Chapter 180: War·Continued

  Countless blossoms of blood, fragments of clothing, mixed with pieces of skin from his back, scattered around the person like fireworks in an instant.

  This was not the effect of the fireball that had sent him soaring. On the body of the person who had fired the fireball at his own back, the glow of Battle Qi also appeared. The explosive shockwave had merely altered his position; it hadn't caused him any real harm. This was entirely because of the arrow that had passed beneath him, from behind.

  The arrow itself was two or three meters away from him. The white light surrounding the arrow had merely grazed his back. The flesh, which even an explosion couldn't harm, instantly disintegrated amidst the deafening roar as the white light passed, scattering like fragmented cotton. If the person's position had been an inch lower, or if the arrow's trajectory had been an inch higher, his entire back would have been torn to shreds just like the Wyvern's.

  But it was just that one inch. The person was only injured, not dead. Moreover, he had successfully dodged this time, not parried, so he still had the strength to counterattack. In that instant, the dynamic of attacker and defender had been completely reversed. A green fireball instantly formed in his hand, hurtling towards the already exhausted Temple Knight.

  Despite being utterly shocked, Wilskey did not panic. Although he was exhausted from that all-out arrow shot, that was only him; his griffin was not. The fireball was fast, but at least much slower than the arrow he had shot. After all, it was a distance of over a hundred meters. He squeezed his legs, and the griffin flapped its wings, dodging to the side.

  But just as the griffin began to move its wings, two more green fireballs appeared in the person's hands. With a loud shout, he waved his hand, and the two fireballs flew towards Wilskey again.

  Even if fireballs are low-level magic, such an instant triple-cast is difficult even for a great mage, but this was not what surprised the Temple Knight the most. What astonished him was that the two later green fireballs did not fly directly at him, but instead each carved an arc in the air, coming at him from two different angles. This was the exact same method as the curved trajectory arrow he had just shot.

  Both fireballs were spinning rapidly. The high-speed rotation and the force of their launch made the spheres curve slightly, and the surrounding air whistled as they spun at incredible speed. Although this was pure magic, with no Battle Qi attached like Wilskey's arrow, the curvature caused by the rotation of the spheres themselves was far greater and more perfect than his arrow's had been. The two fireballs flew towards the same point from opposite directions and at opposite angles, and that point was precisely where the griffin was.

  Wilskey had to admit that this was indeed an extremely tricky opponent. Whether it was adaptability, tactics, or technique, all were of a first-class standard. He had actually managed to force him, with his superior strength, into such a desperate situation. Now, whether it was the Battle Qi in his body or the strength of his muscles, he could not shoot another Demon-Breaking Arrow to block the green fireballs. And to dodge such a pincer attack from the fireballs while in motion, he would have to be riding a fly, not a griffin. So he could neither dodge nor defend. The only thing he could do was flee.

  The Temple Knight's judgment and decisiveness allowed Wilskey to go from being shocked to assessing the situation to finally flipping over and fleeing in the blink of an eye. But even so, by the time he flipped off the griffin's back and fell, he had dropped no more than four or five meters before the two fireballs accurately struck the griffin in a pincer attack.

  With a dull boom, the griffin didn't even have time to let out a shriek. Its massive body was instantly melted and eroded in the green flames, as if made of wax. The green flames and the unique stench of Necromancy spread like tidal waves, diffusing even faster than the Temple Knight was falling.

  Wilskey sighed, raised his left arm, and used the Divine Aegis shield. Although he couldn't control the guardian shield to protect both himself and the griffin in such a large space, protecting just himself from above was still possible. The layer of crystalline white light shield appeared just in time, barely holding back the green flames that surged downwards.

  At this moment, the all-out arrow he had shot earlier finally hit the trees below, almost at the edge of his vision. Countless thick trees broke, flew, and fell like weeds under a scythe. The arrow had actually plowed a path through the trees.

  Activating the Feather Fall attached to his Radiant Battleplate, Wilskey looked at his opponent, who was also descending a hundred meters away. He could see that the opponent was also looking back at him, his gaze carrying the sharpness of a hunter about to claim its prey. Then, the person pulled a magic scroll from his robes, unfurled it, and a white thunderball roared out, hurtling towards him.

  The speed of the Thunderblast Bomb released from this scroll, compared to the speed of the arrow and fireballs from before, was practically like a stroll. In Wilskey's eyes, it clearly flew along a trajectory towards where he was falling. But he could only watch helplessly as this deadly little thing flew closer. The green flames billowing above his head prevented him from moving the guardian shield down, and he had no other way to change his position in mid-air or to stop the Thunderblast Bomb. The only thing he could do was twist his body in mid-air to meet the crackling thunderball with his back.

