Chapter 481

Chapter 104: Iron Bones Scream, Fiery Passion Burns, Part Three

A gentle breeze blew, and banners blocked out the sun.

As the daylight gradually turned yellow, on the slope outside the ruins, the sharp silhouette of riders burst through the sewage and mud, sweeping along the yellowish mountain path. One horse, two horses, increasing to dozens, then hundreds, the elite cavalry led by Isaac merged into a flood, galloping west from the village. At the end of the gentle breeze was the embankment of the canal in Alerthein City.

In the woods north of the embankment, Pope Angel led over a thousand mounted knights through the lush trees, with horsemen riding rhinos spreading out in a fan shape about a kilometer ahead as the vanguard team, keeping watch for any abnormal movements. If viewed from above, the entire forest seemed like a golden flood, merging into one, with a shocking momentum. Occasionally, there would be flashes of fire at the forefront of the formation, followed by the clashing of weapons and the shouts of men.

As part of the mobile unit within the vanguard, I rode a massive rhino, carrying a deep black leather box, alongside more than twenty other knights including Safirols. We maintained a low speed, moving between three to five meters apart, weaving through the forest. The towering trees slowly receded behind us, the forest before us as silent as a dead lake, only the rustling of the wind through the leaves could be heard, occasionally accompanied by distant dull explosions.

Boom… boom…

Boom—

“Be careful! There are many rats in the forest! Everyone stay alert!”

Safirol’s shout, clear and audible from ten meters away to my left, echoed in my ears.

“Listen to that noise, it sounds like the right wing clashed with the heretics first?”

“There’s sound coming from the left too…”

The knights on both sides chatted idly, their expressions relaxed, but even without Safirol’s reminder, their eyes constantly scanned every corner of the forest, never letting their guard down for a second.

These battle-hardened knights had almost all faced heretics and even killed them. They were fearless yet deeply aware that the enemies they were about to face were a group of irrational lunatics.

Lunatics’ actions couldn’t be judged by normal standards because they didn’t fear death.

At this moment, if the two armies were facing each other, it was impossible for the opposing side not to have discovered the traces of the First Knight Order, knowing that they were advancing towards Alerthein City. Sending scattered individuals to probe and engage in a direct confrontation with a fully prepared knight force was a foolish act. Logically speaking, such a situation usually indicated problems with the enemy’s command system—except for the Truth’s Gate.

“Are the heretics launching this meaningless suicide attack to slow us down?” someone said.

“It’s very likely…”

“It seems the situation in Alerthein City might be worse than we imagined… Inform the rear teams, we need to increase our speed.”

“Yes—”

Someone turned their mount and left, while the others continued their charge. I frowned, listening intently for any signs around me, gently pressing my mount, causing the rhino beneath me to slightly accelerate. The breeze continued to blow through the treetops, the branches rustling overhead.

Caw—

Suddenly, a raven cawed from above.

It’s goat cheese…

The dark bird, which I had sent up early as a warning, was instructed to call out if anything happened. Whether the bird truly understood or not, I wasn’t confident, but I treated it as an extra precaution. It had been circling above the forest until now, without making a sound…

I was momentarily stunned, then quickly reacted, shouting to those around me, “Be careful! There might be—”

Whoosh—

Before I could finish, crimson flames suddenly burst forth from the forest on the right front. A scorching fireball, accompanied by a shrill whistling, came hurtling toward us, crashing into the nearby shrubbery with a deafening explosion. The earth was overturned, and raging flames shot up several meters high. Two or three trees were uprooted and sent flying. Two nearby knights didn’t even have time to cry out before being engulfed by the flames, intense heat waves washing over us. My rhino reared up, its hooves pawing the air, letting out a long, piercing neigh. I leaned forward, squinting against the strong wind.

Damn…

High-pitched cries rang out around me: “Heretics!”

“Avathas has been hit…”

“Scout!”

“I see it! Behind the steep slope on the right front! At least seven or eight rats—”

I saw it too!

“Hya!”

The massive rhino’s front hooves touched the ground. I urged it forward with all my might, charging toward the source of the flames like lightning. In the distance, I faintly heard Safirol’s roar: “Lady Silvijia, freeze the steep slope with ice!”

“I’ve got it!”

“Lamson, Arthur! Divine protection!”

Whoosh—

Another scorching fireball whizzed past, its searing heat wave hitting me instantly. This time, the enemy aimed directly at me. Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from behind, and a thin light barrier appeared in front of my vision. The incoming fireball collided with the barrier, exploding with a dazzling crimson flash. Flames swept across the grass and trees, while the wind was completely blocked by the light barrier. I steered my rhino to the side, its iron hooves racing over the flames, my blue eyes glowing.

Crack crack crack—

Ice and frost gathered tens of meters ahead, forming countless irregularly shaped ice blocks, encircling the small slope. Dozens of sharp ice spears rained down from the top of the slope, piercing the soil behind.

“Aaaah…!”

“Pope’s knights!”

Painful cries echoed faintly from that direction, followed by hysterical laughter.

“Ahaahaha—”

“Look at that sixteen-year-old girl!”

