I am the Monarch Chapter 170 : Crimson Ghost (3)

Dududududu!

A sound of horse hooves noisily rang.
Behind Lancephil Guardian Army, a single group showed itself.

< Chase Legion. >
< Rain Troop. >

It was the Rain Troop, whose fame was high even amongst the Chase Legion's troops.
The troop commander Viscount Rust Rain, together with Viscount Royce Fielder who undertook the role of this fief war's supreme commander, was one of Count's Chase's right-hand retainers.
He, unlike Royce who had both strength and resourcefulness, used a giant hammer as his favored weapon as a fierce general who charged without regards to front nor back.

“It looks like they're being chased, right?”

At Roan's question, Pichio nodded his head.

“Yes. In anyone's eyes.”

The two people formed bitter smiles.
Roan deeply pulled down his hood and used the Flamdor Mana Technique.

“It seems that we should prepare for battle.

It was an urgent situation.
They couldn't step back pretending not to see.
No, in the first place, there was neither a leisure nor space to do so.

'We have to hide our identity.'

For now, they had to at least hide the fact that Roan had appeared here at the Lancephil Fief's northeast region.
Because of that, he couldn't use the Travias Spear he had hidden inside his chest pocket.
It was a disadvantageous situation.
However, composure overflowed in Roan's expression.

'After the battle with Sethus, the quality of the mana has rose greatly.'

Two types of mana.
Heat and water energy.
After learning the fact that he could use the heat and the water energy as much as he wished, Roan intentionally used the heat during battles or duels until the bottom showed.
This was something possible because there was the water energy he could separately and also use.
And when the heat filled the mana hole after the battles ended, much purer and greater amount of heat was filled.
Thanks to that, the mana hole at his lower abdomen slowly became much larger, and not only that, as he used large amounts of mana at once, his mana road had also became much wider and stronger.
He had became able to use more quickly and easily a much greater amount of mana than before.

'As the amount of mana increased, it became possible to use the techniques of Reid Art of Fighting that I had only been learning within my head.'

It meant that even if he couldn't use the Travias Spear, he had separate skills he could use to face the enemy forces.
And it was the fighting technique of Reid, who wasn't excluded whenever people debated of who the strongest human was, to boot.
Since there wasn't any instant when Roan showed off Reid's Art of Fighting on the battlefields, it shouldn't be easy for the Rain Troop to discover Roan's identity.

He tightly clenched his fists and stared at the Lancephil Guardian Army and the Rain Troop that had reached their nearby surroundings.
Pichio too, with a slightly nervous expression, pulled out his sword.

“There's people at the front!”
“Move aside! Move!”

The Lancephil Guardian Army, which had been mindlessly running away, discovered Roan and Pichio a moment late.
They pulled their reins and narrowly brushed past the two people.
Roan and Pichio quietly stood their ground and awaited the Rain Troop that would rush towards them.

Gulp.

Pichio gulped dry spit with a completely tense expression.
Roan faintly smiled and asked.

“Are you scared?”

At those words, Pichio shook his head.

“That isn't so, sir. Since my lord is next to me. Should I say that it's making me slightly tense? Also……”

He glared straight at the front and added on.

“The apprehensive feeling has disappeared, sir. Somehow, I feel a good feeling.”

A smile hung on Pichio's mouth.
Roan too cheerily smiled as he nodded his head.

“Is that so? Those are welcoming words.”

There was no instant where Pichio's feelings were wrong.
For some reason, a feeling like having won was felt even before the battle had started.
Finally, the Lancephil Guardian Army all passed by, and the Rain Troop that followed right behind showed up.
It was a sight of charging with an outrage speed while exuding an inauspicious pressure.

“Should we play a round?”

Roan, while tightly clenching his fist, kicked the ground.

Tat!

The image of his body extended long towards the Rain Troop.
It was a swift and quick sight.
His two fists became tinted red.
Through the Flamdor Mana Technique, powerful heat bursted out.

“What the! What's that crazy bastard!”
“Trample him instantly and continue the chase!”

The Rain Troop's soldiers looked at Roan, who was running towards them alone, and snorted.
Vigor of trampling with the solid hooves.
At that moment.

Tat!

Roan lightly kicked off the ground as he watched the cavalry rushing towards him.
At the same time, he twisted his shoulder back, then powerfully trusted his right fist using that recoil.
From the crimson-tinted fist, mana burst out.

Boom!

With a sound of explosion, the horseman who was running ahead first was blown off.

Kwakakang!

The horsemen at the lead tangled against each other and fell.

“Wha, what!”
“KuuuK!”

