Amidst the storm, hailstones the size of eggs raged through the air. Count Ocasen cursed the damned weather, seeking shelter under a not-so-tall tree with his subordinates.
The attendants had already made room for Count Ocasen in the best spot. The count, looking bedraggled, hid among his close aides. Hailstones struck his armor, chipping off the gold paint, which pained Ocasen greatly. The gold paint was made by melting real gold! Restoring this set of armor would cost a considerable amount of gold.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!" Hailstones struck the shields raised by the close aides, hitting them like stone bullets. Many knights and their attendants couldn't dodge in time and were hit by the hailstones, causing dizziness and even minor injuries.
The peasant soldiers fared much worse. Many were hit on the head, bleeding profusely, with some bones broken. Some were even killed by the hailstones. The remaining peasant soldiers gathered together, seeking the protection of shields, creating a scene of wailing throughout the entire winter hunting unit.
"Damn it! How could this happen?" Count Ocasen squatted on the ground, avoiding the hailstones, and shouted at his close aide, "Why is there such a heavy hailstorm? I've stayed at Spire Palace for over ten years and never seen this before!"
"I don't know what's happening, my lord!" The close aide also felt very frustrated and loudly responded to Ocasen, "Count, the rain is heavy. Let's find shelter first!"
"We have no choice." Forced by the situation, Ocasen nodded and agreed, then shivered under the shield wall formed by his close aides, cursing the damned weather.
The wilderness around Spire Palace was almost all swamp. With the torrential rain mixed with snow and hail, the area turned into a muddy, watery expanse. Many people's bodies sank into the swamp.
At this moment, not far from the winter hunting unit, Ryan led eighty knights rapidly approaching.
Morgiana's life-based spell "Petrified Body" and the Lake Goddess's divine spell "Goddess's Favor" greatly enhanced the knights' combat power. The "Goddess's Light" and "Goddess's Mist" protected the knights from the hailstones.
Finally, the eighth-ring divine spell "Swift Cloud Gallop" allowed the knights and their warhorses to move freely in the muddy environment, advancing at full speed.
Young Sun Knight Juan Carlos, the Sun Observer, was not new to battlefield fighting, but in the storm and muddy swamp, he felt a surge of fighting spirit. His blood boiled: "Oh! Come on! I'm ready!"
"Advance! For the Lady! For Bretonnia!" Ryan charged at the forefront, forming the vanguard of the entire line: "Advance!"
Holy Grail Knight and Ryan's flag bearer, Armand, raised the flag bearing the Ryan family crest high. In the pouring rain, the flag emitted a holy light from the Lady of the Lake, dispelling all evil and protecting the knights from the rain and hail.
"Advance!!!" The eighty fully-armed knights formed a lance formation, charging towards Count Ocasen's winter hunting unit like a stormy sea!
"Charge!!!"
When the silver torrent was less than a hundred meters from the winter hunting unit, Count Ocasen realized what was happening.
"Enemy attack!"
"Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"
"Help!"
Screams echoed throughout the winter hunting unit, but how could the peasant soldiers, stuck in the swamp and battered by rain, snow, and hail, face the mass charge of knights?
Escape! Escape! Run immediately! This thought filled the minds of almost all the peasant soldiers.
In the rain, the winter hunting unit collapsed, while the knights, under the protection of holy spells, crushed everything in their path. The sounds of flesh being torn and lances piercing bodies filled the air.
The peasant infantry's resistance was torn apart like rags by the knights.
Holy Grail Knight Federmonde raised the trident of the Sea God, shouting the names of Sea God Mannan and the Lady of the Lake. With one strike, he pierced through three peasant soldiers, waves surging, and amidst their screams, they were lifted into the air.
Paladin Gerard shone with pure light, wielding sword and shield, cutting down any peasant who dared approach. In Gerard's heart, there was no mercy; he vowed to reclaim Mousilon and bring the Lady of the Lake's judgment and Landuin's glory back to this land!
"Stop them! Stop them!" Count Ocasen, covered in mud, cursed everyone as he struggled through the swamp. The freezing rain and snow seeped into his bones and soul, making him feel the bone-chilling cold.
The sound of hailstones hitting his armor continued, his helmet was askew, and the cold rain slapped his face. Ocasen's vision was almost blocked by the rain and snow. He only thought of escaping, returning to Spire Palace.
Where is my horse?
As Ocasen searched for his horse amidst the chaos, he heard the sound of hooves behind him.
Even in the rain and hail, the sound of hooves was clear.
Impossible. How could these Bretonnian knights run so fast in the muddy swamp? Ocasen turned around, and the sight made his heart race three times faster.
At the forefront, a man in silver armor, holding a thunderous Vengeance Goddess, with long black hair, had reached less than fifty meters from him! His tall purebred elf warhorse kicked one of Ocasen's close aides into the air!
Eighty knights had already penetrated the winter hunting unit. Under the divine spell, the knights' warhorses charged freely in the rainy swamp, destroying the last resistance of the close aides.
Even worse, Ocasen's turning back revealed his identity. Ryan noticed the man with the cross helmet, full plate armor, and Ocasen's heraldic cape.
That was Count Ocasen!
"Die!" In a flash, Ryan broke through the close aides' defense. Their shields couldn't stop the power of the Vengeance Goddess. The dazzling white light from Ryan illuminated the battlefield. In the rain, Ryan urged his warhorse towards Ocasen, swinging the Vengeance Goddess, splitting a close aide who tried to block him in two.
