The group looked at each other, understanding who that guy was. He was the enemy leader… the only guy calling the shots there, the general only didn’t have a good head for strategy, he also could lead the charge if he had to because he was that strong.

  The group had heard about him from the captains… When that guy showed up, they suffered an utter defeat and the other three captains were captured and then executed. Liry took a deep breath while looking at the enemy one kilometer away.

  “That is our target. We have to claim his head no matter…”

  All of a sudden, the enemies began to charge toward them. Liry opened her eyes wide in surprise since she didn’t expect that the enemies would do that after last night’s defeat.

  Zelos noticed something remarkable about their enemies. They didn’t just look ready for combat; they appeared to be brimming with energy, their eyes blazing with an intensity that seemed almost supernatural. It was as if they were possessed by some relentless force.

  Zelos couldn’t help but realize that this ferocity was thanks to their general. The mere presence of this commanding figure seemed to pump the entire army to insane limits, infusing them with an unmatched zeal. The general’s aura of authority and determination was palpable, and it radiated through the ranks, inspiring each soldier to fight with unparalleled fervor.

  “I see it now… someone skilled and smart enough to lead an army of this size certainly would make people confident in winning. Perhaps they wouldn’t even fear death in the worst of cases. A leader of that caliber would make people even forget that possibility. Losing or dying weren’t options that they would consider on the battlefield… that is truly an amazing effect that someone can have.”

  Watching the enemy troops, Zelos realized the immense significance of such a leader on the battlefield. A capable general could transform an ordinary army into a formidable force capable of achieving extraordinary feats. At that moment, Zelos understood the crucial role that leadership played in warfare, and the profound impact a single individual could have on the outcome of a battle.

  “I will handle him. You guys can focus on protecting Liry.”

  Everyone looked at each other… that wasn’t time for such nonsense. They had to gang up on the enemy to make sure that they would win the battle. Someone like Zelos, who had less than two years of experience on the battlefield, wouldn’t stand a chance against an enemy that became a general, thanks to his brain and martial skills.

  Still, against an enemy like that, their best option was to snipe him from a distance… Edea could do that under normal conditions, but someone like that wouldn’t lead the charge without having confidence in dealing with that kind of risky situation. Moreover, a skilled rider wouldn’t let himself be surrounded… his underlings wouldn’t let that happen either. Liry knew all that, so she made her decision.

  “We don’t have time for talking. Zelos can handle him since, given the chance, he recovers from most types of attacks. Even if you can’t defeat him, stopping him from doing anything else will be good enough for now. We will cripple the legs of his army in the meantime.”

  Zelos nodded and then readied himself for the fight. The enemies were five hundred meters away and the captains on their side approached when they saw the enemy leader approaching as well. It was their chance to avenge their allies that were executed mercilessly.

  Still, Liry gave them the orders to move their soldiers to the sides and then attack the enemies. They couldn’t let the blood rush to their heads. They also had to follow the other part of the plan. For now, facing those raging enemies would be done by the survivors of the clans that had their leaders executed.

  Before long, the infantry and the cavalry began to charge toward the enemies as well, and Liry followed them from close behind. That was dangerous, but she was willing to go that far to study the battlefield and call her shots as fast as possible.

  “Let’s go, boy. Help me kill that guy, and you will get your largest supply of apples to this day.”

  Nightstorm grunted in excitement. At times like this, he truly showed how good he was as a battle-horse. Zelos got a bit ahead of the frontline and soon caught the eyes of the enemy general.

  The enemy general stood out amidst the enemy soldiers. He was wearing noticeably lighter armor compared to his counterparts. His attire consisted of only a few strategic red pieces of protection, primarily covering his vital areas and arms. It was clear that he had opted for speed over defense, indicating a preference for swift and nimble movements on the battlefield.

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  The general moved a glaive to the side, a weapon designed for both slashing and thrusting, perfectly suited for quick and lethal strikes. His choice of weapon suggested a focus on agility and precision rather than brute force. With his lightly armored frame and agile weapon, it was evident that he aimed to exploit his speed and mobility to outmaneuver his opponents.

  Despite the minimal armor, the general emanated an aura of confidence and competence. It was a reminder that sometimes, in the chaos of battle, finesse and agility could be just as deadly as brute strength.

