Chapter 652: Chapter 652

Chapter 652

Watch How I Fight. (1)  

Ghislain often explained to everyone why ambushes were crucial.

He had won most of his battles through ambushes and charges. When it came to ambush tactics, he could be considered the greatest expert on the continent.

“The key to an ambush is completely defying the enemy’s expectations. The success of an ambush depends on three factors.”

Everyone listened intently, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“First, absolute stealth. You must never be spotted while approaching. You have to control everything, sound, movement, even shadows.”

“Ooooh!”

“Second, overwhelming force in an instant. The goal of an ambush is to leave the enemy no time to respond. You have to overpower them in a flash.”

“Ooooh!”

“Third, precise information. To execute a successful ambush, you must conduct thorough reconnaissance beforehand and gather intelligence. A single mistake can ruin the entire operation.”

“Ooooh!”

“An ambush is a double-edged sword. If it succeeds, you gain an overwhelming advantage. But if it fails, we could end up in a disadvantageous situation. That’s why you must always have a plan for what to do in case of failure.”

“Ooooh!”

Whenever he had the time, Ghislain taught not only the principles of ambush tactics but also military strategy to the Hero’s party.

They would have to lead the United Human Army in the future, so neglecting military strategy was not an option.

The three of them listened to Ghislain with constant exclamations of admiration. Military strategy was an advanced field of study, typically taught only at academies or to those from noble families.

Astion had never taught them anything about military strategy. More precisely, he didn’t know much about it himself.

Unfortunately, none of the spirits that had possessed his body had ever been renowned commanders.

The three were completely immersed in Ghislain’s high-level military knowledge, absorbing everything he taught.

“Alright, you’ve learned a lot so far, haven’t you? This time, let’s apply ambush tactics in a real battle.”

At Ghislain’s words, the three nodded enthusiastically. Unlike before, this was their first attempt at an ambush after receiving proper military training.

And now—

They were learning the hard way what happens when an ambush fails.

“Kill them!”

The bandits, being former soldiers, had set up watchtowers even around the cliffs.

They knew that skilled knights and mages could approach via the cliffs.

As the bandits charged toward them, Julien, flustered, asked,

“Wasn’t this supposed to be an ambush?”

Ghislain straightened his back and replied,

“When you learn through failure, the lesson sticks in both your body and mind. We failed to maintain stealth and to gather accurate information. Ah, I didn’t expect them to have guards posted on this side as well.”

“…….”

Everyone was left speechless by Ghislain’s shamelessly confident attitude.

But there was one thing he was absolutely right about, the realization was crystal clear. It had been perfectly ingrained in both their bodies and minds.

The bandits were charging at them with reckless abandon. The three of them drew their weapons and took their stances. They were exhausted, but they had no choice but to fight with everything they had.

Kyle glanced at Ghislain and asked,

“Uh… didn’t you say we should always have a plan for failure?”

“Good question. Of course, I prepared one. I’m a man who always has a plan.”

“W-What is it?”

Hope flickered in their eyes as they brightened up. Ghislain turned to them with a wide grin and said,

“We haven’t overwhelmed them yet, have we? We just need to crush them with brute force.”

“…….”

Wasn’t that something that only worked if the ambush had succeeded?

While they hesitated, doubting their ears, Ghislain stepped forward.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

Ghislain didn’t know how to use magic, but he could manipulate mana.

Fwoosh!

Lances of mana, glowing with a brilliant blue hue, formed around him. Since he was using Astion’s mana, the color was noticeably different from the mana lances he usually summoned.

“Is it because he’s a 5th-Circle mage? Still, he’s got a decent amount of mana.”

More than ten mana lances floated around Ghislain.

The bandits shouted in alarm at the sight.

“A mage!”

“Kill him first!”

“Take him down now!”

They immediately targeted Ghislain. A mage left unchecked was too dangerous.

Ignoring the three who were still tense, Ghislain lunged forward.

“This crazy bastard! What kind of mage charges in first?!”

The bandits sneered at him as they rushed in.

Swish!

In an instant, the mana lances shot out in all directions.

Some of the more skilled, knight-level bandits managed to deflect them, but the weaker ones were struck directly.

