Chapter 146: Chapter 300 - The Last Stand
Snow fell heavily.
'Well, you sure make a mess at the end.'
A body honed by years of training and experience.
The madman barbarian was no pushover.
It wasn't until part of his skull was shattered that he gripped his spear and charged.
Blood gushing from his wound, he closed the distance relentlessly. He was now within reach.
"You think, I, I, would fall so easily?!"
Rem couldn't help but admire the man's tenacity. Yeah, this was how it should've been from the start.
From then on, it was a bloody battle. Literally, blood was splattering everywhere.
The spear pierced through the thick leather, stabbing deep into his thigh.
He twisted his foot to dodge, and luckily, or he would have become a limping Rem.
Instead, he cleaved two of the madman's fingers off with his axe.
He was fortunate to dodge and only lose two fingers. Originally, he had aimed to sever the hand entirely.
A little disappointing, but the fight was still a fight.
Rem was exhilarated. A rush of excitement filled him.
It had been a while since he had faced someone like this.
A foe who displayed strength comparable to that of a giant, even with a heart of monstrous power.
And he showed that strength continuously, through his madman techniques.
"How are you doing this without any magic?!"
The madman from Fulo was shocked many times. The first shock was Rem's heart of the beast.
"Son of a bitch."
Rem growled.
"My mother died a hundred years ago!"
"Oh, so that's why you don't have one."
The madman was angry.
They both fought with a fury. Rem felt threatened more than once. The enemy wasn't just dangerous; there was more than one of them.
Clang!
The scent of a wolf reeked as it pounced without stopping.
It circled around, constantly looking for an opening to show its fangs.
Finally, it bit into Rem's arm, and in that moment, the barbarian drove his spears into Rem's back with full force.
Rem swung his axe while still holding the wolf.
He blocked the incoming spear by swiping it above his head in a wide arc.
Despite the force of the strike, one spear still managed to graze his side.
Tears welled up, and the pain made his body hair stand on end.
It was a broken rib.
The madman had concentrated his power into one spear, and though it hit Rem, he didn't stop.
With his axe in hand, Rem crushed the wolf's skull with his remaining fist, then deflected the spear with ease as it came at him again.
There was no time to catch his breath; he was moving like a man possessed.
Amidst this chaos, something sticky grabbed at his foot.
'What is this?'
It was sticky magic. He hadn't expected this trick.
It seemed the old fox was showing just how cunning he could be.
Among prey, the most experienced was always the trickiest.
Rem tensed his thigh and pushed against the sticky magic, assuming it was spread out over a certain area.
Boom!
With a powerful kick, he sent the axe flying sideways, killing three of the beasts that had been after him.
Two died from being cleaved in half at the neck and chest, while the third got a spear through its skull.
Rem continued to fight furiously, but at this point, he felt a sense of satisfaction as well as disappointment.
The madman barbarian retreated. He pulled back.
The attacks that followed lost their strength.
Even the spear he was wielding with both hands was blocked.
And then, that technique again. A spear connected by thread.
'Ah, this bastard.'
Rem's excitement quickly evaporated.
Boom!
With a swing of his axe, he blocked the spear, watching as the madman swiftly retreated. The spear flew in an arc and passed by.
The madman yelled.
"The next time we meet, I'll definitely kill you."
'Oh, really? You think next time you'll kill me? You, not me?'
Rem ran forward and slammed his axe down onto the wolf's head, aiming for a vertical strike.
Boom!
The axe sunk deep into the skull, splitting the beast's body in half.
"Damn, I get it now. You must've survived this long by running away whenever things went south."
Should he chase and kill him? Maybe, but it seemed like too much effort. The excitement had completely died down.
For Rem, it was just a matter of losing interest.
But for the Wolf Bishop, this was a whole different story.
"Hey! Where are you going?!"
He couldn't hide his shock, his voice laced with disbelief.
Even Teresa could tell. The surprise was so evident on his face.
He was so shocked that his mouth hung open, and in the process, a wound on his head opened up, spilling blood.
Dark red blood trickled down his cheek, dripping from his chin to the floor.
There was no answer.
The immortal berserker left without a word.
Not even an apology. Even if he had said sorry, my blood pressure was already sky-high, and it felt like blood was going to burst from my head.
"Brother Bishop, it's time to go."
The bishop frowned at the title and turned around.
There, a limping half-giant stood.
