Chapter 203

Chapter 203

The name Urich was not unfamiliar to them. However, before the knights could think hard to remember the name, they faced the looming threat.

Flames flickered wildly from all around. The heat was enough to suffocate even those who weren’t wearing anything. Continuing to breathe in the acrid smoke inevitably caused dizziness.

'I'm dizzy.'

Carnius tried to keep his eyes open. He wanted to take off his armor but there was no time.

The more heavily armored a soldier was, the clumsier their movements became. Knights in full steel plate armor collapsed one by one, overwhelmed by the heat.

'Even the northerners have never used such tactics. I have never heard or seen this type of fighting.'

Carnius was a veteran who was well-versed in the empire's military history and had fought wars against the northerners for many years. He had never fought in a battle amidst a sea of fire before.

'The steel armor meant to protect us is actually killing us.'

Armor could withstand cold but not heat. In fact, knights in the south preferred lighter armor during summer.

'It seems they have forces outside as well.'

Even in a situation like this, Carnius' forces that were placed on the other side of the walls were not able to break through the gate.

‘I can hardly think.'

Carnius was a knight past his sixties. Even a man diligent in self-care could not hide his age. Environmental changes were particularly harsh on an old warrior. It was difficult to breathe, causing his shoulders to heave dramatically.

But taking deep breaths only allowed more of the toxic smoke to permeate his body.

"Cough, cough."

Many of Carnius' key commanders were old knights. They were all past their physical prime. Although they were exceptionally skilled in command, they fell behind in terms of stamina. Maintaining discipline in the army became challenging as each person in the imperial army struggled with their own physical condition.

About five thousand imperial soldiers had entered the village. Yet, they were surrounded by a smaller number of barbarians.

'Flames.'

Urich looked at the world that was flickering red. As he thrust his sword forward, the warriors charged.

"Wooaaaaah!"

Warriors clad only in leather cloaks rampaged. They were men who were used to fighting with barely any clothes to begin with.

Crack!

A warrior's axe split open a soldier's head.

The soldiers, having inhaled a lot of smoke and overwhelmed by the heat, were flushed and sluggish.

"Hup."

The warriors wrapped wet cloths around their noses and mouths to prevent themselves from inhaling too much smoke. Even amidst the inferno, their heads were clear, and their eyes hunted the enemy.

Tssssss!

Urich thrust his red-hot sword into a soldier's neck. The smell of burning flesh arose. The fear of the enemies was palpable.

"Aaaaaaaargh!"

Screams of civilized people burst from all directions. Even the proud formations of the civilized people were useless in the chaos of flames.

"Aaaaah! Lou!"

There was no escape from the flames. The terrified residents of Valdima scrambled around, hindering the imperial army.

'We are being pushed back.'

Carnius barely managed to survey the situation. His five thousand imperial soldiers were being pushed back by merely two thousand barbarians. The empire's proud knights were helpless against the barbarians. Some were literally cooked in their armor in the flames.

"Cough, Sir Jordain, attack that barbarian. He is their leader," Carnius said to a knight as he pointed out Urich.

'This barbarian tribe has exceptional capabilities. The one leading bravely at the front must be their head. And when he appeared, the surrounding barbarians shouted ‘Urich’.'

Carnius' insight was spot on. Killing Urich was certainly going to break the barbarians' morale.

Upon receiving Carnius' orders, Jordain led the other surrounding knights and soldiers forward. The knights staggered as they followed Jordain.

"Protect Urich!"

The warriors shouted upon noticing the soldiers closing in on Urich. They charged through the flames as if burns were nothing to them. Unlike the imperial soldiers, they ran forward without any fear of the flames.

The knights also let out roars akin to screams as they charged.

Knights and warriors collided. Metal intertwined with flesh, splattering blood.

The knights, who should have been the natural predators of the barbarians, bled without being able to put up much of a fight. The fact that they were even able to move this much in armor in such heat was nearly superhuman. As soon as the fighting started, the heat surged up to their heads.

Schluck!

The warriors overpowered the knights, thrusting their blades between the plates of their armor.

"Cough, keeeuuugh!"

A knight felt every bit of the sensation of the barbarian blade tearing his flesh as he collapsed. He coughed up blood and died.

"Ooooooh!"

A warrior lifted the severed head of a knight, boasting of his feat.

The warriors screamed as they pursued the imperial troops to the very end. They stormed all the way up to the gate, determined to cut off every last breath.

"General!"

Carnius, having come outside the gate, was assisted as he mounted his horse.

Thwip!

The barbarians who had caught up fired an arrow. An arrow grazed Carnius' nape.

"Kugh!"

Carnius groaned, bending forward. He almost fell off his horse, but the veteran's hands did not let go of the reins.

"Hyah!"

A knight beside him took control of Carnius’ horse along with his own.

They only had a few horses left. Those too were mostly ridden by knights and nobles who had fled first. The soldiers retreated on foot, but the barbarians' fierce pursuit was shattering the soldiers' ranks from the rear.

"General, pull yourself together."

The knights called out to Carnius. He gripped his bleeding nape, gasping for air.

‘Leo.’

Carnius thought of his son.

‘I miss you. I shouldn’t have sent you out like that.’

He wanted to give up on life and collapse right there and then. He felt he had no regrets left, even if he were to die now.

"We need to treat him immediately. He's bleeding severely!"

A cleric who had followed shouted after seeing Carnius' wound. The knights looked at each other and nodded.

"Treat the general here! We'll buy some time!"

The knights turned their horses around. They received lances from the squires.

"Ooooooh!"

Carnius’ knights, numbering no more than twenty-four, charged toward the barbarian group. Though few, their momentum was able to temporarily halt the barbarians' pursuit.

Meanwhile, the cleric pulled out herbs and bandages to treat Carnius.

"Survive, general. Your life isn't just your own."

Carnius' eyelids trembled. He etched the image of his comrades charging to their deaths into his retinas.

"You won't even let me die in peace. Keke."

Carnius remounted his horse with his hands trembling. He led the remaining forces in retreat. Initially, there were seven thousand, but now less than a thousand remained. Even that thousand was merely the dregs of his forces with all the elite having been lost. It was undoubtedly a complete defeat.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Urich watched knights charging on their horses. The intensity of the knights sacrificing their lives in the charge was impressive.

The tail of a lance nearly reached Urich.

"Huuuuup!"

Urich took a deep breath in. He stared down the horse's eyes and roared with all his might.

"Woooooaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The resonant roar startled the sensitive horses. Although the warhorses were trained enough to not throw their riders off, they still slowed down, and the knights’ formation became disordered.

Clang!

Urich swiped a lance aside with his sword. He leaped up and slammed a knight’s head to the ground.

Crunch!

The sound of his neck snapping was clear.

Having killed one knight, Urich glared as other knights passed by him.

“Kaaagh!"

The warriors impaled by lances screamed. The few knights had plunged into the warriors' ranks, buying some time.

‘I guess that's it for now.’

Urich watched the retreating imperial troops. Soon, screams diminished behind him, and knights dropped like flies.

"Praise the Son of the Earth, Urich!"

"Uuuuuurich!"

"The great warrior is with us!"

The warriors shouted Urich's name from the top of the pile of bodies. They had won a battle they thought they couldn’t. What would be a life-long ghastly burn mark was a symbol of glory.

Carnius' pursuit was over. They returned to the capital of Hamel with scorched bodies. Two other detachments that had been chasing the other barbarian units joined them on the way, but only one of the imperial pursuit units had made any progress.

The empire could not exterminate the barbarians. The roots of the barbarians were still very much alive.