Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 6

The Highserk Empire army, departing from the city of Saria, divided its forces into three major groups. This division was necessary as the forts established along the border could not accommodate a large army at once. All three routes leading to Mayard’s territory were targets of conquest. Walm’s unit was assigned to capture one of the forts blocking the main road.

Mayard seemed to be waiting for reinforcements from Felius. Meanwhile, one division’s mission was to reduce the number of Mayard’s troops by capturing various minor castles before the arrival of Felius’s reinforcements.

The fort in front of them was a mountain castle guarding the border. The mountain passes were blocked by gates and walls, with forts built on the mountains to the left and right. Preliminary scouting reported that about 3,000 soldiers were defending the mountain castle. The deep walls, visible from the positioned camp outside bow and magic range, were about 3 meters high and 6-7 meters wide.

Sieges generally fell into two categories: short-term or long-term battles. This time, Walm anticipated a short-term battle, relying on sheer numbers. The gate was the responsibility of the Saria battalion, while Walm’s Duwey Squad was tasked with the left side of the castle walls.

“Walm, and Jose, grab the mantlets. The newcomers Nohl and Barrit will assist you; use them wisely. Wilart, unleash fire magic on the enemies on the walls. The rest of you, proceed as usual,” commanded Duwey.

He energetically tapped on a large shield, big enough for two people to hide behind. Walm had known of such equipment in the past fort assaults. In a world where individual firepower varied greatly due to magic and skills, getting close to the enemy required special equipment. Just like ammunition, magical power was finite – provoking the enemy into wasteful long-range attacks was an effective tactic.

Cargo wagons brought in uniformly made items, including bundles of bamboo tied together. When Walm tried lifting them, they were heavier than he expected. Looking down into the bamboo revealed the trick: the nodes had been hollowed out and filled with soil. In Walm’s previous world, bamboo bundles had been widely used in the past, as their defensive power was strong enough to even stop armor-piercing bullets from muskets.

“Alright, gather up,” Jose called, prompting the new recruits to hurriedly join them.

Walm was accustomed to pairing with Jose, but working with the two new recruits, a boy and a girl, was a first. Though not visibly shaking, the faces of the new recruits were pale, with the boy, sporting a rooster-like hairstyle, looking particularly nauseous. The girl managed to keep a stern face.

Suddenly, with a grin, Jose grabbed his crotch.

“Uh, what are you doing?” protested Barrit, but Jose showed no sign of remorse. Walm could only offer a wry smile in response.

“Come on, you’re shrinking here,” Jose seemingly joked, checking if Barrit was shaking from anxiousness. He then turned his gaze to Nohl.

“No, thank you. I don’t have one to begin with,” Nohl declined.

Despite Jose’s unusual methods, the tension eased a bit. Jose looked a bit disappointed after being refused, but touching in that manner would have been outright sexual harassment. Walm knew better than to allow such behavior.

“I’m also new to a full-scale siege battle, but we’ve prepared thoroughly this time. Even though we’ll be sent to the front line, our role is more of a support one. The squad leader received orders to fill in the moat while reducing the height of the castle walls. It won’t be a direct melee combat right away, so you can relax,” said Jose, trying to reassure the two new recruits.

The two exchanged looks, their faces showing slight relief. The plan was to fill the moat, bury the castle walls with soil, and then use ladders to quickly take over the mountain fortress. While such a task would be time-consuming if done manually, Walm’s current world had the convenience of magic, allowing for rapid progress in sieging.

“Besides, if the enemy comes, Walm here will take them down. He may look like an ordinary villager, but he’s a professional in close combat, having killed dozens. The equipment he’s wearing? All from those he’s defeated.”

Jose patted Walm’s shoulder energetically, causing the expressions of the two recruits to contort as they backed away. It was as if they had just discovered their harmless neighbor was a serial killing psychopath.

“Don’t talk about me like I’m some battle maniac. It was a necessity. The gear for conscripts was terrible, and the previous owners didn’t object,” Walm said, reflecting on the irony of how he was better dressed and equipped since being thrust into war.

