The Snow Fox knights skillfully bypassed the frontal web formation, overtook their infantry, and began a full-pursuit chase.
Rogue and the others fled for their lives, covering ten or twenty *li*. Looking back, they saw the Snow Fox had closed much of the distance amidst the billowing dust. The noble scoundrels, badly frightened, turned their horses and fled diagonally towards the Demon Domain Forest ten *li* away.
Hart pursued at a steady pace. With the Snow Fox Battalion's riding skills, they could have caught these rabble long ago. But after being suppressed for nearly a year, he didn't take this obviously baiting small force seriously. He was the infamous 'Butcher Hart'! Every ten *li* pursued, one Snow Fox knight would turn back to guide the infantry, while about two *li* ahead, a squad of five highly skilled knights shadowed Rogue's group relentlessly.
Hart loved the feeling of the strong wind hitting his face at a gallop. The ride made his blood gradually boil, an unnamed fire constantly scorching his nerves. His vision tinged red, Hart almost saw the fleeing clowns already impaled on his lance tip! Blood flowed down the shaft, dripping into his mouth. "*Damn, I'm really thirsty!!*" Hart cursed inwardly.
Rogue's group reached the edge of the Demon Domain Forest, slowed down, and at Kait's command, suddenly turned around. The five Snow Fox knights half a *li* behind nimbly pulled their reins; five warhorses reared up simultaneously, also turning to maintain distance. In terms of riding skill alone, they far surpassed Rogue and his crew.
In the blink of an eye, Hart caught up, slowing his pace about a *li* away. Another Snow Fox cavalryman rode back to liaise with the infantry. Suddenly, a sharp "shriek" came from the forest! An arrow shot out like lightning, piercing the messenger through the chest, carrying a spray of blood, flying another few dozen meters before skewering diagonally into the ground.
This sudden arrow shocked everyone. Then, with clattering sounds, over a hundred cavalrymen charged out from the Demon Domain Forest, cutting off Hart's rear.
Deep in the forest, Fess whacked Lance—who was limp as a dead pig—on the head with his staff, growling lowly, "You had that one arrow, why not save it for the mage? Pig brain?! If I can't beat that mage later, I'll use you as a shield!!" That previous arrow was indeed the fruit of Lance's months of arduous training, but it had drained all his Battle Aura in one shot. At this moment, Lance was truly worse than useless.
Hart coldly watched the knights encircling him from behind. His pupils contracted when he saw Ete and the fifty lancers behind him. As for the halberd cavalry, he didn't even glance at them. Hart turned to look at Rogue ahead; those swept by his gaze instinctively lowered their heads to avoid it.
Hart threw his head back and laughed wildly, raising his lance and pointing it at Ete! One hundred Snow Fox cavalrymen turned around with a roar, their hooves thundering like drums, naturally forming a wedge-shaped charge formation as they moved. As their speed increased, the raised lances slowly leveled, like a forest being felled, pointing at the "Dragon and Beauty" mercenaries ahead.
Rogue felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, his whole body turning cold. He had assumed Hart would charge the obviously weaker side, conveniently leading the Snow Fox cavalry into the ambush within the Demon Domain Forest. He never expected Hart would instead confront Ete's force, which was comparable in strength. (In the eyes of Rogue and his lot, a unit's strength was basically equivalent to its numbers.) Without time for further thought, Rogue immediately chanted an incantation, quickly casting Mage Armor and Haste on himself, and using magic scrolls to cast Haste on Kait and Franco as well.
Ete quickly calmed down from his shock. Having some military sense, he knew fleeing now meant certain death, while a head-on charge still left the outcome uncertain. He raised his greatsword, cast Haste on himself, roared, and led his knights in a frenzied charge.
The two iron currents slammed together violently. Instantly, men and horses fell. Hart's furious roars erupted like thunderclaps amidst the melee. With each roar, a faint glint of Battle Aura flashed, and another knight was unhorsed.
Ete desperately swung his sword, cutting down two Snow Fox cavalrymen. In the chaos, his back was struck by a sword, but the armor from the Hammer of the War God caused the blade to chip. However, the powerful blow still made his vision darken. Catching his breath, he suddenly saw the demonic Hart charging towards him. The faintly visible Battle Aura made Hart's lance tip quiver slightly, blood flowers constantly spraying around it. The lance tip, like the finger of death, locked onto Ete's heart. In despair, Ete mustered his fighting spirit, roared, and urged his horse forward. His greatsword traced an arc in the air, crashing down heavily onto the lance.