The shield was broken in half, and the sword had a crack in the middle.
"Heretic bastard. I'll curse you even after death."
The wolf bishop muttered a curse. It was unjust.
It should've been a fight we won. No matter how powerful the enemy was, the immortal berserker of the continent and the bishop of the cult had come together.
They even brought along his soul companion, the dire wolf.
Yet, this was the result?
A person like Teresa should have been an easy victory.
But no, it went wrong.
Instead of sighing or looking to the sky, the bishop mumbled with his final bitterness.
"Damned bastards."
He could feel the death of the dire wolf, bound to his soul.
There was no hope.
"I'll curse you all for life. Your flesh will rot, and you won't die easily. The god of the curse won't forgive you! Immortal berserker, you too shall not be forgiven!"
His final bitterness was directed at his former comrade.
The one who was supposed to fight alongside him and save him was running away, turning his stomach.
"Yes. Go ahead and soak in the river of hell. I'll see you there later."
"Fine!"
Teresa finally crushed the bishop's skull completely.
The pommel of the broken sword was the fatal blow.
As Teresa, her mask stained with blood, adjusted her mask, she saw Rem limping toward her.
"Did you come back?"
"Of course I came, would I not? What about the captain?"
There was no beautiful scene where they helped each other. They trudged forward.
Neither of them was in perfect condition, but neither was dying either.
No helping each other, damn it.
A wild horse approached them from the side.
"Did you fight too?"
Neigh!
At the response of the one-eyed beast, Rem pouted.
"Even the damn horses fight, and yet a person runs off."
He was still full of complaints. Just when he should've been pumped with adrenaline, it all felt flat. This kind of experience was rare, especially when the opponent was of the same race and had the advantage.
'Next time, I'll make sure to get you, old man.'
Rem vowed.
And there were those who watched their battle.
The heavy infantry and cavalry.
The mercenary leading the cavalry realized his position.
'Don't get involved.'
Never complain about being exhausted.
If you charge in, you die. It's certain. Watching them fight the enemy made it clear.
Even the large woman, who seemed quiet, should be approached with caution.
Though he never underestimated her, his perspective had completely changed.
Had this been before, people might have been discouraged and retreated after watching Rem and Teresa fight.
It happened often. They showed overwhelming strength. It didn't even seem human, almost inhuman.
They were allies, so there was relief, but still, a sense of distance remained. Even among their own allies, they instilled a kind of fear.
But this time was different.
They both limped, and the horse they were walking with looked the most stable.
Had it not been for them, they might have been wiped out.
Relief, joy, exhilaration, and the thrill of victory surged through them all.
"Madmen squad."
"Rem, the ax-wielding Rem."
"Crazy axe Rem."
"Didn't die, huh."
"He's not dead."
"Immortal Rem?"
Someone's mutter turned into a nickname. During this, Rem rubbed his ears.
What were they saying?
The soldiers soon joined in.
"Immortal Rem!"
They thought he was dead, but he came back and drove the enemies away.
From 'that damn temperament Rem' it evolved into a much grander nickname.
"Immortal Rem! The undying Rem!"
"The undying madman!"
"Wooaah!"
The monsters had already been mostly killed. This was the most advantageous battlefield.
The remaining monsters scattered after the deaths of the dire wolf and the bishop.
Monsters don't gather without a focal point.
They cheered and shouted as they moved to the center of the battlefield.
"God, it's so damn noisy."
Rem kept rubbing his ears.
"Wandering Teresa!"
The soldiers shouted her usual self-title.
She fixed her mask with one hand and raised her other.
She wanted to. It was an act driven by her feelings.
When she was in the cult, she was so stiff that there were times she didn't say a word for a week, but now, it was different.
"I am the Wandering Teresa."
It was different here. She had changed. After learning the joys and pleasures, everything felt different.
"Nomad Teresa!"
Everyone chorused her mutterings in unison.
It sounded so good.
"What are you doing? Immortal Rem!"
Rem, for no reason, got a little annoyed and said it.
The soldier group followed and shouted.
"Immortal Rem!"
It was childish, but anyway, they were heading toward Enkrid, Ragna, and Audin.
Ragna seemed relatively okay, but Audin was not.
His body was covered in numerous small wounds.
His left arm was completely hanging limp. Had it been broken?
"It's sprained. I couldn't give my all in catching a dog, so you've taken quite a beating, brother."
