TSNF 52

Chapter 52

As the night gradually deepened, the darkness grew thicker.

Gray mist spread beyond the darkness, covering the surroundings like a silvery curtain.

Swish.

Standing at its center, Arteon quietly raised his hand and clenched his fist.

At that moment, the soldiers following behind him all halted at once and fixed their eyes on Arteon’s back.

From the Fourth Defensive Line to this point.

They had moved without rest, yet the unfamiliar commander had not shown a single sign of fatigue, nor had his concentration wavered even once.

‘…Just who the hell is this guy?’

‘They definitely said… he was new… but he knows all the routes…?’

They had even used shortcuts unfamiliar to themselves, allowing them to arrive much faster than expected.

But…

“…Hoo.”

Arteon steadied his ragged breathing and looked down at the Kar Tribe below.

‘Did we barely make it in time?’

Their advance had been faster than expected.

If they hadn’t taken the shortcut, they might have arrived at the point later than the enemy.

Arteon turned his body, looking at the unit members, and spoke.

“Squad leaders, step forward.”

Ssssh!

Ten men per squad.

As the pre-designated squad leaders stepped forward, Arteon unfolded a map.

“This is our current location. And this is the route the Kar Tribe is moving along right now.”

Arteon traced the map with his finger as he spoke.

With the enemy right before them, the unit members’ focus was intense.

Everyone listened to Arteon with grave expressions, as if they wouldn’t miss a single word.

Then Arteon looked at the squad leader in front of him.

“Bruel, take your squad and move here, then conceal yourselves.”

Nod.

“Dran, you head this way.”

Nod.

“Tormant. Go this way and take position.”

Nod.

When all three squad leaders nodded, Arteon held out two pouches to each of them.

Each pouch contained Cheongil Stone and Jeokyeol Stone.

“The quantity should be sufficient. When I light the smoke first, immediately follow and light the Pimacho grass.”

And most importantly—

“Once they inhale the smoke, their formation will break in one way or another. Until I give the signal, do not do anything. Absolutely nothing. Remember that.”

That ended the discussion.

Arteon moved down the shallow hill and immediately pointed out directions to the three of them.

Nodding, Bruel, Dran, and Tormant lowered their stances and slowly moved with their squads toward their assigned positions.

And then…

“……”

Beyond the mist, the presence of the enemy slowly approaching could be felt.

Because of the darkness and the fog, they couldn’t be clearly identified.

‘Roughly… about 50 meters.’

With the enemy already close enough to reach out and touch if they fell forward, Arteon held his breath and watched silently.

But then…

Stop.

“…?”

The advancing enemies suddenly halted and began reorganizing their formation.

A slight crease formed between Arteon’s brows.

‘If only they’d come a little closer…’

From what he had observed earlier, their numbers were roughly around four hundred.

To completely engulf them at this point, they needed to come within at least thirty meters.

‘…I’ll wait.’

Arteon concealed his body within the bushes and gathered his mana.

He was wary in case there was an enemy commander capable of sensing his presence.

And after some time had passed—

Though their pace was slow, the enemies were gradually drawing closer.

Then—

“If we advance just a bit further, we’ll reach a location suitable for establishing a camp. If we fully establish our formation there… they won’t even be able to move near the lake anymore.”

The voice of the Kar Tribe came from beyond the fog.

Judging by the content, not the supreme commander, but still an officer-level figure.

Arteon carefully took out the Cheongil Stone and Jeokyeol Stone.

‘Is the commander at the front?’

Considering the traits of the Kar Tribe, it was entirely possible.

It was common for the strongest commander to lead the warriors from the front.

Their conversation continued.

Arteon heightened his senses and slowly brought the Cheongil Stone and Jeokyeol Stone together in both hands.

‘Just a little more… just a little more…’

The moment he ignited the smoke here, the units positioned at the enemy’s rear would light theirs as well.

Smoke rising from four directions would instantly mix with the fog and swallow them whole.

At that moment, the Kar Tribe surged forward, and—

“Everything they possess will become ours.”

The atmosphere felt like a soundless roar erupting.

At that very instant—

Grrrrrk!

Arteon rapidly rubbed the Cheongil Stone and Jeokyeol Stone together and began igniting the Pimacho grass growing on the ground.

The sparks produced by the friction between the stones emitted heat far more intense than ordinary flames.

They devoured not only the damp Pimacho grass but also the surrounding patches, spreading rapidly.

Pssssssss.

At the same time, smoke engulfed his vision.

Arteon immediately moved sideways and created smoke at another point.

And at Arteon’s signal, all three squads lit the Pimacho grass and produced smoke.

Pssssssss.

“Search the area! Hurry!”

The panicked Kar Tribe warriors spread out in all directions and began searching.

But the smoke had already fully risen.

‘Got them…!’

Watching the smoke seep into the fog, Arteon quickly withdrew backward and moved toward the rendezvous point.

Pa-bat! Tadadadadak!

“That way! I hear something over there!”

“I hear it here too! It’s an enemy ambush!”

The Kar Tribe warriors shouted at the sounds made by Arteon and the unit as they moved.

Yet the enemies, who looked like they might pursue immediately, soon fell silent.

And then—

“Aaaaaaaargh!”

“Kuaaaargh!”

