The Immortal Genius Spearman-Chapter 178

Chapter 178

“......Unfortunate.”

Watching Celestine’s aura surge like a tidal wave, the Empire’s First Aura Master, Alexandro Falcoz, muttered softly.

Her aura took the form of a massive wave.

The sheer pressure of it crashing down was overwhelming, but unfortunately for her, it was ill-matched against Alexandro’s own aura.

His aura was the embodiment of frost.

A merciless cold that froze everything in its path.

“Freeze.”

His expression was as frigid as his power, sending an icy chill across the battlefield.

Even the mere presence of his aura was enough to make one’s entire body shudder with cold.

His soldiers, accustomed to this, always wore extra layers beneath their armor when traveling with him.

The moment he swung his sword—

Crack! Crack-crack-crack!

The ground before him began to freeze, rapidly extending outward and consuming Celestine’s aura.

The massive tidal wave froze solid in its entirety, leaving Celestine wide-eyed in shock.

“This... what...?”

She had never seen anything like it before.

The idea that someone could freeze her aura so effortlessly was unthinkable.

Or was it simply an unfortunate elemental mismatch?

Regardless, Alexandro showed no concern.

Now, it was his turn.

His eyes gleamed as he gathered more mana, turning his gaze toward the Allied forces stationed at Statznal.

“Those who dare set foot on Imperial soil shall not leave alive.”

His body surged with an overwhelming amount of mana.

Rumble...!

A tremor emanated from where he stood.

A power beyond human comprehension.

Even as they witnessed it firsthand, the Allied soldiers could hardly believe what they were seeing.

How could such power belong to a mere man?

But Alexandro, unbothered by their awe, had already made his move.

Swoosh!

A frigid wind swept outward.

With it, a countless number of ice spears materialized in the sky above him.

Each was no larger than a palm, yet the sheer quantity filled the horizon, making it impossible to count them all.

Celestine clenched her lips tightly.

‘He’s using aura twice in succession?’

And with almost no delay.

Just how powerful was this man?

But there was no time to dwell on it.

If that attack reached her soldiers, the only way to stop it was with her own aura.

Buzz!

Celestine’s spear vibrated as her mana surged once more.

Another tidal wave rose from her body, crashing forward to meet the ice spears head-on.

“Haaaah!”

Using aura twice in a row wasn’t easy.

Already, her mana hole stung with pain, her body feeling as if it were being crushed.

Still, without hesitation, she swung her spear at Alexandro’s incoming attack.

Boom!

Her massive wave surged forward, threatening to swallow the ice spears whole.

Yet Alexandro’s expression remained as cold as ever.

And then—

Crash!

The ice spears slammed into the wave like a hammer against a wall.

Hundreds—no, thousands—of spears battered the wave.

And then...

Crack! Crack!

Slowly, the wave began to freeze over.

“You’ve got to be kidding me...!”

Celestine cursed for the first time.

The frozen wave shattered completely under the relentless assault of the ice spears.

Celestine turned toward her commanders and shouted.

“All units! Scatter! Spread out the soldiers!”

Boom!

Her aura shattered into countless shimmering fragments, scattering like white jewels in the sky.

For a brief moment, the beauty of it captivated the soldiers.

But—

“Move! Now!”

Celestine’s mana-infused command snapped them out of it.

Tens of thousands of soldiers scrambled in chaos.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Alexandro’s ice spears rained down mercilessly.

Screams filled the battlefield.

But surprisingly, the cries didn’t last long.

Most of those caught in the attack perished instantly.

The casualties far outweighed the wounded.

Even though Celestine had risked herself to block it, at least a hundred men had died instantly.

And then—

“Guh!”

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Celestine, having exhausted her strength to counter the attack, coughed up blood and dropped to one knee.

Even after pushing herself to the limit, she had failed to block it completely.

‘The gap... is this wide?’

There was no winning this fight.

Retreat was the only option.

Even though they outnumbered the Empire’s forces two to one—

‘That one man more than makes up for it.’

And with her injuries, there was no hope.

“...Retreat. We’re retreating.”

