Chapter 27 - I Won’t Eat This Meat (1/2)

Three hours after the battle began.

The Kingdom’s Army couldn’t contain themselves and moved first. The Liberation Army followed suit, and the center advance guards of both armies collided in the middle of the plains.

In the skirmish between these two vanguards were Fynn of the Liberation Army displaying his spearmanship and Schera with her scythe.

Together with archer support, they both resolutely attacked the line of battle drawn by the infantry and grievously overran them.

The Adjutant Milla came to advise Fynn, who swung his spear even while doused by blood.

“Colonel-! Major Carnac’s unit is being attacked by enemy cavalry-! They’re likely to be annihilated at this rate-!”

Milla pointed behind her. The line of battle was in a sorry state, and cavalry carrying black flags were crushing the infantry with the force of a tsunami.

Carnac was shouting, trying to somehow rally the troops, but he had no effect on the infantry being pushed back. They would be routed eventually if this were to continue.

The main bodies of both armies had not yet moved, so this loss would not be a fatal blow probably, but the tides would turn in favor of their adversaries. They must protect Carnac’s unit.

Fynn sweeped off the head of a Kingdom soldier, and immediately gave his judgement.

“The Lion’s Cavalry will change course and cover Carnac’s unit in the back-! Milla, I leave the rear guard to you!”

“Please leave it to me Colonel-! A hundred riders follow me-! Lure the enemy!”

“OU-!!”

“The rest follow me-! We will take Death’s head this time for sure!! We will honor our comrades who died on the road here!!”

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOO–!!”

The cavalry raised their voices, responding to Fynn’s encouragement. The morale of this unit comprised of elite soldiers was the highest in the Liberation Army.

A hundred riders followed Milla, and they began to ride to attract enemy soldiers. Not wasting the opportunity, the main body of Fynn’s unit began heading to Carnac’s unit in the back. Konrad’s unit of the Kingdom’s Army went to obstruct them, but the cavalry’s momentum would not come to a halt. They couldn’t let Schera’s back be attacked like this, and Konrad’s unit pursued with raging spirit.

Carnac’s Unit.

He had been granted 5,000 infantry, but their casualties had already exceeded 1,000. More than half of his remaining soldiers had wounds of some kind. Though they weren’t homogenous in their birthplaces, his soldiers had high morale, and shouldn’t have by any means been defeated by the Kingdom’s Army.

But, that was exactly the disaster occurring before his eyes. The line of battle they had frantically trained for had completely collapsed. Red blood flowed all over the earth, and evil demons were squeezing the last drop of life from the soldiers on the brink of death who couldn’t move.

“M, Major. Let us escape! We are no match for Death-!! Give the permission to retreat!!”

An adjutant with a sobbing face approached, but Carnac gripped him by the collar and shouted at him.

“You fool-!! This battle decides the outcome of the Liberation War-!! Do you think that our vanguard in front of all the others could retreat!!?”

“H, however-!”

“Shut it, Death God though she may be, she’s human like us!! She’s nothing but an embellished and spread rumor-!! And take a look, Colonel Fynn’s cavalry is heading our way!! We just have to hold out a bit longer! Then we can launch a pincer attack!!”

At Carnac’s words, the Adjutant focused far in front of them. Certainly, there was a party with the Lion’s Flag galloping towards them.

But, he didn’t think they could hold out until they would arrive. Because:

“Ma, Major, we’ve been surrounded-!!”

“Endure-!! Take a square formation-!! Line the spears and don’t let them cut into us-!! Remember your daily training-! Show the enemy no weakness-!!”

Carnac haphazardly wiped his streaming sweat and grasped tightly his personal weapon, a trident.

After the line of battle had been broken, Schera’s Cavalry raced in a circle and broke into Carnac’s unit from all around them. While constantly moving, never stopping in their movements, they continued to create fountains of blood. Stationary cavalry was fragile. As Schera understood that through instinct, she strictly ordered her soldiers to never stop moving. To supplement that, Katarina was preventing Liberation Army soldiers from reinforcing Carnac’s unit.

The black flag with a white crow coat of arms was already well-known among the Liberation Army. A tragedy of slaughter was playing out while Death’s flag fluttered.

There was no one who would willingly jump to their deaths. They tried their hardest to fire arrows from a medium range.

“…….About time I wonder.”

“Sir-, I think this is sufficient-.”

“Alright, smash the enemy’s formation-!! Everyone follow me-!!”

“OU-!!”

Schera’s Cavalry that was trampling them with circular movements nimbly took an arrow-like formation under her orders. Their completely disciplined movements would not lose to even the most seasoned of soldiers. This taut, rippling arrow was mercilessly fired at the hiding spot of their pitiful prey.

“S, stay back. D, Death is-”

“N, no, I don’t want to die.”

“M, mom, why, what have I done to deserve this.”

The hands of the soldiers holding their spears trembled, and their faces paled. It was outrageous; what possibility was there to stop Death. But even so, they had to fight. A Platoon Leader person tried to rouse them, stimulate them, and encourage them.

“Save your complaints for later-; set the spears-! They’re coming-!!”

