SWDnovel #575 - Dusk Dawn (9k8, four chapters in one, watch the final battle in one go)
#575 - Dusk Dawn (9k8, four chapters in one, watch the final battle in one go)
"How is it?"
"The injuries are too severe." The high-level cultivator helplessly drew a ' weed' character on his forehead, "Your Excellency Alphos has already been summoned by the Lord; we are powerless."
Lying on his back on a large blue stone, the shadow of a sand dune covered Alphos's lifeless face.
This once-proud son of heaven, a knight of the Champion Edict, now had a crooked mouth and eyes, a dented neck guard, a broken neck, and a towering nose that almost touched his chest.
He died still staring, as if he couldn't believe he would die like this.
A hint of uncontrollable sadness flashed in his eyes, Prince Condé reached out and closed his dim blue eyes for him.
Turning his head and standing up, the prince looked at the fluttering flags on the distant hill.
Since Alphos fell, the mercenaries' offensive had weakened a lot.
Even with the Edict Knights supervising the battle and hunting down deserters, they still showed signs of war-weariness and cowardice.
Their training and battlefield experience far surpassed those of the Salvation Army, but they were no match for the Salvation Army in terms of morale.
In the beginning, they could continuously advance the battle line, but as time went on and casualties increased, they lost confidence in themselves in the face of a victory that seemed distant and uncertain.
It was about 4 PM at this time, and it had been almost 3 hours since the start of the battle.
The two sides exchanged blows, and although each had suffered thousands of casualties, the two mercenary regiments had each lost nearly one-fifth of their troops and were on the verge of collapse.
As for the guards and sergeants, they had already retreated from the hill and began to flee after suffering more than a hundred casualties.
Even Prince Condé could no longer order the remaining infantry to continue the attack.
To prevent the infantry from collapsing, Lacunio also sent Edmund's knight order to help Prince Condé stabilize the situation.
At the same time, Edmund also brought Lacunio's cruel message to Prince Condé: "This battle cannot be won; we must withdraw."
A cloud of dust rolled in, and Prince Condé stared directly at Edmund, who had returned to put out the fire, "What are the casualties of our knights?"
"There are still more than 250 of our knight order gentlemen."
Prince Condé closed his eyes slightly. By collecting the remaining knights from the previous battles, he had brought a total of 4 Edict Knight orders, more than 1,300 people.
But at this moment, according to Edmund's numbers, they had only barely over 1,000 left who could still fight on the battlefield.
The rest were either seriously injured and out of the battle or had turned into cold corpses.
"Your Highness." Erhard, who had come from not far away, jumped off his horse and gave Prince Condé a chest-touching salute, "Alphos's Third Edict Knight order has been reorganized and is ready to be dispatched at any time."
Prince Condé looked at the battlefield, which had fallen into a brief calm, and asked seemingly casually, "Erhard, do you think we can continue fighting?"
"We can fight, but... it will be difficult." Erhard grasped the ' weed' shaped pendant, "The Holy Lord is on our side; victory is not urgent."
"You really are as slippery as a catfish." Prince Condé joked casually, looking at the fluttering black and red sun flag, but his heart was filled with uncontrollable humiliation and resentment.
Prince Condé had already realized that Lacunio was right; this battle could not be won.
Hohen's losses were only one-tenth, and his morale was high, but he had already lost more than one-eighth of his troops.
With the death of Alphos, this gap was constantly widening.
And most importantly, it was a contest of willpower. Morale and willpower were very important in specific battles, and they had completely fallen into a disadvantage.
Prince Condé's back teeth kept grinding, and for a moment, he was in a daze. He had lost in a frontal battle to this monstrous person, who was still a farmer a year and a half ago, and to a group of short-haired rebels who were farmers and small citizens half a year ago.
Closing his eyes, and then opening them, Prince Condé, despite being extremely awkward, could only reluctantly order: "Retreat! Knights to the sides, cover the mercenaries' retreat."
"Retreat now?"
Several knights around him showed humiliated expressions on their faces.
