Occasionally, some of the men running through the muddy and slippery road would slip and fall.
At the moment, it would appear that the rain had started to get heavier.
The road through the valley was not too long and was only around 200 meters or so. By now, Chen Xiaolian who was leading his men forward had managed to catch sight of the rear of the enemy soldiers…
The enemy line was disorderly and their men formed a long line. Even the members of the regular army found it hard to maintain their formation.
In the darkness, Chen Xiaolian was vaguely able to see nearly half of the enemy soldiers… a doubt rose within his mind: Why haven’t they started fighting?
Things were too peaceful!
Their present location was very close to the mouth of the valley. That should be where Merlin had laid his ambush… besides, the time for the ambush to spring should have passed!
Yet, despite the disorderly manner of the enemy army, they did not appear to be suffering from an ambush.
Chen Xiaolian was quick to realize that something was wrong!
However, by then, it was too late for him to regret anything.
The 100 mercenaries under his command chose this specific moment to display their strong point in battle…
Courageously swarm forward!
A one-eyed mercenary brandished an axe, jumped on a big piece of rock and let loose a loud roar!
His roar instantly alerted the enemy soldiers in front.
Chaos broke out in the rear part of the enemy lines. Some of the soldiers shouted out in panic. However, due to the heavy rain, the shouts and exclamations became intermittent and were not too clear.
The spread of the chaos did not happen very fast.
By then, the distance between the charging mercenaries and the enemy soldiers were less than 100 meters!
Chen Xiaolian swore inwardly.
Didn’t you say this was supposed to be an ambush?
Didn’t you say I am only here to help out?
Didn’t you say I was only supposed to block off the enemy’s escape route?
This is a straight up battle oii!
Among the 100 mercenaries he brought with him, none of them were archers! That meant there was no way for him to attack from a range. His mercenaries could only charge forward and engage in a melee battle!
The number of men he had was only 100 while the enemy had 1,000!
A lightning suddenly arced through the night sky, instantly illuminating the valley!
The accompanying thunder was deafening!
The brief instant of light allowed the two sides to see each other.
The battle was joined!
…
The one-eyed mercenary was in the lead as he charged forward, brandishing his axe. The soldiers from London had not had the time to get into a defensive posture – more accurately, many of them did not even have the time to turn their bodies around.
The enemy soldier standing in the rear finally recollected himself only to see that one-eyed mercenary arrive before him. The axe descended and his head was split into two!
The mercenary was very strong. He kicked the soldier’s corpse away before pouncing onto the enemy soldier standing beside them.
The soldier was carrying a shield. However, before he could raise the shield up, the surface of the axe slammed into him, sending him spiralling down the ground, shield in tow – amid the heavy rain, once someone fell onto the muddy ground, getting up would not be easy.
Additionally, a foot fell heavily upon his body!
It would appear that this fellow had suffered from broken ribs. Blood sprayed out from his mouth and his shield fell to the side. Before he could turn over, another mercenary rushed forward. The mercenary shoved a dagger into the soldier’s neck!
Blood sprayed out yet again and the soldier became one with the muddy ground…
The mercenaries charged into the rear part of the enemy line!
Their actions made them look like a surging wave of flash flood!
Like a pack of wolves, the mercenaries charged forward and the enemy line collapsed almost instantly.
Due to the heavy rain, they were unable to grasp the number of enemies they faced. Many of the London soldiers were overwhelmed with fear. This mental blow caused no small number of them to mentally collapse.
Some of the London soldiers madly ran away in both directions. The officers of the army angrily swore and bellowed in a voice that could cut into one’s bones…
The first confrontation between them resulted in the complete defeat of the rear soldiers of the vanguard army from London. The mercenaries swarmed forward courageously, seemingly invincible.
However, this situation did not last for long.
When the sound of the horn rang out, the London army began to organize an effective resistance.
