Chapter 79: Holy Light
Translator: Zenobys Editor:
Rody sighed and dismounted. He knew that a horse without any special training would be unable to handle all the fighting on a battlefield. If he insisted on riding that horse, it would eventually be frightened and possibly throw him off. It would then be too late to turn around and escape. The ordinary horse had also been running for an entire day and was exhausted. On the other hand, his opponents had hundreds of excellent horses. Escaping was certainly impossible.
The other side saw him dismount and once again repeated their earlier demands for him to surrender together with his weapons. Rody felt contempt in his heart but he did not speak. He just held his sword proudly and looked at his opponents with the full intent to fight.
The leader of the cavalry saw his posture and knew that he was not willing to surrender. He found it strange that a small, dropout cavalryman from the Radiant Empire was brave enough to pick a fight with several hundred of his soldiers.
They were Royal Knights brought by the special envoy of the Roland Continent. A few days ago, they had received the secret order to kill the Tulip Family Duke. After that, they had followed the horse’s tracks and chased him for half a day. They had even overtaken the soldiers dispatched from Dragon Plateau.
The special envoy of the Roland Continent had reflected on the events of the past few days. He guessed that the only way to get rid of pursuers in such an open and exposed grassland was to split up the army into smaller groups several times. It was of course to confuse the pursuers and to make them pursue a much-reduced number of the army. His ability and wisdom, however, were not like those in the Great Moon Kingdom who only knew how to swing their swords and ride horses. Without hesitation, he had immediately ordered his men to scatter into more than 100 groups to look for the whereabouts of the Tulip Family Duke. At the same time, he had left a magical mark on the leader of each team so that he would immediately be aware if they found anything. The group of soldiers in front of Rody was one of the 100 groups sent out to intercept him. However, they did not know that he was the 'Duke' of the Tulip Family.
They thought the Duke of the Tulip Family would naturally have many cavalrymen but this soldier was just by himself.
The captain found it very strange. The opponent was alone and had even dismounted. As a result, he did not panic. He did not order a cavalry charge. Instead, he intended to slowly move his men towards Rody. He had 200 soldiers with him and could easily squeeze Rody to death if he wanted to.
His decision to not order a charge was his biggest mistake. Had he ordered the 200 cavalrymen in heavy armor to charge, even Rody would not have been able to withstand it no matter how strong he was.
Rody saw them slowly approaching and knew that they underestimated him because he was alone. He gave a wry smile knowing that it was not his lucky day. If only he knew that he would not be able to escape, he would have been better off dying with his men that day.
Gritting his teeth, he slowly stretched his hand and pulled out something hanging around his neck. After that, he pinched the object in his hands. It was the life-saving crystal gem that Old Mark had given him.
The captain of the Roland cavalry saw Rody throwing away his sword and taking out a thinner one from behind. He found it strange but admired Rody’s courage. However, he also thought that Rody might not have been quite right in the head. Against enemies wearing heavy armor, it was not a good move to throw away a thicker sword and use a long, thin sword instead.
Isn't he asking to die?
Suddenly, the captain of the Roland cavalry saw an extremely bright light in front of him. The long sword in the hands of the Empire’s cavalryman dazzled. A faint sound could be heard as the cavalryman suddenly burst into a pale gold flaming aura. He looked like a person surrounded by flames. Rody gave off a tremendous invisible pressure from a distance. His enemies just stood there as the flaming aura seemed to surround them. With intense power radiating from Rody, the grass around him bent outwards. Rody’s long and blonde hair also fluttered as the wind rose. The scene was surreal as though he was standing in a space between heaven and earth.
Suddenly, Rody screamed and rushed forward. His body moved as fast as a speeding horse. Rody’s charge was like a fireball rushing towards the Roland cavalrymen. There was a loud clang as Rody collided with the cavalry’s shields. The men did not have time to react or even cry out. After Rody broke their shields, he proceeded to attack them...
Without waiting for their captain's orders, they fiercely thrust their spears at Rody. However, when their spears collided with Rody's lightsaber, more than a dozen of the spears broke into two without any sound of collision. The cavalrymen felt like they were struck by lightning as they spat out blood and fell off their horses. While he was still in shock, the captain of the cavalry shouted. The surrounding cavalrymen drew their swords and rushed again at Rody who was in the center.
Each time Rody swung his sword, several spears would be broken and several cavalrymen would fall tragically from their horses. Some of them lost their arms while others lost their heads. Out of nowhere, Rody punched the horse of a nearby cavalryman. The horse neighed as both the horse and the person sitting on it flew away. They then smashed into another soldier. A few of them dismounted and tried to fight Rody with their cross-shaped swords. However, they could not do anything as their shields shattered into pieces when they tried to block his attack. They also simultaneously exploded from the waist up. Their limbs were broken and badly mangled.
