Chapter 221: Twenty-fifth Episode: Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 221: Twenty-fifth Episode: Chapter 1
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At dusk, the flame of the sun lit up the western sky. The falling sun only spilled a string of light at the edge of the horizon. Only the fiery red sky and flaming clouds were still releasing its magnificent colors.
The mountains under the sky were at times bright and dark. Near Potimisino Village, the bright red sky hovered above the ruined houses and large bundles of flame. Thick, dark smoke slowly rose from the center of the village. There was no wind in early summer, so the smoke headed straight toward the sky. The gigantic smoke pillar could be seen from a few kilometers away.
The Potimisino War that was started by the Southern Army Group came to an end in the afternoon. This was earlier than the Westell War by more than two hours. The Guards dug a thirty-meter-deep hole at the ruins. They had only finished preparing this hole by the next morning.
The army sent out a whole infantry corps to clear the place. Even though this job could ensure the soldiers in the unit collect an enormous loot as war prizes, it was not an easy job to search the bodies with terrifying deaths on the battlefield. The warriors mostly used handkerchief or scarf to cover their mouths and noses tightly. The whole battlefield stunk of a filthy odor. Broken limbs and some unnamed body organs were all over the ground. Some soldiers' eyes were smeared with blood water. The world they saw was bright red. No one would possibly believe this, but the red world was the most realistic depiction of the Potimisino battlefield.
The warriors had gathered the bodies left by the enemy even before the hole was done. Mountain-like bodies were gathered in three directions in the Potimisino Village. When the hole was done, the Titan warriors threw the enemy's bodies into the hole. They could not even throw too many at once. All they did was layering the bottom of the hole with bodies.
After filling in oil, they threw fire torches into it. The hole began to burn intensely. At this time, the Titan warriors stood far away. They covered their noses to resist the stench released by burning corpses. The stench and the scene before their eyes could easily be depicted as hell. The knights who were going about in the thick smoke resembled spirit catchers in hell.
The catchers already began to fill the hole with soil even before the fire had stopped. The soil that had been mixed with bloody water soon suppressed the fire and buried the corpses into the deepest parts of hell. Then, the warriors threw another layer of corpses into the hole and the fire continued. This repeated process only came to its end after two days and one night.
However, during this period, the southern soldiers of Titan dug a new hole nearby the village. Apparently, the thirty-meter-deep hole was not sufficient to bury all dead bodies. Adding to that, it was summer now. If the bodies were exposed under the sun for three days, the Titans would not need to deal with enemies. The epidemic would be enough to eliminate all invaders.
In Slovenia Potimisino War, the dead accounted to 39,217 and the captured was 40,221 people as recorded in the history of the Guards. This way, those who were observant would notice their enemy was the Slovenia Kingdom Army's major groups in the circle of Potimisino. There was a total of nine corps. Titan soldiers had eliminated 39,217 and captured 40,221 people amongst them. Except for that, the war history had never talked about missing people or those who fought their way out. So, these observant people would ask, almost eighty percent of the ninety-thousand-men army were gone. (What happened to the remaining twenty percent of people?) They asked.
The leader of Narcissus Knights, Figg Andrew Tibotty and his guards made a whole cavalry brigade and walked past the battlefield nonchalantly. The soldiers who were resting on the ground all heard the dense sound of horse hooves from afar. Marshal Figg's black horse was riding at the front. The passionate soldiers only knew to avoid it just before the horse reached them.
Cheers shook the sky and countless Titan warriors roared out from the quiet mountains. They saw Narcissus Knights running toward them while holding the war flag up high. They even saw the paladins behind the flag-bearers who were pulling at a few broken Slovenia army fag. This meant that the Narcissus Knights had, as well, attained victory. When the soldiers were dumb-founded looking at the steel carriage passing by them, some Narcissus comrades who were not rushing with their journey told them that it was the Slovenian King who attempted to protect the pagans. Thus, the cheers became even more high-spirited.
The Titan warriors jumped and laughed as if they were celebrating in a carnival. They ran about, telling others of this news. They even took off their blood-stained helmets before the Narcissus Knights and threw the helmets into the sky. Marshal Figg had captured the enemy's king. If in the previous age of knights, this meant the change of ruler of the Slovenia Kingdom.
