132, I want to duel with you

  132, I want to duel with you

  This day was exceptionally bright, with a red sun bursting out to shine on the world, casting a golden glow over the two figures. En Qi looked at the sunrise with his hands behind his back: "Killing Hong Baba was once the peak of my life, and although it proved that I could rival the gods, my martial arts training had reached its limit, and there was no road ahead. Since then, no matter how hard I trained, I couldn't feel the same breakthroughs as before, which left me puzzled for a long time, even feeling frustrated and weak, although no one could defeat me.

  But this time on the battlefield, I've had a few close calls, and even got hurt by A'men. Yet in the midst of adversity, I seem to see a turning point. The enemy I face is not some powerful expert, but a mighty empire. It's been a long time since a war of this scale has broken out on the continent of Tianxu, and the heroic deeds that have been passed down through the ages were all established on the battlefield.

  The war "fired up" my fighting spirit, I thought of killing Alm several times but didn't succeed, instead it made me more courageous in battle, and the power that had been puzzling me for a long time burst out again, returning to the peak of my life. Not only did I regain the fearless feeling when I beheaded Hong Ba Ba, but also vaguely surpassed and broke through."

  Gilgamesh nodded and said, "I witnessed you beheading Humbaba with my own eyes. I helped you sweep the battlefield and sealed it off so that it couldn't escape. I saw with my own eyes how terrifying the nine-headed serpent was when it transformed into its true form on the battlefield. And then, I also saw Enkidu, who was invincible in battle, just like the brave warrior who beheaded Humbaba back then. But what's this 'breakthrough' you're talking about?"

  "War has 'ignited' my fighting spirit, just like finding a pursuit, and the appearance of the 'goddess' thoroughly ignited my anger. I've never been so angry before, but in that anger, I was so calm. Horus finally revealed his figure, I rushed to the sky and beheaded the cloud eagle, he was injured, he is the true god spirit, the king god worshipped by the Egyptians, when my sword cut through the long sky, it also seemed to open a 'door', leading to eternal transcendence."

  Gilgamesh put down his staff and stood with his back to the rising dawn, silently contemplating Enkidu's words. After a long while, he spoke: "You were at the end of the road that had no path, but you broke through with great perseverance and determination. I have been searching for that path, and since the divine exists, the secret to becoming divine must also exist. Seeing you today, I see hope."

  ……

  The Kaber Legion finally arrived at the Red Ridge defense line to merge with the main force, and Ameng got a supplement of troops. The Kaber Legion was known as the elite unit guarding the northern border of the empire, but when Ameng took a glance, he couldn't feel the morale and majesty that should be there. It's no wonder Ameng would be disappointed - he was comparing the newly deployed Kaber Legion to the seasoned veterans on the front line.

  The Aigu Empire has not experienced large-scale warfare for a long time. No matter what kind of army, the baptism of war is the best way to cultivate 'fine' soldiers. The soldiers on the front line have experienced two wars with Hatti and Uruk legions. Whether they won or lost, the changes that occurred in these generals who remained after heavy casualties can be described as rebirth, and the combat power burst out is not comparable to the daily training of the Geb military team.

  Moreover, only half of the troops of the Gabinius legion arrived, and the other half were drawn from the garrison troops in nearby cities, whose regular training exercises were far inferior to those of the regular legions.

  Ah'men ordered the various branches of the Kabir Legion to be redeployed and incorporated into different battle arrays, without maintaining their original formation. This made Commander Peter extremely dissatisfied, and he protested on the spot against the commander-in-chief's unconventional approach. The reason was simple: after the legion was dispersed and reorganized, the responsibility for defeat and the merit of victory became blurred.

  Moreover, Ah'meng is just a new noble in the military, young and without foundation, becoming the commander-in-chief under special circumstances is not enough to intimidate the bigwigs of the entire Egu Empire. Peter is new and doesn't understand the battlefield situation, Ah'meng dispersing his troops is equivalent to depriving him of his independent command power, no general would be willing to do so, let alone a 'greenhorn' who gave such an order at their first meeting.

