Chapter 138: Dawn: The Battle That Decides the Fate of the Empire (Part 2) [VIP]
Thinking that their chance had come, the stormtroopers waved their flags and rushed towards Xiao Yun who had lost Alfonso's protection.
Seeing the stormtroopers' flags flying high, Edmund's troops also swarmed in from both sides.
"Let's charge together! Whoever catches him will get the highest military merit!"
"Don't push! Capturing them alive is a real achievement!"
"I found you! I'm from—"
Before he could finish his scream introducing himself, his head flew out with a trail of blood.
——Even without Alfonso's protection, Xiao Yun, as the king commander, was still guarded by many powerful warriors. Many of them had their faces and hair covered with blood after the previous battle, like evil spirits.
"Just you—"
Habib, who was as tall and strong as a legendary giant, grinned broadly. "That Alfonso guy stole the limelight just now, now it's finally my turn to show off!"
"Don't be so proud! We, the Sioux, are a race truly born for battle!"
Although the Sioux boy Suna who was traveling with them was young, he also possessed extraordinary agility. He moved around as swiftly as a monkey, and every time he did so, he would bring up a large amount of blood.
"Show these cowards what real fighting is! The world of the strong!"
“Charge!”
"Long live! Long live!"
The high-pitched shouts pierced the sky and erupted like a tsunami.
To allies, this is a trumpet of joy; to enemies, this is a bell of destruction!
"Wow! Wow! Wow!"
The stormtroopers, who had thought that Alfonso's departure would allow them to successfully complete the mission of capturing the rebel leader, retreated step by step under the attack of this group of Hell Warriors and were soon killed to pieces.
At this time, the sun was about to set.
The large group of people led by Habib were in high spirits and rushed into the enemy's Wang Li troops like wild horses!
Edmund's army suddenly erupted in terrifying screams!
"Ahhh! Are these guys actually human?!"
"Hold on! Don't retreat! They are human beings just like us!"
"Don't back down! Keep fighting! Fight!"
“…”
Shouts of encouragement could not revive the collapsing morale.
Not only were the ordinary soldiers frightened and retreated repeatedly trying to escape, but the officers in the team also began to shrink back and become cowardly, shouting "Don't retreat" as they retreated.
Seeing that the enemy's morale began to collapse, Xiao Yun decisively ordered the magicians accompanying him to use the magic loudspeakers to shout at them to surrender from all directions.
"You are surrounded! Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately!"
"The fate of Edmund's regime has come to an end!"
"Stop resisting! Surrender! We don't kill prisoners!"
"Surrender! Surrender!"
"surrender--"
The mighty shouts surged like the waves of the sea. The already demoralized Edmund Army collapsed immediately. Tens of thousands of soldiers fled the battlefield at an alarming speed. The commander in the rear was shocked and tried to urge them to return to the front immediately. However, the number of soldiers fleeing the battlefield was so great that they overwhelmed the supervising team!
“Ahhhh—”
Edmund's army fell into complete chaos.
There were fleeing soldiers everywhere, including many middle and low-ranking officers. War horses without their riders stumbled and ran wildly across the plains, and bows, arrows, spears, armor and other items were thrown away at will.
"Sir! What should we do now?"
The subordinates screamed and rushed to the commander, Count Zog: "We have lost! Please order a retreat immediately!"
"Retreat? Why retreat?"
Count Zog raised his head and looked at his subordinates who were urging him to retreat with strange eyes.
"Our reinforcements will be arriving soon."
"Where are the reinforcements?"
The subordinates exclaimed: "Even if reinforcements come, we should retreat temporarily and fight again after they arrive!"
"Reinforcements will be arriving soon."
Count Zog repeated mechanically.
The subordinate asked tremblingly, "Then before the reinforcements arrive..."
"No retreat! No one is allowed to retreat!"
"But……"
"Give me the spear! I will personally lead you into battle against the usurper who calls himself Aura I!"
Count Zog stood up, his face full of anger.
"Here comes the big one!"
"What if... then we will..."
