Kingdom's Bloodline, page 430
In an instant, the sound of pikes snapping, shields breaking, the orcs' pained screams, and the humans' curses all appeared together, making things appear to be incredibly chaotic.
Thales was shocked. Once again, he witnessed the great power of the orcs. A ferocious orc pushed its shield forward in its formation. Its tendons rose on its skin. While it roared with all its strength, it was forced back three steps on the sand, but not only did it manage to resist the heavy cavaliers' charge, it even exerted force in its waist and abdomen to yank the heavy cavalier before it down from his horse!
It roared and growled, and with a swing of its axe, it killed the fallen cavalier.
'This kind of power…'
The prince understood why Kandarll left behind this team of elites as rearguards.
But that was the end of their performance.
The next moment, before the captives' surprised gazes, when the orc who just yanked its opponent off his horse lifted its head, the second heavy cavalier rode past the horse on the ground, then crashed against the orc's shoulder with his pike!
*Clang!*
A loud noise appeared. The orc, who was already at the last of its strength, could no longer endure any longer. It swayed and could only watch the heavy cavalier charge past its body.
The third heavy cavalier rushed towards it mercilessly and slammed into its chest accurately.
In the dreadful crash, the orc who had just defeated its enemy with its mighty strength, could only be hit like a sandbag by its enemies. Its huge body flew backwards.
It fell to the ground, then coughed out blood in pain. It could not get up.
The orc would soon not need to worry any longer.
After one second.
*Rumble—"
The fourth, fifth, sixth… Countless heavy cavaliers rode forward in waves at a momentum no one could stop.
Their horse hooves mercilessly stepped over the orc who laid on the ground. While the bone-chilling thuds resounded through the air, they broke its bones, muscles, internal organs…
They shattered the pride the orc once had.
The dying orc did not even have the chance to stand up. It could only be submerged by the endless sea formed by the heavy cavaliers.
It was the epitome of what happened to the twenty or so orc interceptors. The orc warriors who faced death without fear and who had burning spirits were like the splashes in a sea, disappearing into the sand of the desert under the charge of the heavy cavaliers.
Without a trace, quietly.
Just like what the Kroma Family had ordered before they charged forward.
Leave none alive.
Chapter 378: Freaks |
As they watched the contest between strength and weight that ended in an instant, the captives who were laying on the sand dunes simply forgot to breathe.
"Oh my God..."
Quick Rope let out a shuddering breath. He looked towards the heavy calvaries that were charging forward because they wanted to join the pursuit. "These are heavy cavaliers? Their strength is over the top! Those are orcs! Eight or nine feet tall orcs!
"Did you just mention their steeds weigh eight hundred pounds?"
Louisa withdrew her head back and said quietly to Old Hammer, "So I'm guessing that to heavy cavaliers, you'll have to add the weight of their armor as well to figure out their real weight?"
"That's why we need to look for a place to protect and hide ourselves." Dean watched as the heavy cavaliers trampled over the merchant's camp. His face was unpleasant. "The Northlanders' heavy cavaliers are scarier than this. I saw it when I was young. With that kind of formation, when they are united and are charging forward, everything seems to be made by paper. They will be easily crumpled and crushed."
Thales' pursed his lips and did not talk.
For the first time, he understood why the Star Killer bound him and Saroma to horses ruthlessly to let them get used to the situation on the battlefield.
The captives sighed together and turned to what remained of the battlefield. While they were fleeing, Shattered Stone Tribe was outflanked by the Stardust Unit, which suddenly joined their ranks.
Compared to the Kroma family's ambush launched by the heavy cavaliers, which did not cause even a splash due to how quickly it happened, there was only a tiny group of warriors left to be taken care of for the Stardust Unit.
There was no doubt that the warriors of Shattered Stone Tribe were heroic and fearless. Every time the human cavaliers broke through another layer of their defence, the next batch of fighters would emerge from what remained of them on their own under command. They would stay in place resolutely to form a new line of defence, slowing down the Stardust Unit's ceaseless pursuit with fruitless battles and certain death, so that they could win some time for the other orcs to continue fleeing.
And on the other side, each of the cavaliers from the Stardust Unit acted like the ferryman from Hell's River. They ambushed the orcs from both sides with their blades and pikes flying all over the place. Wherever they were, that place would be filled with the sorrowful cries and furious roars of the orcs, as well as blood and pain.
They were not without any casualties. One or two unlucky cavaliers were shot down in battle. The ones who were fortunate returned to their horses or rode their comrade's horses. Whereas the unfortunate ones… But that was incomparable and not worth mentioning compared to the casualties the orcs suffered, the disadvantages they faced, and how much they were pushed into a defensive position.
In the face of agile, sharp, fast and nimble cavaliers, the explosive power and strength the desert orcs were proud of, and even the endurance and rage that would appear within them when they were severely wounded, lost all their uses. The tribal warriors who were once undefeated now looked clumsy, powerless, and completely helpless.