“Arghhh!”

Several bandits collapsed instantly.

However, the rest didn’t panic. Instead, they took advantage of the opening and closed the distance on Ghislain.

Rather than retreating, Ghislain charged in even further.

A mage closing in on the enemy like that was an undeniably reckless move.

And yet, Ghislain was still smiling, his expression brimming with excitement.

“Let’s get warmed up.”

The staff in his hand was sleek and straight, covered in intricate magical inscriptions.

It was a weapon meant to amplify mana, but Ghislain knew nothing about that.

So instead, he simply swung it like a club and started fighting.

Whack!

A bandit who had gotten too close took a direct hit to the face and collapsed.

Another bandit immediately swung his sword at Ghislain with a furious shout.

“Die, you bastard!”

At that moment, Ghislain’s staff moved like a flash of lightning.

Thwack!

“Urgh!”

The tip of the staff struck a bandit’s chest with pinpoint accuracy, sending him flying backward as he coughed up blood.

Three more bandits rushed in from both sides to fill the gap. Ghislain raised his staff vertically and brought it crashing down on one of their heads.

Thwack!

Immediately, he spun the staff and struck the knees of the two bandits charging from the opposite direction. They let out screams and collapsed to the ground.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Ghislain’s staff moved like a streak of lightning. Bandits who lunged at him tripped over their own feet, or had their wrists struck, forcing them to drop their weapons.

Whenever even the slightest opening appeared, his staff mercilessly pounded their bodies and heads.

“Aaaargh! What the hell is this guy?!”

“I-I thought he was a mage?!”

“He’s no mage! It’s a trick! Just swarm him already!”

Despite the chaos of the battle, the bandits mustered their courage and charged at Ghislain.

In an instant, another wave of mana lances materialized around him and shot outward.

Fwoosh!

The bandits rushing toward him were struck and fell to the ground.

“Uwaaaagh!”

“He is a mage! He really is!”

“Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!”

The bandits were being relentlessly battered by Ghislain’s staff and mana lances, unable to even get close to him.

“This… this makes no sense….”

The bandit leader, who had arrived late to the fight, was left utterly dumbfounded.

What kind of mage moves like that?!

No overwhelming strength could be felt from him. He looked weak.

He was short, slender, and had the appearance of someone who had done nothing but study his whole life.

Yet his men were being beaten to a pulp by this very man.

“W-What kind of technique is that…?”

Ghislain’s movements had reached their peak, they were seamless without a single wasted motion.

He blocked incoming attacks while countering at the same time.

His staff spun freely, deflecting the bandits’ weapons and precisely striking their weak points, bringing them down one after another.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

In his hands, the staff moved as if it had a will of its own, executing both offense and defense simultaneously.

Sometimes, he gripped the middle of the staff for rapid close-range strikes. Other times, he swung the tip to subdue enemies further away.

“This… this is impossible….”

The bandit leader was in complete shock.

Having once been a knight, he could recognize just how refined Ghislain’s technique was.

No, his own skills weren’t even capable of comprehending the level of technique on display.

And it wasn’t just the bandit leader who was left speechless. The Hero’s party had completely stopped fighting, too absorbed in watching Ghislain’s battle.

“Whoa….”

“Could Astion even move like that?”

“Even if someone else is inside his body…”

To properly use a technique, the body had to be trained accordingly.

However, Astion despised physical movement. He always wanted to use magic to move effortlessly.

And yet, even with such a frail body, he could move like that!

Thanks to his long staff, his short arms and legs were not a disadvantage.

Rather, he used his small stature to move nimbly, preventing the bandits from even getting close.

“Amazing…….”

Everyone watched in awe, their mouths agape. His movements were on a completely different level from what they had seen before.

“Forget military tactics, he should teach us that instead…….”

Kyle muttered, and the other two nodded in agreement.

The bandit leader, noticing the three standing idly in a daze, veins bulging on his neck, shouted angrily.

“Kill those bastards first! No, take them hostage!”

“Yaaaah!”

The bandits at the hideout had all gathered in their direction. Besides those engaged with Ghislain, there were still dozens left.

