Bai Shi watched with great interest as the Night's Cavalry blew its pitch-black horn.
Although he had never seen this item before, he could guess what it was for.
Clearly, it was a way for them to communicate.
An item used to summon other Night's Cavalry from the surrounding area.
Bai Shi didn't interrupt them. He simply took the opportunity to drink from a Flask of Cerulean Tears, something he hadn't done in a while, to replenish his FP.
As the number of flasks increased, the tears had become sweeter, so much so that Bai Shi found it a little unfamiliar.
The Night's Cavalry gathering together wasn't a bad thing at all.
In fact, Bai Shi preferred them to come all at once, making it easier for him to wipe them out in one fell swoop.
They liked to bully with numbers?
He would soon show them the meaning of unwavering resilience.However, Bai Shi didn't just stand there idly. He used the time to direct the group of Tarnished to find a safe place.
Not knowing which direction the Night's Cavalry would come from, Bai Shi kept them within his line of sight.
Although once the battle began, he might not be able to look out for them.
Finding a place to hide would, at the very least, improve their chances of survival.
The Tarnished huddled together with their backs against the rocks, at least protecting themselves from an attack from one direction.
Night fell, and darkness completely enveloped Limgrave.
The leaves rustled as they were stirred by a gentle breeze.
The faint sound of hooves gradually approached from all directions, accompanied by the clatter of scraping armor.
In the silence of the night, these faint sounds were unsettlingly clear.
The calm before the storm made these noises all the more piercing.
The Tarnished gripped their weapons, trying to find some small measure of security.
As the Tarnished waited anxiously, the sound of the Night's Cavalry's hooves grew clearer.
No longer concealing their movements, no longer minding the noise, the Night's Cavalry galloped toward them at full speed.
The sound of hooves gradually became heart-pounding, as if the very ground was trembling, each beat striking at their hearts.
The first squad of Night's Cavalry emerged from the distant forest, followed by another, and then another...
Their pitch-black armor seemed to swallow what little light there was.
The Tarnished didn't want to look at the terrifying enemy, but their gazes were drawn to them as if by a magnet, unable to escape.
Though they were still far away, the pressure the Night's Cavalry exerted on the Tarnished was like a gathering storm, growing heavier and heavier.
An aura of fear spread among the Tarnished.
They felt a profound fear and despair. Their hearts pounded as if trying to leap from their chests, unwilling to bear such terror, and their blood ran cold with hopelessness.
As a five-man squad of Night's Cavalry passed over the rocks above their heads, the Tarnished could even clearly smell the stench of blood from their recent slaughter.
The Night's Cavalry were nightmares that roamed the battlefields, hunting for fear.
They were the reapers of soldiers, knights, and heroes alike.
The moment they saw them, all the courage the Tarnished possessed was swallowed by the darkness.
But in that same darkness, Bai Shi stood his ground. He let the imposing aura of the Night's Cavalry wash over him without flinching in the slightest, his own fighting spirit soaring.
The Night's Cavalry forces finished assembling. They stood poised in all four directions, watching Bai Shi, who was at the center of their encirclement, from a distance.
Bai Shi glanced around. There was a considerable number of Night's Cavalry surrounding him.
He estimated there were forty to fifty of them, likely all the remaining Night's Cavalry in Limgrave.
Though surrounded, Bai Shi felt no tension at all.
He even had the leisure to calculate the number of runes these Night's Cavalry would yield.
One Night's Cavalry was worth about seven thousand, and there were forty or fifty of them here...
Fengling Yueying, 5x Runes, activate!
*Ding!*
5x Rune Acquisition Rate (Time remaining: 60 minutes).
Bai Shi decided he would slaughter every last one of these Night's Cavalry.
Now, it was he alone who had all these Night's Cavalry surrounded.
The night was still silent. The Night's Cavalry exchanged no unnecessary communication.
They merely stood there, silently waiting for a command or an opportunity to attack.
A tall Night's Cavalry appeared in the distance.
This one was different from the others, his frame massive, far exceeding his brethren.
Aboard his equally oversized funeral steed, he stood a half-head taller than the surrounding Night's Cavalry.
Though he was some distance away, Bai Shi could still see the twisted Omen horns protruding from his helmet.
The weapon he held was not a standard-issue halberd or flail, but a giant mace with an iron ball chained to its end.
This Omen Night's Cavalry appeared to be their commander.
As he raised his mace and pointed it at Bai Shi, the Night's Cavalry raised their weapons in unison and began to charge.
Bai Shi stood his ground, feeling the earth tremble from the cavalry's unified charge.
He didn't want to smile, but he couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth from turning up.