Hart's eyes had turned bloodshot, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Ete's full-force strike only deflected the lance slightly; it still pierced his thigh. "*Screech!!*" A grating sound rang out. Hart's lance had only penetrated about three inches. Hart was stunned; his lance usually pierced standard full plate armor with ease. It seemed the kid's armor was really good, but that alone wouldn't stop him. Hart roared again, Battle Aura erupting. A spray of blood burst from Ete's wound. Hart then levered his lance, lifting Ete bodily and hurling him backwards.
In a flash, Hart led his unit through Ete's formation, severely wounding Ete. By the time the Snow Fox cavalry completed their turn, Rogue and the others had arrived, merging with the remaining cavalry.
In just one charge, the "Dragon and Beauty" mercenary group lost over forty knights dead or wounded, while the Snow Fox had only lost ten. Now, "Dragon and Beauty" no longer held a numerical advantage.
Hart brought the blood-dripping lance to his lips, licked the blood, bit off a piece of flesh stuck to the lance, and chewed incessantly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His face grew even more ferocious. The lance slowly rose once more.
*Whoosh!* A fireball flew from the forest, heading straight for Hart's cavalry formation. A figure among the cavalry, dressed as a knight, also chanted a rapid incantation, launching a fireball to meet it. The two fireballs collided mid-air with a *boom*, scorching the earth in a ten-meter radius. The Snow Fox mage, with five cavalrymen as guards, broke away from the formation and charged towards the forest. Along the way, the two mages exchanged two more fireballs.
Hart paid no attention to the mage duel. As his lance pointed forward, Hart led the cavalry formation, their murderous aura soaring skyward, charging once more at the "Dragon and Beauty" mercenary group. Kait roared, "Charge and we live! Turn tail and we die! Brothers, follow me!!" He led the charge, followed closely by the former personal guards of Lord Vennington, and then the mercenaries recruited by "Dragon and Beauty." Over a hundred half-hearted cavalrymen, fighting for their lives, charged at their opponents once more.
Another round of bloody carnage ensued.
Hart was so excited every pore seemed to scream. His lance darted in and out like a venomous snake, constantly grinding opponent's flesh and blood, stripping life from its shell. With an exceptionally vicious thrust, he pierced a halberd cavalryman's throat. The immense force drove the lance completely through the neck; the poor knight's neck blood gushed, his head hanging by a mere shred of skin and flesh.
Hart suddenly felt the pressure ease; he had broken through the opponent's formation again.
He turned his horse, regrouping his formation. He saw Rogue and the others leading the remaining sixty-plus battered soldiers in a desperate flight into the Demon Domain Forest. Hart couldn't help but admire the opponent's decisiveness. In this engagement, the Snow Fox had lost over ten more men. Had Rogue chosen to turn and flee then, the skilled Snow Fox riders would have caught them, leading to the total annihilation of all but a few highly skilled knights.
Hart stared at the fleeing "Dragon and Beauty" mercenaries for a long moment. Finally, he swung his lance, bellowing, "After them!" Amidst a chorus of neighs, over eighty Snow Fox cavalrymen gave chase.
Rogue crouched low on his horse's back, galloping through the Demon Domain Forest, his mind nearly blank. Branches slapped heavily against his head and body, but he seemed oblivious, only instinctively recognizing the distant magical markers, leading the routed soldiers towards the predetermined ambush site.
This operation had been a mess from the start!
Initial intelligence was insufficient, and the encirclement tactic was childish and laughable. The "Dragon and Beauty's" self-assessed combat prowess turned into a farce in the face of the seasoned and formidable Snow Fox. Two Snow Fox charges had taken nearly a hundred lives. The baiting force had become a complete rout. The silver-armored knight's (Rogue and the others didn't even know Hart's name or details) demonic killing methods, the blood dripping from his mouth as he chewed their comrade's flesh, the spray of blood when the lance pierced human bodies—these images flashed like lightning through Rogue's mind. Each bloody scene was accompanied by countless thunderclaps, dizzying him.
