The beastmen are facing defeat, having been squeezed into a very small area. They can no longer retreat, for Warpstone Rock stands at their backs.
Trapped in this narrow space, the beastmen fall under the relentless arrow fire of the wood elves. The human and elf alliance, harboring intense hatred for the beastmen, spares no chaos creature. Every beastman that comes into their sight is slaughtered. Apart from the knights, everyone is looting the spoils of war, destroying every beastman totem and building they see.
Ryan also arrives in front of Warpstone Rock. Not far away, a four-armed Minotaur steps forward, signaling all beastmen to clear the way.
It wants to decide the outcome in a battle against this human.
"We can take it down directly," Delina, the Lord of the Woods, shouts to Ryan. "You don't have to confront it. It's a waste of our time."
"Unlike you in Esley, who rule with curses and bloodlines, we knights yearn for chivalry and honor. We need to demonstrate our valor when necessary, for it is the foundation of our rule," Ryan raises his warhammer and shakes his head. "I am the Lady's chosen champion. I must accept the challenge."
The Lord of the Woods watches Ryan intently, finally nodding in agreement. She too is curious about Ryan's strength.
Standing four meters tall, the four-armed Minotaur, Set, confronts Ryan. In front of this terrifying creature, Ryan, not even 1.9 meters tall, seems somewhat insignificant. "Human... death... destiny!"
"Indeed, this is where you meet your death!" Ryan raises his griffin warhammer, inhaling the foul air.
The intense chaos corruption near Warpstone Rock makes him and his army uncomfortable, necessitating a swift conclusion to the battle.
"Waaaagh!" The four-armed Minotaur, axe and sword in hand, roars as it charges at Ryan.
"Ha!" Ryan, too, puts forth all his strength, raising his warhammer.
"Boom!" Metal clashes, and both the heavy body of the four-armed Minotaur and the Lady's chosen champion stagger back half a step.
"For the Lady!" Ryan chants the name of the Lady of the Lake, feeling the inspiration she provides, like the sea's waves crashing against the shore, barely audible, almost imperceptible.
This place is rife with corruption and filth.
"Ugh!" Equally matched in strength, the four-armed Minotaur Set, a creature of legendary mid-tier power and the strongest among all Minotaurs in the Adenson Forest, was left behind to guard Warpstone Rock.
Following the taboo, it does not directly invoke the name of the chaos gods, roaring at the human in front of it, emitting endless hatred and madness: "Human... die!"
"Die, beast!" Ryan's warhammer tears through the air, drawing a terrifying arc, striking the handle of the battle axe. Set staggers back, then suddenly opens its massive jaws towards Ryan.
"Roar!"
A dark red energy arrow shoots towards Ryan.
This is a wild spell of the beastmen, unleashing a furious roar to shatter the enemy's skull and tear apart their soul.
The Grail Knight shows no fear; his right hand glows with blue flames, the pure energy of the Aether burning in his hand.
The energy arrow clashes with Ryan's psychic might, the air crackling and tearing, the smell of burning permeating as the human army nearby senses the charred odor.
Ryan, resisting the chaos energy with all his might, roars in defiance amidst the gaze of all knights, tearing the evil energy apart: "Ha!"
The Grail Knight clashes again with the four-armed Minotaur.
The shrill cries echo through the forest basin, sparks from the clash of warhammer and axe blade blinding nearby allies. Troops from both sides steer clear of their leaders' duel, any approaching soldier either sliced by the blade wind or crushed by the warhammer.
Soon, Set is covered in wounds, its crude weapons and laughable strength unable to breach Ryan's Grey Knight master-crafted power armor.
But it achieves its goal, using its battle axe and cleaver to limit the Grail Knight's mobility.
"Die! Human!" The sharp bone blade descends towards Ryan's head.
Seeing this, Ryan lets go of his warhammer.
This is what he's been waiting for.
Blades of psychic energy extend from both wrists.
Dual Slash!
The bone blade is cut by the sharper psychic blades, which dissipate after expending a great deal of energy. Ryan ducks, avoiding the sharp axe blade, a few black hairs cut, indicating Set's pain and fury.
Picking up his warhammer, the battle continues.
Elsewhere, the Duke of Red Dragons' third son, Marquis Gabriel, disdainfully lowers his sword, in front of him, a headless Doomsday Bull falls to the ground.
Julius is wounded, his plate armor slashed everywhere by the great axe, the pure white pegasus statue on his helmet halved, blood streaming down his handsome, cold face.
