Camelot vs Ganna (I)

As the first ray of dawn pierced through the darkness, a massive army of around eight thousand soldiers slowly advanced across the vast plains, looking from a distance like a dense, foreboding cloud.

On a distant hill, Altrouge stood with her arms crossed, gazing into the distance. Behind her, there was a figure cloaked in white. Judging by the stature, it appeared to be a tall man.

"This is human warfare, savage and violent, devoid of any sense of beauty..." Altrouge mused, her lips curling in a slight grimace.

"War is never a beautiful thing, much like beasts, expending the last ounce of strength and shedding the last drop of blood, employing any means to drive the enemy to their doom; that's the purpose of war."

A deep and resonant male voice emanated from the figure under the white cloak.

"Watching those once sheltered ants raise weapons, marching to defend their homes, doesn't it stir any thoughts within you?" Altrouge's eyes sparkled with a hint of mockery.

*Whoosh—*

A faint tremor and a silver light flashed at a speed beyond human perception, as if even the air was being cleaved apart.

Watching the black strands of her hair slowly falling before her eyes, Altrouge's face stiffened a bit.

"Don't attempt to provoke me, True Ancestor's puppet." The figure under the white cloak remained rooted in place as if he had never moved. "Otherwise, you might not be able to bear the consequences."

"Oh... really?"

A visible scarlet mist enveloped Altrouge, her petite figure, which had appeared almost identical to that of a fourteen-year-old girl, grew slightly taller, her youthful features taking on a mature aspect. Her sharp nails glinted with an eerie luster, and her crimson eyes flickered with icy intent.

"I'd like to see if you have what it takes."

The atmosphere instantly grew tense, as their auras clashed, freezing the very space around them and unleashing invisible sparks.

Altrouge's murderous intent was nearly palpable, and just then, a familiar low male voice echoed in her ear.

"Your Highness, they're here."

Altrouge furrowed her brows slightly, retracting her imposing aura and returning to her usual young form. She turned to gaze into the distance.

On the other side of the vast plains, an army began to emerge.

"Only three hundred people...?" Altrouge raised an eyebrow, a puzzled expression on her exquisitely doll-like face. "What's the meaning of this, Camelot? You declared war, and yet only three hundred have arrived?"

"Don't underestimate them." The figure under the white cloak stepped forward, seemingly having forgotten the recent confrontation. "Sometimes, quantity is not the deciding factor on the battlefield."

"I know they've got some decent equipment." Altrouge said with a sly smile. "But so what? They're about to face nearly thirty times their number. Equipment alone won't make much of a difference."

"It's not about the equipment; it's about the people themselves." The figure under the white cloak replied calmly.

"People?" Altrouge blinked, turned her head, and observed closely for a while. Her brows furrowed slightly. "But they're just ordinary human, nothing to be concerned about."

The figure under the white cloak, however, didn't offer any further explanation, merely silently gazing at the three-hundred-strong army.

===

Lamorak's expression grew solemn and resolute as he looked at the distant army, which appeared like a dark storm cloud. Yet deep within his light gray eyes, it seemed as if a fierce fire was blazing.

"Only victory is permitted! No defeat! For His Majesty and Camelot!"

"Knights! Chargeee!!!"

*Rumble—!*

Raising his long spear high, Lamorak led the way, with the other knights following closely behind.

"They actually attack first!?" Altrouge exclaimed in shock, her eyes wide open.

A unit of only three hundred people, facing a staggering eight thousand enemies, chose to charge into the battle first?

"They're courting death!" Altrouge smirked. {T/N: The iconic line, lol.}

The figure in the white cloak stood quietly on the side, not uttering a word.

The commander of the Ganna army hadn't expected the enemy to launch an offensive first, and he was taken aback for a moment. But once he reacted, a wicked grin spread across his face.

"If they seek death, I shall oblige them!" The commander yelled. "Archers, form ranks, and turn these fools into pincushions!"

Hundreds of archers stepped forward, nocking their arrows and firing in unison.

*Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Arrows rained down like a curtain, chilling to the bone just to look at.

Lamorak's eyes exuded a frosty indifference, and he swirled his long spear like a whirlwind, blocking all incoming arrows.

"Knights, chargeee!" He shouted again fearlessly.

""CHARGEEE!""

Three hundred knights roared in unison, facing a barrage of arrows, they rode their horses straight ahead.

"Shoot! Shoot them down!" The Ganna army commander raged.

Sharp arrowheads clashed against their armor, creating a crisp, drum-like beat. However, not a single one of them chose to retreat; their gaze fixed on the enemy ahead, hungry as wolves.

Their horses were not of ordinary breed either, all of them being mixed-blood steeds gathered from various stables in Lucanmont with the help of Benedict's influence.

Just as before, Arkhan had initially intimidated these horses with Nidhogg's aura, and then, with the power of the Abyss Flower, he had refined their genes before handing them over to his three hundred knights.

These mixed-blood horses were robust and powerful, with sharp teeth and claws. Even against fierce beasts like tigers, they had the strength to hold their own.

Now, influenced by the atmosphere of the battlefield, their inherent ferocity and brutality were gradually awakened, and their crimson eyes glowed like the wind as they charged toward Ganna's army.

Two thousand meters... one thousand five hundred meters... one thousand meters... five hundred meters...

Despite the relentless attacks by the Ganna army, the distance between the two forces was rapidly closing.

And so far, not a single knight had fallen!

"Are they... monsters...?"

The Ganna army commander's expression turned pale, and he was drenched in sweat.

"These people, are they truly human?" Altrouge's crimson eyes displayed a solemn look.

While the armor of those knights was resilient, it couldn't completely envelop their bodies, leaving some areas exposed like the joint areas.

Under such a dense rain of arrows, many knights were wounded, but they seemed almost oblivious to their injuries. They just casually pull out the arrows from their bodies without even flinching and continue their charge.

Altrouge observed this closely, noting that the wounds on the knights stopped bleeding in no time, a recovery rate that even surprised her as a Dead Apostle and True Ancestor hybrid.

That was why, Altrouge couldn't help but remark "These people, are they truly human?" earlier.

But whether these knights were human or not no longer mattered.

Because this group of knights had already charged right into the face of the Ganna army!