Allen was a man who was promoted from his status as a commoner solely because of his talent in the sword, while Aizas was a fair and just man who could charm others. They were good friends.

“I understand it's a request from our princess, but still… A monster subjugation?” Allen complained.

“Don't grumble. We promised Elrain Kingdom we'd free the borderlands. We can't stop now. Besides, with this those annoying cabinet ministers will also shut up,” Aizas said.

No matter how talented they were, the reason they could hold the position they held today was solely because of the attacks from Elrain Kingdom and the Kushain Believers.

The anti-queen faction were wiped out during those battles, and it was then that Aizas exerted his shrewdness.

It could be said that while Allen was the better warrior, Aizas was the better commander.

“Once we get past the desert, we'll be at the border lands. The monsters have good eyes in the dark. We'll have to be careful,” Aizas said.

“As the second in command, I order a retreat,” Allen said.

“What? Do I have to play the thankless role again?” Aizas asked.

“Don't worry. They hate me too,” Allen said.

The both of them laughed.

Armors couldn't be worn in the desert while the sun was high up, but once night fell, the temperature would come down with it, so much so that one would have to cover oneself in blankets just to keep from chilling. But they intentionally rested in the afternoon and moved in the night.

“Harsh orders are needed to protect the soldiers. It can't be helped,” Aizas said.

“As long as we don't get stabbed from behind,” Allen replied.

As the two of them shared a chuckle, they started talking about their plans.

“Let's leave it at that for the jokes. Intel says the goblins have taken over, but there's too little information about their forces. Elves were spotted, so it's possible there are demihumans too,” Aizas said, to which Allen nodded.

The goblins did not have siege weapons, so they couldn't hide behind a wall like others could. But even if they did have them, the only city with walls in the borderlands was s.h.i.+rak Territory, and they had to go down south to protect Razuel.

“We should have the upper hand in soldiers. Our spies agree on this too,” Aizas said.

“Then…” Allen replied.

“No, don't look down on goblin stamina. Word says they can run for days without exhaustion.”

“You're kidding.”

“I wish,” Aizas said as he made a difficult face and became thoughtful.

Allen knitted his brows. “Something doesn't sit right with me in this coming battle.”

The enemy wielded a ghastly power.

Somehow, Allen started to feel as if it might be a good idea not to take for granted the goblins' achievement of taking down the holy knight, Gowen Ranid.

“Indeed,” Aizas said. “It gets worse the closer we get. This is a first for me.”

“Want to go back home under your dear princess?” Allen teased.

Aizas pouted one of his cheeks in response. “d.a.m.n right, I do. I just hope she doesn't kill herself worrying about me.”

“…I'm the one who gets embarra.s.sed when you talk like that,” Allen snorted.

“You started it,” Aizas wryly smiled.

“Anyway, let's send more scouts than usual,” Allen said.

Aizas nodded.

◆◇◆

In the black of the night, Gi Jii Arsil ran.

As the leader of the a.s.sa.s.sin unit, Gi Jii carried with him only a dagger as he went down south.

He used his n.o.ble-cla.s.s sight, smell, and stamina, as he searched for the enemy. Normal goblins could not match Gi Jii in his ability to search for he had grown to specialize for it.

As soon as he spotted the shadow of a horseman, he dropped down on the ground and observed.

Lightly armored men rode up north on gray-speckled horses in small numbers – the defining features of sand horses – as they scouted the area.

The hors.e.m.e.n moved orderly and smoothly without missing a beat, causing Gi Jii to sense danger. It reminded him too much of Gowen Randi's encampment, bringing him much discomfort as he raised his brows.

Gi Jii wondered to himself if his subordinates were also able to spot the enemy as he stifled his breath.

These men were not like the Kushain Believers. One wrong move and they were bound to be noticed.

It was different from when he scouted the Kushain Believers, where he did not even sweat as he watched the joke they called a formation.

“Something's wrong,” Gi Jii muttered to no one in particular when he heard the hors.e.m.e.n yelling.