"Sir, we still—"
"I have achieved my current position through numerous rounds of selection and military merit. How could I possibly lose to this pampered girl who grew up in the palace?"
Count Zog, fully armored, prepared to head to the battlefield.
The subordinates looked at each other, not knowing whether they should continue to follow.
"If you're scared, run away like a coward! The battlefield doesn't need cowards!"
Count Zog roared, walked out of the tent, mounted his warhorse, and shouted at the enemy: "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Everyone, get out of the way! I want to have a one-on-one duel with the rebel leader who calls himself Aura I!"
…
…
"His Majesty--"
"I heard it."
Xiao Yun calmed his tall general and his familiar face.
"Get out of the way and let him come over."
"But--"
"Don't worry."
"Yes, sir!"
…
"Lucien! Fight me! Fight me!"
Zog came, his beast-like eyes flashing with cruelty, his scarlet tongue licking the corner of his mouth vigorously, the crowd avoided him like waves, but in just a moment,
"Lucien—"
Zog shouted arrogantly, but his body was shaking, and a strange terror was welling up in his heart.
(Why do you feel fear?)
Zog didn't understand.
The master's painting in front of him, his sea-blue eyes gleamed with no murderous intent, as if he were a bard who had strayed into the battlefield.
But he made the battle-hardened Zog feel an uncontrollable strong fear. The pride and pride accumulated over the years were shaken at this moment, and all the strength in his body was rapidly drained away.
(This person—this feeling—)
(I’m scared, I’m scared of this young man!)
(I feel like he's going to kill me! I'm going to—)
"Today is the anniversary of your death! I want to take off your head!"
Zog shouted at the top of his lungs to fight against the anxiety and fear in his heart.
(I never lose!)
(If it was the strong barbarian man beside him, he might be able to defeat me! But he——)
(I won’t lose! There’s no way I’ll lose to him! To someone so skinny!)
With a wild emotion, Zog raised his sword and slashed at Xiao Yun.
"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to—Ah!"
Zog fell off his horse.
"you--"
Before Zog could even finish his scream, he saw his guards rushing forward to protect him being easily chopped down by the skinny young man before him, turning them into stumps gushing blood.
"You're next!"
Xiao Yun looked at Zog sternly.
Seeing the enemy so powerful and invincible, the guards lost their courage to fight and scrambled away, with the sharp sword falling on Zog.
"ah--"
Split into two!
…
…
As night fell, the morale of Edmund's army had already collapsed. When they learned that the king's general had been killed, they completely lost the will to fight. Some of them chose to surrender by laying down their weapons on the spot, or took advantage of the chaos to escape into the dense woods around Ram Plain.
Seeing that all the enemy soldiers had fled and the lizard monster army had not appeared yet, Xiao Yun was worried that something might happen again after nightfall, so he immediately ordered the army not to pursue the fleeing soldiers, but to rest on the spot, accept their surrender, clean up the battlefield, take in and treat the wounded, and deal with the dead.
"No matter what, we were all compatriots. We can't abandon them."
After instructing his attendants, Xiao Yun prepared to go to the rear to visit Alfonso first, and then formulate corresponding measures based on the actual casualties.
“Eh—”
The attendant behind him suddenly cried out: "Your Majesty! The moon! The moon!"
"moon?"
Xiao Yun stopped and looked up at the sky.
A huge red moon slowly rose from the foot of the mountain into the starless night sky. The middle part of the moon was red to black, while the surrounding area was slightly lighter. Its texture was as sticky and dirty as rotten cheese, and its surface was crisscrossed with dark lines like spider webs.
"Is that straight thing in the sky the moon?"
“I always feel like something bad is going to happen next.”
"I've never seen such a strange moon, it's simply..."
The soldiers were discussing among themselves, their intense anxiety making it impossible for them to remain calm.
Xiao Yun was also looking at the moon.
For some reason, Xiao Yun, who was standing under the red moon that had risen high in the sky at an extraordinary speed just after nightfall—even though it was staring at the people gathered on the Ram Plain as if it had self-awareness—did not feel the slightest bit of fear. He even felt like laughing for some reason.
