Chapter 853
Chapter 853
At that same moment.
No words could truly express the despair felt by Count Austin and Count Duke. This was not a battle; it was a slaughter. They had never encountered such an army in their lives. While other cavalry units typically brought two horses per rider into battle, the Amazon Legion before them uniquely had two riders per horse. However, these warhorses were more than three times the size of normal steeds, and the total weight of their four thousand mounts surpassed that of ten thousand conventional cavalry. Viewed from above, the two armies covered a similar area, but the Diphas Legion wore dark armor while the Amazon Legion was clad in white. Thus, one side resembled a dark reef, and the other, a great, white, surging wave. Soon, a scene unfolded where the white wave relentlessly crashed over and submerged the reef.
The Amazon Legion charged onward, trampling the enemy. Any foe who stood in their path had their bones shattered, mercilessly crushed into pulp beneath the horses' hooves. This battlefield looked less like a cavalry charge and more like a tank division rolling over everything in its way. The mounted Amazon warriors didn't even swing their sabers; with two riders per horse—one holding a greatsword askew to the left, the other to the right—they simply plowed through the enemy lines, decapitating or dismembering anyone in their path.
“Charge! Charge!”
They surged forward, unstoppable. This is how cavalry attacks infantry—by charging straight ahead. Most cavalry units lose their momentum after the initial charge, eventually getting bogged down in the infantry formation and descending into a chaotic melee. But for the Amazon cavalry, no such thing happened. They charged, and charged, and kept on charging. In just a few minutes, they had completely sliced through the enemy's forty-thousand-strong infantry formation from one end to the other. Looking back, the once orderly infantry lines now lay dead on the ground, like a field of barley flattened by a torrential downpour.
* * *
Count Austin and Count Duke also had a cavalry force of roughly five thousand men. This cavalry had not participated in the battle from the start. As cavalry was ill-suited for siege warfare, they were reserved entirely for pursuing the fleeing Easterners. Furthermore, with explosions erupting all over the battlefield, their warhorses might have been spooked, so the cavalry was stationed several miles away from the main engagement.
The moment the Amazon Legion began its charge, Count Austin and Count Duke had harbored a sliver of hope. After all, their army outnumbered the enemy several times over. But in the instant the two forces collided, the two counts realized the tide had already turned against them. When the solid defensive line of their forty-thousand-strong army was torn apart like paper, no words could describe the shock and despair they felt. They knew the Amazon Legion was formidable, but they had never imagined this.
The two counts exchanged a look, then immediately abandoned the battlefield, mounted their horses, and fled. It was not that they were cowards who feared death. It was a very wise decision. This was a war between races, and the two counts could not afford to be taken captive. Otherwise, they would never have another chance to rise again. The battle for Mulan City was lost; they had to return to Bigeum Fortress as quickly as possible, rally more troops, and prepare for a larger war.
* * *
“General Quinnin, I'm leaving you with five thousand warriors to continue sweeping the battlefield. I will pursue the enemy!”
Princess Dora shouted, then lifted Shen Lang, who was sitting behind her, with one hand and tossed him to General Quinnin beside her.
*'You worthless lord. I've let you have your fun this whole ride, that's enough.'*
Shen Lang flew through the air and was about to hit the ground, but another hand swiftly caught him and placed him in the saddle in front of her.
*'So this is General Quinnin? General Casey's younger sister?'*
Shen Lang felt a pang of disappointment. Riding with Princess Dora had been quite pleasant. Did he now have to be separated from her flowing silver hair and snow-white body? But the moment he turned to look at General Quinnin, his disappointment vanished. She was an incredibly young general. She had violet eyes and fair skin, but her features were those of an Eastern beauty, and she possessed remarkably long legs. Noticing Shen Lang's gaze, the young General Quinnin blushed and looked away.
*'She's so shy. How old is she? She can't be more than twenty-something, can she?'*
Most Amazon warriors were fierce and boisterous; it was rare to see one with such delicate features who could also be shy. She looked so young, not even twenty-two. To be a general of the Amazon tribe at such a young age, could she be a martial arts prodigy?
*Swish, swish, swish.*
A second later, however, Shen Lang retracted his thought. She wasn't shy at all. Right before his eyes, General Quinnin had sliced a dozen enemy soldiers in half. She could have simply beheaded them, but she insisted on cutting every single one down vertically. And with perfect symmetry, at that.
*'Another woman with an obsessive compulsion.'*
* * *
The young General Quinnin led five thousand warriors in a frenzied slaughter of every enemy on the battlefield. The earlier charge had inflicted heavy casualties on the forty-thousand-strong main army, but including the ten thousand troops currently assaulting the city, there were still thirty thousand men left. But after Count Austin and Count Duke fled, the morale of these thirty thousand men collapsed, and they abandoned the fight, scattering in all directions.