A juvenile-faced female could be seen at the forefront. Wielding a scythe dripping with fresh blood and a joyful smile on her face, she swooped down on them. Her black armor was already smeared with red fluid. A young soldier who made eye contact felt his knees give way, and he soiled himself.

“H, hih, ca, I can’t-. M, Mo, Monster-!”

“—-Pikes-!! Forward-!!”

The Platoon Leader gave his order, and the pikes were sent out. Their tips were easily cut apart, and the large scythe split the bodies of several men on the return swing.

The cursed cavalry instantly surged into that opening.

Soldiers whose strength left their legs were trampled by scores of horses and became pitiful corpses. The head of the Platoon Leader was sent flying by Katarina’s sword.

A few riders of Schera’s Cavalry were impaled by spears, but they paid no attention to them and continued to run as they were.

Raising mad laughter, they continued to kill soldiers, brandishing their spears, and then they suddenly toppled, like dolls whose strings had been cut. Or rather, it would be more appropriate to say they had used up all their lifeforce.

They followed Schera’s orders to trample and slaughter until their final moments. They died with extremely satisfied expressions.

The robust square formation was crushed in one breath, and the demented blade gradually approached Carnac. His adjutant had already died in battle. That was a stroke of luck probably. He had died before confronting the monster before them. Definitely, that was a fortunate matter. At least, more fortunate than him.

Carnac lowered his hips so his gaze wouldn’t meet Schera’s atop her horse. His target was the horse. He would stab the horse, and kill Death when its posture was in disarray. He could see himself winning on equal footing. The horse must fall first.

“—-Major of the Liberation Army, Carnac. Here I come-!!”

“A dog shouldn’t bark so proudly. I don’t care about a trash’s name-!!”

Schera spurred on her horse and approached Carnac. Her scythe was held out horizontally, and she planned on splitting his torso with one blow.

Carnac postured straight in front of her. He concentrated all his nerves on this one attack.

“—-Got it-!!”

“—–!”

Carnac’s trident sailed true, and it pierced the throat of Schera’s horse. Carnac was showered in its blood.

As Schera’s balance was broken, she couldn’t swing her scythe.

Carnac extracted his trident and waited for the moment the horse collapsed. Once it fell, he would kill Death. So he waited. Waited.

And he waited.

“—-Why… why won’t it fall?”

“………..”

“Why won’t it die-!! Is even your horse immortal-!??”

“Who knows why, I wonder.”

Dumbfounded, Carnac studied the horse. He was sure his trident had torn the horse’s throat. Yet, why wasn’t this horse dead.

Why wouldn’t it fall. He couldn’t kill Death if it didn’t fall.

In the horse’s empty eyes, the agitated figure of Carnac was reflected. That moment, he thought he saw it smile. Like it was scoffing at the few seconds he had left to live. No, the horse was certainly laughing. The horse of a monster, was after all, a monster.

“Y, you monsters-!! What the heck are you all-!!”

Fallen into a state of panic, Carnac again lunged with his spear.

“Didn’t you guys give me the name? ‘Death.’ So that’s what I am. Farewell, then.”

“—-ah”

Carnac and even his trident was cut apart by her large scythe. His body split into two, and his organs splattered onto the ground.

With blood dripping from its throat, Death’s horse crushed underfoot Carnac’s skull with all its weight. Like smashing a fruit, brain matter scattered.

“…….Satisfied?”

Schera tenderly brushed her horse’s mane, and it lightly neighed, showing its agreement.

“Colonel-! Enemy cavalry are approaching from the rear!! They have a lion emblem!”

“Today is just preliminary fighting I was told, so we’ll fight them while heading back. ……Form ranks-! Schera’s Cavalry is changing course!!”

“Understood-! All units move out-!!”

“BEGIN CHANGING COURSE-! FOLLOW THE COLONEL-!!”

From Carnac’s position, they again reformed the ranks, and Schera’s Cavalry began heading towards the center wing of the Kingdom’s Army. Fynn’s cavalry rushed into them, obstructing them. Behind Fynn raced Konrad to support Schera. They crossed, and it became a momentary battle with only one blow exchanged. They must not stop. A cavalry that stopped its movements lost its offensive ability and would become a target for archers.

At the head of both cavalries, Schera and Fynn were confronting each other while galloping.

“Death God-! I knew I should have killed you that time!! Just how many people will you kill until you’re satisfied-!!?”

“Until I kill all of you, I won’t die! I’ll kill you like that dog earlier!”

“Enemy of Carnac-, my name is Fynn, the Lion General Fynn!!”

“Oh how great for a dog-!! I don’t care about any of your names-!!”

Fynn’s spear and Schera’s scythe crossed. Soldiers of both cavalries collided while wielding their weapons. Many riders fell from their horses at this collision.

Riders died, their heads separated from their shoulders. Helmets were smashed, and soldiers fainted in agony holding their heads. There were people crushed under horses, and unable to move, their breathing ceased.

During all this, Schera and Fynn were swinging their weapons, unleashing intense blows trying to take their sworn enemy’s head. They never stopped moving, and their horses galloped while they exchanged many, many furious blows.