Red Storm

Book 2-5.5 First Battle Against Venersis (I)

The sound of steel hitting steel was so loud it could have been mistaken as the sound of thunder. But whether it be steel or thunder, that sound rang throughout the desert.

Was Venersis a bit faster?

Yulian was taking turns with his two greatswords to parry Venersis’s shamshir.

A battle of strength versus strength.

The pros and cons of having two weapons didn’t matter at all in this moment.

They were using pure strength to push each other back.

“Oowaaaaaaaa~”

As Venersis made a noise like a monster and pushed against Yulian, Yulian made a noise as if to say he will not lose.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaap~!”

The two warriors’ shouts oddly resonated with each other, and the two voices wrapped around each other before disappearing into the air.

Time moved slowly, but to the people watching, each second felt like a whole year. The aura of the two War Gods were making them feel that way.

In that type of situation, the Red Storm did not move, and neither did the Desert Sword.

None of them moved even a single finger as they looked toward their respective leader.

It was not something like faith.

The fact that their hearts were shouting at them to go rush in and help their leader proved that it was not faith.

The moment that it looked like someone’s body would break into two, the two of them moved back at the same time.

Then, they glared at each other.

“Oowaaaaaaaaa~!”

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaap~!”

Kakaboom!

Almost as if they couldn’t believe each other’s strength or that it really was unbelievable, the two warriors shouted again as they rushed in toward each other and another round of thunderous noises could be heard.

The same situation as before occurred again. Maybe it was that the weight of the greatsword was slowing it down. But the shamshir was at a stalemate with it, and it didn’t seem to have any advantages either.

‘How could this puny child who is not even in his mid-twenties block my blade?’

‘I, as the person who claims to one day conquer the desert, how could I be pushed back like this in a 1 on 1 battle? Are you telling me that all of my training until now has been for nothing?’

The two warriors really could not believe it.

Screeeeeeech.

The sound of steel sliding against each other could be heard as the two caused damage to each other’s weapon before moving away again.

There was no such thing as carelessness, nor was there an opportunity to be careless.

Looking into each other’s eyes, they were just waiting for their opponent to show an opening.

Thanks to that, both the Red Storm and Desert Sword could wake up from the effect of the two warriors’ auras and pointed their weapons at each other. But none of them could carelessly move.

They were all feeling like a single wrong movement could lead to their entire side being decimated.

“Haha… hahahaha. Ahahahahaha.”

Venersis suddenly started to laugh like a maniac. Everybody was surprised at Venersis’s unexpected action.

“I am surprised, Pareia’s young Glow. It is very surprising. You are the first person to ever block my shamshir.”

“I am almost more surprised, Venersis. But thank you for having that much ability. I have spent the last ten years training with the goal of revenge. I’m glad that you have made all of my efforts worth it, Bloodied Hands, the Hands that dirtied your own honor, Venersis.”

Yulian responded coldly.

Yulian completely forgot about the fact that Venersis had saved him; the only thing on his mind was his mother, who died in front of his eyes. No, he thought hard to remember it.

Venersis hesitated for a second at Yulian’s words. It was the most regretful thing in his entire life.

Breaking a truce just one day after making it, and even though it wasn’t his decision, the fact that Mairez died was something he wanted to erase from his mind. It was almost like a curse.

Venersis shook his head as if he didn’t want to think about it and looked around him.

Even though the entire battlefield could not be seen with his eyes, with a quick glance, Venersis was able to tell Pareia’s formation as well as the number of warriors present. It was all clear in his mind. It was too scary of an ability to call it talent.

“You’ve prepared quite well. Has the Oasis already fallen?”

“Not only did the oasis fall, we will defeat you and the reinforcements before pushing forward to the next oasis.”

“Ambition is great to have. However.”

Venersis lifted his shamshir high into the air.

“The question is whether you have the commanding abilities to back that ambition.”

“You’ll have to just find out for yourself.”

Yulian did not want to lose and lifted his greatsword horizontally.

“All units, charge!”

The moment Venersis’s shout rang loudly, the Shuarei warriors moved, and Egane ordered Pareia’s warriors to advance at the same time.

“Oowaaaaaaaa~”

The Shuarei warriors shouted loudly as they charged toward Pareia’s formation, and the Pareia warriors waited for a moment before the enemy arrived at a certain distance and pushed forward down the sand dune almost as if they were falling.

“If you want to beat me, try it. It seems like a waste for me to be tied down by you.”

“Ah!”

Venersis moved past Yulian in an instant and rushed towards Pareia’s formation. Yulian made a noise of shock before hesitating as to whether he should chase after Venersis or he should do the same and charge toward the Shuarei’s warriors.

-The Glow’s mission is to hold Venersis down.

He remembered Egane’s words.

“Let’s go!”

Yulian commanded the Red Storm before chasing after Venersis and the Desert Sword.

A Red Storm started to crash over the desert again.

Both sides were full of momentum and morale. Although these Shuarei warriors showed up as reinforcements, their commander was the Undefeated Venersis, while Pareia had never lost on their way here. Plus, they could see for themselves that Venersis, this symbol of fear, could be held back by their Glow.

With both sides swinging their shamshirs with all of their strengths like they were not going to let the other side live, many fountains of blood poured out throughout the battlefield.

It was a terrible battle. Both sides were pushed and pushed back without giving an inch.

Venersis managed to change the formation even while fighting against Yulian, and he parried the greatsword before moving toward whichever direction he felt like was being pushed back.

Although he was fighting fiercely against Yulian, his movement was so natural it almost felt like magic, and it looked like Pareia’s warriors made a large path for him wherever he arrived.

Yulian became extremely angered at the fact that Venersis could take him on without focusing all of his attention, and put even more strength in his greatsword to attack Venersis, but Venersis was unmoveable.

“Ahhhhhhhh~!”

Yulian let out a shout out of frustration and really put all of his strength into it, as he fiercely swung his greatsword and started to kill Shuarei’s warriors.

If he didn’t have the abilities to tie Venersis down, might as well slash apart the Shuarei’s warriors like Venersis was doing to Pareia, and sow a seed of fear in the Shuarei just like Pareia feared Venersis.

Venersis finally showed a response to Yulian and started to swing his shamshir toward Yulian.

“I should have done this from the start.”

Yulian swung his greatsword and shouted, as if he had been waiting for this.

The battle between the two warriors that was so fierce that it could even shake the heavens started again, and this time, the Red Storm and Desert Sword warriors charged toward each other as well.

Although Yulian had managed to stop Venersis from moving, he couldn’t make him stop giving commands. With Shuarei’s warriors continuing to change formation, Pareia’s warriors starting to slow down became visible.

The situation of the battle started to be drawn in Yulian’s mind as well. It was the exact same feeling Venersis was having.

‘It is dangerous.’

It was an unfamiliar feeling, but Yulian could feel the danger throughout his body. Pareia’s warriors were being split apart slowly by the Shuarei’s movement.

Although they were not surrounded just yet, if they continued to be split apart like this, it will only take a moment to be surrounded.

“Retreat……”

Yulian hesitated for a second before shouting loudly.

“Retreat! All units retreat!”