The immortal genius spear knight (14)
Damian looked at the 2nd Platoon, which had formed a triangular formation in front of him.
In reality, the skill levels of the recruits were quite similar. What mattered was how meticulously they paid attention to detail.
“Let’s just do it the way we practiced.”
“Got it!”
“Kyle, stick to the plan. When I give the signal, you need to push the guys in front as hard as you can.”
“Heh, don’t worry about it. If it’s about strength, I’m confident! I’ll send them flying for sure.”
Kyle glared fiercely with a confident expression, though he kept twisting his body as if the tight formation was uncomfortable.
“Hey, Kyle, stay still.”
“Damn it, I’m suffocating here.”
Damian’s platoon was in a very tight square formation.
But soon enough…
“Start!”
At the instructor’s shout, the entire 1st Platoon turned their sharp gazes toward the 2nd Platoon in front of them.
“Crush them all!”
The recruits of the 2nd Platoon shouted as they charged in their triangular formation toward the defensive square of the 1st Platoon.
The first move belonged to the 2nd Platoon.
The 1st Platoon raised their shields, forming a square formation to block the attack.
But…
“Isn’t that formation a bit too narrow?”
“Being packed that tightly together isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
The instructors, observing from the platform to judge the match, looked puzzled at the 1st Platoon’s square formation, which was denser than usual.
Being so packed together meant there was no risk of anyone falling, but…
“But after blocking one attack, there’s not much they can do. They’ll just end up as sitting ducks.”
“Let’s wait and see,” said one of the instructors with a look of keen interest as they continued to watch the formation battle between the 1st and 2nd Platoons.
“Whew…”
“This is… nerve-wracking.”
“It really feels like a real battle.”
The recruits of the 1st Platoon tightly gripped their shields and swallowed nervously as they murmured to themselves.
Even though the tips of their spears were replaced with padded sacks instead of blades, they were still threatening enough to cause serious damage if stabbed properly.
From the center of the tightly packed formation, Damian watched the 2nd Platoon. And then…
“What’s with these guys?”
“Their square formation is much narrower than usual.”
“It’s just a trick! Let’s smash them!”
The recruits of the 2nd Platoon, who were charging with great momentum, shouted loudly as they slammed into the 1st Platoon’s shields.
*Bang!*
With a rather intense noise, the 1st Platoon’s square formation held firm. But…
“…Huh?”
“What is this? Why does it feel so solid?”
That was all.
The square formation, being so tightly packed, felt like a solid wall.
And at that moment…
“Push!”
“Hraaaaah!”
“Uraaah!”
The 2nd line of the 1st Platoon, including Kyle, shouted loudly as they pushed the shield-bearers in front of them.
Naturally, the shield-bearers at the front also pushed back against the vanguard of the 2nd Platoon.
In that fierce power struggle…
“Oh? Oh, oh?”
“We’re… we’re being pushed back!”
“Hold the line! Hold it!”
“We’re the ones who should be attacking!”
The vanguard of the 2nd Platoon, shocked by the unexpected strength of the 1st Platoon’s counterattack, couldn’t hide their dismay.
And that wasn’t the end.
*Thud!*
As they were pushed back, the vanguard of the 1st Platoon quickly took two steps forward and then slightly bent their knees and ducked down.
At that moment,
The spearmen on the 2nd Platoon’s side thrust their spears strongly towards the front line of the 1st Platoon.
The shield bearers of the 2nd Platoon, caught off guard by the unexpected attack, screamed and retreated.
“Argh!”
“What, what’s going on!”
“These bastards…!”
The expressions of the 2nd Platoon recruits twisted in frustration as they realized that their opponents had coordinated their moves perfectly.
With just one move, they instinctively felt it.
They were going to lose.
But the fight wasn’t over yet.
As the 2nd Platoon’s formation collapsed under the attack…
“Kyle!”
“Huahhhhh!”
Kyle, who was in the second row, charged forward and broke through the front line of the 2nd Platoon.
*Kwa-kwakwakwang!*
It was like a tank.
Without even holding a shield, Kyle used his shoulder to knock the enemy shield bearer away. As he pushed deeper into the formation, the 2nd Platoon’s commander couldn’t hide his surprise.
“What the hell is that monster?”
It was such overwhelming power that it was hard to believe he was just another recruit.
Following the path Kyle created, the 1st Platoon recruits quickly pushed through, splitting the 2nd Platoon’s formation.
In the center of the organized movement of the recruits, Damian was busily shouting and directing them.