"Ah, just a scrape. Was only showing some respect to the old man."
Teresa remained silent.
Ragna stared at them for a while before speaking up.
"You're all so weak. If you're running around with kids like those, all they do is cause trouble for the Captain."
"...Shit, why did I even spare him?"
Rem grumbled, and Audin, smiling, clenched his fist.
"It seems like you're missing the embrace of the gods, brother."
Enkrid, watching this, ran a hand through his hair.
It was all nonsense. Then he turned to Rem.
"Stop fooling around."
"What's wrong? Were they getting beat up because I wasn't around?"
"Wasn't that you getting beat up?"
"I was spared because I'm old."
"Right."
"What's this? But why does it end just when I return? I was planning on having some fun now."
"With that body of yours?"
Enkrid said with a deadpan face, but it sounded like that.
Rem shouted back.
"Don't you know me? This is just the beginning! Don't you know who I am?"
With that, he spread his palm outwards. A few sharp-eyed soldiers quickly muttered.
"Immortal Rem!"
Hearing that, others joined in.
"Immortal Rem!"
Oh boy, they're excited.
Enkrid chuckled and shook his head.
"The enemy's movements are strange."
Graham's adjutant spoke up from the side. Enkrid responded without looking.
"It's the work of my men."
"How so?"
No need to explain. It was Jaxen.
He had been able to kill Count Tarnin long ago, but he was waiting for the right moment.
When would be the most effective time to strike?
Jaxen was clever.
Would killing the enemy commander end the battle immediately?
No. There were still others left.
Among them were several mercenaries who were quite skilled.
Compared to Enkrid and the Madmen unit, they were a different class, but still, in terms of normal forces, they were not to be underestimated.
They had considered it.
***
"We have the justification on our side."
They just needed Viscount Tarnin live and retreat.
That way, they could keep the moral high ground and maintain a threatening position. Some of them even knew about Aspen.
First, they would fall back, leaving the Border Guard to fight Aspen. Later, they could initiate a campaign for the land again.
They would face the Border Guard in a more favorable position after they had used up their forces.
The clever ones came to a conclusion. They had planned to find the Viscount first.
By now, Viscount Tarnin's head was hanging from a pole.
"...When did that pig die?"
The clever mercenary was shocked.
And unlucky.
Jaxen didn't need to use a magical relic to hide his presence and move around.
He simply disguised himself in the enemy's clothes and observed.
He found the few soldiers worth killing, giving them red necklaces as a gift.
He did the same for an unnamed clever mercenary.
The dagger was peculiar in shape—dull on the outside, sharp only on the inside. When pressed against the neck, it was over.
He grabbed the surprised mercenary's wrist, but his right hand traced a semi-circle, slashing the neck.
A red necklace appeared on the mercenary's neck, and blood poured out as he died. Seven had already met this fate.
This was enough. Jaxen withdrew.
He didn't believe that the captain would die just from a brief absence. So, he returned as planned.
Enkrid was there, along with a ghost.
"A ghost, huh? We should perform an exorcism. A few daggers should do."
"...Why is that damn wild cat talking to me?"
The ghostly barbarian spoke. Saxen insisted on exorcising the ghost, but it didn't take.
Instead, he only heard the words of a mad barbarian holding an axe, blessing him.
"Why don't you die instead? You go die."
He ignored it. He had done his job, and the captain was fine.
"I really thought I was going to die this time."
Krais said. Enkrid casually glanced at the big-eyed soldier. Krais, who hadn't slept properly for days, smiled.
"You're lucky. Truly. It seems like the goddess of fortune kissed you.
The kiss of a goddess brings luck."
As Krais spoke, white snow began to fall heavily above his head.
By the time the conversation ended, it had turned into sleet, snowflakes falling thick and fast.
"I hate this weather." Rem grumbled. Devilish dust was falling heavily.
Jaxen and Audin had the same look.
Enkrid, however, was different. He understood immediately.
"As expected, the captain's got a good head on his shoulders."
Krais said, and Rem, angry, muttered, "Alright, let's see if we can pluck out those eyes today," but it was just a small commotion.
The snow kept falling. Even those who had been fighting needed to regroup.
That meant.
"We've bought some time."
Krais thought what they all felt.
The falling snow was the luck that would keep Aspen from moving forward.
It bought them time to recover and reorganize.
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