The Immortal Genius Spear knight (17)
“Gather together!”
Boom!
At Damian’s shout, the 1st Squad formed a tight square formation, bunching up closely together.
It was the same formation they had used in the battle against the 4th Squad.
“…It does look solid.”
“But if they’re packed that tightly with no space between them, they won’t be able to do anything.”
Gerald muttered, and Apel responded.
What he said was true, but…
‘They definitely mentioned that when they defend like that, they create space momentarily to launch an attack.’
The 3rd Squad leader had informed them after observing the 1st Squad’s tactics.
He had said that while it’s primarily a defensive formation, it has the peculiarity of suddenly becoming offensive.
‘But we have our own plan.’
If they create space after defending and then attack…
“Apel, your role is crucial this time.”
Apel nodded and moved to the front. Gerard immediately shouted.
“Advance!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The members of the 3rd Squad matched their steps and quickly advanced toward the defensive formation of the 1st Squad.
And at the moment of impact.
Bang!
When the two formations collided, the instructors watching widened their eyes.
“Ooh! That’s a pretty good shield charge!”
“Both sides have learned their shield charges well.”
Hearing the loud crash, the instructors watching smiled with satisfaction.
But the trainees of the 1st and 3rd Squads were locked in a fierce struggle for dominance.
‘As expected, it’s solid…!!’
The eyes of the 3rd Squad members shook in surprise.
Compared to the 4th Squad they had fought earlier, the square formation of the 1st Squad was far more solid.
Their defensive wall held firm, without even the slightest hint of being pushed back.
It was only natural for them to be taken aback.
And at that moment…
“Push!”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
At Damian’s shout, the 1st Squad members on the inside pushed their comrades forward.
The square formation of the 1st Squad, which had been tightly packed, suddenly expanded outward, pushing the 3rd Squad back with it.
“What, what the hell?!”
The front-line shield bearers of the 3rd Squad shouted in confusion as they were shaken. But at that moment…
“Apel!”
At Gerard’s shout, Apel leaped forward.
At the same time, the shield bearers at the front opened a path as if they were opening a door.
They suddenly opened their formation themselves?
What are they doing?
“What the hell are these guys…?!”
The front-line shield bearer of the 1st Squad frowned.
But at that moment.
Bang!
“Gah!”
With a straight thrust, Apel’s spear struck the front-line shield bearer, who cried out in pain as he collapsed.
With a single strike, the front formation of the 1st Squad was broken.
“Push through there!”
The 3rd Squad members quickly began to penetrate the gap that Amel had created in the formation.
“Get in there! Once we’re in, it’s over!”
Two trainees with shields at the front thrust their shields forward, pushing through as if opening a door on both sides.
It felt as though the formation would collapse under the explosive charge of the intruding enemies.
But at that moment…
With a sound like a beast roaring, a massive figure with shields in both hands fiercely charged towards the breach.
Bang!
“Ugh!”
“Aaaargh!”
The two 3rd Squad members who had been pushing through the gap were sent flying backward.
“Where do you think you’re going? Not a chance! Hmph!”
Kyle snorted like a bull, exhaling heavily.
As he stood at the front, glaring with fierce eyes, the trainees from the 3rd Squad instinctively gulped.
The two who had been thrown back couldn’t even get up from where they had fallen.
“Damn it…”
They had anticipated resistance, but they didn’t expect that the impact from his charge would knock their shield bearers away.
“That guy must have a significant level of mastery in controlling his mana.”
It wasn’t just that he could harness mana, but he was quite skilled at utilizing it effectively.
However…
“Kyle won’t be easy to defeat.”
He had undergone a lot of intense training with Damian in preparation for this confrontation with the 3rd Squad.
Damian’s gaze shifted towards Apel.
“Phew, what a monster…”
Apel narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kyle.
Kyle was at least a head taller than most others and had a rugged, muscular body that was unusually well-built.
“Is he from the North?”
Though it was unclear why someone from the North would be in this 3rd training camp…
“This has become a bit troublesome.”
But there was no way they could back down.
“Apel, can you break through?”
“I have to. If I can’t, then no one else can.”
There was no one else who could do it if he failed.
He thought about trying to attack from another angle, but…
“That big guy, he’s only watching me.”
It seemed there was no avoiding a direct confrontation with him.
If that was the case, there was only one option.
“Huuuup!”
Apel took a short breath, drawing up the mana from his lower abdomen.
He concentrated all the mana he could into his spear, and soon the tip of the spear began to quiver slightly.
And at that moment…
“Keep your eyes on Apel. If you can block him, there’s no one else who can defeat us.”
Damian had once said, “You’ll know who Apel is just by looking.”
Back then, it sounded like nonsense, but now…
“You can tell at a glance.”
That this guy was Apel.
“What the… How are there so many young monsters like this…?”
Apel looked about the same age as Damian.
And the thrust he had just displayed was on a similar level to Damian’s.
“This won’t be easy.”
Grit!
Kyle ground his teeth. And just as Apel’s spear was thrust forward…
Clang!
Kyle stacked both his shields on top of each other.
Bam!
The shields clashed violently.
Kyle’s expression twisted in pain, and blood oozed from his clenched lips. However…
“I blocked it!”
“As expected of Kyle!”
Although he was slightly pushed back, the three comrades supporting him from behind helped him block Apel’s attack.
On the other hand…
“What?”
“It got blocked?”
The 3rd Squad trainees watched the scene in disbelief.
