Gulp.

Madrica was a strong knight. He was a little talkative and arrogant, but he had the skills to back his attitude up. In the first place, it was impossible for just anyone to be recognized as a powerhouse and a representative knight of a large city like Maren.

However, even for someone like Madrica, it would be the first time he would face a force consisting of almost three hundred cavalries. Such a large group of horsemen could only be seen in real wars, and although Madrica had experience with small-scale territorial disputes, he had never experienced a real war. Unfortunately, the same was true for the knights accompanying Eugene.

“That’s ridiculous…”

“But given the variety of their equipment, they don’t look like a formal knight order, do they?”

“Their armor isn’t uniform either, and their formation is a mess.”

“Did they bring a group of mercenaries here?”

However, although the group of knights had no experience in war, they were authentic knights with excellent skills and extensive combat experience. As such, they accurately grasped the characteristics of their opponents. And as they spoke, a similar thought came into their minds.

‘Is this worth a try?’

The cavalry could be considered the strongest force on a flat piece of land with no obstacles. Infantry was no match for cavalry in terms of mobility and pure destructive power.

In addition, it was common sense that a larger group of troops usually had a huge advantage in a battle between cavalries. However, it was based on the premise that the armament and skills of both parties were perfectly equivalent.

Eugene’s knights were outnumbered 50 to 300, but their opponents weren’t real knights but mercenaries on horseback. Moreover, while the allied knights were armed with plate mail or plate armor, most of the enemies had either leather armor or chainmail. Very few of the opponents carried lances, which were considered essential for knights. Instead, most of them only held swords and shields.

In other words, although it was possible that the enemy held the advantage in terms of mobility due to their lighter load, they couldn’t match the allied troops in terms of offense and defense.

“This could be worth a try as long as we remain cautious and ensure we don’t get surrounded.”

“Hmm. Judging from their haphazard formation, I don’t think there’s any need to worry about any organized movements from them.”

The knights quickly overcame their shock from coming to face an enemy force six times larger than their own. They began to calmly analyze and devise tactics that would likely be effective against the enemy. Such were knights with professional military training honed and sharpened through countless exercises and battles.

“Sirs, mobility seems to be the key.”

“No, there’s no need to worry about that,” Eugene interrupted one of the knights. The knights turned their eyes toward Eugene.

Eugene observed the fast approaching enemy, then spoke after turning to Princess Lilisain, “Princess. How far have they been chasing after you?”

“They should have covered about three kilometers by now,” Princess Lilisain responded.

“Have they been maintaining their pace the entire time?” Eugene asked.

“Yes, Your Excellency,” Princess Lilisain answered.

Eugene turned to the knights. “The horses of the princess and the elven knights are of an Eland descent. They are famous steeds famous for having great endurance. That is why their horses aren’t exhausted yet.”

Ooohhh…!

The knights exclaimed upon grasping the deeper meaning contained in Eugene’s words.

Eugene continued, “That’s right. The enemy’s horses are already worn out. No matter how light their armor is, horses can’t maintain that pace for a long time. Princess Lilisain, you did a great job.”

“I am deeply touched. I will continue to work hard to be someone suitable to stand by your side, Your Excellency,” Princess Lilisain responded. Her shoulders heaved, and her face turned red after hearing Eugene’s compliment, but she bowed humbly.

“Then should we charge at them right away, Sir Eugene?” one of the knights asked. The knights were burning with the desire to destroy the enemy.

Eugene shook his head. “No, we will commence our charge later.”

“Hmm? Why is that?” The knight asked.

“Our purpose isn’t to defeat the enemy,” Eugene answers.

“…Huh?” The knights appeared quite confused by Eugene’s mysterious answer. Eugene removed his gaze from the knights and turned toward the enemy cavalry. They were now less than three hundred meters from Eugene.

Eugene spoke while arousing his Fear, “We will annihilate them. Don’t let a single one of them get away. Kill them all. And to do that, we have to make it impossible for them to escape.”

Oooohhh!!!

The knights shouted with fervor at Eugene’s bold declaration.

