Law of Space and Time - Chapter 71: Unwelcome Guests
Chapter 71: Unwelcome Guests
Meanwhile, on the Canston Plain, the 8,000 cavaliers of the Luther Family were already flanking the Wild Ax Legion’s forces from the sides.
Onen hurriedly turned around toward the troops behind him as he yelled, “Look out! There are enemy cavaliers approaching from the flanks!”
The Wild Ax Legion specialized in anti-cavalry tactics, so they certainly weren’t going to succumb to the Luther Family’s cavaliers.
The outermost warriors of the Wild Ax Legion immediately hurled their axes toward the oncoming enemy cavaliers. Their crimson axes spun end over end through the air like a series of crimson tornadoes, or like an odyssey of fiery phoenixes with their wings spread in flight.
Beneath those fiery wings were the panicked cavaliers of the Luther Family.
The fate that they suffered was far worse than that of the golden-armored cavaliers. The golden armor of the Striking Salamander mercenary legion was very expensive to produce, and defensive capabilities were exceptional, but even those suits of armor were unable to withstand a direct blow from these flying axes.
In contrast, the Luther Family’s cavaliers were clad in ordinary suits of silver armor, so there was naturally no way that they could withstand such an assault.
Thus, it didn’t take long for the ground to be littered with their bodies. Some of them had their bodies split directly in half down the center with an ax embedded in the middle, while others had been sliced in half by the waist, leaving smooth and flat wounds that were harrowing to behold. Blood was spraying upward like crimson fountains, while internal organs were spilling all over the place, giving off the indescribably nauseating odor of fecal matter and blood mixed with other bodily fluids and alcohol.
Mackney didn’t have much high hopes for the Luther Family’s cavaliers, but neither did he think that they would be so useless.
The 8,000 cavaliers were completely wiped out before they even had a chance to reach the Wild Ax Legion.
The Luther Family really did manage to show off in front of Mackney, but not in the way that they would’ve liked.
In the wake of this horrific, one-sided slaughter, Mackney learned two lessons, the first of which was that Loonies weren’t all-powerful, and the second was that allies were not reliable.
Truth be told, Mackney had already learned these lessons long ago, but the catastrophic scene that he had just witnessed reaffirmed those painful lessons to him once again. Over time, one would inevitably forget the lessons that they had been taught, and if old wounds were torn open again to strike one with a sense of pain or remorse, then those lessons would remain forgotten. Hence, only those who were always regularly re-exploring the lesson that they had learned in the past were able to survive long in this world. After all, many lessons could only be learned at the expense of one’s life.
Thankfully, the warriors of the Fayma Family who were rushing toward the front lines managed to offer some assistance to the Striking Salamander mercenary legion. At this point in the battle, the number of troops in the Striking Salamander mercenary legion had already fallen to only around 8,000, thereby placing them in severe peril, but with the 6,000 warriors of the Fayma Family entering the fray, they were finally able to catch their breath.
As for the Wild Ax Legion, they only had around 10,000 troops left, but their morale was at an all-time high. After all, they had just wiped out 8,000 enemy cavaliers in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
At this point, the battle was beginning to enter its final phase, and the outcome would be decided once either one of the 10,000 warriors of the Wild Ax Legion or the 14,000 troops of the Tellier Wine Trade Guild United Army came out on top.
When it came to overall prowess, the Wild Ax Legion still held the upper hand, and if things were to continue like this, there was a very good chance that they would emerge victorious. However, the Wild Ax Legion had already been fighting from morning to noon, and it was yet to be seen whether their stamina would be able to last much longer.
In contrast, the 6,000 warriors from the Fayma Family were full of vigor and battle intent. They certainly weren’t formidable warriors by any stretch of the imagination, but they definitely had the advantage when it came to physical energy.
Hence, the outcome of the battle between the most powerful forces in the Boll Dukedom was still quite murky at the moment.
…
However, right at this moment, an enormous cloud of dust rose up in the north, and another group of troops arrived.
Mackney and Onen both turned toward the north in unison with surprised expressions, and they discovered that the person at the forefront of the unit that was approaching from the north was a woman riding atop a white horse.
She was wearing a suit of intricately engraved armor, holding an icewood staff in her hand. Her golden locks and blue eyes presented a particularly striking combination to behold, and it was none other than Duke Eru’s only daughter, Theresa.
The situation on the Canston Plain was certainly becoming very lively now.
Duke Eru had always maintained a stance of neutrality, but he was finally getting involved.
Theresa was leading a cavalry unit that appeared to consist of around 5,000 cavaliers. She had received news the day before that Onen and Mackney were about to have a showdown on the Canston Plain, and she had traveled here from Newfando through the night.
Count Onen immediately burst into ecstatic laughter upon seeing Theresa. “My niece has come to reinforce me? This is the day that you die, Mackney!”
Meanwhile, Mackney was looking on at the approaching cavalry unit with a grim expression.
However, Theresa was assessing the chaotic battlefield with a cold look on her face, making no attempt to establish any verbal or eye contact with her uncle.
Once the 5,000 cavaliers behind her fully assembled, she raised the staff in her hand.
Immediately thereafter, Cheren, who was wearing a black visor and a suit of dark azure armor, immediately set off on a charge with the 5,000 cavaliers behind him.
All of these cavaliers were clad in suits of armor of the same style as Cheren’s, but none of them were wearing visors.
With their suits of dark azure armor, the cavaliers resembled an inky-black spear as they charged forward in full flight, or like a sharp cloud that was casting its shadow onto the battlefield, and much to everyone’s astonishment, the tip of the spear was aimed directly at the left flank of the Wild Ax Legion!
