"Joseph, the enemy is right behind us!"
Mason Mao shouted loudly. They had only a few hundred cavalry left; most had already fallen on the battlefield. As the enemy pressed their pursuit, more riders were thrown from their horses, cold arrows whistling from behind.
Suddenly, a chorus of horse screams erupted. The horse beneath Mason Mao was struck by an enemy lance from the side and collapsed to the ground.
"Mason!"
Phoenix Yu roared, immediately pulling the reins to slow down. A lasso flew toward them. Phoenix Yu gripped it tightly, hauling with all his might. As Mason Mao's horse collapsed, Mason leapt up at the critical moment.
"Hurry, get on!"
Phoenix Yu shouted desperately. Mason Mao grabbed the saddle with precision. Phoenix Yu cracked his whip, and the warhorse charged forward, neighing. The two now shared one horse, slowing them down considerably. The pursuing cavalry were now clearly visible, and daylight had fully broken.
The sky was turning pale. Mason Mao began tying the two of them together with rope, while Phoenix Yu sat backward on the horse, bow in hand. He nocked an arrow; an enemy closing in from the side was already near. With a sharp twang, the arrow struck, and the enemy fell from his horse.
"Chase them! If we kill them, the enemy is finished!"
Bella Liang shouted from horseback. He had once again spotted Joseph Qiao's silhouette, and now saw clearly the corpse Joseph was carrying—it was Edward Grant.
Lucille Xing began to slow her pace, clearly intent on blocking the pursuing cavalry.
"No, Lucille!"
Joseph Qiao shouted, turning his head, his face pale as he glared at Lucille Xing.
"Absolutely not, do you hear me? I won't allow it. Push forward! If we reach the Prairie, we have a chance!"
Arrows kept flying out from the woods. Joseph Qiao ducked low, raising his sword to deflect them. Lucille Xing, on his left, helped deflect arrow after arrow.
Almost all the cavalry they brought had been wiped out, and the enemy's pursuit was relentless. It seemed they were determined not to let Joseph Qiao escape.
"We must go back. We have to survive and return."
Joseph Qiao shouted. Not far behind, Phoenix Yu was still calmly shooting arrow after arrow. Enemy pursuers kept falling from their horses. Phoenix Yu's face was cold and sharp as he kept nocking arrows. Not far behind, the enemy commander—his hawk-like eyes fixed on Phoenix Yu—was shouting and joining the chase himself.
Phoenix Yu slowly nocked an arrow, aiming at Bella Liang. Suddenly, Bella Liang yanked on the reins and stopped, his spear flashing up to deflect an arrow aimed at his head. Phoenix Yu gave a mocking smile and nocked three arrows at once.
"Are you saying that if I keep chasing, it'll cost me my life, boy?"
Bella Liang grinned with excitement, whipping his horse to give chase. The enemy cavalry had nearly been wiped out. Only three horses remained ahead, carrying four skilled riders. Despite the pursuit, not even the soldiers along the road could block their escape.
"Chase them down. We must kill them."
Lydia Lien had already caught up, the blood on her shoulder still fresh. She quickly overtook Bella Liang.
"Looks like that woman has realized the value of her prey."
In the distance, the road ended at the brownish-yellow Prairie. The wind howled as Joseph Qiao whipped his horse, his spear rapidly dispatching the remaining enemies. He shouted again.
"To the Prairie!"
With several sharp whistles, enemies who had circled through the woods unleashed a final volley. Mason Mao grunted as an arrow struck his shoulder. Phoenix Yu roared, firing three arrows; two enemies immediately fell from their horses.
That same woman chased them again, her eyes fierce and wild—nothing like most women, more like Lucille Xing.
They had crossed into the vast Prairie. Joseph Qiao felt his horse slowing, exhausted and unstable. The nearby troops had already withdrawn.
The enemy burst from the woods. Suddenly, Joseph Qiao lost his balance as his horse let out a mournful cry and collapsed. Joseph tumbled onto the grass, rolling several times before regaining his footing, Edward Grant's corpse pressing down on him. He felt dizzy as the thunder of hooves drew near.
"Go ahead, Lucille!"
Joseph Qiao shouted. As he fell from his horse, Lucille Xing instantly stopped hers, raising her sword toward the charging enemy. A massive wave of enemies gathered, surrounding them.
