Season 3: Chapter 185: Three Archers (2)
"Almond! He's running just like the Persian archers!?"
"If you didn't know better, you'd think he's on the same team!"
— Lol
— For real
— What is this? lol
— Haha
Somehow, Almond and the Persian archers started running almost side by side.
"This makes it hard to hit each other with the trees in the way...!"
"Right. It's hard to shoot while running! How far will they run!?"
Running and shooting itself wasn't the issue. For example, Persia had no problem doing it.
"Persia! They're starting to shoot wildly!"
They excelled at moving shots and could even shoot wildly while running. In the English-speaking world, shooting backward on a horse was called a Parthian shot.
"The trees! All the arrows are hitting the trees!!"
Running through the forest meant trees blocked the path over ninety percent of the time. The arrows had to avoid all those trees to hit Almond, reducing the chances even more. They shot wildly through the trees, hoping one would hit.
"Ah, they're all missing!?"
"Given the environment, it's hard for both sides to hit each other! It's just suppressive fire… Oh!?"
At that moment, the running Almond drew his bow.
Thunk!
His arrow pierced through a head.
— ???
— What?
— Huh?
From a third person's perspective, it happened too quickly.
"Did Almond really just shoot and hit that shot!?"
The arrow that Almond shot pierced the enemy's head.
"Unbelievable! Almond! He hit that from there!? With just one shot!!"
— Holy crap
— Awesome
— Wow
— ??? Something about a frog in a well...
— Incredible
"Now the Persian archers are outnumbered!! Only three of them are left!!"
Joseon had four soldiers while Persia had three. In this forest, Joseon now had the numerical advantage.
"The problem is that neither side knows this!?"
Neither side had a perfect count of the enemy. Pang's group ran toward the enemy base without looking back and the enemies likely didn't know the exact number of Joseon soldiers either.
"Only Almond probably knows roughly that Joseon has more soldiers!"
Only Almond, who knew his side's numbers while chasing the enemies, could accurately understand the situation.
"Does Almond realize it!?"
— Only Almond would know, lol
— Does Almond even know?
— Haha
— Let's assume he doesn't
"Almond! You need to figure it out! Even just surrounding the enemies with four soldiers could work!"
"Well, Cookie would need to see and give the order..."
The observer showed a wide view of the battlefield.
"Oh. Cookie is busy sending other archers to disrupt the other resources! This—"
Thunk!
Another arrow pierced through someone's head.
"!? "
"!"
The commentators fell silent for a moment in shock.
'Did someone die?'
One of Persia's three ace archers had died so suddenly. It felt as if Almond was saying, "This is the difference between you and me."
"Woooaahhhhhh!!!" the audience roared.
The commentators finally spoke, "One of the three ace archers! Was it... Rega? Rega is down!!!"
— Wow
— Awesome
— What is this??
— Lol
— It's over
— This is it
— Lord, one of the three is gone~
— Joseon archery is the best!
"In an archery battle, it's not about long fights! Just hitting the head ends it!!"
"Exactly! Now, only two Persians are left!? Kenin and Upra!?"
"They're both stopping now!?"
Chiik—
The Persian archers abruptly stopped running. They realized that they'd all die before reaching the base if they kept running.
"Running and shooting doesn't work against Almond!"
"Meanwhile! Almond keeps running! Where is he going!? To the base!?"
They stopped chasing Pang's group and focused on Almond, but Almond kept running.
"Right! If he goes to the base, they have to follow him!"
"No, he's not heading to the base!"
"What!?"
Almond wasn't running to the base. He started running in circles around the enemies.
"This... this is..."
The Persian soldiers stood still while Almond kept running around them.
"This puts Almond in danger! If the Persian soldiers stand still and shoot—"
Powpowpowpowpow!
Upra and Kenin started shooting rapidly.
— Wow
— What is this?
— Amazing
— Fast, indeed
"They shoot this fast! The arrows might collide in mid-air even if Almond shoots back, making it hard to hit them!"
"Why did he make this choice... Oh!? Are they all missing!?"
The arrows definitely flew near Almond. Just like in soccer when a ball seemed like it would go in due to the angle, it looked like Almond was about to get hit. The arrows were that close, especially Kenin's precise shots that could be called godlike.
"What is this?"
Strangely, none of the arrows struck Almond.
Thunk!
Thunk!
They only struck the trees and other targets, but not Almond.
'As I thought.'
Almond kept running as if he had figured something out.
"Oh! Now I understand! This is why he told the others to run!"
— This is why he trained them to run...
— But everyone he trained is gone and he's alone, lol
— Such a grand scheme
— He made them run even though he planned to fight alone, lol
Thunk!
Thunk!