They were Edict Knights, the most elite knights of the Leya Kingdom, different from the knock-off Royal Knights of Fran of the Fran Kingdom. Each one was a strictly selected and rigorously trained elite knight.
It would be one thing not to attack the wagon formation, but now they were retreating even in a direct confrontation with open formations.
Were the Edict Knights still the invincible Edict Knights of the Empire?
Several Edict Knight orders had already been lost to Hohen, which could originally be said to be the Salvation Army taking advantage of tricks.
But now, if they retreated, wouldn't the Edict Knights really not be a match for the Salvation Army?
"Your Highness, I've actually been watching from the highlands for a long time and have figured out their rotation patterns and loopholes." Edmund, who came down from the highlands to support Prince Condé, couldn't help but say, "The enemy's right-wing musketeers have been transferred to the highlands, and the frequency of using those large muskets is much higher than the other two lines.
They can't have no restrictions, so the right wing must be weak.
Let Gallien hold them back on the highlands, and we can take advantage of their movement to quickly rush from the depression to that slope, and then without going down the slope, from the saddle-like passage to the third slope, then as long as we walk through a hundred-meter corridor, we can..."
"Cut it out. His Highness the Prince and His Excellency Lacunio have already made a decision, and besides, if you're not careful and get hit by a large musket, can you guarantee that His Highness won't end up like Alphos?" Frowning, Erhard interrupted Edmund, "I advise you to be realistic!"
Edmund bowed to His Highness Prince Condé, and after a minute-long silence, he still heard an extremely tangled sigh: "Since the order to retreat has already been given, then let's retreat."
Filled with helplessness and humiliation, Edmund ran towards the hills.
Standing beside Alphos's corpse, His Highness the Prince looked at the battlefield with a heavy heart.
There was only a little over an hour left until evening, and the sun was still setting in the west. Under the gentle sunlight, the Salvation Army pressed down on the hills like a black iron mountain.
And between the hills and the depression, riderless warhorses running around, wounded soldiers bleeding and wailing, and the corpses of knights suddenly twitching, the flag representing the Jinque family was casually thrown on the ground.
This kind of battle was simply not something he could have fought.
At the mountain pass of the highlands, Hohen's flag at that time did not have black and red colors, only the sun symbol. He was so close to that flag that if it weren't for that old knight, he would have caught this mouse.
Later, he did not hesitate to send a earl with Edict Knights to pursue, but they still escaped the Black Bone Swamp and ran to Duke Kush's territory.
In the Battle of Zhendeburg and the Battle of Jiliu City, 3 Edict Knight orders were lost.
Now, he held 4 Edict Knight orders and 2 elite mercenary regiments, but he was still hesitating and unable to advance under this sun flag, as if he would never be able to touch that simple battle flag.
And today, he had paid everything, tried his best, and was actually going to retreat again.
Was he going to continue to retreat? If so, then why did he have to drink that dragon potion?
"Wuwuwu——wuwuwu——"
"What's the rush?" Already in a bad mood, Prince Condé couldn't help but stand up and curse when he heard the urgent horns on the highlands, "Didn't we already say to retreat? What are you blowing for?"
But as soon as he stood up, he felt something was wrong. Scouts were going out in all directions on the highland plains, not as if they were preparing to withdraw.
Seeming to have thought of something, Prince Condé suddenly jumped up and climbed up the sand dune with both hands and feet. Ignoring the flying arrows, he straightened his body and looked towards the plains.
Shrubs were shaking, and startled birds flew up in clusters.
On the roads between fences and houses, fluttering blue flags rushed like a torrent, cutting through the sky and directly stabbing towards the river滩(河滩: beach).
Although these knights wore colorful robes, each of them had a piece of black cloth tied on their arms. Anyone who could would also replace the feathers on their helmets with black ones.
A full several thousand knights, or rather mounted infantry, were rushing towards this side. The battle flag embroidered with the iris flower and obsidian was extremely familiar to the prince—it was the battle flag of Grand Duchess Hema Stone Moliti.
