Just as Rogue, frenzied like a mad tiger, was fiercely fighting to the kill, countless figures surged from within the forest. It was the ambushing swordsmen who, hearing the sounds of battle, had finally arrived. The swordsmen regiment surrounded the battlefield and began a ruthless slaughter.
The Snow Fox knights were, after all, seasoned veterans who remained calm in danger. Now trapped in a desperate situation, each fought with reckless abandon. For a time, the entire forest was filled with the sounds of a ghastly battle. Lance's halberd, however, because it could chop and slash, was still somewhat suited for forest combat. By now, Lance was also bloodlust-mad; his halberd and Hart's greatsword had clashed several dozen times, the opposing Battle Aura shaking him until the corners of his mouth were filled with blood, though he remained unaware. Whenever he encountered an unstoppable blow, Lance would simply swing his halberd straight at Hart's head, seeking mutual destruction. Hart was extremely annoyed; though he was called the Butcher, it was always others' lives he butchered. To trade his life for another's now was something he would absolutely not do.
Amidst the splattering blood, Rogue swung his axe, chopping off the legs of a warhorse, then backhanded his axe to lop off an arm from the knight atop it. His movements lacked any formal technique, relying entirely on instinct and physical strength to fight. The world Rogue saw was dyed red, but suddenly, a deathly pale face pierced through this heavy redness. It was a very young face, its eyes full of terror and despair. Reflected in its black pupils was a monster, covered in blood, grinning grotesquely as it drew closer.
Rogue shuddered and woke up. That monster looked familiar. That... that was me, wasn't it?
The heavy blood-red hue faded, and the world returned to its original colors, though admittedly, those colors still contained far too much blood at the moment.
Rogue suddenly noticed he was caked with blood, forming a thick layer. Countless drops of still-warm blood struggled to escape their fate of drying up. He suddenly felt the battleaxe in his hand weighed a thousand pounds. Looking at the young, pale face before him, he found he simply couldn't bring the axe down.
A sharp screech sounded by his ear. The expression of astonishment froze forever on that face as it lightly flew up and landed in the distant bushes. The young knight's body slumped down, a dagger dropping from his now lifeless hand.
Rogue turned his head and made eye contact with Fengyue. Fengyue was stained with blood all over, holding a long-handled scythe of unknown origin. Drops of blood dripped from its tip, and faint black energy rolled around her form, just like the God of Death from the underworld. The fat man suddenly felt a warmth in his heart.
A series of roars drew Rogue's attention. The Snow Fox cavalry had been completely slaughtered, but Hart was still charging left and right, unstoppable. Lance on horseback and Franco fighting on foot were locked in bitter combat with him. Although there were many "Dragon and Beauty" swordsmen nearby, their skills were lacking, and they couldn't find an opening to intervene. By now, the pain and exhaustion from his wounds washed over Rogue; dozens of wounds, large and small, covered his body – he didn't even know when he'd gotten them – and he had no strength left to fight.
But the fat man's insight remained. He shouted loudly: "Attack the horse first!" Franco's spirits lifted. His figure became elusive, his slender rapier seeming boneless as it strangely and specifically targeted the horse's hindquarters. Hart's greatsword couldn't possibly protect so many areas. Before long, Franco managed to stab the horse in its hind leg. These sinister characters had coated their weapons with exceptionally potent poisons for this battle. Though the warhorse was strong, it couldn't withstand them and quickly fell dead to the ground.
Hart fell from his horse. In mid-air, he used his greatsword to brace against the ground and immediately stood up. Rogue's icy voice sounded in his ears: "Fire the crossbows!" Countless bolts shot forth, instantly turning Hart into a pincushion.
Hart's beard and hair bristled. With an angry roar, he still stood firm, soaked in blood – it was impossible to tell whether it was the enemy's or his own. His fierce gaze slowly swept over the "Dragon and Beauty" mercenaries. Though they knew he was surely dead, not a single one dared to step forward.
Rogue stepped out from the crowd. His fat face twitched, and he muttered in a low voice, "Go in peace." He swung his axe.
