Ch. 46
Chapter 46. Predicament
The sounds of battle in the sky still exploded like thunder. The Dou Qi radiance of Prince Kande and the other Sky Knights flickered in and out among the clouds.
Marquis Peter gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. His gaze swept across the groaning wounded soldiers and the unconscious mages on the ground as he said in a deep voice, “Ninth and Tenth Battalion Commanders, with me!”
The two battalion commanders immediately stepped forward to receive orders.
“You will take all the wounded soldiers, the knights, and these three mages, and withdraw immediately to the Secret Realm Entrance.”
Marquis Peter took several bottles of High-Tier Healing Potion from his chest and stuffed them into their hands.
“Use these to stabilize their injuries along the way. Remember—no matter the cost, get them out.”
“Yes.”
The two battalion commanders accepted the order and turned to summon the soldiers into action.
The wounded were carefully lifted onto makeshift stretchers. Knights supported one another as they struggled to their feet. The soldiers of the Ninth and Tenth Battalions formed a human wall, escorting the group toward the dense forest.
Marquis Peter then looked at William. “Your Highness, you should go with them as well. Watch over them.”
William raised his head and looked at Marquis Peter. “Grandfather! I am the Fourth Prince of the Kroll Kingdom.”
Marquis Peter looked into his resolute eyes. His throat moved slightly, but in the end he only nodded.
The Ninth Battalion led the way, while the Tenth Battalion followed behind with the wounded. The group soon disappeared into the edge of the dense forest. Watching their retreating figures, Marquis Peter finally let out a breath of relief.
More than ten minutes later, the sound of numerous footsteps suddenly echoed from within the forest. The Tenth Battalion Commander came rushing back, covered in blood. His armor was shattered, and a bone spike from a Crawler was still lodged in his arm.
“Vice Legion Commander, the forest is full of Crawlers—dense beyond count. We simply cannot break through. The Ninth Battalion stayed behind to cover us… and now…”
“What?” Marquis Peter’s expression changed drastically as he abruptly turned to look toward the forest.
Large numbers of legion soldiers staggered back while carrying the wounded. The soldiers of the Ninth Battalion, however, never emerged.
He staggered back half a step. At that moment, Prince Kande’s roar in the sky suddenly turned shrill with rage—two Sky Knights fell from above, crashing to the ground without another sound.
“It’s over…”
A soldier muttered to himself, despair filling his eyes.
Ahead lay a bottomless canyon. Behind them, the forest had turned into a deadly trap. Above them, the Sky Knights were falling from the heavens. They had become fish trapped in a barrel.
Marquis Peter suddenly drew his sword, the blade flashing with cold light beneath the sun.
“What are you panicking for?” His voice was hoarse yet powerful. “The Royal Ninth Legion has no cowards. Even if we die, we will drag enough enemies down with us.”
Marquis Peter swept his gaze around. Though fewer than sixty percent of the soldiers were still able to fight, every one of them had resolute eyes. Like steel nails hammered into the ground, none showed the slightest intention of retreating.
At some point, William had already stepped to his side. His gaze passed over the blood-streaked faces as he declared loudly, “I, William, Fourth Prince of the Kroll Kingdom, will fight alongside you today.”
“You are all the backbone of the kingdom—true warriors. Allow me to witness with my own eyes the sharp edge of the Ninth Legion.”
“Your Highness, the Fourth Prince!”
“Your Highness, the Fourth Prince!”
The soldiers’ shouts burst through the canyon as blazing fervor ignited in their eyes.
In the midst of despair, the steadfast presence of royal blood was like a blazing flame that instantly ignited everyone’s fighting spirit.
Marquis Peter looked at his grandson’s upright back and suddenly laughed. The wind, tinged with the scent of blood, whipped his cloak as it flapped loudly.
“Good lad. Then let these bastards see just how hard the bones of the Ninth Legion truly are.”
Before his words had even faded, a heavy crashing sound came from the sky.
Prince Kande, drenched in blood, descended while leaning on a broken longsword. Only one other injured Sky Knight remained by his side.
