Masked Knight

Chapter 185: Rody Appears

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Several soldiers hid behind the shields. However, they had assumed the wrong posture and were thus struck by the arrows. Oliseh angrily shouted, "You fools! Pay attention to your postures! Have you forgotten your training? Damn it! Counter attack! Shoot them with arrows!"

The soldiers calmed down when they heard his orders. They responded promptly with their conditioned reflexes which were achieved through rigorous training. It had almost become their subconscious habit.

The Roland soldiers they were fighting were not part of the main army. Instead, they were a low-ranked auxiliary troop of the Gordon Kingdom. This group had been dispatched to look for food and their archers were not very skillful. They had shot the first volley wildly in the dark and managed to hit a few soldiers. Before they could shoot the second volley, the Empire’s soldiers had started to return fire.

How was the archery of the Lightning God’s Whip? The soldiers selected to be part of the Lightning God’s Whip were all excellent soldiers. Whether it was horsemanship, wrestling, or archery, they were incomparable. Under certain situations, the cavalry could instantly transform into mounted archers with fantastic accuracy. Right now, these soldiers were not on horses. Instead, they were on solid ground. Naturally, their accuracy would be even better.

Although the Lightning God’s Whip was outnumbered several times by the enemy, there were very few archers in the Roland army; they had only two teams, totaling 300 archers. On the other hand, each and every one of the Lightning God’s Whip was a qualified archer. They were elites that could switch instantly their scimitars for their bows with a single order.

Screams pierced the dark as the arrows found their marks on the Roland archers! Half of the several hundred archers collapsed within a moment!

The remaining sorcerer tried to secretly approach the Empire’s soldiers from the sky. However, Oliseh saw him and immediately shot an arrow at him. Fortunately for him, the sorcerer had some skills and avoided the arrow by flying higher. He had avoided the same fate as the other sorcerer.

After avoiding the arrow, the sorcerer became furious. He shot two fireballs from both of his hands. The two fireballs whistled through the air towards the slope of the small hill.

The Lightning God’s Whip was not the least worried. One officer shouted, "The shields!" The soldiers then raised their shields, holding it above their heads at the same time.

The two fireballs hit the shields, causing sparks to fly everywhere. However, the shields that were wrapped in protective cowhide were not destroyed.

The sorcerer was just an ordinary sorcerer of an auxiliary troop. His skill was only just average. He painstakingly stayed just out of range because he was afraid of being struck by the arrows. The two magic fireballs were actually quite powerful. However, it’s power had greatly diminished by the time it reached the hill.

"Shit..." Oliseh cursed and picked up two arrows. He then nocked an arrow, pulled the bow string and released the arrow at the sorcerer.

Oliseh was already a Grade 3 swordsman and he could naturally shoot further compared to ordinary soldiers. That sorcerer in midair was about to start a new spell again when he saw a cold gleam in front and hurriedly dodged. The arrow whizzed past his head, causing him to perspire cold sweat.

After that narrow escape, the sorcerer screamed furiously. "Who was that bastard who shot that arrow? Watch me burn you alive!"

The moment he finished speaking, he heard a ’whoosh’ sound in the wind. This time, there was no gleam to warn him. He just heard a strange sound and felt a sharp pain in his chest as the arrow struck him. He could not understand even when he died. He had been more alert than earlier and yet he could not even see the arrow before being hit.

Oliseh spat as he put down the bow and arrow. He then picked up his scimitar and muttered, "Fortunately, I learned this from Darke. Otherwise, I would not be able to get rid of that sorcerer."

Oliseh admired Darke’s archery and had asked Darke for advice during that time they spent together. Among others, Darke had then taught him how to shoot a hidden arrow like the second one he had shot earlier.

The hidden arrow was most suitable for use at night. It was executed by using an arrow painted in black. When it was shot at night, it would not be easily detected. Besides that, the arrow had a unique shape that reduced the sound made when the arrow flew through the air. It was a hidden and ’silent’ arrow. Used in the night, naturally, it would be hard for an ordinary enemy to avoid it.

The Roland army down the hill had fallen into confusion. They had lost half of their archers. The remaining archers stumbled frantically to the back as the two groups of infantries rushed up the hill slope.

