“What the fuck…!”

Baltai’s face was shaded a pale blue. He was finally understanding the entire situation.

The griffons had bombarded their camp with jars filled with oil before throwing down torches. Of course, the damage from the fire itself was not very great, but the soaring flames revealed their location.

The initial flames had served as a marker for the flaming arrows that followed right after. In addition, the soldiers that escaped towards the other side could not be seen at all. Given that some time had passed, it was likely that all of them had perished.

The griffons and the cavalry were much superior in terms of mobility and speed. They must have hunted down the escaping soldiers while circling around the perimeter of the woods.

“Dogshit…”

However, no matter how effective the griffons and the cavalry were, the demonic army possessed a much higher number of troops. Only hundreds had escaped in the other direction after abandoning the camp in the very beginning. Baltai still had around 1,000 soldiers by his side.

‘If this devolves into a dogfight, we still have a chance.’

Baltai raised his halberd with such thoughts.

“Get into tight formations! There are only a few of them! We will engage them after getting into formations!”

Baltai shouted at the top of his lungs, but it was useless.

Due to the fire, the soldiers of the demonic army had not organized into their respective companies before escaping. They were not in a state to build formations.

Quite a few of the soldiers weren’t even carrying any weapons.

Most importantly, they became terrified at the sight of the heavily armed cavalry and the griffons charging towards them. Foot soldiers feared highly mobile enemies the most.

“You fucking idiots!”

Booom!

Baltai’s shout was buried in the roar.

The 100-or-so cavalrymen charged into the leading soldiers and trampled on them. The bodies of the soldiers flew away like wooden dolls. This caused the remaining troops to scramble as well.

Some skilled individuals of the demonic army attempted to counterattack with the Black Demons, but it was futile. Their attacks did not work against the heavy cavalry of the Pendragon Duchy. Both the steeds and the riders were adorned with heavy armor.

However, with an overwhelming numbers advantage, a small number of riders fell to the attacks of hte and tumbled down their horses.

“Kill them!”

Dozens of demons rushed towards the fallen riders with bloodshot eyes.

But they had forgotten.

The heavy cavalry were not the only opponents they were facing.

Pupuput!

Griffons followed behind the cavalry and swept the ground with the wide-spread wings. No human could possibly withstand the griffons’ charge, especially when the creatures were covered in iron armor.

Only two griffons had passed by, but an area of around 100 yards was devastated. Most of the soldiers suffered broken limbs after colliding with the full-speed griffons, and they lay wriggling on the floor.

“What are you all doing!? Get into formation!”

Baltai continued to run around while shouting orders.

Perhaps due to his persistence, the soldiers of the demonic army started to gather in groups of dozens. 30 percent of their forces had been wiped out by a single charge from the heavy cavalry and the griffons.

Naturally, some of the soldiers lost their fighting spirit and deserted the battlefield. However, they were currently located in a long stretch of grassland.

Running away was near impossible in these terrains, and there was nowhere to hide or seek shelter. The separated soldiers made easy prey for the cavalry and the griffons.

“Ahhhk!

“Keuk!”

The cavalry and the griffons attacked once more after picking up their momentum once more, and soldiers of the demonic army collapsed one after another. Due to the open, wide terrain, running away was useless.

Kiyaaaahk!

The wingspan of a griffon reached about 30 feet in length. Under the command of a rider, six kings of the sky came down to the ground and spread their wings to block any possible routes of escape.

“O, over there! We can escape through there!”

One soldier found a gap between the blockade and shouted. The surrounding demons all rushed towards the opening after hearing the shouts.

But…

Thud! Thud! Thud!

New troops equipped with shields and spears appeared in front of them in two rows.

“Eheuk!?”

The escaping soldiers faltered at the sight of the Pendragon family’s crest engraved on the shields of the newly appeared troops. However, it was either the griffons and the heavy cavalry or the foot soldiers in front of them. The soldiers of the demonic army clenched hard onto their weapons and rushed in.

“Break through them!”

“If we can get rid of them, we can live!”

The demonic army soldiers charged with blood in their eyes. However, their hope was just an illusion.

“Fire!”

Pupupuput!

Quarrels fired from the openings in the wall of shields and penetrated the demons’ bodies. The distance was less than 100 yards, and more than fifty men collapsed after a single round.

However, the demonic army did not stop.

Desperately clinging on to their will to live, they threw themselves at the shields of the Pendragon soldiers.

“Uaaaahh!”

Boom! Boom!

A roar resounded alongside screams.

However, no one was able to break through the shields. The demons were busy falling while spewing blood, their bodies skewered with spears.

Beep! Beep!

The shielded spearmen began to advance in line with the commander’s whistle.

“Fuck! Fuckkkk!”

The demons swung their axes and swords in desperation, but it did not work. All of their attacks were blocked by the line of shields, and the spears stabbed in sync with the commander’s signal. The demons were pushed back even further, their hopes of escaping growing smaller every minute.

In the end, the men at the back of the line became prey to the cavalry and the griffons.

“Gather up! Come together, you fucking retards!”

A portion of the demonic army came back after hearing the shouts of Baltai and the other commanders, and hurriedly built a formation.

It was then.

“Kuwwwaaaaaghh!”

A terrifying roar echoed through the tumultuous battlefield. With it, a new stage of a nightmare began.

Dozens of orc warriors appeared from the edge of the forest and pounced on the demonic army’s formation.

Shing! Boom!

Sharp whistling sounds were followed by loud, crushing impacts. One could not simply believe that huge steel maces could be wielded in such ways.

“Kill them all! Kukakakakaka!”