(Compared to the twin black moons that had appeared in the vision of the black snake soaring into the sky, shrouding the world in darkness, the red moon was nothing more than a low-level, childish, and poor imitation.)
…
"Don't be afraid, everyone. The red moon is a magical illusion cast by the enemy. It's a scare tactic!"
"We also have mages in our team! We even have the strongest mage in the world as external support. Even if a great war of magic breaks out, we won't lose to them!"
"Don't be afraid! Calm down! Everything will be fine after dawn!"
"After handling the bodies of the deceased according to regulations and making arrangements for the injured, you can return to the tent and rest well."
"Don't stare at the moon when you're on guard duty at night, or you might be bewitched by demonic illusions!"
“…”
Orders spread among the tents one after another. The soldiers who were originally in a fuss gradually calmed down. Some returned to the tents tiredly to rest, some gathered around the campfire to miss their families and imagine the future, and some looked at the corpses that gradually turned into ashes in the flames, sighing that life is impermanent.
…
…
[The boring prelude is finally over, and Zhizheng E's performance is about to begin. And you will enjoy the performance in my special seat.]
The devil's voice sounded again.
[So far, they still know nothing and foolishly believe that a strange red moon has risen in the sky tonight.]
"It's not them who are stupid, it's you."
Holding a crimson Rosamary, Yaris tells a smug "Edmund," "You know nothing of human courage."
Maybe.
The Demon King snorted nonchalantly, then looked at Yaris with interest, who was still as pale as an elf under the crimson moonlight.
Can you still see clearly?
"This isn't what you need..."
[Can your unique black eyes only see a grayish blackness at this moment?]
“…”
[In order for you to see the performance clearly, I will add some special lighting to this dark night! ]
"you--"
【Come on stage! 】
A shrill scream rang close to Yaris's eardrums, and the originally calm sky burst into a fierce light as if split by lightning.
In the flash, thousands of giant lizard monsters over ten meters tall strode through the forest with spears in hand towards the army stationed on the Ram Plain.
Due to their extremely tall and sturdy bodies, most of the treetops in the forest could only barely reach their waists. Yaris, who was already high in the sky with "Edmund", could clearly see the armor on the monsters shining in the strange red moon.
“Oh my God!”
Yaris couldn't help but exclaim and bit his lips nervously.
In front of this group of huge and terrifying monsters, the military tents scattered across the Ram Plains were as small as flower buds scattered on the lawn.
[Yaris, go to him immediately and ask him to surrender.]
[As long as he surrenders to me, I will never harm him and will spare everyone gathered here.]
"Until now, all the scheming, killing, and brutality I've unleashed have been for the sake of you. Once I have you, I will leave the Western Continent contentedly..."
【……】
"Shut up!"
Yaris interrupted the Demon King, his eyes gradually becoming unable to see his surroundings due to the dim light, and he stared intently at the big tent that was shining like a lighthouse in the dark night.
"Don't give up! Never give up! Even though everything seems bad now, I know you will succeed! You will succeed!"
…
A heart-stopping fear gradually arose, and the soldiers screamed as they watched the giant lizard monster striding towards them through the dark woods!
"What is that thing!"
"Ahhhh! What is this!?"
“Help! Help!”
The crazy screams were stuck in their throats, and everyone was scared.
Even though he repeatedly told himself that those monsters were illusions, illusions of the devil, fear inevitably overwhelmed his rationality.
"Don't be afraid! Those are just magical illusions! There are no ten-meter-tall lizard monsters in the world!"
The magicians who received the urgent order shuttled between the tents and shouted, trying to calm the panicked crowd.
However, this was the darkest moment, and even if there was no ten-meter-tall lizard monster walking towards them through the woods, it would be difficult for people to remain calm - there was a strange blood-red moon hanging in the sky, torches on the ground flickered everywhere, and the air was filled with the stench of burning corpses.
"Calm down! Stay calm!"
