Chapter 235 “Sigh of the Frost Moon”
Hiding behind the hilltop, Alpha rested there for a good while to regain his strength and to evaluate the enemy’s combat capacities.
As the general of a whole army, that Gold Wolf Head will definitely have some skilled subordinates standing by. Moreover, Alpha has no doubt that the enemy leader is at least on par with him in terms of skills despite being injured.
If it’s like this, then fighting alone against 600 soldiers and the enemy commander will require some extra planning.
It’s not like Alpha is afraid of the risks involved, after all, even back when he fought for the Rowling family during the coup, he never once flinched when facing off against the Temple’s Holy Knights. What he is afraid of though is missing the target. If he openly attacked, the enemy leader might use his subordinates as a s.h.i.+eld and take that window of opportunity to escape; such an outcome is not tolerable!
Must wait for the perfect timing!
Taking in a long deep breath, Alpha then climbed down from the hill and began tailing the natives from afar using his own horse to keep up.
Finally, after persisting for half a day, an opportunity presented itself!
Further ahead on the roadside wilderness, a deserted looking home appeared. Judging by the condition the building was in; it’s likely been abandoned for a long time.
However, what drew everyone’s attention wasn’t the ruined buildings; it was the water well beside it!
When these natives saw this, even those that looked like they were about to die had their vitality reenergized. Like crazed animals, everyone began to swarm up to the well, completely ignoring their surroundings.
In mere moments, chaos ran rampant among their ranks.
Taking advantage of this, Alpha quickly snuck pa.s.sed the natives and hid himself behind a tangled ma.s.s of rocks nearby. Looking out, his heart began to race because what he had waited for so long finally arrived.
A chance!
Those natives had already flocked up to the well, ready to draw the water. However, whenever someone tries to toss the water bucket down, the guy from the back would immediately s.n.a.t.c.h it away with a heavy kick to the b.u.t.t.
Back and forth, this ridiculous scene played out endlessly until all their resentments began to boil over after keeping it in for so many days. Like wolves, these people drew their blades and began to face off against their so called comrades with blood shot eyes.
“You bunch of fools!!” A hoa.r.s.e voice came from the back. Still sitting atop of his horse, Gold Wolf Head sat there and gave his men a painfully sad look: “What are you people doing! Your blades aren’t used to kill your own brothers! Put those blades down!!”
Although he is seriously wounded, but Gold Wolf Head’s oppressive status still carried some weight in these soldiers mind.
Unfortunately, when they finally calmed down and had a closer look at the well, the harsh truth finally came out: It’s dry!
For those unwilling to accept this reality, they still dropped the bucket into the well to test their luck. Try as they may though, the only thing they managed to draw up is a bucket full of sand.
Due to this reason, their last bit of sanity finally cracked. Completely losing their calm, panic and despair completely took root and practically devolved these humans into wild beasts.
Then out of nowhere – who knows which guy was it that lost his mind first due to hunger – someone suddenly began to attack one of the war horses in their group. Hissing wildly at his a.s.sailant, the horse wanted to pull away, but sadly that wasn’t going to happen. Holding the reign with an iron grip, the fierce looking man then brandished his sword and began to repeated hack away at the horse until all life left the animal. Knowing he achieved his goal, this person rapidly smashed his head into the gory flesh and then swallowed a giant mouthful of blood.
But before this person could take a second drink, a metallic sheen already arrived at his neck.
Swoos.h.!.+
With a clear crisp slicing sound, his head was sent rolling through the air.
Turns out the new entry is in fact the owner of the slain horse. Seeing how his beloved partner was just murdered before his very eyes, this guy wasn’t just going to let it slide, ally or no ally. It must be mentioned that each warrior in the prairie would raise their own mount from childhood; therefore, a war horse isn’t just a steed they use to travel, it’s an irreplaceable ent.i.ty in their life.
Like a powder keg that was lit ablaze, the situation quickly devolved to the point of no return.
Since the horse was already dead on the ground, those too crazed to think straight began to dive in without any care for the others.
The owner reacted in the same way as before, but when he resisted, the crowd immediately ma.s.sacred the poor guy into mush. This way, some of the first to move up managed to get a share of the horsemeat.