  Peter nearly overturned the table in the military meeting, standing up to protest strongly. Ahmen, sitting in the middle, was calm and collected, just watching him make a scene, the order had been given, Peter was willing or not, he had to execute it. Without Ahmen saying much, the high-ranking Imperial High Priest, Li Kuide, stood up, stretched out one hand and gently pressed Peter back into his seat, speaking slowly and calmly.

  "It's not just the Gabe Legion, including the four legions of Horus, Isis, Set and An-Ra, which have been reorganized according to combat needs and are stationed in the large camps on both sides of the Red Ridge Town defense line. If we don't use troops like this, it would be impossible to repel the last attack by the Uruk Legion. The military order has been given, you execute first, if there's any dissent, report to Pharaoh for approval before speaking."

  Look at Breze, Long Teng, Luo De Di Ke and other legion commanders who have expressed similar views. Peter can only execute military orders. However, the chief deity of the Kaburagi Legion, Yin Cang, said: "The legion can be reorganized, but the deity team of the Kaburagi Legion was trained by me personally. I have a duty to supervise the army and must command the entire unit. It cannot be dispersed, and deployment requires my consent."

  The 9th-level divine spellcaster and High Priest of the Isis Temple, Wold, said with a smile: "Xun Cang, Lord Li Kuai De and I have no doubts about Archon's command, and we will also let our subordinates be dispatched by the commander-in-chief. Even we ourselves are at your beck and call. Why do you need to do this?"

  The 'gate' shook his head and said: "The Empire has laws, the main god officer has the responsibility of supervising the army, calling on the gods to participate in the war requires the consent of the main god officer. Since that's the case, I won't oppose Lord Mochizuki's opinion either. Let Lord Mochizuki command the divine officers of the Gavriel Army alone, their mission is to defend Red Cliffs Town, when the city is attacked, assist the soldiers in defending the city walls, no need to go out and meet the enemy. In order to let the new lords understand the situation, we will show them the records of our battle with the Uruk Army."

  The 9th-level divine technique master and the Imperial Main Temple's High Priest, Li Kuide, personally demonstrated his divine techniques. He recreated the light and shadow of two '激' wars in the conference hall, especially the scene where Enqi cut down the cloud eagle that was about to destroy the sky. Although everyone had witnessed it before, they were still shocked when they saw it again.

  Peter and Ming Cang were almost stunned, they did not expect the war on the front line to be so cruel, and the opponent was so terrible. The two had just come back to their senses and stood up, rushing towards Amun, bowing and saluting, just about to say something, when Pharaoh's envoy arrived, and the generals hurriedly lined up to welcome them.

  A'meng received the latest reward, and his title finally matched his identity as the commander-in-chief of the battlefield. Everyone had no objections, not even a hint of jealousy could be raised. Xun Cang originally wanted to change his mind and let A'meng command the Divine Officer Corps, but since A'meng's orders were already given, he was left in charge of the grand divine array defending the city. Xun Cang couldn't shake off the memory of Uruk's brutal siege and Julian's death in mid-air for several days, his heart filled with anxiety.

  The things that Lü Meng worried about did not happen, and Gilgamesh sent a battle book, scheduling the final battle three days later. The content of this battle book is thought-provoking, because Gilgamesh said "the final battle", implying that he wants to decide the outcome with this battle, either take down the Red Cliff defense line in one go, or stop here.

  Actually, Ar'men'g no longer wants to continue fighting. The battle has been going on until now, with heavy casualties on both sides. Although the Uruk army is brave and good at fighting, under Ar'men'g's stubborn resistance, more than 2,000 soldiers have been injured or killed. If they continue to consume their forces in the desert far away from the city-state, it will be difficult for them to maintain their offensive. According to the scout's report, a thousand-strong army escorted supplies and merged with the Uruk army, replenishing part of its depleted troops, which was the garrison force of the Uruk city-state.

  The garrison troops were originally left to guard the city-state, preventing anyone from taking advantage of it. However, at present, two legions of the Barren Kingdom have gathered in Kish City-State and have crossed the Yubu River to reach the northern border of Syria Desert, threatening the Hatti Kingdom. Gilgamesh has no worries about his back, using all the power of the city-state, while Egou also happens to have received reinforcements from the Gebi Legion.

