Chapter 124: Fourteenth Episode: Chapter 6 (1/2)
Chapter 124: Fourteenth Episode: Chapter 6
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
As expected, a heavy downpour came falling from above in the late, fall night. Raindrops the size of beans fell continuously, forming several uneven puddles on the soft, dampened ground. The last remaining branch in the forest, hanging feebly to the tree trunk, finally broke into half under the harsh blow of the rain. Withered flowers and dried grains covered the land. Only two or three oil lamps reflected light across the vast horizon that seemed to be stretching into infinity.
”Hurry!” Without even checking the surrounding, Oscar impatiently pushed open the wooden plank that blocked the exit of the secret underway.
Paul, who, by now, was running out of breath, escaped next from the hidden way. Oscar immediately took over Aya from him and carried the wounded girl himself. All the running previously caused the opening of the countess's wound to open up even more. Aya's mouth was slightly open, her breathing low and weak.
The King of Assassins guarded at the exit as soon as he escaped from the hidden passageway. Rainwater spurted from the roof; reflected by faint light through the window, the falling rain resembled a pleasant mini waterfall.
The side gate of the farmhouse was opened all of a sudden! The people inside of the house were taken aback by this sudden noise in the middle of the night!
”Who's out there?” A tall woman raised an oil lamp to her eye level to obtain a clearer view of the trespassers who barged into her house.
Before Paul had a chance to warn this reckless man, Black Devil's flying dagger already left his hand! Immediately, the dagger hammered itself deep into her forehead. On the next second, her dense body made a loud thump as it fell to the ground. With all his might, Paul bashed Shaw Curlink on his chin.
”You just took the life of a defenseless lady!”
The Black Devil was thrown across the room and landed in a dark corner. Paul dashed forward, intending to continue teaching him a lesson. Although he was the King of Assassins, he formed his own set of principles and rules. Another voice came from the back of the room, which startled the men and they paused in mid-battle. Simultaneously, they replaced another dagger in between their fingers, but this time no one took any rash action.
A little girl in her pajamas walked into the room, rubbing her eyes. ”Mama!” She shouted. Oddly enough, all languages in the world had a similar pronunciation for the word used to address the motherly figure. Unsurprisingly, everyone in the humble abode understood this simple Deiss syllabus. The little girl's knees weakened and she melted into a puddle in the middle of the room. She called out to her dead mother, concurrently shaking lightly at the stiff body. In that instance, these fierce-looking intruders were non-existent in her innocent little world.
”Look at what you've done!” Paul was at a loss as to what to do, and he gave Black Devil a poisonous look.
”North is to the left, we've got to hurry!” Oscar planted himself in between of the two super assassins, ”Why the wait? Are you planning to give her a proper burial?”
Paul sighed helplessly as he turned away, and once again he carried Aya on his back. ”We need a horse.”
Oscar nodded in agreement, ”If I'm not mistaken, there's a stable not far from here. Hurry! Let's get going!” The Prince ordered as he rushed into the rain.
Paul followed closely. The King of Assassins turned around and mocked his friend, ”Thinking of killing her too?”
Black Devil was stunned for a second, but he didn't strike.
Just as he was about to rush through the fenced railing, Shaw Curlink turned his head around abruptly.
”I… I'm sorry!” Black Devil blurted out and stared at the silent little girl. He took a couple of steps backward, turned his back around and disappeared into the darkness. Following closely behind Paul, the four of them shuttled back and forth in the permeating dampness. Black Devil's hands couldn't seem to stop trembling. Even though he was used to dripping his own hands with innocent blood, this was the first kill that made him felt deeply remorseful. Had he become weak? Or was that his long-disappeared conscience creeping back at him?
The noise of hurried gallops came from the other end of the small countryside road. Fully-armed Deiss forces charged in the rain. They broke through the railings and slowed down their speed as they came to encircle the lonely little girl standing in the courtyard. A knight with the form of an officer jumped off the horse. He removed his own cloak and wrapped it around the girl.
”They killed my mama!” The innocent girl said after receiving warmth and care following the loss of her mother.
”Who killed your mama?” The tall knight squatted down on one knee. He caressed the little girl's damped golden hair lovingly, but on his face was an expression so cold it resembled winter of the north.
”Three men and one woman.” The girl pointed in the direction to the south, ”They went that way!”
The knight stood up abruptly in that instance, his sword already out of his sheath. ”They are three men and one woman! They took away the life of a mother! We must find them! And kill them!”