"What? When did they come?" Erhard, who had climbed up the sand dune, couldn't help but shout.
As the adjutants and the captains of the lancer regiment climbed up the hill, fear enveloped everyone's faces like dark clouds in the blazing sunlight.
The road that the flood-like cavalry came from was the road that the Edict Knights were withdrawing from.
Withdrawing along the beach meant endless streams and hills, which was absolutely a death trap. They could only take those few roads.
Their retreat was cut off.
"Your Highness, Your Highness." A lightly armed messenger cavalryman held his tilted helmet, "His Excellency Lacunio said, let you take the remaining Edict Knights on the battlefield and return to the highlands immediately."
For a moment, the originally noisy sand dunes quieted down, and all the knights stared intently at Prince Condé's face.
They all understood the implication—they had to escape.
"Haha..."
"Hahahaha."
"Hahahahahaha——"
Prince Condé suddenly laughed, even laughed wildly. He grinned, revealing his white teeth, and laughed heartily while holding his stomach.
Clearly entering a dead end, but he laughed so happily and heartily.
"This is the choice the Holy Lord has given me! This is the choice the Holy Lord has given me! Holy Lord, haven't you already made the choice for me?"
Prince Condé now had two paths. The first was to follow Lacunio and withdraw, becoming a war beast, and perhaps obtain a territory after Leya was recovered.
The second choice was to rush over and cut off that sun flag. Perhaps they would be attacked from both sides by Moliti, or perhaps they would drive the defeated soldiers and defeat Moliti, who was also at the end of her strength.
Admittedly, according to Lacunio's idea, the first choice was definitely the safest. Since there was no hope of attacking the Salvation Army, then take the next best thing.
However, this was not Prince Condé's choice.
Studying in Gaobao City, killing enemies in the Kush River, touring the Leya Kingdom, suppressing all enemies of the royal family and the Pope.
He carried the name of a prince, but had always grown up as a knight.
He had finally remembered that intrigue and weighing the pros and cons were things that nobles should do.
He was just a knight, and all he had to do was one thing, and that was—charge! An unswerving charge!
Prince Condé's eyes gleamed: "Edmund, are you willing to be my vanguard?"
"No victory, or death!" Edmund excitedly struck his chest armor heavily.
"Chanoa Monk, give me two more blessings."
Chanoa originally wanted to advise, but in the end, he sighed and began to prepare the ritual.
Taking light steps, Prince Condé turned over and mounted his horse, riding in front of all the knights: "Pass my order, gather all the Edict Knights! Prepare, as always, to charge with me!"
…………
Putting down the binoculars in his hand, Hohen turned his head and said to Alman beside him: "There is a high probability that Prince Condé will escape. The little gift we prepared for him was not used."
Holding the flag, Alman smiled: "Better safe than sorry. Besides, with the Grand Duchess coming to help, we don't need to continue fighting. Taking advantage of today's victory, we can completely defeat this group of devils."
Looking at the standing like a forest spears and flags on the hills, Hohen's mood couldn't help but surging, but also a little disappointed.
They had won this battle, but according to the description of Prince Condé's performance, it was estimated that he was already on the road to promotion as a great knight.
If he wanted to escape, it would be quite difficult to stop him, even with Moliti's attack from both sides.
According to the messenger, Moliti had actually landed around 2 PM.
However, she didn't know where she got her confidence in the Salvation Army's strength.
After arriving, she did not choose to rashly join the battlefield, but circled a large circle, avoiding Prince Condé's scouts, and circled behind them.
In this way, Prince Condé's retreat was cut off, and he either had to abandon a large number of troops and escape, or he could only stay and be attacked from both sides.
Hohen looked at the ugly intelligence director in front of him: "What message does your Grand Duchess have?"
It had to be said that the Grand Duchess valued him quite a bit, and personally sent the intelligence director Feili to deliver the message.
"Lord, she said that she hopes you can take the initiative to attack, entangle Prince Condé, and not let him escape. She will take care of the rest."
