50 vs 150 (2)

Actually, this—

It's a tactic used by cavalry.

A maneuver that turns the enemy's movement against them, tearing through gaps at high speed.

The key is to move quickly before being surrounded by the enemy.

Now, show them.

Show the results of the hell training.

After drinking the Roider Knight Order's potion and enduring the hell training, Brown Hawk—

After surviving a week without sleep, enduring hellish days and nights for this moment, Brown Hawk—

At this very moment, to the Eye Tooth Guild, Brown Hawk—

Is no different than cavalry.

Ppiiiee!

Bradley put his fingers to his lips and whistled.

At the same time,
Five people from each side peeled out of the line and sprinted at full speed toward the center.

The speed was on a whole other level compared to when they were luring the enemy and fleeing.

The moment the Eye Tooth guild members rushed to chase the runners—

"Show them Brown Hawk's strength!"

From the left, the Third Squad led by the bald Calvin.

"Wahaha! I'm the mad dog of Brown Hawk!"

And on the right, the Fourth Squad led by crazy dog Pablo suddenly stood firm.

They began to attack the Eye Tooth guild members who were charging straight at them in a single file.

As a result,
Eye Tooth, who was planning to surround and attack Brown Hawk,
Ended up lining up in a single file and rushing straight into Brown Hawk's jaws from both sides.

It looked as though they were simply fleeing in disorder, without any formation.

But as they suddenly stopped and turned around, they formed a precise U-shaped formation.

This, too, is the result of hell training.

Even with just ten men, when they suddenly formed a U-shaped phalanx and whirled their gleaming weapons around out of nowhere,

The charging enemies, unable to slow down, ran straight into the formation one by one — perfect prey.

'They're doing well.'

Is this how a fisherman feels watching his fish trap?

"Let's go! Cut them in half!"

At Bradley's shout, the Fifth Squad gathered in the middle surged for the Eye Tooth formation's center.

Their formation was shaped like an arrowhead.

After practicing day and night for a week without pause, they could maintain perfect order as they ran.

Bastian's jaw dropped as he watched the battle unfold from atop a rocky hill.

"Evan... so this is what tactics are. Incredible."

* * *

Fifty-Squad Leader Hakob's eyes were filled with shock.

"Wh-what is this?"

Surely,
They had only come this far because they were wary of Red Eyes, but the enemy hadn't shown any willingness to fight.

Without even fighting back, the ones fleeing in panic—

They had been chasing those cowards in disarray.

But the flow of battle completely reversed in an instant!

The left and right wings, stretched thin while chasing the enemy, were now being sucked into the jaws of the enemy, who had suddenly turned around.

Cavalry maintaining a sharp V-shaped formation charged right for him...

No, running on two legs, there's nothing cavalry about it.

"How are they so fast! Change formation! Hurry!"

He forgot the "how."

The Eye Tooth guild members drifted aimlessly, reading each other's expressions.

Meanwhile, the gap with Brown Hawk's attacking squad continued to close.

"There's only ten of them! Kill them!"

He'd ordered them to change formation.

And now — to kill.

Not wrong.

On the battlefield,
If you don't want to die, you have to kill.

But he left out "how."

A real commander would explain exactly what to do.

Chang!

Hakob clashed swords with the closest charging enemy.

'Bradley!'

It was Bradley, master of the Strong Guild.

He'd heard Bradley had surrendered to Brown Hawk without a fight,
Ended up a squad leader, Brown Hawk's lapdog.

Heh.

This could still turn.

The sudden shift in battlefield momentum was unnerving, but they still had the numbers.

And more importantly,
He had no doubt he'd easily handle a coward like that.

Chang!

Bradley swung his sword again.

"Bradley!"

He riled up the enemy's competitive spirit, turning it into a one-on-one duel.

After winning that,
He'd surround the rest of the riffraff and skewer them all.

"I am Hakob, fifty-Squad Leader of Eye Tooth!"

He was worried about the two wings being swallowed by those who had turned around,

But it was just a temporary disruption in their ranks. He could finish this quickly and go help.

"Let's have a one-on-one fight!"

"Bullshit."

"What?"

Chang!

For the third time, swords clashed, but Bradley slid past Hakob's side.

'W-what?'

Then the next one swung a weapon at him.

Chang!

This one too, after a couple of clashes, slid right past.

Chaaak!

"Keugh!"

Puk!

"Kwaack!"

Hakob whipped his head around in panic.

Bradley and his squad members, after slipping past him,
Continued cutting down his subordinates mercilessly with their forward momentum.

'They intended to break our formation from the start!'

Bradley's squad, breaking straight through the formation, drew a large arc, then swung back in from the side.

Like a thick, sharp needle sewing through a leather saddle.

"Damn it! Don't panic! We still have the numbers! Hold your ground and regroup... We have to regroup! Signal the regroup—now!"

Bwooo.

The signalman blew his horn.

Thanks to Guildmaster Vicente Thamus's leadership, the guild members had received at least some sort of military training.

At the horn's sound, the split wings immediately began to close ranks.

But,
As they tried to reassemble in the center, they now showed their backs to Brown Hawk on both sides and were chased.

Puk!
Chaaak!