The cavalry that had been charging with a powerful thrust faltered and slowed their speed.

'It's done.'

It was the situation Roan wished for.
However outstanding a strength he had, he couldn't face a troop number numbering over a thousand men alone.
Roan's plan was to stop the Rain Troop's feet for at least a moment for now.
He once again prepared a powerful strike.
At that moment.

“You brat!”

With a thunderous roar, a giant warhorse jumped out from the center of the troop.
A warrior of a large build was sitting on the warhorse, and he held a giant iron hammer in his right hand.
He was the very troop commander of the Rain Troop and one of Count Jonathan Chase's right-hand men, Viscount Rust Rain.

Ssuung!

A great hammer much larger than an adult man's head cut apart the air.
Roan lightly moved his feet and twisted his body.

Boom!

The hammer directly hit an empty ground.

Tududuk.

With an explosive sound, rocks and earth soared.

“Oh ho. You dodged that? What's you brat's identity?”

Rust, with an amused light in his eyes, glared at Roan.
But because of him having deeply worn the hood, there was no means for him to recognize his face.
Roan, instead of an answer, kicked the ground again.
The two fists weirdly moved and created tens of afterimages.

“A fist master, is it? Hmph!”

Rust quickly swung his hammer as he snorted.
Each time, the dizzily drawn images disappeared in ones and twos.

'He really is a fierce warrior.'

Roan inwardly exclaimed and thrusted his fist as he twisted his body.
The entire fist flashed with a red light.

“You dare!”

Looking at the fist aiming at his abdomen, Rust pulled his hammer.
Suddenly.

Ssuung!

Roan's fist changed its trajectory towards a simply impossible direction.
An incredible sound of impact hit the ears.

“Eh!?”

Rust stared at Roan's fist with a shocked expression.
No, he could only stare at it.
It was already too late for his body to react.
Roan's fist that aimed at his abdomen, drawing a ridiculous arc, headed towards the horse's neck.

Crack!

A horrifying sounding impact echoed out.
Roan's fist pierced into the warhorse's neck.
Without even making a cry, the horse lost its life.
The four legs that had been standing strong swayed limply and the giant body crumpled to the side.

“Kuk!”

Rust quickly turned his body and soared up into the air.

Boom!

With a dull sound, the horse fell.
Following right behind, Rust stepped down next to that.

“You dare!”

He raged at the death of the beloved horse he roamed the battlefields together for tens of years.
Rust clenched the hammer with both hands, then rushed towards Roan.
As he, who originally attacked brutishly even without that, lost his mind from rage, his might became much stronger than before.

'It almost feels like I'm looking at a berserker.'

Roan dodged the hammer this way and that and clenched his teeth.
If he were to be even brushed slightly, his bones would break.

“We will continue the chase!”
“Continue the chase!”

The Rain Troop's soldiers, who watched momentarily, pulled their reins and prepared to chase.

“I, I'll try to stop them, sir!”

Pichio bravely stepped up.
But stopping more than hundreds of soldiers by himself, and a cavalry at that, was something impossible.
Roan tightly clenched his teeth.

'I can't just let them go. Should I use the blink?'

But he soon shook his head.
It wasn't the right time yet.
Roan nimbly dodged Rust's hammer, then jumped into his chest.
Rust's size seen from near was much bigger than he had thought.

“You brat!”

Rust closed his arms as if to catch Roan.
Roan, imagining up a body technique of Reid's Art of Fighting in his mind, slightly bent his knee.
It was a very stable pose.
And just like that, he grabbed Rust's waist with one hand and quickly and erratically moved his two feet.

Spat!

Suddenly, Roan's body softly moved like a snake, rode Rust's abdomen and side, and passed over to his back.
A smooth movement.

“Eh? Eh!”

Rust's expression was greatly taken aback at having instantly shown his back.
Roan, just like that, hugged his waist with two hands and pulled up mana with all his strength.
Suddenly, the giant body rose up into the air.

“Hahaph!”

With a grunt, Roan threw Rust towards the cavalry.

“Eh! Eheheheh!”
“Ca, catch!”
“Catch!”

The soldiers who were about to go on the chase, looking at Rust flying towards them, widely opened their two arms.

Boom!

With a dull sound, tens of horsemen rolled on the ground together with Rust.
Roan watched that sight for a moment, then quickly kicked off the ground.
It was to help Pichio, who was fighting alone.

Pubuck! Pububuck!

The fists and the feet left numerous afterimages and cut apart the space.
Each time, warhorses, horsemen, swordsmen, and archers fell powerlessly .

“Pichio. Slowly move back.”
“Yes sir.”

