Huff! Huff!
Alec’s ragged breathing made his men feel anxious. They needed just one command to rush to his aid, but Alec remained adamant.
The rumbling grew worse, and the ground beneath them trembled.
Turning his neck, Alec spotted the barbarian riders closing in fast; their khopesh raised high.
Their long black hair whipped in the wind as they rode, their faces looking hideous with the different swirling patterns of tribal markings.
“He’ll die! Break the wall!” a captain roared.
Just at that moment, Stormbringers leaped over the Heavy Infantrymen, releasing three lightning-packed arrows.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Alec could feel the air itself vibrate as the arrows zipped past him. The first row of barbarian riders fell, their horses tumbling in a chaotic tangle!
This fall resulted in a series of chaos in the ranks of the riders.
Stormbringers kept unleashing volley after volley, thinning the horse until Alec reached the wall.
The sharp metals scraped the soil as the Grand Aegis soldiers moved their shields, opening passages for the Stormbringers and Alec to swiftly rush in.
“Close the wall!”
Boom!
The wall sealed up just as the barbarian riders were upon them, their spears bristling akin to the spikes on a porcupine but not as dense.
However, this time around, the barbarians changed tactics. They made a sudden turn instead of crashing against the barrier, creating a great dust fog.
And from the swirling dust fog emerged giant barbarians!
They towered over the battlefield—dozens of them, each a foot taller than even the seven-foot-tall Grand Aegis soldiers!
Wielding massive axes, attached firmly to their forearms by a dirty cloth, they struck their axes downwards.
Clang!
No matter how mighty they looked, the axes couldn’t cleave through the shield, but the power behind the blow sent the Grand Aegis soldiers reeling. Some dropped to their knees. Others were flung backwards!
Arrows swooshed out, but only a few of the giants were hit. The others swung their axes recklessly, slamming the Ashbourne soldiers out of their formation.
“Break!”
Alec’s voice rang out, and the wall shattered. The Grand Aegis soldiers stopped being stationary targets, and they picked up their shields before advancing.
“Second wall!”
About 200 Grand Aegis soldiers who had formed the first wall engaged the giants while the others reformed the wall.
They watched as their comrades fought the giants—only to be consumed by the relentless tide of barbarian riders.
Some soldiers closed their eyes, clenching their teeth hard. They knew those men were sacrificed to preserve the formation.
Alec, still on his knees, looked at the healer. The man gave a single now.
This meant he was now ready to fight.
Although he was not at his peak strength, it didn’t matter.
“We hold until the wyvern reveals itself. We hold until our breath ceases…” he muttered while walking towards the frontline.
His grip tightened.
“For Ashbourne!”
His voice shook the battlefield.
“For Ashbourne!!!”
Hundreds of meters away, Asher watched it unfold.
After the first wave of soldiers lost their lives, the second wave followed.
The barbarians kept sending the giants, and for every 200 Ashbourne soldiers who perished, twice as many of Count William’s army died.
But from the look of things, it didn’t seem like Count William would even bat an eye if all the barbarians died.
The fact they hadn’t yet seen the price made Asher realize that the barbarians had been given the most enticing promise.
The promise of women, riches and land!
The barbarians saw his people as their prizes, so no matter how much they lost, the barbarians believed they would restore everything once they had conquered and had his people under their control.
Bezerk neighed softly.
Asher turned to the white wolf resting beside him.
“Sirius.”
The wolf met his gaze. Rising to his feet, his force flared from his body, and his form expanded until he towered 14 feet tall!
With a low growl, Sirius traversed the distance in a single bound, leaping over the wall. The moment his paws landed on the ground, flames erupted from his mouth, engulfing the nearest barbarian giants in flames.
The enemy riders who were making a turn, expecting things to be the same, were shocked to see the giant wolf standing in the midst of their burning men.
Sirius’s right eye was locked onto them, while his left remained shut, making the scar across it more visible.
“Is that… Sirius?” Mary’s voice shook as she stared at the once blue-eyed wolf she caressed in the fields of Silverleaf.
That wolf in her memories was nothing like the feral beast who was turning men into human torches. That Sirius had been gentle.
The sight of this Sirius alone made her fingertips cold.
“An Ashbourne pet beast.”
Ohad Mormont squinted, his expression turning solemn. The presence of a pet beast this powerful meant only one thing.
House Ashbourne had risen!
Yuna was startled. Since Asher was younger than Mary, she had never seen him the way Mary always used to describe him, but the sight of Sirius ripping barbarian riders apart had now changed her point of view.
This wolf was nothing like the one Mary had!
This wolf was like a beast that had emerged from the wild forged in the battle of survival, while Mary’s wolf was like a cherished pet that had never been exposed to battle.
Grr!
Sirius’ deep growl reverberated through the battlefield. His claws sank deep into the soil, his eyes gleamed, and in the blink of an eye, he was upon a barbarian rider.
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Seeing Sirius bringing down the formation of the riders, the Grand Aegis soldiers broke their formation and dashed into the battlefield.
Puchi!
Barbarians were pierced and thrown off their horses. And as the battle raged on, the barbarian unit slowly fell into shambles!
The Grand Aegis soldiers, alongside the archery unit clad in their impressive armor, had the advantage in battle. Although many fell in their ranks, the barbarians suffered greater losses.
The best way to make a cavalry useless was to rob them of their speed. With their momentum broken, the barbarians became nothing more than stationary targets!
“Black Tiger Cavalry, Advance!!” Count William roared.
Rumble!
Cain and Enos, who had been healed by Sofia by now, charged alongside Count William. Their ferocious black tigers raced through the plains, heading for the chaotic battlefield.
Asher lifted his right hand, his fingers curled into a fist.
Then, he suddenly opened his hand and tilted his palm towards the battlefield.
A horn blast echoed from the walls. Lambert rode away on his side, riding toward his unit.
The Bladebreakers charged into the battlefield, their cloaks and plumes fluttering in the wind as their muscular horses left dust in their wake.
Swoosh!
Aquila also vanished, leaving only Asher and Sapphira behind.
“The wyvern still hasn’t —!” Nero’s words were abruptly cut off as the unmistakable sound of wings flapping fell into their ears.
Then, a roar followed.
It was here!