They were the regular army after all. More and more soldiers equipped with helmet, armour and shields moved in accordance to the officer’s command and came together.
A simple but effective shield wall was set up!
The first to get a taste of this wall’s power was the axe wielding, one-eyed mercenary who was charging up front.
The fellow had probably gone berserk from all the killing and his blood had surged all the way up to his head. Not only did he cleave down on the shield wall, even his body slammed into it – only to be thrown back!
As he rolled on the ground, he saw a long spear poking out from within the shield wall – although it was only a sharpened stick, it could still easily stab into him through the bottom part of his chin!
More and more of the mercenaries slammed themselves upon the shield wall. However, the durable shields with cross emblem upon them only shook as the London soldiers behind the shields exerted their might and used their bodies to maintain the shield formation.
Behind them, even more soldiers came together to form a second team, then the third team…
One layer after another, they were added together, making the shield wall appear more solid!
The mercenaries’ attacks on the shield wall were akin to waves lapping on the rock.
Broken!
The ones sprawling on the ground and rolling about were mostly the soldiers from London. These men were the ones in the rear who were defeated by the first wave earlier. No small number were killed off and the ground was filled with corpses. However, most of them were injured.
Due to the mud, neither side could make out which of them were allies or enemies. Both sides were like a bunch of monkeys covered in mud; the same was true of their faces.
The shield wall gradually became more orderly. Then, the commander’s shout could be heard coming from behind the shield wall.
When the first arrow flew out, Chen Xiaolian knew things were about to take a turn for the worse!
This army had archers!
One of the captains that he appointed yesterday was standing somewhere less than 10 feet away from him. An arrow shot into the man’s left eye. The arrow seemingly pierced through his skull and into his brain as the man did not even have to opportunity to grunt before falling to the ground, lifeless!
The mercenaries’ forward momentum was utterly blocked off by the shield wall.
Furthermore, shouts could be heard coming from behind the shield wall. It appeared that the London soldiers were gradually calming down.
No doubt about it, the enemy commander was a powerful character!
More arrows flew toward the mercenaries’ side, killing off several mercenaries.
At that moment, the horn sounded out once more!
The shield wall began to move forward!
“Bei Tai!”
Chen Xiaolian shouted.
Bei Tai was quick to respond. He had his foot on one of the London soldiers and was pulling out a sword from the soldier’s body when he heard Chen Xiaolian’s shout. He rapidly raised his head and turned to look at Chen Xiaolian.
Bei Tai took a deep breath. He turned around to look at the shield wall. Without showing any hesitation, he tossed away the sword that he was holding. Then, he bent down to pick up a shield with the cross emblem on its surface left by one of the soldiers. He positioned the shield before him and charged forward!
Boom!
The strength of an Awakened whose body had been enhanced before was naturally not something that ordinary people could compete against.
Although there were three layers to the shield wall, creating a hole in it was not an issue for Bei Tai!
One of the shields from the shield wall was sent flying and Bei Tai charged in through the shield wall!
He grabbed onto a sword held by one of the soldiers and sent that soldier in question flying with a kick. Next, he began slashing out madly. Two cut off limbs flew into the air. Then, Bei Tai slammed another two soldiers away before kicking the third down the ground. After that, he viciously sliced the fourth soldier’s head…
He followed it up by rolling on the ground.
Doing so allowed him to dodge the five or six incoming weapons aimed at him.
That was when Chen Xiaolian cut his way through and arrived.
Chen Xiaolian made use of his [B+] class strength and vigorously slammed away the shield positioned before him. Two to three soldiers were sent flying, shields in tow. After breaking through the shield wall, Chen Xiaolian quickly moved to stand beside Bei Tai.
In his hand was an axe.
He unleashed the Demon King of Confusion’s Three Axes madly and five to six enemy soldiers standing before him were quickly felled.
Chen Xiaolian and Bei Tai stood back to back and he stepped forward to receive the incoming sword blows. He did not dodge but instead chose to step forward!
