The Genius Archer Who Became a One-Man Army

Chapter 29

Raymond finally spotted the enemy commander.

But the 6th squad, which had been holding him off, was in a desperate situation.

How could ordinary soldiers withstand a warrior who could wield aura?

“Aaaah!”

In the midst of the chaos, a soldier got injured.

Isaac, who had tried to stop Gallel, was struck by an axe on his shoulder and fell.

“Hurry! Our comrade is dying!”

“Captain Raymond!”

Raymond charged forward on his horse. Baron Biovan called out to him, but Raymond didn’t heed him.

Saving his subordinate came first.

But just before he reached the scene,

“Die, brat!”

The enemy commander who had severely injured Isaac charged at Lian.

Though Lian was an excellent archer, he couldn’t escape Gallel’s beast-like charge.

And just as Gallel’s axe was about to strike Lian’s head, *Crash!*

“…!”

Raymond could hardly believe what he saw happening right in front of him.

But more shocked than Raymond was Gallel himself.

*Thunk!*

“Grr!”

In a brief moment of confusion, Gallel frowned at the arrow lodged in his thigh.

‘How did he…?’

Just a moment ago, he was right there in front of him.

It was an unavoidable attack.

He thought he had read all of Lian’s movements.

But just as he was about to split his head, Lian suddenly seemed to vanish, retreating backward.

‘Did he use magic?’

Gallel shook his head.

There were very few mages across the entire continent.

Moreover, there were only a handful of mages who could quickly use magic in such a dire situation.

And if he could use magic, why bother with a bow? Magic would be far more powerful.

But the faint magical aura emanating from Lian…

“You bastard!”

Gallel roared in fury.

What trick did he use?

Lian nocked two arrows and aimed at Gallel.

“Sorry, but you should watch your side.”

“…What?”

*Neigh!*

With a horse’s whinny, Raymond’s sword slashed toward Gallel’s neck.

*Swish!*

Gallel ducked his head, and Raymond’s sword cut through the air, barely grazing his hair.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

In an instant, Gallel and his warriors were surrounded by a hundred soldiers.

Their faces were exhausted from running hard, but their eyes were fierce as they stared at Gallel.

Gallel, standing in the center, looked around at the kingdom’s soldiers encircling him.

Breaking through the thick wall of soldiers didn’t seem easy.

But more concerning were the two young ones being protected behind the soldiers.

“Isaac! Isaac!”

“Hey, snap out of it!”

The 6th squad members quickly moved Isaac to the rear, laying him down carefully.

Though not immediately fatal, his wound was severe enough to kill him if not treated soon.

Lian bit his lip at the sight of Isaac.

‘If only we had a potion…’

It wasn’t that he regretted giving the potion to Kyle, but now he desperately needed one.

Even if they took Isaac to a healer, there was no guarantee he would survive.

‘It’s my fault. It’s all because of me…’

Isaac still needed time to grow stronger.

But Lian had equated the young Isaac with the one he knew from his past life.

-If it’s Isaac…

-If it’s Isaac, he might be able to do something.

Those thoughts had occupied Lian’s mind.

It was all because of his own shortcomings.

All Lian could do was press on Isaac’s wound with a torn piece of cloth to stop the bleeding.

“S-Squad leader…”

“Is he going to die…?”

Blood kept seeping through the cloth, soaking his palm red.

No one knew what to do in this situation.

Then,

*Flash!*

A sudden flash of light.

The ring on Lian’s hand glowed green, and Isaac’s bleeding began to slow.

“…Huh?”

No one understood what was happening.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Isaac.

“Ugh…”

A small groan escaped Isaac’s lips.

The squad members surrounding him gasped and called out.

“Isaac!”

“Are you conscious?”

Lian’s mind was in turmoil.

The ring had flashed, stopping Isaac’s bleeding and bringing him back to consciousness.

“Are you Lian?”

Baron Biovan approached Lian on horseback.

At his question, Lian raised his head and quickly knelt on one knee.

“Lian, squad leader of the Eagle Company.”

“You don’t seem to have time for formalities. Take your men and head to the castle immediately. There’s a potion in my quarters. Use it.”

Biovan handed Lian a token with his emblem.

“Show this. It will grant you access.”

Biovan then looked toward Saleron Castle.

Despite surrounding Gallel, battles continued around them.

“Can you make it to the castle?”

“…I will make it.”

Lian clenched his fist tightly.

This was a critical chance.

‘I won’t let him die.’

Lian sprang to his feet.

He regretted not being able to kill Gallel himself, but there was no time to think about that now.

Kyle had already picked up Isaac carefully.

“I will protect him no matter what.”

“I will guard him even if I become a pincushion.”

“Hurry, squad leader.”

Lian grasped his bow firmly and started running.

Brant and other spear-wielding squad members followed.

It was now a race against time.

‘The ring’s power has somewhat healed his wounds, but he’s still in a critical condition.’

The bleeding had stopped, but Isaac’s lips were turning blue from blood loss.

If he didn’t get a potion soon, he could die.

*Thunk!*

Lian’s arrow pierced the head of a beast warrior blocking their path.