Shen Lang once again witnessed the true nature of the Amazon warriors. For others, slaughter was a negative act, but for the Amazon warriors, it was an instinct. Since Shen Lang had not ordered them to take prisoners, they continued to hunt down and kill the enemy. Especially the shy General Quinnin behind him; Shen Lang could feel her heart beating faster, entering a state of excitement. He counted; General Quinnin had already killed over a hundred men, yet she was still gleefully hunting down and killing every enemy in sight.
The routed enemy soldiers fled madly in all directions like rats. However, this was a peninsula, surrounded by the sea. Moreover, on two legs, they could not outrun a four-legged horse. Of course, even on foot, they couldn't outrun the Amazon warriors, so their complete annihilation was only a matter of time. This battle had essentially been over the moment the Amazon Legion began its charge.
After killing enemies for some time, General Quinnin finally asked.
“My lord, should we leave any prisoners?”
“General, isn't it a bit late to be asking that now?”
*'You ask after you've already killed almost all of them?'*
“Leave none.”
Shen Lang said with a sigh. He was by no means a man who enjoyed killing. But this was a war between races, and as an Easterner, it was incredibly difficult for Shen Lang to gain a foothold here. Unless he brought his sister, Princess Helene, here, no Westerner would ever pledge loyalty to him. The people of the Seirun Dynasty were all arrogant.
“Yes, my lord!”
General Quinnin, ecstatic, grew even more excited as she chased down and killed the enemy.
* * *
Count Austin and Count Duke fled to their cavalry camp at top speed.
“Retreat. To the sea. Signal the waiting fleet to come to the first beach immediately and pick us up.”
The two counts mounted their horses and, under the protection of over five thousand cavalrymen, galloped madly toward the sandy shore. They were high-ranking nobles and could not be taken prisoner. Doing so would bring shame upon their families. But just a few minutes later, Princess Dora arrived in pursuit with over two thousand Amazon cavalry. The counts' cavalry were elites, but their riding speed was far inferior to that of the Amazons. The distance between the two groups closed steadily, and Count Duke, gritting his teeth, shouted loudly.
“Count Austin, I will cover your rear!”
He then halted his charge with nearly four thousand cavalrymen, forming a line at the mouth of a mountain valley to block the enemy and cover Count Austin's escape. Count Austin did not offer any bravado or words of gratitude; he simply took his one thousand cavalrymen and galloped madly toward the beach.
* * *
Count Duke sat astride a massive warhorse, his tall, lean frame held perfectly straight. His piercing gaze was fixed on Princess Dora. Looking at her, he began to recall memories from his past. In his youth, he too had gone to the Procreation Grounds to participate in the Mating Ritual. It was, after all, an honor for Western men. He had gone twice, and both times, he had been chosen. Only the strongest men could become the object of an Amazon warrior's desire. Therefore, at least two Amazon warriors were likely his daughters. By age, they would be around thirty now, and his daughters might even be among the women before him. But for the Amazon warriors, there were only mothers, no fathers.
He tried to scan the crowd for anyone who resembled him. But after a moment, he gave up. Faced with two thousand people, anyone would experience facial blindness. Princess Dora, however, was so beautiful that no one could forget her face after seeing it just once. Count Duke had told Austin several times that he wanted to participate in this year's Mating Ritual. And his purpose was to meet this very princess, Dora.
Count Duke asked.
“Are you Princess Dora? I have never met you, but I have heard of your beauty and your silver hair.”
Princess Dora said.
“Count Duke, you have silver hair as well. But rest assured, you are not my father. I know who he is.”
“Your Highness, the Seirun Dynasty has indeed tried to conquer the Amazon Queendom several times, but all attempts have failed. However, we have always considered you a part of the Western world, and we even take pride in that fact. The finest men of the West have offered their seed to help the Amazon nation, so why are you now pledging loyalty to an Easterner and slaughtering your own kinsmen?”
“We are very narrow-minded; only Amazon warriors are our kinsmen. In our eyes, people of Seirun, Easterners, Vedans—they are all the same. As for why we pledge loyalty to a mere Easterner, I am under no obligation to tell you.”
“I hear that Amazon warriors value honor. Princess Dora, I formally request a duel with you. Will you accept?”
Originally, Count Duke had intended to remove his gauntlet and pierce it with his sword. That was the custom of nobles.
Princess Dora said.
“I know you're doing this to buy time for Count Austin to escape successfully. Besides, your four thousand cavalry are no match for my two thousand, so you're pinning all your hopes on your own martial prowess, are you not?”
“So, will you accept?”
“I accept!”
Hearing Princess Dora's answer, Count Duke nodded. Then he closed his eyes and focused his mind. When he opened them again, he had cleared away all distracting thoughts.
“Here I come!”