Oliseh took a look at them and sneered, "A group of trash!" Leaving behind two hundred Lightning God’s Whip cavalrymen and one hundred supply soldiers on the slope, he led the rest of his army down the hill and started shooting arrows.

Sure enough, the Roland soldiers who were rushing up the hill were struck with arrows. In the dark, they could only hear the screams. However, they could not tell the number of soldiers killed by the arrows. The Roland army soldiers were not elites. When they heard the miserable screams of their companions, they started to panic and called for a retreat.

The Roland army’s officer became angry and ordered his men to continue, forcing them to advance. He also saw that the hill was very small and immediately thought of taking soldiers around it to attack from behind. He ordered his Deputy Commander to remain there and supervise the battle while he took a group of soldiers with him around the back of the hill.

The Deputy Commander was quite cautious. He realized that the enemy only shot a few hundred arrows in each volley and realized that the enemy army was just a small unit. No doubt the arrows were deadly, but how many arrows could they have? After a few volleys, the enemy would have exhausted their supply of arrows. He executed a few men who were too frightened to move ahead, then harshly ordered the rest of them to advance. Unfortunately, he was wrong. His opponents this time were the Empire’s supply units. They had a dozen carriages filled with military supplies. They certainly had more than enough weapons and arrows.

Their commanding officer’s harsh orders made the Roland soldiers feel helpless. They could only try and rush up the hill even when they felt afraid. They then screamed miserably when another volley of arrows rained down on them. Those who were hit fell and rolled down the hill. These soldiers were not brave elites. They just feared their officer. They then started to shout, "Charge! Kill!" Their shouts were impressive but most of them deliberately slowed down. They took one step back for every two or three steps they took forward, hoping that others would run in front of them.

Naturally, not all of the Roland soldiers were cowardly. There were still a few brave soldiers. Unfortunately, these soldiers were not too smart. The moment they heard their companions shout bravely, they rushed forward. They then noticed that there was nobody else around them. Their companions all shouted excitedly but stayed right where they were. The brave ones who rushed foolishly ahead found themselves on their own. Before they could get angry, they were shot down by the soldiers of the Empire. The pitiful Roland soldiers angrily condemned their companions before dying. Damn it! You played me!

As he had already seen the results of the shocking battles earlier, Oliseh had been vigilant and had earlier decided to camp on the small hill. The carriages were arranged in a circle to form a defensive barricade with an opening in the middle.

The Roland cavalry had gone around the hill. They intended to attack their enemies from the back but they were surprised to see a dozen carriages arranged in an ingenious defensive formation.

The carriages were a few meters tall. As a result, the Roland horses were unable to jump over the carriages. The cavalrymen had no choice but to rush through the gap at the middle of the ring.

However, when they were just a few paces away from the gap, a volley of arrows was shot at them. The leading dozen cavalrymen immediately fell off their horses. Their companions behind them who were charging forward ended up stumbling because of them. The Roland officer shouted, "Do not be afraid! They do not have many archers!"

The cavalrymen would naturally be more elite compared to infantries. They understood that after a volley, the archers would need time to draw another arrow. If they could take advantage of that moment, they would be able to rush past the gap. As they have a lot of people, they would be able to defeat the supply units.

The men charged forward but then their enemies did not shoot any more arrows. Instead, the cavalrymen heard the terrifying words... In the past few days, they have heard these words many times from the fights between the Empire army and the Roland army. Every time they heard these words, a fierce and ruthless army would appear.

The voices roared in the dark. "Wolf Fang!"

Hundreds of voices had shouted as one, creating an imposing atmosphere as if it was shouted by ten thousand soldiers. "Kill!"

The thundering of hooves could be heard as they saw their enemies charged out of the gap in an angry wave.

"It’s the Wolf Fang!"

"My God!"

"Sh*t! Run!"

Before they could understand anything, they had instinctively turned their horses around and scattered into different directions.

