Chapter 491

Chapter 114: Clashing Bones, Burning Blood, Thirteen

“Isaac!”

I turned my head and stared at the bald man raising his hand above his head, my eyes wide open. In truth, I didn’t quite understand what I wanted to say to him.

Isaac had a difficult decision to make at this moment.

The heretics, after the First Knight Order arrived at the city walls, abandoned all their advantages within the city and chose to face them directly outside the city, withdrawing the dense fog that caused the most trouble for the knight order. Their actions were driven by a combination of madness, recklessness, and perhaps more importantly, an attempt to catch the knight order off guard with their numerical superiority.

Among those people, there must be someone who deeply understands the style and faith of the Holy Church’s knight order. He must know that if they push the prisoners from the Third Knight Order to the front lines and cruelly torture the church’s warriors in front of the First Knight Order, the latter will not retreat anymore. They will not use cavalry to flank and engage in guerrilla warfare as they did in previous charges. The honor and dignity of knights do not allow such tactics.

But if we intend to use a charge tactic to disperse the heretics first, then the first to fall under the Sword Miracle would be the prisoners from the Third Knight Order. This could cause significant psychological pressure and impact on the warriors of the First Knight Order. More importantly, our commander, Isaac, would develop unnecessary emotions.

It might be sadness, pity, or more likely, anger. Regardless, he would lose his composure. If he were even more foolish, he might drive the warriors to attack recklessly, attempting to rescue their own prisoners—impulsive emotions can lead to confusion and grave mistakes.

In that case, the heretics’ goal would be achieved.

They want to devour everyone here…

My thoughts raced, and from my shallow understanding, things seemed to be heading towards the worst possible outcome. I was very worried about Isaac making irrational decisions and wanted to warn him, but the words stuck in my throat.

Because like him, at this moment, I also wanted to rush forward without hesitation to save the captured knights and kill all the heretics in sight—how exactly to do so was chaotic for everyone.

Damn it…

The oppressive atmosphere permeated everyone’s hearts. I saw knights clenching their fists, eyes red as if they were about to spill blood.

At the same time, the heretic ranks began to split from both flanks, surrounding the high slope. The prisoners continued to be driven forward, constantly falling. Laughter and cries mixed together, stimulating the rationality of the knights.

They really want to devour us all…

“Isaac! Let me go first—”

“Judgment Fist, obey!”

“Hold on…”

The agonizing approach and the helpless rage made me feel like I was about to cry, but my weak voice seemed not to reach Isaac’s ears.

“Follow me—”

“Hold on a little longer!”

Suddenly, a golden light flashed from the rear formation. Angel’s voice echoed loudly, “Everyone, listen to my command! Stay put—”

He did not finish his sentence.

On the vast wilderness swept by night winds, over a thousand knights faced thousands of heretics. Uncountable prisoners were being driven forward, stumbling along. It was the only noisy spot in the entire battlefield. Behind, the heretics kept cursing and whipping the prisoners while drawing long knives to hack those who couldn’t stand up anymore. Crimson blood stained the holy light, turning the knights’ eyes red.

“Damn it… I wish I could eat them alive…”

Then, unexpected events occurred in a place few could have predicted.

A young knight named Todd moved forward like a walking corpse, feeling only numbness and pain. The prisoners were bound, but such restraints were limited; many simply lacked the strength to resist anymore.

Suddenly, he felt the middle-aged knight next to him stop.

Todd turned his head and heard the other speak in a hoarse voice, “I have a daughter, her face has blurred. When I left home, she was eight years old… I live for her.”

“Move! Damn it, stop and you’ll die—!”

Smack!

The whip from behind struck the middle-aged knight’s back, causing flesh to tear and blood to splash. Todd saw the knight start crying, a forty-year-old iron-blooded man sobbing with blood in his tears, but Todd knew it wasn’t because of pain.

He seemed to understand what the middle-aged knight intended…

Todd’s eyes lit up.

The night wind howled in his ears. In a daze, Todd wondered if it was an illusion, but he saw Nick, the团长, hanging on the flagpole, slowly lifting his head under the holy light.

“Don’t… move…”

Weak, murmured words echoed in the wind, barely audible to anyone. But the heretics’ whips struck fiercely, and Nick vomited blood, his body already a mess of blood and flesh, with ribs protruding and intestines spilling from his abdomen. Todd couldn’t understand why the团长 was still alive, yet he hadn’t died.

The whip sounds grew intense, attracting everyone’s attention. Blood and meat exploded from Nick’s body, but the next moment, everyone heard his agonized scream.

“Stop right there!”

“Shut up! Shut up!”