“Everyone, ready your bows. Reverse wedge formation,” Eugene declared. Mercenaries were usually trained in one or two weapons. However, knights had learned to utilize all sorts of weapons from an early age, and in particular, mastering the spear, the bow, and the sword was a must for knights. Hunting was one of the virtues of being a noble, and it was a great honor for knights to participate in hunting competitions held by lords. As such, the knights accompanying Eugene were masters of archery. Moreover, they weren’t just archers but knights. They could handle the bow while riding on horses.

“Hooh?” The knights expressed curiosity after taking out their own longbows when they saw the bows of Princess Lilisain and the elven knights. The bows of the elven knights were only half the size of ordinary longbows. Their weapon was known as the horn bow, which was a special type of bow crafted by elves using the horns of buffalos native to Eland.

“Your Excellency, should we fire?” Princess Lilisain asked.

“Hmm? Can you reach that distance from here?” Eugene asked.

“It’s possible with the horn bow. They are within the effective range,” Princess Lilisain answered. The knights could not hide their surprise after hearing Princess Lilisain’s affirmation. If her words were true, didn’t that mean that the range of the horn bow was almost twice as long as a regular longbow?

“Then fire at will. Sirs! Move out!” Eugene declared.

Ooooh!!!

The knights began to move after creating the reverse wedge formation centered around Eugene.

***

“Those bastards are running away!”

“Cowards!”

Jenas and the Ashen Knights rode their horse vigorously after spotting Eugene and his knights a while ago. They thought that the enemies were retreating.

‘Hehe! Jan Eugene, you’re not a big deal after all! If I get him, the entirety of Maren will belong to me!’

Moreover, he would torture and play with the elf bitch in every way imaginable before killing her.

‘Five minutes? No, three minutes are enough!’

The horses were quite tired now, but Jenas didn’t pay them any attention. As long as he held the overwhelming advantage in numbers, the situation wouldn’t last more than a few minutes.

“What?” Jenas muttered.

Some of the fleeing enemy knights suddenly displayed strange behaviors. They released the reins of their horses and completely turned around on their saddle.

“Ha! Have they gone mad!?” Jenas scoffed at the ridiculous sight. It was definitely a great feat, but why would they perform such a crazy act in a situation like this?

“…?!”

However, Jenas became wide-eyed as soon as he saw the five or six figures aiming their bows, which were much smaller than regular longbows, in his direction.

Those long-eared bastards? There was no way they would shoot when we were so far...

But they did!

“Kuagh!”

“Agh!"

Some of his subordinates were thrown off their horses as the arrows pierced their necks and foreheads.

‘Dammit! Even so, there are only a few of them. If we keep chasing… Huh?!’

Jenas clenched his teeth with frustration, then became greatly surprised. The arrows continued to fly without rest, and five or six people fell on or from their saddles with each shot. It was truly an unbelievable display of bowmanship.

Tututututu!

The horses of their colleagues trampled on those who were thrown off their steeds. Their bodies were flattened before they could even scream.

“Dammit!” Jenas realized the severity of the situation when dozens of his men died in the blink of an eye.

“Speed up! Get those fucking bastards and kill them!” Jenas furiously exclaimed. The members of the Ashen Knights, who were already extremely agitated, beat the reins of their horses even harder, but the animals were already at their limits. It was impossible for the horses to obey the will of their owners.

The distance between the pursuers and the runners couldn’t decrease anymore, and the chase continued with about a distance of one hundred meters between the two groups. No, technically, it could no longer be called a chase. The ones being chased after were much too relaxed, and the victims of their arrows continued to pile up. Meanwhile, the Ashen Knights were doing nothing but chasing. Moreover, there were almost three hundred targets for Eugene and his knights. Even if they weren’t keen on focusing on specific targets, they could still hit either a horse or a human as long as they fired.

In the end, the pursuers gradually slowed, and the horses without owners and those that couldn’t continue anymore came to a sudden halt. The phenomenon quickly led to a situation similar to an avalanche.

“M-move!”

“Keep going! Don’t block the way! You fucking… Uagh?!”

The majority of the Ashen Knights were former mercenaries. They were ignorant troops who had never received tactical training regarding horseback formations. As such, it was impossible for them to cope with unexpected situations in a large-scale battle between cavalries.

The tired, halted horses further disrupted their haphazard formation. At first, they chased after the enemy in three large units, but now, they were tangled and torn into dozens of different groups. To make matters worse, rain began to fall from the dark skies, lowering visibility.