“Spread out to the sides and secure space! Kyle! Deal with those guys and push them back!”
The instructors watching the scene couldn’t hide their shock, their mouths agape.
“What is happening here?”
“1st Platoon Leader, did you give your recruits special training?”
“Uh… no. I’m a bit surprised too.”
Even Brian was taken aback by his platoon’s performance.
Their movement was reminiscent of well-trained elite soldiers, despite them being mere recruits.
There was a reason for this.
After each training session, Damian would point out the weaknesses of each platoon member and conduct additional training in the barracks.
“Raise your shield! Don’t lower it below your shoulder!”
“Hey, do it the way you were taught! Once you get the signal, go in immediately!”
Even in the tense situation, the 1st Platoon members shouted to each other, coordinating their movements.
And as they moved together, they gradually pushed the 2nd Platoon back, creating space.
Just as Damian had taught them.
Though it was a short time, they had simply followed what they were taught, leading to this result.
“Now!”
*Kwaang!*
At Damian’s signal, the shield bearers who had pushed inside simultaneously repelled their opponents, completely splitting the 2nd Platoon in two.
Kyle then charged towards the now isolated 2nd Platoon commander.
“Huahhhhhh!”
The 2nd Platoon commander recoiled in fear at the sight of Kyle charging at him with a tremendous battle cry.
“Stop him!”
“No chance!”
“Do you think I’ll let you escape!”
At the 2nd Platoon commander’s order, other shield bearers rushed to block Kyle. But…
“Hehehe, got you.”
“What?”
At the very moment all eyes were on Kyle,
*Pabat!*
Someone leaped over Kyle’s back, using his shoulder as a springboard.
“Nice, Camille.”
A dark figure, using Kyle as a stepping stone, quickly darted forward and struck the 2nd Platoon commander in the chest with a spear.
*Puhak!*
“Argh!”
The 2nd Platoon commander fell backward.
Damian, seizing the moment, jumped on top of him and snatched away the flag he was holding.
“Victory is ours!”
Damian shouted as he raised the enemy’s flag high.
It was an overwhelming victory.
In an instant, the battle between the two platoons was decided, and the instructors couldn’t help but stand up and applaud.
“That was amazing.”
“It looks like this is going to end in a decisive victory for the 1st Platoon, doesn’t it?”
“Well, if the other platoons are at the 2nd Platoon’s level, maybe, but…”
“But it doesn’t seem like that will be the case.”
At one instructor’s words, the others turned their gaze to another formation that he was looking at.
“Damn! Damn! Damn!”
The commander of the 4th Platoon, with slanted eyes, was unable to break through the solid formation of the 3rd Platoon.
“Push harder! Put more strength into it!”
The commander with slanted eyes, who was leading from the center, shouted frantically.
The shield bearers at the front of the 4th Platoon gritted their teeth and applied more force, but…
“Uwahhh!”
“Huaaah!”
The defense of the 3rd Platoon didn’t budge.
On the contrary, as time passed, the uniforms of the 4th Platoon recruits began to be stained with blood.
Their wounds, not yet healed, reopened and began to bleed.
“Their spirit is impressive.”
It was no exaggeration to say that the 4th Platoon was filled with nothing but malice.
The 3rd Platoon’s commander, Gerard, watched them silently before asking the person next to him, Apel.
“What should we do?”
Apel looked at the 4th Platoon recruits.
They were all sweating profusely, more than usual. Moreover, droplets of blood were beginning to pool at the feet of some of them.
It meant that none of them were in good condition.
“Let’s just hold out like this. Time’s almost up anyway… They won’t be able to break through us.”
In the attack formation, they had to break through the opponent’s formation within the time limit and capture their flag. But now, with the time nearly up, there was nothing the 4th Platoon could do. It didn’t seem like a good idea to recklessly try to attack and disrupt their own formation.
Gerard nodded his head.
“Then is it our turn to attack now?”
“Sto-o-o-o-op!”
At that moment, with the instructor’s shout echoing, the trainees from the 4th Platoon who were pushing against them collapsed all at once. They had just exhausted all their strength in the earlier attack, and they were now panting heavily.
They needed time to catch their breath, but…
“Change positions!”
With the instructor’s quick command, the 4th Platoon trainees just frowned and lifted their heavy bodies back up.
But then…
“What are you doing? Is this all you’ve got? You think you can smash the 1st Platoon like this?”
The platoon leader with the narrow eyes scolded his platoon members.
