Chapter 431: Horizon Archer Vs. Arcane Sniper [Part 1]

"Daedalus, why did you tell me to use the name Lellouche?" Leone asked. "What does it mean?"

"Those who know, know," Daedalus replied.

"Pardon?" Leone blinked.

He had no idea what the grimoire was talking about.

"I’ll tell you some other time," Daedalus stated. "It’s a very popular name I picked up from my previous owner."

Since the grimoire had no intention of spilling the beans soon, the young man decided to let it slide for the time being. He also made sure to tell his people that he would be named "Lellouche" and should be called as such during the campaign.

Everyone understood why their chieftain decided to use an alias during their war against the Kingdom of Britannia. After all, if the enemy were to know his real identity, the Frontera Family would face retribution.

They would also definitely be besieged from all sides within the Kingdom of Britannia, something Leone didn’t want to happen.

The young man then shifted his attention to Otto, who was firing one arrow after another.

To this day, the Horizon Archer lived up to his reputation as the deadliest ranged attacker of the Aslan Tribe.

His sight truly reached the edge of the horizon.

Anything he could "see", no matter how far it was, was fair game to him.

Even the members of Lost Paradise had to admit that Otto was a very dangerous opponent on the battlefield.

In fact, Conall was so impressed by the archer’s ability that he was tempted to recruit him into his mercenary group. However, knowing that his Master, Lugh, would smack him silly for poaching one of his great grandson’s people, he decided to just keep the thought in his heart.

Suddenly, Leone heard his father’s voice through the Whispering Card, informing him of the latest change on the battlefield.

"Leone, be careful," Marco said. "The Vermilion Bird General has flown southeast. He is a very skilled archer who can hit anyone within a mile of him."

"Really?" The corners of Leone’s lips curled up into a smirk. "Thank you, Father. We’ll be careful."

After the connection ended, Leone informed Otto that a "skilled" archer who could hit a target from a mile away was coming.

"He is the Vermilion Bird General of the Kingdom of Britannia," Conall said after hearing Vogel’s name. "He is a pain to deal with. Even your great grandfather feels very annoyed whenever that general appears on the battlefield."

However, the Captain of Lost Paradise looked at Otto with great expectations.

He didn’t know how far the archer’s range was. But seeing that he was attacking enemies that even Conall couldn’t see, he felt that his range might be similar to that of the Vermilion Bird General.

Of course, he didn’t know that Otto’s attack range went beyond the range of the famous general of the Britannian Army.

"Otto, take it out," Leone said in a serious tone. "Take out the siege weapon you used to terrorize the Darkmane Tribe."

Otto nodded as he asked his Sky Drake to bring him to the best place where he could get a clear view of his surroundings.

The Sky Drake obeyed, and soon found a good place where Otto summoned the Skybreaker Ballista.

This was the weapon that had pierced through the defenders of the Darkmane Tribe during the war, as well as the weapon that he used to attack the Monster King from the peak of Grimjaw Mountain.

The bolts that he used were made from Sand Steel, giving them greater penetration against armor and the like.

Otto hadn’t fought someone who could fight him in a ranged battle before. From his experience, anyone he could see was as good as dead if he willed.

However, Leone warned his vassal that he would be facing off against a Rank 6 Arcane Sniper.

He mustn’t treat that person as an ordinary soldier whom he could kill without resistance.

The young man’s reminder made Otto take this matter more seriously.

Logan, who was the Orc Champion and Chieftain of the Ravage Tribe, stood beside the Skybreaker Ballista. For the upcoming battle, he would be in charge of reloading the weapon.

Leone was certain that their opponent would not be easy to handle, so he also asked his people to be prepared for any unexpected changes in their situation.

"Astravor, Lord Azar, if the General ever proves to be a threat, please help me eliminate him," Leone said to the two powerhouses that could fight in the sky.

"Understood." Astravor nodded.

"Very well." Lord Azar crossed his arms over his chest. "A Rank 6 Arcane Sniper isn’t someone we can take lightly. I’ll do my best."

Leone then turned to Vlad, who had activated his Eye of the Battlefield. "Can you see him?"

"Not yet," Vlad said. "But he should appear soon."

Half a minute later, a red blinking dot appeared in Vlad’s projected map.

But before he could even tell everyone about his discovery, Otto’s first bolt had already left the Skybreaker Ballista.

Each bolt that this siege weapon used was as long as a spear, with impressive penetration power. If a Gryphon were directly hit by this in the head, that monster would be as good as dead.

Far away, as soon as Otto fired, Vogel’s sixth sense warned him of a danger headed in his direction.

As a general who had gone through many life-and-death battles, he trusted his gut instinct at all times.

Even though he didn’t know where the danger was coming from, he didn’t hesitate to order his Flying Tiger to make a nosedive from the sky.

The monster didn’t hesitate and descended as fast as possible.

Five seconds later, the bolt of the Skybreaker Ballista pierced through their original location.

"To the right!" Vogel ordered his mount while forcibly pulling its reins to the right.

A few seconds later, he heard the whistling of wind as the deadly projectile fired from a place he couldn’t see flew past a meter away from the wings of his mount.

Understanding the danger he was in, Vogel urged his mount to descend to the ground, using a ravine from a dried-out creek as shelter from the deadly attacks aimed in his direction.

The moment he confirmed that he was safe, at least for now, he activated his communication crystal and talked to Duran.

"I think I now know what took out our scouts," Vogel reported.

"What is it?" Duran inquired.

"A sniper," Vogel answered. "However, his range is longer than mine. It’s the first time I’ve experienced such a thing. I now understand what my enemies felt when I fired at them from a mile away."

"Be careful," Duran replied. "I will send some backup your way. Hold out until then!"

The Black Tortoise General knew that if, for some reason, the Vermilion Bird General was taken out by their enemy, the morale of their soldiers would hit rock bottom.

Although he was confident that Vogel could defend himself, he was still all alone, facing an opponent they had no information ‌about.

The two Generals then continued to communicate with each other. Vogel told Duran everything that he had experienced so far, as well as his conjecture on what kind of weapon the enemy was using.

"Be careful," Vogel said in a serious tone. "I only saw it briefly, but I believe the ammunition he used against me was as long as a spear. That can easily penetrate armor, so make sure to bring the mages who can cast shields."

"Understood," Duran replied. "Hold out for as long as you can. We are on our way!"

When the connection ended, Vogel took out his Epic-Grade Bow from his storage ring and smiled faintly.

It had been a while since he felt this threatened by a fellow archer.

"The suspense is terrible." Vogel grinned despite the situation he was in. "I hope it lasts."

The Arcane Sniper, who had fought many wars, felt his blood pumping inside his body.

His concentration and reflexes were being pushed to their limits as he activated spells that enhanced his body and sharpened his perception.

For years, he had been one of the greatest terrors on the battlefield, defending the northern border of the Kingdom of Britannia against the Radiant Empire.

Yet this was different.

For the first time, Vogel had encountered an opponent whose range surpassed his own.

His life was in danger, and he didn’t even know where his enemy was hiding.

However, instead of fear, Vogel felt excitement.

This was the kind of thrill that he could only experience on the battlefield.

A faint grin appeared on his face as he tightened his grip around his Epic-Grade Bow.

"Very well," the Vermilion Bird General muttered. "Let’s see who has the better aim."

And with that, he dismounted from his Winged Tiger as he proceeded to move as stealthily as possible until he finally got within striking range of the enemy that he was dying to kill.