However, there’s no way a single horse can feed all these starving people.
Following the first example, many more began to eye the other horses in their pack.
Rob the horses! Rob the meat!
Regardless of who it was, these barbarians began to slaughter any horse in their vicinity and attack their own comrades.
“Enough!!!”
With unbridled fury, Gold Wolf Head ignored the pain striking at his leg and jumped down from his mount. Then using his own weapon, he beheaded the two closest fighting men next to him.
Gus.h.i.+ng out a fountain of blood, the two headless bodies slowly fell to the ground, never to move again.
“All of you stop this now and lay down your arms!!” He bellowed his words allowed.
Unlike the first time where he managed to calm everyone down, his maneuver this time actually had the opposite effect.
Before long, Gold Wolf Head suddenly found himself standing before a group of unfamiliar faces, each with eyes full of venomous greed.
“What are you all doing!!”
Noticing the situation wasn’t right, the 100 loyal guards immediately moved up to stand beside their leader, each with their blades drawn and ready to fight.
“What bulls.h.i.+t Gold Wolf Head!” Spitting out a mouthful of foamed blood, this soldier began to scold in a mocking voice: “The reason we lost this battle and lost a shaman was because of you. When we go back, your entire family will become slaves, yet you still dare yell at us like that!”
When the others heard this, they also began to follow up with more reprimanding words.
For those more courageous: “Why not just take his head and bring it to the Roland people, this way we won’t get punished and might even be rewarded!”
Seeing how sparks were flying between both sides, the guards loyal to Gold Wolf Head brandished their blades, ready to move up if any of the confronting soldiers tried to make a move……
“Infighting?” Hiding behind the pile of rocks, Alpha sneered at the scene: “They truly are savages.”
Tightening the grip on his sword, he was just about to move in when……
Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses drifted over from the far off distance. Judging from the dust cloud kicked up in the air, the oncoming group should be of significant size.
Like reflex, the two opposing parties immediately stopped the hostility they had towards each other. With nervousness in their eyes, the group huddled together and reformed their ranks while facing the Northwest direction where the noise was coming from.
“What are you all idling there for, hurry and mount your steeds!!!” Despite his current image, Gold Wolf Head’s order still carried some weight.
Nevertheless, it was already too late.
Knowing the chance had slipped his grasp, Alpha immediately hid behind the rocks again when he had already took two steps out.
Sighing, Gold Wolf Head thought: Is it the enemy? If they chased us all the way out here then we are finished, there’s no way we can outrun the pursuers like this.
However, when their distance shortened, the general was utterly surprised to find that the flag flying in the air was black.
Black Flag?
The Northwest army!!
Numbering at around 2000 strong, Gold Wolf Head should have been happy to see who it was, but this experienced general can tell the other party didn’t come with good will. When they finally made contact, this unit wearing complete sets of black armor from the Northwest Army immediately flanked the natives on both sides and created a circular formation, thus leaving no room for escape.
With cold eyes, these cavalry soldiers waited there in silence as if they were looking at a flock of sheep, ready to be slaughtered at any moment.
Still hiding behind the pile of rocks, Alpha found this unit from the Northwest Army to be extremely weird because the air they gave off was cold, so cold that it was numbing……
Finally, when the oppressive pressure nearly crushed these natives, a cold voice came out from the Northwest Army.
“Further ahead is the respected Gold Wolf Head general?”
Following suit, the cavalry riders of the Northwest Army made an opening in their ranks and what came forward is a young knight riding a perfectly black steed. Alpha tried to get a clearer look at the mysterious figure, but unfortunately the guy had the upper part of his face hidden behind a metal mask, leaving only the mouth uncovered..
Nevertheless, Alpha figured the person is of a young age based on the voice he heard, this much he is certain.
Watching the young knight, Gold Wolf Head had a complicated expression on his face: “Turns out to be the young general! May I know why General Rugaard sent you here today, is it to intercept me and take my life?”
Sitting atop of his black steed, the young Knight may be smiling, but his eyes clearly had a flicker of cold light in it.
“Gold Wolf Head general.” This person referred to as the young General seems to smile: “Indeed, it was my father whom sent me here today, but… … He gave me two different orders.”
