In the heart of the battle on the northern shores, Hydrick sensed the pressure closing in on him. His opponent, Pursia, had begun to overwhelm him with his balanced attack—using his long range and unorthodox strikes. His longsword had successfully struck deep into Hydrick's armor in several places. Feeling the weight of these blows, Hydrick began breathing heavier, his thrusts with his broadsword growing increasingly sluggish.
Hydrick glanced around as their dueling ground continued shrinking—the battle lines had become more chaotic. He could tell the pressure was coming from his side of the dueling ground, the soldiers being blown around in powerful waves the likes he'd never seen before.
They're pushing hard toward me… eating through my men…
This armor is getting heavier…
My vision is starting… to blur…
What's happening out there, Al?
This is our chance to win a huge battle against a top ranked…
Wait…
Al wouldn't lose this kind of battle to just anyone…
Faron is up against Samuel.
And their fourth best should be stationed at their castle.
The fifth best should still be recovering from his recent run-in with Al.
That means, that on this very battlefield…
It can't be.
That man… he's made his appearance, finally!
In my eight years as a soldier, he's not shown his face on the battlefield once…
I finally have the chance I've been waiting for all this time.
I have to hold out here.
I have to hurry and regain control over the lines, before it's too late!
Al, you have to realize it too! This is an unbelievable chance!
"You seem to be focused elsewhere, Knight," Pursia called out, his voice seething. "I had thought our duel was brought on by mutual respect for each other's skills, but if your will to honor the warrior's code has wavered this easily, then I'll just go ahead and kill you quickly."
The man's large figure pulled his attention back in by force, his and his horse's eyes searing with enmity.
"No," Hydrick replied, his voice echoing within his helmet.
He's right.
Right now, he's the only obstacle in front of me.
"My will has nothing to do with honoring any code. I'll show you… that what I fight for is something much more important than that."
He charged forward, prompting Pursia to follow. Neither man wavered as their blades clashed furiously. As a result, their horses collided, throwing both of them to the earth.
The sound of their powerful clash of iron reverberated through the battle lines, as far out as the two raging heads leading the battle of encirclement.
Al looked up at the piercing sound, just as his main line crossed paths with the enemy's main line, some thirty meters inward. Until now, the enemy's leader had hidden himself as he relentlessly gained inner superiority in the encirclement, but at the sound of the clash, he too looked up.
Al's attention shifted to the man leading the charge, finally revealing himself in an upright position. Aside from the strong vibration from the center of battle, all sound seemed to fade out at that moment.
The man he looked upon wore modest armor and no helmet, revealing curly black hair. On top of that, his build, long arms, and long red spear were unmistakable.
In that moment, the man was gone from view.
"Jack, come up here with me!" Al shouted as their circular path continued.
"What is it, Al?" Jack asked, bringing his horse next to Al's.
"The next time we take the front position, we're breaking the encirclement and shooting in the gap between the tail and the head."
"What?" Jack replied. "Why now? We're way behind as it is!"
"Because… the head of this snake… is the one and only head of the snake of the entire Wolverine army," Al answered, his eyes alit.
"W—what... did you…" Jack stuttered, his jaw hanging. Al nodded back at him with a fiery grin, moving ahead in the group.
"RIDERS IN THE LEAD, PRESS THROUGH THE BATTLE LINES AND MAKE FOR THE ENEMY'S HEAD WITH THE NEXT CIRCLE! RIGHT IN FRONT OF US IS THE WOLVERINES' COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, GENERAL SHUANT HIMSELF!!!"