He brought up his head a little and peeked, and when he did, he saw that his subordinate goblins have been spotted.

3 hors.e.m.e.n were chasing after them.

They had a spear in hand, while a curved sword could be seen sheathed by their waist.

They looked threatening.

“GU, NU…”

He mustn't save them, Gi Jii told himself as he burned to memory the death of his subordinates, then he turned heel and ran to the back of the hors.e.m.e.n.

When Gi Jii turned his eyes to the back, he saw it. A great cavalry that could put many armies to shame.

“Found you.”

As Gi Jii solemnly muttered that, he turned around, confirmed the direction, and proceeded back to the king.

“I found the enemy!”

As Gi Jii thought back on how his subordinates were cruelly murdered, he ordered his subordinates and went back to the north.

When the Goblin King received the flood of information regarding the enemy's location, he gathered the army. Now that they knew where they were, all that was left was to decide the timing of their surprise attack.

Rashka the Valiant of the Gaidga, Gi Zu Ruo the Mad Lion, Hal of Paradua… These goblins gathered together to form a platoon with powerful penetrating prowess. The Goblin King positioned them at the front, while he positioned Gi Jii Yubu's army and Gi Gi Orudo's monster army behind. They were going to be fighting an army of mainly cavalry while having just as many soldiers as they did.

At the rearmost, he positioned the archers of Ganra, the elves, and Gi Za Zakuend's druids.

The Goblin King knew he needed to strike firmly with the first blow if he were to have any hopes of destroying the formations of the enemy cavalry.

“Rashka, Gi Zu, Hal, I leave the vanguard to you. Hear my words and destroy the enemy in one strike,” the Goblin King said.

“OU!” Rashka replied.

“HA!” Gi Zu Replied.

“As you will!” Hal replied.

After hearing their reply, the Goblin King gave another order.

“Gi Jii, Gi Gi… Once they've punctured a hole in the enemy formation, you are to spread it open and cut even deeper into their numbers!”

“It will be as your majesty commands!” Gi Jii and Gi Gi said.

“As for the rearguards, you are to crush the fleeing enemies and watch for an attack on the flanks,” the Goblin King said.

“Leave it to me,” Fei replied.

“Hmph. The back again?” Gi Za replied.

The goblins and the elves nodded, and when dusk fell, the Goblin King departed with them.

He has caught word that the enemies moved in the night and had many scouts out.

Indeed, if they moved like that, then perhaps they might be able to thwart their attempts at a surprise attack.

“Gi Ji Arsil!”

The Goblin King summoned the a.s.sa.s.sin, Gi Ji, and ordered him to crush the enemy scouts.

“Do you think there we can be bested within the veil of the dark?” The Goblin King asked.

“No, your majesty! We are the denizens of the darkness!” Gi Ji said.

Satisfied with his response, the Goblin King ordered Gi Ji to take his a.s.sa.s.sins and move ahead.

The Goblin King's forces departed for the outskirts of Razuel without Gi Gu Verbena's army.

◆◇◆

When the two armies finally clashed, it was at the outskirts of Razuel, on the gra.s.s-covered meadows.

Here, the ground was hard, the lands were covered in tall gra.s.ses, and the rain was few. The feudal lord of Razuel had long given up trying to develop these lands.

Because of that the small monster beasts and animals have claimed these lands as their own.

The shrill cry of a nocturnal bird reverberated throughout the land.

It alone sang. The rest of the beasts were quiet.

The silence was deafening.

Though the monster beasts normally moved quietly, the presence of the goblin army sent them fleeing with the animals.

The night skies were clear. Not a single cloud that veiled them could be seen. And the twin moons of Ervi and Navi hung beautifully from them as the stars shone dazzlingly.

The clash of the two armies began with silence.

“The scouts haven't returned?” The leader of the Blue Knights, Aizas, asked.

Allen nodded, and Aizas continued.

“We sent three hors.e.m.e.n to the north to scout and they haven't returned. In that case…”

“They were killed?” Allen asked.

