BXBX NOVEL Book 5, 69
Of course, Brolin didn’t know that these were just drones created by the broodmother, valuable mainly because they could be sent to their deaths without issue. They had accrued his respect when they had saved more than fifty of his comrades on the Unpassable Wall, but that was exactly why he believed it was now his troop’s turn to prove their worth. To him, these knights were already heroes that deserved to return triumphantly to the cheers and adulation of the masses; they couldn’t be sent to certain death.
However, Richard’s mind was already set. He didn’t waver despite Brolin’s protests, and a quick exchange of glances caused the rune knight to go quiet. The middle-aged man’s expression darkened as he turned back to look at the shadowspear knights charging ahead, knowing that some of them likely came from backgrounds of poverty like he did.
The opposing commander frowned, sharp creases appearing on his forehead as his scars started glowing red. His brows locked completely as the shadowspears continued to approach, eyes narrowing as a voice repeatedly rang out in his mind, ‘Why aren’t they slowing down? Why aren’t they slowing down? Why aren’t they...’
“ARGH!” the man roared furiously, taking on the first of the shadowspear knights with a shield bash.
*Boom!* The ground nearby seemed to shake as the commander retreated several steps, his shield now cracked apart. However, he had successfully sent the knight flying. Not taking the time to confirm, he thrust his lance towards the waist of another approaching enemy, bringing the drone down from the steed.
That was all he managed. The other shadowspears had already headed past him, some successfully breaking through the frontlines and starting to splinter the formation apart. The commander felt his heart stop as he heard bones breaking with each clash. His hardened warriors only groaned at best despite three or four of them being pierced through by a single lance, but the devilish enemies didn’t even make a peep. Even the mounts didn’t scream in the agony of their death, only continuing to attack in silence. Apart from fighting, it seemed like they didn’t have a care in the world.
*Whoosh!* A sharp whistle broke the man out of his shock, giving him barely enough time to raise his broken shield to deflect an incoming spear. He then jabbed out like lightning at the chest of the horse bearing down on him, causing it to lose balance and send its master flying forwards into the melee.
*Bang!* Six knights made it past him in that moment, crashing into the defence in a mist of blood. By the time this final row engaged, the first set had already perished. The rest were injured to at least some degree as well, but they had managed to open a large gap in the ironclad formation.
“Go.”
Brolin finally heard the command he was waiting for, almost roaring as he turned towards the rune knights around him, “Come on boys, it’s up to us now!”
The rune knights continued to look calm on the surface, but their steeds were starting to whine at the pressure on their backs. These warriors felt like they were the pinnacle of knighthood, but that also meant it was their job to open up the path to victory. Nearly a hundred shadowspear knights had perished for the sake of saving ten or so lives of their own, and that was nearly unacceptable.
Brolin was the first to charge out, heading straight for the enemies. However, the other rune knights immediately picked up pace and joined formation. A giant metallic beast seemed to crash through the battlefield, intent on trampling the turtle shell that was the enemy defence. Every lance was glowing with the power of magic, and the very earth trembled as their charge reached its zenith.
Looking at the army of drakes rushing towards him, the enemy commander almost froze. His formation was still in disarray, but an even stronger opponent was now trying to tear it apart. His only hope was to stop them like he did with the shadowspears, blocking the passage himself!
At level 19 he was someone of great power, only lesser in status than the five rulers of the City of Saints. In strength he was numbered third, right after Stardragon. Even so, he knew he was incapable of blocking this charge without near-certain death. Still, he absolutely wouldn’t abandon his men and run away on his own.
The man crouched low, adopting a defensive position as he stared at the leader of the charging knights. He felt an aura similar to his own from this opponent, and knew that this was the person he was supposed to face at the start. It was the enemy that had to be eliminated first.
Brolin himself had the same idea, charging to meet the commander in combat.
The current of steel flowed into the enemy formation, starting to tear it apart. The gap made by the shadowspear knights quickly widened until any semblance of organisation was completely eliminated, leaving behind only a trail of blood and flesh. The battle between powerhouses quickly approached a close, with most on the side of the Resting Orchid Plane now dead. Three of Gaton’s famous thirteen, fifty rune knights, Fuschia, Flowsand, and Richard’s own followers were far too much for even a legendary being like Stardragon to take on. Flowsand, Asiris, and Fuschia constantly kept Stardragon locked down; so long as he made one mistake in his movements, the Lens of Time would strike him and put his very life at risk.
The warriors of the City of Saints were quickly massacred, eliminating the last barrier to absolute control of the Resting Orchid Plane. The 20,000 left in the city were only ordinary folk; they had strong faith, but that did not show in their strength.
Richard knew the battle was over. For the first time, an entire plane would be under his control. Despite the high price required to achieve this goal, the Godnest alone was worth more than every loss combined. Wealth and even lives were tangible, capable of being measured. However, the mysteries of spacetime and the laws of the world had inestimable value.
There were still some problems. The other legend hadn’t shown herself, and even with Asiris being called in to lock down Stardragon he could perhaps escape as well. They would both be thorns in the side until eliminated, constantly harassing his troops and forcing him to maintain a large military force here. However, these problems were minor in the grand scheme of things. Stardragon was clearly at the limits of his talent, but Richard himself was different. He and his followers had vast room to grow, so only some time would need to be drawn out before he could hunt Stardragon down himself. Of course, he could also call in another legend from Norland to do the job for him.
Up in the skies, Stardragon had noticed this as well. He continued to roar and fight, but he was constantly retreating further and further from the core of the battlefield. He posed little threat with Fuschia and Asiris working together, and he still felt great danger from the priestess whose gaze was locked onto him. Just her intent stare left him feeling violated.
While Stardragon was struggling, some of the local saints had perished while others ran away. However, nobody really got far. Richard had tasked Waterflower, Zangru, and Phaser with finishing them off, so there would be no annoyances in the future.