The Persian arrows continued to miss. They flew near Almond, but he dodged them or something else was causing them to miss.
Even the commentators felt puzzled by this strange phenomenon.
"Oh? Almond!? He's not getting hit!?"
"What is this!? Isn't he just moving around randomly? Is this magic!?"
— Lol
— The master is using magic~
— What is this?
— Is this possible??
The Persian archers, who had been attacking one-sidedly, now became bewildered. Almond wasn't even shooting, but he wasn't getting hit either.
"Almond is just moving around without shooting. Is he focusing on moving?"
The reason Almond didn’t shoot was simple. He was concentrating on something else.
— Lol
— Is he dodging by sight, for real?
— What is this?
— Is he toying with them?
— Is this possible?
— Truly insane...
— He’s not called nuts for nothing
"Is this kind of play possible!? Is this really doable!? His physical condition must be amazing..."
It felt as if Almond kept dodging to mock those so-called divine archers.
"No, this isn’t about his physical condition!? Unless he's blocking with a shield, dodging dozens of arrows... How is this…?"
"Is this real magic!? Almond's magic!?"
— Almond’s magic, lol
— Lol
— ??? Is he using magic?
"Isn't this a bug? People might think so!?"
"It's not a bug. It's magic!"
— So it's confirmed as magic now?
— ??? Do you know Almond's magic?
— Lol
— Hey Almond. Can you bloom flowers with a level 2 bow?
— Magic = Bug
Sensing something wrong, the Persian archers stopped shooting wildly and began to probe.
'What is this?'
'Why isn't he getting hit?'
They cautiously moved toward Almond, who still wasn't shooting.
"But! What's more important right now!? Pang's group has reached the workers!"
However, time was on Almond's side. The game had turned in their favor once Joseon infiltrated the forest with archers and sent others to disrupt resources.
"They're running toward the workers! Persia will take a hit!"
Kenin and Upra, facing Almond, grew desperate.
"The Persian archers in the forest are getting desperate! They're shooting again!"
Whoosh!
The Persians started shooting again, but they calmly shot one arrow at a time.
"Huh? One shot at a time? Why?"
It seemed that Persia was trying to confirm something.
"What is Persia trying to confirm?"
Whoosh.
OrangeKing realized it after seeing another arrow fly.
'Huh? The range?'
The Persian arrows fell short of Almond.
'What is this?'
Indeed... Almond hadn’t been dodging all the arrows. In Civil Empire, arrows weren't designed to be dodged. If the shooter aimed correctly, they would hit.
However, an exception existed. If the target was out of range, it wouldn't matter how accurate the shot was.
'Why is this happening?'
From above, OrangeKing saw the range indicator. Almond was within the Persians' range. Not just barely, but he was quite within their range.
Whoosh!
Another arrow fell short and OrangeKing realized it.
'Curve shots.'
Curve shots couldn't travel the full range. The curved path required more force, similar to a plane needing more fuel for a longer trip with a stopover.
'Did he figure this out?'
The curve shot's effectiveness varied. Almond had figured out their usual curve and maintained a position barely out of range.
'!'
He moved back and forth whenever the enemy shot, making the arrows fall short.
"No, Almond! He knows their curve shot range! Is this possible!? It seems like it!"
"Really!? But don't they know their own range!?"
"Curve shots depend on the curve! It’s confusing! Almond is barely out of range!"
Exactly. Even the shooters didn’t know for sure if they missed because Almond dodged, was out of range, or obstacles got in the way.
Almond moved like a god at the edge of their range, making it seem like he was dodging everything. In a way, he was.
"This isn't magic. What is it!?"
— Lol
— Sudden outburst
— Truly magic
— Oh, crap~
"Almond! Stalling for time is great! Meanwhile, Pang is!?"
The commentators shifted their attention to Pang's side.
***
Meanwhile, Almond kept dodging arrows with no intention of killing them.
[Just delay them.]
Stalling for time would only benefit Joseon. Moreover, the accurate and agile Persian archers wouldn’t be easy to kill.
Joseon bows had a longer range, but only with the focus built up. While shooting, Almond would become vulnerable. Focusing on even just one shot would leave him open to another.
Following Cookie's order was best.
'Did they notice?'
Persia finally realized the range issue and they stopped rapid-firing.
'They’ll try something.'
Almond observed the Persian archers. What would they do next?
He recognized one of their faces. It was Kenin.
"...?"
Almond recalled Cookie's words.
'The details are up to your judgment.'
Cookie's command wasn't absolute.
Creak.
Almond drew his bow.
'I need to kill both of them simultaneously.'
If even one survived, Almond would die. If they moved separately, he couldn't use focus for rapid shots and would be at a disadvantage.
'Ah.'
Almond smiled while recalling the Viking match.