Chapter 599

Broken logs spin and splatter chunks of flesh like rain.

Drunk steel dinosaurs crash through, shattering the village’s front palisade, sweeping away the infantry gathered inside. Screams and wails are drowned out by the deafening roar.

Amid the whirlwind of wooden debris, organs, blood, bones, and flesh surge like waves.

– Kwaaaak!

Amid the rising debris and dust, crimson tentacles whirl like a storm, erasing even the remnants of the palisade. The sturdy palisade is reduced to a desolate plain in less than ten seconds.

“Uh…”

The Honi Segashia warriors, preparing for a cavalry charge, forget to spur their horses as they stare blankly at the scene of destruction before them.

A transcendent strike rivaling the wrath of their Kagan, Or-han. The village’s front is instantly transformed into a garden of flesh and dangling entrails.

Warriors impaled on wooden stakes struggle against walls and the ground, while corpses with their guts spilling out are strewn everywhere. It’s a sight hard to believe was caused by a single sword swing.

“Ughhh!”

“My stomach, my stomach…!”

The screams of the survivors—no, those not yet dead—echo belatedly, mingling with a clear, mocking laughter.

“Kyahat. Ahahaha!”

The warriors’ gazes turn to the center of the clearing.

Amid the settling dust, the monster who created this hell with a single sword admires her handiwork, baring her fangs in a smile. Her blue eyes sparkle with uncontrollable joy.

The warriors tremble, overwhelmed by shock, terror, and an indescribable instinctive revulsion.

The traitor, Ha-shal-leur. They had heard rumors of her return to the Great Plains, but they could never have imagined she would return as such a monster.

The next moment, her gaze turns behind her—toward the Empire’s medium cavalry, who, like the warriors, are at a loss for words.

“What are you doing?!”

A fierce voice filled with killing intent and exhilaration. Ha-shal-leur raises her sword high, pointing toward the village’s interior.

“Your obstacle is gone! Increase your speed! Spread out and flank them! You can do that much, right?!”

“Yes, yes!”

Finally snapping out of it, Karim shouts in response, leading the knights.

“Landenburg Knights! Follow Sir Median! Full charge!”

The medium cavalry, momentarily slowed, regain their speed. With the palisade now mere debris, they enter the village unhindered.

“Don’t let the westerners escape! Follow them!”

“Fight without regard for your lives! The Kagan will remember us!”

The Ka`har cavalry, regaining their senses, spur their horses in pursuit.

Though the timing of the charge was off, their speed as light cavalry surpasses that of the Empire’s medium cavalry. If they keep up this pace, they could pierce the Empire’s rear.

Knowing this well, Ha-shal-leur rides in the opposite direction, heading straight for the Ka`har cavalry.

“Ja-han! Nigel! Follow me! Block the rear and buy time! The last twenty, follow me!”

“Yes!” “Understood!”

The two respond without hesitation, turning their horses. Along with twenty medium cavalry at the rear, Ha-shal-leur quickly takes the lead.

“Ha-shal-leurrr! You filthy traitor, how dare you—!”

The Ka`har cavalry at the forefront scream, their faces twisted in rage, trying to drown their fear with contempt and anger.

Ha-shal-leur laughs. Smiling brightly, she grips her longsword, its blue hue now dulled, and charges forward.

“Bark all you want. Like dogs about to be slaughtered!”

A crimson mist rises like a tidal wave.

—-

What followed was a battle closer to slaughter. As Ha-shal-leur clashed with the cavalry’s vanguard, the whirlwind of the Life Force Technique raged like a blender’s blades.

“Weak! So weak! Can you even call yourselves warriors? Even if you wear the skin of wolves, sheep will always be sheep. The stench of livestock is overwhelming!”

Jin Ye-ryun. Net of Blades. Thunderous Rend. Extreme Brilliance.

The Life Force Technique, pushed to its limits, mercilessly dismantles the enemy, severing horses and riders alike. Blood fountains up, raining down on the earth like thick rain.

“Kaaaah!”

“Face the Sword of Landenburg!”

Ja-han and Nigel, two masters, follow her, carving through the cavalry. The black iron Crescent Moon Blade slices through warriors, while Eberond’s Holy Spear unleashes lightning.

“Kraaaak!”

“That witch! She’s using cursed sorcery! Don’t block, dodge!”

The vanguard of warriors falls, tumbling from their horses.

Following them, twenty medium cavalry form a horizontal line, charging in unison to pierce the chaotic enemy formation.