“Our elites? You must be joking.”

“Right? Then…”

“OU!”

The both of them only needed to share a glance before coming to an understanding.

“How will the goblins strike?” Aizas asked.

“They will attack from the dark and will want to end us in one strike; therefore… they will want to surround us.”

“Is that what your instincts tell you?” Aizas asked.

“Of course,” Allen smiled like a beast.

The two of them shared a wry smile after that, then Aizas shook his head.

“If our enemies were normal monsters, you'd be right, but they would do more to neutralize our forces by focusing their attacks in a single point.”

“You're the commander. I'll believe you.”

Allen didn't even hesitate to abandon his original suggestion and go with whatever Aizas suggested.

In response to that, Aizas lifted up one cheek, then he issued out a command.

“Vice Knight Commander, Allen, take 5 small platoons with you, separate from the main force, and attack the enemy from the flanks!”

“I accept your orders!

Then the both of them clanged their swords and bid each other farewell.

“Don't die, partner!” Aizas said, overflowing with the will to fight.

“The fortunes of war be with you!” Aizas replied.

After that Aizas gathered his small platoon commanders and advanced toward the area their scouts were last seen.

“We are the denizens of the eternal hot sands of the great desert!” Aizas proclaimed pa.s.sionately.

The small platoon commanders speaking in chorus.

“We hold that name high and shall protect even its blue skies!”

Then Aizas drew his sword. Its blade was shone so brilliantly that even Verdna's wings (the G.o.ddess of darkness) could not dull it.

“Onwards! Let us trample over those goblins with the hooves of our cavalry!”

At his behest, the sand horses ran. They did not move as fast as the horses did on gra.s.slands, but they moved quickly enough for a cavalry.

With a thin but slightly longer spear than normal, the small platoon commanders rode on sand-horse-back into the darkness.

No matter how used one was to the darkness, the moons and the stars could not possibly provide enough lighting, yet still, they rode into the darkness, not slowing down even a little. Truly fitting of their t.i.tles as elites.

Because of that they were able to dodge the rain of arrows, but only for the first group.

The sound of wind cutting resounded, and the arrows rained behind the vanguard, falling onto the second group of cavalry.

Humans and horses alike cried out in pain.

Yet still the vanguard did not stop.

In fact, they rode even faster.

And when the horseman at the lead of the vanguard, who was carrying a torch saw that, he yelled.

“Found you, goblin—”

“GURUuUuOOoAAa!”

But before he could even finish his sentence, the darkness shook, and suddenly, he was splattered like a bug.

A giant goblin had just mercilessly crushed him and his horse with a club.

The club was brand new. One specifically made for Rashka just for this day. It had a wooden handle for ease of use and the part used to smash was reinforced with iron. It was a brutish club whose weight alone was enough to threaten.

Rashka swung two of that club as he pleased.

“I am violence incarnate! To war!”

The Gaidga and their chief fought fiercely, and Gi Zu Ruo followed suit, not willing to be outdone.

“Don't lose to the tribes!” Gi Zu Ruo said.

As the vanguard of the Gi Goblins, Gi Zu Ruo was not about to lose to the tribal goblins.

He struck his spear into the stomach of a horseman, but the horseman did not stop and kept going. In response, Gi Zu Ruo let go of his spear and slammed his fist right into the sand horse's head.

“GURUaAOOOAA!” Roared Gi Zu Ruo.

The might of the Mad Lion's fist after evolving into a n.o.ble cla.s.s easily sent the horse flying. The sand horse may have been a monster, but in the end, it was still just a horse. It fell to the ground after letting out a cry.

Gi Zu ignored the soldiers awestruck by his feat as he set his eyes searching for his next prey.

While Gi Zu was losing his mind to his rage, a black tiger rider rode past him from the side.

The other goblin to whom the vanguard had been given to, Hal of Paradua.

He calmly observed the hors.e.m.e.n as he picked out a prey from those in the outer part of their formation.

“Take them down!” Hal said.