“Theresa! Have you gone insane?!” Onen roared with a furious expression as his eyes widened with alarm.
“Soldiers on the left flank, look out! Prepare for battle!” Onen reacted very quickly as he hurriedly issued an order to the warriors on the left flank of the Wild Ax Legion.
Onen was furious and had no idea why his niece was doing this, but a hint of disdain appeared in his eyes as he realized that Cheren was only leading around 5,000 cavaliers into the fray. The Wild Ax Legion’s anti-cavalry prowess was extremely impressive, so Onen certainly wasn’t going to fear a unit like this.
However, what happened next immediately brought an astonished look to his face.
The axes that were hurled through the air didn’t strike even a single enemy cavalier. This was because the cavaliers had caught the flying axes with their bare hands!
Given the speed at which the cavaliers were advancing and the speed at which the axes were flying, the combined speed was quite staggering, yet despite this, these cavaliers were able to catch the axes that were flying toward them.
This was nothing short of incredible!
Setting aside whether they were exceptional martial artists or not, the speed of their reflexes and the terrifying power in the hands, arms, and wrists required to catch the flying axes seemed to be beyond what was possible for the human body.
However, they had managed to perform what seemed like an impossible feat.
While Onen was still reeling from the astonishment of what he had just seen, the unit of 5,000 cavaliers had already burrowed their way into the Wild Ax Legion’s ranks like lightning, plunging the formation of the Wild Ax Legion into complete disarray.
Countless warriors of the Wild Ax Legion were quickly trampled to death under the hooves of the cavaliers’ horses, and the Wild Ax Legion was completely torn apart like a living entity that had just suffered a nasty gash.
Mackney was looking on from the distance, and he was too astonished to speak. Never did he think that the daughter of Duke Eru would be leading cavaliers onto this battlefield to assist him.
He had no idea why she was doing this, but he certainly wasn’t going to pass up this fleeting opportunity.
“All troops, advance! Wipe them out right now!” Mackney yelled toward all of the remaining troops under his command.
Thus, the Striking Salamander mercenary legion and the warriors of the Fayma Family immediately converged toward the panicked Wild Ax Legion.
However, as soon as they surrounded the Wild Ax Legion, they were immediately left to rue their decision.
After piercing through the Wild Ax Legion’s ranks, the unit of 5,000 cavaliers didn’t stop even for a single moment before turning around and going on another charge, and on this occasion, their target was the Teller Wine Trade Guild United Army.
Onen and Mackney finally understood the situation upon seeing this. Duke Eru had no intentions of helping either side. Instead, he wanted to decimate them both.
Throughout the years, Duke Eru had always laid dormant, watching as Count Onen and the Farody Family grew more and more powerful. Occasionally, he would emerge from his shell with the persona of a cowardly yes-man to act as mediator between the two sides, but in reality, he had been waiting for an opportunity like this the entire time.
Truth be told, the two of them were giving Duke Eru more credit than he deserved. The reality was that Theresa was the one who had plotted all of this.
Despite the fact that she was a young girl with a sweet and innocent appearance, she was an extremely ambitious character, far more so than her father.
She had always been waiting for this opportunity to remove these two pesky thorns from the side of the Boll Dukedom.
She knew better than anyone else that only by taking both the nobles of Zans and the wine merchants of Tellier out of the picture could the Eru Family truly rule over the Boll Dukedom.
These 5,000 cavaliers were like a vessel that carried all of her ambitions and determination as they wreaked havoc upon the Canston Plain.
The Wild Ax Legion was trampled beneath the hooves, and the Striking Salamander mercenary legion wasn’t able to put up any effective resistance, either, let alone the warriors of the Fayma Family.
Thus, the 5,000 cavaliers continued to storm through the battlefield like the wind in a completely expressionless manner.
The cavaliers that had been brought here weren’t displaying any excitement or emotion on their faces whatsoever. In fact, it looked as if they were humanoid magic puppets that were mechanically carrying out the orders of their master in the form of this killing spree.
Both Onen and Mackney’s forces were torn apart by the formidable units of cavaliers, and howls of anguish and agony rang out incessantly as both sides were plunged into the depths of despair.
In contrast, the 5,000 cavaliers were going about their business in complete silence, and the only sound that they made was the whoosh of their weapons being swung through the air.
The silent and merciless unit passed by in front of everyone’s eyes, and before they knew it, the lives of thousands of their comrades had already been claimed.
The only person on the scene who was able to remain completely calm and indifferent was Theresa, who was situated in the north. She was seated atop her white steed with a placid expression, and there was a faint smile on her face. She watched as her Demonic Puppet Legion swept over the battlefield like a gust of fierce wind. They were like a series of longswords that were slicing through the enemy’s ranks with ease and brutality, striking a sense of fear and despair into the hearts of all those who opposed them.
The same sense of horror and dread was also beginning to permeate deep through Count Onen and Mackney Farody’s hearts. The two of them had considered countless scenarios, but never would they have guessed that their battle would end in this fashion.
Lucidy and the opposing Wild Ax Legion warriors, who had been locked in battle in the sky just a moment ago, had all stopped what they were doing and were looking down at everything unfolding beneath them in a stunned silence. They felt no need to continue their battle, and all of them were overcome by a sense of disorientation and surrealism. It was as if they had entered a dream, one that they didn’t how to react to.
Right when Theresa thought that her legion would sweep through the battlefield and dominate proceedings without encountering any meaningful opposition, a fourth party entered the stage from the southwest.