Apel’s thrust…
This was their secret strategy for breaking through the 1st Squad’s formation.
“This thrust of Apel’s could send even four or five people flying, but…”
However, Apel, whose attack had been blocked, calmly raised his spear again.
“If I can’t break through with one hit, I’ll keep pounding until it shatters.”
“Hyaaaah!”
Bam! Bam! Bam! Crash!
Apel’s repeated thrusts struck Kyle’s shields.
They were so powerful that the wooden shields were deeply dented and began to break.
“Cover Kyle!”
“This guy!”
Seeing this, the spear-wielders of the 1st Squad thrust their spears at Apel.
“You wish!”
“Do you think we’ll just let you do that?!”
At the same time, the shield bearers of the 3rd Squad protected Apel, blocking the attacks of the spearmen from the 1st Squad.
It was truly a battle of equals.
Some of the instructors watching the duel had already risen from their seats to observe closely.
The situation was that thrilling.
“Haaaaap!”
And with a shout, Apel thrust his spear again, striking Kyle’s shield.
Crack!
“Huh?!”
Kyle’s shield, which he was holding, shattered into pieces, scattering into the air.
The shield was reduced to nothing but its handle, leaving Kyle staring in shock.
“This ends now.”
“Zaaaang!”
Though it was made of wood and wrapped in cotton, it still managed to break the shield.
Kyle shouted in frustration.
Then, Apel’s attack followed.
Kyle crossed his legs in an X shape to defend, but with a sharp pain and a crack, he felt his legs lifted into the air.
‘This is insane…?’
Even though three of his squad members were supporting him from behind, they were all pushed back?
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
Kyle and the three members of the 1st Squad who had been supporting him were flung backward, rolling on the ground.
And through the path created by Kyle’s retreat, the shield bearers of the 3rd Squad charged forward with all their might.
Kyle tried to run back to close the gap.
But his legs trembled violently and wouldn’t listen to him.
Moreover, Apel was already charging toward him again.
Kyle tried to lift his arms in response to Apel’s predatory gaze, but his arms wouldn’t obey.
“Fall!”
Apel delivered the final blow toward Kyle’s chest.
As Kyle watched the spear coming toward him, he cursed under his breath.
“Damn it…!”
Unable to dodge or block, he muttered a curse.
But at that moment.
Boom!
Damian, who had somehow stepped in front of Kyle, swung his spear, deflecting Apel’s attack.
For a moment, Damian and Apel locked eyes.
During the exam, they had smiled and encouraged each other.
But now…
“Damian.”
“Apel.”
Though it was just a sparring match, both felt as if they were in a real battlefield.
Neither could afford to back down, and Apel bit his lip hard, gripping his spear tightly once more.
But just then.
“Stooooop!”
Beeeep!
The whistle blew loudly, signaling the end.
The 1st Squad members defending the line collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
“Phew, it’s over…”
“Why did that feel like a hundred years?”
“Man, these guys are tough.”
If the match had gone on just a little longer, the formation would have completely collapsed.
It was as if time had saved them. The 1st Squad members sat on the ground, gasping for breath.
The 3rd Squad’s assault had been relentless.
However…
“Damn it.”
“We lost…”
The mood was even gloomier on the 3rd Squad’s side.
They had been so sure of victory.
Especially Apel, who looked down at the fallen Kyle.
Kyle, in turn, looked at Apel.
Their gazes met in midair, sparking with intensity.
“To think you could block that many times.”
“To think you could knock me down.”
They had no choice but to acknowledge each other.
Swoosh.
Apel then turned his gaze to Damian, who was standing next to Kyle.
His eyes seemed to convey that he wanted to say something.
But Apel turned away without a word.
The loss felt like it was his fault.
As Apel turned away, Kyle muttered.
“That monster of a guy.”
“You okay?”
Damian asked.
Kyle let out a small sigh.
“I managed to block it somehow, but why is he so strong?”
“Hehe, I told you He was strong.”
“I didn’t expect the shield to break, though. If only the shield had held up, I could’ve completely blocked it.”
Kyle stood up as if regretting something.
However, his arm had turned red and was severely swollen.
“Fall back.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. My arm isn’t even broken. If you tell me to fall back over something like this, it’s an insult to me.”
“There are still two weeks of training left. If it gets worse here, you won’t be able to graduate properly.”
Damian handed the flag he was holding to Kyle.
“Guard the flag at the center. If it’s taken, it’s all your fault, so make sure you protect it.”
Kyle smirked at his words, thinking, “What’s the point of the flag now that it’s our turn to attack?”
But he knew Damian was just trying to protect his pride.
Kyle grabbed the flag.
“I won’t let it be taken, so you make sure to smash them completely.”
“Of course.”
At Kyle’s words, Damian raised his spear. And then…
“Switch offense and defense!”
At the instructor’s shout, the squad members who had been sitting down hurriedly stood up and began to form their formation.
Both squads moved to their respective formations, preparing for attack and defense.
“Is everyone okay?”
“We’re still going strong.”
“To be honest… I’m not doing so great. The spot where I got hit hurts a lot.”
“Yeah, I think my stomach is feeling a bit queasy too…”
Although they were complaining, they still seemed relaxed.
Seeing this, Damian smiled slightly and said,
“This is the last one. And it goes without saying, but we’re not going to use the entire time limit for this attack.”
Five minutes.
“In that time, we’re going to take their flag.”
