Duke Pendragon

Woosh!

Oran stood at the front of the knights. He only saw a flash of light heading towards him under the dark red glow of the sunset.

“Hmm!”

Oran instinctively abandoned his saddle with a short gasp and jumped as his vision filled with light. At the same time, the surprised horse reared on its hindlegs. An unfamiliar, bizarre sound resounded, and hot liquid poured over Oran.

“Ugh!”

After rolling several times on the ground, Oran hurriedly took off his helmet and raised his face. The horse he had been riding on until moments ago was sprouting blood with its chest crushed.

But the nightmare was just beginning.

Thud! Khwaa!

The giant steel mace was performing the dance of death. Whenever Karuta’s steel mace moved in a flash of light, horses and knights were helplessly crushed under the orc’s might. The narrow road was rather detrimental as the horses and the knights were tightly packed into a space that was barely large enough for a single carriage to pass.

“D, dismount your horses!”

Someone screamed loudly.

Due to the narrow road, they could not fight properly while riding on the horses. But Karuta delivered death to the Red Wheel Knights faster than they could heed the order.

Boom, Boom!

“…..!”

Oran’s eyes became bloodshot as he watched his colleagues die without even having a chance to scream. Their upper bodies became disfigured under the crushing blows and flew off the saddles.

Neither their swords, shields, nor their armors could stop the momentum of the Orc warrior’s tremendous power and Orc Fear.

“Ugh….!”

Oran’s eyes shook mercilessly.

Even though only a short time had passed since the orc commenced his attack, the monster had already advanced 30 yards. Each step he took covered the path with dark red blood. The ground was already covered with the minced bodies of the horses and the knights.

“How could this be… How could this be!”

A hoarse voice burst through the trembling lips of Oran, but there was nothing he could do.

Fwoosh! Boom! Thud!

“Gaaaah!”

Jian became shocked when Duke Pendragon started to ride his horse towards the group. The horse quickly picked up pace and charged forward like a gale, while a silver white spirit fluttered behind the duke under the crimson glow of the sun.

“S, stop him!”

Jian shouted at the top of his lungs, then hurriedly pulled on the reins to turn his horse. The soldiers behind him rushed in front of him and held up their weapons.

However, their opponent was smothered in the Spirit of the White Dragon. It simply wasn’t something that an ordinary human could handle.

Shiing!

Raven’s hands moved in an irregular motion, and the two swords moved powerfully while creating several beautiful trails of silver and white.

Boom!

“Gah!”

“Ugaaah!”

Terrible screams rang out along with a loud roar. Some of the soldiers had collided with the charging warhorse or were struck by the duke’s blades.

“Heup!”

Raven continued forward while attacking the soldiers that lined both sides of the path. Every swing of his longsword and scimitar was enhanced with the spirit. It was impossible for the soldiers to block the attacks or react in any way possible with their poor, leather armors.

“Aggh!”

The soldiers swung at the dashing steed from both sides of the path, but it was not easy to target a galloping horse.

Unfortunately, those who had swung their weapons were the brave ones out of the bunch. When Raven slaughtered the soldiers at the front without slowing his momentum, most of the soldiers had closed their eyes in fear and simply stuck out their swords and spears.

Their actions were instinctive. However, unbeknownst to the soldiers’ knowledge, their action of sticking out the weapons was the right decision to make in this particular terrain.

The path was narrow. It was much more advantageous to build a dense, defensive line in such a terrain when dealing with a knight on a horse.

‘Tsk.’

Raven clicked his tongue, then slowed his horse before jumping off the saddle. If he had continued to ride his horse forward, there was a high possibility that he would become surrounded by the soldiers.

“Phew…”

Raven stabilized his breathing as he observed the soldiers blocking the path in lines of four or five.

“Ugh…”

However, the soldiers in the lead had terrified expressions. They did not dare to rush towards him. The Spirit of the White Dragon was still erupting from his whole body, and the scene of their comrades being slaughtered was still fresh on their minds. Their bodies disobeyed rational thought and refused to move.

“W, what are you all doing! Attack! Kill him!”

After a moment of silence, Jian and the other nobles shouted loudly. Finally, the soldiers slowly faltered forward.

Shiing! Shing!

Raven swung his swords to scatter the blood from the blades while slowly walking towards them.

Plod, plod…

One against hundreds.

Even though he was heading towards hundreds, Raven was unhesitant.

“Uwah…”

The soldiers faltered once more after seeing the cold, gleaming gaze stemming from inside Raven’s helmet, as well as the rising spirit.

But they were forced to continue moving forward by the other soldiers behind them. Eventually, the distance between Raven and the soldiers narrowed, and the soldiers finally gave into fear. They rushed forward with a desperate shout and demented expressions.

“Gwaahhh!”

Shing!

The first four soldiers ran towards Raven while recklessly stabbing and swinging their weapons, and Raven drew his two swords horizontally.

Clang! Slice.

The two blades were imbued with the Spirit of the White Dragon, and they cleanly sliced through the spears and the swords before continuing through the soldiers’ bodies.

The soldiers fell down like straw while sprouting blood.

“Gaaah!”

As soon as they fell, another group of soldiers ran out. However, the narrow road could only accommodate four or five people at most, so it was impossible to take advantage of their superior numbers.

Moreover, they were just regular soldiers of nobles and landlords. They had no chance against the man who was once called the reaper of the battlefield.