Pichio answered shortly and quickly moved back.
His looks had already became a mess.
Although his instinct was unrealistically outstanding, it was a fact that his strength was still lacking.
At least thanks to having learned the Tale Mana Technique, it was at a level where facing ordinary soldiers wasn't difficult.

Pubuk! Pubuk!

Roan quickly moved this way and that and drove away the Rain Troop's soldiers.
At that moment.

“You brat!”

Rust rushed towards him again while raising his hammer.
Roan snatched a soldier that was nearby, then quickly threw him.
If he was an ordinary general, dodging or receiving him was normality.
But Rust batted away the soldier that flew towards him.

“Kuhuk!”

A scream filled with pain hit the ears.
Rust did not mind that and rushed towards Roan.
Roan, with a slightly stiffen face, roared.

“You bastard don't have the qualification of a general!”

At those words, Rust snorted.

“A general is only judged based on his strength!”

The excellent general he imagined was a general whose strength was powerful.
Roan glared at the hammer that arced down like it would shatter his head.

'I can use it only once.'

Blink.
The spell that could make him instantly travel a very short distance.
It was one of the spell carved in the Brent's Ring.

'I'll use it now.'

Roan felt the mana inside his body and breathed in deeply.
Instantly, the heat inside his body was pulled up into the Brent's Ring.
Following the ring, the magic array flashed.

'Blink!'

Suddenly, Roan's body disappeared as if washed away.

“Eh?!”

Rust widely opened his eyes and made a surprised expression.

Boom!

The hammer powerfully struck the spot Roan was originally standing on.
Simultaneous.

Paat!

Roan, who had disappeared, appeared at Rust's back.
Rust, seemingly still not having discovered Roan, was looking around this way and that.
Roan, just like that, turned and kicked his bottom.

Puuk!

At the powerful strike, Rust's body lightly floated up, then was slammed directly into the ground.

“Kuk!”

At the unexpected strike, Rust greatly panicked.
Lying on the ground, he stared at Roan.
No, he tried to stare at Roan.
However, the thing he saw was only a red-tinted fist.

Puuk!

Roan's fist heavily struck Rust's face.

“Kkug!”

The nose collapsed and the all the teeth broke.

Puuk! Puuk!

Roan did not falter and continued to throw his fist.
Blood splattered in every direction.
Rust, who tried to at least counter, soon lost his strength and drooped powerlessly.

“A general is only judged by his strength? Even so, it's the same that you don't have the qualification of a general.”

It was a cold roar.

Puuk!

The final strike powerfully hit Rust's neck.

“Kguruk.”

With a sound of blood boiling, his neck snapped to the left.
He died.
Roan lightly swung the fist dripping with blood, then stared at Rain Troop's soldiers.
Because of the deeply worn hood, the mood was much more dreary.

'It would be good if their spirits are snapped……'

He could end the battle.
But.

“T, troop commander sir!”
“Sir Viscount!”
“Kuuk!”

The Rain Troop's soldiers shouted with faces flushed red.
Their spirits, at the death of their commander and a noble Rust, instead boiled up.

'It's a brave troop resembling its commander.'

Commonly, a troop that lost its commander would have its spirit snapped and scatter.
However, there occasionally were troops whose vengefulness and desire to fight burned up even more.
Rain Troop was the latter kind.

'It became quite a headache.'

From using the blink spell just now, he had spent quite a lot of mana.
Although water energy was still left, he couldn't perform the Reid Art of Fighting with the water energy.
It was a situation where he couldn't use the Travias Spear.
In the end, he could only use another weapon, but there was nothing amongst other things that fit in his hand.

“Let's avenge Sir Viscount!”
“Let's kill that bastard and commend troop commander's death!”

The Rain Troop's soldiers raised their weapons up high and shouted.
Roan slowly moved back and looked at Pichio.

“Pichio. While I block them, run away toward the back.”

At those words, Pichio shook his head.

“No. I will also stay here, sir.”

Roan creased his forehead.

“If it is because of me, there is nothing to worry. Since if it is me alone, I could easily escape.”

It was the truth.
While fighting a melee, he could easily run if needed.
However, he couldn't do that if Pichio was here.
At those words, Pichio cheerily smiled and shook his head.

“I'm not worrying about my lord, sir. Right now, my feeling is very good.”

He stared at the Rain Troop, no, the road beyond the Rain Troop.

“It's a feeling as if someone would appear.”

As soon as his words finished.

Vvuuuuuu!

From the front and the back, the sound of horn was heard.

< The Crimson Ghost > End.

Chapter end