Chapter 00187: Pocket Encounter (6)
# Pocket Encounter (6)
Chapter 187
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 187: Pocket Encounter (6)
Isaac didn't know much about magic, and the situation just now didn't seem like magic either.
It was more like a divine art.
The biggest difference between magic and divine arts is that the casting of divine arts is always highly symbolic.
That might sound a bit abstract.
To put it more plainly, when a divine art is cast, if you watch closely, you'll notice elements with theological significance.
For example, things like a Holy Emblem or a Divine Radiance.
Coincidentally, a hand-shaped emblem had just appeared in front of Viola.
Was that a Holy Emblem?
Which deity's?
Isaac was still pondering his strategy when he saw a sloping hillside not far ahead.
The hillside would certainly slow them down, and once cavalry slows, their power diminishes greatly.
At that point, Viola's advantage in numbers would grow again.
Helpless, Isaac had no choice but to swing his sword to force Viola back, then immediately turn his horse and lead his cavalry in a new direction.
Viola, however, did not give chase.
She also turned slightly, leading her troops back to the opposite side of the river beach.
The scene was quite bizarre.
It looked as if someone in the middle of the two armies had let out a foul fart, causing everyone to scramble away in a hurry.
Isaac's side made a circle and merged with the First Cavalry Squad, while Viola's side reformed their ranks on the opposite bank of the river beach.
The two forces faced each other once more.
After joining with the First Cavalry Squad, there was no longer a disparity in numbers.
Isaac's personal guard was stronger, and among Viola's cavalry, the troops belonging to Count Fran were already exhausted from being pursued for two days and two nights.
Their recent ability to fight was purely due to a boost in morale.
Vigor is highest on the first charge, wanes on the second, and is exhausted by the third.
Although Isaac had never heard this saying, his long military career had taught him this principle.
"Capture Princess Viola! We will end this war!"
Isaac raised the sword in his hand high, pointing it at Viola across the river beach.
"Charge! For the King!"
"For the King!"
His cavalrymen's morale soared, and they followed Isaac, charging toward Viola.
Both sides were cavalry units.
When one side initiated a charge, normally the other side should charge as well.
Otherwise, whether they stood still or tried to sidestep and flee, they would suffer a heavy blow.
However, Viola, quite unexpectedly, did not charge again.
She didn't even make any arrangements, simply watching with a blank expression as Isaac drew closer and closer.
This abnormal situation made a sense of foreboding flash through Isaac's mind.
By now, his warhorse was already at a full gallop.
It was like an arrow nocked on the bowstring that had to be released; stopping abruptly would only result in many of his own men being trampled to death.
The distance was now extremely close.
They only had to cross the foreshore, a few dozen meters wide, and Viola would be right before them, facing the sharp edge of the cavalry charge.
But just as Isaac spurred his horse onto the foreshore, a sudden gust of wind, carrying damp water vapor, assailed them from the side.
Isaac glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw murky river water surging down the river channel from the other side.
Upstream from the foreshore was the Solhan River, which connected to Sailing Harbor, and further on was Half-Moon Fortress.
To cut off the connection between Half-Moon Fortress and Sailing Harbor, the Subia Demon Kingdom Army had built a dam where the river was shallower.
But the dam was built during the dry season in spring, and now it was summer, with abundant rainfall.
A large amount of accumulated water was flowing into the river.
Had she seized this opportunity and destroyed the dam?
The timing was too perfect!
But then again, although it was a flood, it wasn't actually strong enough to sweep away Isaac and his troops.
After all, this foreshore was just a tributary of the Solhan River.
Even if the dam was destroyed, only a very small amount of water would flow into the tributary.
It merely changed the water level from ankle-deep to calf-deep.
The debris like gravel carried by the murky river water was completely incapable of affecting the army.
If they were infantry, advancing through the turbulent, calf-deep water would certainly be hindered, but horses had long, slender legs.
The water's effect on them was not significant; after all, it was too shallow.
Isaac was about to let out a wild laugh to mock Viola's miscalculation when he suddenly discovered his horse's speed had greatly reduced.