Karuta burst out into a frenzied laughter. His entire body was covered in blood, and he took the lead in trampling over the demons.

Most of the orcs’ maces were already decorated with blood.

They began to dance once more.

Heads exploded, shoulders sank, and chests were crushed. The soldiers of the demonic army were thrown across the river of death.

“Ahhhhh! Aghhh!”

A rain of blood and brain fluid followed, and the soldiers of the demonic army were unable to come to their senses.

***

Fwooosh!

The forest had long become a sea of fire.

On one side, griffons pierced the chests and crushed the heads of their enemies with huge beaks and sharp talons. On the other side, heavy cavalrymen equipped with black helmets wielded their spears which were smothered in blood, red flesh, and intestines.

The orc warriors had already entered the middle of their formation and were running around like fish in water, demolishing three or four soldiers with each of their blows.

Those who tried to escape were killed instantly after having their heads pierced with quarrels, or they were stabbed to death by spears as the wall of shields closed in on them.

The current situation could be defined in one word.

Genocide.

As if the god of death had descended, more than a thousand demons were slaughtered by devils carrying the symbol of the White Dragon.

That was how the demonic army perceived the situation.

However, from the perspective of the Pendragon Duchy’s troops, this was simply an enactment of justice. They were punishing the vicious, evil criminals of the demonic army.

In addition, the scum of the demonic army had attempted to hurt their lord.

They would show no mercy.

“Kuaagh!”

“Ahhk!”

The screams of the demons constantly rang out throughout the battlefield. The setting sun had already decorated one side of the sky red, but the fountain of blood colored it even redder. The demons were paying for their sins with blood.

However, the dance of death, which seemed like it would last forever, soon neared its end.

“Keugh…”

A Black Demon knelt down with several spears and swords sticking out of his body.

The attention of all of the Pendragon Duchy’s forces headed towards a certain place.

“Heuu…”

It was Baltai, his head adorned with the ogre skull helmet. His whole body was trembling.

“C, come on, you fuckers! Kuaagh!”

Even after committing an unprecedented massacre, the hundreds of eyes stared at him with killing intent. Baltai was unable to handle the pressure and swung his halberd in the air like a madman.

However, the warriors of Pendragon did not move as if they had promised beforehand. They remained silent and observed the frantic attempts of the last member of the demonic army.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The soldiers made way, and three figures stepped out.

“Heuu…?”

Baltai stopped his frenzied actions and turned towards the three figures, his mouth foaming.

An orc warrior who was even larger than the other orcs by a head or two and a knight with a cold impression holding a long spear.

He was already familiar with Karuta and Isla, so Baltai’s eyes remained on the burly knight who was standing between the two warriors. He was clad in iron armor.

“I will take care of him.”

Killian uttered in an unusually cold voice. Karuta and Isla stepped back without saying a word.

Shiing!

Killian swung his long sword a couple of times before taking a stance.

He had been the only one who remained and defended his lord when everyone else had abandoned the duke. The spirit of the Pendragon Duchy’s head knight was like a giant mountain.

However, Toban Baltai had also faced countless enemies throughout his time as the commander of the demonic army.

“Keheuheu… Why? Is that your chivalry? Do you want to play knight in the midst of all this? Come on! Come on, all of you bastards! I’ll make you all look like this!”

Puck!

After spitting out his words, Baltai stepped on the head of his fallen subordinate. Blood splattered as the head crushed under his foot.

But Killian’s gaze remained steadfast on Baltai. He was unfazed by Baltai’s act, and he continued on.

“Chivalry? A scumbag like you knows about chivalry?”

“Kuhaha! I know! Of course I know! Spineless worms who leech off the powerful and the rich. Swinging their weapons against the weak. It’s all the same with those who call themselves knights! Keheuheu!”

The opponent was obviously a knight, so Baltai spoke with mockery and attempted to taunt him. Most of the knights he knew would lose their reason and attack after being mocked like this.

However, he had picked the wrong opponent.

“…..”

Baltai was a little taken back at the opponent’s silence. His enemy was smiling with a red glow in his eyes. It was the scariest smile Baltai had ever seen.

“Well, I guess you aren’t completely wrong.”

“What, what?”

Killian’s smile grew deeper when Baltai stuttered out a response.

“Most of the guys I have dealt with so far are dead. So they must be weak. Of course, you will be joining them soon, so you are also a weakling.”

“…..!”

Rather than being taunted, Killian retorted with an even greater mockery. It worked wonders to cause the cornered rat to completely lose his reason.

“Y, you fuckerrr!”

Woosh!

The last demon, Toban Baltai, rushed in while swinging his halberd.

Clang!

His flurry of attacks were blocked effortlessly.

“Keuk!”

Baltai faltered. He had encountered a powerful force, a strength that he had never experienced while fighting against another human.

The knight spoke with a smile after blocking Baltai’s attack with his sword.

“With such puny skills…”

Shiing! Clang!

The halberd quivered after being struck with Killian’s longsword.

“Keuk!”

Baltai stepped back once more after feeling the impact in his wrists.

“You dare to look down on knights…”

Shiing! Peuk!

“Keugh!”

He deflected one attack, but the following strike landed on Baltai’s shoulder.

‘How, how could this be…?’

Killian

 was no ordinary knight.

Baltai’s pride was shattered. He had been confident in his chances even against imperial knights. However, he was being completely overwhelmed by the head knight of the Pendragon Duchy.

Killian had trained every single day in a life-or-death battle against the strongest warrior of the Ancona Orcs for the past year.

“You dare insult my lord?”

Crush!

“Kuaaaaaghh!”

Killian struck like lightning after deflecting Baltai’s halberd, slicing off Baltai’s left hand.