Pu!
The sword pierced through Chen Xiaolian’s outer clothing. However, underneath it was his Meteor Rock exclusive protective suit!
His protective suit had a [B] class defence, something that no ordinary weapon could pierce through. Chen Xiaolian kept moving forward and slammed forward, causing the sword and the brave soldier to fall backward.
Chen Xiaolian’s axe savagely split apart the shield beside and shouted, “Forward and kill!”
After Chen Xiaolian and Bei Tai relied on their advantage in strength to break through the shield wall, they tore out an even bigger hole in the enemy defences, allowing the mercenaries to surge inside!
A chaotic and awkward melee ensued within the valley!
Neither side could see clearly as the heavy rain continued pouring down. In fact, some even had difficulty opening their eyes.
Both the rain and wind grew stronger. Additionally, the rumblings of thunder would echo out from time to time…
The rumbling roar of the thunder could seemingly drown away even the voice of battle rising from the valley.
Chen Xiaolian had lost count of the number of times he brandished his axe. He had also lost count of the number of men he killed – 30? 40?
Amid the ordinary soldiers, Bei Tai and Chen Xiaolian became invincible beings!
They broke apart the London army’s shield wall. Without the protection of the shield wall, the soldiers from the London army could only engage in a melee with the mercenaries!
“Light up the torches! Light up the torches!”
The commander on the enemy side shouted out in fury, “Lancers!”
Several torches were raised. However, Chen Xiaolian quickly charged toward them.
He realized that within the darkness, it was possible to maintain this battle!
Once proper illumination was achieved, the enemy side would be able to rely on their numbers alone to suppress them!
The soldiers bearing torches became the priority for Chen Xiaolian’s attacks. Observing him, Bei Tai also did the same.
At that moment, Chen Xiaolian suddenly heard an angry roar!
A loud neigh rang out!
Men on both sides quickly retreated as a warhorse galloped through them!
Seated atop the horse was a knight wearing chain mail. He held a hammer in his hand as he rode forward and the hammer in his hand was raised before it came smashing down!
The charge of the warhorse added to the momentum behind the hammer!
Chen Xiaolian subconsciously raised the axe in his hand to block the attack.
Boom!
Chen Xiaolian’s arm shook under the huge force behind the hammer.
The ordinary axe he held in his hand was broken off from the impact!
However, the enemy knight was not in a good shape either. He had originally thought that by channelling the momentum of the charging warhorse, he would be able to send Chen Xiaolian flying. Unexpectedly, the one he encountered turned out to be an inhuman monster!
The hammer fell out of his grasp as the knight sitting on top of the warhorse coughed out a mouthful of blood.
Chen Xiaolian only had to take two steps backward. Next, he clenched his teeth heavily and strode forward. His arms wrapped around the horse’s neck and then he twisted with all his might!
A long neigh could be heard before the warhorse came crashing down.
The knight that was sitting on the horse cried out miserably as the horse fell on him! Chen Xiaolian stepped forward, vaulting over the knight’s head and grabbing onto the hammer that the knight was using. His hand drew an arc and the hammer slammed down on the knight’s helmet!
The knight’s head and helmet were smashed into a bloody pulp.
What Chen Xiaolian did not know was that the fellow he had just killed off was actually the highest commander of this vanguard army from London. He was one of the aristocrats under Harold who was famed for his bravery and battle ability.
After hammering the knight down, Chen Xiaolian was greeted with a hail of arrows!
He quickly threw his body aside and fell onto the ground.
The arrows fell upon the grounds beside him. Another two arrows fell upon his back – however, they were stopped by his protective suit.
Chen Xiaolian turned around and observed the situation. He saw Bei Tai roaring furiously – there was an arrow on his thigh!
Damn it! Chen Xiaolian swore before turning over and running forward. As he did so, he slammed away several soldiers who thought they could pick up an easy kill. He then grabbed Bei Tai up and asked, “How are you?”