In the same moment he gave that command, Hal rode past a horseman and claimed his life with his spear.

In the black of the night, though the stars, the twin moons, and the torches the humans carried might offer some reprieve, there was a stark difference between they – the humans – who could not see in the dark and they – the goblins – who could see as if it were day. To the humans, it felt as if shadows were simply pa.s.sing by and claiming lives, while they stood bewildered, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.

Like water cras.h.i.+ng into two giant boulders, the forces of the blue knights were split by Gi Zu Ruo and Rashka. All the while, the threat from Hal, who rode upon black tiger back, lay ever present, p.r.i.c.kling at them from the corner of their backs.

Aizas could never have predicted that being able to see in the dark would make such a huge difference. Apparently, being able to see one's foe first and prepare oneself was enough to make a world of difference.

That being said, they were still the Blue Knights. A first cla.s.s military organization in their country. No matter how strong Rashka and Gi Zu were, they still couldn't stop the entire Blue Knights by themselves. Hors.e.m.e.n eventually pa.s.sed them by and fought the platoons behind them.

Throes resounded from the goblins as spears cut them down before they could hit back.

When the hors.e.m.e.n were about to pa.s.s the goblins after one exchange, Gi Gi instigated the monsters to turn toward the flanks.

“Free the beasts! Let them have a taste of our strength!” Gi Gi said on triple head back.

At his behest, the beast tamers let loose their monsters toward the pa.s.sing hors.e.m.e.n.

Some hors.e.m.e.n tried to cut down the thorn dogs with their curved swords, but then triple heads tackled their sand horses with their horns, causing them to fall over. Some of the dragon turtles whipped their tails and crushed the legs of the sand horses, and when the blue knights tried to attack the slow turtles, four-armed monkeys along with the mirage monkeys attacked them while they were still mounted.

But even then, the Blue Knights did not stop. Instead, they tried to turn away from the confusion and ride away.

“Thrust your spears!” Gi Jii Yubu said.

It was then that Gi Jii Yubu came with his regiol.

They hid behind their s.h.i.+eld and struck out with their long spears through the opening.

When the blue knights clashed with them, they panicked and had no choice but to fight.

Countless hors.e.m.e.n screamed and jeered as the spears penetrated them.

Gi Za's druids casted their spells, and as the hors.e.m.e.n fell off their sand horses, monsters crowded them.

Ganra's arches shot their bows, and when the hors.e.m.e.n tried to run, Felbi and his elves casted their magic.

The blue knights who were able to break past the goblins' frontlines were fierce, but so were the goblins who stopped their charge. If this were a boxing match, then both fighters were currently in an all out brawl.

Both forces fought each other earnestly, such that it would seem odd if either were to come out unscathed. In fact, even just grazing each other was enough to leave severe wounds on either side.

In the midst of all that, the Goblin King was currently searching for the enemy commander. When he saw a young man wielding a dazzling long sword, he roared, unsheathed Flamberge, and slashed toward him.

“GURUuUuoOOaAAA!” The Goblin King roared.

But that slash accompanied by that world shaking howl was easily deflected, and in the next moment, the Goblin King received a slash of the enemy's own while still shocked.

Not only was the enemy able to receive his sword, he was also able to slash so powerfully. Both things were beyond the Goblin King's expectations.

“Keep going!” The enemy commander said.

After waking up from the shock of how heavy that commander's blade was, the Goblin King watched as the commander fled to the back. For a moment, he thought of pursuing, but then Gi Jii called out to him, almost as if he were crying.

“My lord, enemies from the flanks!!” Gi Jii said.

The Goblin King clicked his tongue. “Form a semi-circle formation! Don't let the enemies approach!”

The Goblin King was not pleased at the existence of a detached force, but fortunately, their target was Gi Jii's forces. He would have to respond, and then have Rashka and Gi Zu turn around—

“Onwards!!” The enemy commander of the detached force said.

Gi Jii formed a hedgehog-like semi-circle formation, but the enemy detached force did not seem to care one whiff about it as they charged straight into it.