The surrounding area echoed with the sound of swords clanging against their sheaths! The knight hopped back onto his warhorse, and led the troop down the south!
The vast, expansive farmland seemed to go on for miles and miles. The rain poured from the sky lingered of haze, forming a meandering stream as they fell on the ground. The gently babbling stream explored the wheat land as to find where it ran. Gradually, the earth absorbed the cold rain, turning them into steam, or turning them as part of the soil.
A knight broke into the wheat land, and following closely behind him was an anxious, black-backed dog drenched in the rain. The dog whined lowly, blending its footsteps with the gallops of horses.
More and more knights arrived at the wheat land. They didn't tear along in the open country but instead executed a loose formation to allow a thorough search. The cold wind attacked brazenly, and wheat billowed in the wind like waves in an expansive golden sea. The knights moved their way in the golden wheat land with slight difficulty, resembling small boats which swayed unstably in the boundless ocean; visible one second and out of sight the next.
The horses' hoarse, long neighs broke across the silent night. With his sharp sword, one of the Deiss knights pointed at the stable located on the nearby ridge.
”That way!”
Suddenly, another violent wave washed over the golden sea of wheat, as the horses now galloped on full speed toward the direction of the faint light reflected indoor. The weak boat just moments ago seemed to have braved the wind and charged forward as quickly as a lighting, leaving behind traces of survival in the waves.
”Damn it! The enemy troops are already here!” Paul whipped the horse and burst into the stable. On the other hand, Oscar and Shaw Curlink were tying Countess Aeolia up to the back of a horse. The Black Devil then rapidly jumped on one, and Oscar did the same. As for the latter, one of his hands pulled on the reins while the other one held tenderly on wounded Aya who trembled to balance on the horse.
”You promised me that you'll live on!”
Aya couldn't avoid the strong desire to close her eyes for a short rest, but still, she smiled and nodded her head weakly.
Staring into the direction of the homeland, though it was just as dark as the whole surrounding, determine Oscar motioned for the horse to charge forward.
”Ha!” The horse took to the Prince's order and began galloping into the dark.
Numerous flaming arrows appeared across the dark night. Despite the sky being covered with curtains of rain, the combustion rate from the friction with the cold northern wind remained strong. The arrows crashed into darkness when the fire eventually went off, but the bright light had already reflected the silhouettes who dashed across the hill. The Deiss knights cried loudly, the spurs equipped on their boots mercilessly pierced into the poor horses' belly! They broke through the freezing rain and the cold fog in an effort to commence a mad chase after the enemy.
Sounds of the wind and rain quickly disappeared behind them, as the rain grew denser whilst they ventured deeper into the forest. The heavy rainfall seemed like an opened faucet with an endless supply of water pouring out from its opening. Nonetheless, Oscar sped forward without determining his directions with much care.
The noise of hooves galloping frantically in the mud seemed to have gotten more earth-shattering coming from behind! This made Oscar immensely paranoid! Their fleeing felt endless as if the destination was in some faraway land. At last! The soldiers behind caught up and both parties engaged in close combats. In the midst of rain and wind, the noise of metal weapons clanging against each other was heard loud and clear despite the overwhelming clatters of hooves. Deiss soldiers soared and roared as if the inner beasts in them had been awakened after a deep long sleep.
Eventually, Paul and Shaw split ways when their supply of flying daggers ran out. However, the soldiers didn't stop the pursuit. Paul finally pulled out his knightly sword, and the mere appearance of it made the Deiss knight who took a rapid turn from the corner jumped off his speeding horse. Black Devil was also unwilling to be outdone. His sword blocked the incoming attack of a saber, smashed a spear into pieces, and chopped off an arm in half! The enemy troop seemed to have slowed down a little, but they knew it was only the beginning of another battle.
”Ah!” Oscar shouted in surprise, as an arrow decorated with feathers of eagle planted on his shoulder. He glanced to the direction from which the attack initiated and noticed the same knight had once again pulled at his bow! Enduring the intense pain, Oscar clenched his teeth, and abruptly charged toward the knight! As expected, the arrow shot lost its aim. The knight put his bow away, and pulled out another wide knightly sword! At this exact moment, Oscar's horse threw itself at the knight. The man screamed in agony as his leg was badly injured. His grip loosened and his knight's sword fell from his hand!
Oscar seized the opportunity and penetrated his sword into the body of the enemy! He didn't draw out his weapon immediately, instead, he used it as a tool to flog the enemy's horse along.