At a tall and deep valley road, Marshal Figg and his knights stopped abruptly and so did the steel carriage. The Narcissus Knights used all their strength to pull Tirana XI who was a little dizzy from the journey out of the carriage. The Slovenian King immediately kneeled and threw up once he stepped on the ground. It was as if he had to throw up all his organs before he stopped.
Figg threw a towel at him. This captured king did not even think before he accepted it. Tirana XI wiped his mouth and his face and only then he realized that he should get up from the ground. The king returned the dirty towel to the Narcissus Knights' Marshal, but Figg shook his head with a smile. He pointed to the slope in front of him, ”Your Majesty, keep it for yourself! I think you will still need it after a while.”
The Slovenian King looked over strangely. He did not know what was going to happen after this.
No matter what, his life was ensured at this moment because Marshal Figg had told him that the Narcissus Knights would be honored in the ancient courtesy. The Titan's Empress would not think of killing a king as well.
Then, what more could it be?
The large steel carriage could not climb the slope. The Slovenian King was given a horse in jujube color. He knew the knights of Andrew were humiliating him, but looking at the expressions of those soldiers, he knew his objection now would further be looked down by the Narcissus people. Then, he silently went up the horse and followed Figg.
”Phew...” Figg blew a whistle when he reached the top and looked at the scenery. He greeted an officer of the Guards who came forward, ”Not bad! I must give your Eighth Region Second Corps respect now!”
The Corps Commander of the Eighth Region Second Corps Major General Silvio Barrick respectfully greeted Marshal Andrew, then spat on the ground before him. However, it was not meant for Figg, but to Tirana XI who wore the clothing of a Slovenian knight. The butcher of the southern Corps did not need to guess to know the young man on the horse in front of him was the protector of those evil pagans.
The Titan warriors nearby surrounded their Corps commander. There were about two thousand people here. Figg was stunned looking at them. If the Corps Commander of the Second Corps was as strict as Oscar had described, then his soldiers would not look as bad as this.
”What is wrong with you?” Figg turned to Major General Silvio.
The butcher spat, ”Launching an attack in the morning right when the enemy is most energetic, and the war coordinate is these sh*tty people's commander unit in Potimisino. What do you say we should be?”
”Oh...” Figg nodded in understanding.
Silvio glared at the trembling Tirana XI with disgust, then turned to the leader of the Narcissus Knights, ”Sir, the warriors behind me are all the remaining soldiers of the Second Corps. We fought our way from the outside into their commanding unit. I only realized how many I have lost in the end. This is just absurd!”
Even if the losses of Southern Army Group were completely within the expectation of Figg, but he was still moved after hearing these words. Even though the butcher Silvio's reputation was bad, the Second Corps he led had replaced the infamous ”Snow Lions” and became the strongest brigade amongst the Southern Army Group. Figg only understood why the soldiers he saw on his way were mostly in such bad shape. Even the Second Corps had such a hard time with the battle – it was apparent how strong and relentless the enemy's resistance was!
”Sir, thank you for all the things you have done for the Empire!” Figg paid his respect to Silvio Barrick with the most ancient sword greetings of the Narcissus Knights.
”You should say for the Andrews...” Even though he was saying this in his heart, the arrogant Silvio only nodded in agreement with Figg.
***********************
”Really? We have to pass through there?” The trembling Slovenian King suddenly pointed to the plains in front of him. His facial expression was completely distorted. His eyes filled with terror.
”Of course...” Figg smiled cunningly. ”This is the present given to you by the Chief of Staff of Titan's Southern Army Group Lieutenant General Tantalus!”
The butcher Silvio was bothered by the tasteless conversation. He took out his sword and stabbed the rear of the horse. The horse screeched in pain. After the yell, it rushed forward down the slope. Then, the terrified Slovenian King screamed like a woman. The Titan warriors nearby roared in laughter as they watched the embarrassing king. They had already forgotten about the terrible number of injuries. Moreover, they had completed the revenge toward the enemy. The plains in which the injured horse rushed into was the evidence of that horrible revenge.
The setting sun had retrieved its bright flame. The light which spilled on the ground slowly darkened. The strange-looking dusk filled the plains and the heavy red light turned into strings of haze which disappeared soon after. When the haze was thin, thousands of overturned crosses could be seen on the plains. On every cross, there was a body pinned to it. The head of the corpse was near the ground. Blood gushed out from the steel nails pinned into its limbs and the slithered throat. Most of the injuries on the bodies had already shown its rotten meat. Obviously, they had already been like that for quite some time.