"That's a pretty big tone, we planted the tree, but you're picking the fruit?" Jeshka said sarcastically from the side.
Feili was not angry, but instead earnestly explained to Hohen: "No matter who kills Prince Condé, it will not diminish your credit."
"No, it's not my credit, it's our credit." Hohen held the Blood Shade Cloud at his waist, and was just about to issue an order, but his whole body was stunned, quickly raised the binoculars, and looked towards the battlefield.
"What's wrong?" Feili walked to Hohen's side, "Is that Prince Condé? What is he doing... So fast, wait, he's charging up the hill!"
In the small circle shrouded in darkness, Hohen clearly saw Prince Condé charging up the slope of the first slope, and dozens of Salvation Army soldiers were smashed fly into the air more than three meters away.
And a Salvation Army spear phalanx guarding the nearby hill even didn't wait for the Edict Knights to charge up, and collapsed on its own like sparrows.
"Damn it!" Feili called out, "He's heading you! Quickly get on your horse and avoid!"
"Hahahahaha." Hohen laughed, "It's good that he's coming, it's good that he's coming."
Holding the Bloodshade Cloud, Hohen turned around with a big laugh, but his face was full of ferocity and viciousness: "Raise my banner, the higher the better! Let everyone see that I am here, and I will not retreat a step!"
Breaking through the crumbling formation of the Salvation Army, it's unclear if it was because they collectively took potions this time, making the attack much simpler.
Huddled on horseback, Prince Kong Dai panted like a bull, even making snorting sounds that sometimes drowned out the warhorse's breathing.
His heart labored with each beat, feeling as if the blood within him was akin to mercury.
Seven Blessings, a full seven Blessings: Walking on Flat Ground, Saint George's Eye, Parry Arrows(taking up two slots), Lifting Weights Lightly, Lionheart, Saint Raah's Promise.
Hallucinations and fatigue even began to cloud his vision. This state couldn't last long; he had to behead Horne before dusk.
"Charge!"
Four hundred knights, including one hundred Banner Knights and three hundred Edict Knights, followed the route Edmund described, detouring from the right flank to the center, then traversing the narrow ridge before descending into the depression.
Two Battle Group leaders immediately reacted.
"Their target is His Majesty!"
"Stop them!"
The Holy Gunners on the mound lined up and fired at the charging Edict Knights.
The narrow depression corridor prevented the knights from unleashing the combat power of a plains charge, forcing them to pass through in a column.
Holy Gun Cavalry charging from the highlands pursued and intercepted the Edict Knights' ranks, with Edict Knights and Banner Knights falling one after another on both sides.
But soon, nearly a hundred Banner Knights and a hundred Edict Knights voluntarily stayed behind, pinning down these cavalrymen from the Salvation Army.
At this moment, Prince Kong Dai was left with only two hundred Edict Knights by his side.
"Stop them!" Leffy shouted first, leading the spearmen to charge forward.
Brune, Rudiluo, Mengse, Kohler, Victor… one after another, legion commanders, wielding spears, led their soldiers to charge towards Prince Kong Dai's cavalry.
Rudiluo's body flew high, landing first in a thicket, then tumbling into a muddy pool.
Brune groaned, and together with seven or eight spearmen, used halberds to forcibly hook an Edict Knight off his horse.
"Bang, bang—"
Sabers and lead bullets struck the horses' necks simultaneously. The sweeping warhorses not only knocked down Kohler and Victor but also tripped four knights in the rear who were too close together.
Fireballs exploded, and seven or eight Edict Knights screamed as they fell from their horses. The Holy Gunners immediately fired Holy Wind, but they didn't notice Mengse, half his body ablaze, rolling in the black, residual snow.
"Glory!!"
"For freedom!! Long live Qianhe Valley!!"
All the Salvation Army infantrymen went mad, and on the hills on both sides, a dense mass of Salvation Army soldiers gathered like a waterfall cascading down.
Countless lead bullets concentrated on the knights, and every few steps, a knight was struck in a vital spot and fell.
