PS: Two chapters today, the next one is coming tonight.
Pale blue arcs of light tore through space and time, as the Sword of Vengeance descended upon Ugrok's head with the force to rend heavens and earth.
Ugrok's great cleaver was cleaved in two.
The greenskin warlord's shield was split into halves.
And then, his shoulder along with his entire right arm.
"Arrgh!" Ugrok finally managed to dodge instinctively, the pain of losing his right arm causing the greenskin warlord to howl miserably. Still, as a greenskin, he overcame the pain. Even though the spike on his helmet was chopped off by Ryan, Ugrok still dodged the fatal strike. Protected by his loyal savage greenskins, he rolled a few times before mounting a war boar and madly retreated into the distance.
"Die!" Ryan knew that finishing off this greenskin warlord with one strike was impossible. The gene origin immediately gripped the Sword of Vengeance tightly, charging towards Ugrok.
Ryan, however, did not achieve his goal. The wyvern, which seemed dead, suddenly opened its eyes. Struggling to see its master in crisis, the wyvern made one last effort for the greenskin warlord Ugrok.
With one last flap of its wings, in a standard draconic charge, the wyvern swallowed Ryan whole, forcing him down its throat.
"Oh no!" Many knights and soldiers who had been watching Ryan couldn't help but scream out. Holy Knight Alfred, with teeth clenched, roared Ryan's name, preparing to activate his holy shield.
However, Ryan didn't leave the onlookers in shock for long. Soon, the allied forces saw the wyvern writhing in agony, convulsing fiercely. Its belly unnaturally bulged, and a flaming broadsword burst out from within, slicing open a circular hole through the beast's stomach. Amid the disgusting spray of bodily fluids and innards, Ryan emerged unscathed and cold, the Sword of Vengeance swinging, the wyvern's massive head hitting the ground.
"For the Lady! For victory!" Ryan lifted the head of the wyvern, almost as big as himself, and roared towards the human allied forces.
The allied forces erupted.
"Kill them all!!!" At that moment, whether it was the soldiers of the Empire, the mercenaries from Marienburg, or the knights of Britannia, all shouted out loud. The morale of the allied forces was fully ignited, even the peasant soldiers of Britannia sensed the scent of victory. The Empire's army, which was barely holding against the greenskins minutes ago, had completely turned the tide of battle. Even the riflemen and archers hidden behind the army lines launched a charge. For the first time, the humans' roar overpowered the greenskins', as the allied forces madly stormed the greenskin lines, cries of victory echoing through the skies of Colson. Even the Lady of the Lake, watching over Ryan, could feel the vibrations through the subspace.
"Victory!!! Victory!!! Victory!!!"
The greenskins were utterly defeated, a true rout. Devoid of courage, the greenskins were crushed under the human counterattack. Even the savage orcs fell to the humans' spears. The greenskins were surrounded, cut off, and destroyed, with their warlords either dead or fled. Only a few thousand of the greenskin army managed to escape human pursuit, with the rest of the twenty thousand plus greenskins completely annihilated.
Ugrok escaped, and although the knights pursued him, the greenskin boar riders' desperate protection and the cover of the forest allowed him to vanish beneath a mine shaft. The knights dared not pursue the greenskins into the dark mines, choosing to return instead.
However, this was of little importance. After this failed great waaagh!, Ugrok had lost his prestige as a greenskin warlord and the favor of the greenskin gods, Gork and Mork. It would take him a long time to rise again, and even if this warlord were killed, other warlords would quickly rise among the greenskins.
The battlefield was littered with corpses, both greenskin and human. The human allied forces suffered heavy losses in this war. Of the more than two thousand mercenaries from Marienburg, only just over a thousand remained. Of the twelve thousand reinforcements from the Empire, less than eight thousand could stand. Of the three hundred knights from Britannia, only about one hundred and thirty remained, with over half of the squires and light cavalry fallen.
But victory is victory! Humanity once again triumphed over evil!
Through this baptism of fire and blood, more recruits will grow into true soldiers. Excellent soldiers will be promoted to greatswordsmen, and excellent greatswordsmen will become captains or even knights. Among the valiant ranger knights of Britannia, two lucky individuals have been recognized by Saint Knight Yules and several kingdom knights for their outstanding performance, and they are expected to be officially knighted upon their return to their homeland.
As for the mercenaries, they too will receive material rewards.
Ryan walked across the ravaged battlefield, amidst countless corpses of humans and greenskins. Soldiers were diligently cleaning up, and serfs desperately scavenged among the bodies, enduring the knights' disdainful gazes, hoping to gather enough spoils from this foreign campaign.
The crudely made weapons and armor of the greenskins were of low quality, hardly worth salvaging, but the greenskins had a habit of adorning themselves with shiny things, which could be sand, stones, or even gold and silver, and jewels. Finding just a bit could mean a fortune for soldiers and serfs.
Of course, the Empire's soldiers and mercenaries had to hand over half of their loot, and the serfs, even more.
Regardless of their origin, all forces greeted the blood-soaked Ryan with respect as he passed. Today, the Lady of the Lake's chosen champion had killed a greenskin warlord, a goblin great shaman, a wyvern, and hundreds of greenskins, overshadowing the entire battlefield with his valor, sounding the horn of the counterattack.
"Well done, my protégé." Duke Gryphon Ivan approached slowly, looking at Ryan with admiration: "Half of today's victory is thanks to you."
"How's the Beast of Calamity?" Ryan nodded, asking softly.