For a moment, the Goblin King thought they'd lost their mind, but the next moment would prove his suspicions wrong.

For in the next moment, the youngster that had charged in, brandished his long sword, and with a fierce tempest, broke the hedgehog-like formation of spears, riding into the opening made.

At this rate, the enemy will break through the flanks, and the front and rear forces will be divided.

When that worst possible outcome flashed through the Goblin King's mind, he was about to give an order, but then—

“Leave it to me!” Hal, one of the goblins in charge of the vanguard, appeared.

Hal led his forces and chased after the detached enemy forces.

“Become the glory of my spear!!”

Hal swung his spear and cut through the body of an enemy, but not one among the Paradua, not even he, the killer himself, spared a glance for the horseman as he fell off his horse. They were focused solely on the remaining enemies.

“Fix the formation. His Highness is watching!” Gi Jii said.

Gi Jii's skillful command over his army allowed him to fix the broken formation.

The young commander of the detached enemy forces clicked his tongue as he left the goblins.

As soon as the Goblin King saw the detached forces leave, he ordered Gi Zu and the Gaidga to turn back.

“They're coming from the back! Turn around!”

At the king's behest, Rashka and Gi Zu turned around, drawing the shape of a U.

The detached force was driven away by Hal, but they weren't done yet. They turned around and was about to charge back into the goblin army.

After losing so many soldiers, the Goblin King couldn't help but grit his teeth as he ordered the army to turn around.

“I won't let your deaths be in vain!” The Goblin King said as he set his gaze upon the enemy commander, then he called Felbi and Gi Za to the frontlines.

“Kill the enemy commander,” he said.

Gi Go, who hasn't uttered a word all this time as he waited by the king's side, drew his curved sword and turned around. There was no time for greetings. The enemy cavalry had already begun their charge once more.

The Goblin King took Flamberge in his left hand and wielded Zweihander in his right hand.

“Don't miss this opportunity!”

That was all the Goblin King said as he took command of his allies to clash with the enemy.

They would be at a disadvantage if they let the enemy gather momentum before charging, so he immediately ordered his army to charge.

“Attack!! Tear their necks into pieces!” The Goblin King said as he raised Flamberge with black flames spurting.

In response, Rashka and Gi Zu ran onwards despite the wounds they carried.

“GURUuUuUOOOAOAA!!”

The Goblin King's roars pushed on the backs of the two goblins as they ran in the frontlines, then as if to chase after them, their subordinate goblins all ran as well.

The earth trembled as the goblin army began their charge.

Even Gi Jii who had a.s.sumed a half-circle formation had already changed formation to an offensive type.

After the goblins regrouped themselves into an arrowhead formation, they ran toward the approaching cavalry.

Like this a tempest of swords whirled up from between the two forces again.

Rashka's clubs turned the cavalry into lumps of meat, and the b.l.o.o.d.y Gi Zu slipped through the spears and pulverized their brains with his fists.

Zu Vet's battle axe lopped off the sand horses' heads, and Gi Do Buruga's wind tore the enemy apart.

But although the Order of the Blue Knights weren't as fierce as they were before, they were still elites. True to that renown, they struck out with their spears and brought countless goblins to the ground.

They slipped through rains of spells cast by the druids and lopped the heads off of the goblins. Their sand horses ran over the monsters and as they did the hors.e.m.e.n caught the goblins' spears, and then skewered the goblins that hid behind their s.h.i.+elds.

It was an awful sight, but no matter how fierce the flames raged within the king's heart, he stifled them and watched.

He only had one target: the enemy commander.

No matter how many of his subordinates died, no matter how many of the enemies died, he only needed to watch for now.

Gi Jii Yubu's subordinates struck out with their spears toward the weakened enemy.

They a.s.sumed a hedgehog formation, and with the strong legs of a goblin, closed in on the enemy.

The enemy cavalry tried to get out of the way, but they couldn't change directions that quickly, and in no time, they were skewered.