“Not dead yet.” Bei Tai shook his head and said, “But there’s too many of them!”
Chen Xiaolian turned his head to assess his surroundings.
The mercenaries were now locked in a bitter struggle.
Although they had successfully cut down the enemy shield wall, the number of enemies were simply too great.
He only had 100 mercenaries… at present, roughly 30 of them had died.
Chen Xiaolian deduced that the losses incurred by the enemy soldiers were likely greater. It was likely that they have lost over 100 men.
However, if this situation were to drag out, Chen Xiaolian feared that only defeat awaited him and his men.
Chen Xiaolian did not think that he was capable of singlehandedly defeating the 1,000 soldiers on the enemy side.
The mercenary forces began to crumble and some started to throw their weapons away and run – that was a very dangerous sign.
The combat style of mercenaries had always been either to courageously swarm forward or to quickly run away!
Once something went wrong, running away quickly was something instinctive for them.
Expecting this group of fellows who only wanted to make money through battle to stay and fight to the end was absurd.
“Merlin, you son of a bitch! You dare screw this senior!!” Chen Xiaolian swore out furiously.
“Let’s go,” said Bei Tai as he clenched his teeth. He broke the arrow sticking out of his thigh and said, “We can’t win this. We have too few men. Besides, our equipment are also inferior to theirs. Unless the two of us go all out and use all our abilities… but doing that here is not worth it.”
Chen Xiaolian supported Bei Tai and he used the hammer in his hand to block off any incoming attacks. As they discussed the matter at hand, he also killed off around three to five enemy soldiers.
At that moment, the London soldiers far away began to get into formation once more.
They set up a shield wall once more!
The battle within the valley became more intense. Even in their melee engagement, each mercenary needed to face off against three or more enemies.
More and more of them were killed off.
Chen Xiaolian exhaled and propped Bei Tai with him as he began retreating while fighting off the enemy soldiers.
“After we return, I am going to break off Merlin’s legs!”
…
“Faster! Faster!”
Merlin furiously urged his men.
They had tossed aside everything they could: Rations, shields…
With the exception of the weapons they held in their hand, they no longer had any other equipment.
Even their armour had been tossed aside!
The only thing covering the soldiers’ bodies was a thin layer of clothing.
There was not much distance left!
The valley was already in sight!
Furthermore… it sounded like… it sounded like there were sounds of battle going on!
Merlin’s heart was greatly shocked!
The Demacia kid actually launched his attack?!
Thank God!
Hopefully, he can hold those London soldiers back for a while longer!
Lun Tai was more anxious compared to Merlin.
Lun Tai had already rushed forward and was in the lead. In his hands were a shield and a long axe.
Having an enhanced body, Lun Tai’s senses far exceeded that of ordinary men. He could clearly hear the sounds of battle coming through the valley!
Lun Tai strode forward and unreservedly began bolting forward! His figure became like a horse as he quickly charged out from the army, creating a distance between him and them.
Merlin who was behind caught sigh tof Lun Tai’s figure. He shouted out, “Faster! We are almost there!”
There were not many of Chen Xiaolian’s mercenaries left.
More and more mercenaries fell to the ground.
More and more mercenaries began to escape.
Chen Xiaolian had caught sight of the stretch of trees beside the valley. As long as he brought Bei Tai into the forest, he was confident he could bring Bei Tai together with him as they made their escape.
It was at that moment that Chen Xiaolian heard a thunderous roar!
“Bei Tai! Xiaolian! Where are you?!”
Chen Xiaolian’s eyes lit up!
Lun Tai! He had finally arrived!
…
The way Lun Tai broke through the enemy ranks was similar to the way Bei Tai and Chen Xiaolian had chosen to. He had a shield before him as he charged forward. Like a bowling ball slamming into the bowling pins, he violently crushed aside all opposition!
Lun Tai did not hesitate to activate his skill!
