Season 3: Chapter 336. The Last of the Last (2)

OrangeKing sprang to his feet as if propelled by a spring.

"Wait! Right now!! The commander!!!"

It seemed impossible, but the commander had stepped forward and positioned herself in front of the cavalry. Commanders had engaged in combat in the past, but never like this. This wasn’t a desperate defense with enemies already inside. This was completely different.

"W-What is this!? Is this really...!?"

The commander had charged in first like a moth to a flame. OrangeKing had never seen anything like it.

‘This is insane!’

Only a madman would do this.

— What even is this?

— Woah!

— OMG!!!

— Is this allowed?

— That’s really the commander??

— This is so badass lol

— LOL what?!

Generally, someone who played like that wouldn’t even make it past the qualifiers, let alone the finals. It made sense that no one would ever expect to see such a scene.

‘But...’

OrangeKing, who used to be a pro player, knew something others didn’t. These types of madmen rarely made it to tournaments, but once when they did, they were the ones who took the trophy. It looked bizarre to others, but OrangeKing understood as a former competitor.

‘A crack is forming.’

That madness formed a crack in Rome that never existed.

BOOM!

The Joseon cavalry smashed into Rome’s flank. Even the caster leapt up in shock at the full-on clash.

"T-They’re breaking through!? Rome’s being pushed back!"

Unbelievably, the once unshakable Roman line wavered.

"Wait! Best Yi Sun-Shin!! Was this planned!?"

OrangeKing understood now how this madness carved open a gap.

"Why!? What is it!?"

"With the commander charging in, even Rome’s tightly coordinated army has all their shields facing that direction now!"

One could lose everything in a heartbeat when chasing easy riches or quick success. Advice like this could be found in any self-help book or investment guide. It was easy to scoff at when it was someone else’s story, but what if it was their own?

"Even for Rome! How could they resist this!?"

Even elite soldiers couldn’t resist the temptation. The opportunity offered a perfect return with a laughably small risk.

"Right?! The game ends if you just kill that one person!"

Kill the commander and they would win. Would they risk everything for that one shot? It was totally worth it. This entire game centered around that one objective. Even the elite Roman players abandoned everything and charged because they understood the true nature of this game.

Commands became meaningless, formations collapsed, and everyone forgot their roles. Their system and tactics were all meant for this moment. The Roman army charged at a single point.

"Joseon didn’t just break through Rome’s shields!!" OrangeKing shouted.

In a single sentence, he had to explain the miracle unfolding in front of the viewers.

"They shattered Rome’s spirit! Rome’s sense of cohesion has been destroyed!"

How did an army function as one? It wasn’t just because everyone shared a common goal. That was only half the truth. An army was a system. Each soldier fitted into the larger machine like a cog. It wasn’t about everyone doing the same thing. It was about everyone playing their role.

If everyone chased their own goals, the team would collapse like what was happening right now. Rome, charging at the enemy commander, had completely fallen apart.

RUMBLE...!

"T-The shield wall!"

"The shield wall has collapsed! Completely! Now, even Joseon’s infantry can fight back!"

The Joseon swordsmen, who had barely been holding the front, now had a shot. At the front, Moggie burst forward.

"CHAAAARGE!!"

BOOM!

Three to four Roman soldiers fell like dominoes.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

The crowd erupted in deafening roars.

"Now, everyone’s gunning for the commander! For Best Yi Sun-Shin! But she’s not dead yet! She’s still alive!"

"What an unbelievable combat sense! We saw this in the Japan match too! She’s insane!"

Just one person’s death would decide it all, but she hadn’t died yet. She was still at the front, slashing and charging forward.

"W-Wait! She’s going even further!? Shouldn’t she pull back now!?"

However, something on fire didn’t extinguish so easily. And they had to keep this fire lit. Just as the unshakable Roman army faltered, this burning momentum could instantly vanish if she stopped. Stopping wasn’t an option for her. From the moment she stepped onto the battlefield, there was no turning back.

‘To the very end...!’

She planned to go all the way.

‘Until the signal comes!’

***

"Huff... huff..."

Almond and Latte were still running.

"Wh-Why aren’t we getting any orders?"

Latte felt nervous. They hadn’t received any commands for a while.

"Isn’t this the most important front right now!?"

The game was on the line even if it was just the two of them, but no commands came. Best Yi Sun-Shin wouldn’t make such a mistake, so it was obvious.

"Something... must’ve happened. We probably have to move faster."

It had turned into an all-or-nothing endgame. And their commander was probably facing some trouble. Yes, she had rushed in of her own volition. In Latte’s mind, the enemies were chasing Best Yi Sun-Shin. They had to move faster. The two sprinted at full speed toward the enemy's expansion base.

Then, Almond muttered, "They’re coming."

The enemy had spotted them. Roman soldiers started charging out. They probably wanted to fight as far from the command center as possible, but Almond and Latte felt differently. Despite being archers, they wanted to fight as close as possible.

