Chapter 136 Shedding Pretense
The battlefield raged on fiercely as casualties topped on one another like snow piling on and on in the cold winter. The air filled with the pungent smell of blood and the sound of screams as well as war cries made the ears numb as Klein watched the horrid scene coldly, with a frown on his striking face.
As he saw the struggle around him, it appeared as if the battlefield wasn't just a skirmish between bandits and mercenaries but a small-scale war.
Usually, even the large bandit groups weren't seen in such large amounts, let alone with great abilities and unity as well. So the situation was indeed quite unprecedented.
Looking at the bloodied battlefield full of corpses, the frown on Klein's face deepened as his expression sank; a cold glare flashing by his gaze. "Bandits in such large numbers are rampant in the Duchy… how strange." Klein thought inwardly full of suspicion.
His mind stirred as many possibilities arose in his brain, some rejected immediately while some lingered in the corner for further consideration. After a few moments, his eyes shined.
Calling upon a nearby guard, Klein whispered something in his ear solemnly. The guard nodded with a serious expression and left promptly as he then approached the mercenary chief, relaying whatever Klein had said.
The mercenary chief nodded in agreement and sent out his commands secretively. In the next moment, a gap appeared on the defensive line, startling the mercenaries as they hurriedly tried to fill the gap, on the other hand, the bandits who were beginning to get fence flared up with morale once again.
The battle between the units of the awakened ones also changed, the mercenary side suffered damages as some awakened ones on their side got injured.
"Quick! Cover the Mystics! Retreat!" A mercenary shouted.
The awakened mercenaries retreated to the back with grievances as waves of warrior mercenaries came forward, providing cover and stopping the enemy.
From the high ground, when the bandit's boss saw this change, a trace of joy flickered in his eyes before getting replaced by skepticism.
"Boss! Looks like they only mounted to this much! Hehe!"
"Ya! Boss, let's take those bastards out in one fell swoop!"
The boss narrowed his eyes, seemingly pondering on the decision with much doubt. His brows furrowed as he muttered to the subordinates, "Who knows if they have more Trump cards like before? Also, we don't know who that expert from before is! What if it's a trap?"
Hearing this, the subordinates surrounding the boss turned silent. Among them, a particularly striking young man with sharp eyes, a small pointy nose, and a neat appearance, seemingly full of intelligence stepped forward.
"Boss, it makes sense that a merchant convoy such as this has skilled guards including the protection of the awakened ones. Afterall, from what we know, the convoy has come a long way from the southeast. So the intervention of the awakened ones is not completely out of expectation. We have more numbers than them. And even though they seem to have an expert, we cannot simply hold back just because of that. So, I think… we have no choice but to go all in and kill them all in one swoop. Boss is wise, I'm sure you have already noticed this." The young man said humbly in a flattering manner.
The bandit's bosses' eyes brightened as he observed the situation once again. He involuntarily nodded to himself in satisfaction, seeing the mercenaries being slaughtered left and right in an extremely disadvantageous position.
Even though the water attribute expert from before wasn't out in the open, he couldn't pull off a spectacle like before multiple times.
As the boss man realized that perhaps his worries were unwarranted, he beamed with delight, thinking that this victory was already in his grasp. But then suddenly, unquenchable fury rose from his heart as he saw hundreds of the bandit's corpses being trampled on in the flurry of the battlefield.
"Tch, we weren't supposed to suffer so many casualties. Who would have thought these bastards would be so tenacious? Hmph! I can't fall behind in merit, hehe." The boss man thought inwardly as a vicious smile crept up on his face.
"Let's go! We have wasted enough time on this! We will destroy them in one swoop!" The boss man declared proudly jolting the reins of his horse. With a shriek, the horse jumped and strode forward.
Loud ear-piercing war cries sounded as the bandit's boss along with his special unit of hundred men descended from the high ground, galloping towards the battlefield and raising the bandit's morale.
At this moment, the mercenaries had sunken expressions as if they were filled with unease. So much so that the implacable formation from before started to show flaws. The mercenaries were pushed back to their limits and it seemed like the bandits only needed the final straw to break the camel's back.
And that final straw was exactly the bandit boss, who swiftly entered the battlefield with his subordinates and began the slaughter fest.