“For Landenburg!”

“You stinking Empire dogs!”

The momentum of the charge broken, the warriors are skewered by lances or barely manage to hold their ground before descending into chaos. Hundreds of cavalry are halted by just twenty-three.

“Ja-han! You traitorous dog! Do you remember me, Honi Bonon?!”

“…I don’t know you.”

Honi Segashia’s cavalry commander, the Paladin Bonon, thrusts his lance at Ja-han. Ja-han merely twitches an eyebrow, swinging his Crescent Moon Blade to deflect the strike.

Meanwhile, Nigel is confronted by another Paladin.

“You who have awakened to your karma, yet dare to meddle with sorcery. Disgusting woman. You’re no better than your traitorous mistress!”

“…….”

Nigel, having learned the Eastern Language, understands the words but sees no need to respond. Eberond’s Holy Spear, crackling with lightning, answers for her.

Soon after, the medium cavalry, having gained enough distance, halt and turn.

“Landenburg Knights! Reverse charge!”

“All units, prepare to charge! Flank them!”

Karim and Yan break from the formation, issuing the order to reverse. The knights turn their horses, forming two wedge formations.

“Charge!”

A thunderous command. The Landenburg medium cavalry fix their lances under their arms and thunder forward, retracing their path like a storm.

The tide of battle is decided.

======[ Ha-shal-leur ]======

It didn’t take long for the Honi whatever tribe’s warriors to be annihilated.

The charge of 180 medium cavalry, spreading out and reversing. The tribal warriors stubbornly resist, turning their cavalry to block the medium cavalry, but the difference in strength is insurmountable.

With Hersela rampaging like a mad dog in the center, how could ordinary warriors withstand her?

“Phew…”

I feel the control of my body return to me and let out a light sigh. My entire body is soaked in blood, reeking of iron.

‘Can’t you fight a bit cleaner?’

[ You’re one to talk. Your lost conscience must be desperately searching for its owner. ]

Hersela’s voice, mocking my complaint, is lighter than usual, perhaps because she finally got to let loose.

“Here. Wipe off the blood, miss.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I wipe my face and hair with the cloth Leonor hands me, surveying the surroundings.

The grassland is littered with corpses. The tribe’s warriors, cavalry and infantry, young and old, all lie lifeless in a sea of blood, while riderless horses whimper, nudging the bodies.

An overwhelming victory. Everywhere you look, only Ka`har corpses. The medium cavalry lost only four.

I had ordered the masters to prioritize protecting our forces, but in a chaotic melee of hundreds of cavalry, some losses were inevitable.

Leonor, Karim, and Yan did their best, but Ja-han and Nigel were tied up dealing with the enemy’s Paladins, leaving them no time to assist.

Well, they both took down a Paladin, so it’s fine.

I turn my gaze to Ja-han and Nigel.

Ja-han is examining the face of the bisected Paladin, tilting his head in confusion, while Nigel is repeatedly throwing and retrieving Eberond’s Holy Spear, skewering the Paladin’s head, playing around.

Maybe she’s still bothered by the insults earlier.

—-

After annihilating all the warriors in the village—men over fifteen—we expelled the captured elders, women, and children, giving them only enough provisions to survive on their way to Ordos.

Perhaps because they were medium cavalry trained with great care by the Lord of the Borderlands, there was no looting or rape, as might be expected.

Karim said that unless I permitted it, they wouldn’t dare indulge in such lawlessness.

“Filthy traitor witch! A curse upon you! The curse of the great wolf!”

Amid the sea of tears, an elder of the tribe, forcibly expelled, curses me with venomous eyes, but…to me, it’s just noise.

Ja-han wanted to tear the elder in half, but I stopped him and let the elder go.

After all, it’s just the elder’s nonsense, and even if a curse were to come, my Demon Resistance and Holy Mark would block it.

After expelling all the prisoners and gathering three days’ worth of supplies, we set the village ablaze and resumed our march.

For the next five days, the cycle of marching, resting, fighting, and burning repeated.

We advanced to a point halfway between the Berengeiria Wall and Ordos, attacking and annihilating scattered Ka`har forces.

The Ka`har weren’t fools, and after three days, they began to gather and resist, making things quite tricky.

Anyway, after five days—

“Ordos’ pursuit force is here! Their main army is coming!”

One of the three scouts sent east returns, reporting that the time to retreat has come.

Having drawn their attention as planned, it’s time to make a swift escape.