Sensing danger, Gold Wolf head clenches his blade: “What, does the general intend to go back on our agreement?”
“No need to make it sound so bad.” The young Knight shakes his head: “My father always lectured me in how there’s no such thing as an everlasting alliance. The so called trust is only built on one’s self interest.”
After a pause, this person’s voice even seemed sweet to the ear as he gently laughed: “My father gave me two orders: first is if you win, I will welcome you and even escort you back to the gra.s.sland. Aside from that, I will even take over the job of exterminating the survivors inside Anglia City! As for the second order….. If you unfortunately failed, then that’s a shame. Entering the empire’s territory without permission, the Northwest Army will need to take your head in order to make up for our negligence. Think about it, the Northwest Army sacrificed blood and men to repel the enemy and even took the head of the famed Gold Wolf Head General; don’t you think the ending is perfect?”
Speaking up to the end, this person’s eye already has a clear burst of killing intent in it.
After hearing those words, Gold Wolf Head knew his end is near. Nevertheless, he is someone that survived many hurdles. With a sad smile, he puffed out his chest and glared at the young knight: “The strong devours the weak; I knew you Roland pigs can’t be trusted! When the situation looks bad, you will definitely backstab us.”
“Dear Gold Wolf head general… … Us Roland people are like this, but aren’t you prairie natives the same?” The young knight showed no signs of losing his temper while sitting atop of his mount: “But, I’ve always respected the strong. As the strongest warrior in the royal court, I will give you the honor of dying under my blade.”
With that, the young Knight leaps off his horse and swiftly removed his helmet: “Gold Wolf Head, I’ll give you an opportunity to have a fair duel with me. If you win I’ll let you leave, either way, father wouldn’t reprimand me much anyways.”
“Really?” Life immediately burst out from the general’s eye. He may have been prepared to die, but no one in this world is going to let such a chance slide.
“Of course!” Although this young knight already removed his helmet to reveal the flaming red hair underneath, but he was still wearing the face mask, as such, the only indication of his mood was the faint smile he had.
With that, he raised one hand.
At his order, the 2000 Northwest Army soldiers also raised their lances in unison and pointed it towards the 600 native riders.
“Don’t be nervous.” Looking at the nervous bunch before him, the young General gave a disdainful smile. Waving his hand, the surrounding cavalry knights silently pulled their horses back to expand the encirclement.
Unable to decide what to do, Gold Wolf Head’s expression was sometimes somber, sometimes suspicious, however, after his initial waver, he finally made a decision.
“Even if the guy is lying to me, so what? Its just death! At least I will have the chance to take another with me! The kid is the son of the Army Head, such a partner in death is perfect!”
Finis.h.i.+ng this thought, Gold Wolf Head raised his blade into the air and pointed up at the sky. Suddenly, he uttered out a battle cry unique to the natives of the gra.s.sland.
EEAAHHH!!!
One of his leg may be broken, but as of this moment, he looked nothing like a crippled old man, instead, the mighty warrior he was so well known for once again resurfaced: “Come on kid! Let’s see if you got the skills to back up your words!!”
When his voice died down, many of the prairie wolves behind him began to shout out in cheers, after all, the enemy did say they can leave if their leader wins the duel.
Crackle… … Crackle … …
Watching the rising momentum of his foe, the young knight seems oblivious to it all. Very slowly, he also drew his blade and simply stared at the crippled general before him.
Feeling uncomfortable at the intense stare, Gold Wolf Head suddenly charged forward with a yell and attempted to strike down at the kid before him.
To be ranked as the Gold Wolf Head, this warrior of the gra.s.sland is of course extremely powerful. The instant he made his move, a reddish flaming hue already broke out from his sword to indicate the Dou Qi used in his attack.
In one loud thud, Gold Wolf Head’s strike had already landed. Despite his effort, the attack was easily blocked with a wave of the young knight’s sword.
Though it didn’t work, the strike wasn’t all for naught because the young knight’s foot was firmly pressed into the soil due to the impact.
In a flurry of maddening cries, Gold Wolf Head made another series of attacks that left even Alpha gasping for breath at the sight.
This Gold Wolf Head really is strong! One strike stronger than the last, there was no room for retaliation.