The knights on the horse often spurred their horses forward before suddenly changing their directions to enter the orcs' formation from the sides or their backs. With speed and momentum, they would launch their ambush with either pierces or slashes. Then, regardless of the results of the battle, they would lift their reins and speed away, barely avoiding the infamously dangerous and powerful counter attacks while the orcs were heavily wounded. Before the tall and huge orcs charged forward together and surrounded them, they would already be far away.
If they came face to face against a group of orcs who formed a huge formation, the human cavaliers would cooperate with each other in numbers of two or three. One will charge forward to lure the enemy, one will sneak around the orc and ambush it, even throw his pike or shoot with his crossbow on the horse. They will then both retreat to a safe distance, and then later return to make another ambush.
As for those difficult opponents who were prepared for them since they saw them charging forward a long time go, the cavaliers would rather avoid a frontal assault. They would search for other opportunities and not risk fighting. Some even turned around and continued charging once they made a whistle after charging halfway. The orcs who were ready to fight them could only scream indignantly but helplessly. Then, they would have to face either fatal or non-fatal attacks from behind or their sides.
However, many orcs were ambushed and wounded by these sly, despicable, practically shameless attacks. They can only let out enraged and incredibly indignant roars while those fatal wounds of theirs continued bleeding, and they could only watch their swift opponents leave into the distance.
They vainly waved their weapons in their madness brought by their severe injuries, channeling their frustrations into their frightening endurance and explosive power before finally welcoming their tragic fate—to die drained of strength.
The number of orcs fleeing continued dwindling.
Kandarll's roar was getting hoarser.
Just like the fate of its subordinates.
Thales sighed deeply.
'So is this how the stories in the bardic poems and the history books made? Especially the ones about the legendary battle during the Holiness Exorcism Campaign three thousand years ago, about the two thousand human cavaliers who destroyed twenty thousand infantry orcs?'
At this moment, a discordant voice rose on the chaotic and fierce battlefield.
"Motherf*cuker!"
The knight who spoke was a commander of the Stardust Unit. He saw the Kroma Family's unstoppable charge from a distance.
The knight broke away from the brigade. Then snapped his reins while he shouted crudely.
"That rich boy is really... hurry up, b*tches! This is our credit, don't let them take it from us!"
Once he said those words, a fierce sound shot past his head!
A long arrow fell at a spot not far away from him.
It was only then that the knight reacted. While in a state of shock, he turned to the direction where the long arrow came from. A white-lipped orc pulled out another arrow and coldly nocked it on its huge black bow while it was fleeing among the other orcs.
The observant Thales immediately recognized it. It was one of Kandarll's three Holy Guards: the orc Yaku who killed mercenary Palka with one shot.
"Motherf*cker!"
The man who just spoke snapped his reins and galloped towards Yaku while cursing loudly, "It's you again, you lipstick-wearing, transvestite mixed breed…
"Has your mother never taught you to not shoot while moving during the night because your vision will s*ck at that time..."
Yaku responded with another arrow!
*Swoosh!*
The speaker was shocked.
The long arrow was so heavy that it passed by the ear of the speaker and shot another knight's steed.
As the horse neighed in pain, the poor knight fell to the ground and was surrounded by several orcs.
When the human who spoke saw his subordinate's sacrifice, he went into a fit of rage and slapped his thighs. "I'm so pissed!
"Snake Shooter! Spirit Blade!"
He yelled and pointed at Yaku, "Get rid of that orc with the lipstick!"
As soon as he spoke, a Constellatiate knight answered to the call and came forward. He immediately raised a longbow, nocked a long arrow tied to a rope on the bow, and shot at Yaku!
The long arrow flew halfway, but before it reached Yaku, it fell weakly and sank into the shoulder of another orc.
The orc screamed and held the long arrow.
The archer who shot the arrow whistled, pulled the long rope, and galloped towards the other side, seemingly intending to drag the orc down!
The orc roared angrily. It grabbed the long rope and pulled it in the opposite direction, trying to drag the knight down from his mount.
The long rope was… drawn to become straighter and tighter.
Thales was shocked. He, who had seen an orc using its immense strength to capsize a heavy cavalier, could not help but want to give a warning to tell the knight not to engage with the orc in a contest of strength!
However, just as the long rope was about to drawn taut and the knight was about to be dragged down from his horse, the latter let go sneakily.
The orc who pulled the other end of the long rope was about to exert force in its arms, but it suddenly lost its balance and staggered back.
"Haha, dumbass!" The archer knight laughed out loud.
Another knight whizzed past the fallen orc, and his blade shone in a strange way. Before Thales could see anything clearly, the orc on the ground let out a loud cry, and blood spurted from its neck.
"Stop fooling around, Snake Shooter!"
The knight with the strangely flashing blade was a woman with an angry voice. "The boss gave us orders, so do what you're told!"
When she spoke, she stopped her horse, and three orcs went up to surround her!
"Spirit Blade! Be careful!" The knight who was cursing loudly in the beginning quickly gave her a warning.
But while he was observing the battle, Thales was shocked. The rope that had been shot out seemed to have a life of its own, because it suddenly bounced up from the ground!
It was like a giant python. It instantly wrapped itself around an orc closest to the female knight, then strangled it tightly.