The surroundings seemed to flatten into a painted landscape. His ears filled with a buzzing sound, hearing nothing else. Rogue ran instinctively towards a certain direction, completely unaware why he was heading there or what he would do.
Elsewhere in the Demon Domain Forest, the battle between Fess and the Snow Fox mage was nearing its end. The forest had been blasted into a clearing by their spells. Both had exhausted their Mana. Behind the Snow Fox mage lay the corpses of several knights, a masterpiece of Fess's Chain Lightning spell. The Snow Fox mage, having consumed too much Mana, could only barely maintain his protective shield, his whole body trembling slightly. He was frustrated; clearly at least two levels higher than Fess, his opponent had relied on superior equipment to fight him to a standstill, also taking out five knights in the process. But at least Fess's Mana was also depleted.
The Snow Fox mage looked up at the sky and laughed heartily three times, "Hahaha!" He pulled out a Fireball scroll from the bottom of his pouch, dusted off his robes, rallied his spirit, struck a pose, and began chanting the activation incantation loudly, with rising and falling tones, sonorous and forceful.
After just two syllables, the chant stopped abruptly. The Snow Fox mage stared dumbfounded as Fess's amulet flashed, enveloping him in a spell absorption shield sufficient to completely negate a Fireball. Fess then pulled out a large bundle of multi-colored magic scrolls from his pouch and began sorting through them.
"Ahhh...!" The Snow Fox mage's scream echoed through the forest, followed by Fess's sinister voice: "In your next life, if you want to be a mage, learn to make money first!"
The terrified fat man knew only to run for his life, head down. Suddenly, a heavy blow struck his back, making the world spin as he fell from his horse. Only then did the fat man snap back to his senses. Struggling, he pushed away the object pinning him—it was the corpse of a "Dragon and Beauty" mercenary, eyes wide open, devoid of life, a bowl-sized hole in its chest. Blood drenched Rogue in moments. Rogue frantically shoved the corpse away, looked up, and froze. A Snow Fox cavalryman with a full beard and a ferocious face was staring coldly at him.
The fat man's whole body stiffened.
The Snow Fox cavalryman laughed wildly, raised his lance, traced an arc, and thrust it at Rogue's chest. Rogue's mouth gaped wide, desperately trying to scream, but no sound came out. The lance seemed to slow down in his eyes. He could see the bright, sharp point, the blood droplets flying off it, the bits of flesh stuck to the shaft, even a small piece of pale intestine.
Rogue remained motionless.
Fear assaulted his nerves like a tidal wave. Every finest nerve was tightening, cracking, snapping!
The Snow Fox knight's ferocious face expanded infinitely before Rogue's eyes!
The dam broke.
"I—DON'T—WANT—TO—DIE!!!" The hysterical scream finally erupted! But he heard no sound.
The knight's horse reared up violently. The Snow Fox knight seemed to suffer a heavy blow, fine trails of blood spraying from his seven orifices as he toppled from his horse. With a look of astonishment, he staggered to his feet. He didn't notice the wisp of black mist drifting behind him, a skeleton faintly visible within. A long-handled scythe rose high—a flash of cold light!
The knight was cleaved in two.
Another shower of blood rained down on Rogue. He sat dumbly on the ground, letting the blood flow down his face.
One after another, figures of Snow Fox knights emerged from the forest.
Kait, who had been gradually moving away, glanced back and saw Rogue sitting dazed on the ground. Silently, he turned his horse around to intercept the Snow Fox cavalry. One by one, the "Dragon and Beauty" knights followed. Another desperate, life-and-death struggle erupted in the woods!
Rogue suddenly burst into wild laughter, which quickly turned into wailing. He grabbed a battle-axe and began hacking madly at the corpse of the Snow Fox knight. Abruptly, he lifted his head, staring at the battlefield ahead, his eyes bloodshot, face twisted, like a beast.
Rogue sprang up, pouncing on the nearest Snow Fox knight. The startled horse reared. A flash of black energy—Rogue split the horse's belly with his axe, unhorsing the rider instantly. Fengyue followed soundlessly, the scythe flashing—another bisection.
Rogue, now coated in dark red, moved like a phantom, a coil of black energy swirling around him. One after another, Snow Fox knights were chopped from their horses. Behind him, Fengyue followed like a shadow, cleaving both men and horses in two with each strike.