As Azpen raised his sword toward the sky, he shouted,
"Charge toward death!"
At that moment, every one of us surged toward the enemy.
We didn't know whether this was their entire rear force, their cavalry reserve, or merely a supply unit.
It didn't matter.
There was only one path left.
Forward.
Through blood.
Azpen's shout ignited something within us.
Mercenaries charged with spears, swords, axes, and bows raised high.
The fear from earlier had vanished.
The first lizardman before me carried a square shield and a spear.
He didn't even have time to raise his shield.
Rusty lowered his head and rammed him.
One horn pierced straight through the lizardman's stomach, lifting him off the ground.
Blood poured from the wound.
I swung my spear and beheaded him in one clean strike.
With my left hand, I shoved the corpse off Rusty's horn and continued charging.
My Sensory Field remained active.
Everything in front of me became my focus.
My spear stabbed.
It sliced.
It killed.
My breathing occasionally became uneven, but I immediately corrected it with Beast Breathing.
I couldn't afford to lose my rhythm.
As I continued fighting, my eyes drifted toward Azpen.
He was battling a lizardman clad in armor from head to toe.
The creature wielded two swords while riding a massive water lizard.
Surprisingly...
Azpen was still using only the curved sword from his waist.
There was no recognizable technique.
No elegant swordsmanship.
He simply swung his sword as though chopping firewood.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The armored lizardman desperately crossed both swords to defend himself.
Azpen struck the exact same point every single time.
He never changed his target.
He never slowed.
Finally—
Crack.
Both of the lizardman's swords shattered.
Azpen's own sword snapped as well.
Before the lizardman could draw the spare sword hanging across his back—
Azpen urged his horse forward.
His fist shot out.
The punch landed squarely on the lizardman's face.
Even with a full helmet protecting him...
The impact launched him through the air.
He crashed into a nearby tree before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Azpen didn't even glance at his own hand to check for injuries.
The difference between an Aura Knight...
And someone like me...
Was overwhelming.
While I was distracted by that fight, another lizardman rushed at me from behind with a sword.
I loosened my grip on the end of my spear, allowing the shaft to drop slightly.
As his sword collided with the shaft, I immediately lifted the spear upward, forcing his blade aside.
The opening was enough.
My spear struck between his legs.
He collapsed to one knee in agony.
Sliding my grip closer to the axe blade attached near the spearhead, I leaned backward and swung with all my strength.
The axe blade sliced through his neck.
Another head rolled across the muddy ground.
Just then, I spotted another lizardman charging toward me atop a water lizard, spear aimed straight at my chest.
I leaned backward and signaled Rusty.
Rusty instantly rushed forward.
As the distance closed, I shifted my grip—my right hand just below the axe blade, my left at the end of the shaft.
Using the full momentum of Rusty's charge, I unleashed a horizontal swing.
The lizardman saw the attack.
But seeing it...
And blocking it...
Were two different things.
He didn't even have time to react.
My spear cleaved straight through both rider and mount.
Neither of us slowed.
The battle became nothing more than constant killing.
We no longer stopped to see who had survived.
Only those still standing mattered.
Nearly forty-five minutes passed before the last of the rear force fell.
Azpen looked around once before speaking.
"Two minutes."
"Drink a potion."
"Catch your breath."
"Then we move."
That was all.
I let out a long breath of relief.
Every part of me wanted to deactivate my Sensory Field.
The pain pounding inside my head had become unbearable.
But Bharam's words echoed through my mind.
Never become careless in battle.
The most dangerous weapon on a battlefield...
...is your own carelessness.
Grinding my teeth, I endured the pain and kept my Sensory Field active.
Most of the attacks I had suffered struck only my armor.
I couldn't even stop to check whether any wounds had slipped through.
Not now.
The remaining enemy cavalry still had to be found.
Two minutes later...
Azpen simply shouted,
"Move."
Once again...
All I could see was his back as he charged deeper into the swamp.