  A'men'g's reply was always simple, with only one sentence - I'll wait for you on the battlefield.

  ……

  Three days later, on the plain outside Hongjia Town, both sides formed neat military arrays again, with swords and guns standing upright and killing intent soaring. Before setting out, A asked Peter if he was a great warrior? Peter puffed out his chest and replied: "Yes, I am an eighth-level warrior, stationed in the northern border of the empire for many years, and made countless achievements in battles against desert bandits and barbarians."

  "Alright then, put on this armor and hide among my personal guards."

  Peter was taken aback, and 'Amen' had actually let the imperial legion commander, an eighth-level great warrior, disguise himself as his guard. This was somewhat insulting to people? However, looking around, the other two legion commanders, Brez and Long Teng, had already put on 'Amen's' guard armor and lowered their face masks to cover their faces. Gabriel, who had just recovered and could return to the battlefield, also joined 'Amen's' guard team. Medanzo, who had been resting for many days, was the only one not wearing a mask, because he was the captain of the guard.

  Including Mai Dangzo and Ah'meng himself, there are six great warriors surrounding the commander's flag. Moreover, two 9th-level grandmaster mages, Li Kuiduo and Wode, also wore Ah'meng's personal guard armor, hiding their staffs under their battle robes as they entered the rear of the team protected by the great warriors.

  Mei Danzuo had never been so domineering before, he actually wanted to lead this group of experts in a charge on the battlefield. The purpose of setting up this ambush was very clear, it was aimed at En Qi Duo. Since the scroll couldn't kill him, then they would use people to kill him. The first two intense battles had already made A'Meng certain of one thing: that En Qi Duo had gone mad, but in his madness, he was clearer than ever - he just wanted to kill him.

  Horus has appeared, and he can't always rely on the goddess Mut to protect him on the battlefield. But the goddess Mut's disguise as a bodyguard also inspired him, so he let all the top masters in the army pretend to be his bodyguards. This is an unprecedented move, and no one has ever heard of anyone doing this before. Amun used his absolute authority in the military to issue this order. Xue Dingyuan said that he will face the most dangerous test, hoping that he can survive well, and Amun, even if he is not afraid of death, will not go to die in vain.

  This scene made Roddick's blood boil, and he wished to put on armor and go to the front line with the " Imperial Guards", but unfortunately, he was not a great warrior. The task given by Ah'meng to Roddick was to lead the reserve army with Ming Cang to garrison Hongjia Town, in case the front line failed, he would cover the retreat of the defeated troops into the city.

  Two ninth-level great mages had already disguised themselves as imperial guards, and it was still George who commanded the divine officers in battle. Although George was not the most accomplished great mage in the military, commanding battles was his forte. Ah'men'g led such a team to open up the military formation, Medanzo drove the war chariot, Ah'men'g sat on top, surrounded by imperial guard cavalry with bright armor, and on both sides were war chariots lined up in sequence.

  The battle formation of the Uruk army was slightly different from last time, Gilgamesh did not ride a chariot, but instead placed the high platform directly in front of the formation. In front of the platform were the Imperial Guards holding javelins and long shields, behind the platform were the priestly squad of the Uruk army, and on both sides were heavy cavalry and war chariots arrayed.

  The battle formation was set, and before the two commanders could speak, a lone figure emerged, carrying a heavy broken sword and wearing snake-scale armor with cracks all over it. He walked between the two armies and stood still, revealing himself to be En Qi Du. Despite being enemies, Ah Meng couldn't help but admire the fearless demeanor of the continent's number one warrior. He strolled into the center of the battlefield, where thousands of soldiers were facing off, as if taking a leisurely walk in a garden.

  He also got up and walked down from the chariot, alone and walked out of the battle array, far away nodded: "En Qi Du, the war has not yet started, why did you come alone? Are you trying to sneak attack or surrender?"