Walm understood why impoverished young men from rural areas dreamed of quick fortunes on the battlefield. However, the reality was far from sweet. Many started off with high spirits, but once the battle began, some would end up revealing their innards, calling for their mothers, or getting killed because they couldn’t bring themselves to stab the enemy.

Having lived a cultured life and learned about human rights in his previous life, Walm found it ironic that he had adapted and become a part of this harsh reality.

“Is the fancy meet-and-greet over? Time to go,” announced the Squad leader, just as a lively trumpet sounded, signaling the start of the operation.

“Here we go. Brace yourselves,” Jose encouraged as they began to advance with large shields in hand, followed by soldiers carrying straw bags filled with soil.

The reinforced shields were incredibly heavy but dropping them wasn’t an option. As they moved closer to the enemy, the first attack came in the form of arrows. Initially scattered due to individual strength and skill variances, the arrows became more accurate as the distance closed.

“Uh–”

An arrow shot in a straight line, distinctively different and glowing faintly, struck a soldier from a neighboring squad, who fell with a short groan.

“Protect your vitals. Be alert, there’s an archer with the ‘Strong Bow’ skill among them,” the squad leader shouted. It was clear that they were facing an adversary with extraordinary skills, similar to the Squad leader’s own special abilities. Realizing this, Walm reluctantly prepared himself for the tough battle ahead.

Arrows dug into shoulders and upper arms, causing soldiers to curse. This was still lenient, Walm thought from his combat experience. This was just a pleasant welcome from the archers, and soon, other types of soldiers would join in earnest. Indeed, within minutes, various forms of magic embodying magical power surged forward, including fireballs, ice spears, and earth shells.

“Here it comes!” Jose warned, and seconds later, a water bullet hit the shield directly. The impact struck Walm’s supporting hand. Wurm scolded Nohl, who seemed on the verge of dropping the shield.

“Even if your arm gets torn off, don’t drop that shield! This is a life-or-death situation!”

The cold water splashed around, washing away the sweat-soaked armor. It was quite a refreshing feeling.

“How kind. Seems like they’re welcoming us with some water play,” Walm joked, and it seemed to get a good response. The three fools and other soldiers around him chuckled through clenched teeth. The new soldiers, Nohl and Barrit, also smiled faintly. The noise on the placement shield was incessant. Arrows and stones were expected, but they even hurled magic and excrement. How filthy could they get, Walm wondered indignantly.

The distance to the enemy was closing enough to see their faces. The soldiers of Highserk were not just taking hits, they shot back arrows and magic through gaps in the shields. Seeing a soldier engulfed in a fireball fall from the city wall, Walm cheered.

“Good job, Wilart!” he praised the magic user who had cast the fireball. Wilart didn’t say anything but returned a slight smile. His effective attack must have been aimed at taking out a key position. Attacks began to focus around Wilart.

“You’ve done it now,” the squad leader grumbled and angrily hurled a fist-sized rock, which lodged in an archer’s face, knocking him out.

“Stay there, you fools! I’ll gut you all and stuff you with filth,” Duwey roared, and the effect was remarkable. Like avenging ghosts, the soldiers of Duwey Squad focused their firepower on him.

“Now! Fill it quickly,” the squad leader ordered, undaunted by the onslaught of attacks. For a normally rough muscle-head type, he was surprisingly sharp in battle.

The empty moat was to be filled with earth magic, and the wall was also getting partially buried. The ones who had fixed the shields to the ground took turns receiving the straw bags of soil and pouring them into the moat. Another squad seemed to have an earth magic user, scraping soil from under the wall and filling the moat.

The enemy was desperate not to let their defense be broken. A fireball passed through a gap in the shield and engulfed two soldiers. The explosion scattered flesh and blood, and the soldiers rolled on the ground, swallowed in flames.

Comrades poured soil over them to extinguish the fire, but the open gap was targeted with a concentration of arrows and stones. “People always do what’s worst for others,” was one of the truths of the battlefield that Walm recalled his world history teacher often telling him. Through the gap in the defense, the throwers were visible. Nohl, covered in dirt and sweat from working, was their target. The rock flew straight towards Nohl.

“Eeh, w-what!?” Nohl exclaimed in surprise.