They died without even realizing an arrow was coming.

Brent, watching, couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

‘Is this even possible?’

In the extremely urgent situation, the squad members were practically sprinting.

Even in such a rush, Lian’s precise killing of the enemies with his bow without a single miss was awe-inspiring.

His concentration was extraordinary.

Of course, with the overwhelming number of enemies and the chaotic melee with allied soldiers and enemies, they had to stop intermittently.

But soon enough, they saw the castle gate ahead.

“We’re almost there!”

“Brent, follow me. We need to make sure the gate opens immediately!”

“Yes!”

The fastest runner, Brent, followed Lian closely. When they reached the gate, Lian held up the badge given by Baron Biovan and shouted.

“Open the gate! We have an injured man!”

“What, what?”

“Who are they?”

The soldiers saw Kyle and Isaac running from behind and began opening the gate.

As the gate opened, Lian turned back.

It was as if the beastmen, fighting nearby, had been waiting for this moment and began charging towards them.

“Kyle, take this emblem and go straight to Baron Biovan’s quarters. He said there’s a potion there.”

“What about you, squad leader?”

“I need to hold these guys off.”

Lian forced the emblem into Kyle’s hand and shouted.

“Go! Save him!”

Then he turned to face the approaching beastmen and raised his bow.

“Not a single one will get through.”

Because of my mistake, the kingdom almost lost a hero who would be remembered in history.

‘I need to get stronger.’

With firm determination, Lian released the arrow.

—

The battle that started at dawn ended after the sun had fully set.

The smell of blood was so overwhelming that it felt like their sense of smell had gone numb.

“…Squad leader, are you okay?”

“Squad leader.”

Lian’s bow was already stained with blood.

After running out of arrows, he had used the bow to smash the faces of the approaching beastmen and reused the arrows embedded in their bodies.

In this battle, Lian had been different from usual.

He was more aggressive and seemed to be damaging himself.

It was hard to even talk to him.

“…Huff.”

Covered in blood, Lian dropped the bow to the ground.

The bow was already broken and hanging loosely from the string.

“Are you alright, squad leader?”

“Let’s go to Isaac.”

At Brent’s words, Lian responded calmly and turned his body.

A total of 2,500 people fought in this battle.

Lian had killed over fifty beastmen himself, and his armor and clothes were soaked with their blood.

Even washing them might not get rid of the smell.

Lian wiped the blood from his body and headed to where Isaac was.

Thankfully, he seemed to be resting comfortably, indicating he wasn’t too late.

“Squad leader!”

As they entered the tent where Isaac was resting, Kyle, who had been keeping watch, stood up quickly.

“Did he take the potion?”

“Yes, he took the potion, and a healer has seen him. Although it was a severe injury, the potion has ensured his life isn’t in danger. However, he should avoid strenuous activity for a month or two.”

“Surviving such an injury without any permanent damage is something to be grateful for.”

Lian looked at the sleeping Isaac.

He felt both sorry and thankful.

‘I need to become stronger.’

So that this kind of thing never happens again.

As the entire 6th squad shared trivial stories in front of Isaac,

“Lian, the company commander wants to see you.”

“Squad leader!”

Tyler came to find Lian.

Lian smiled with relief.

The fact that they had survived such a fierce battle was what mattered.

Tyler patted Lian’s shoulder lightly.

“But you should change your clothes before you go.”

“…Right?”

The smell of blood was overwhelming.

—

“Lian reporting, company commander.”

“Come in.”

Lian, now washed and changed, entered the tent where Raymond was.

“Huh?”

Inside, beside Raymond, stood Baron Biovan. Lian quickly placed his right fist over his heart and saluted.

“Lian, squad leader of the 6th Squad, Eagle Company, reporting to the commander.”

“No need for formalities.”

At Biovan’s gesture, Lian stood at ease and looked at the two men.

Raymond smiled slightly at Lian’s stiff posture.

“No need to be so formal. We just called you to commend your efforts.”

“I was only doing my duty.”

“Haha, a modest one, aren’t you? Lian, is it?”

“Yes, commander.”

“I’ve heard of your exploits so much it’s almost repetitive. From crossing the Isis River to ambushing the enemy and holding off the beastmen’s commander in what could have been my blunder.”

Baron Biovan smiled wryly.

No matter how much he tried to downplay it, many soldiers had died due to his mistake.

But Lian shook his head.

“You overpraise me. I merely did my best in my duty.”

“Haha, humble too.”

“But there’s something I want to ask.”

“Speak.”

“What happened to the enemy commander?”

This was the most important question.

If the enemy commander had escaped, he could gather forces again and attack.

At Lian’s question, Biovan smiled.

“He’s dead.”

“Ah…”

“We’ve already hung his head at the castle gate. It will serve as a warning to the remaining beastmen.”

Fear is a powerful motivator.

Biovan spoke to Lian.

“You did a great job. But I called you here because I’m curious about something.”

“Please ask.”

“How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“That… disappearing trick you pulled during the fight with Gallel.”

Lian’s eyes flickered slightly.