"Don't be scared by the illusion! These lizard monsters are only three meters tall at most!"
"Illusions! It's all illusions!"
“…”
After several rounds of shouting, the panicked soldiers finally regained their composure.
The former members of the Citizens Volunteer Corps who had experienced the Sacred Square Massacre, the Ebola Bridge Massacre and the Denos Massacre were the first to come to their senses. Driven by intense anger, they raised their weapons and rushed forward with bloodshot eyes.
"Monster! Give me back my family!"
"They killed my friends! My family! They must have eaten the flesh and blood of my loved ones to grow so big!"
"Revenge! I want revenge!"
"Don't be afraid, everyone! No matter how big they are, they're just monsters! We outnumber them by far!"
"Don't let anyone stop me! I've lost all my loved ones, and the only reason I live is revenge! Revenge!"
“…”
The grief-stricken and indignant cries of the former members of the Citizens Volunteer Corps echoed in the night sky. More and more soldiers realized from their cries that there was no possibility of coexistence between them and the lizard monster in front of them. They suppressed their inner fear and joined the resistance camp.
"us--"
"Don't be afraid! We have a special operations team specifically for lizard monsters. You just need to cooperate with the special operations team!"
Following this announcement, special operations teams centered around Semitic warriors marched fearlessly toward the behemoths that were several times taller than them.
"Ha! You really look tall and strong. I hope your muscles will satisfy me!"
Habier said this nonchalantly, raising a two-meter-high giant sword and rushing towards the face of the lizard monster that was about to walk out of the woods!
"Let me show you how powerful we, the Shem people, are!"
"The Sioux are about to start showing off!"
As soon as the lizard monster appeared in everyone's sight, the Sioux warriors, who had climbed up the tall trees with their agility, threw ropes tied with barbed fish hooks at the lizard monster's body. After making sure that the fish hooks had pierced the lizard monster's body, they immediately swung over like monkeys and launched an attack at close range.
The magicians cannot fight the lizard monsters in close combat like the barbarian warriors, but they have flexible bodies that are almost elusive. They can perform small-scale spatial displacement while emitting various smoke with strange effects, repeatedly stimulating and interfering with the actions of the lizard monsters, assisting the Shem, Sioux and ordinary warriors who swarmed up like ants to attack the lizard monsters.
"Don't be afraid! Hold on! We will be victorious soon!"
"Victory! Victory belongs to us!"
"We have hundreds of times more people than them. We will definitely win!"
"Look, the battle will soon have its outcome!"
“…”
…
At the same time as a battle recreated from a myth erupted on the pitch-black Ram Plains and at the edge of the woods—
In front of the big tent, Xiao Yun was discussing countermeasures with Kairusha, who was seeing the lizard monster for the first time, Alfonso, who had regained consciousness, and others.
"I don't know why, but these lizard monsters give me the same feeling as the sea giants from 'Priest of the Sea God'."
"I have a similar feeling. Although they are unusually large, they haven't displayed offensive power commensurate with their size in combat."
Xiao Yun touched his chin and agreed with Alfonso's point of view.
Kairusha nodded. "According to experience on the grasslands, a beast twice its size will typically have twice the attack power of its kin. In other words, if the ten-meter height of these lizard monsters is accurate, their attack power will be at least five times that of a three-meter-tall lizard monster. The Shem, with an average height of just over two meters, simply can't stand up to them in a one-on-one confrontation! The same goes for the Su."
"Indeed."
There was a gleam in Xiao Yun's eyes.
"I suspect they're actually a group of three-meter-tall lizard monsters, their appearance magnified by a similar illusion used by the Sea God Priest to create sea giants. However, illusions are still illusions, and they can't create anything tangible. Therefore, even though these lizard monsters have been magnified several times, their strength remains the same."
"...The core of the Poseidon Priest's illusion was the Hydra. The moment the Hydra was killed, the Sea Giant's illusion was instantly broken... This shows that these lizard monsters are also... Where is the core of the illusion that makes the lizard monsters multiply their size?"
"This question..."