It didn't matter whether it was man or horse. Before the hedgehog formation, everything was cut down before its advance.

But when they tried to push their advantage further, they were stopped by a valiant warrior, a knight riding upon a horse with a dazzling sword in hand.

The Goblin King grit his teeth when he saw that knight, and he took the Zweihander in his right hand and threw it at him.

“Go!”

The Goblin King used all of his might to throw his great sword, and it spun on its axis as it headed toward Aizas.

“That's not enough to beat me!” Aizas said as he gripped the holy sword, Guradion, tight.

It was a sword he'd received from his beloved princess. A sword from the royal treasury that promised victory.

But in the same moment that he deflected the great sword, two arrows of unparalleled accuracy were shot. Their direction was none other than the valiant warrior and his beloved steed.

“Sorry,” Ra Gilmi muttered.

Aizas tried to block those two arrows even as he pulled on the reins of his sand horse, but he was still dismounted in the end.

Aizas already figured out that the Goblin King was the leader of the goblins, and that if he were able to defeat him, the war would end in their victory. The Goblin King thought the same.

Unfortunately, what came next for Aizas was a giant ma.s.s of wind. It was a ma.s.sive attack that would surely tear his whole body into pieces were he to receive it.

“I won't lose!”

But that ma.s.sive ma.s.s of wind was all but cut with a single swing of the holy sword. After that, Aizas made a run for it… Not away, but toward the Goblin King.

Despite those two impossibly accurate arrows and that powerful wind spell, Aizas knew no fear, and he pushed on, cutting goblin after goblin in his path as he made his way toward the Goblin King.

Truly fitting of the term 'One Man Against a Thousand'. He was a tempest. A storm. He took down everything in his path, and nothing could stop him.

“Brace yourself!”

Aizas jumped with the power of his divine protection coursing throughout his whole body. When he felt a presence, he turned his gaze, and there he saw Gi Ji Arsil.

Gi JI had been bottling up his anger all this time after seeing his subordinates die, and now that the opportunity for vengeance was at hand, his expression twisted.

He threw a dagger toward Aizas.

Aizas' face twisted as he felt pain jolt from his ankle, but he did not stop, for the head of the Goblin King was right before him.

If he could just slay the Goblin King, this battle would end with no more sacrifices, so…

He charged onwards.

“UooOOO!”

And with all the force of his spirit, he swung the holy sword.

The Goblin King responded in kind. With the Flamberge in both hands, he too used all of his strength to meet the descending holy sword.

“GURUUUuuOOOOAAA!”

The Goblin King's roars resounded throughout the battlefield.

And when Aizas saw the Goblin King's face distort upon receiving his blade, he thought, 'I can do this!' But that was only for a moment.

“GU!?” Aizas cried out.

For in the next moment, he felt something pierce him from the side.

It was a curved sword from a goblin he had never before seen.

After that, the urge to throw up overcame him.

“BU HAK!?”

As the blood within his body flowed out, he felt his strength leave him.

“AIZAaaAS!!”

The voice of his friend screaming was the last thing he heard.

Somehow, Allen managed to take his body away from the battlefield.

◆◇◆

After the battle that day, the Order of the Blue Knights lost 2,000 soldiers out of their 3,000, but the greatest loss of all was the death of their commander, Aizas, and the grave injuries of his second-in-command, Allen. The Merchant Country, Pena, grew weak within a night.

But the goblins were not without losses. They lost 1,300 on their side and now only had 1,100 soldiers left.

To make things worse, the sudden attack of the Red King with over 15,000 soldiers from Elrain Kingdom forced them to flee for the borders without even being able to celebrate their victory.

No matter how strong the Goblin King was, he could not take on an army over 10 times his army's size. That was simply impossible.

Tl Note: Done, at long last! This chapter sure was long.

By the way, do you guys play Nioh? I wrote a comprehensive guide for non-lw odachi users. Please check it out: CLICK HERE TO SEE JIGGLY'S GUIDE