving the orders.

Though the command had been given in haste and the formations were not perfect, the chaotic battle seemed to settle a bit.

The tide, which had been turning against them, slowly began to shift back in favor of the kingdom’s army, but…

‘The problem is the enemy commander.’

Unfortunately, none of his knights could match that beast commander.

They needed to trap him with the other officers somehow.

‘The balance of power is not easily tipping.’

In the current state, Gallel, the enemy commander, was a significant variable.

If they couldn’t properly contain him, the situation could collapse at any moment.

‘This is my fault… my mistake.’

He had been hasty.

His decision, meant to change the political landscape within the kingdom, had turned out to be a critical blunder.

In this dire situation, Baron Biovan frowned as he observed the battlefield.

Then it happened.

*Thud!*

“…Hmm?”

The enemy commander, who had been charging towards the center of the battlefield, suddenly changed direction.

Biovan’s gaze naturally followed where he was headed.

“The Eagle Company?”

A small group of soldiers with the 3rd Battalion’s insignia and eagle symbols on their shoulders.

But there was something unusual.

‘What’s with that formation?’

Soldiers with shields in the front and back, and four spear-wielding soldiers guarding and attacking from the sides.

And one soldier fighting alone with two swords…

“A bow?”

Biovan’s eyes widened in surprise.

The soldier with the bow was incredibly striking.

He moved his soldiers at the right moments, taking advantage of favorable positions to harass the enemy.

At the same time, he covered the lone fighter with his bow, directing other soldiers and repositioning the shield bearers.

It might be possible due to their small numbers, but his insight and real-time decision-making abilities were like those of a skilled commander.

“Raymond! Where is Raymond?”

“Did you call for me, Battalion Commander?”

Raymond, holding a bloodied sword, approached at Biovan’s call.

Biovan pointed to the soldiers in the Eagle Company.

“Who is that soldier?”

Raymond looked at the group fighting with an unusual formation at the edge of the friendly formation.

Despite their small number of just ten, numerous beast warrior corpses surrounded them.

Raymond’s eyes sparkled.

“Lian?”

“Lian?”

“That soldier is Lian, the squad leader I mentioned.”

“Hmmm…”

He looks quite young…

Biovan quickly scanned the battlefield.

Some soldiers near the enemy commander had been separated and were now in the melee.

But Biovan recognized this as a tactic.

About ten beast warriors, led by Gallel, were heading towards Lian’s squad.

“Raymond, take your soldiers and head there!”

“Pardon?”

“That’s where victory lies.”

Biovan was certain.

They had to kill the enemy commander concentrating on that spot.

Raymond nodded.

“I’ll follow your lead.”

“Let’s go!”

Biovan, Raymond, and about a hundred swift soldiers started moving towards Lian’s position.

—

*Whoosh!*

Brent swiftly climbed the tree and scanned for the beast warrior with the scar on his left face.

The distinctive face made him easy to remember. And,

‘Found him!’

Unlike Gallel, who was charging head-on, Theobal was circling wide to the right.

It might have seemed like they were going to support another area, but their movements were suspicious.

‘They’re aiming for our rear?’

Damn it.

“Just as the squad leader feared!”

Brent hurried down the tree.

Due to Gallel’s pressure, they had no choice but to move to gain distance.

But it was a clever tactic to herd them into a desired position.

If Theobal and the ten beast warriors attacked their rear…

‘We’ll be caught off guard.’

Brent rushed towards Lian, who was approaching.

“Squad leader, the beast warrior with the scar is circling with about ten warriors to hit our rear.”

“As expected.”

Lian frowned.

The beast warriors excelled in this kind of guerrilla warfare in the chaos.

Their mobility, unfortunately, outstripped theirs.

And the formation was gradually being pushed to one side under Gallel’s pressure.

“You did well, Brent.”

“What do we do now?”

Lian glanced to the right.

He seemed to be observing something. Brent watched Lian with a slightly anxious expression. Then,

“We need to let them know that we’re leading them into a trap, not the other way around.”