Under Rody's sword, their silver armor was like paper and completely useless against Rody.
Rody was like a mad tiger. Occasionally, his enemies would be able to pierce his shoulder or cut his arm with their spears. The cuts were deep enough to see his bones but he did not flinch. He would immediately claim their life with his lightsaber. Anyone whom Rody encountered would immediately be killed without leaving behind a complete corpse.
The cavalry’s captain went pale as he stood on the other side. He suddenly threw away his shield and spear. He then pulled out his cross-shaped sword and jumped down from his horse. He fell on one knee along holding the sword in his hands and started to sweat as he muttered an incantation. After that, he stood up and his body also started to give out a brilliant light.
He knew the fighting energy that he was using would not last long. In fact, his body was still unable to adapt to it properly. However, he came to the Radiant Empire even though it was dangerous so that he could protect the special envoy. The high-level warriors of the Royal Knights were given a spell of blessing by the sorcerers. At any critical moment, they could chant an incantation and pray to God. Instantly, their strength would be doubled.
Another head flew and rolled away. The Roland cavalrymen were just mortals. Although they had their dignity as knights which prompted them to rush in and fight, they had also noticed that more than half of them were already killed. On the other hand, their opponent stood there like the God of Death. He had a tremendous murderous aura. Rody was like a rock surrounded by corpses. He was just injured but it looked like he was totally unaffected by his injuries.
The cavalrymen were finally terrified. Honor was one thing but a meaningless death was another.
After being bathed in blood, nobody dared to rush forward anymore. The earth was filled with dead bodies and broken weapons. The other soldiers looked at Rody’s blood covered body like he was a ghost. They were too afraid to attack him.
Rody knew that he did not have much time. If he did not get rid of them within two hours, he would die. Since they did not dare attack him, Rody rushed towards the nearest group of cavalrymen.
Rody moved like a meteor and crashed into a cavalryman, hitting him on the head and tragically killing him instantly. The other Roland cavalrymen once again summoned their courage to rush towards Rody. All of a sudden Rody’s sword gave out a blinding light again. The light extended until it was as tall as a person and immediately slashed downwards.
The light was like a large fire dragon. Rody instantaneously cut down the cavalryman in front of him into two. The 20 cavalrymen and their horses were immediately torn apart when they were hit by the light. A ditch of about a dozen meters long formed on the ground and looked like someone had plowed the land.
Rody then swung his lightsaber in a circular manner, cutting the soldiers surrounding him at the waist. However, his shoulder was also severely injured. The golden flames around Rody were extremely powerful. The soldiers who attacked him using their cross-shaped swords felt like they were cutting a stone. Although Rody was not invulnerable, his arm which should have been severed was only wounded when they slashed him. It was as if Rody barely felt any pain at that moment. He did not even groan. In response, he slashed back cutting everything into half. Rody’s eyes were red as he continued to brandish his sword against the terrified cavalrymen.
Rody slashed again but this time there was a sound of metal clashing. There was a large cross-shaped sword blocking Rody’s lightsaber. Everyone had been fighting for so long but it was the first time someone was able to block Rody’s attack.
The captain’s body suddenly shook. His hands trembled as held his cross-shaped sword. He felt like he was just knocked by a speeding horse and took a few steps back. He took a deep breath and then he swallowed the blood in his mouth. After that, he gave a big roar and continued to rush forward.
Rody desperately wanted to get rid of all of them. So, when someone rushed towards him he naturally faced the person head-on. However, he heard the sound of metal clashing. The captain stepped back with a pale face. A trace of fresh blood could be seen flowing out of his mouth. The white glow of fighting energy emanating from his body started to dim. His wide, cross-shaped sword had started to crack and his clenched hands were filled with blood. It appeared that his purlicue had a deep cut.
The nearby cavalrymen saw that their captain was injured. Even though they knew that they would die if they helped him, they rushed forward.
“Stay back!” The captain shouted; his hair disheveled. The firmness in his voice dropped as he spat out blood. He gritted his teeth and continued shouting, “Do not court death!”
He stood straight and switched hands to hold the hilt of his sword before hissing,“Who are you?” His voice was low. He then glanced at the red bloodstained family crest on Rody’s chest. His body trembled and he blurted out, “You are the Duke of the Tulip Family!”
Without waiting for Rody to reply, the captain shouted, “This is the Duke of the Tulip Family! Men, this is the time to defend your dignity as knights! Capture him! Do not let him escape!”
