"Charge!"
Amidst the crowd, an old general from the School of Military Arts roared, and instantly, two thousand armored cavalry of the School of Military Arts, imbued with the essence of a solid battle formation, charged forward. Amidst beams of martial brilliance, the demon cavalry were like paper, sliced through by a single sword. In less than a few minutes of engagement, many demon cavalry were already filled with dread. The demon cavalry had rampaged across the world for a thousand years, never encountering a match in cavalry duels. Yet, facing this human cavalry of only two thousand, they felt a deep despair. They couldn't win; there was no chance of victory!
"Do not fear the enemy!"
Yu Feng suddenly drew his long sword and pointed it afar, speaking with a deep voice, "Deploy all fifty thousand men of the Seventh Legion into battle, and cut down this cavalry force from the School of Military Arts!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
A cavalry captain of the Sea-Crossing Realm suddenly reined in his steed, leading the remaining forty thousand cavalry to thunder away.
...
"General!"
A cultivator from the School of Military Arts frowned, "The demon commander has gone mad, dispatching a full fifty thousand cavalry to attack us. It's still not too late to leave; if we don't, I fear we'll all be lost here."
"No retreat!"
The old general turned his gaze, his eyes filled with authority as he looked at everyone. "Lin Zhao has already led twenty thousand Snow Region cavalry east of Cuiyu Mountain and is currently on our west flank, locked in a deadly struggle with a demon force of fifty thousand. If we retreat here, Lin Zhao's pressure will only increase. If we can tie down fifty thousand demon troops, it will be crucial for the entire battlefield. It will not only save the Snow Region Legion but perhaps also the Rock Army."
"Yes, General!"
A group of cultivators from the School of Military Arts looked resolute. "We would rather die than retreat!"
Not long after, fifty thousand demon cavalry surrounded the two thousand cultivators of the School of Military Arts, launching fierce assaults from all directions. The two thousand armored soldiers of the School of Military Arts, led by the old general, defended against the enemy with a solid battle formation, repelling every attack, though their own numbers began to dwindle. Yet, they had no intention of retreating.
...
Northern Battlefield.
Shen Xingchen suddenly thrust her staff onto the ground with both hands, unleashing a firestorm that blasted dozens of demon cavalry backward. However, it couldn't stop the retreating tide of human players. Ahead, Luoman, wielding his long sword, with his blood bar severely depleted, slashed fiercely at the throat of a demon cavalryman. But immediately, he was pierced through the abdomen by two spears, his body becoming a corpse in mid-air.
Chen Xue, in her defensive sword stance, swung her long spear continuously, repelling two demon cavalrymen. But the next moment, a volley of arrows rained down from the sky, directly turning Chen Xue into a hedgehog. Her last bit of health vanished. Not far away, brothers Ding Chi and Zhang Jun fought back-to-back, but finally, they too were overwhelmed and drowned by a horde of demon cavalry.
"Sister Xingchen!"
Mo Chenxue flashed to Shen Xingchen's front, holding her staff to block a downward strike from a demon cavalryman. But her body was shaken backward. She hastily threw a Divine Shepherd forward and shouted, "You still have a chance, use your artifact and escape. There's no need to die with everyone else."
"I won't go!"
Shen Xingchen gritted her teeth, looking at the corpses of the Scarlet Moon Knights players scattered everywhere. At this moment, Shen Xingchen's heart was filled with sorrow. Since joining the Scarlet Moon Knights, she had spent her days and nights with them, and inexplicably, she had gradually developed a strong sense of belonging to this home. She had never led the Scarlet Moon Knights to such a crushing defeat, but now, it had happened!
The group charge of the demon cavalry was too powerful. Players couldn't even maintain a 1:1 battle damage ratio against these NPCs. The entire Scarlet Moon Knights, with over twenty thousand players, had been wiped out once, yet they had only managed to eliminate less than eight thousand demon cavalry. This sense of frustration made Shen Xingchen furious. If she were to leave now, she would feel utterly spineless. Death was death; what was wrong with dying once with everyone else?
Finally, Mo Chenxue was impaled through the back by a demon cavalryman's spear, instantly killed. Shen Xingchen knelt down slowly, leaning on her staff, as she fell under the successive charges of five demon cavalrymen, signifying the complete annihilation of the Scarlet Moon Knights.
From afar, Bu Su Liren, leading a group of resurrected cavalry players from the Scarlet Moon Knights, galloped over. Upon seeing Chen Xue, Luoman, Shen Xingchen, Mo Chenxue, Ding Chi, and others fall in battle, his eyes instantly turned red. He pointed his blade forward and roared, "My brother Lin Zhao is fighting the demon cavalry on the front lines. Every demon cavalry we can tie down here is one less for them. Even if it means being cannon fodder, I'll do it willingly! Brothers who aren't afraid of death, charge with me!"
At the edge of the forest, dozens of cavalry players from the Scarlet Moon Knights, without a single hesitation, drew their swords and charged towards the demon cavalry, dust billowing behind them.
"Why bother??"
Not far away, at the edge of the mountain forest, Su Xinghe watched the Scarlet Moon Knights. At this moment, he could no longer hate the Scarlet Moon Knights guild. Even though Lin Zhao had taken Shen Xingchen away from him, he felt no hatred. Instead, the words "unyielding spirit" kept surfacing in Su Xinghe's mind. Wasn't the Scarlet Moon Knights a prime example of such a guild in the national server?