”Aya! Retrieve his bow and arrow!” His Highness Prince ordered loudly.
At this critical moment, the severely-wounded Aeolia did her best to elevate her energy, and successfully retrieved the enemy's weapons from the dead man's body.
”Pull on the reins!” Oscar took over the bow and arrows, before pushing the reins into Aya's hands.
Perhaps it had been too long since he last did this kind of activity! Oscar regulated his breathing carefully, simultaneously trying hard to recall the excellent horsemanship and tricks he learned during his times back in polo club of Imperial Military Academy. As the galloping steed exercised its muscles with vigorous rhythm, Oscar suddenly turned his body. The scene of the dark landscape entered his eyes clearly, and Oscar became incredibly excited as he realized he just made a successful turn!
He drew the bow and arrow in only one swift move! Feeling the jolting rhythm of the speeding horse, and the cold wind and rain slapping brazenly on his face, Oscar managed to locate his target. At last! The arrow flew from the bow and initiated a large arch across the night sky!
”Piece of shit!” His Highness cursed softly. He wasn't Wellington Steinberger, after all. His arrow landed somewhere in the dark, and his target was still speeding across the vast field.
The stubborn young prince once again drew the bow and tried his best to aim despite the bobbing weapon as his horse galloped. Suddenly! Oscar's horse leaped to the same height as the Deiss knights'! The enemy's silhouette appeared perfectly on the aiming point of the bow, and Oscar lifted his fingers. He watched in satisfaction as the target fell off from the horse, and disappeared into the darkness.
***************
”Next!”
The enemy's forehead was split into two, and the young sentry shoved him aside as he didn't pose any more threat. Then, he raised his long sword and rushed toward another enemy! But simultaneously, he felt a powerful force shoving at his butt, which caused him to fall flat-faced on the ground. He cursed as he scrambled to his feet, vowing to crush the person who kicked him into a pulp! However, almost as soon as he finished the thought, he discovered a large arrow planted in the place where he stood just seconds ago.
Another young soldier who guarded at the same pit ran ahead to strike at an attacking enemy. He grinned from ear to ear as he met with his companion, ”Haha! I finally have a chance!”
The sentry hadn't got any idea as to why the man had laughed out loud at such a critical juncture, but it suddenly hit him that his messenger was also brave soldier! He saw a Deiss archer being dragged on the ground by a mountain warrior, and also he noticed…
”Oh, God! Yet another company!” The sentry gathered his companion and they swiftly took cover into the forest. With practiced speed and agility, they managed to avoid the fighting soldiers and once again returned to their hiding place in the cave.
”My God of Light! How many more men do they have?” The sentry turned fidgety, as this was already the fourth company that they encountered in this particular line of defense. ”Faulty information! The enemy has more than two company! They're at least a whole division! You must report this to the headquarter!”
”No!” The young messenger shook his head. ”It doesn't matter anymore! We also have the man of two company! Moreover, the headquarters have no more available soldiers, and the enemy has already entered our defense anyway. I will not leave you behind! You kicked me twice just now, but I only managed to revenge once!”
”You…” The sentry shook his head helplessly, as he watched the enemy who ran in their direction.
This wasn't an ambush anymore! Despite the heavy downpour, the two sides were engaging in a bout of fierce fighting in the middle of the forest. Deiss Ninth SS Independent Cavalry Brigade only sent out a company to backup a platoon of soldiers, and the initial ambush effort hadn't realized their expected result. Both parties continuously mobilized numerous of their soldiers who had been scattered around hidden, repetitively trying to make a pass at the gradually-weakening defense line.
Brief moments later, the sentry and his young companion finally discovered a suitable thick rope and decided to use it for setting up a booby trap for the horses. Together, they pulled at the thick rope behind the mountain warriors who were slowly decreasing in number.
”Will you blame me for this? Perhaps we will be smashed into fragments by the Deiss soldier!” The sentry stayed hidden behind a tall old tree, he asked his companion in a tone full of regrets.
”Don't worry, the rain is to blame! Oh right! I still don't know your name!” The young mountain warrior smiled again, his white teeth gleamed in the dark.
”Maxime!” The sentry introduced himself.
”You can call me James!”
”Alright, James! Here they come! Let's pray!” The sentry stared right at the Deiss knights who were charging forward. His messenger had tied the thick rope firmly around a tree trunk.
