Chapter 71

Amidst the chaos of the army collapsing, Marius and his men stood firm, maintaining their formation and shouting provocations. Naturally, this drew the attention of the Zoan who were pursuing the fleeing soldiers. The Zoan quickly exchanged glances and turned their fangs towards Marius and his men.

"Scatter the humans!"

The Zoan, running on all fours, charged at Marius and his men with roars.

"Lower your stances! Hold your shields firmly, or you'll be blown away!"

Borgus, holding a large shield in front of him, crouched down and pulled his right foot back to brace for the impact. In the next moment, a tremendous sound of iron and flesh colliding echoed.

The Zoan warriors, aiming to knock the soldiers and their shields back, rammed into them with their shoulders. The force was so great that the soldiers, despite their firm footing, were pushed back, scraping the ground with their feet. The Zoan then dragged out the soldiers hiding behind the shields and tried to slash their throats with their hooked claws and machetes, scraping the surface of the shields.

Just when it seemed the shield wall would be breached, Marius shouted.

"Is this all the resolve you have?! Hold your ground!"

"Ou!!"

The soldiers, with renewed determination, exerted even more strength. The shield wall, which had been pushed back by the Zoan, suddenly became immovable.

"Push back!"

With Marius's command, the soldiers holding shields pushed back the Zoan in unison. The unexpected counterattack sent the Zoan warriors flying backward, staggering.

"Charge!!"

As the Zoan warriors stumbled, the pikemen who had been waiting in the rear of the heavy infantry charged forward, thrusting their spears. The Zoan, unable to maintain their balance, were unable to avoid the spears, resulting in many casualties.

"Clear the path!"

The soldiers' formation parted, and Marius, mounted on his horse, leaped forward.

In various movies and novels, one often sees scenes where mounted knights or generals scatter foot soldiers. Some might think that knocking the mounted knight off their horse with a long weapon like a spear would be a good strategy.

However, consider this: the horses of that era, even if smaller than modern horses, still weighed a considerable amount. Add to that the various horse trappings and armor, and a fully armed human rider, and the total weight would be comparable to a light truck. When such a mass charges at 50 km/h, the impact is overwhelming. The hooves pound the ground, and the horse's body moves up and down, creating a force that surpasses modern imagination. Only the most resolute could stand against such a charge.

Indeed, even the Zoan warriors could only flee before Marius on his horse.

Among them, Marius targeted the strongest-looking Zoan and threw a javelin at him. The javelin, hitting its mark, pierced the Zoan's chest, dealing a fatal wound.

Marius then rode his horse in a wide arc, causing chaos among the Zoan before returning to the soldiers. The Zoan, trying to chase Marius and charge into the soldiers, were forced to stop in their tracks as the soldiers once again formed a shield wall.

"Javelin!"

In response to Marius's call, Borgus threw a javelin, which Marius caught and raised towards the sky.

"Come on, Zoan, if you want to die!"

The soldiers, following Marius's lead, clashed their weapons and shields, intimidating the Zoan. The Zoan, who had thought they could easily scatter the small force, were taken aback by the unexpected counterattack and provocation.

One of the Zoan warriors, stepping back, was bumped from behind. The warrior, upon seeing who had bumped him, began to tremble.

"Ho, there are warriors among the humans."

It was the red-haired giant, Zugg.

Ignoring the warrior who had bumped into him, Zugg fixed his gaze on Marius on his horse, a fierce smile spreading across his face.

"Let me handle this myself. —Clear the path."

As Zugg pushed through the warriors with his thick, log-like arms, he sensed a presence rapidly approaching from behind. Just as he was about to turn around, a sudden impact was applied to his shoulder.

"Zugg, I'll borrow your shoulder."

"Ou?!"

Zugg, using his shoulder as a stepping stone, leaped over the lined-up warriors, spun in mid-air, and landed. As he stood up, he took a deep breath and released it in a loud voice.

"I am Garam, son of Garguz, of the Fang Clan, one of the twelve Zoan tribes. I am the chieftain of the Fang Clan and the Great Chieftain of the Zoan tribal alliance!"

Garam's declaration echoed like thunder across the battlefield. The Zoan warriors, recognizing the name of the hero of the Solbiant Plain and the leader of all the Zoan tribes present, cheered.

"Unfair, Garam!"

Zugg, alone among them, stomped his feet in frustration.

"Ah! The Great Chieftain of the Zoan!"

Marius, impressed by Garam's dignified declaration, immediately spurred his horse forward and responded.

"I am Marius Mesis! Great Chieftain of the Zoan, let us fight!"

With that, he spurred his horse towards Garam, who also charged on all fours.

A one-on-one duel is the flower of the battlefield. Everyone present held their breath, watching the outcome of the battle.