  "Great divine spirit Horus, patron deity of Upper and Lower Egypt, guardian of imperial dignity, inheritor of An-Ra's glory, renowned general Ameng, is the person in front of you?"

  A'men nodded and said: "Of course it's me, your news is quite timely, you knew about my latest title so quickly, why bother asking then?"

  "Good, General 'Men'g. I have a few questions for you, and as a warrior's honor, I'll give you a choice."

  "Go ahead and ask then. Do you think this warrior also wants to engage in a war of words on the battlefield?"

  "Excuse me for asking, but are the Empire of Aegwynn or the Kingdom of Barron eternal existences on this continent since ancient times?"

  This question has stumped Ah'men'g, not because he doesn't know the answer, but because there's no way to respond. Of course, Egypt wasn't an eternal empire since ancient times, and legend has it that the first pharaoh was Osiris, created by the gods. Later, Horus, son of Osiris, became the guardian deity of the empire, and so all generations of pharaohs claimed to be the earthly incarnation of Horus. But you can't just say this directly, or else it would damage the dignity of the empire, making it easy for others to grasp for a weakness and dampen morale on the battlefield.

  "Ah, 'Men' smiled and replied: "The Empire of Aegyptus is where the gods reside, a nation illuminated by the radiant light of Horus. These are already inscribed on the pillars of the temple. As for the Kingdom of Balen, it seems that you, a warrior of Balen, do not understand. Go back and ask others."

  "Enqi didn't entangle himself with Ameng on this issue, and instead said in a thick voice that spread throughout the battlefield: "The Empire of Egu is not eternal, its territory has changed many times in history. The gods have obtained immortality, but their believers have experienced generations of life and death, using their limited lives to guard or fight for the territory of the immortal gods. Ameng, don't you think this is ridiculous?"

  A'meng's frown deepened, and this remark was not unreasonable. However, saying it on the battlefield was blasphemy against the gods. But A'meng did not rebuke Enqi, instead asking: "Is it laughable or not? Why don't you go ask Malduk?"

  Enqi finally smiled: "You can't answer my question, or you don't want to answer it, but your faith in your heart won't be shaken at all? Look at the soldiers of our two countries, shedding blood for that eternal god, and the high-ranking generals of the empire. With your position, shouldn't you take more responsibility?"

  He almost got annoyed by Enri's words, thinking to himself if this number one warrior of the mainland had a problem with his brain? Didn't he know that they themselves had killed many people? He coughed and said in an upright tone: "Enri, have you gotten something wrong? It was your army that invaded our land, the soldiers behind me are not only fighting for the glory of the gods but also protecting their homes and dignity. What exactly do you want to say with all this nonsense?"

  "Alright, then let us fight for the dignity of every individual! As a warrior, I invite you to a duel. I've heard that you single-handedly captured the King of Hatti and are known as the greatest hero on the continent. Recently, you were also appointed by Pharaoh Akhenaten as the General who guards Upper and Lower Egypt, upholds the dignity of the Empire, inherits the glory of Anru, and is renowned throughout the nations. I suppose you won't refuse my request in front of this army?"

  A'men's expression was a bit strange, he stretched out his hand and rubbed his chin, saying: "It is precisely because this is a battle between two armies that I should accept your duel request? If you stole something from my house or bullied my friends, I might be interested in dueling with you."

  A'meng muttered to himself as he spoke, thinking that Enqi was too much of a bully. Who gave him the idea of a duel? Losing face in front of the entire army, was this all Yinnana's fault? A'meng was hailed by the King of Hatti as the greatest warrior on the continent, but this was just putting him on the fire to be roasted. His skills were not bad, but dueling Enqi was no different from seeking death. In front of the two armies, he had to refuse this request, but it was inevitable that people would suspect him of being cowardly, which would damage both the morale of his soldiers and his own prestige.

  "General, listen to my terms before you refuse. Dueling always involves promises. If you accept the invitation, we will duel in front of both armies. If I lose, the Uruk army will withdraw from Egur. If you lose, you can retreat your troops back to the defense line today and resign as commander-in-chief and general, with no other conditions."