They all charged at the three.

The trio tensed, gripping their weapons. This was no time to be admiring Ghislain.

Clang!

Julien was the first to step forward, blocking a bandit’s axe.

His body hadn’t fully recovered its strength after scaling the cliff. That made it all the more critical not to make any mistakes.

‘One wrong move, and I die.’

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Each clash of weapons sent tremors through his body. But to draw out every ounce of strength, Julien sharpened his focus to the limit.

To survive, he had to push his senses to the extreme.

Deneb and Kyle were the same. They had never fought in such an exhausted state before.

Until now, they had always conserved their strength, staying cautious. As wanderers, they never knew when or where danger would strike.

But thanks to Ghislain’s reckless (?) strategy, they had no choice but to push themselves to the absolute limit.

Clang! Clang! Claaang!

“What the hell are these brats?!”

Even as they pressed the trio, the bandits were startled. They all looked young, yet their skills were anything but ordinary.

Even so, the odds were in the bandits’ favor. The three were barely managing to avoid being completely surrounded.

As the battle dragged on, they began accumulating wounds and getting pushed back.

‘Ugh, is this the end?’

Julien bit his lip.

It was grueling, yet something felt different about this fight.

Pouring out all his strength to the limit made his mind feel strangely light, almost as if he were floating. He couldn’t even tell how he was moving his arms anymore.

It had been excruciating, but at some point, his mind grew clearer, and the pain began to fade.

However, there were simply too many enemies. As wounds accumulated on his body, the situation became increasingly dangerous.

‘What should I do…….’

Julien stepped back, trying to find another way. If this continued any longer, he wouldn’t be able to hold out and would collapse.

At that moment, something darted through the ranks of the bandits. There seemed to be dozens of them.

Flutter!

“Ugh! What the hell are these?!”

Dozens of bright blue sparrows (?) flitted through the bandits, disrupting their fight.

To make matters worse, the sparrows were loudly chattering.

“The great me has arrived!”

“A-Are those sparrows talking?”

Some of the bandits were so shocked that they froze in place.

“Hyaaaah!”

Thwack!

Seizing the opportunity, the sparrows intentionally hurled themselves into the bandits’ faces.

“Damn it! What the hell is this?!”

With so many sparrows swarming in from all directions, the bandits had no choice but to flail their weapons wildly, trying to chase them away.

They couldn’t just stand by while the birds pecked at their faces with their sharp beaks.

Unlike the confused bandits, the three fighting them remained focused.

They took full advantage of the momentary chaos and launched a counterattack.

Slash!

“Gah!”

One by one, the bandits fell to Julien’s sword. The ones fighting Kyle suffered the same fate.

Meanwhile, Deneb pulled back, using her divine power to support the other two. She decided it was better to aid her exhausted comrades rather than fight directly.

And that decision proved to be the right one.

Fwoosh…

Though weak, the divine power was enough to heal minor wounds and restore their energy.

Thanks to that, the two were able to fight with renewed vigor.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

“Aaaargh!”

“Damn brats!”

“Somebody get rid of those cursed sparrows!”

The bandits couldn’t focus on the battle at all. The sparrows, moving independently and assessing the situation on their own, continuously disrupted their attacks.

Particularly, the birds persistently targeted their eyes, forcing the bandits to shield their faces and retreat.

The three fighters weren’t the least bit surprised by the sudden appearance of the sparrow swarm.

After spending time with Ghislain, they had learned about Dark’s existence. They just hadn’t realized that due to a lack of mana, he had shrunk from a crow to the size of a sparrow.

Regardless, with the combined efforts of the trio and Dark, the number of bandits steadily dwindled.

‘We can do this!’

Julien swung his sword with renewed determination. He didn’t concern himself with anything else. He was certain Kyle was handling his side just as well.

Thud!

Julien plunged his sword into the chest of the last bandit standing before him and finally let his guard down.

There was no one left blocking his path.

And in that instant—

From behind the collapsing bandit, a twisted face emerged.

Deneb’s eyes widened in horror as he shouted.

“Julien!”

The bandit leader, his face contorted with rage, was swinging his sword straight at Julien’s neck.