Chapter 70: The Fight to the Death

Without a word, he looked up to the sky and sighed deeply. After a long pause, Gwynnis slowly spoke to the hundreds of eyes firmly fixed on him.

"I used to look down on you, thought of you as cowards, useless, afraid of death, a bunch of no-goods only eating my rations, unable to help with anything," he admitted.

"That was indeed my thought, and you did give that impression. There's no denying it."

"But today, I understand why."

He looked around fiercely and said, "If I were the main support of my family, I would be afraid to die!"

"If I were the only child left to my mother, I too would fear death!"

"If I had children at home, the eldest just learning to walk, the youngest still needing to be fed, I would fear death too!"

"If I had just grown up, not yet married, and my father broke his leg while working, with the whole family depending on me, I would also fear death!"

"Everyone has reasons they must live for. Even if my family is well-off, and they wouldn't miss one laborer, I still have the right to fear death!"

"No one says you must face death with indifference, that you must risk your life recklessly!"

"What's so shameful about fearing death! Anyone who isn't afraid, stand up, and let me kill him right now!" Gwynnis declared angrily.

"Fearing death isn't shameful, but!"

"But!"

"But can your fear of death save you now?! Hiding behind your comrades or in the castle, can you live? If you abandon everything, forsake all honor and pride, seeking only to live as lowly as an ant, can you survive?!"

"There are people who want to exterminate you! Kill every one of you, then rape your wives and eat your children! They've never thought of leaving you a way out!"

Gwynnis pointed angrily at the Hafdan people a hundred meters away, who were smilingly watching their pre-battle rally, ready for a massacre.

"Can you live by groveling to them?! Answer me!"

No one spoke. They lowered their heads, clenched their teeth, silent, but their breathing grew more rapid. Anger was accumulating.

Everyone's eyes widened, their trembling eyebrows conveying their emotions to Gwynnis.

"You've been cowardly all your life, wanting to live twistedly like a worm, but did they give you a chance?!"

"Answer me!"

Still, no one spoke, but everyone, looking at the distant Hafdan people, had eyes filled with rage.

"Now, you're not fighting for me, nor for your lord! You're fighting for yourselves, for your wives and children, for your families!"

"For all your hopes, for your descendants to have a mouthful of food scraped from the earth!"

For the first time, everyone felt an emotion rising from the depths of their hearts, not knowing how to express it except to scream out as if their lives depended on it.

"Ah——————!!!"

That heartfelt cry tore through the sky above them.

Murderous intent was gathering.

Gwynnis took a deep breath.

"No one can escape death; we are all creations of Angenis. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, we all must face death someday."

"One day, the kingdom may fall, the Iron Throne covered in dust, barbarians from all directions may completely destroy our homeland, civilization extinguished like a dying candle, but not today."

"Perhaps one day, the northerners will drive away all the nobles above our heads and completely occupy our homes, killing all of us, but not today!"

"Maybe one day, the Hafdan people will slaughter us all, possess our women, eat our children, turn them into feces and leave it on our beds, but not today!"

"Today, we are still breathing, we are still alive!"

"Today! We still hold swords in our hands, we can still fight!"

The field erupted with intense shouts, everyone's eyes filled with fury, fists clenched tightly.

"Today! We must annihilate them! This is our land, our home! Annihilate them!"

The shouting on the field thundered like thunder, some even tearing their throats.

Gwynnis turned around, drew his long sword on horseback, and rode from left to right, his sword clanging against the conscripts' long spears.

That was the sound of metal, but also of their will.

"Today, I will fight alongside you. I'm not going anywhere; I'll be right here, by your side!"

"Even if we're going to die, even if we're left with only our hands, we'll gouge out their eyes! Even if we only have our mouths left, we'll bite a piece of flesh from their bodies!"

"Annihilate them!"

Gwynnis raised his long sword high, his voice booming like thunder.

"Annihilate them!!!"

The field erupted with even more intense shouting.

The anger was about to explode.

Now, the conscript soldiers on the field were no longer a disorganized mob, but brave and fearless warriors, preferring to die standing rather than retreat!

"Annihilate them!"

Gwynnis shouted loudly, leading the charge against the enemy.

Behind him, six hundred and three people also stepped forward at the same moment, launching a desperate charge.

"Annihilate them!"

This slogan resonated throughout the field.

Those who should have been on the defensive were now launching a deadly charge against the numerically superior Hafdan people.

Seeing the local army rushing towards them like madmen, the Hafdan people were momentarily stunned.

They had been invincible in the earl's territory for so long, where had they seen such a fearless and determined charge?

This kind of desperate mentality and will only appeared among the tribes in their far northern homeland, at moments of life and death, at the final juncture.

The local people in front of them were no longer helpless lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

They were true warriors.

The battle-ready Hafdan people, led by Broc, also charged!

Hundreds from both sides collided fiercely in a battlefield less than twenty meters wide.

The conscripts thrust their long spears madly at the Hafdan people.

The Hafdan people tried to form a shield wall, slowly advancing.

Gwynnis charged through the crowd on horseback, slashing wildly. Under the heightened strength, his blade drew scarlet blood wherever it went.

Heads fell, limbs flew, blood splattered. Countless Hafdan people died by his hand.

Finally, Gwynnis's horse was felled by an axe, and he was dragged down.

As Gwynnis lay on the ground, he saw the Hafdan people roaring and surrounding him, their shadows enveloping him.

All he could see were the Hafdan people's shields and their axes gleaming coldly.

They roared, their axes descending towards Gwynnis on the ground.

"Die, beasts!"

"Think you can kill me, your grandfather? Not so fast!"

"Red Thunder!"