Wolf Fang! Sh*t! Our opponents this time are the Wolf Fangs! These Roland troops were just a ragtag group; none of them had personally fought against the Wolf Fangs. However, they had seen enough in the past few days — the Wolf Fangs were the elites even among the Lightning God’s Whip. Only the Holy Knights were able to fight against this extremely powerful cavalry. Unfortunately, they were not able to understand how the ordinary supply soldiers suddenly became the Empire’s most elite cavalry. What they did not know was that although these soldiers were really part of the WolfFang, they were all new to the battlefield and have not even spilled blood before, unlike the truly elitist veteran Wolf Fangs that had been baptized by fire at the battle fronts.

Without waiting for orders from their superior, the Roland cavalry that had been charging forward immediately scattered.

Oliseh took the lead and brandished his scimitar. A cavalryman nearest him was cut down. Oliseh felt his scimitar cutting through the gaps of the victim’s armor. He had the strange feeling of his sword cutting into the muscles and bones of his enemy.

Warm blood sprayed on his face. Oliseh felt his chest burn as if a fire had been lit in his heart. He continued to roar as he led the few hundred cavalrymen in attacking thousands of the enemy cavalrymen.

The Roland officer had not given up even though his subordinates had retreated. Although he was surprised that the supply units were the Lightning God’s Whip, he immediately realized that his opponents only had a few hundred soldiers. The officer immediately shouted, "They do not have many soldiers! Kill them! Destroy them!"

The officer was brave like a knight but unfortunately, not all of his men were knights. Before their opponents reached them, almost his whole group had already run away. The officer was so angry that he could only rush forward with a few of his subordinates that were still beside him.

These soldiers near him were elites and some of them were real knights. The officer only had one thought. The enemy did not have many soldiers. On the other hand, we have a lot of soldiers! With our numbers advantage, it might be possible for us to compete with them. If we can defeat them, we can end the myth that the Lightning God’s Whip is undefeatable! Besides that, we also have soldiers on the other side of this hill. Perhaps they have already charged up the hill. As long as we execute a pincer attack..."

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! The clashing sounds of swords filled the air. The cavalrymen in the front had met their enemies. However, the ones that screamed and fell off their horses were mostly the Roland army’s side. The cavalrymen of the Lightning God’s Whip were much more powerful than the cavalrymen from the Roland army in terms of skills and also personal strength. Even the Lightning God’s Whip charge was more accurate and had more momentum. After that, the Roland Army frontline started to crumble.

Oliseh took the lead and continued to slash right and left with his scimitar. Nobody could block him and he felt really great. Oliseh was exhilarated. How would the third rate guards of his former local garrison have the chance to kill so many enemies? Where would you be able to find such valiant subordinates there?

Oliseh’s eyes were sharp. He spotted what looked like an officer amongst the Roland army. He roared loudly as he brandished his scimitar and rushed towards the officer. The Roland officer suddenly heard a roar and saw a blood covered person from the Lightning God’s Whip rushing towards him. He could faintly see that the man was wearing the armor of a military officer. The frightening thing was that the man was not only covered in blood. Pieces of meat were also stuck on the man’s armor as if he was a ferocious butcher.

While the Roland army officer felt surprised, Oliseh had already reached in front of him. Oliseh slashed in a circular arc. The Roland army’s officer instinctively raised his sword to block. The sound of the swords colliding could be heard and Oliseh’s slash was fruitless. The Roland army’s officer was also quite strong. After all, a commander of two to three thousand soldiers should be quite skillful. If he were to be compared with a Grade 3 swordsman that had just been selected for the Lightning God’s Whip, a newbie like Oliseh, the knight should be stronger. But he was not strong enough. Oliseh’s fierce chops and slashes managed to push him back ...

Oliseh shouted again and again as if he was a ghost calling out at night. As if muddled, the Roland army officer only knew how to block. Suddenly he realized that all of his subordinates had already been cut down. He then cried out in alarm and knocked back Oliseh’s sword. After that, he turned his horse around and ran. He immediately left behind his pride as a knight and ran away in the face of the demon.

The pitiful ones were his soldiers that had were in disarray. The Lightning God’s Whip soldiers were like wolves that have caught a sheep...

When Oliseh saw his opponent retreating after fighting with him, as well as the fact that his opponent was also an officer, he was reluctant to let his opponent escape. He whistled and a few of his subordinates followed to chase him down.