The Deiss sped by, chanting and shouting with full strength. They knocked down the Titan mountain warriors who obstructed the way and hurried into the calm forest beyond the battlefield. Unexpectedly, their vanguard was thrown over from the horses and began wailing on the ground. The other Deiss soldiers who followed behind immediately pulled on their reins and the sudden halt caused an obstruction on the path of the entire troop. The cavalry at the back of the formation right away dispersed from the scene, only a bunch of knights gathered before the stumbled horses. These experienced knights who knew the danger and risk posed for them when gathered continued kicking at the horses, trying to turn the horse's head around to push them in the other direction.
Maxime, the most excellent soldier of the Second Corps, and James, the best messenger from the same corps, glanced at each other. Simultaneously, the both of them shouted loudly, and two robust figures leaped out from behind the tree! Weapons in hands, they waved frantically like two madmen and pounced themselves on the startled Deiss knights!
Numerous long spears were raised, aimed at them. Maxime made use of the momentum of his previous action and tumbled on the ground. He rolled across underneath the enemy horse's and reappeared from the other side! Longswords waved across the air like arcs of light, the tips of those swords seemed to be sharp enough to split the rain droplets into smaller fractions.
James avoided the enemy's knightly sword with ease. Although the Deiss knights appeared tall and mighty in the eyes of this young boy, these metallic weapons were not difficult to deal with. With a dexterous movement, James waved at his sword. The limbs of the beast flew across the field, and the enemy plunged to the ground together with his saddle horse. Seizing this opportunity, James performed a backhand swing and pierced it into the lungs of the enemy.
The sentry suddenly extended his leg, and once again the messenger fell to the ground! In that same instance, a saber slid above James's helmet by an inch rapidly!
”Damn it! It's already the third time!” The messenger cursed as he straightened himself. He stood back to back to the sentry, both of them faced the surrounding Deiss knights fearlessly.
All of a sudden, arrows showered from above like curtains of rain. Unprepared for this sudden attack, the knights who surrounded the two mountain warriors stumbled and fell! From the other side of the forests came about another earth-shattering roar of anger! Numerous Titan soldiers broke through the line of defense. They leaped over the bumpy gullies over the hill to avoid the assault of the enemy knights. In their hands waved weapons of various kinds, howling in anguish like wild beasts that had just escaped from cages.
”It's Brother Ciel's commando battalion!” Maxime hugged around James' neck in excitement! The rescue had arrived!
James cried out the chant of the commando battalion as he held his sword aloft. He struggled out of Maxime's embrace and pounced on the nearest enemy, taking the other party by surprise! Having witnessed his companion bravery, Maxime who hated to be defeated also threw himself at the enemy. The fighting continued on, splashing fresh red blood into the night sky.
The fierce battle between Deiss knights and mountain warriors carried on along a row of birch trees. The dense forest fog diluted after the heavy rain. The beasts drenched in the rain let out angry roars, issuing the brutal cries of death!
First Lieutenant Ciel wiped off his sweat mingled with muddy water and blood droplets. Just moments ago, these young men from his battalion succeeded to chase the Deiss who were about to break through the siege back into the forest. Behind Ciel, the soldiers from First Division of the Second Corps of the Eighth Region of Titan's Imperial Guards formed the final blocking formation, as they knew that the Deiss were about to launch yet another offense from the opposite side of the jungle!
Ciel glanced over his warriors, yes, his warriors! Looking at his warrior, yes, this is his fighter! The division commander of First Division and the other three regimental commanders were all sacrificed in the previous battle! What in the world was this Ninth SS Independent Cavalry Brigade exactly?
”Flaming arrows!” Cold rain and chill breeze struck Ciel on his face, the First Lieutenant's ferocious features twisted into a grimace as he trembled with cold. He commanded aloud, it was time!
The isolation belt on the frontier of Titan soldiers was burning in flames, although the fire thinned down slightly at the rainfall. The archers stood on the first line lowered the arrowheads, immediately, they caught on fire, producing light fizzling noise.
”Raise at ten degrees, and… go!”
The flaming arrows penetrated into the curtain of rain, piercing through the quiet forest. The smoke and fire emitted bright red light which reflected upon the forest, lighting up the night sky.
All of a sudden, as the fire vanished into the darkness, Deiss soldiers screamed a uniform loud cry. Across the woods, through the ditches, numerous knights in black surged out at once.
Ciel remained calm and examined the enemy's battle formation quietly. He sneered slightly at their non-existent formation! Woodland was not suitable for the cavalry to execute a sudden charge. Heavy rain obstructed their sight, and the muddy ground also further slowed down their attacking speed! There was no more point in fighting this battle, yet Ciel still admired the courage of these Deiss people. They were undoubtedly also a group of excellent soldiers!