This was exactly the kind of battlefield he craved.
More, even more, it didn't matter.
No matter how many there were, he would stand here until he had annihilated them all.
Bai Shi raised his sword-spear, and orange-yellow lightning struck down from the sky, followed by an earth-shattering clap of thunder.
Lightning coiled around the sword-spear, illuminating Bai Shi's fervent face in the darkness.
The thunderclap shattered the quiet night, officially raising the curtain on the battle.
Watching the Night's Cavalry charge toward him, Bai Shi, for a change, gripped his sword-spear with both hands and brought it down in a heavy slash.
The powerful lightning from the Lightning Slash struck one of the Night's Cavalry, charring him black. The subsequent blade of wind tore his semi-carbonized body to shreds.
The other Night's Cavalry didn't pause for a moment, charging past their comrade's corpse and continuing toward Bai Shi.
Bai Shi knew it wouldn't be that easy to stop their assault.
So he immediately followed up with a sweeping slash of his sword-spear, unleashing a storm of lightning-infused air.
This time, the blast of the storm genuinely hindered the momentum of the Night's Cavalry in front of him.
It made it difficult for them and their steeds to advance, but even so, they pushed through the attack and continued their charge.
Inevitably, however, their momentum was broken, and they were forced to slow down.
But the attack wasn't only coming from the front.
Behind Bai Shi, two other Night's Cavalry had closed the distance and were now beside him.
The steeds these two rode were exceptionally fast, and Bai Shi was already within their attack range.
The weapons in their hands were not halberds or flails, but lances of exaggerated length, specialized for cavalry.
The two Night's Cavalry thrust their lances at Bai Shi from the left and right.
A gray phantom appeared beside each of them, helping to block Bai Shi's escape routes as they attacked in unison.
However, Bai Shi didn't need to dodge.
He swung the sword-spear in a circle around him, easily deflecting the Night's Cavalry's attacks.
At the same time, the whistling storm and blades of air inflicted fatal wounds upon them.
Not yet completely dead, the two Night's Cavalry used their last ounce of strength to throw chains from their sides, attempting to ensnare Bai Shi.
But a sudden gale erupted, ending their lives and extinguishing their final hopes.
Carried by the momentum of their charge, the bodies of the two riders and their two steeds collapsed beside Bai Shi.
They were the first two to reach him, but they certainly wouldn't be the last.
In that short moment, the rest of the Night's Cavalry closed in.
They struck from left and right, attacking and retreating, giving Bai Shi as few opportunities to counterattack as possible.
Even when charging from opposite directions, the Night's Cavalry's paths never interfered with one another after an attack.
Cavalry usually form up in ranks to perform a charge.
A situation like this, swarming a single person from all directions, was rare.
But the Night's Cavalry were masters of this tactic. Not just small squads, but even a large force like this was proficient at swarming a single target.
It seemed that during their regular training, they had practiced countless times against a hypothetical enemy of immense individual strength.
The Night's Cavalry crashed against Bai Shi like a tide, surging back and forth.
But Bai Shi continuously used the brief moments of engagement to reap their lives. One by one, the Night's Cavalry fell.
Pierced by the sword-spear, sliced apart by slashes, torn asunder by the storm...
No matter how they charged, again and again, Bai Shi stood like a reef in the sea, not moving a single step from their attacks.
On the contrary, the ground around him was already littered with the corpses of Night's Cavalry and their funeral steeds, all dead in various ways.
What they had bought with their lives were the bloody, mangled wounds on Bai Shi's body.
Although Bai Shi was far stronger than the Night's Cavalry, he had not yet reached another tier of power.
When attacked by them, his armor could still be pierced.
In a lull between attacks, Bai Shi wiped away the blood from a wound on his side.
The sticky feeling of blood flowing over his body, something he hadn't experienced in a long time, made him feel slightly dazed.
Thinking back, it had indeed been a long time since he'd been injured.
A halberd had scraped two long gashes on the outside of his right leg, and his left arm was also cut. His left leg and back had been struck by a flail's iron ball, the spikes piercing his armor and digging into his flesh.
This was also thanks to Radagon's Soreseal, which amplified the damage he took, making the injuries even more severe.
For the current Bai Shi, however, none of these were serious injuries.
Still, they allowed him to experience the sensation of pain again after a long time.
The Night's Cavalry were indeed formidable. If they charged on a battlefield as a cohesive unit, any infantry formation would likely be shattered, allowing them to carve up the field as they pleased.
And when facing a single, powerful enemy, their coordinated, crisscrossing attacks could effectively tie down and wear out their target.
It was likely that any ordinary demigod, aside from the powerful Great Rune bearers (Godrick excluded), would be killed by their swarm tactics.