His longsword is plunged into the Doomsday Bull's chest, the creature bleeding out, howling as it clutches its chest, but unable to stop the bleeding. The young kingdom knight charges forward, stepping on the Doomsday Bull's chest, pulling out his longsword, ending its wicked life.
The battle near Warpstone Rock concludes, leaving only Ryan's duel with the four-armed Minotaur.
"It's over." Ryan's hand brushes over the head of his griffin warhammer, lightning flashing, a surge of lightning gathers on the warhammer, crackling. He steps back, then hurls his warhammer at the four-armed Minotaur.
Set barely dodges, its shoulder struck by Ryan's warhammer, a strong sense of numbness and pain forcing it to halt its retreat: "Human... human!!!"
With the warhammer gone, Ryan begins to gather all his psychic energy.
A spear of pure psychic energy, silver-white, embodying the might to shake the heavens, the Emperor's furious power.
This is the generous teaching of the great Emperor to his beloved son, teaching Ryan how to use his psychic powers to vanquish evil.
"No! No!" The four-armed Minotaur senses the terrifying tide of energy, its eyes shifting from surprise to fear as it realizes the destructive power contained within the spear.
Knowing its fate if struck, it backs against Warpstone Rock.
Ryan gives it no chance to flee, the genetic progeny hurling the spear with all his might, turning into a rain of destruction.
Hit!
"No! No! No!" Heartrending screams fill the sky as it struggles frantically, trying to use Warpstone Rock's power to weaken the fatal blow, but perhaps even Warpstone Rock can't help it now.
The psychic spear not only pierces the four-armed Minotaur's heart but also penetrates Warpstone Rock behind it, revealing all the sins committed by the beastmen in front of the alliance in a devastating psychic explosion.
Village after village destroyed.
Innocent life after innocent life taken.
Battle after failed battle.
In the illusion, everyone feels the wrath of the chaos gods, but the light of the psychic
so brilliant that Ryan is the first to snap back to reality: "Retreat! Everyone! Retreat!"
The crowd hastily withdraws.
Warpstone Rock explodes in a tremendous blast, amidst blinding white light, the very core of the beastmen's faith, the totem of chaos, is reduced to history.
"Boom!"
Rubble, dust, bones, corpses, and what remains is victory!
"Victory!" Ryan emerges unscathed from the dust, standing before the ruins of Warpstone Rock, shouting to the allied forces: "Victory!"
"Victory! Victory!"
"We have won!"
"Praise the Lady!"
The human and wood elf allied forces erupt in thunderous cheers.
From mid-August to early September, from the Valerim Camp to Warpstone Rock.
Nights and days, countless battles.
Small skirmishes, repeated harassment.
Counter-attacks in torrential rain, continuous confrontations in the forest.
The sudden arrival of wood elf reinforcements, the bloody battle before Warpstone Rock.
And then, victory!
"Topple the horned totems!"
"Topple the horned totems!"
"Topple the horned totems!"
Roaring cheers sound, even the most humble serfs cry out in joy, numerous ropes tied around the horned totems, symbols of beastmen power and authority.
High above, the horned totems adorned with heads and bones of various creatures, surrounded by beastmen's goods and weapons, their medals of honor, and the knights' pillars of shame.
Since the event at Doltar Towers over two hundred years ago, Bretonnia's armies had never destroyed Warpstone Rock, the horned totems standing tall, narrating the wars between knights and beastmen over the centuries.
Now, they could finally demolish it!
Under the knights' command, serfs and soldiers spontaneously organize, forming teams, pulling down the horned totems.
Even many wood elves couldn't help but join in, their hatred for the beastmen even greater than that of humans.
"Destroy it! Destroy it! Destroy it!" Under everyone's gaze, the horned totems collapse, turning into ruins.
The beastmen's feats and glory, like the rubble on the ground, swept into the dust.
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
"We have won! The army of chivalry has won!"
"The gods will cleanse this land through our efforts!"
"Let's cheer for victory!"
"Long live the Lady of the Lake! Long live Lady Saliya! Long live Sir Ryan!"
The spoils of war, gold, silver, various beastmen captures now belong to the allied forces. Ryan uses his power to cleanse the camp of filth, the right-wing army plunging into celebration.
The Grail Knight stands high before the destroyed Warpstone Rock, smiling at the reveling troops within the camp.
This is the outcome he desired, the purpose of the chivalric war.
He has achieved it.