"It's wounded, but a month or two of rest should be enough for recovery, nothing serious." Ivan looked over the devastated fields, his tone satisfied: "This means, at least for the next three years, the greenskins at the Gint mine won't have the capability to organize another great waaagh."
"That's good news." Ryan nodded, this victory protecting the lives of hundreds of thousands around Marienburg, a victory worth remembering.
Ivan left after a few words, loudly ordering the soldiers to clean up the battlefield quickly. This plain needed to be purified with fire completely, lest it become a breeding ground for greenskins.
Greenskins, neither oviparous nor viviparous, are composed of green spores. When a greenskin enters its reproductive phase or dies, the spores from its body fall off in large quantities, forming seeds buried in the ground.
When the seeds mature, many mushrooms will grow from the soil, and as they grow, creatures will be nurtured from beneath. The first to emerge are snotlings and goblins, which will continue to guard and nurture the mushrooms, followed by the emergence of larger ork orcs.
Thus, the battlefield must be thoroughly purified with fire, or in a few months, it will become a new gathering and birthplace for greenskins.
Ryan sighed softly, knowing more from his father's knowledge. Greenskins were created by the Old Ones specifically for war, their only purpose being combat and destruction. Unlike other races with desires for food and reproduction, greenskins lack these entirely. Their reproduction has been mentioned, and their bodies, made of green spores, can directly photosynthesize for nourishment, though they also eat for pleasure.
Their only joy is in fighting and destruction.
These creatures can never be completely eradicated; they will always regenerate in dark corners, forming new waaaghs. Humanity can only suppress them, never fully eliminate them.
"Mr. Ryan!" A young knight ran up to Ryan, holding several goblin heads: "Could you look at my haul?"
It was Lops, the young wandering knight who participated in the battle, holding several greenskin heads, eager to show Ryan.
"Well done!" Ryan noticed his many bandages, the wandering knight truly fought for his life.
"May I have the opportunity to follow you, Mr. Ryan?" Lops asked earnestly, his body covered in scars, his armor damaged in many places, leaning on his halberd, his facial scars shocking: "After seeing your performance, I now know what a true knight is."
"I wanted to say the same, good friend." Alfred approached shakily, the Holy Knight covered in wounds, many deep enough to see bone, his shield dented, his sword blade notched, simply bandaged himself, offering Ryan an ugly smile: "Count me in for your domain, I want to see what's beyond the mountains."
"Alright, get ready, and Alfred, are your injuries alright?" Ryan was concerned for his childhood friend, but Alfred stopped him, insisting he was fine, then the blond man grimaced, squeezing out a smile: "Stay away, friend, you stink."
"???" Ryan was initially stunned, but quickly realized. His body was covered in greenskin blood, wyvern blood and gastric juices, along with his own sweat and dust, indeed smelling awful. And Ryan also had some wounds, just not fatal.
But what right did Alfred have to comment on Ryan's smell? He was just as odorous: "Hey! Alfred, how dare you say that? You stink too, you know?"
"You stink worse than me, Stinky Knight Ryan! Hahahahahahaha!"
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
"Hahahahahaha—ouch! That hurts!"
In the aftermath on the plains of Colson, laughter from a few young men echoed.
The knights of Britannia finally dismounted to rest, the intense battle exhausting the young ranger knights. Fortunately, the battle was over, allowing them some respite. The few remaining kingdom knights did not scold their laxity, instead looking at these young ranger knights with complex eyes, because these older knights had gone through the same experiences.
They, too, were like these young lads in their youth, charging forward with fervor, ignorance, and youthful bravery, like the historical heroes they idolized in childhood or the unbeatable protagonists from their mothers' bedtime stories.
Through the clash of reality and dreams, the young ranger knights would eventually understand their destiny, undergoing a transformation. Only through countless blood and fire can a ranger knight grow from a boy into a true man. The weak will die in this process, the unworthy pruned away, with nobility reserved only for those truly deserving of glory.
Just like Ryan today, if the knights had any doubts about the Lady of the Lake's special treatment of Ryan before, after witnessing his performance today, even the most arrogant ranger knight would find it hard to challenge him again. He was simply too strong.
While the human allied forces were cleaning the battlefield, about twenty kilometers away, within a hill.
Four golden lights descended from the sky.
Emerging from the golden light were four tall figures, each over three meters tall, clad in golden full-body armor adorned with golden wing patterns, each bearing the mark and decorations of a golden double-headed eagle.
Their golden pointed power armor helmets topped with large red plumes, two wielding long halberds, one a greatsword, and another a huge eagle standard.
After a moment, the four figures looked around curiously, one murmuring: "Just as His Majesty said, our strength is limited in this ghostly place. Look, my reaction is 0.3 seconds slower than in the palace. Normally, I'd be retired under these circumstances."
"Regardless, receiving His Majesty's orders is the most glorious day in our eleven thousand years. We will complete our mission perfectly!"
"Yes! Remember, His Majesty instructed us not to cause unnecessary slaughter. This world is complicated, and our main task is to protect the original being!"
"Alright, alright! I got it."
The four figures were discussing their strategy when suddenly, they heard running noises from afar.
Thousands of greenskins charged at them: "waaaaaaaaaaagh!"
"Why are these damn big mushrooms everywhere?" one of the golden figures complained, then raised his weapon: "Greenskins and Chaos are not included! Brothers, to arms!"
"For the Emperor!!!"
Ten minutes later, the plain was covered with thousands of greenskin corpses, every single one of them dead, none escaping.
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