Bai Shi now felt a little pity for these Night's Cavalry. They were strong and loyal, but unfortunately, they were his enemies, and so they were about to die here.
The Omen Night's Cavalry had been commanding from the hillside. Watching the scene unfold, he was secretly astonished.
In their repeated drills, they had used Godrick, the weakest of the Great Rune bearers, as their hypothetical target. Even he would never have survived such an onslaught.
As expected of the one who defeated Godrick, huh? Storm King Bai Shi had yet to suffer any grievous wounds.
There were still about thirty Night's Cavalry left on the field. Judging by the minor injuries they had inflicted so far, taking him down would be extremely difficult.
However, the sight of Bai Shi's blood also gave them a glimmer of hope for victory.
Bai Shi was not invincible. Though powerful, he wasn't strong enough to make them despair. He should still be weaker than Lord Margit.
They had all personally experienced Lord Margit's terrifying power—a fearsome presence that had made rivers of blood flow from countless heroes.
If they could wear down Bai Shi's stamina bit by bit and worsen his injuries, they would have a chance to overwhelm him.
Now that Bai Shi was injured, their superior mobility gave them more room to maneuver, making it easier to take him down.
If they all swarmed him, they could definitely take Bai Shi down! Absolutely! Easily!
This Omen, the commander of the Night's Cavalry, stopped directing the battle and urged his giant steed toward Bai Shi.
With their numbers reduced, there was no longer a need for direction, and they wouldn't risk colliding with each other.
As the giant steed charged, its heavy hooves thundered like rolling drums. He joined the battle with overwhelming momentum.
Upon approaching Bai Shi, the Omen Night's Cavalry swung the chain on his giant mace, launching the spiked iron ball at him.
Nearby Night's Cavalry immediately threw themselves at Bai Shi to run interference.
Bai Shi swung his sword-spear, taking the lives of those two Night's Cavalry, then enveloped himself in a fierce storm to block the incoming iron ball.
The heavy iron ball broke through the storm's defense. Though its trajectory was slightly deflected, its immense weight still allowed it to smash into Bai Shi.
It struck Bai Shi's shoulder, shattering dragon scales, the spikes digging deep into his flesh.
The Omen Night's Cavalry swung the chain again, ripping the iron ball from Bai Shi's body and revealing the mangled flesh beneath.
Seeing his attack was effective, he was overjoyed. It seemed Bai Shi was no longer as composed as he had appeared.
As he closed the distance once more, he raised his mace, preparing to deal a heavy blow to Bai Shi with the massive weapon.
It wasn't until his eyes met Bai Shi's that he realized something was wrong.
Because he saw a bloodthirsty smile spread across Bai Shi's face.
'Like a wild beast.'
An involuntary shiver ran down his spine.
But he had already charged this far; he couldn't let himself be scared off by a mere expression.
The mace came crashing down, but the heavy blow, backed by the force of his charge, was easily blocked by Bai Shi's sword-spear.
Then, the Omen Night's Cavalry felt the force transmitted through his weapon grow stronger and heavier.
It stopped both him and his giant steed in their tracks. Even as the steed's hooves kicked up dirt, it couldn't advance an inch.
He watched helplessly as Bai Shi's form grew taller and larger, until Bai Shi was standing on the ground yet meeting his gaze at eye level, even as he sat atop his giant steed.
No, Bai Shi's form was still growing, and soon the Omen had to look up slightly to see his face.
Not only his body, but his armor and weapon grew larger as well.
Lightning surged over the sword-spear again, washing away the bloodstains and scratches, making it look brand new.
The Omen Night's Cavalry immediately had his steed change direction and gallop to the side.
As he left, he wrapped the chain around Bai Shi's lower leg, attempting to trip him.
However, as the steed ran a short distance, the chain went taut. Bai Shi wasn't dragged; instead, the Omen was pulled off his horse by the counterforce.
With a hard pull of his leg, Bai Shi dragged the Omen Night's Cavalry toward him, making him fall flat on his back before him.
Lying on the ground, the Omen Night's Cavalry gazed up at Bai Shi's towering, god-of-war-like figure. For the first time in a long while, he felt fear, and for a moment, he was lost in a daze.
Bai Shi raised his sword-spear and brought it down heavily. A Night's Cavalry who had rushed over to block the blow was cleanly cleaved in two, horse and all.
The blood, flesh, and entrails of his comrade rained down on him, shocking him back to his senses. He scrambled to his feet and cut the chain from his mace.
This Omen Night's Cavalry was quite tall, nearly three meters high when he stood up, but he still looked small in front of Bai Shi.
