Chapter 132: Decisive Battle
"What are they doing?" Casper asked as he noticed a few people from the enemy side running toward the flank.
"Are they scheming something?" Joe furrowed his brows as he unsheathed his sword.
"We've got the massive advantage. Let's get them, boys!" Casper bellowed and raised his weapon.
All fifty well-armed men raised their weapons immediately and started running toward the enemy.
The distance soon reduced to 300 meters as Casper's men roared excitedly.
But all of a sudden, a whistling sound came from the left flank.
In the next instant, an arrow coated with a yellowish aura flew from their right side and landed directly on a blonde-haired man's neck, killing him instantly!
"Run faster! The archers can't aim if we run fast enough!" Casper shouted and took a rifle from his back.
"Use your rifles once I give the order!" Almost one-third of his men drew their rifles from their backs and continued running.
As they reached around 200 meters, Casper issued another order.
"Slow down!"
"Marksmen, position!"
"Aim for their horses!" Casper knew that normal rifles wouldn't kill a Walker easily and decided to kill their mounts first.
Upon hearing his order, their speed suddenly decreased as the men running in front aimed their rifles at the Cavalry Vanguard Squad.
Within a second, Casper noticed that the enemy's vanguard squad had already reached 180 meters.
"Fire!" Casper bellowed.
BANG! BANG! BANG!...
Gunshots echoed through the land as smoke billowed from the muzzles.
But a strange scene unfolded just as the bullets were about to pierce the enemy horses.
Suddenly, an invisible, dome-like shield covered the vanguard squad and blocked all the bullets effortlessly!
"W-What?" Even Casper was startled and sensed something had gone wrong.
"No good!"
He heard screams from behind before he could give the next order.
Turning around in confusion, he soon noticed more than a dozen of his men lying on the ground. Some were already dead with arrows embedded in their necks or heads, while a few were severely injured.
"Prepare for close combat!" He instantly gave another order and looked at the vanguard squad, which had already reached a distance of 100 meters.
At the same time, the sword in his hand began to emit a reddish aura.
"Damn it! These archers are annoying." He noticed yellowish aura-coated arrows flying in from both sides, injuring his men every few seconds!
"Kevin, Gerald, take a few men to the flanks and kill the archers!" Casper shouted, noticing the rising casualties on his side.
"Yes, Boss."
Kevin and Gerald nodded and dashed toward the flanks with five men on each side, their boots pounding the earth as they moved across the uneven terrain to reach the archers. As Kevin's team moved to the right, a burst of wind exploded, throwing dust and soil into the air.
"Wind Bind!" Memphis shouted from the right, his hand glowing as vines of compressed air lashed out like whips, wrapping around two of the charging men and slamming them to the ground.
"Don't worry about them. Let's go and kill the archers first!" Kevin didn't even glance at the two fallen men and continued running.
At the same time, a chilling mist surged in from the left.
"Ice Shards!"
Shards of glimmering ice burst from Miley's hand, piercing through two more enemies attempting to flank the left side. Screams echoed, and blood painted the ground.
A trace of panic appeared among Casper's men.
"Wizards?!"
"Leader! You didn't say there'd be Wizards in this battle!" a veteran man with a pencil mustache cried as he ran alongside Casper.
"Hold your ground, damn it!" Casper roared, raising his sword as the reddish aura blazed like fire.
"Found the enemy commander!" Ronald's eyes gleamed as he identified the enemy commander and shouted instantly.
"Sir Jacob!"
"I'll take care of him." A cold voice echoed from Jacob as he took his rifle and aimed at Casper through a gap.
By now, the vanguard team had already reached an 80-meter distance.
"Split," Ronald ordered.
In the next instant, Quincy and the others rode their horses to the side, creating an open path. Lorelai, Brynn, and Quincy moved to the right while Albert and Alexis moved to the left, forming a wide enough gap for Jacob to focus on his target.
"Perfect." He smiled.
He gripped the weapon with both hands to minimize recoil, tightened his hold, and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
A powerful sonic boom burst from the muzzle as the shockwave spread in all directions.
In the next moment, a powerful bullet ray shot from the center of the vanguard squad blasted through the 'Windshield' spell and reached Casper in a blink.
The bullet traveled at hypersonic speed, ripping through the air.
Casper sensed the incoming danger at that moment thanks to his spirit power.
Goosebumps prickled his skin as danger closed in.
He instantly moved his aura-coated sword and tried to block it.
As the sword and bullet collided, a thunderous clang erupted—louder than any previous gunshot.
Clang!!
Sparks exploded in all directions as Casper's aura-clad blade met the hypersonic bullet. The impact forced Casper back several steps, his boots digging into the ground as a shockwave burst from the point of contact. His arm went numb from the impact, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"Gah!" he gritted his teeth and spat on the ground, glaring toward the shot's origin.
But another whistling sound cut through the air before he could catch his breath.
BANG!
Jacob fired a second time. This bullet, tinged with a faint bluish glow, wasn't aimed directly at Casper, but at the ground in front of him.
BOOM!
A minor explosion erupted, creating a thick smokescreen and debris cloud that scattered Casper's formation and further disoriented his men.
"Aether Weapon!!!"
"RUN!" "Take cover!"
Panic spread among the enemies.
"What are your orders, Captain? They're breaking our morale!" Joe shouted from behind, coughing as dust filled the air.
At the same time, Miley raised his hand and cast spells like [Frost Pulse], [Ice Shards], and [Freezing Gust] at the enemy.