Only then did he remember that horses were not like humans.
When they saw the surging river water, they would instinctively slow down rather than charge through it.
At that moment, Isaac heard Viola say:
"When the army is halfway across, strike."
Before Isaac could understand what that meant, he saw Viola wave her hand, and countless feathered arrows shot from behind her.
The cavalry, who had slowed down due to the sudden rise in water level, were shot off their horses one by one.
For a moment, screams were incessant.
Isaac also received special attention.
He brandished his longsword, clanging away several arrows.
Looking back, he saw that many of his men had already fallen into the muddy water, screaming.
Some had been swept away by the swift current after falling from their horses, visibly drifting further and further away.
"General! We must retreat! The Second Cavalry Squad reports that enemy reinforcements are heading in our direction!"
"But! She's right in front of us!"
Isaac was extremely unwilling to give up.
He was only a few dozen meters away.
He took down his longbow and fired an arrow at Viola on the other side of the river.
The latter didn't even use her sword to parry.
The arrow seemed to hit an invisible shield and was deflected with a clang.
"General!"
"I know! Retreat!"
Annoyed, Isaac threw his longbow into the water, took out his horn, and blew a mournful blast.
After leaving another dozen or so corpses behind, they fled the foreshore, turned, and ran further away.
Viola did not pursue, merely sending them off with another volley of arrows.
It seemed Viola had the upper hand, but in reality, she only had four hundred soldiers with her.
Even including Count Fran's weary cavalry, the total was just over eight hundred.
Meanwhile, Isaac's cavalry units were also rushing to rendezvous with him.
Chasing rashly would likely mean running into their reinforcements.
Viola's reinforcements couldn't arrive that quickly.
Those four hundred-odd men were her entire cavalry force; the rest were all infantry and couldn't possibly keep up.
Besides, there was no need to chase.
The objective this time was to rescue Count Fran.
As long as that goal was achieved, the number of enemies killed was not important.
Watching as Isaac led his army and disappeared into the dense water vapor and curtain of rain, Viola wiped the rainwater from her face and turned to Count Fran, saying:
"Lord Fran, it is dangerous for us to remain here."
"Your Highness is right. The enemy cavalry could return at any moment. I implore Your Highness to accompany me to Half-Moon Fortress."
"No. Lord Fran, please return to Half-Moon Fortress at once. I will send someone to contact you when it is safe."
"But, but where is Your Highness going...?"
"I have been in the Leon Territory all this time."
Count Fran was stunned.
"Wasn't the Canyon Path destroyed?"
When Count Fran first heard this news, he had thought Lord Leon had cut off the roads into and out of his territory for fear of being attacked.
He never imagined that Viola had been hiding in the Leon Territory all this time, so close to him.
"It was destroyed, but... it's a long story. We can talk about the details later. My knights will escort you back to Half-Moon Fortress. The curtain of rain sent down by the Lord will also cover you."
The Lord?
Count Fran didn't react for a moment.
He wanted to ask more, but after Viola finished speaking, she spurred her horse and led her men toward the Spine of the World Mountains.
And then, Count Fran witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
After the last of Viola's cavalrymen entered the canyon, a pair of hands as immense as mountains descended from the sky.
They skillfully grabbed rocks and stuffed them into the entrance of the canyon path.
They even thoughtfully poked a gap next to the sealed entrance with a finger, leaving a path that a person could pass through, but not horses or carriages.
The motion was like a child building a sandcastle, but when the piled-up rocks were nearly level with a mountain peak, the visual impact was immense.
The canyon path, which would take an army months to clear, was effortlessly blocked by this pair of giant hands.
Then, they clapped together, producing a sound as loud as furious thunder, dusted themselves off, and returned to the sky, vanishing without a trace.
Amidst his shock, Count Fran recalled what Viola had just said and suddenly realized something.
He dropped to one knee, facing the canyon path.
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Prince, do you see? Our God, He is watching over Her Highness the Princess. He has returned!"
(End of this chapter)