The hundred-man unit was the most elite among the bandits. The soldiers in it were fearless and ruthless with very good martial arts skills as well as ample battle experience. Naturally, they easily increased the pressure on the mercenaries by several folds.
Seeing their comrades die in front of them, the mercenaries were furious and full of grievances. However, they only gritted their teeth and held their ground with extraordinary tenacity. But their bloodthirsty expressions sent chills down the spines of the bandits.
"Hahaha! Die! Fuckheads! Hehe, don't you dare live when I'm done with you lot, otherwise, you will suffer a fate worse than death! Hahaha!" The boss laughed maniacally, constantly jeering and mocking as he swung his large ax, cleaving a path towards Clovis.
Inspired by their leader, the other bandits also roared ferociously, stabbing and swinging their weapons ferociously, hell-bent on slaughtering anyone who was in their path.
Just as the boss man was getting dangerously near to where Clovis was; Klein, who sat in the carriage leisurely as if the conflict outside had nothing to do with him smiled coldly, a murderous expression on his face as he opened the carriage's curtains and yelled out, "Raise the banners!"
Miraculously, the yell that escaped from his tiny mouth resounded in the entire battlefield instead of getting lost in the flurry of battle sounds.
When the 'mercenary chief' and 'Clovis' and 'Luke'—who was hidden on the battlefield accompanied by a dozen ironclad knights heard 'Klein's' voice; all sneered marvelously, brandishing their swords.
The 'mercenaries' who previously had panicked expressions on their faces, as if they were expecting demise; now wore cold expressions as they looked at the bandits with contempt and mockery.
When the bandit's boss recovered from his battle fury and noticed the chilly killing intent that abruptly covered the battlefield, his heart sank, his blood rushed to his mind as a terrible sense of foreboding stunned his mind. Seeing the frigid expressions from the 'mercenaries' as if they were looking at a clown in a circus, a chill went down his spine as his back was covered with sweat. "Not good! It's a trap! Retreat!" He yelled out in panic, immediately thinking of killing his way out to retreat.
The bandits who heard him momentarily became confused. But then they too realized the oddity with the so-called mercenaries. However, not having the foresight that their leader had, they were a bit late to recover and react.
Even though they were late to follow, the bandits did not dare defy their leader as they also rushed to retreat.
Then abruptly, a shocking sight reflected in their pupils as they saw the White Family's military banners gracefully rising, fluttering in the wind in a dignified manner.
The battlefield suddenly became silent, a cold intent invading the bones as the bandits were finally slammed with cruel realization. They knew that they had fallen into a deadly trap.
The moment of silence passed as the seemingly invincible wave of bandits shuddered, they all gasped in unison as cries of alarm echoed.
Amidst all this, 'Klein' opened the door of the carriage and jumped down. Under the watchful eyes of the bandits and the 'mercenaries', he nonchalantly faced the bandits, a malevolent smile hanging on his lips as he announced, "The evildoers who dare challenge the authority of the Duke of the Kingdom! I, the son of Duke Albaer White, in the name of the King and In the name of my father the Duke, shall bring justice to your vile worthless lives! For the commoners you have wronged and murdered, for the pillage and plunder, for the atrocities and for not knowing your place… now DIE!"
Flames of fury immediately erupted in the eyes of the white family's forces disguised as mercenaries. Recalling the demise of their comrades, their anger flared up in its entirety, soaring to the heavens!
"Hmph! Lowly bandits, Die!"
"Sons of bitches! How dare you defy the Duke?!"
"Filth that deserves to be trashed, you all are dead!"
Furious war cries echoed throughout the battlefield as the white family's elite forces shredded all pretenses. They ferociously pounced on the bandits who were deep inside the enemy formation, not holding back in the slightest, using all the skills and techniques as well as the training provided by the white family.
At the same time, Luke, or rather, Lucecryc White smirked viciously. Looking at the bandits around him like lambs ready to be slaughtered, he enthusiastically strode forward, pouncing on the bandits that were unlucky enough to get in front of him.
Throughout the battlefield, on the frontlines of the defensive formation, elite White Family knights appeared out of nowhere, wearing sturdy iron armor and brandishing glistening sharp swords.
Without any cordiality or pretense, a bloody slaughter began.
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