  Amidst a colossal explosion, the griffin knights below couldn't help but look up at the sky. They could just see Wilskey being sent flying far away by the sudden explosion of lightning and shockwave. A large spray of blood gushed from the Temple Knight's mouth, scattering like fireworks along with the green flames, raining down from the sky.

  His body thrown like a cannonball, Wilskey felt as if the bones and muscles in his back had all been mashed into one. His heart, liver, spleen, and lungs all seemed to want to rush out of his throat along with the blood. But he also understood that he was only injured, gravely injured, but he would not die. If there was any armor in this world that could defend against such a high-level magic attack, it would only be this magic armor blessed with holy power. Under such a massive impact, the armor on his back had only caved in, not broken.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  But Wilskey knew he had been defeated. With such injuries, no matter how advanced the healing magic on his Radiant Battleplate was, he would not have the strength to draw the Golden Battle Bow again. The explosion had even sent him flying hundreds of meters. He didn't know if he would even have the strength to stand up and rush to the battlefield after he landed.

  In the trees over there, the mournful cries of griffins continued to sound. Suddenly, in the distance, a tremendous shriek, no less loud than the thunderball's explosion, erupted suddenly, like a tsunami, drowning and scattering all other sounds in the forest. Just from the volume, one could tell that this immense roar did not come from a human throat. And those who heard it could feel the pain and anger contained within the sound, but more than that, it was a bloodthirsty frenzy and the bestial nature of a wild beast.

  A single clang of metal on metal stood out amidst the roar, and then an object from that location broke through the trees and soared into the sky.

  Wilskey was the farthest from there, but only his eyesight could see clearly. The object that flew into the sky was a massive war spear. The spear's body was covered with marks from huge impacts and chops, and even the shape of the war spear was completely twisted and deformed.

  Wilskey, of course, knew who this spear belonged to, and he vaguely realized what it meant for this weapon to fly into the sky. Anxiety, anger, and sorrow surged over him like a tide. At this moment, he landed on the trunk of a large tree. As soon as his feet touched solid ground, a surge of qi rose in his chest, and a mouthful of blood uncontrollably sprayed from his throat. His consciousness also grew dim and confused. He rolled from the branches and fell to the ground, knowing nothing more.

  He didn't know how long it had been before Wilskey slowly regained consciousness and opened his eyes.

  What met his eyes was the ceiling of a tent. Dim firelight flickered, illuminating the large griffin emblem on the tent. It was night, and it seemed this was actually the command tent of the main Erathia army.

  "Lord. You're awake." A voice sounded from beside him. Wilskey laboriously turned his head to look. It was the young Templar, Javi.

  "What about Aldric?" Wilskey asked. The heart-wrenching pain in his back told him this was not a dream or some kind of heaven.

  Javi the warrior shook his head and sighed, "I'm sorry, we arrived too late... Lord Aldric's body has been brought back, but his Radiant Battleplate was taken by those beastmen."

  Wilskey felt as if a red-hot sword of anger and sorrow had pierced his body. He could feel the sharp, searing pain in every muscle and bone. His body and expression couldn't help but twitch uncontrollably.

  Javi was silent for a moment, then continued, "Just now, a message came from the forces of the Kingdom of Judah to the north... Lady Christine and Archmage Jenny have also been killed in action..."

  "What?" Wilskey sprang up from the bed, but immediately fell back down. Blood was continuously seeping through the bandages on his back. He could no longer feel the weakness of his body or the pain of his wounds. He still struggled to get up, the muscles of his face and his facial features contorting uncontrollably. "How is this possible? What happened?"

  "They were also lured out of the main army by the beastmen. They each led a small team to pursue and attack... but they fell into an ambush. According to those who escaped, the one who killed Lady Christine was an unarmed man, presumably Gru. As for Archmage Jenny's side, no one survived, but judging from the countless traces of magical explosions left on the battlefield, it was likely Sedros."

  "We're still nearly a thousand li from Oufu. As the leaders of Oufu, how could the two of them have run out to the allied army alone?"

  "From the very beginning, the strategy and tactics were all designed to lure the several lords out of the main army. The two leaders of Oufu personally went to the front line to set up the ambush. This seems to be a trap specifically designed for the several Temple Knight lords, one they were determined to win."

  "So it was just as you predicted. We were indeed too careless." Wilskey sighed heavily and closed his eyes. The extreme anger and sorrow were finally endured by his will of steel and nerves, but in exchange, he was overcome by a sense of complete powerlessness and exhaustion. "Even though His Majesty the Pope and Lord Lancelot had specifically warned us, we were still careless."