Looking up again, seven dark figures hovered in midair. They were Crawlers with Sky-level combat power. Dark purple energy bone spikes gathered in their hands as they shrieked and aimed toward the ground.
At that critical moment, William drew a longsword from his Spatial Ring.
It was the trump card given to him by the legendary knight Aganzo. The blade gleamed with a cold silver light beneath the sun.
The moment the sword appeared, the Crawlers in the sky seemed to receive some sort of stimulus. Even though their energy bone spikes had not fully formed, they hurled them toward William like mad.
“Be careful!” Marquis Peter shouted in alarm.
William’s expression did not change. With a slight twist of his wrist, the knight’s sword traced a perfect arc through the air.
A condensed crescent-shaped sword light suddenly erupted, sharp as if it were solid. It tore through the air with a piercing shriek as it swept toward the seven dark figures in the sky.
Where the sword light passed, the air itself seemed to be ripped apart. The dark purple energy bone spikes shattered inch by inch the moment they touched the blade’s radiance.
The Crawlers in the sky let out terrified shrieks. They attempted to evade in haste, but it was already too late.
The sword light swept through them like the scythe of death, striking the bodies of all seven Crawlers with perfect precision. Black blood rained down from the sky.
For a brief moment, the canyon fell silent.
Only William remained standing there with his sword in hand, while the bodies of Crawlers crashed down from the sky.
Prince Kande wiped the blood from his face. Looking at William’s upright figure as he held the sword, he suddenly burst into loud laughter filled with exhilaration.
“Good! Good! Good! That kind of ruthlessness is worthy of a prince of the Kroll family.”
Marquis Peter was just about to speak when the corner of his eye caught sight of something.
From both sides of the cliff walls and the edges of the forest, black tides began to surge.
Countless Crawlers were swarming in from every direction. Their densely packed bodies nearly blocked the entire view. It was obvious that William’s earth-shattering strike had completely enraged them.
“Fall back! Fall back!” Marquis Peter roared as he pointed his sword toward the outer edge of the formation. “Vanguard Battalion—hold the line!”
The soldiers of the Vanguard Battalion, who had been preparing to charge, immediately withdrew upon hearing the order. They formed layers of shield walls, thrusting spears through the gaps and barely holding back the first wave of the assault.
The Crawlers’ claws scraped against the shields, producing harsh grinding sounds. The soldiers in the front row turned red from the strain as their arms trembled under the immense force.
“Kill!”
The soldiers from the other battalions were driven to fury by the desperate situation. With furious roars, they charged forward with their swords.
Blades struck the Crawlers’ carapaces, sending sparks flying. The Crawlers’ hooked tails swept across the battlefield, instantly knocking down rows of soldiers.
Screams, the clash of metal, and the shrill cries of the Crawlers intertwined as the entire canyon seemed to transform into a giant meat grinder.
William tightened his grip on the knight’s sword. The cold gleam of the blade reflected against his tense face.
He knew that the strike he had just unleashed had intimidated the enemy—but it had also stirred up a hornet’s nest.
Now tens of thousands of Crawlers were closing in from all sides. With so few men left, they likely would not hold out much longer.
“Your Highness, lead the wounded deeper into the canyon.”
While parrying the attacks of the Crawlers, Marquis Peter shouted to Prince Kande, “The terrain there is narrow. Perhaps it can buy us some time.”
Prince Kande shook his head and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“If we leave, we leave together. The Kroll family does not abandon its companions.”
Leaning on his sword, he stood upright once more as his Dou Qi began to gather again.
“Marquis Peter, protect William.”
Marquis Peter said nothing and simply moved William behind him.
The knight’s sword in William’s hand—the sword of Aganzo—was already covered with cracks, yet its remaining power still lingered. With another swing, a blade of sword light cut down three Crawlers that lunged toward him.
However, there were simply too many Crawlers.
Like a rising tide, they continued to pour forward endlessly. The shield wall had already begun to crack.
Marquis Peter looked at the soldiers who were falling one after another, and a trace of determination flashed through his eyes.
Prince Kande suddenly walked to his side.
“Don’t use that move. Your old bones will not survive the backlash.”