The orc dropped its weapon and struggled to tug the rope on its neck, but the rope tightened on its own until it reached a point where the orc could not touch it.
But the rope was not done. The other parts of the rope that were not around the orc's neck bounced up in that straight, snake-like manner again, then wrapped itself around the neck of the other two orcs!
"Don't worry, boss!"
The archer named Snake Shooter, pulled one end of the long rope, gave a smile while giving a thumbs up at the knight who spoke. "Everything is under control!"
The next moment, a sword flashed.
Thales did not manage to see how the strike was delivered, but he saw blood gushing out in all directions!
The three poor orcs avoided the fate of being strangled to death, but they had their necks cut open.
"Enough, Snake Shooter!" The female knight named Spirit Blade flung off the blood on her blade, then lifted her weapon towards Snake Shooter in a displeased fashion, who was still tugging at the rope in a dumbfounded manner. She then said, "We're supposed to kill the one with the lipstick!"
"You ain't supposed to be acting cool, idjit!"
Snake Shooter screamed in a weird fashion, "You don't understand, this is my way of fighting..."
Thales looked at the male and female knights in surprise. His gaze shifted back and forth from the snake-like ropes to the strange blade tip.
'What kind of power… is that?'
The captives seemed to be no less surprised or shocked than Thales. They looked at each other. Only Old Hammer's expression turned stranger with each passing second.
"Shut up!"
The knight who first yelled seemed to be very annoyed. "Those young masters are going to take our credit, do your jobs properly, you mother*ckers! What the f*ck!"
And then, due to a moment of carelessness, he left the charging group, and was dragged down to the ground by an orc filled with despair and rage!
"Boss!" Snake Shooter and Spirit Blade exclaimed in surprise.
Thales recognized the orc.
The orc had blue paint on its face, and in its hands it held a spiked mace.
It was one of the three Holy Guards.
The orc, Duraman.
It was Thales' freuca.
The blue-faced orc roared and raised the spiked mace in its hand to aim at the 'boss' who was pinned under his horse.
Thales sighed.
At this moment, a fourth knight charged forth. He lifted his hand from the distance!
In the blink of an eye, the gravel on the ground around Duraman exploded and flew into the air to pounce on Duraman's face!
*Whoosh!*
While sand and stone flew in the air, Duraman put down its spiked mace, rubbed its eyes, and retreated in pain.
Thales looked at the scene before him in amazement. The flying sand seemed to be controlled by someone. They blocked Duraman's sight, preventing it from killing the cavaliers''boss'.
But more orcs saw Duraman's condition. They avoided the orcs charging at them, then approached the warchief's Holy Guard.
The knight who made the sand fly rushed to the rescue and shouted,
"Weird Flame! Stop them!"
Further into the distance, a fifth knight named Weird Flame came galloping forth. He bent down and pulled out a few round cans from his saddle.
"Coming!"
As his mount charged forth, he threw the round cans in his hand towards the incoming orcs.
The round cans burst and spilled out a black liquid that poured over the orcs' faces and heads.
The knight named Weird Flame snapped his fingers.
*Boom!*
Thales was astonished again!
Flames.
Endless flames erupted from the orcs who were smeared with the black liquid!
They screamed and rolled on the ground as they were burnt.
Under the efforts of several knights, the 'boss' finally pulled himself out from under his dead horse while cursing up a storm.
But on the other side, Duraman finished rubbing its eyes. It roared and charged at him!
The other knights rushed towards their 'boss', but it was too late.
*Bang!*
The spiked mace came swinging down and hit the shield the 'boss' pulled out!
'Boss' snorted.
Thales, who witnessed Duraman's attack before, felt his heart tense.
'This is bad.
'Duraman's strength…'
And just as he expected, the blue-faced orc let out a powerful roar and applied more force on its spiked mace!
Boss' face was twisted in pain, as if he could no longer withstand the orc's great strength.
"Damn… You think having power... makes you awesome or something?" He spoke falteringly, and his whole body trembled. It looked incredibly taxing.
But the next scene once again surpassed Thales's expectations.
While 'boss' trembled, he used his right arm to push against the shield, then slowly extended his left arm to push off one of Duraman's arms!
"Hurar—" Before Duraman could finish cursing, it discovered to its shock that its spiked mace was being lifted up inch by inch…
'What?'
The human captives who were watching the battle were equally shocked!
"My God, is that Hercules?" Quick Rope blinked.
But what he saw was the truth. In this contest of strength between the human and orc, Duraman's weapon was being pushed up bit by bit by the human's physical strength.
The knight named 'boss' gritted his teeth, lifted his eyes, and continued to push off the enemy's hand with his left arm.
"Ahh!"
'Boss' roared. His arm muscles gradually tensed.
Thales focused his attention on them. He saw that the boss' left arm was a whole size thicker than his right arm.
Finally, an unimaginable strength broke out from the 'boss', and he lifted the spiked mace over his head!
*Boom!*
He pushed Duraman back firmly, then fell on the ground while panting.
The orc Duraman looked at its own weapon with an unpleasant expression. Clearly, it was unable to imagine that it had actually been suppressed by a human being.