Before them were endless spears and halberds. The Salvation Army soldiers rushed down from the hills on both sides in a frenzy, using their flesh and blood to block the prince's path.
The spears in the hands of the spearmen exploded uncontrollably, and flying wood chips struck the chest armor of the charging knights, making cracking sounds.
One layer, two layers, three layers, Prince Kong Dai had lost count of how many layers of soldiers he had broken through in this final hundred-meter passage.
Countless lead bullets and arrows flew past his eyes, and the blades of his swords were already dulled from the constant collisions.
With each layer he passed through, several of his former close knights died in battle. From the Knights Templar to the Holy See City, they had always been by his side.
These remnants of the Golden Oriole Dynasty were gradually annihilated in the ocean of blades and bullets.
He and Lacounio had painstakingly preserved the Golden Oriole Dynasty's knights, those loyal knights who had to take out high-interest loans to be trained, were now falling at the hooves of his horse.
Galian was knocked down by a spiral gun and surrounded by countless spears. He roared and swung his greatsword but was shot in the waist.
Edmund, in order to intercept Jeanne who was charging towards him, led dozens of knights to meet her head-on, facing the oncoming thunderous charge.
Elarad was struck in the leg by an axe gunner and fell off his horse, immediately surrounded by spearmen.
Each time he passed through the Salvation Army soldiers, it meant that a comrade of over a decade had departed this world, and Prince Kong Dai's heart was bleeding.
But he still raised his knight's sword high: "Charge! For glory!"
Whether it was due to the potions or the encouragement of glory, the Edict Knights still plunged headfirst into this net of flesh and blood.
"Charge!! Charge!!"
The remaining hundred-plus Edict Knights shouted, actually creating a mountain-shaking and tsunami-like momentum.
The hundred-meter corridor had become a sea of blood and mud, and Prince Kong Dai had reached the end of the mire.
The sun flag fluttered, this hill was the hill where the demon Horne was located, only the last slope remained.
Protected by his personal guard knights, Prince Kong Dai could even see the face of that demon Horne, that expressionless face.
"Horne—"
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Pointing his longsword forward, Prince Kong Dai roared this name.
"Horne!!!"
It was so close, so close, never had it been so close as today.
He had reached the bottom of the slope, less than seventy meters away. Even uphill, it would basically take the Edict Knights only three or four seconds.
Horne on the hillside was also staring intently at Prince Kong Dai. He held Blood Veil Cloud, and whether it was an illusion or not, he did feel it humming!
"Horne Gallar!!!" Prince Kong Dai's roar came from the bottom of the slope.
"Charles Goldfinch!!!" Drawing out Blood Veil Cloud, Horne's eyebrows shot up, and he roared through gritted teeth, his eyes red, "First Guard Regiment, move out!"
Rows of fine steel spears and axe guns rose from behind the slope, and the spearmen, wearing full armor down to their ankles, made metallic noises as they marched in formation to the top of the slope.
The roar came to an abrupt halt, and Prince Kong Dai's lips trembled uncontrollably: "Where did these soldiers come from? Where did these soldiers come from?!"
That demon Horne, even at the most intense and near the end of the battle, still kept a reserve force behind the slope!
Damn it, the second hilltop just now, the ones who crumbled at the first charge must have been the Protectorate troops wearing Salvation Army uniforms!
A full three hundred fully armored spearmen emerged from behind the hill, their armor bearing the character A grass radical, used here possibly as a symbol painted in white on their chests, facing Prince Kong Dai head-on.
Although there were only three hundred of them, they were the last straw for Prince Kong Dai, who had been charging all the way.
The knights charging from below were like a tsunami crashing against a cliff, while the Guard Regiment coming from above was like a raging mountain torrent.
At the moment of impact, broken knight swords and shattered spear shafts flew into the sky simultaneously. Every Guard Regiment monk's eyes were filled with lances and longswords, while every knight's vision was filled with axe guns and halberds.
Monks had their heads kicked in by hooves, knights were stabbed by spears, layers of iron armor shattered, and the knights in the front rows fell one after another.