He swallowed hard. After such a long, intense battle, the Storm King still had strength to spare?!
Recalling Bai Shi's earlier performance, he realized with a jolt that perhaps Bai Shi had been faking it all along, giving them a sliver of hope just so they wouldn't flee from the start.
How arrogant, how powerful.
At this moment, the Night's Cavalry's title of "Reapers" seemed laughable. They had become the ones being played with.
He raised his mace, roared at the sky, and yellow-black flames ignited all over his body.
With a furious roar, he lunged at Bai Shi.
Bai Shi also strode forward. Sword-spear met mace, lightning clashed with fire, each trying to extinguish the other.
Suddenly, a large number of vengeful spirits appeared from beside the Omen Night's Cavalry, swarming Bai Shi from all directions.
Bai Shi tried to disperse them with a storm, but it had no effect. The vengeful spirits seemed to be incorporeal, passing straight through the gale.
Seeing this, Bai Shi frowned.
He swung his weapon hard, knocking the Omen Night's Cavalry back, and then retreated a few steps himself.
Not knowing what these spirits were, he had no intention of taking them head-on.
A Night's Cavalry swung his halberd, striking Bai Shi's back.
But the blade, despite piercing the armor, only left a shallow wound on Bai Shi's body.
Bai Shi's physical fortitude had been further enhanced by the Great Rune. An injury like this was now nothing more than a scratch.
Bai Shi simply grabbed this Night's Cavalry and hurled him at the approaching vengeful spirits.
Upon contact, the spirits greedily surged into the Night's Cavalry's body. With a scream, yellow-black flames erupted from within him, burning him to a cinder in an instant.
"All of you, run to the perimeter! Don't get caught!"
"I'll hold him off alone!"
"Before I die, escape to safety and tell Lord Margit everything that happened here!"
But not all the Night's Cavalry obeyed his command. Of the twenty-odd who remained, half stood by his side.
The rest were also reluctant to leave, but after another harsh rebuke, they finally scattered in all directions.
The Omen Night's Cavalry's funeral steed ran over, allowing its master to mount once more.
Looking at these disobedient comrades, he said nothing, simply remounting his steed.
The Night's Cavalry were brothers in arms, sharing honor and disgrace.
Now, it was their time to live and die together.
"Charge!"
The Night's Cavalry launched their final charge against their insurmountable foe.
Bai Shi held his sword-spear and strode forward to meet their charge.
Bai Shi's main target was the Omen who commanded the others. His sword-spear collided with the mace burning with yellow-black flames.
One wasn't enough; the halberds, flails, and phantom strikes of the other Night's Cavalry pressed in as well.
As blades met, the Night's Cavalry who tried to block his sword-spear were instantly thrown from their horses.
Other Night's Cavalry who passed Bai Shi threw their chains at him, trying to restrain his movements.
However, Bai Shi grabbed the chains and easily flung those Night's Cavalry away like toys.
The mace swung heavily toward Bai Shi, but he evaded it with a casual dodge.
Then he stomped a heavy foot on the flaming mace, pinning it so the Omen could no longer lift it.
With a swing of his sword-spear, Bai Shi severed the Omen-horned head.
Seeing this, the Night's Cavalry who had already passed Bai Shi turned and charged again.
They didn't care if they died, as long as they could delay him a little longer, giving the others a better chance to deliver the intelligence.
But even with their lives on the line, the gap in strength was still impossible to bridge.
In just two or three exchanges, these Night's Cavalry were easily dealt with by Bai Shi.
The Night's Cavalry, with their dying breaths, lay on the ground, guessing that the others must have reached a safe distance by now.
They believed that as long as the intelligence was delivered, Lord Margit would have a better understanding of Bai Shi and would surely defeat him with ease.
However, their beautiful dream in their final moments would not come true.
At the edge of their vision, the Crucible Knights appeared, carrying corpses riddled with arrows like pincushions.
These were, of course, the bodies of the Night's Cavalry.
Behind them were numerous Silver Knights and Storm Knights clad in silver-white armor.
They weren't the only ones who could call for backup. Bai Shi had fought the Night's Cavalry before and had a good idea of what they would do.
That being the case, he certainly wouldn't let them escape and deliver their intelligence.
So Bai Shi had preemptively assembled his forces from the city and formed a wider perimeter to firmly encircle the Night's Cavalry.
As Bai Shi finished off the Night's Cavalry one by one, plundering the runes from their bodies, the Night's Cavalry force in Limgrave was completely annihilated.
Bai Shi's sword-spear had pierced the darkness of Morgott.
Today, the fire of Bai Shi's ambition burned on.