”Archers, scatter around! Pikemen, step forward!”
In response to the order from Brother Ciel, the soldiers armed with spears gradually entered the frontier. The first and second rows of soldiers squatted down, with one end of the spear drilled into the dampened soil. After a brief while of adjustment, the forward line was turned into a spiked enclosure.
The Deiss moved too slowly! They had to avoid the tall trees and at the same time resist from the attack of arrows! Titan's mountain warriors watched in surprised as the knights ruthlessly tried to break through the spiked defense. Didn't they know that this kind of assault wouldn't work at all?
Still, the cavalry constantly crashed into the spear formation! The roar grew more and more intense in the thunderstorm! With their massive momentum, the pikemen defended tightly against the opponents with all their might, yet the Deiss, on the other hand, were also stubborn as to their intention!
Finally, one of the knights succeeded to break through, stepping over his companion's dead body! The mountain warriors shouted and pounded at him, and immediately he was drowned in the sea of knife and spears. The same thing happened on the other spots of the front! Warhorses burst into the spear array but were blocked by the shield. Quickly enough, the shield was also knocked open. However, the knight was then obstructed by the ax warriors!
The wind howled from the north, covered up slightly the ear-piercing cries of agony! The human bodies and horses staggered together as long spears and swords clashed against each other. Broken weapons and stumps cramped inside and outside the shield; underneath the foot of the soldiers who pushed against each other were the dead bodies of their companions and the enemy. Footprints of different sizes were imprinted deeply into the wet muddy surface, and bloody water began to accumulate in the holes made of footprints. The raindrops fell from above landed on the human bodies, some landed straight on the ground. The water from the bloody puddles splashed all over, even gradually forming a stream!
A brave and fierce Deiss knight hacked left and right frantically like a lunatic, his saber took away the lives of several mountain warriors. Several long spears hit his horse's chest, and the poor beast whined aloud as it stood on both leg. Yet, the knight remained calm! Leveraging the strength, he threw himself into the crowd, forcing his own body weight onto a few warriors. Almost immediately as he landed he sprung back on his feet, and continued waving his saber around with indifference to his surrounding! Mountain fighters kept on surrounding him, but with no alternative, they had to disperse under the pressure of the frantic saber attack.
Finally, a long sword warded off the saber! The Deiss' palm was cut by the sudden force slammed by the sword. He realized he met an equally aggressive opponent. The knight looked at the other party, and he was shocked by the opponent's horrifying facial features. First Lieutenant Ciel smiled slightly, this was the moment he had awaited! He could finally put his terrifying monster's appearance to good use. He slid a sharp-edged sword directly into his opponent's rib when the latter was distracted by his unique form. The longsword pierced the skin, cutting his sternum, and instantly took away his last breath! Titan soldiers dashed forward, soon countless knives made their marks on the enemy's body!
It was only until then that the soldiers suddenly discovered the battlefield had merged into the night scene of peaceful rain. Apart from the corpses who laid on the front line, there was not one enemy in sight within the forest!
Ciel held aloft his sword and issued a hoarse roar, the rest of the soldiers also held high their weapons and cheered aloud for their victory!
Titan soldiers' cheer spread across the vast forest with the help of the northern wind. In another forest, far away from the battle scene, one of the commanding officers of Deiss Ninth SS Independent Cavalry Brigade removed his close helmet slowly, staring into the direction where countless of his comrades rested forever.
”Commanding officer! We don't have anymore man between us and the enemy's front line!”
The commanding officer glanced at his officer, ”Aggression against invaders go on and on, what remains, is the spirit of soldiers! These are the words of Titan themselves!”
The officer gave a nod of understanding. He turned his back around firmly to face their last couple of companies!
***************
”In formation!”
”Attack!” With a smile on his face, Major General Silvio Barrick looked at the enemy that was about to mount a charge, but he didn't give the stubborn man another chance. Relying on the powerful backing of the First Division, the Second Division that he personally directed not only discovered the hidden location of the enemy, they also managed to successfully outflank the enemy from the back.
The fighting began! Initially, it was only a fierce shower of arrow firing, then it was the charge mounted by countless mountain warriors, finally… Silvio turned to look at his messenger who stood aside.
”If they want to escape, let them! But remember to capture a few back, alive!”
His messenger nodded, but he was suddenly alarmed, his expression frightened.