Something was off. They weren’t working together properly.
“When we first attacked, I told you to attack the same shield bearer from behind at the same time. That’s the only way to break their front line!”
“We did that! But how do we handle it when they just hold their ground?”
“Those guys are really tough. There were three guys behind them covering the one we were attacking!”
Hearing the platoon members’ complaints, the narrow-eyed leader furrowed his brow.
“So you couldn’t even bring down one guy together, and now you’re blaming me?”
“No, I mean, it’s not like that. The others were covering them from behind.”
“Forget it. I don’t even have the energy to get angry.”
“Come on, why are you acting like this? It’s not over yet. Now we have to defend.”
“Yeah, if we defend well, it’ll end in a draw. Let’s try our best.”
Some other platoon members intervened, and the narrow-eyed leader just sighed and returned to his original position.
“Let’s do it right, guys. Fighting!”
The narrow-eyed leader shouted, but none of the platoon members responded.
And then the battle began, with the 3rd Platoon attacking and the 4th Platoon defending.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just break through right away? Those guys look really exhausted.”
Before moving their formation, Gerard asked Apel while looking at the enemy.
It didn’t seem necessary to give them more time when the enemy was already worn out.
But Apel shook his head.
“Instead, if we hit them hard while they’re sticking close to their shields, it will be tough for them to handle.”
If they were clinging to their shields, every time the spears struck, the damage would accumulate on their already wounded bodies.
Hearing this, Gerard grinned.
“So, we’ll go steadily but give them a hard time?”
“Yes, time is on our side.”
Hearing that answer, Gerard looked at Apel quietly.
It had only been two weeks, but during those two weeks, Apel had shown himself to be quite a peculiar guy.
‘Has he already studied tactics?’
His understanding of formations and exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses was impressive.
Of course, this might be normal on the battlefield, but…
‘For a fourteen-year-old in a training camp like this, it’s not common.’
He couldn’t help but be curious about Apel’s background.
It felt certain that he wasn’t just an ordinary kid.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Gerard then moved their formation and looked at the 4th Platoon.
They had fierce and determined expressions, but determination alone wasn’t enough to win.
“Attack!”
Soon, the 3rd Platoon, following Apel’s strategy, kept a slight distance while striking their shields with spears.
Clang! Clang! Bang! Bang! Clang!
With each strike of the blunt wooden spears against the shields, the bodies of the 4th Platoon members shook violently.
If they lost their patience and broke formation to charge, that would be the best outcome.
Even if they didn’t, this alone would significantly wear them down.
Bang! Clang! Bang!
The 3rd Platoon continued to maximize their time, constantly striking the shields of the 4th Platoon members.
This caused the expressions of the 4th Platoon shield-bearers to start twisting in frustration.
“You bastards! Just come at us already!”
“They’re stalling for time!”
As their frustration mounted, they began to curse.
Clang! Clang! Bang!
The spearmen of the 3rd Platoon paid them no mind and continued to hide behind their shield-bearers while extending their spears to strike the enemy.
Eventually, one of the shield-bearers at the front of the 4th Platoon began to stagger, creating a gap.
And in that moment…
“Now!”
“Haaaaah!”
With Gerard’s shout, the lead shield-bearer of the 3rd Platoon rushed toward that gap.
Crash!
With his shield leading, he collided hard, causing the front line of the 4th Platoon to stagger.
“Aaagh!”
“Don’t fall! Hold the line!”
But they couldn’t immediately close the gap that had formed.
As the formation of the 4th Platoon began to crumble…
“Azelle!”
With Gerard’s shout, Apel immediately rushed toward the platoon member in front of him.
And as Apel ran, one of the 3rd Platoon members stuck his shield close to his body, creating a foothold for Apel.
The moment Apel stepped on that shield and leaped forward,
“Hah!”
The 3rd platoon member who had provided the foothold pushed up with his shield, launching Apel forward.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Apel leaped over the 4th platoon’s shield-bearers and, upon landing, his eyes sparkled.
Magic imbued the spear that Apel was holding.
And with a dull thud, the formation of the 4th platoon completely collapsed.
“What, what are you doing, you idiots!”
The narrow-eyed platoon leader shouted at his platoon members.
And at that moment…
“It’s over.”
Damian, who had finished his battle and came to watch the 3rd platoon, muttered quietly.
He had thought Apel was definitely not an ordinary guy, but…
“So the real battle will be between us and the 3rd platoon.”
Damian’s gaze was fixed on Apel.