Unnoticed, in a corner, Surya gazes up at Ryan's towering figure, the knightess' eyes sparkling with admiration...
Meanwhile, in Bretonnia, near Yulsen Castle in the Adenson Forest, the army of chivalry faces a desperate situation. After holding out for a day, they completely collapse, the army cut off from supplies, serf soldiers deserting en masse, only the soldiers and knights still resisting.
In despair, the knights begin to slaughter their horses for food, weeping bitterly, unable to bear the pleading gaze of their steeds, many knights even choosing to end their own lives with their swords.
The remaining two thousand troops set up their last camp, awaiting the end. No knight chooses to surrender or fall, even as the dark gods whisper in their ears, their faith in the Lady of the Lake remains unshaken.
Marquis Anxi's lips turn purple, his face pale. He futilely picks up a magical communicator, then puts it down again.
He has no more gems. Just yesterday, during a call, his tent was raided by beastmen, not only suffering heavy losses, but even the shield insignia given by the king and his family's ancestral shield were stolen by the beastmen. He himself barely escaped encirclement with the desperate protection of his personal guards.
"Nothing left, nothing gained," Marquis Anxi murmurs to himself, surveying the army of chivalry's camp. Now the entire force is reduced to less than two thousand, and at the horizon, the beastmen launch a new assault. The knights, starved for days, gradually collapse, yet they continue to hold on.
Surrender is not an option, a consensus among all.
"Hah, we might not last three days," Marquis Anxi jests. He gave the right-wing army three days to reinforce, regardless of whether they would come or not. It's only the first day, and the army of chivalry has already dwindled from ten thousand to two thousand. What do they have to hold out for three days?
"Pierre, do you think we can last three days?" Marquis Anxi's young face is filled with despair. He seems to be asking his aide-de-camp, Baron Pierre, yet also talking to himself.
"I am prepared to fight to the death," Baron Pierre, like the marquis, has sunken eyes. He's eating his ration—a nearly transparent slice of bread and some fried peas. The army of chivalry's food supply has run out, even he, as the deputy commander, can only get this much.
"Pierre, tell me, did we end up like this because of my command?" Marquis Anxi pushes away the food brought by a knight attendant, then asks, "Tell me the truth."
"I don't know, my lord. The total annihilation of Adelard's force was his fault. I just think there was one mistake on your part. When we failed to take Yulsen Castle on the first day, we should have immediately retreated or sought to rendezvous with the right-wing army." Baron Pierre hesitates for a moment, then speaks the truth: "My lord, you might have overestimated our offensive capabilities and underestimated the beastmen's combat strength."
"Yes, it's my fault, all my fault," Marquis Anxi shouts: "It's all because of me. You all blame me, look down on me for being the first-time commander, look down on me for being King Richard's grandnephew. My command was at fault? If not for Adelard's folly, would the army of chivalry have ended up like this? Was my decision to reinforce wrong? Was my decision to siege wrong? If we had decided to retreat then, do you know what I would face upon returning to Couronne? Accused of cowardice? Abandoning allies?"
Baron Pierre falls silent.
"Enough, I've had enough, let it end, end it all. I will use everything I have to atone to the Lady, hoping to receive her forgiveness." Marquis Anxi finally makes a decision, directing the remaining knights to mount up, preparing for the final charge.
"We are the Lady's knights, even in death, we shall die charging." The army of chivalry has over two hundred knights left, half kingdom knights and half ranger knights. Faced with the marquis' command, they harbor grievances but still respond to their commander's call, mounting their steeds, raising their lances.
Before them stands a nearly seven thousand strong beastmen army, all elite war beasts.
Every knight knows what awaits them, but they have no regrets.
"For the Lady and the King! For Bretonnia!"
"Forward! Knights! Forward!"
The tragic bugle sounds one last time among the army of chivalry.
"Humanity... gathers again, awaiting... death," the Beast Lord "Bloodhorn" Marlas growls.
"All things... end... approaches, human... extinction... inevitable," the Screaming Shaman "Hearteater" Groz responds.
"Forward! Attack!" The beastmen also gather.
Thirty minutes later, the army of chivalry is annihilated, from Marquis Anxi down, all knights fall in battle, none survive.
But just as the beastmen are about to celebrate their victory, a heartrending pain and extreme mental agony suddenly sweep through the brains of the Beast Lord and the Great Shaman.
"No... No!"
"Set... is dead! Warpstone Rock... has been destroyed!"
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