  When he got close enough to hit Zelos, he trusted his blade toward his head, but Zelos blocked the attack perfectly. Still, his club felt insanely heavy, and he was slightly pushed backward. Both horses collided and then tried to push each other as well afterwards, but they were evenly matched, so soon they stopped that.

  While the enemy general was trying to push Zelos away, the infantry on both sides finally collided and one heck of a noise began to echo in the area. It was the first time that Zelos had seen or heard something like that, the sound of people crashing against one another, screaming, shouting, breaking their bones, slashing their flesh, and destroying their armor… few words could describe that, but chaos seemed the most appropriate one.

  The enemy general also ignored all that chaos and looked at Zelos with more serious eyes after pulling his glaive back. The man was clearly in his prime. He should be around thirty years old, with perfectly brown hair on his head and a shaved face that also showed his youth. He didn’t have a single scar on his face, but one could see in his eyes alone that he had taken countless lives on the battlefield.

  On the other hand, Zelos looked a bit green for the enemy… so, he decided to make quick work of him.

  The enemy suddenly raised his glaive on his side and to his shoulder’s height, and then began to proceed to attack Zelos. He opened his eyes wide when he saw a rain of thrusts approaching his head… it looked like the glaive had turned into five.

  Zelos blocked the attacks with his club since the enemy only aimed for his head and only hit the same spot over and over again, but thanks to that, he felt his arm holding the weapon slowly suffering damage as the impact passed to the rest of his body. Before long, chips of his club began to fly away in all directions.

  “I wasn’t expecting much from such a cheap weapon… but to think that a glaive could easily damage a club like this…”

  Zelos’s mounting stance began to break, but then Nightstorm moved backward a bit and gave him some room to breathe. The enemy didn’t follow soon after, probably because he could only attack like that in a firm stance. It was his trait, the ability to attack the same spot again and again with that much speed and power.

  The general’s horse moved forward to give him the chance to attack again, but when the enemy attacked, Zelos swung his club to the side, and then the weapons collided. The sound of metal clashing echoed in the area, and the impact caused the arms of both sides to begin to shake.

  The enemy recovered first since it wasn’t the first time someone tried to block his attacks like that, but soon Zelos did the same and began to swing his club vertically to block the enemy’s attacks. He endured the power of each strike, but soon, he realized that he would be in a bind, since more and more parts of the club were chipped away.

  When Zelos hesitated, the general pushed forward and then looked at Nightstorm for a moment. He adjusted his aim, and then Zelos opened his eyes widely. Zelos barely had the time to swing his club over Nightstorm’s head to protect him from the glaive that approached his face. Still, the enemy’s glaive passed by the side of his face and wounded it a bit.

  Nightstorm grunted loudly in annoyance and soon raised its front legs and then began to kick the face of the enemy’s horse. He was a pretty easy horse to annoy, after all, and an attack like that certainly did the trick to enrage him more than usual. In the end, the enemy’s mount was forced to back away.

  “Calm down, bud. I will get him from that. You have my word. No one targets my horse and lives to tell the tale.”

  Nightstorm calmed down, since Zelos sounded serious and confident. Targeting horses was a common tactic in wars like that, so Zelos’s annoyance probably was unfounded… he saw the bodies of many horses yesterday as well, after all. Horses are crucial for transportation and mobility on the battlefield. By targeting horses, armies could disrupt their enemy’s ability to maneuver, flank, or retreat, severely hampering their effectiveness in combat.

  Also, cavalry units play a significant role. Mounted soldiers are fast-moving and often provide the decisive edge in battles. Targeting their horses effectively neutralized the cavalry threat, rendering them useless in the fight. It was no wonder their cavalry had suffered a lot of damage so far, and the enemy’s general was methodical enough to aim for that even in a duel.

  The general squinted his eyes since he felt that he was wasting too much time on a single enemy… the flow of the battle was stagnated for some reason and he imagined that the cause of it was the fact that he failed to make his soldiers push forward. It was convenient to have an army that gets really pumped when you are with them, but the downside is the fact that when you don’t do well, they are less effective as well.

  In the end, the enemy grabbed his glaive with both hands and then proceeded to turn his horse to the side a little. If his thrust attacks were that heavy with a single arm, his slash attacks would be insane with both arms.