"Run!"

"Yes!"

Paradoxically, they sprinted harder.

Click.

Without a cue, both of them began running while drawing their bows. Almond scanned the situation.

‘Around eight...’

There were too many targets for only two shooters. Still, they shot their arrows and the Roman soldiers raised their shields.

CLANG!!

Latte’s arrow was blocked while Almond’s curved inward at an angle.

THWACK!

An arrow struck a Roman soldier’s neck between his armor. A burst of white light followed.

‘One down.’

Seven left. The enemy kept charging forward, and so did Almond and Latte. Almond drew again, and arrows flew once more.

THWACK!

An arrow struck a soldier wearing a helmet right in the head, but he only staggered for a moment. Then, he rose and kept running.

‘No time to charge focus.’

Armored soldiers didn’t go down easily even with a clean headshot. Almond needed the additional focus power to kill in a single shot, but had no time to charge his shots.

‘What do I do?’

He had no idea what was happening at Joseon’s headquarters. How badly were they being pushed? If no orders were coming from the commander, things had to be going terribly.

‘They’re closing in.’

The massive Roman maces loomed closer. Almond chose to engage. He had to push forward and figure something out. If he backed down now, nothing would change. However, they weren’t just facing armored infantry.

"Latte! Above!"

CLUNK!

A Roman crossbowman on a defense tower aimed at them. They were now within range. Latte tried to dive and dodge the bolt—

"?"

THWACK!

Before the shot could land, the crossbowman’s head burst with a white flash from Almond's arrow.

"W-Wow!!" Latte gasped in awe.

The armored soldiers were right in front of them now.

CLANK.

The chilling sound of their iron rang out.

"B-Bro, what do we do!? We can’t take these armored guys... Should we circle around!?" Latte yelled as he ran.

"Just push through!"

"What!?"

"I said, go through them!"

"H-How!?"

"We’re militia, aren’t we!?"

"What?!" Latte’s scream echoed, but Almond didn’t hear it.

"Die!!!"

WHOOSH!

A mace tore through the air at his face.

‘If I dodge this...’

Like a limbo dancer, Almond quickly drew an arrow and bent his body back.

SCRAAAAAPE!

His knees skidded across the dirt as he slipped just under the armored soldier’s arm. The mace slashed through empty air.

‘Here’s my chance.’

While sliding under, Almond aimed his bow up.

Creak...!

He nocked two arrows simultaneously.

"What the—!"

The armored soldier looked down in frustration, but it was too late.

THWACK!

Two arrows had already pierced his chin. He didn’t realize that getting too close to an archer exposed him to fatal point-blank shots.

THUD.

The armored soldier collapsed behind Almond.

‘Got him.’

Almond sprang up, and his eyes lit up with a realization. He turned to the right. Another Roman soldier swung a mace at him, but Almond stepped in closer.

‘They have a weakness.’

Right before the mace could connect—

THWACK!

Three arrows pierced the soldier’s gut at once.

"!"

THUMP.

The soldier fell, and Almond leapt over the body and turned around. Behind him, yet another enemy raised a mace. It sliced through the spot where Almond’s head had just been, but three arrows struck the soldier’s heart in quick succession and instantly dropped him.

THUD.

Three armored soldiers fell in seconds.

‘What the...’

‘What just happened...?’

The remaining soldiers stared in disbelief. Armored infantry were supposed to be invincible against ranged units, but they had been overwhelmed in close combat by an archer.

‘Their weakness is when they attack.’

They made big movements. The moment they attacked, their shields had to swing opposite of the mace. This exposed their core. Maces were slower than the militia's movement, so Almond could take them down if he dodged while closing in and firing into the gap.

Just like that, the Roman soldiers fell. Only three remained. And Joseon?

‘Two of us?’

Almond glanced to the side and heard a loud chaotic yell.

"WAAAAARGH!"

It was Latte. He came tumbling and rolling in. He’d broken through with a defeated armored soldier lying behind him.

‘Two of us left.’

Now it was two versus three. They were almost even now despite the initial disadvantage. The remaining Romans no longer charged. In fact, they retreated a step.

"Hold your ground. We’ll defend from here," the man holding the long spear at the front barked an order.

[Pierre]

As expected, the final gatekeeper was Pierre. His mission had always been to protect the expansion point from inside the command center. The tight surroundings made it difficult for archers to maneuver, but shields could cover every corner and gave the Romans an advantage. He couldn’t let them inside.

"Bro... one step forward and we’re in range of the command center..."

And yet, they couldn’t blindly rush in either. The command center’s arrows would rain down on them while Pierre blocked them. As militia, this was the worst possible situation for them.

"Okay."

However, Almond only smirked. He reached for the Tonga, a bamboo quiver that held the Pyeonjeon.

‘Tin-can bastards... retreating from archers?’

He was about to show them what they had forgotten.