In a split-second decision, Walm had grabbed Nohl by the neck and yanked her back, just as a rock whizzed past where Nohl’s head had been a moment earlier.

“Ah, thank you very much,” Nohl said, her eyes wide with shock. Walm, dismissing the thanks, quickly reminded her to stay alert.

“Don’t worry about it. But stop looking at your feet. The enemy is above us.”

Nohl nodded several times in acknowledgment. Walm and Jose, who were usually partners, took care of the new recruits Nohl and Barrit. Walm was determined to ensure that his first junior soldiers didn’t get killed.

The work continued tirelessly, and within two hours from the start of the battle, the moat was filled, and the wall was buried up to a third. The squad was exhausted, with only the Squad Leader Duwey appearing to still have energy. Walm suspected that the squad leader might have other spcial skills as well.

“Here they come. The assault team,” the squad leader murmured. Walm turned his gaze to see a new battalion approaching from the rear, a unit that had been held in reserve.

“That’s the Saria’s infantry battalion,” Jose identified with narrowed eyes.

“An assault team against former allies, Commander Berger has a taste for the macabre,” the surrounding soldiers agreed.

“The wall isn’t fully buried yet, are they going to use ladders for the assault?” Nohl asked. Before Walm could answer, the response was demonstrated in action. A group clad in full armor leaped to the base of the wall.

“They’ve entered directly below!” shouted a soldier from the ramparts, trying to alert his comrades, but it was already too late. The group used earth magic to build up the soil to the wall’s height, and the Saria infantry battalion began their assault using that as a foothold. Additionally, due to tunnel warfare, a section of the wall collapsed over dozens of meters, caused by earth magic-induced underground spaces. It was a typical siege tactic using earth magic, and Walm internally admired the efficiency.

“Strike the traitors down! There’s a reward from Commander Berger for the squad that is the first to pierce through!”

The Saria battalion showed a ferocious attack. The squad that achieved the first breakthrough skewered the rampart guards with spears and threw them down from the wall. The initial squad lost more than half of its men, but the influx of following troops did not stop. Underneath them, a messenger soldier rushed in.

“Orders from Commander of Reglia. Don’t fall behind Saria Battalion. Launch a full-scale attack and breach the city walls.”

As the enemy’s forces dwindled, it presented the perfect opportunity.

“All units, charge!!!” With the Reglia Battalion Commander’s voice echoing across the battlefield, a signal for an all-out assault was given. Soldiers grabbed hidden ladders and rushed towards the wall. Despite being exhausted, the enemy’s resistance was sparse.

“Nohl, stay behind me,” Walm instructed as he picked up his round shield and advanced. Despite the impacts from arrows and stones hitting the shield and his armor, he pushed on. Soldiers climbing the ladders faced counterattacks from the ramparts, with some being pushed off or falling as the ladders were overturned.

Walm found a safe ladder and ascended. A soldier in front of him got hit in the flank by an arrow and fell to the ground in pain. An enemy archer aimed for Walm next, but an ice spear impaled the archer’s face, causing him to writhe in pain on the ramparts.

“Wilart!!” Walm knew who had provided the support. He climbed the ladder, reached the ramparts, and immediately thrust his longsword into the neck of a nearby soldier, fatally wounding him.

The surrounding soldiers were still unable to react. In quick succession, he swung his longsword, severing the heads while still wearing their helmets. Walm felt an unusual sharpness in his sword, exhilarating him. Walm swiftly dispatched another two soldiers with his sword. Finally, he confronted the soldier who had just realized the intrusion.

“They’re climbing up!!”

The soldier, noticing Walm’s presence, alerted his comrades while simultaneously attacking Walm. This type of opponents often turned out to be skilled veterans. Walm parried the first strike with his longsword, but the soldier kept thrusting his sword. On the fourth thrust, as the enemy soldier stepped in closer, Walm also closed the distance.

Using his round shield, Walm deflected the thrusts while striking the soldier’s wrist with a shield bash. The soldier, however, didn’t let go of his sword, indicating his proficiency. Hidden by the round shield, Walm’s right arm was already in motion. Thrusting his longsword from a low stance at close range, it pierced through the soldier’s eye, shattered his skull, and sprayed brain matter.