“What luck!”

…Luck?

Ha.

You indeed have luck.

Several figures wreathed in flames suddenly burst out of the swirling frost mist, emitting a slight…

Excited cries echoed as someone darted towards me at high speed. A fireball was thrown in my direction, leaving a crimson trail through the forest, heading straight for me.

“Hmph…”

I rode my horned horse, galloping without flinching—actually, I hadn’t yet learned how to turn the beast’s head in such emergencies, and a sudden turn might have thrown me off. So, I waved my hand, and an ice wall formed at a forty-five-degree angle in front of me. The fireball grazed the ice wall and veered off to the side behind me with a “whoosh.” As the explosion rang out, my horned horse galloped past the left side of the ice wall, and someone jumped down from above.

“Scum!”

A shout came from behind, and a holy spear whizzed by, grazing my shoulder with a thunderous sound. The wind howled painfully in my ears, and my left ear buzzed as the holy spear hit the heretic mid-air, sending both the spear and the person flying far away. Then, I heard footsteps approaching slowly from behind.

“Ha!”

Saphiros chuckled lightly, diving on his horned horse beside me. He gestured at me, and several figures engulfed in flames rushed forward. Saphiros’ body glowed with gold, and he leaped off the beast, pouncing like a hungry tiger onto one of them. They rolled several times before he pinned the man down in the mud, shouting, “Once you’re here, you won’t leave. Grandpa loves you—”

The heretic struggled fiercely, but the flames burning his golden armor didn’t faze him. The man, as fierce as a tiger, pounded the heretic’s face with stone-like fists.

At the same time, I charged at another heretic with my horned horse. The beast’s sharp horns pierced through the man’s chest and head. Perhaps stung by the flames, the giant creature suddenly shook its head, throwing the impaled man away. Two others lunged at me, and I kicked one away, shooting an ice spear that turned the other into a pincushion. Then, I flipped off the beast, landing on one foot and launching forward with a Moon Step.

Whoosh—

A strong wind filled my ears as my petite figure appeared in front of the stunned heretic. Before I could retrieve the Grapple from my waist, I thrust it swiftly at the heretic’s neck. At the same moment, white frost spread around me, and an icy short scythe materialized instantly, flying towards another heretic four or five meters away.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft—

The pale short sword pierced the heretic’s neck twice, and the final strike hit his forehead. Flames-drenched blood splattered onto my face. The heretic twitched and fell, but the ice scythe thrown at him was blocked by another heretic’s sword with a clang, deeply embedding itself in the mud. Frost spread outward, and I paused slightly, noticing the heretic’s body beginning to swell.

“Watch out, sir!”

Saphiros warned from behind. But I had faced these heretics before and didn’t need his reminder. I pulled the Grapple from the heretic’s forehead, and as blood surged, I kicked him over ten meters away, crashing into a tree with a loud boom. The inferno spread throughout the forest.

In the midst of the horned horses’ neighs, several knights charged from behind, their swords clashing with multiple heretics. Shouts and the crackling of flames filled the air. I turned to look at the heretic who had blocked the ice scythe. He smirked.

“Silvija?”

He was a man in black, around thirty years old, with brown hair and small features, looking almost mouse-like. He tilted his head amidst the flames, seemingly unbothered by the chaos, holding his knife casually and watching me with a curious confidence.

“You… have quite a captivating face. Sixteen?”

“Hmph.”

I sneered, shaking my arm and gripping the Grapple tightly. I took a Moon Step, appearing behind the man, and slashed at his head—

Clang!

He didn’t turn back, blocking with his blade and spinning around. He leaned in close, opening his mouth as if to say more, but before he could, there was a dull thud, and a cold frost mist spread from me, enveloping the black-robed heretic.

“Lord Wesselmere—”

Amidst the mist, I heard a heretic calling out.

Lord Wesselmere?

…Wesselmere!

“It’s you…”

I clenched my teeth.

Amidst the frost mist, crimson flames burned before me. A long sword descended, and I dodged sideways, kicking the man’s calf. He half-knelt, and I conjured the ice scythe again, swinging it down at his head—

Clang!

The man blocked with his sword.

He lifted his head from the mist, half his face frosted, and a sinister smile appeared.

“You seem quite angry… I guess something unpleasant happened at the Silent Castle, right? I did that—I wanted to see how you would react.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The ice scythe clashed with the long sword three times, and with a loud clang, it broke. The man dropped the hilt and retreated quickly. A taunting voice came from beyond the frost mist.

“A noblewoman from the Western Continent, your skin is smoother than even the most famous courtesans there. It’s so soft and tender… Everything about you is amazing, smooth and tight. You know, that noble girl, she’s still young. Her cries are like the most beautiful music… So thrilling… Too bad she won’t be able to cry anymore… She’s your age.”

The frost mist slowly dissipated.

The man’s hateful grin became clearer in front of me.

“But you’re more beautiful… You’re prettier than any woman I’ve ever played with, hahaha—”

He stepped closer to me.

“I can’t wait to hear your cries.”

“That will be, the most beautiful sound in the world…”