Single-handedly holding a spear aimed at the ground, a blurry figure slowly emerged from the dust.
Whoosh~!!
The winds stirred as the figure became clearer,
Tall, robust, exuding an overwhelming sense of strength and majesty.
It was Achilles.
The demigod hero, renowned for his invincibility and unmatched prowess on the battlefield.
Night's body tensed up, All his senses on high alert,
Knowing that every move could be his last.
Achilles' eyes were like piercing daggers, full of disdain and curiosity.
"You, who dared to deceive me,
Are you ready to face the consequences?"
Night took a deep breath,
Tightening his grip on the divine spear.
This was it, the moment of truth.
Would he survive the encounter with the greatest hero of Greece,
Or would he fall, just another victim to Achilles' legend?
With no more time to think, he steadied himself,
Preparing for the most intense battle of his life.
Every second stretched into an eternity,
As the two warriors locked eyes,
The tension so thick, it felt like the world itself was holding its breath.
From the dust ahead, a bloody wind filled with killing intent blew through, and the oppressive force made the cavalry's eyes show fear, their breathing becoming uncontrollably rapid.
At that moment, they heard very clear breathing sounds.
Not just their own, but also from within the dust, the rhythmic rise and fall of a strong chest in the fiery inferno of the city, it was as if they could hear the heartbeat of the hero Achilles.
A powerful heartbeat, with each breath sweeping in a large amount of divine ether, a life force as bright as a torch in the night.
Without even needing to look, Night's strong intuition felt that overwhelming life force.
...!! So strong!
Just the pressure of his aura made him almost unable to move, his body becoming extremely heavy and stiff.
Achilles was this powerful?
How strong must Hector be, who could fight Achilles with just his martial skills, the one who could stand against the demigod?
Only now did Night realize just how much Hector had held back during their previous training.
"The golden spear... it's indeed that guy's weapon, but you're not Hector. Where is he?" As Achilles fully emerged from the dust, his handsome, cold face came into view as he asked coldly.
When his icy gaze fell on Night and his men, it was like being slashed by a sharp ice blade, so piercing it felt like a physical pain.
Even the cavalry, who had fearlessly charged the Greek army, were now deeply terrified, their vocal cords seemingly paralyzed, unable even to utter whimpers of fear.
The immense pressure that even Night felt, making his body scream with warnings, was unbearable for these ordinary cavalrymen.
This wasn't just a fear of the heart, but a primal, physical response to overwhelming pressure.
'Demigod—Achilles!!' The cavalry, trapped in a cage of terror, their consciousness seemingly snatched away, had completely resigned themselves to death at the hands of the enemy.
Night took a deep breath and spoke, "Retreat here.
Disperse. I'll cover the rear!"
He kept his eyes locked on Achilles.
Though he was speaking to his soldiers, his gaze never left the figure before him.
That body, forged like steel, casually holding the spear, gave him the feeling that if he looked away for even a second, he wouldn't even see how he was decapitated.
Which direction would the attack come from, left, right?
A sweep, or a direct thrust?
His iron will was at its peak.
In just a breath's time, his mind simulated countless directions from which Achilles might attack, but every scenario ended with his death.
"Sir—!!" As if Night's voice broke the 'paralyzing' spell, the cavalrymen, barely escaping Achilles's powerful aura, spoke in fear, trying to say something.
"Go! Follow orders!" Night commanded coldly, twirling his spear.
After creating a flourish, he slammed it into the ground in front of him, drawing a trench.
Sparks flew—!
Night took up a defensive stance taught by Hector.
The trench drawn before him, an inch deep, seemed to separate the battlefield completely.
As long as he stood, he would not let Achilles cross that line.
But—
Could he do it?
He questioned himself.
In this era, on this battlefield, was there any hero who could single-handedly stop the legendary demigod?
"We're leaving!" The cavalrymen, bearing immense guilt, scattered as ordered.
They were terrified!!
They were originally prepared to stay with Night until the end, to face Achilles together and meet their death.
But at the crucial moment, their inner fear and the body's survival instinct overpowered their will.
As the cavalry galloped away,
Achilles did not pursue them.
He merely stood there, looking at Night with cold indifference.
"Is this your final statement?
Honestly, I'm quite angry, little mouse.
Well then—if I kill you, Hector will surely come to seek revenge on me." Achilles's gaze was filled with undisguised killing intent.
When he had descended with his celestial horse, he had sensed Night's life force up close.
While Night's aura was stronger than that of an ordinary person, and not much weaker than some heroes who weren't adept at combat, it definitely wasn't the aura of Troy's greatest warrior.
The man who could dominate the battlefield couldn't possibly be this weak.
But the golden spear was genuine.
It seemed that this little mouse who had tricked him using Hector's name had a significant connection with Troy's greatest hero.
Even the finest weapon of that hero had been entrusted to him.
If he killed this mouse here, that greatest hero of Troy would undoubtedly be enraged.
Facing Achilles, who seemed indifferent but was actually brimming with a storm of fury, Night had no intention of responding.
He just kept his entire focus was on the man in front of him.
However—Bang~!!
The figure he was watching so intently disappeared in a blink of an eye, moving so fast that even his eyes couldn't catch up.
Achilles shot out like an arrow, and in an instant, a brilliant spear strike roared towards him like a hurricane.
So fast—!!!
The intense sense of danger made Night's strong intuitive reflexes reach their peak.
His body reacted almost instinctively to the defensive stance he had taken, even before his consciousness registered the attack.
Boom~!!!
In a flash, Night's body quickly sidestepped, blocking the attack with his spear.
Achilles's spear passed so close to his nose and the spear shaft that it almost grazed them.
And just as Night evaded the attack, Achilles, who had casually intended to end Night's life with one strike, let out a surprised sound.
Then, Achilles quickly retracted his leg and kicked Night's waist, sending him flying like a cannonball into a nearby wooden house.
Countless wooden fragments exploded.
This series of actions was too fluid and swift. Night, who had just dodged a lethal strike (a basic attack), had no chance to react before being struck.
Achilles's combat instincts seemed ingrained in every part of his body.
Cough, cough~!!
At this moment, amidst the rubble, Night coughed up blood mixed with fragments of internal organs and his consciousness nearly faded.
So strong—!
The demigod Achilles—!!
He's too fierce!
For a moment, Night almost thought he was already dead.
Unlike the burning pain throughout his body, his heart sank into an icy abyss—the gap between them was enormous.
.
.