Hart's consciousness grew blurry. He felt incredibly light. The forest and crowd below rapidly grew smaller. As his last bit of consciousness was about to fade, he silently said, "I'm not willing..."
In this great battle, the "Dragon and Beauty" mercenary group had deployed 368 men in total: 150 cavalry and 200 swordsmen. By now, over 160 had died in battle, and more than 30 were severely wounded. The Snow Fox Battalion cavalry unit of 112 men was completely wiped out.
But there was no time to rest yet. Ten miles away, 200 Snow Fox Battalion infantrymen were rushing over at full speed. Their own side only had a little over a hundred remaining soldiers, many of them wounded. The "Dragon and Beauty" mercenaries hastily scavenged the battlefield and joined up with Fess and Lance's thieves. Fess had exhausted his Mana, and Lance was still completely drained. Ete was severely wounded; a white bone was exposed where his leg had been struck by a lance, half the flesh and blood blown away by Hart's Battle Aura. After drinking several healing potions, the bleeding from Ete's leg wound stopped, and he fell into a deep sleep. Due to the significant resistance of Battle Aura against Mana, the effect of the healing potions was limited.
Rogue sent Fengyue back to the Otherworld. Now was not the time to investigate where her blade had come from. The mercenaries quickly searched the corpses on the ground. There was no time to transport their own dead back; they could only pile them up, preparing to burn them. The bodies of the Snow Fox cavalry, for reasons well known to all, didn't yield much profit. Moreover, everyone was concerned about the distant Snow Fox infantry and had no heart for thorough looting. They just gathered some valuables and called it a day.
The unscathed thieves had been sent out to scout in all directions. The painstakingly laid traps and ambushes seemed to be of no use now. They would only end up troubling the passing magical beasts.
Fess called Rogue over. He had found a small blood-soaked velvet bag from Hart's pocket, its original sky-blue color barely discernible. Inside were a few scattered gemstones, among which a large, black, transparent gem was particularly noticeable. There was also a small piece of ore, inconspicuous, but standing out amidst the gems. Additionally, there was a small stone statue, exquisitely carved, depicting a bound angel, so lifelike that one could almost feel the angel's pain.
Fess chuckled and said, "He actually has a good eye. This piece of adamantine ore isn't much different from ordinary high-grade iron ore; I wonder how he got it. This black diamond is also a rare Nether Diamond; it should be useful to you. Keep it for now; we'll reforge your axe when we get back." As for the remaining gems, Fess unceremoniously pocketed them into his own bag. This wasn't due to Fess's greed; for an Alchemist, most gems were excellent magical materials. This was fundamentally different from Rogue and the others, whose first thoughts upon seeing gems were gold coins and beauties.
After delaying a little longer, the "Dragon and Beauty" mercenaries hastily set off. A pile of flames began to burn the bodies of the fallen mercenaries. The thieves set up some simple traps at the site, preparing to give the Snow Fox infantry, who would likely come investigating the smoke, a little surprise. Rogue led the team on a wide detour, circling several miles out before beginning to move towards the edge of the Demon Domain Forest, to avoid running headlong into the Snow Fox troops.
The mercenaries' eyes weren't quite adjusted to the sunlight as they finally stepped out of the forest. Rogue blinked hard several times before recovering. He only felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
On the crest of a small hill ahead, the figure of a knight appeared, then a second, a third... In the blink of an eye, densely packed knights crowded the hill. Three banners slowly rose, depicting respectively an elegant silver fox, a gloomy ice fox, and a winged wind fox.
It seemed luck wasn't on the "Dragon and Beauty's" side today.
Under the three large banners, three warhorses trotted out from the front lines and halted. The knights on their backs had different demeanors, each extraordinary.
Under the Ice Fox banner was a tall white horse. The knight on it wore full-body polished silver plate armor engraved with intricate patterns. The knight was tall and sturdy, his face bearing the marks of wind and frost, looking about forty-something years old, with resolute features as if carved by an axe and knife. In his hand was a silver lance, its shaft engraved with some runes – it seemed to be a magic lance. The Ice Fox knight remained silent, a grim and solemn aura washing over them.