After that, the rest of the Roland cavalrymen jumped down from their horses. They threw away their spears and took out their swords. They knew how fearsome their foe was and riding a horse would affect their agility. They had no choice but to give up their horses.
Standing in the encirclement, Rody felt anxious. Even if he could kill all of them, he probably would not be able to escape very far. It seemed like the ability to fight thousands of enemies on the battlefield was just a myth. With the explosive power he had just obtained, Rody was arguably as strong as a master in the Empire. Yet, he was already struggling with just a few hundred soldiers. If he were to encounter a thousand enemies, death would be inevitable.
Their pitiful voices could constantly be heard. Despite hearing the order, the cavalrymen still fought fully aware of the high possibility of death. Rody was covered with numerous wounds, blood and also chunks of flesh from those whom he had killed. He was injured by the captain and wanted to return the favor but another soldier blocked his way. In the end, the captain picked up a spear and threw it towards Rody’s chest. However, Rody’s armor which was handed down the Tulip Family through generations was a strange armor. The spear hit Rody’s body but it did not pierce through the armor. Rody felt the pain in his chest and he groaned. He then slashed back and finally severed the captain’s hand.
Flesh and blood flew all over the place. No matter how the Roland cavalrymen risked their lives, they only had 200 people at the end of the day. After suffering heavy casualties, they were getting weaker. On the other hand, Rody’s momentum showed no sign of stopping. He could still kill one soldier with every two swings of the Half Moon Slash. The cavalrymen were getting desperate.
Even if a master did what Rody did, he or she would not have been able to hold out so long fighting with so many soldiers. By then, any power and fighting energy should have long been exhausted. However, they saw that Rody’s pale gold flame did not show any signs of dimming. On the contrary, more of their companions were dead. All that was left were several people who could barely stand.
Rody gasped for breath. Even though he had unlimited internal energy for two hours, his physical body could still feel tired. He had killed so many people and was exhausted to the bone. However, he kept a resolute expression as he looked at the last few enemies in front of him.
The captain whose hand was severed had long been pulled to the back. At that moment, he looked around and saw that only a few out of his 200 soldiers remained. He felt heartbroken.
The killer devil in front of him walked slowly towards him and his soldiers. Even with swords in their hands, they slowly backed away.
Rody then took a deep breath and spoke, “I do not have any hatred against you. However, you came to obstruct me. You all came to court death so, do not blame me!”
The captain laughed cynically and said, "The Duke of the Tulip Family is truly terrifying! However, we came here with the sole purpose of killing you! I have already sent a signal. Our leader is on his way here! Although your fighting energy is amazing, it is definitely not a match for our leader! We have delayed you for more than an hour. It should suffice!" After that, he shouted, "Everyone, show your loyalty to His Majesty and defend your dignity as knights!"
With a roar, a few more cavalrymen rushed towards him. Rody sighed, closed his eyes and continued to kill until there was silence.
Seeing that nobody was alive, Rody felt his body getting weaker and he almost sat down on the ground. He knew that he had almost reached the time limit. He would need to leave the place and find somewhere safe to temporarily hide.
With much effort, he ran towards a horse left behind by his enemies. He first took one of the leather flasks to get a drink. As he was about to mount the horse, he heard a thundering sound from the sky above him.
Turning around, he saw that black clouds covered the starry sky. The clouds also seemed to be dropping lower and lower. In the sky was a figure flying quickly. The figure was wrapped in silver flames and the clouds appeared to be moving away from the figure.
After a short while, the figure stopped about 10 meters above him.
The figure wore a black robe and mask. He floated effortlessly in the air. Accompanied by the rolling clouds and faint thunder, the scene looked a bit divine.
He looked at the scattered bodies in the surrounding area. He looked both surprised and angry. He then spoke in a loud and cold voice, “Did you kill all these people?”
Rody was shocked. He had never actually seen people flying freely in the air. Although the high-level magicians in the Empire could hover in the air, they could not create such a display.
Rody clenched his jaw. He took out his lightsaber again and the golden flames suddenly ignited. He stood on the grassland and glared at the person in the sky. He then loudly replied, “It is me! Who are you? Are you their leader?”
The person in the black mask looked at the golden flames around Rody with surprise. “I did not expect you to be able to comprehend the ‘Holy Light’ energy! No wonder these people could not defeat you. You must be Radiant Empire’s Duke of the Tulip Family right?”
Rody coldly replied, “Correct! Now, who are you?”
A burst of laughter came from the sky and then the person said, “Good! The Duke of the Tulip Family, I have finally found you! I am the Black Veil Temple’s Saint of the Roland Continent, Muse!”