Memphis also cast the [Fire Orb] spell and hurled it at the disorganized foes.
Miley's frost spells spread first and restricted enemy movement, while Memphis's [Fire Orb] exploded in their midst, setting large swaths ablaze.
Before Casper and his men could reorganize, the cavalry arrived.
With a unified battle cry, Quincy's vanguard squad—Lorelai, Brynn, Albert, and Alexis—charged with incredible speed, their spears gleaming under the cloudy sky. The horses barreled forward like a crashing wave, the earth trembling beneath them.
"Formation M!" Quincy shouted.
The spearmen aligned in a wedge formation and smashed into Casper's disorganized front line like a hammer striking a rotting shield.
The impact launched bodies into the air. Spear tips skewered armor and flesh alike, while warhorses trampled over anyone.
"Kill them all!" Ronald's voice rang from the rear as he charged with Rebecca riding beside him.
Rebecca raised her hand, conjured multiple thin needles with the [Shade Needles] spell, and sent them hurtling toward the enemies.
Quincy and the others were ruthless, trampling enemy soldiers and striking down foes with precise and powerful spear and sword attacks.
Even beginner Radiant Walkers were flung away with ease.
Small fries stood no chance—they were slaughtered mercilessly.
From the flanks, more arrows rained down. Felicity's eyes narrowed as she loosed arrow after arrow, each coated in a yellow elemental aura.
Fiona also fired arrows from the other side, further reducing the enemy's numbers.
Meanwhile, Kevin and Gerald, who had set out to kill Fiona and Felicity, were now being tied down by Alexis, Augustus, Westin, and Scott!
They were quickly overwhelmed—every one of those young knights was a Radiant Walker!
Meanwhile, Casper clashed with Quincy, wielding his red aura-coated sword.
Casper was far stronger than she was in terms of raw strength and skill.
He could overpower and kill her in seconds.
After all, he was an Expert Rank, while she was a peak Radiant Rank.
But the true threat wasn't her—the bald man sitting a few meters ahead on horseback, holding a rifle.
Casper knew that even the slightest distraction could cost him his head.
'That damned Aether Weapon!' He had always scoffed at those who relied on Aether artifacts and had criticized them. He felt it wasn't worth the cost.
Now, he realized how wrong he'd been.
As he battled physically and mentally, another threat emerged.
A young man in a blue robe suddenly appeared behind him like a flash of lightning and raised his hand.
"Bolt!"
A bolt of electricity shot from his hand and struck Casper's back, paralyzing him momentarily.
'Ambush!'
Casper's hair stood on end.
'I'm going to die!' Relying on instinct, he jumped and used the last of his energy to regain control of his paralyzed body.
BANG!
At the same time, a gunshot echoed across the battlefield. A moment later, a bloody hole appeared in his abdomen.
In truth, Jacob had aimed for Casper's chest, but his sudden leap had saved his life.
'F*ck!'*
Blood gushed from his stomach and splattered everywhere.
Casper gritted his teeth and swung powerfully, pushing Quincy back. The blow sent shockwaves in all directions. Her spear bent slightly under the force, but she parried and rolled aside, quickly repositioning.
Meanwhile, Casper's eyes turned bloodshot as he swung his weapon with rage.
"I need to stay focused," Quincy whispered, sensing the lethal pressure behind Casper—Jacob's hawk-like gaze, waiting for the perfect moment.
Casper spun toward Quincy again but didn't go for the kill this time.
His instincts screamed louder than ever.
'He's waiting… That damn bald sniper… But the way he moves, he's not physically strong.' Casper also noticed the enemy Wizards were only casting Rank-1 spells.
'Are they all apprentice Wizards? And the shield is gone.' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.
"Joe, kill him with everything you've got!" Casper roared.
Joe responded instantly, raising his spear, coating it with a yellowish aura, and throwing it at Jacob with full force.
In truth, Joe was gambling, sacrificing his weapon to take down the enemy ace.
"Block it!" Robert, quietly observing Joe's actions, gave the order.
"Yes," Rebecca whispered as she raised her hand, pointed her finger at Jacob, and cast the [Umbral Shield] spell.
A semi-transparent, black, dome-like structure covered Jacob and blocked the spear as if it were nothing, before disappearing like it had never existed.
"I was waiting for this moment," Jacob muttered, turning his scope to the left, towards Joe.
BANG!
A moment later, a bloody hole appeared on Joe's forehead as he staggered back and fell with a thud.
"NO!!!"
Casper's face twisted in horror.
"We're losing too fast," he muttered under his breath as he noticed more than thirty of his men either dead or dying. The remaining ones were scattered, surrounded, or picked off by spells and arrows.
It was a bloodbath.
"[Shadow Chains]!" Rebecca's voice rang out, and ghostly chains surged from the ground, wrapping around Casper.
Casper tried to swing his sword to cut the chains, but couldn't.
Meanwhile, Jacob whipped the warhorse and moved closer to Casper, pointing the rifle at him.
"Surrender now," he said coldly.
The surviving members panicked and began to scatter.
"Don't let them escape!" Ronald shouted. "We can't allow them to regroup!"
Meanwhile, Fiona's and Felicity's groups came from the flanks and encircled the enemies from all sides.
"I'll kill you all!" Casper seethed in anger.
"We'll take care of these guys. Quincy, you and the rest go help our young Lord," Jacob said as he pulled the trigger.
BANG!
A bloody hole appeared on Casper's forehead as he fell, eyes wide open.
"Roger!" Quincy nodded and hurriedly led the vanguard toward the town entrance.
…