Under the Wind Fox banner was clearly a Mage, wearing a blue Mage's robe densely covered with Magic Array symbols. In his hand was a standard-issue Mage's staff, its head set with a wind-affinity green crystal. The Wind Fox Mage was also not young, looking about forty, with a rather refined face, but he was wearing makeup, his bright red lips making everyone who saw him shudder.
The Silver Fox knight also wore silver armor, though more ornate and elegant than the Ice Fox knight's. On his chest seemed to be a noble crest: three shields surrounding crossed swords, suggesting he belonged to a rather ancient and noble family, though it was unclear why he was a mercenary. The Silver Fox knight carried a pale purple longbow on his back, and a two-handed knight's greatsword hung diagonally on his horse. With his seemingly gentle and weak appearance, he really didn't look like someone who could wield such a greatsword.
The sound of horns blared. Led by the three knights, the cavalry formation slowly pressed forward, like a steel torrent pouring down from the hill. They halted only when they were about a li away from Rogue and the others. The three knights continued forward, stopping their horses a few dozen meters in front of Rogue, clearly confident in their superior skills and daring.
Rogue smiled wryly. At a rough glance, the Ice Silver Fox troops deployed at least fifteen to sixteen hundred cavalry this time. He just wondered why the "Dragon and Beauty" mercenary group warranted such significant attention, requiring so many forces to deal with them. In their current state, even fighting one-on-one would mean certain defeat, let alone being outnumbered ten to one? Currently, they were exhausted, their horses spent, and they had many wounded; trying to escape was absolutely impossible.
The Ice Fox knight growled sternly: "What have you done with Hart!? Where are the Snow Fox Battalion cavalry?"
Rogue and the others looked at each other, taking a moment to figure out who the Ice Fox was referring to. Lance took Hart's head from a saddlebag and threw it in front of the horses, saying, "Is this the man you mean?"
"Ah! How disgusting!" A charmingly sweet voice sounded. With eyes closed, the voice might have been seventy or eighty percent similar to a nightingale leaving the valley, but coming from the red lips of the Wind Fox Mage, this handsome middle-aged man, it just made everyone's stomachs churn. "Eric! Can you please shut up!" the Silver Fox knight roared angrily, feeling utterly humiliated.
"Oh ho ho ho! Since it's Lord Lawrence who asks, I can say less, of course. But you must remember to call me Eri from now on." The Silver Fox knight's face turned alternately green and white, finally growing redder and redder. Just looking at his complexion, he could be called the Red Fox now.
The Ice Fox knight was also very embarrassed, pretending not to hear the exchange. He said to Rogue, "You managed to kill Hart; that counts as some talent. The things on his person? Just hand over the Purgatorial Angel statue, and we'll let you go today! Otherwise," his face revealed a murderous intent, and he shouted sharply, "It's the same if we kill you all and search for it!"
Rogue and the others trembled. They looked at each other, all leaning towards surrender. After all, preserving their lives was paramount now. Judging by the Ice Fox's tone, the other side, having brought so many troops deep into another country's territory, also didn't want further complications. These few had never been heroes, and besides, was it worth losing their lives for a statue of unknown use? The fat man stammered, "This Purgatorial Angel statue... is it a stone carving of a bound angel? If we hand it over, you'll really let us go?"
The Ice Fox looked impatient: "I, Oxrace, the Ice Fox, one of the Four Divine Foxes of the Ice Silver Fox Mercenary Corps, have never gone back on my word! Hand it over quickly! Any more delays, and do you want to taste the flavor of my 'Kiss of the Snowy Mountain'?!" Rogue hurriedly looked at Fess, who had already started rummaging in his pockets.
Beside them, the Wind Fox Mage Eri continued incessantly whispering softly to the Silver Fox knight Lawrence, occasionally throwing him a couple of flirtatious glances, pushing Lawrence almost to the point of becoming the Purple Fox knight. The "Dragon and Beauty" mercenaries felt they were truly broadening their horizons today. The ten-thousand-strong Ice Silver Fox Mercenary Corps indeed had extraordinary bearing, with a continuous stream of extraordinary and unconventional individuals, something their own third-rate mercenary group couldn't hope to match.