Brown Hawk chased with terrifying speed, hacking down the retreating Eye Tooth guild members from behind.

Meanwhile—

Dudududu.

Bradley's squad, which had already cut through twice, charged in again making thundering sounds like a cavalry unit.

"A wall! Build a wall! Layer the wall! Don't let them break through!"

At last, Hakob issued the right order to stop the assault.

But—

It was too late.

As if about to cut through the formation again, Bradley's squad suddenly spread out and stopped, stretching wide.

Their muscles taut, weapons sharp, eyes fierce to the extreme.

"What's this?"

"Fifty-Squad Leader! Look that way!"

"And over there, too!"

At his subordinates' words, Hakob turned his head hastily.

Before he knew it, thirty of Brown Hawk's guild members had completely surrounded Hakob and his men in a wide triangle formation.

Meanwhile, casualties had mounted, leaving them now outnumbered.

"Wh... what is this..."

Bald Calvin shouted.

"The rats are trapped in a cage! Attack!"

Mad Dog Pablo, not to be outdone, swung his warhammer and roared.

"Wahaha! I'm the mad dog of Brown Hawk!"

Bradley also gave a succinct command.

"Attack!"

* * *

Bang!

From the highest tower in the base, guildmaster Vicente Thamus watched the battle and slammed his fist down on a wooden pillar.

Crunch.

A pillar as thick as a man's waist splintered and broke clean off.

"Hakob, that idiot."

Hakob's Fifty-Squad was utterly defeated by just thirty Brown Hawk members.

Half lay dead or gravely wounded,
The rest were being tightly bound with ropes.

Fifty-Squad Leader Hakob had already lost his head long ago.

Fifty-Squad Leader Lorenzo said,

"There were rumors a strange man took over Brown Hawk. That's not a tactic Brown Hawk could have used before. He must really be something else. Rumor has it he's just a kid."

Another Fifty-Squad Leader, maximo, added,

"That's not all. Each and every one of those Brown Hawk guys got so much stronger. How in such a short time...?"

Lorenzo asked,

"What should we do, guildmaster?"

Vicente Thamus, scowling as he looked out over Brown Hawk's cheers from the front of the encampment, spoke.

"Order all guild members to ready for battle. Let Red Eyes see our full strength, I don't care anymore."

He'd lost one Fifty-Squad,
But over a hundred guild members still remained.

Stupid Hakob lost to thirty Brown Hawk and didn't even inflict much damage,
But, considering such a reckless tactic, their side had to be exhausted too.

Vicente Thamus turned to the two Fifty-Squad Leaders.

"Let's go out and slaughter them all."

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

"Huh? Evan, look. The whole guild's coming out? Wouldn't it be better to hole up in their base instead of fighting outside?"

"Their pride's hurt. Even so, I'm sure they drilled their guild members in some military training. Losing a third of their men to a no-name mercenary guild—"

"But isn't their guildmaster a former army officer? Instead of acting out of pride, shouldn't he be defending the base?"

Not bad, Bastian.

Bastian has a point.

The enemy in front of their base numbers only thirty men.

Soon, if Red Eyes' main force, numbering in the hundreds, arrives after finishing battles elsewhere, those thirty won't even matter.

So they should lock the gate and prepare for a siege now.

Sending out that first Fifty-Squad was a mistake, underestimating the enemy.

But now there's no excuse.

They've already lost a third of their strength.

But—
Humans always
Make foolish choices.

Right now, the Eye Tooth Guildmaster's only thought is to smash those thirty miserable members of a third-rate guild.

Of course, seeing their barricades layered around the base, it's clear they'd already prepared for a siege.

But—

That comes after smashing Brown Hawk.

"Bastian."

"Yes, Evan!"

"Let's get ready too."

"Got it!"

Bastian quickly scrambled down the rock cliff.

I looked once more at the busily moving Eye Tooth guild base.

Vicente Thamus.

Guildmaster of Eye Tooth.

Thank you for making such a foolish choice.

Thanks to you, I get to add another achievement to my resume.

* * *

Whooosh.

The grassland before Eye Tooth's base.

The wind from the east swept over blood-stained grass as it passed by.

The Eye Tooth guild members, weapons drawn, stood in five broad ranks.

Brown Hawk guild members in three ranks, facing them.

Counting just the front line, Eye Tooth has 20, Brown Hawk 10.

Behind Eye Tooth's first 20, there are four more rows,
Behind Brown Hawk's first ten, there are two more.

An overwhelming difference in numbers.

Eye Tooth's formation began marching forward slowly, in tight order.

Brown Hawk stood and waited.

Anyone watching would say this didn't look like a battle between mercenary guilds; both sides kept strict discipline and formation.

It was like watching a scaled-down clash of armies.

200 meters left.
100 meters.
50 meters.

The Eye Tooth vanguard clenched their weapons tightly.

Any minute now, the two sides would crash.

It didn't matter if their side had three times more men,
Or how many stood behind them,
The ones in front would take the first blow.

Just then—

Bang! Ka-boom!

From the rear of the Eye Tooth lines came an explosion like a bomb.

'The base!'

In the last row, guildmaster Vicente Thamus whipped his head around.

Black smoke rose from various parts of the base.

They'd left only minimal force to guard it.

"You sons of bitches...!"