“Up ahead…is the greatest warrior of the First Knight Order! We can lose, we can die, but it doesn’t matter. There are still them…there are people who will exterminate all these demons…and leave them here—”

“We can lose…we can die…but we must never become their hindrance—!!!”

The mournful and heroic cries echoed across the wilderness. Some captives had bloodshot eyes, others were tear-streaked faces. They opened their mouths wide to let out bloody roars, and they all stopped moving.

“Kill him! Kill them all!!!”

Chaos and slaughter began in the wind, among the crowd. The heretics whipped their whips with great force, and the captives fell one by one amidst the splattering blood. Curses rang out through the blood flames. Someone grinned wickedly as they stabbed the chest of Commander Nick with a knife, twisting the handle to inflict maximum pain. Commander Nick’s voice became hoarse, but he continued shouting.

“Third Knight Order! Everyone…listen…”

“Turn! Around—”

That voice seemed to pierce the sky, echoing endlessly across the wilderness.

“Do not be afraid…”

“Let us charge once more…”

Some dragged their mangled bodies, their limbs severed, their eyes bloodshot, gritting their teeth as they turned around, charging towards the whips and cleavers behind them.

Next to Todd, a middle-aged knight let out a “ah ah ah” cry. He was laughing and crying at the same time, turning towards the heretic behind him with a face streaked with blood and tears.

Commander Nick’s head drooped down.

In the wind, his last words came through.

“William…ms family…the honor of being a knight of the Church! I swear to die…to protect the people! I swear to die…to protect our land…our home…First…First Knight Order!!!”

“Please…leave these demons…here…”

“Leave…this city…leave…this land…ahhhhhh—!!!”

On the high hill, Pope Angel’s half-face was buried in the shadow of holy light, his eyes emitting a chilling glow. He shouted something to the crowd. I stood in the center of the formation, my feet on ice pillars, my mind buzzing. My blurred vision was filled only with the bloodied captives, the figure hanging from the flagpole. All I could hear was his voice.

I watched, seeing countless captives turn around, charging towards the blades behind them. Blood spread in the light, as if even my soul trembled at this moment.

Grief pierced my heart, rage surged like a sea.

The desire to kill had never been so intense and clear.

“Haha, hahaha, hahahahahaha…”

Isaac laughed beside me, sending chills down my spine. I saw him trembling, an overwhelming killing intent emanating from this bald, fierce man. It spread from all the knights standing quietly on the high hill, like ghosts.

“You all saw it—”

At the rear of the formation, over a dozen messenger knights started to gallop with flags raised. Pope Angel’s deep voice echoed again across the wilderness.

At this moment, he would issue orders that were completely opposite to before.

“Our warriors, our brothers! They are being slaughtered by those beasts!”

Ahead of the heretic formation, young knight Todd stumbled through the chaotic crowd, charging towards the cleaver behind him. The cold blade slashed his chest, blood splattered in his eyes, and he heard the sound of his bones breaking. His eyes bulged, biting into the right cheek of the heretic, tearing off a piece of flesh. More blades struck his body, and Todd fell down. As he lay dying, he thought of his grandmother far away in Nalanda.

Is this considered heroic…

“Those heretics from the Eastern Continent have come here, stealing our food, killing our people, defiling our women! And now, they want to kill our warriors in front of us—!!!”

“Now, it’s time for retaliation!”

In the resounding voice, Knight Commander Safiros behind me raised his sword, shouting loudly, “Kill them! Use their flesh and blood to remember Commander Williams—”

Pope Angel’s voice still echoed in the night sky, “Leave them here! Leave their corpses here, water this land with their blood! My honorable knights, you know what to do—”

In the middle of the formation, the young bishop and a group of believers sang loudly. Blinding radiance rose and fell, enveloping the warriors. Someone in the crowd let out a beast-like roar.

“Defend the dignity of the Church knights with swords!”

That voice seemed to come from the sky, shaking my ears. At this moment, blood boiled in my chest, surging upward. Besides the cold scythe in my hand, the swelling power within me, besides the dense enemies ahead, I felt nothing else.

“All troops, listen—”

“Hahaha!!!”

Beside me, Isaac let out a hideous laugh, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the front lines. Brilliant golden light slowly rose around him, and in a flash, the miracle “Immortal” was completed.

“Charge forward—”

“Let’s tear apart these scoundrels!!!”

“Attack!!!”

The battle horns sounded across the wilderness. The knights’ roaring shouts echoed through the sky. At this moment, the golden flood on the high hill, carrying a thunderous momentum, burst forth like a dam. Sacred lances flew overhead, and soon, over a thousand knights clashed with countless heretics in the most savage manner—

It seemed as if the earth and sky were trembling.