His Muscle Fruit skill strengthened his body and his strength was instantly raised to at least [A] class!
He became like a human-shaped bulldozer!
There was no need for him to strike out against the soldiers blocking his way. He simply held the shield before him as he pummelled his way through, paving a path through the enemy soldiers.
And behind Lun Tai was Merlin! He was running in front, as he led his men forward!
This middle-aged man’s strength was apparently quite impressive. He followed behind Lun Tai and charged in through the way made by Lun Tai’s charge. At the same time, the long sword in his hand began to slice off the London soldiers’ heads!
Merlin raised his sword and shouted out loud, “Charge forward! Kill these London soldiers!”
About 20 meters behind him, the soldiers of the Norman army raised their spears, swords and axes and dashed forward like a tidal wave…
…
Chen Xiaolian had changed weapons once more. The hammer had been broken and he was presently wielding a long axe that he obtained from who knows where. He cleaved about amid the sea of soldiers!
He killed off the soldiers from London like nobody’s business. Wherever Chen Xiaolian went, the place would immediately be cleared out.
Chen Xiaolian kept killing until the bloodlust overtook him. Hearing a sudden sound of wind beside him, he bellowed out and delivered a backhand blow!
Keng!
The blade of his axe was firmly blocked off!
Chen Xiaolian was shocked. However, he soon heard Lun Tai’s voice. “It’s me!”
Lun Tai’s long axe was blocking off Chen Xiaolian’s axe. His eyes turned toward Bei Tai who was behind Chen Xiaolian. Giving out a sigh of relief, he then caught sight of the arrow sticking out of Bei Tai’s thigh. His eyebrows faintly knitted together and he asked, “What happened?”
“It’s nothing. I got careless and took an arrow. My luck is a bit bad.” Bei Tai laughed out.
Lun Tai swore before turning to Chen Xiaolian and said, “Our men have begun killing their way in. Let’s charge out!”
“Mm.” Chen Xiaolian exhaled.
This time, with Lun Tai paving the way for them, the pressure on Chen Xiaolian was greatly reduced.
He saw more and more Norman soldiers pouring into the battlefield. He hesitated for a moment. In the end, he decided not to summon out Garfield to help out.
If three savage looking beasts with metallic lustre were to suddenly appear before the eyes of so many men, it would be difficult for him to explain what happened.
Lun Tai’s Muscle Fruit skill was simply the best skill to use in the field of battle!
Using pure brute force, he trampled his way through the enemy ranks. None of the soldiers could stand before him for even an instant.
As he trampled through them, the darkness of the night caused the soldiers from London to fall into disarray once more.
At that moment, the army from London was no longer capable of organizing any more forms of resistance!
As 200 soldiers from the Norman army stormed the battlefield, the battle began tilting in favour of the Norman army.
The London forces collapsed!
In the era where cold weapons were still used in battle, most battles would not be fought until the last. Once one side utterly collapsed, the battle would have concluded – even if the one to collapse had more men.
The soldiers from London began to scatter as their army fell apart. They fled in all directions and many of them ran away in the direction of the other side of the valley… the way they had come from.
They knew that was where London lay and so they escaped in that direction.
The Norman army that was engaged in a melee then gave chase.
However, those Norman soldiers had been running all night long. They were unable to keep their endurance up. Seeing that the London army had ran away from the battlefield, the Norman soldiers were seemingly incapable of even lifting up their legs.
Merlin shouted loudly as he urged the soldiers to give chase and kill off the enemy soldiers.
Merlin understood just how crucial this moment was!
Once those soldiers from London successfully escaped form the battlefield…
Once one of the officers calmed down and turned around to assess the situation, that officer would be able to see that there was a huge gap in numbers between both armies!
Thus, after the soldiers from London successfully escaped, they will be able to reorganize themselves and return tomorrow…
With an anxious heart, Merlin slashed out with his sword, hoping to be able to kill off more of the London soldiers.
