Chapter 171 - Battle (3)

Chapter 171 - Battle (3)

The sun was at its peak, which signaled the start of the battle.

There were ten thousand soldiers in the Thern region.

Even the birds in the mountains held their breath.

Step, step.

The only audible sound was that of military boots stepping on the grassy plain. Spear-bearing soldiers kept watch over their surroundings, while those with shields remained on edge.

While the soldiers endlessly walked along the horizon, other soldiers that looked exactly like them were staring at them, holding their spears.

It was none other than Alfred’s Etherwether army, looking at them as if they were looking at a mirror.

An intense war was about to break out in the plain of Thern. The two armies met in a flat, large area, where there was no place to hide or escape.

This was the very ground where an inevitable battle of fate would unfold.

At the front of each army, each head of the Patrician Family stared at each other with determination, mounted on their military horses.nOve.lb.1n

“They look about the same.”

Alfred estimated the number of the Shonan troops lined up in front of him.

There were around three thousand soldiers. He had brought more or less the same amount of soldiers.

‘Of course he’s brought as many soldiers as I have. If he hadn’t, there would’ve been a clear winner in close combat.’

Since both sides had agreed on five thousand soldiers, Alfred had expected that Eisen would have the same strategy as him. Therefore, he had brought three thousand infantry from his total of five thousand soldiers to the plain of Thern.

He had no intention of fighting recklessly just because they had prepared the same number of soldiers.

Alfred’s main goal was killing Eisen, but he also had an obligation to buy Arthus enough time to take over the palace.

“I request a duel from the commanders!” said Alfred.

“So do I!” Eisen shouted back at Alfred’s request.

A commander's duel was a one-on-one fight between representative commanders of each army before the close combat battle.

This was a very important duel, for if the representative commander emerged victorious, it would not only grant them an advantage over their enemy, but also boost the morale of their own troops.

“Limber!”

“Yes, Sir!”

As soon as the commander’s duel was accepted, Alfred called the name of the thousand-man commander that would participate in the duel first.

Standing at a height of two meters, Limber had been recognized as a genius, becoming a knight at a young age. Nevertheless, driven by greed, he had opted to enlist in Alfred's private army rather than remain a knight, aiming to ascend the ladder of success faster.

Eisen also shouted, determined that he wasn’t going to lose.

“Ryan!”

“Yes, Sir!”

Having an S-class mercenary background, Ryan had been hired for the former Shahatra subjugation, and was now a thousand-man commander, recognized within the Shonan army.

He was wearing dark gray colored armor. Similar to Eisen’s Bleakin, he pulled out two double-edged axes like two swords.

“Ohhh!”

Although it wasn’t certain if Ryan was more powerful than Limber, it was clear that both commanders were massive in size.

The reason why Eisen called Ryan was because he didn’t want to feel inferior to the size of Alfred’s thousand-man commander.

Thud! Thud!

The two walked up to each other with heavy footsteps and faced one another. They were both on edge, releasing a murderous aura.

The two had many things in common.

Limber was a commoner with a natural talent for being a knight, and Ryan was also a commoner with an S-class mercenary background.

This was a duel between two commoners who had both risen from a humble family.

With the pressure of being watched by six thousand men, both of them released a fierce aura, which made it clear that they were ready to fight.

“Begin.”

Honk!

They weren’t nobles, so there was no need for empty formalities and vanity.

No sooner had the horn signaled the start of the duel than the two giants clashed with their immense strength, just like two angry buffalos.

Clank!

The first bloodshed of the hounds began with their respective owner’s pride on the line.

However, Kamsadia believed that Henry would have a trump card just like the scroll he had given him, and since he didn’t tend to worry too much about things, he stopped thinking about it.

Honk!

Just then, the horn of the Etherwether army could be heard across the gorge.

Honk!

At the same time, the horns of the rest of the Eisen army could also be heard.

“Perfect timing.”

Kamsadia had arrived beforehand with the cavalry, so it was natural for the rest of them to arrive later.

After he checked that the swamp was working properly, Kamsadia turned his head to greet the other soldiers who had just arrived.

“Ah right, I almost forgot.”

Kamsadia took out another scroll.

Henry had given him two magic scrolls. One of them was called the Stinky Pit, and the other was unknown.

‘He told me to rip this after the first one.’

Henry had told him to tear the scrolls in order.

Kamsadia had torn the scroll for the Stinky Pit first, and now all that was left to do was to tear the second one.

He tore the second scroll and threw it on the ground again without hesitation. Of course, he threw the scroll far away just in case.

‘It wouldn't be good if something like a swamp appears again and I get stuck in it.’

Evidently, he didn’t want to die trapped in a swamp.

A black fog came out of the scroll.

Shhh...

‘It’s black?’

Kamsadia stared at it again with curiosity, but this time, the effects were very short.

Thud!

Thud! Thud!

“Huh?”

A massive, heavy-looking armor emerged from the black fog. Its color was pitch black, which made it easy for one to mistake it for charcoal soot if they didn’t look closely enough.

“Armor?”

It was certainly armor.

Out of curiosity, Kamsadai tried to get closer to the armor to get a better look.

Oong!

“...!”

Clank! Clank!

Clank!

However, the black armor suddenly rose into the air, and the armor pieces came together like a living creature, soon taking its full form.

The moment the helmet of the black armor was mounted on the body...!

Flash!

Red lights flashed from the empty eyes of the helmet.

‘What the...!’

It resembled a beast.

The armor released a murderous, warlike aura, which caused Kamsadia to unsheathe his sword, feeling instinctively threatened.

Clank!

The sharp sound of metal could be heard.

The black armor finally landed on the ground, showing off its imposing presence.

Thud...!

A dust cloud formed over the gorge.

“So it’s you that Henry has told me to deal with,” said the armor.

The black armor was none other than Hector.