The screams of Kar Tribe warriors echoed from beyond the fog.

Arteon paid them no mind and waited for his unit at the rendezvous point.

Tadadadadadadak!

Soon, the unit members came running in from both sides.

Arteon looked at the three squad leaders at the front and spoke.

“The first operation was a success. But the truly important part starts now.”

“Aren’t we attacking now?”

“Then what were those screams we heard earlier…?”

Tormant, the third squad leader, asked Arteon.

As the others also looked at him with curiosity—

“It means our operation worked perfectly.”

Arteon kept his senses sharp, watching the front.

Judging by those screams…

‘True to their nature as a warrior race, the hallucinations seem to have hit them… hard.’

They were undoubtedly mistaking their own allies for enemies and fighting each other.

If things continued like this, it might even become easy without needing to intervene, but—

‘Things are never that simple.’

If the Kar Tribe could be wiped out with nothing more than Pimacho smoke, the fighting in the North would have ended long ago.

‘At most, five minutes.’

That was the window during which the hallucinations could inflict damage on them.

After that, they would develop partial immunity, and the effect would inevitably diminish.

Which meant—

‘When they try to recover from the damage…’

That was when they had to strike.

Arteon pulled out the throwing spear strapped to his back. At the same time, the unit members raised their own throwing spears and bows.

“First squad, move with me. The rest, spread out widely here and attack on my signal. If, by any chance, they get close, avoid close combat and flee unconditionally to the next point.”

“Understood.”

“Yes, understood.”

As the second squad leader Dran and third squad leader Tormant responded, Arteon looked at Bruel, the first squad leader.

The moment Bruel nodded—

“We move. Keep your posture as low as possible.”

Tap!

Arteon swiftly launched his body to the side, and Bruel followed with his squad.

“Kuuaaaaargh!”

“Aaaargh!”

The screams of the Kar Tribe continued to echo within the fog.

It seemed the commanders were intervening to restore order, but—

‘Controlling over four hundred of them is impossible from the start.’

Still, the hallucination effects would be minimal on mid-level or higher warriors.

‘The chaos will end soon.’

Before that—

Tap!

Lowering his body, Arteon used the bushes as cover and quickly moved toward the enemy’s flank.

And then—

“…Insane.”

“Huff… huff… huff…!”

The breathing of the squad members following Arteon grew increasingly ragged.

They had to move while crouched beneath bushes that barely reached waist height.

‘How can he move that fast…?’

‘I’ve never seen a posture like that. Is he… running while sitting?’

Arteon’s speed, moving in such a bizarre posture, was incredible.

Unlike them, who ran hunched over, he kept his head raised to maintain his field of vision while running in a duck-walk with bent legs.

Thinking about it, the soldiers recalled hearing about strange training postures being practiced around the training grounds lately.

Bruel clenched his lips tightly.

‘So all of that… was for this.’

Arteon was becoming increasingly intriguing.

If such movement was possible, then at least near the lake, it would be the optimal way to move.

“Let’s catch up quickly.”

“…Yes.”

“Understood.”

At Bruel’s words, the squad members responded quietly and pushed themselves harder to keep up with Arteon.

And when they finally reached the position Arteon had taken—

“Huff… huff… huff…!”

Their lungs felt like they were about to burst, and their backs ached as if they might snap.

To run quickly while staying low, bending their waists had been their only option.

Then Arteon spoke calmly.

“Control your breathing. For throwing spears, breathing is the most important thing.”

At Arteon’s words, the unit members hastily steadied their breathing and looked forward.

Unlike earlier, when the fog obscured their vision, from this position the battlefield—now in complete chaos—was clearly visible.

‘…This is all from Pimacho smoke?’

Even seeing it with their own eyes, they could hardly believe it.

The Kar Tribe warriors were slaughtering each other as if they were under some kind of dark magic.

But soon—

“Ugh…”

“W-what… what have I done…?”

“Pa… Pakutaron!”

As they began to regain their senses, they looked upon their recent actions with despair and self-reproach.

In a way, this was when their morale was at its lowest.

“Now!”

Arteon rose above the bushes and hurled the spear he was holding at a warrior ahead.

Swoooooosh! Thud!

The spear thrown by Arteon pierced through the Kar Tribe warrior’s chest and burst out the other side.

The sheer destructive power that completely impaled his body sent the struck warrior flying backward before he died instantly.

“E-enemy!”

“It’s an Imperial ambush!”

In an instant, the battlefield turned into utter chaos.

The first squad members who followed suit hurled their spears at the Kar Tribe warriors ahead.

Only Bruel, however, tightly gripped his spear and waited for Arteon’s command.

‘When I charge in and go for the enemy commander, throw your spear at him.’

Bruel possessed exceptional skill with throwing spears.

When the unit was formed from elite soldiers, Arteon had already reviewed the drafted soldiers’ information, allowing him to devise this plan.

‘Dealing with small fry alone won’t be enough.’

If they failed to kill the supreme commander, the enemy would eventually resume their advance.

Arteon drew Eaglis from his waist and infused it with mana.

At the same time, he swiftly swept his gaze across the battlefield.

And then—the four feather tattoos on his shoulder.

The moment his eyes met those of Ulgrak, who was wielding a massive axe—

Pa-bat!

Arteon began charging straight toward Ulgrak.