Seventy meters, sixty meters…
"Charge, break through them, and victory is ours!" Prince Kong Dai roared, personally charging to the front.
Sixty meters, fifty meters…
Dozens of blood-sucking vines rose up, entangling the horses' hooves, carving out terrible scars.
"No victory, or death, continue to charge!" Countless lead bullets, even bullets from spiral guns, struck Prince Kong Dai, but only half of them embedded in his flesh, the other half remaining outside.
Fifty meters, forty meters…
"The last, the last bit of the road!" After shouting these words, the prince suddenly stopped speaking. He stared blankly at the hills on his left and right.
On the hilltop, the last two falcon cannons finally arrived, and the demon Horne's devilish voice rang out:
"Praise the Holy Wind!"
Lead bullets howled, iron sand swept across, and pieces of broken limbs and flesh flew out. The original ranks of knights were instantly cleared out, and even many Guard Regiment monks were mistakenly hit and knocked down.
The warhorses neighed, bucking and throwing off the knights on their backs, running around the battlefield like headless flies.
Staring intently at Horne on the top of the slope, Prince Kong Dai could no longer advance half a step.
The last thirty meters, the last thirty meters, he could have taken down the demon Horne's head.
But these thirty meters seemed as if time had stopped or even reversed. They were still moving upwards, but they were getting further and further away from that war flag.
At this moment, Prince Kong Dai despaired for the first time in his life.
In the Longsong City Arena, he had made his debut and achieved twenty-two consecutive victories, starting as a Banner Knight and becoming an Edict Knight a year later.
On the Kush River battlefield, he had charged into the enemy formation with a hundred riders, charging left and right, breaking five military formations in a row, and successfully killing the vampire grand duke who didn't have time to escape, earning the title of Golden Lion.
But people had forgotten this title. Almost no title knight was his opponent. He was an extremely rare champion title knight.
Now, he had drunk the dragon potion, embarked on the path of promotion, abandoned all glory and future, but still couldn't reach the side of that black and red sun flag.
Still... still!
"Ding—"
Prince Kong Dai suddenly curled up. He looked down blankly and saw a burst of iron flowers on the lower edge of his chest.
Blood was gurgling out of the iron flowers.
Touching his hands full of blood, he suddenly looked up and saw Horne holding a two-meter-long clockwork gun propped on the shoulders of a kneeling soldier.
"Legend, it's time to end." Horne put down the big lift gun, his face a little pale.
…………
Prince Kong Dai didn't even know how he got back to the depression from the middle of the slope.
He only saw countless spears and axe guns swinging towards him, while he swung his warhammer, smashing the chest bones of those presumptuous commoners.
His body had reached the depression, but his soul seemed to be still on the slope.
Thirty meters seemed like a chasm. He had realized that he would be trapped under that flag for the rest of his life, or rather, was there even a rest of his life?
"Your Highness, Your Highness, wake up!" An aide shook the prince's shoulders. "It's not over yet. Let's pull back and charge one more time. They're at their limit."
"Yes, let's go to the open ground and charge one more time." As if grasping at a straw, hope rekindled in Prince Kong Dai's eyes.
Most of the Edict Knights trapped by the infantry had not dismounted yet. He still had seventy-plus Edict Knights by his side, and it wouldn't be difficult to gather another hundred Edict Knights.
"Gather, signal to gather!"
Regaining command, Prince Kong Dai led dozens of riders towards a group of Edict Knights who were being besieged.
However, as he advanced against the current, he caught a glimpse of a cold light.
Turning his head to avoid the arrow that was shot at him, Prince Kong Dai turned back and saw a female knight in silver bright armor, with an iron mask covering her face, almost as tall as Prince Kong Dai, charging into the formation.
That was—Moriah? Damn it, she had actually brought hundreds of knights with her.
Facing Prince Kong Dai's incredulous face, Moriah blocked the only gap with the Mountain Knights and charged towards him.
"How could you?"