The Roland army officer escaped along with less than ten of his subordinates. He heard the horses of his enemies gradually approach. He felt frightened and did not have the time to look back. He desperately took out his sword and slapped the backside of the horse. In fact, Oliseh had only taken about three to five people to pursue. If the Roland officer had boldly turned around and fight, he and his ten subordinates would have been able to defeat Oliseh and the few other soldiers. However, the only thing that crossed his mind then was to escape.

Oliseh had defeated his enemy in this fight, his first battlefield experience. Seeing the opportunity to earn merits in front of him, he would not let it go easily. However, in the charge earlier, he had put down his bow. Otherwise, he would have earlier shot the enemy with an arrow. At the moment, he could only kick the horse hard and glare at the escaping Roland army officer.

The Roland soldiers ran for a while only to hear the hooves of horses coming from the side. There were only about a dozen horses. The Roland army officer thought that it was one of his subordinates that got separated in the fight. He hoped that he could get a few of them to follow him. He hoped that they would be able to help drive away the pursuers. If that was not possible, at the very least they could fight the enemy a little.

When the officer looked up his heart turned cold.

About a dozen strong steeds galloped his way. They were led by a young cavalryman. His long blue hair fluttered and his face had a murderous look.

Besides that, the Roland officer almost fell off his horse when he saw that the armor of this cavalry was obviously that of the Lightning God’s Whip.

What was even more frightening was that these Lightning God’s Whip men were different compared to that earlier group — they each wore a black cloak over their armor.

This Roland officer was a commander for thousands of soldiers. After fighting so many battles against the Empire, he had already understood how fearsome the Lightning God’s Whip was.

The dozen cavalrymen that appeared were wearing the armor of the Lightning God’s Whip. In fact, they were the elite Wolf Fangs within the Lightning God’s Whip.

It was fine if it was just the WolfFang. After all, he had previously fought with them. However, the cloaks that the newcomers wore signified something more. That meant that they were not only part of the Lightning God’s Whip or the Wolf Fang. They were the elite personal guards of the Duke of the Tulip Family.

Oliseh saw the dozen or so Empire’s cavalrymen coming from the left and immediately shouted out to them, "My comrades from over there. Stop them quickly!"

None of those cavalrymen that appeared responded to Oliseh’s words. If one looked carefully, these dozen men were different from the ordinary Wolf Fang soldiers. They looked somber, cold, frightening and indifferent. Their eyes were devoid of human emotions.

The young man with blue hair moved like lightning and quickly reached the Roland soldiers. He swung his sword in a huge arc ...

The Roland army officer’s two subordinates desperately blocked with their swords. Two crisp slashing sounds were heard and two heads flew off before their owners could react.

The blue-haired cavalryman was quick as lightning. He thrust his sword towards the Roland army officer. The officer could only grit his teeth as he braced himself to ward off the attack.

Oliseh then saw a scene that surprised him. The Roland officer that Oliseh had fought so hard with for a long time earlier that day, could not block the blue-haired cavalryman’s attack. Instead, man and sword were cut into two in a shower of blood.

The corpse immediately fell off the horse. The blue-haired cavalryman then bent down gracefully to pick up the officer’s torso and cut off the head.

The other cavalrymen also killed off the dozen Roland cavalrymen. This kind of skill was something Oliseh had never seen before.

He took a deep breath and approached the other party. As the battle was over, the other cavalrymen from the Lightning God’s Whip had also stopped. Without any orders given, they automatically lined up in a fan-shape by the blue-haired cavalryman’s side.

Oliseh and the others arrived in front of these men. The moment he stopped his horse, he felt an intense and oppressive feeling. It was a cold, killing intent, an incomparable gloomy atmosphere. Oliseh and the others burst out in goosebumps.

Oliseh then took a deep breath and asked, "Comrades. Are you all also part of the Wolf Fang?"

The blue-haired cavalryman glanced at Oliseh and looked surprised. However, Oliseh could not see the surprise on the man’s face in the dark.

"Yes. We are part of the Wolf Fang," The young cavalryman replied lightly. His aura was different from his men. He replied with a gentle but slightly proud voice.