At that moment, his mind could only curse out angrily. He cursed the weather and he also cursed the damned guide.
Then, he began praying, praying to God.
It would appear that God… had heard his prayers.
The sounds of galloping horses echoed through the valley!
The sounds of hooves and the roars of mounted soldiers could be heard!
Merlin heard a very familiar voice.
“Fight! For King William! For the King!”
Surprisingly, the gruff and unsavoury sound had belonged to Tayloff!
At that moment, Merlin felt that he was about to fall in love with that voice!
He swore to God: After returning from this campaign, he will stop looking down on this fellow who loved flattering!
…
Tayloff led the mounted soldiers and they stormed into the valley like a gale!
He was very smart. He did not stop; instead, he was quick to come to the precise judgement! He led his mounted soldiers and they charged forward, targeting those London soldiers who were fleeing in the direction of London!
Those fellows had a huge white coloured cross drawn over their armour and shield, making them too easy to recognize.
The warhorses neighed as they galloped through and the sounds of hooves echoed out like thunder!
The sound of hooves overwhelmed the sounds of fighting and shouting coming from the valley.
Seeing the tens of mounted riders galloping through the valley, the London soldiers who were nearly out of the battlefield felt like an egg that had just been smote by a hammer. Once again, their morale collapsed!
With this, victory was set!
The mounted soldiers drove the London soldiers out of the valley before chasing them all over the mountains and plains.
Some of the London soldiers simply sat on the ground. They tossed away their weapons and placed their hands upon their heads, awaiting their fate. The mounted soldiers steered away from these men and continued to charge toward where there were plenty of enemy soldiers.
Merlin’s infantry soldiers began to catch up. They swept through the battlefield. Those who had cast aside their weapons and sat on the ground became prisoners.
Merlin caught sight of Chen Xiaolian and his team of three. He saw that Chen Xiaolian was covered in blood. He saw an arm being placed over Lun Tai and saw that Bei Tai was limping due to an arrow sticking through his thigh.
However, Merlin simply nodded toward them. Because, he caught sight of Tayloff.
Tayloff had already turned his horse around and returned. He was a Knight after all. As a Knight, he was not into the act of chasing down fleeing enemies. Thus, he assigned that job to his subordinates.
This fellow had quite the ability. He jumped down from his horse and thrust his sword into the ground before turning around. He looked at Merlin with an expression of excitement and pride.
“How was my performance, Lord Merlin? I think, this time, I can become an aristocrat!”
“Of course, I swear to God! I will make it happen!” Merlin stepped forward and hugged Tayloff. Both of them were covered in blood. However, this was not the time to be thinking about that.
“How did you accomplish it?” Merlin asked.
“Very simple… the 100 mounted soldiers could not be led out. So, I considered the situation and have those riders stuck in the mud to take care of themselves. Those that were in a better situation, I brought with me and went after you… although, by doing that, the number of mounted riders I have is lessened. I only have about 40 mounted soldiers with me.”
“40 is enough!” Merlin laughed out. “You are a very decisive man, Mr Tayloff!”
Merlin’s laughter was stopped short.
Because, from behind him, Chen Xiaolian had placed his hand on Merlin’s shoulder.
“Garen?” Merlin turned around.
In the next instant…
Chen Xiaolian’s fist landed on Merlin’s face!
His fist made contact with Merlin’s face and Merlin cried out in pain. His nose became crooked from the punch and he fell onto the muddy ground.
“Stop!”
Merlin sat on the ground and quickly waved his hand. He shouted out to his personal guards – some of the soldiers held onto their swords as they prepared to pounce on Chen Xiaolian.
“Retreat! All of you retreat!”
Merlin struggled to stand up. Blood flowed down his nose, dyeing his beard red.
“A good punch!” Merlin stared at the angry expression on this young man’s face. “I deserved that punch. I owe you an explanation.”
…