Just then, faint rumbles like muffled thunder came from the distance, gradually causing the very earth to tremble slightly. Everyone involuntarily looked towards the east.
In an instant, everyone felt as if a sun had risen atop the hill. Within the light, countless knights surged forward. Their raised lances resembled a moving forest of death, and the thunderous sound of hooves was deafening.
At the lead was a knight with flowing golden hair, his body emanating a golden Battle Aura so solid it seemed tangible, dazzling to the eye. In his hand was a five-meter war lance, its body flowing with golden light, surrounded by floating, mysterious, and intricate magical symbols. The knights behind him were also all majestic, their horses like dragons, the men like tigers, their momentum soaring to the sky. The Ice Silver Fox cavalry grew panicked, their tight formation beginning to show signs of disorder.
When they made out the newcomer's face, the Wind Fox Mage exclaimed: "Ophirock!" The Golden Lion, with a smile that would make even the Sun God jealous, said softly, "Correct, I am Ophirock."
Behind Ophirock was Elexis. Even the Golden Lion's radiance could not overshadow the flickering black flames around her.
Following them, a dozen or so Sacred Knights reined their horses to stand behind Elexis. The Ice Fox knight said with a strained voice, "The Twelve Knights of the Round Table!"
At the very rear were five hundred knights clad in golden knight armor with blood-red capes – the renowned Golden Lion Knights of the Duchy of Bavaria.
Ophirock's voice remained calm and elegant, but to the Ice Silver Fox mercenaries, it sounded like the summoning of a demon: "Since your corps has shown such care for my young friends here, even dispatching all Four Divine Foxes, how could I not treat you all with equal regard? Since you've come, there's no need to rush back. Allow me to lead you all on a grand tour of the Duchy, lest the Sky Fox accuse the Duchy of Bavaria of lacking hospitality."
The faces of the Ice, Wind, and Silver Foxes changed colors several times in an instant, unsure of what to do. Rogue and the others, ever so clever, had already slipped behind the Golden Lion Knights. The three Foxes didn't dare stop them.
Ophirock said, "Time is short. You three, come with me now."
The three Foxes exchanged glances. The Silver Fox knight drew his greatsword with a *shing* and said in a low voice, "Come and take us back if you have the skill! Don't think we'll surrender without a fight!"
A faint smile appeared on Ophirock's face. His golden Battle Aura continuously condensed, the light growing increasingly dazzling, until later it became impossible to look at directly. The Golden Lion war lance pointed forward, the floating runes swirled madly, forming a conical golden shield that enveloped him completely. His warhorse pawed the ground, broke into a trot, then galloped forth with thunderous momentum! Leading the golden torrent behind him, he swept towards the Ice Silver Fox knights.
The Ice Fox knight roared wildly and charged to meet him. Silver light and golden flame collided without reservation! In that instant, the golden flames blazed brightly. After a muffled thunderous crash, the Ice Fox knight flew high into the air, landing heavily behind the Golden Lion, his "Kiss of the Snowy Mountain" shattered to pieces. Rogue shook his head and sighed: "Charging head-on against the Golden Lion... this old fox's brains must be frozen." The Dragon and Beauty mercenaries deeply agreed.
Elexis, surrounded by rising black flames, slowly floated into the air. Dozens of black fireballs crackling with lightning continuously generated around her, shooting out one by one and exploding amidst the Snow Fox cavalry. Dozens of cavalrymen were always entangled in black flames, screaming as they fell. The Twelve Knights of the Round Table formed a protective circle around her, each manifesting milky white Sacred Battle Aura, unseating one Snow Fox cavalryman with each thrust of their lances. No matter how desperately the Silver Fox led his troops in assaults, their formation remained as solid as a rock, completely unmoved.
The Golden Lion Knights, with merely five hundred men, were slaughtering an enemy three times their size, sending them fleeing in disarray!
Rogue saw an opportunity. He called out, leading the Dragon and Beauty mercenaries to pick off small, isolated groups of knights. The fat man, flanked by knights and with Fengyue following behind, hacked with his axe and shot arrows, instantly wounding several men in quick succession. Truly, he was imposing and majestic, fierce and murderous.