Walm looked away, searching for the next enemy. Several of his comrades had climbed the ladder. One of them was Nohl, who had engaged in a desperate fight with a soldier. However, due to her inexperience and gaps in the armor, Nohl was bleeding from one arm.

“Senior!!!” Nohl’s almost crying voice reached Walm. The opponent was a fully armored soldier… no, he had to be a knight. The knight had already taken down two of Walm’s comrades and was about to do the same to Nohl in a matter of seconds.

“You can only handle new recruits, weakling?” Walm, in a hurry, turned around and threw his round shield at the knight. The knight, blocking with his halberd, faced Walm.

“You have bad manners, barbarian soldier of Highserk!” You shall not tread on Mayard’s land!” the knight declared, advancing towards Walm while thrusting his round shield forward. The confined space of the ramparts made the situation difficult. Walm regretted throwing away his round shield to save Nohl. Gritting his teeth, Walm braced himself, absorbing the shield’s blows with his vambrace and shoulder.

The unexpected force of the impact contorted Walm’s face involuntarily. Although his left arm throbbed painfully, it didn’t hinder his movements. The halberd approached from the side. Walm parried and deflected it with his longsword, the high-pitched sound of metal scraping against metal echoing around them. The attacks were relentless and synchronized. Walm avoided the round shield and circled around the knight, who followed suit and swung his halberd downwards. Walm didn’t have his round shield anymore, but he could hold the longsword with both hands now.

Pushing back the halberd, Walm aimed a strike at the right moment but only managed to leave a fresh scratch on the knight’s shoulder armor. Meanwhile, the enemy guards were attacking Nohl and the other Highserk soldiers. “Where is the squad leader?” Walm wondered, realizing he had inadvertently drawn too much attention while climbing the ladder. Normally, such formidable foes would be dealt with by the squad leader. Walm lamented his misfortune but couldn’t abandon his junior soldiers.

As the fight continued, more wounds appeared on both Walm’s and the knight’s armor. Walm was at a disadvantage due to the thinner protection at his joints. He struck the knight’s torso, but couldn’t inflict any significant damage due to the armor. A halberd scrape across his cheek caused blood to flow.

Had Walm been hit on the eyelid or forehead, his vision would have been blocked, potentially spelling his doom. His lips became extremely dry. He focused on predicting the knight’s movements, forgetting to blink. Once again, Walm’s armor bore new scars, and a part of his shoulder armor was gouged out by the halberd.

“Futile effort. Die, lowly soldier!” shouted the knight, clearly agitated that Walm’s strikes were becoming deeper on his torso. Despite being in a disadvantageous situation and pushed back, his arm, where blood was flowing, swung the sword effortlessly. As he withdrew, the horizontal swing of the longsword hit the knight’s leg guard. A part of the armor broke. The knight seemed to have noticed it as he roared at Wurm in anger.

“For fucks’ sake, just die already!”

The clash between middle and upper guards was evenly matched. Utilizing the recoil of their collision, Wurm jumped back. The distance between them increased after their exchange of blows. Wurm had been holding the longsword in the upper guard, but it felt inadequate. It was a stance he had never used in either actual combat or training. Holding his longsword overhead in the highest stance, Walm prepared for a risky move that wasn’t a standard move for melee combat.

“Don’t underestimate me. Do you think such a bluff will work on me?” the knight scoffed, advancing with his round shield thrust forward as per the strategy. Walm’s eyes captured the chaotic battle scene, but he focused only on what was necessary, closing the distance at the right moment. His transformation from being a farmer to a soldier on the battlefield had felt cold and unfamiliar so far, but this time, something was different. Wurm wielded his sword with a familiar trajectory.

The sword glinted faintly, and Walm could feel the magic energy flowing from his hand into the blade. Missing this strike could mean a fatal counterattack, but Walm didn’t care about such risks. He wanted to surrender to this sensation, perhaps even smiling genuinely for the first time on the battlefield.

The downward strike cut through the round shield and split the knight from the shoulder to the chest. Time seemed to stand still, or perhaps it was just moving slowly. The knight dropped his halberd, trembling and muttering.