She barely forced out the command.

Her lieutenants quickly relayed the order, signaling the retreat.

Bwoo! Bwoo! Bwooo!

The sound of retreat horns echoed across the battlefield.

Soldiers rushed to withdraw.

Supported by her officers, Celestine cast a glance at Alexandro.

Even after unleashing two consecutive aura attacks, his face remained utterly indifferent.

A monster in human form.

And yet—

Swoosh.

Alexandro had no intention of letting the Allied forces retreat unscathed.

Raising his sword, he spoke in a low voice.

“Pursue them.”

Did they think he would let go of such a golden opportunity?

At his command, the Imperial soldiers surged forward.

“Uoooooh!”

“Chase them down! Kill them all!”

As the Imperial forces charged with overwhelming momentum, the Allied commanders furrowed their brows.

They were in a defensive position, but they too had no desire to let go of this opportunity.

“Don’t look back! Pull back in formation! Keep retreating!”

Even though the Empire had seized the upper hand, they could not advance too far into Statznal.

If this were a trap, the Empire would suffer dearly as well.

However, even during the retreat, the Imperial forces relentlessly pressed their attack.

As a result, many Allied soldiers lost their lives just outside Statznal’s gates.

Those who survived managed to fall back, but—

“...Assess the casualties first.”

“You need to rest first.”

Celestine’s subordinates looked at her with concern.

With Kalen, the kingdom’s First Aura Master, already gravely wounded, if Celestine fell as well, Artian’s military power would plummet instantly.

Celestine knew this all too well and nodded.

“Understood. But first, assess the damage. And... send an urgent message to the Allied forces in Nardern immediately.”

She couldn’t do this alone.

Only by reuniting with the distant Allied forces could they hope to overcome this crisis.

Her subordinates nodded and quickly moved to execute her orders.

This one battle alone had cost the Allied forces over ten thousand soldiers.

“We’re almost there.”

From Nardern to Statznal.

The Allied forces under Kiaran pushed forward at maximum speed.

Marching alongside them, Damian reflected on the past.

‘Alexandro Falcoz.’

The Empire’s First Aura Master.

The first among the current Aura Masters to attain mastery.

Yet, despite his fame, very little was known about him.

‘In contrast, the others...’

Calon was infamous, and both Piaren and Galveron had recently risen in notoriety through their exploits.

Alexandro, however, was more akin to the Empire’s guardian—rarely appearing in public.

He was always on the battlefield.

He could have amassed immense political power, yet he chose to prove his worth through battle alone.

And still, so little was known about him for one reason—

Few who faced him ever lived to tell the tale.

In his past life, Damian had heard almost nothing about Alexandro.

Now, as he pondered the man he had yet to meet, he fell into silence.

But then—

“What’s on your mind?”

Dianal approached, prompting Damian to respond.

“I’m wondering just how strong Alexandro is.”

Celestine herself was an incredibly powerful Aura Master.

Yet even she had been injured and forced to retreat.

At Damian’s words, Dianal remarked,

“Rumors say he’s the strongest in the Empire. Some claim he’s on par with Calon, but even Calon is said to tread carefully around him.”

“I’ve heard that too... but I have a feeling he’s even stronger than the rumors suggest.”

“Stronger than the rumors...”

Dianal’s expression darkened.

Damian inhaled deeply, pressing his lips together.

Having fought Piaren once before, the Caion unit knew all too well how terrifying an Aura Master’s power was.

And now, they were facing someone said to be even stronger.

Damian had never met Alexandro, but he recalled the man who had killed him in his past life—Calon Xanthos.

‘At least as strong as Calon. Perhaps even stronger...’

Even though Damian had grown exponentially stronger than his past self, he couldn’t help but feel apprehensive.

He had improved beyond measure, but among the Aura Masters, he was still at the lowest rung.

However—

“...I won’t lose.”

He couldn’t hope to overwhelm Alexandro.

That was impossible.

But if he fought alongside the Caion unit, they could shake him.

This battle—

‘I will not lose.’

Damian’s gaze fixed on the distant sight of Statznal, now coming into view.