The next moment, Su Xinghe took a deep breath. Since that was the case, so be it. What was wrong with being impulsive for once with "Xinghe"?
He looked back at the people behind him and laughed, "Brothers, shall we go to our deaths together?"
Feng Bingcao Jia, Shen Lingyuan, and others drew their weapons, laughing heartily, "Let's go! To death!"
On the mountain, many more players rushed down the slope, continuing to tie down the tens of thousands of demon cavalry, preventing them from reinforcing the battles against the Rock Army and the Snow Region Army, firmly pinning them down here.
Further away, players from guilds such as Cang Long, Xun Xian, Wu Wang, and Lin Yuan Xian Yu continuously appeared. They hesitated not at all, as if at this moment, everyone had embraced their roles. "I am a human player, a member of the human realm. To die for the human realm is an honor, even in death. To hell with equipment, to hell with levels, to hell with general currency. Today, I just want to play the game wholeheartedly and enjoy it!"
...
Afternoon.
Lin Zhao's fierce and unending battle with the enemy at the Snow Region Legion was finally nearing its end. The five thousand demon cavalry were reduced to less than ten thousand and fled in disarray. The entire battlefield was stained red with blood, the ground crisscrossed with the marks of sword energy. Chen Ben, Mu Gua, and Chu Yu panted heavily, their internal true qi severely depleted. On the Dragon Boat, Xu Zhi, Huang Tingyu, and Tang Guangjun had withdrawn their sword intent and were recuperating, their spiritual energy nearly exhausted from so much swordplay.
Lin Zhao surveyed the battlefield, looking at the corpses littering the ground, his heart growing heavier. The cost of killing over forty thousand demon cavalry was immense. Despite the assistance of many higher-realm experts, the Snow Region cavalry suffered heavy losses. The exact numbers were unknown, but everywhere he looked were the corpses of Snow Region cavalry. The losses were not insignificant.
This was the most costly battle Lin Zhao had fought since returning to Snow Region Heavenly Pool. The accumulated resources of nearly half a year had been spent more than halfway in this single major engagement.
As Lin Zhao frowned, the sound of hooves echoed from the distance. Figures of demon cavalry appeared on the snowfield, bearing the battle banner of the Yu Dynasty.
"Marshal Lin!"
Xu Sheng hastily mounted his horse, raising his battle saber, and said gravely, "It's the Fourth Legion of fifty thousand cavalry under Yu Feng!"
"Mount your horses!"
Lin Zhao quickly drew his sword and mounted his horse, ordering, "Form ranks to meet the enemy!"
Instantly, the surviving and able-bodied Snow Region cavalry mounted their horses, weapons in hand. Some weapons were still covered in blood, so they wrapped a few layers of gauze around their hands for grip. Their bloodshot eyes stared ahead. This was a true fight to the death!
"Kill!"
From the opposing side, a cavalry captain raised his long sword and sneered, "Lin Baiyi's men are finished. Whoever can take Lin Baiyi's head will be rewarded five thousand gold coins by the Young Master!"
"Kill!" A vast horde of demon cavalry advanced.
Lin Zhao frowned, raised his sword blade, and pointed forward, saying in a deep voice, "Avenge those who have fallen! Avenge the innocent human civilians who died unjustly in the Northern Region!"
Chen Ben and Mu Gua roared in unison, "Kill!"
The roar of the Heaven-End Realm martial artists ignited the morale of the entire army. Instantly, the vast Snow Region cavalry charged forward with Lin Zhao. For the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, this battle was already a desperate situation; they had nowhere to retreat. For the demons, it was also a desperate situation. If they lost this outnumbered battle, they would never be able to hold their heads up in the Rainbow Garment World again.
On the ground, war drums thundered as the two cavalry forces clashed. The Dragon Boat in the air once again rotated, its cannons spewing fire towards the demon cavalry. The three twelve-realm sword cultivators on the spirit boat had also regrouped and began to unleash streams of sword energy, bombarding the masses, killing as many as they could. No one held back.
...
Eastern Battlefield.
The old general from the School of Military Arts was covered in blood. Of the two thousand cultivators from the School of Military Arts behind him, only a little over twelve hundred remained. But he still unhesitatingly drew his sword, leading these twelve hundred-plus armored cavalry in repeated charges, using the solid battle formation to fend off the demon cavalry's assaults. Around them, corpses were already piled high, reaching at least five meters.
On this land, one hundred fifty thousand Rock Army, thirty thousand Snow Region cavalry, two thousand cultivators from the School of Military Arts, one million demon armies, and three hundred thousand demon cavalry fought a chaotic and bloody battle.
...
Dusk.
A figure appeared on the battlements of Gu Xiaoguan. It was an eleventh-realm female martial artist clad in dark blue armor. Chen Xi, the ruler of Yun Province and commander of the Cangnan Cavalry, had finally arrived. Behind her, figures of the Cangnan Cavalry also appeared on the battlements. A few cavalrymen raised the grand banner of the Cangnan Cavalry and a fluttering Chen family flag.
Chen Xi arrived at the perfect time, neither too early nor too late.