“Sk… skill, ‘Strong Strike,’ why… why a lowly soldier… why can’t I, defea―”

The knight couldn’t finish his sentence and collapsed into a pool of blood on the rampart walkway.

“The leader’s dead!?”

“Lord Elmel has been killed in battle.”

It seemed that Elmel was the knight who had been in charge of the surrounding rampart walkway; the soldiers’ agitation was extraordinary. Adding to their dismay was Duwey successfully climbing the rampart walkway. Literally with every swing of his sword, the enemies’ limbs were severed and flew off.

“We’ve secured the entrance!! Don’t let up! Annihilate every soldier from the rampart walkway!”

Even other squad leaders responded to Duwey’s words. From a distance, away from the rampart walkway, Platoon leader Cozul was seen rejoicing in the securing of the assault point. Walm wondered again why Duwey hadn’t risen to the rank of platoon leader, but for now, cleaning up the rampart walkway was the priority. Picking up a round shield, Walm helped up Nohl and checked her injuries. She had wounds on her side and arm, but they weren’t deep.

“Be careful of bleeding out. The real challenge is still ahead.”

“Yes, Walm!”

Although the situation was tipping in favor of the Highserk Empire, many soldiers were still trying to retake the rampart walkway. Walm, seizing an enemy soldier in his sight, swung his sword with the feeling he had experienced earlier still fresh. As before, he deflected the enemy’s sword and cut through their body along with their armor. Walm was on the verge of stepping into a realm of power beyond human knowledge.

Not that he enjoyed killing, but Walm couldn’t resist testing how far this newfound power would take him. The enemy’s round shields and armor could not withstand the “Strong Strike.” An ordinary longsword transformed into a blow as powerful as a giant battle axe. Walm had completely made the “Strong Strike” his own.

Before he knew it, he had reached the staircase of the rampart walkway. It wasn’t just Walm’s effort alone; Jose, who had silently joined him, skillfully held off the enemy with his spear. Simultaneously, Walm felt his heightened concentration dissipate. His body was also severely fatigued, perhaps due to the overuse of the unfamiliar “Strong Strike.”

The enemy soldiers defending the stairs were mostly just posturing and threatening, not closing the distance. Walm estimated there were still more than ten of them. Just as he steeled himself to advance, a reassuring voice came from behind.

“Walm!! You’ve gained the ‘Strong Strike’ skill, impressive! Rest for now, I’ll take over.”

It was Squad leader Duwey, his entire body covered in blood spatter. Walm relaxed, realizing an unmistakable presence. As an enemy, he was someone you absolutely wouldn’t want to encounter on the battlefield. As the squad leader roared, enemy soldiers charged at him. With one swing, two humans disappeared from the rampart walkway. The power of his blows was incomparable to Walm’s “Strong Strike.” Soldiers hiding behind their shields, trying to stop the charge, were kicked off the rampart walkway, splattering blood as they hit the ground.

“Ah!? Aaaaahhh——”

“Damn it!! Why is such a guy here?!”

“Don’t falter!! Don’t falterrrr!!”

The staircase was filling up with corpses. A desperate soldier, facing the squad leader’s helmet-splitting attack, revealing an unimaginable cross-section before the remaining enemy soldiers turned their backs and fled.

“I can’t do this!!”

“Damn, I’d rather fight an ogre than him!”

Troops from the center and left ramparts continued to pour in, their momentum unstoppable. Walm was convinced the battle was decided.

“Gather the troops. The critical moment has passed, but let’s move before we lose our share!!”

The call sounded like that of a bandit leader. Leading the way, Duwey began to take control of the buildings inside the rampart walkway. The resistance was minor. The remaining enemy soldiers either holed up in the fortresses or had already fled.

As the gates were opened from the inside and more than double the number of soldiers poured in, the outcome was decided. The soldiers trapped in the fortress, cornered, some still showing a stance of fierce resistance, were quickly slaughtered. The besieged fortress surrendered shortly after being surrounded.

The battle that had started in the morning ended before the sun set. However, this was just a small battle in the border area. Walm’s work was far from over. Chasing the retreating enemy troops, the cavalry that had been held in reserve sped away from the fortress. The pursuit would undoubtedly result in many enemy soldiers being killed.