Ocasen was terrified. As a legendary warrior, it would take him at least twenty or thirty rounds to defeat a fully armed close aide, but Ryan only needed one strike!
How can I fight this? Ocasen quickened his pace, trying to escape, but the muddy swamp greatly hindered him. And how could a man outrun a horse? In just a few seconds, Ryan was upon him. The Lake God's chosen champion swiftly approached.
As long as Ocasen and his close aides were killed, Spire Palace would lose its elite and command, greatly reducing the difficulty of the attack. Ryan's face was cold. He knew Ocasen was human, but this was no reason for mercy. When force was needed, Ryan was ruthless.
After running a few more steps, Ocasen knew he couldn't escape. He swallowed hard, removed his cross helmet, and turned, raising his hands.
Count Ocasen opened his mouth, ready to surrender and reveal the truth.
He had two lines prepared.
The first: "Lord Ryan, don't strike, we're on the same side!"
The second: "I had no choice before, but now I want to be a good man!"
But as Ocasen turned, an accident occurred: "Wait…"
A hailstone, the size of an egg, fell from the sky, cutting through the cold air and pouring rain.
As Ocasen turned and opened his mouth, the hailstone struck his front teeth, breaking them. The intense pain overwhelmed him, making him clutch his mouth and bend over: "Ra…mmm mmm!"
In the rain and hail, Ryan didn't hear what Ocasen said, nor did he intend to listen. Seeing Ocasen hit by the hailstone, Ryan's Vengeance Goddess fell, piercing Ocasen's chest, a single stroke to the heart.
Aged fifty-three.
Ryan decapitated Ocasen, raising the terrified head high: "All human soldiers! Surrender immediately! Or I will burn you all in the name of the Lady!"
"Drop your weapons! Crouch with your heads down!" Federmonde, in the rain, raised his trident, with two bodies impaled on it, shouting at the battlefield: "Or die!"
The winter hunting unit, their morale shattered, had lost all will to fight. From peasants to knights, they laid down their weapons and knelt in the swamp to surrender.
The surprise attack ended in the rain. Ryan's eighty knights had only three wounded, but they had taken over a hundred heads. Many bodies were already soaking in the swamp.
Ryan held Ocasen's head in one hand, sheathed the Vengeance Goddess with the other, and took out a snowflake-shaped magical device: "It's done, Lady Aurora, Teresa. We've achieved our objective. Please inform Lady Morgiana to start crossing the river and launch the attack!"
"…Understood." Aurora's voice came through the communicator.
In the rain, Ryan shouted to the knights: "Clean the battlefield immediately! Pile the bodies and burn them!"
"Yes!" As if in response to Ryan's command, the rain and hail stopped almost simultaneously. Ten minutes later, the sky cleared, and the area around Spire Palace returned to a winter sunny day.
Seeing this, Ryan nodded silently. This was why he had Aurora handle the weather.
Only Aurora could perfectly control such a large-scale rain and hailstorm, precisely affecting the area around Spire Palace and stopping the weather change immediately when Ryan needed it.
If Teresa had done it, she could have created a blizzard or a rain and hailstorm, but she wouldn't have been able to control the range so accurately or stop it as promptly as Aurora did.
The young sorceress was still inexperienced compared to her mother in many ways, Ryan thought.
Everything was part of his plan. From Count Ocasen's departure for the winter hunt to the sudden rain and hailstorm, it was all within Ryan's calculations. He had crossed the river with his men at dawn using magic and then launched a surprise attack on the winter hunting unit, killing Count Ocasen and his elite aides.
This essentially dismantled Spire Palace's military command and most of its elite forces. Without these, the defense of Spire Palace was significantly weakened, reducing the pressure on Ryan and his army.
Holding Ocasen's head, Ryan pondered what the man had seemed to want to say before he died.
What was it? Ryan furrowed his brows.
It didn't matter. Whatever it was, it wouldn't have changed anything. Ryan knew Ocasen likely wanted to surrender or challenge him to a duel, but Ryan wouldn't have agreed to either, so what Ocasen wanted to say was irrelevant.
"Lord Ryan! Lord Ryan!" Sun Knight Juan, wearing dazzling full plate armor, ran up to Ryan, excitedly kneeling on one knee and presenting his trophies, two still-bleeding heads: "These are my spoils! Please inspect them!"
The blood on Juan had mostly been washed away by the rain. The young duke's son from Magritte showed no reluctance in killing. Instead, he seemed proud, holding the heads of two of Ocasen's aides as he sought recognition from Ryan.
Ryan found it somewhat amusing and poignant. In this world, mercy was a luxury. Even in peaceful Estalia, nobles still prided themselves on their martial prowess. For Juan to become a full-fledged Sun Knight, his hands must have been stained with the blood of countless bandits, beasts, and greenskins.
"You did well, Juan." Ryan nodded. "This is your military merit, but it's not time for rewards yet. This surprise attack is just the beginning."
"I understand, Lord Ryan. We're about to attack Spire Palace!" Juan shouted excitedly. "I'll show you my valor! When do we depart?"
"We wait for Lady Morgiana to lead the army across the river and join us," Ryan said calmly. "We must complete the battle before Mousilon can react."
"Yes, sir!"
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