The three of them frowned and thought together.
The early spring night wind blew coldly across the Ram Plains where the battle was raging, and the uncomfortable blood-red moon shone hatefully on the earth.
(Wait a moment!)
Black lightning flashed through Xiao Yun's mind.
"moon!"
"ah?"
"The blood-red moon in the sky!"
Xiao Yun said decisively, "That moon is really weird! I suspect it's the core of the illusion that magnified the lizard monster several times!"
"But the moon is in the sky. How can we..."
"Yes, the moon is in the sky..."
Xiao Yun fell into deep thought again.
(How can I shoot down the demonic moon in the sky? If only I had Dayi's ability to shoot down the sun!)
(Dayi shooting down the sun?!)
Xiao Yun looked down at the "Golden Blade" that had been eager to try.
(Shooting the sun is a myth, shooting the moon is also a myth. No one stipulates that the arrows used to shoot the sun and the moon must be regular arrows!)
"I need a ballista!"
Xiao Yun gave the order.
"Yes, sir."
The crossbow cart was quickly pushed in front of Xiao Yunbai.
Xiao Yun took a deep breath, pressed the "Golden Blade" like a sharp arrow onto the crossbow's arrow-shooting mechanism, and pulled the trigger fiercely.
"ah!"
Golden light rushed towards the blood-red moon.
The next moment, the blood-red moon disappeared, and the moonless sky was pitch black.
But this did not pose any problem for Alfonso, who had night vision, nor could it cause any obstacles to the movements of the Shem and Sioux warriors who were fighting a desperate battle with the lizard monsters.
They even cheered—
"Look! These guys are shrinking!"
"It turns out it's fake! It's not even ten meters high!"
"No wonder he couldn't catch my blow even though he's ten meters tall!"
“…”
The moment the blood-red moon was shattered and disappeared by the sharp arrows of the "Golden Blade", the ten-meter-tall lizard monsters returned to a height of about three meters.
A height of three meters would still bring a strong shock to the public, but since everyone fighting against them - including ordinary soldiers - had just experienced the huge impact brought by a height of ten meters, their morale suddenly rose when they saw the lizard monsters shrinking in height instantly after the illusion was broken.
"The scam has been broken! Everyone, hurry up!"
"I'm not afraid of a ten-meter-tall monster, so a three-meter-tall one is nothing!"
"Brothers! Let's charge together!"
“…”
The soldiers cheered and rushed towards the lizard monsters in the dim light of dawn.
On the other side, the lizard monsters lost the deterrent brought by their huge size, and were caught in the attack of a large number of people dozens of times their size. They immediately lost all their advantages. Under the tireless attacks of the soldiers—
"Ahhh~ See? I just killed the lizard monster! I did it!"
"This thing is only slightly taller than a normal person! And a bit thicker!"
"They do look scary, but we can still defeat them if we unite!"
"Come on! Let's kill these monsters together!"
“…”
People shouted excitedly, with the Shem, Sioux, and magicians as the core of the battle, forming countless small encirclements against the lizard monster.
Although the lizard monsters fought desperately, they fell one after another under the siege of the soldiers.
Every time they fall, the crowd cheers, inspiring more joy and confidence.
…
…
The night ends and the day begins.
The soldiers who had successfully eliminated all the lizard monsters began to clean up the battlefield and discovered that not only did the lizard monsters have green blood flowing in their bodies, but soon after death, their corpses began to ooze pus with a foul smell of sulfur.
"These things are just disgusting."
The soldiers frowned and complained softly as they cleaned up.
The "Golden Blade" that broke the blood-red moon also returned to Xiao Yun's hand at this time, with a deep red Rosamari on the sword tip.
(Rosa Marie?)
Xiao Yun was surprised.
You know, Rosa Marie is notoriously delicate and difficult to please. Now it is early spring in March, and Rosa Marie in full bloom can only be found in the greenhouses reserved for the nobles.
However, there are no flower farmers around Ram Plain who are good at growing Rosa Marie in greenhouses, not to mention that this is still a wilderness.
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