The bloody water made the ground muddy. There were still Titan soldiers walking about in the forest of overturned crosses. The Slovenian King looked at this in horror. He wanted to cry and curse, but he just did not know where to start. Pinning one on the overturned cross before slithering his or her throat was the ancient punishment against pagan of the Religion of Light, but the ones who suffered such punishment were not all pagans. They were the soldiers of the king and the warriors who defended their country's sovereignty. The Titans should not let them bear such sins.
Then, laughter came from the horrible forest. Tirana XI saw two Titan soldiers opened the mouth of a corpse and broke his golden tooth with their scabbard. They even took the corpse's wedding ring from his finger. Even the most innocent king would not forget the face of the invaders. Tirana XI suddenly found himself fearless. All that was left in his heart was anger! It was an agonizing fury!
The slaughter seemed to be endless. The blood and body stench were overwhelming. The sky had gone completely dark and the grey universe lit up a few lights. They were the light of the stars.
There was a flock of birds hovering above the slaughtering place. There were vultures, falcons and cliff eagles.
These predators of the dead had already been busy for a whole day. Each of them was full of food. They kept circulating in the sky as if they were digesting the delicious food they have not had in many years. Soon, the birds formed a moving vortex in the sky where the light of the stars spilled from the center of the vortex. In the end, this made the horrible scene even more terrifying.
Tirana XI did not know how he had gone past this hell-like place. He only hoped that he had many knives in his hands! If he saw the Chief of Staff who created all of this later, he would stab that person without caring about anything. Even though he was a king, this was as much as he could do now.
At the edge of the field, the horrifying slaughter seemed endless. The Slovenian King heard Titan words, curses and cries. Going against the Narcissus Knights' traverse, Tirana XI rushed forward toward the light of the fire torch. (O God of Light! What have I seen?) He thought.
A team of Kingdom soldiers had their hands tied behind their backs. Thick rope bound them together. The warriors were kneeling on the ground with their heads lowered as they stared hopelessly at their country's soil. Titan soldiers of the Second Corps had inherited the cruel and numb beast-like behavior of the previous generation. Although they were busy with cursing, the whips and their boots were not doing nothing. More than ten carriages were carrying new crosses. Two Titan soldiers got one and placed it on the ground upside down. Then, an officer ordered a warrior to get a poor guy who was destined to be brought to a place with no lords and suffer eternally.
This captured soldier had no energy left to struggle. Nor did he had the energy to beg the invaders who seemed like evil gods. He was holding a small statue of God of Light and kept reciting the mantra in a low voice.
Four muscular warriors held the limbs of the captured soldier tightly. Unspeakable excitement showed itself on the face of these warriors as if they were doing some sort of an incredible job.
The poor guy had his legs stacked together and a thick nail then pierced through his ankles after being hit strongly by a hammer.
The Slovenian soldier whose mind was completely destroyed by the slaughter finally released a shocking yell. He struggled and yelled crazily. His whole body was twitching while tears poured from his face.
The Titan soldiers seemed numb with such scene. They were busy going about their business without caring about the noise and the disturbance of the deadly aura at all.
The sufferings of the captured soldier continued. His arms were pressed on the cross. The Titan soldier who was holding the hammer was aiming at the position to hammer the nail.
Without bothering his beg or the excruciating pain brought upon by the nail, the hammer fell onto him ruthlessly. Blood spilled out and a terrible yell rang once again in the dark night. This was a hopeless howl and an excruciating statement!
The Slovenian soldier had stopped his struggle. His heavily injured arms merged with the cross and his palms slowly opened. The statue of God of Light was exposed in the light. The Titan soldiers were attracted by this golden ornament. The officer came forward and took this statue. Then, he put it to his mouth and tried to bite it.
”Hey...it's gold!”
Titan soldiers surrounded him. This small thing would worth a few gold coins and could be counted as wealth.
”Look at this, boss! Even the god is blessing you!” The warriors tried very hard to please this officer who was smiling widely.
”Yes, yes!” The officer spat at the captured soldier on the cross, ”I thought all Slovenians are poor! Right, why did you all stop? Continue! Quick! This guy is a thief. He must have stolen this thing!”