Oliseh immediately had a strange feeling. This person’s voice sounds familiar.

"We are the reserve army of the Lightning God’s Whip that came from the Imperial Capital. We were ordered to go to the front and join up with the Wolf Fang army." Oliseh said excitedly as the real Wolf Fang soldiers were in front of him. He understood that these people were different from rookies like him. They were warriors that had seen real battles on the battlefield.

The young cavalryman then smiled and lightly asked, "In that case, what is your rank?"

Even though the person who asked the question was dressed like an ordinary cavalryman Oliseh felt as if the question was being asked by a high-ranking officer. He immediately sat straight and gave the Wolf Fang’s standard military salute before loudly reporting, "Grade 3 swordsman and the Captain of the First Cavalry, of the Wolf Fang reserve soldiers, Oliseh, reporting, Sir!"

Oliseh paused and then continued. "We were ordered to escort the transport of supplies from the Imperial Capital to Kaka City. Tonight, we encountered a small Roland army and we have just defeated them. Right now, we are about to regroup and continue our journey!"

"Good." The long blue-haired cavalryman smiled faintly and then said, "Captain Oliseh. We are the Duke of the Tulip Family’s personal guards. Since we have met you, you no longer need to go to Kaka City. The Duke ordered for all the supplies to be sent directly to the Lightning God’s Whip’s barracks a hundred miles in from here."

"Ah... Yes!" Oliseh replied instinctively. Even he himself thought it was strange. He had a strange feeling even though the person he was talking to looked just like a normal cavalryman. The man spoke in a very dignified manner. The man’s words were neither gentle nor fierce. However, it was as if that his words must not be questioned. It was like a calm order of a superior officer. This man was just the bodyguard of the Duke but he seemed to be accustomed to being a commander or a general. Hmmm. He must have turned out like this after working close to the Duke for a long time.

After that, Oliseh subconsciously sized up this blue-haired youth. He could not help but compare the Duke of the Tulip Family and the young man in front of him.

Although he had never met the Duke, the legendary Duke was said to be a blonde and handsome man. God had given him a charming face like the Sun God and an extremely powerful body like Achilles...

This person had a strange and imposing appearance. It was rare for a person to have blue hair. He must be very powerful. The person I took such a long time to fight must have been a Roland knight. I, as a Grade 3 swordsman was unable to defeat him. However, the blue-haired warrior killed him with one stroke of his sword. It was like he was trampling on ants. His cavalrymen were also strange. They had a cold and murderous look — but yet they looked as if they were lifeless.

The blue-haired man nodded his head in acknowledgment. Oliseh turned his horse around and was about to leave. But he then decided to ask, "May I ask for your name? Tonight, you have helped us to behead the Roland army officer. I will report your contribution."

The blue-haired man stopped for a moment. He then turned and laughed. He looked hesitant as he said softly, "I am the Deputy Captain of the Duke’s bodyguards. I am a Grade 5 Swordsman."

A Grade 5 swordsman was so powerful? Oliseh was surprised. A Grade 3 swordsman like me is having trouble to defeat the enemy but a Grade 5 swordsman can defeat them so easily? Although Oliseh was from a local garrison and had never met a Grade 5 swordsman in his life, he could not believe a Grade 5 swordsman was so powerful.

The only other explanation must be because these people were the guards of the Duke. Are all of the guards this powerful? The other enemies were also finished off by the other guards with one strike. The other soldiers that had followed that Roland officer as they ran away were also excellent fighters. But they were also just like a piece of paper to these guards.

"Wait!" Oliseh looked at the other group who were leaving and could not help but call out again.

"Hmm?" That man frowned and asked Oliseh. "Is there something else?"

Although that man had only frowned and only glanced at him, Oliseh felt a strange oppressive aura. It was definitely not the aura of an ordinary cavalryman. It was the aura of a successful person. Although it was just a frown, and his face was lowered... Oliseh lowered his gaze and his voice became nervous as he said, "No... It is just, you still have not told me your name! Also, I would like to thank you for your help. Otherwise, we would have had trouble handling these people."

"You do not need to thank me." The young man finally smiled. He hesitated for a while and then replied, "My name... is Rody."