Struggling to his feet, Joseph Qiao saw the enemy closing in. Phoenix Yu and Mason Mao were wounded too. The enemies didn't rush them, but encircled the group, trapping them.
"You've lost, Joseph Qiao."
Bella Liang rode out from the enemy ranks, followed by Lydia Lien, Gus Bull, and Cyrus Sage. The enemy faces were bright with excitement, the joy of impending victory written all over them.
Joseph Qiao untied the rope and stood up, glancing at Edward Grant before giving a faint smile.
"I'm such a fool, Edward. But you can't hear me now, can you? Hey!"
Joseph Qiao slowly raised his sword, aiming at Bella Liang. He glanced around at the dismounted enemies closing in.
"I suppose surrendering isn't really an option, is it?"
After Lucille Xing dismounted, she raised her twin swords, crouched low, and stared down the approaching enemies.
"If you're coming, hurry up! Anyone who wants to die, step forward!"
With a furious roar, enemies surged in from all sides. Mason Mao whipped his rope, distracting the nearest foes for a split second—just long enough for Lucille Xing to slash several throats with her twin blades.
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Phoenix Yu drove two arrows into two enemy throats, while Joseph Qiao's sword dispatched two more. The enemies halted, staring in shock at the distant horizon as a thunderous rumbling began.
The sound grew louder as vast clouds of dust rose in the distance.
"It's the Stampede Battalion!"
Someone shouted, as the lowing of bulls and rumbling of hooves drew closer, accompanied by a surge of moving figures.
"Everyone, scatter!"
Bella Liang's face changed as he shouted the order.
Suddenly, the Stampede Battalion crashed into the enemy ranks, screams erupting everywhere. Joseph Qiao quickly hauled Edward Grant's corpse onto his back, while Lucille Xing charged at several enemies.
"Get on your horse, Joseph!"
Lucille Xing shouted. Phoenix Yu and Mason Mao scrambled onto their horses, charging alongside the panicked enemy toward the flank.
The stampeding bulls had smashed through the enemy encirclement. Now, the only thing left for the enemy was to flee. The four rode, whipping their horses, circling toward the forested hills.
"Retreat! All troops, fall back to the woods!"
A shout rang out. Aaron Lin led his clan, ordering the Stampede Battalion to halt as soon as he saw Joseph Qiao and his group. The two riders atop each bull moved the red cloth away from the bulls' eyes, calming some of the beasts.
The fleeing enemies no longer cared about Joseph Qiao and his group. Joseph, pale-faced, finally broke out of the enemy ranks. Aaron Lin galloped over, followed by a flood of soldiers. For a moment, the enemies and Aaron Lin's forces faced off at the forest's edge, neither side making a move.
"Joseph Qiao!"
A shout rang out as Bella Liang and his group rode out of the woods, stopping fifty meters from the bulls.
"You're at the end of the road. The leader of the Grant Domain is dead, and that old King Grant, nearly in his grave, can't change a thing. If you just..."
Joseph Qiao burst out laughing, pointing skyward with one hand, then suddenly dropping it to point at Gus Bull, who was shouting.
"The end of the road? Heh, the war is only just beginning, and you will pay the price."
Aaron Lin stared in shock at Edward Grant's corpse on Joseph Qiao's back. Many tribal generals and soldiers saw it too, their eyes filled with despair. Even if the enemy didn't attack now, soon they would strike the Central Prairie.
A day and night of fighting had cost them countless soldiers and reserves. Everyone knew the Grant Domain was at the end of the line—there was no way to survive against an enemy ten times their number.
Joseph Qiao's heart was unbearably heavy. He gazed blankly at the distant prairie, searching his mind for any way to survive. Yet Edward Grant's corpse seemed to tell him that the road to life was gone—he had buried it with his own hands.
The losses were even worse than imagined. Fewer than a hundred thousand made it back, and there were less than twenty thousand soldiers left.
The southern granaries were as good as lost. Autumn harvest wasn't finished, but the enemy had likely reached the south and begun their attack.
Soon, a three-sided siege from the north, east, and south would begin. The last three strongholds of the Grant Domain—if they fell, the western capital would be reduced to ruins in an instant.
"Is it all over? Joseph, tell me."
A low sob came. Joseph Qiao turned, quietly watching Aaron Lin cry. He said nothing, only nodded slowly.
Once the enemy was rested and recovered, they would attack by the tenth day. The defenders would face more than 500,000 enemies from all directions.