Page 81

Hundreds of blood-colored blades merged into a massive blade that sliced upward through the dragon rhino and pierced through it. The human knight Tas's armor, "God of War Guardian," was quite sturdy and did not split in half from my strike. After all, the blood-colored giant blade wasn't a true divine weapon like Hu Po. However, the blade's energy emerged from beneath his armor and split him internally, leaving the exterior unscathed.

"No— you demon, you killed my brother!" A cry echoed from among the humans, followed by a white figure flying out from the opposing army, directly toward me.

"Clang~" Catherine intercepted the incoming figure on her golden-eyed dragon lion. Only then did I see clearly that it was a vibrant woman in her thirties, riding the same lightning unicorn silver pegasus that had been under Basten's saddle yesterday. Although stopped by Catherine, she glared fiercely at me, repeatedly trying to break through Catherine's defense to kill me.

"Do you intend to break the rules of the 'Soul Combat'?" Catherine asked coldly, her sword held aloft.

"What Soul Combat? Only beasts would believe such nonsense. You, a human, serve as a lackey to the orcs. I'll kill you first, you wench, and then that werewolf to avenge my brother." The human woman spat viciously before charging forward with her sword.

"Sorry, but although I don't have orcish features, I am indeed not human. You can find proof of this in my strength." Catherine spoke while engaging her opponent. Her mount was superior, her weapon better, and most importantly, her "Emperor Martial Overlord Technique" at the fourth level far surpassed her opponent's. The first strike sent the opponent's spear flying, the second shattered her shield and armor, sending her tumbling to the ground, and the third decapitated the silver pegasus that was fighting the golden-eyed dragon lion.

This female swordsman was no weakling; in fact, she was Mei Lan, one of the four Sword Sages in Landon's army and sister to Knight Tas. Among the four, the strongest was the barbarian Háo, and the one with the deepest cultivation in battle aura was Tas. Though Mei Lan, at the sixth level of Sword Sage, was not as powerful as the former two, she was still stronger than Basten, who was only at the first level. Moreover, her moon attribute gave her aerial combat capabilities, which is why she borrowed the silver pegasus from Basten to participate. Unfortunately, she met the descendant of the "Emperor Martial Overlord Technique" riding a ninth-level flying beast and was defeated in three moves.

Landing without injury, Mei Lan, being a Sword Sage, had already sustained damage from the two strikes exchanged with Catherine. Before she could stand up, she shouted, "You beasts, you devils, I won't let you get away with this. You'll pay for this."

"Sorry, miss, but since ancient times, only the victors have ever left the battlefield of 'Soul Combat' alive. You seem to lack the qualifications to make us wait. Go meet your brother in hell." My voice came from behind the female Sword Sage, accompanied by the Nine Yin Bone Claw piercing her skull. Normally, a Sword Sage wouldn't be so easily killed, but she was distracted, injured, and inexperienced.

"So, the next act should be the humans breaking their word and launching a surprise attack, right?"

Chapter 34: Re-Envisioning the Celestial Cocoon and Shared Destiny

The comparison of combat power between humans and orcs is a very complex issue. On one hand, the training, equipment, troop types, morale, strategy, and formation of human armies can vary greatly, often leading to fluctuations several or even dozens of times over. On the other hand, orcs come from numerous races with vastly different combat strengths and suitable battlefields and tactics. Therefore, estimates are usually based on famous battles, and using these data in actual warfare would be disastrous.

Thus, when I saw the three thousand human infantry suddenly spread out to reveal five thousand heavy cavalry on the cleared ground, I couldn't predict the exact combat strength of these opponents, who were led by seventh and eighth-level magical beasts.

"Fellow knights of the principality, cruel orcs have slaughtered our respected commander and defiled the beautiful Miss Mei Lan. Let us raise our weapons and avenge our fallen comrades!" Count Basten, who had lost his ninth-level magical beast mount, rallied his troops with his leadership skills to boost their morale.

Defiled? Where did you learn your grammar? I looked at the bloody claw in my hand and the corpse of the female Sword Sage lying on the ground, feeling frustrated. Losing three Sword Sages and two ninth-level magical beasts must have driven Basten mad. Indeed, they probably never anticipated such massive losses. Even if he captured Fontainebleau, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. But if he failed to capture the castle, he wouldn't return alive.

As for how the human cavalry suddenly appeared at the duel site, I wasn't surprised. Even a small workshop like mine could produce a "Great Derivative Illusion Banner," a magical artifact. With humans inheriting the knowledge of the Twelve Sages, it was inevitable they would have similar items. In my previous life, scholars focused on poetry and literature, yielding visible results. In this life, "scholars" devoted their efforts to magic, producing remarkable outcomes.

Indeed, when I returned to our front lines, Catherine immediately informed me that Basten used a magic item called a "Light Concentration Scroll," a technology left by the Sage of Light among the Twelve Sages. It creates a large light screen that records and replays a short period of light passing through it, allowing those on one side to see nothing on the other without arousing suspicion. It's an excellent tool for deceiving enemies on the battlefield, though difficult to make and extremely expensive, making it a "rare" treasure.

However, we were prepared. Regardless of the method the humans used for their ambush, we remained calm. As the human cavalry formed ranks and began their charge, all Minos warriors immediately planted their totem poles into the ground, embedding them three feet deep and solidifying the soil around them, much like laying a foundation. Simultaneously, two thousand half-orcs emerged from the "Great Derivative Illusion Array" behind the Minos warriors, passing through the gaps between the Minos minotaurs, and positioned five hundred massive fortress shields in front of the totem poles, forming a fortress shield wall over five hundred meters long.