Among the agreements, the hammer hit the nail again. Then, a jujube horse rushed forward. The knight on the horse yelled, ”Stop! Stop!”
The Slovenian King Tirana XI sat on the horse sternly. His upheaval chest was filled with anger. His gaze was deep, and his hair disheveled. He had never been more like a king than now! The Titan soldiers were surprised to hear this angry howl. They stopped what they were doing and stared in question at this man who came from nowhere.
”It's a knight!” A Titan warrior suddenly pulled out his sword. He was the first to recognize the knight's armor.
”Yeah!” The officer nodded and took out his sword. ”The armor shows that he is noble!”
The captured soldier on the ground looked up. Their units were eliminated. How could there be any knight left?
The Titan soldiers around the knight came toward him. Their swords were held against the body of the Slovenian King, but Tirana XI paid no attention to it. He simply scanned the invaders around him with a disgusted gaze. To be honest, he would not do this an hour before. An hour before, he was still thinking how he could beg the forgiveness of O'Neil Andrew Morisette, but now, let this Titan Prince and his murderers go to hell! No one could let a king give up his pride and country! Tirana XI understood a moral, but he still could not say it clearly.
Figg was stopping not far away from him with his guards. He was smiling as he witnessed the sudden incident.
He even ordered the Commander of the Second Corps to not bother them.
Tirana XI pointed a finger at the poor guy on the ground, ”Let him go! He is a loyal believer of the God of Light. You heard his prayer and his beg. Even the god will choose to forgive his sins.”
”Sir...” An evil-looking Titan soldier came forward, ”Sir! We came from far away. You should at least pay a little for the sin of this poor guy...”
Without waiting for the invaders around him to make a fuss, Tirana XI had already taken off the golden ring from his finger. He threw the ancient-looking ring on the ground and begged for his wife's forgiveness in his heart.
That was his wedding ring with his queen even though he had never treasured their union before.
The invaders whistled. The king's ring was passed around them, ”Look…there's a woman's name on it!” ”Look...diamonds!” ”Look...there are also logos of the religion and the pagans!” ”Look...this Sir married a pagan b*tch!” The Titan soldiers made a loud fuss out of it.
”Look...these are the invaders!” The last king of Tirana Kingdom muttered in a low voice in his heart with disgust. The Titan soldiers and the Narcissus Knights were no longer the strong and powerful invaders in his eyes. They were a bunch of lowly bandits and robbers! A bunch of...
Just when the king was searching for the words to curse the invaders, an incident happened! A captured soldier who knelt on the ground somehow broke out of his bounds. He quietly approached a laughing Titan soldier and smashed his hard elbow into the soldier's face. The captured soldier took his sword and ran toward the evil soldiers surrounding the knight.
”Your Majesty...leave quickly! Your Majesty...quick!” This brave Slovenian warrior waved his long sword in a frenzy. The sharp blade brought about a high-pitched whistling, scaring the Titan soldier nearest to his left who took a few steps back. However, this Tirana King did not run away as he was told to. He kept thinking on his horse, dumb-founded... (Run? Where to?) He thought.
”Your Majesty...” The warrior groaned in helplessness. When numerous spears stabbed into his body and lifted him up, he found that he stared straight into the king's eyes.
”Your Majesty...leave...leave...fight...until the end...”
The warrior's breathing became weak, but he was still waving his sword using the last drop of his soul. His sword hit the spears of the invaders in vain until the furious Titan officer ordered for the spear-users to release their spears. The injured body fell solidly on the ground, but the invaders were not satisfied. The angry ax-users rushed forward. They waved their axes and cut the body in a frenzy until the person became a pile of mashed meat.
Tirana XI did not cry. He simply turned his horse to face the officer, ”You have received your ransom. Release that poor guy!”
”Pthu!” The Titan officer spat on the ground and turned to the soldiers beside him, ”Bring this Sir down. Next will be him!”
”Enough!” The dark-looking General Silvio Barrick arrived finally. This was the first time he felt embarrassed in front of the enemy.
”This is the King of Slovenia. You have no rights to do that!” The Corps Commander of Second Corps glared coldly at the leading officer.
”Your Majesty...” Silvio turned to Tirana XI. No matter what, he felt that this king was respectable as a king. ”Marshal Figg is tired of waiting. You should continue your journey immediately.”