In one single breath, this native general managed to pull off 10 consecutive hits that sent sparks flying with every contact. In the end, even this young knight had to involuntarily move back.
Compared with this giant like Gold Wolf Head, this young General of the Northwest Army seems to have been overshadowed. However, no matter how powerful or fast Gold Wolf Head’s attack was, this young knight seems to be able to deflect it without so much as a cut.
Panting, Gold Wolf Head is starting to run out of energy. He was originally injured to begin with, adding in the long days of travel and the sudden outburst of attacks he made, it’s no wonder the blade in his hand is starting to get heavy. What disturbed him though isn’t the fact that he couldn’t take down the enemy before him; it’s the fact that the kid was able to stop all his attacks with ease.
Noticing his foe was out of strength and was injured on the leg, the young general decided to take several steps backward to regain his composure.
“Is this all you’re capable of?”
“Quit yapping your nonsense!” Gold Wolf Head suddenly takes in a deep breath as his eyes turn red. Then out of nowhere, his arm that was holding the blade began to expand till it was twice its original size. Meanwhile, the blade in his hand also began to reverberate with a humming sound of intense stress.
Jumping up into the air, Gold Wolf Head made another attack like an eagle shooting down at its prey!
At this, the young general of the Northwest Army finally revealed a look of surprise and the sneer that was dominating his mouth all this time finally turned into a smile of excitement. Taking another step back, he suddenly kneeled down on one knee and raised his sword to block…..
Keng!!
The clear crisp sound that came off their contacting swords seems to be able to pierce everyone’s eardrum. For those unfortunately enough caught in the shockwave, they were sent rolling off their rolling back several meters.
Claclack…..
Under the blinding red light, Gold Wolf Head suddenly heard the sound of something cracking. Then before he knew it, the blade in his hand shattered into numerous pieces. In the end, he was sent flying back after coughing out a mouthful of blood.
Slowly standing up, the young knight’s breathing may sound rapid, but he was nowhere close to being injured: “Truly powerful…… It’s a shame, if you weren’t injured, you would have been able to last a bit longer under my sword.”
With that, this young general suddenly revealed a weird smile on his face while aiming his sword at the defeated foe before him. Without any indication, a silvery light erupted from his sword that gave off an eerie chill to all the bystanders.
Before anyone knew it, the sword looked like it was engulfed in a layer of ice and snow.
In a whistling sound, the young general was already sweeping towards the native leader with the icy sword in hand.
Seconds later, the frost from the sword intensified till it was a storm and instantly transformed the giant warrior into an ice statue.
Standing behind the pile of rocks, Alpha nearly gave himself away with a reactionary shout after witnessing the scene before him.
Retracting his sword, the young general of the Northwest Army slowly came up to the ice statue and gave his opponent a cold and indifferent laugh. Then with one fell sweep of his sword, the head of this once famed Gold Wolf was lopped off!
Since the body was already frozen to the core, there was not a single drop of blood to be seen.
Then picking up his trophy, this bone numbing young knight looked into the eyes of his beheaded foe and said: “You’ve really let me down. Humph, what Gold Wolf Head, merely a warrior of the seventh rank……”
With that, he gently tossed the head to the side and had his subordinates store it into a bag.
Already mounted, this young general then turns around to look at the remaining native soldiers with their disbelieving eyes. In addition to being hungry and thirsty, this group of 600 was already at the brink of collapse, adding in the fact that their leader was just murdered before their very eyes, the only emotion left in their minds now was despair, total and utter despair.
“Kill them all … … Leave none alive.”
Leaving behind this sentence, this young general was already gone.
And behind him were the painful cries of death and carnage.
Standing behind the pile of rocks, Alpha made sure to hide every spec of his presence. Nevertheless, his sight instinctive went towards the direction of where the young general had gone off to.
This young Knight … … is strong! Really really strong!
That Gold Wolf Head should’ve been similar to him in strength, yet that young knight….
What exactly is his level?
Especially the last move he used!
Captain Alpha’s heart sank at the thought.
The reason is because he recognized that move and even had the pleasure of witnessing it in action before!!!
Rodriguez!!!
There’s no doubt about it, it’s the signature move used by the Rodriguez, the saint knight!!
Sigh of the Frost Moon!!