  The young Templar's face showed no fluctuation, neither joy nor sorrow. He just nodded and said flatly, "The strategy Oufu adopted before, of showing weakness to the enemy, even if it didn't affect the several lords, the allied army was still fooled. In a situation of low morale, the decision of the several lords to attack was somewhat unavoidable. However... the several lords were indeed a bit careless. If each of the lords had carried a few top-tier magic scrolls with them, perhaps... the situation could have been better..."

  Wilskey was silent for a moment. He sighed heavily, "Indeed, we were careless."

  Although top-tier magic scrolls are extremely precious items for ordinary warriors or mages, to Celeste, they are nothing at all. But almost no Temple Knight ever carries such things on them. Each of them reached the pinnacle of martial arts through their own exquisite and superhuman martial skills and real combat. The need to carry things like magic scrolls and magical items at all times is something only a novice like Talise, who has just started, would do. In their eyes, it even seems a bit childish and laughable.

  But now, in the end, it was this pride of martial artists that seemed tragic. If he could have had a magic scroll in the sky just like his opponent, he would have undoubtedly won. Among the magic scrolls stored in The Radiant Citadel, a Thunderblast Bomb is only considered a very low-tier item. And if Aldric had also carried a magic scroll with him, then... Wilskey felt a twitch in his chest and didn't think further. Because thinking more was useless.

  Javi the warrior said, "I have already submitted a report to His Majesty the Pope and Lord Lancelot. This loss is too great for us, so I suggest... returning the command of all troops to the generals of the various nations."

  "Why?" Wilskey asked. "They lead their own countries' armies, and their hearts are too full of underestimation for the enemy. If you let them act freely, they will surely advance their armies in great force and fight on their own. It will only give Oufu an opportunity."

  "This loss reflects our major strategic disadvantage. The chaos in command led to this very result. Also, we know too little about Oufu. Because it's completely impossible to plant spies there, we can say we know almost nothing about them. According to the report, after killing Lady Christine, Gru used a teleportation scroll to leave. Also, the surviving griffin knights on our side saw a blue light from a teleportation scroll near where Lord Aldric fell. It seems... perhaps Oufu has already established its own teleportation magic array. After all, they are very close to the Sanderfirth Mountains, making it convenient to obtain Star-Eyes and Star Shards."

  "What we understand even less is their combat strength and the tactics they can employ. For example, Wyverns equipped with exquisitely made dwarven ballistae can completely suppress griffins at long range like this. The individual combatants of the beastmen are different from humans, and the combat methods they can employ are different from conventional troops. Oufu also has superior tacticians and strategists. All previous combat experience may be useless, and may even become a shackle on our thinking. So if we want to win, we must at least probe and let Oufu reveal its combat methods and capabilities."

  "Your intention in returning command to them is to have them probe?"

  "Not just that. The deaths of the three lords this time have lowered our prestige in the allied army to its lowest point. The next command will only be more difficult. Rather than stubbornly clinging to command, it's better to let them act on their own. After they have suffered enough, and discovered that Oufu is not as easy to deal with as they imagined, it will be more convenient for us to resume command."

  "Suffered enough? How much suffering? The death of thirty thousand soldiers? Or fifty thousand?" Wilskey looked at Javi the warrior. Although he was weak, his gaze was still sharp. "You intend to let tens of thousands of soldiers, who were originally meant to fight for the glory of the Lord, go to their deaths just for a probe?"

  "Since it is war, how can there be no deaths? And in my opinion, this is indeed the most effective method now," the young Templar answered calmly. In the dim firelight, his face was as calm as a sculpture. "Don't worry, my lord. The generals of the allied army are all battle-hardened. Moreover, the allied army has a total of one hundred thousand troops, while Oufu only has a few thousand. So no matter the losses, they will not be completely annihilated. Only after these defeats will their arrogance and underestimation of the enemy be curbed, and only then will they truly heed Celeste's command."

  "Regardless, I will not agree to your suggestion," Wilskey grunted, shaking his head. Although he knew it might be a solution, he couldn't accept it.

  Javi the warrior shrugged and said, "I was just notifying you as a matter of procedure. As for this suggestion, I have already sent the report to Celeste..."

  Wilskey said in a deep voice, "His Majesty will not agree either. There must be another way."

  Javi the warrior said nothing more. He just gave a salute and exited the tent.

  Ten days later, the order from Celeste finally arrived. His Majesty the Pope ordered: All Temple Knights in the allied army are to return to Celeste. The command of all troops is to be returned to the generals of the various nations.