Her reply was the grand duchess's angry roar: "Would I not know where you want to go?!"
However, at the moment the two sides collided, Moriah's left hand flew into the air, and half of her iron mask was even cut off.
A gash suddenly appeared on her fair face, even revealing her gums, and blood kept flowing from her right eye.
But there was no joy of victory on Prince Kong Dai's face, only shock and anger: "Are you crazy?"
Moriah's lips, covered in blood, smiled exceptionally beautifully: "If I wasn't crazy, how could I keep you here?! If I wasn't crazy, how could I avenge Uncle Wayne?!"
At the moment of passing each other, Prince Kong Dai was not injured at all, but the head of his mixed-blood warhorse flew high into the air.
The headless knight Prince Kong Dai charged forward a few meters in a daze, then fell to the ground.
"Your Highness?!"
"Quick, go save Your Highness!"
The surrounding knights turned their horses around and desperately rushed back to save him, but they were blocked by knights with black cloths tied around their arms.
Lances and riding guns collided. These knights even clung to these Edict Knights, even jumping onto the other party's horses to trade their lives for theirs.
"You lowly people!"
Standing up in a panic, Prince Kong Dai was covered in dust. He raised his longsword and looked around for a horse, but Moriah would not give him this opportunity.
Although she had lost her left hand, Moriah's horsemanship was superb, and she could easily guess Prince Kong Dai's next move through mind-reading magic.
Holding the longsword, she kept charging past Prince Kong Dai.
The sword's edge sparked on the armor again and again, preventing the prince from finding a horse to escape.
At this time, Jeanne, who had killed Edmund, finally rushed down from the hillside and tacitly joined the operation to strangle Prince Kong Dai.
Losing his warhorse, Prince Kong Dai was repeatedly charged and killed by Jeanne and Moriah in a panic, swaying left and right like a clown performing a farce.
The time that Moriah and Jeanne delayed was not long, but it was enough for the remaining Salvation Army and Mountain Knights to arrive.
"Praise the Holy Wind!"
Dense lead bullets fell on him non-stop, and the surrounding Salvation Army infantry quickly formed a large circle, separating the other knights who were trying to rescue him.
There were also knights who could rush to Prince Kong Dai's side, but unfortunately, the prince's Lifting Weights Lightly blessing had expired, and the warhorses could not carry him at all.
The inner circle of the Salvation Army kept stabbing Prince Kong Dai, while the outer circle of the Salvation Army kept flattening their spears to resist the impact and rescue of the knights.
Powerlessly waving his longsword to parry, the light of blessing on Prince Kong Dai's body became dimmer and dimmer. Even the knife marks on the white crystal steel became more and more numerous, and blood flowed out along the gaps in his armor.
His eyes were now soaked in blood, everything became blurred, and he could only rely on his instinct to parry the oncoming riding guns, longswords, and spears.
He didn't know how long it had been, perhaps very long or very short. He didn't know where a distant cry came from.
“Blood veils the clouds… sharpening blades… Heaven sends a holy grandson to slay injustice…”
“Those wronged… step forward and listen… Slaughter all injustice to bring peace…”
The blurred cries grew clearer and clearer until, at one moment, Prince Condé abruptly raised his head, only to see the Savior Army stretching across the mountains and plains before him.
The Savior Army stood on the mounds, in the hollows, and within five or six meters around him.
Apart from the twenty-odd Imperial Guard knights remaining at his side, he could hardly see the figures of other knights.
The last of the knights fled under the setting sun, while the mercenaries surrendered in organized units.
Countless black and red flags almost blotted out the sky. The golden-red sunlight fell on the mounds, making the rows of Savior Army soldiers look like gilded statues in a cathedral.
These gilded statues were shouting, as if weeping and roaring at the same time:
“Holy Pope, golden scepter… Knight King, silver embroidered bed…”
“Those who plant wheat eat bran! Those who weave cloth have no clothes!”
The farmers and small townsfolk in the Savior Army shouted in unison, pausing for a moment before gnashing their teeth and roaring:
“When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?”