“Ugh!”

“Keuk!”

In an instant, more soldiers became fatally wounded and fell onto the road. The same continued for the soldiers behind them, over, and over…

The soldiers finally realized after nearly 20 people had collapsed. The road could not accommodate four or five people at once. They would not be able to swing their weapons properly. At best, two people could run in at once. However, Raven’s physical abilities had improved vastly compared to the past thanks to his contract with Soldrake. He easily avoided and parried the soldiers’ attacks before slaughtering them.

“Keuk!”

“Ahhhh!”

The difference in skills was so large. It was not even necessary for Raven to utilize the Spirit of the White Dragon, which was physically exhausting to maintain. He had practical sword techniques that had been honed and refined during his time in the demonic army for ten years, during the truly chaotic, hellish battles.

The Widow’s Cry and the scimitar sometimes pierced through the soldiers’ leather armor, or drew beautiful lines to attack their vital points in a sharp movement.

Less time had passed than it would take to drink a cup of tea, yet, as many as fifty soldiers were lying on the narrow road, either dead or heavily injured.

“Heu...”

In the light provided by the half-set sun, great fear could be seen on the faces of the soldiers as they saw Raven finish his opponents with simple movements. His deep, blue eyes contained an indifferent expression.

“I, it’s the devil…”

A soldier whispered through his clattering teeth. They could only see a devil colored in silver-white. He had taken dozens of lives in a moment, but his expression and gaze had remained apathetic all the while. Surely, he was the incarnate of the devil himself.

“What are you all doing! Stop him! Go and fight!”

Jian shouted crazily from behind, but his voice could no longer be heard by the soldiers. Their senses were encaptivated by the sight of Duke Pendragon as he carried two blades dripping with the fresh blood. The crimson light shone from behind him, and numerous lifeless bodies were scattered along his path.

Suddenly, he stopped walking.

The soldiers quivered in fear.

Shiing.

Raven shook his arms once more to shake off the blood on the blades, then spoke towards the soldiers.

“You are all filthy traitors who have risen against the coalition. By standing against the coalition, which stands for the South, and only for the South, you have raised your blades against His Imperial Majesty and I. Death is the only fitting end for a traitor.”

Raven’s voice did not contain any emotions and the soldiers dared not reply.

“But as far as I know, you were not given a choice in the betrayal. You did not participate in the treason of your own will, so I will give you a choice. Hand me over the rabid mutts who urged you to partake in the treason. Then I will allow you to keep your lives.”

“…..!”

The soldiers’ eyes widened amidst the fear.

Then, as if they had promise, they turned back towards the group of landlords and nobles led by Jian.

“Gaah!”

Some nobles wobbled backwards with shocked expressions.

“You bastards! He is lying! Do not listen to him!”

However, Jian continued to scream loudly.

“He is only human! He is already tired! He cannot possibly kill all of us when we have over a hundred people! R, right! That bastard! I will reward whoever brings me the head of Duke Pendragon! Ten gold coins! No, I will bestow fifty gold coins!”

The soldiers’ eyes widened at Jian’s maniacal cry. Assuming that his words had an effect, Jian shouted with an even louder voice.

“Fifty gold coins! And I will personally confer the person as a knight of my territory! Women! I will allow you to have as many women as you want…”

Jian continued to scream at the top of his lungs, but it gradually died down. He had realized that the soldiers’ quivering, shocked gazes were directed towards him.

“W, what…”

Jian slowly turned his head after feeling an instinctive anxiety and fear. And soon, his eyes mimicked that of the soldiers.

Kiyaaaaahk!

It might have been less fearful if they were in the air…

Griffons were slowly approaching them, completely filling the narrow road. Their bodies were as big as two bulls combined.

Kiyaaahk!

Griffons were fast, and their speed was not only restricted to the skies. They possessed the heads of eagles, but unlike birds, griffons were four-legged animals that could run as fast as a wild beast on the ground.

Such creatures were coming towards them with their large beaks open, and the fear they delivered was incomparable to beasts like wolves or bears.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

The soldiers closest to the creatures fell backwards and hit the floor with their eyes peeled.

Kiyahk!

The first griffon to arrive attacked the soldiers with its large pointed beak and sharp talons.

Thud! Crack!

The griffon’s beak struck a soldier’s chest, and its front talon grasped the head. The disfigured soldier fell onto the ground…

The deformed bodies of soldiers scattered into the air as the griffon struck. Another griffon jumped over the bodies of the dying men and landed among the others.

“Argh! Ahhhh!”

“S, save me!”

The scene was reminiscent of hell on earth. The soldiers began to run like crazy with snot and tears running down their faces.

However, griffons were blocking their way back, and other soldiers were blocking the front.

“G, get out of the way!”

The desire to live made them push and trample their colleagues with all their might.

“D, don’t push… Keuk!”

“Gah!”

The number of soldiers being trampled and crushed to death began to rise. Death had descended and everyone was running rampant, but no one could prevent the mass panic.

“Uhh...”

The leading soldiers saw the tragedy that befell the rear and became even more terrified. There was a silver-white devil in front of them, and bloodthirsty griffons in the back.

In the end, they were left with only one choice.

“Heu! Heuhh!”

The soldiers staggered in their desire to live and the fear of death, and their hysterical eyes headed to one place.