“Sir Eugene! It’s raining! This will make it harder to move!” Madrica shouted loudly in a voice full of regret. The worst situation for cavalry was rain. The water turned the ground into a slippery mess, making it hard to travel and fight on horseback. The same would be true for the opponents, but the most rational thing to do was to retreat. As such, Eugene’s knights felt regretful.

‘This is quite unfortunate...’

However, Eugene had a different idea...

“Mirian, it’s your turn,” Eugene stated.

“Kihehehehe! Oi, oi! Sir, I was waiting!” Mirian arrogantly laughed as she released Silion’s mane and flew into the air.

“Ta-dah! Showtime!” Mirian exclaimed.

“Huh!?” The knights were surprised when a fist-sized lump of light suddenly appeared in front of Eugene. Princess Lilisain and the elves had always been capable of seeing the spirit, so they weren’t surprised. Rather, they stared at Eugene with expectant gazes.

“Haha! Is it time for I, Neo King God Revolution Mirian Mark Two, to step up?” Mirian declared haughtily.

“There is a saying that only extinct spirits are good spirits,” Eugene said with a fierce gaze.

“L-living spirits are good too!” the spirit stuttered, then shot forward like a beam of light as if nothing had happened. She stopped in front of a small group of enemies.

“Mirian Kieeeeeeyyyaaahhhk!” The name of the skill she exclaimed was incomprehensible. The rain clumped before pouring down on the enemies’ heads, and she continued, “Mirian kick! Kick! Kick! Mirian punch! Mirian tornado! Kihehehe! Kiyehehehehehe!”

After evolving to acquire a new pair of wings, Mirian had become faster than before. She zoomed through the battlefield while shouting in a crazed voice. Of course, there was absolutely no kicking, punching, or a gust of wind. Rather, large chunks of water continued to sweep over the enemies. However, the balls of water weren’t just effective at confusing and drenching the enemies.

“Mirian! Water Parrrrrkk!”

Rumbleee!

A scene befitting Mirian’s skill name finally unfolded alongside her flippant shouting. A large amount of collected rainwater had transformed into a torrent, sweeping away the enemies. Unfortunately, it wasn’t sufficient to topple over the horses or to deal a major blow to the troops. However, the water gathered around the enemy troops was dozens of times larger than in other areas, creating a huge patch of mud beneath their feet.

“D-damn it!”

“That little ghost!”

“An evil spirit! It’s an evil spirit of water!”

The troops howled and screamed as they fell into the depths of the slippery mud. It was as if the ground had transformed into a swamp.

Eugene turned to his knights. They were simply watching the unbelievable sight unfold with shocked expressions. Eugene exclaimed, “What are you all doing? This is your chance!”

“…!” The knights finally came to their senses, and they hurriedly grasped the opportunity.

Uwoooooo!!!

They shouted valiantly before firing their arrows at the immobilized enemies. The allied knights had been at an advantage even before Mirian’s display befitting her identity as a water spirit. But now, they were like fish in water. All they had to do was simply fire their arrows from a distance while circling around the mud, and dozens fell from their arrows.

“Get off your horses! You fucking morons!” Jenas belatedly shouted while pulling out his sword. Quite a few troops followed his orders and dismounted their horses before running after him.

However…

Kwaaaaaaaa!

A crimson stream spread like a wave through the rain.

“Huak?!”

“Ugggh!”

Their bodies stiffened like stone statues thanks to an Origin’s Fear.

“…!”

The eyes of Jenas and his knights filled with shock. They were like fish in a net, unable to move despite their struggles. A black knight was rushing toward them, carrying with him crimson energy that fluttered behind him like a bat's wings.

“Kill them all…” Eugene muttered in an indifferent voice as he threw Madarazika with all of his strength.

Kyaaaaaahhh!

The demonic spear shot forward with a cry of joy at the expected slaughter. It was completely covered by a crimson Fear as it pierced the rain and headed straight for Jenas’ helmet.

Translator’s thoughts: At this rate, it almost feels like Mirian’s slowly becoming Eugene’s guardian deity lmao. Or rather, should I say Neo King God Revolution Mirian Mark Two?