Prince Condé’s pupils suddenly contracted.
“You seized my wife… you took my house… you killed both… my dear parents!”
The shouts in his ears even carried a hint of weeping.
“Countless heads roll, blood debts must be paid in blood!”
“Blood debts must be paid in blood!”
“Blood debts must be paid in blood!!”
“Blood debts must be paid in blood!!!”
After a moment of silence, with a united cry, the front ranks of the Savior Army suddenly charged towards the twenty-odd Imperial Guard knights remaining in the inner circle.
Lead bullets splattered, spears danced, and the knights standing before Prince Condé grew fewer and fewer, while the Falcon cannons, fireballs, and even lead bullets became less frequent.
In the previous battles, their holy power had been exhausted, leaving only the last of the spearmen and holy riflemen wielding sabers rushing forward.
Faced with countless spears, Prince Condé’s face turned purple. As the potions and blessings lost their effect, weakness gradually crept into his body and heart.
He wished he could die of a heart attack at this moment.
Unfortunately, as the circle formed by spears and sabers continued to shrink, he didn't even have the strength to kill himself.
When Horn arrived, he saw a fat giant kneeling on the ground, his back pressed down by a halberd, his helmet removed, his clothes stripped off, coughing like a broken bellows.
Kneeling down, he was almost as tall as Horn. His gray pupils stared blankly at the approaching Holy Grandson.
Pink, foamy blood flowed from the corner of the giant's mouth. His body was covered with scars, scorched blisters, and, more abundantly, bloody holes.
Some were pierced by spears, others were made by lead bullets.
His shattered body was like a sieve, almost leaking light.
As the prince looked up, Horn could see the large and small bloody holes on his face and the black iron sand embedded in his skin.
“Charles Goldfinch, this is our first meeting, isn’t it?”
Blood blurred Prince Condé’s vision. He chuckled, “Just now, I saw you on the hillside. You’re more ordinary than I imagined.”
“Because I am just an ordinary person.” Horn shrugged indifferently.
“I am a nobleman, a champion knight, captured by an ordinary person like you. You must be very proud, right?”
“You are less of a nobleman and more of a slave.”
“I am a slave?” Prince Condé laughed in anger. “Aren’t you saying the opposite?”
Horn stared into his gray pupils. “I dare to face the King and Pope without bowing or kneeling. Do you dare?”
Prince Condé’s laughter caught in his throat. His face stiffened for a few seconds, and his voice lowered. “Cut off my head. You won. You deserve it.”
Without another word, Horn slowly walked to Prince Condé's side and drew Bloodveil.
“Hey, you bunch of farmers, do you know how to manage a country?”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll find a way.” Horn answered casually.
“Do you have a way out? Civil war, or division?” Blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, Prince Condé glanced at him. “I’ll give you one last reminder. Even if the Laya Kingdom can tolerate you, the Imperial Church will not. See that twilight? Perhaps it is your death knell!”
Horn did not answer him.
After raising Bloodveil high in his hand, he did not swing it down.
He raised his head, looking at the golden clouds dyed by the setting sun.
He seemed to see those clouds forming familiar faces, floating past him.
Danji, F里克, Kosei, the old men who volunteered to stay behind, the veterans who died on the battlefield… even Huannuo, the nameless priest, the orphanage in the Wildspider Forest, and even Wayne, whom he had never met…
He felt that it was a long time ago, but now that he thought about it, it seemed like yesterday.
“Sometimes, I wonder what would happen if none of this had happened?” Muttering to himself, Horn raised his head. Soldiers filled the mountains and plains, all looking at them.
The kneeling Prince Condé, and the Pope Horn standing beside him.
Laughing self-deprecatingly, Horn said softly to Prince Condé:
“This is your twilight, and the dawn of a new world.”
Prince Condé’s blood-stained head rolled to the ground, his face full of astonishment and relief.
The last thing reflected in his eyes was the upside-down Ham River.
The Ham River quietly flowed with the dazzling, pale golden light of the sunset.