Chapter 478 - Sword

A team of around a thousand soldiers headed down the path quickly. Scarlet was among them, riding with the cavalry. Two hours previously, scouts had reported that a nearby town was under attack from the mercenaries and needed support.

Scarlet was surprised but she could still tell the scouts appeared strange. After some questioning, she found out that one of Jerrick’s soldiers had forced his way into a farmhouse and assaulted a woman. The woman’s husband returned and the soldier was killed in the conflict. The soldier’s friends attacked the woman and her husband, killing the husband and injuring the woman. This act angered the mercenaries in the town and they demanded justice.

Scarlet thought that the soldiers should shoulder the consequences themselves, but she needed to get Jerrick out of there. Jerrick was a prince, and she was the only one important enough to go negotiate for him.

The soldiers were marching very fast because Scarlet was very worried. She needed Jerrick to stay safe for the rest of her plan to work out.

Because what his soldiers had done was wrong, Scarlet didn’t tell anyone where she was headed and only brought her own soldiers with her.

Behind Scarlet, a large mage was waving his arms. With every wave, lightning swept out around him.

The soldiers had already covered half the distance. Just then, they spotted a strange scene. Lightning on the ground was being drawn to a point not far ahead.

"Wait!" the large mage called.

Scarlet frowned and waved her hand, halting the march.

"What is it?" Scarlet turned and asked.

"You will see soon," the mage said. He raised his hand and whispered something under his breath. A bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck where the lightning gathered on the ground.

A large hole appeared in the ground and a figure appeared in the hole. The figure was holding an axe but did not move.

The soldiers were all very well trained and could tell that this figure was not friendly. The soldiers in front raised their weapons and lunged at the newcomer.

Sounds of soldiers’ shouts filled the air. Combat power burst into light around and before Scarlet.

"That’s Ernest, Shawn, Dalmatian, and a young woman," the mage said. "It seems like Baery takes you very seriously."

"The woman must be Suzanna, Douminge," Scarlet said, frowning at the figure in dark. "Is that Anfey?"

Anfey changed his appearance, but everyone knew that he and Suzanna were always together. Scarlet was one of the smartest generals in the world and figured out who he was very easily.

"Is it?" Douminge asked, frowning. "Doesn’t look like him."

Ahead, the man with the axe was fighting several soldiers. He wasn’t losing, but he wasn’t winning, either.

"Did you see him when he first appeared?" Scarlet asked. "This is an act. I can tell."

"I see," Douminge said, nodding.

The fight had caught the soldiers off guard, but seeing Scarlet and Douminge so calm and collected boosted the soldiers’ confidence.

"General, we should’ve brought the griffins!" one of the squad leaders said to Scarlet.

Scarlet glanced at the leader but did not say anything. The squad leader knew he had said the wrong thing and fell quiet. Scarlet had wanted to bring the griffins, but she couldn’t. The griffin knights were part of the Shansa king’s personal guards, and she did not have enough power to command them. If the knights found out what had happened, Prince Jerrick’s reputation would be damaged. She had a plan already. After she got Jerrick out of this situation, she needed to change his personal guards.

"Put on an act," Douminge said. "Then let them in."

"Are you sure about this?" Scarlet asked, putting on her helmet.

"Of course," Douminge said. "If Newyoheim can do it, so can I."

Scarlet nodded and told a soldier to give the order.

"Be careful, my lady," Douminge said. "Anfey is likely here for you."

"Don’t worry," Scarlet said. "I have a backup plan in place."

Douminge nodded with a smile. "Still, be careful," he said. "Watch out if he teleports."

The fight had begun, but anyone could tell neither side was fighting with everything they had. Suzanna and Ernest knew that they couldn’t fight too hard because they needed to create an opportunity for Anfey, not eliminate Scarlet’s force.

Even though neither side was fighting as hard as they could, it was still clear that one side was on the defensive and the other on offense. Suddenly, Suzanna and Ernest both jumped into the air and lunged at Scarlet. A moment later, Shawn and Dalmatian joined as well.

Scarlet gripped her reins and Douminge summoned a shield of lightning. They knew that Suzanna and the other swordsmasters were only distractions. The one they needed to look out for was Anfey. However, Anfey did not join the attack. Instead, he remained where he was and kept fighting the soldiers.

Douminge frowned but did not hesitate. Instead of focusing his attack on Ernest, Dalmatian, or Shawn, he focused on Suzanna.

Several balls of lightning flew towards Suzanna. The soldiers around Scarlet summoned their combat power and readied to defend her against the attacks.

Suzanna was struck by the ball of lightning. Her body froze and fell from the sky. Douminge took this chance and summoned more lightning that struck Suzanna. A few soldiers around her raised their swords and attacked her as well.

Scarlet watched with a frown. She knew that killing Suzanna would be a good strategy. If Suzanna died, Anfey would try to avenge her, and that would give Scarlet a chance to kill him.

Anfey knew that Suzanna was well-protected and wouldn’t be harmed. He was fighting the soldiers, but he was paying close attention to Scarlet. As soon as Scarlet’s attention turned to Suzanna, he disappeared from the fight.

A few seconds later, he reappeared under Scarlet’s horse. He thrusted his sword out, piercing the horse’s body and stabbing Scarlet through her leg. The sword traveled up her leg and stopped in her chest.

By the time Scarlet realized that something was wrong, the sword had already stabbed her through her heart. A scroll fell from her limp fingers. Anfey pulled his sword out, picked up the scroll, turned and called, "Let’s go!"

Everyone thought that the weakness of Scarlet’s armor was the face, but forgot that the bottom half of her body wasn’t as well protected. It was a weakness that was often overlooked, but it was a weakness nonetheless.