As Marius rode his horse, he considered how the Zoan, who had declared himself the Great Chieftain, would move. From the agility he had shown in leaping over the lined-up Zoan, it was clear that Garam was not just a nominal leader. Against such a warrior, simply throwing a javelin from a distance would be easily dodged. He needed to close the distance before throwing the javelin.

However, Garam also wanted to close the distance. Without a bow or long weapon, the Zoan would need to knock Marius off his horse. This would require dodging the thrown javelin, circling around to the side, and then using his leaping ability to grapple with Marius and knock him off the horse.

Thus, the decisive moment would be when they passed each other.

"Well, which side will you come from?!"

Marius slightly lowered his gaze and looked at the javelin in his hand. He held the javelin in his right hand, so Garam would likely try to pass on the left side, where the horse's head would obstruct the throw.

That's what he would normally think. But Marius reconsidered. A Zoan who called himself the Great Chieftain would likely defy expectations and leap straight over the horse from the front.

That was his intuition. And as expected, Garam's body, which had been charging straight, bent like a drawn bow and then launched into the air, aiming for Marius.

Marius was confident of victory. The Zoan, likely overwhelmed by the approaching horse, had leaped too early. This would leave him hanging in the air for too long, making him an easy target for the javelin.

Marius was about to throw the javelin at Garam in mid-air. However, Garam's left hand moved faster, and a silver trail shot out, a machete flying towards Marius's throat.

Marius tried to twist his body to avoid the machete but was unable to do so completely. The machete deeply pierced his right shoulder, and the searing pain, combined with the twist, caused his thrown javelin to miss its mark and land uselessly in the ground.

Seeing Garam leap towards him, Marius, fearing he would be grappled and thrown to the ground, deliberately threw himself off the horse and kicked Garam's chest with his raised right foot.

Rolling off the horse, Marius protected his head with his arms and tumbled on the ground. Although he was fortunate not to be kicked by the horse, his body ached all over.

Suppressing the urge to sit and cry, Marius used his sword as a cane to stand up. Garam, who had already regained his footing, charged at him, his upper body parallel to the ground.

Despite falling from a height and being kicked, Garam showed no signs of being affected, and Marius was taken aback by his momentum.

"You monster!"

As he pulled his sword from the ground, Marius threw the dirt he had dug up with the blade at Garam. Garam, dodging the dirt by stepping to the side, was caught off guard by Marius's overhead slash. Garam blocked it with his machete, held in reverse grip.

Deciding this was his last chance, Marius pressed down on Garam, trying to overpower him with his weight. Garam, in a disadvantageous position, struggled to counter.

With their blades locked and their breaths mingling, Marius and Garam glared at each other. Suddenly, Garam lowered his body slightly. Marius, suddenly losing the support he was leaning on, lost his balance for a moment.

In that moment, Garam's left arm extended. It reached the machete still embedded in Marius's shoulder, which Garam pulled out and immediately thrust towards Marius's throat.

And blood splattered.

"Darius... Sir...!"

Those were Marius's last words. Collapsing to the ground, he never rose again.

As Garam raised his arm, the soldiers let out a disappointed murmur, while the Zoan erupted in cheers. Garam, holding the blood-soaked machete, pointed it at the shaken soldiers.

"Eliminate the remaining enemies!"

With that, the Zoan, inspired by Garam's bravery, charged at the soldiers with a roar. The soldiers, already outnumbered and shaken by Marius's death, had their shield wall easily broken.

Once broken, the shield wall was fragile. The soldiers were quickly overwhelmed by the charging Zoan.

Still, not a single soldier fled or surrendered. They fought bravely to the last man, falling one by one.

Among them, Borgus was slain by Zugg.

Zugg, known alongside Garam, exchanged several blows with the seasoned soldier Borgus. However, Zugg's fierce attacks, fueled by his frustration at Garam's earlier show, soon knocked Borgus's sword away, and he was slain with a slash to the throat.

Zugg, thinking the battle was over, was taken aback when the seemingly dead Borgus let out a silent roar and tried to grapple him. But Zugg quickly reacted, dodging the grappling arm.

Borgus, his hand reaching for nothing, fell to the ground and died.

Zugg, about to move forward to find his next opponent, stopped when he felt his waist being pulled back. Looking down, he saw Borgus's fingers caught in his waistband. Whether this was due to a miscalculated distance or Borgus's final determination, it was unclear.

Regardless, Zugg stopped and frowned.

"Chieftain? What's wrong?"

A concerned warrior asked Zugg, who was not moving. Zugg waved his hand, dismissing the concern, and sent the warrior to pursue the enemy.

Still standing there, Zugg finally moved when Borgus's fingers slipped off his waistband due to the weight of his arm.

"I've done my part."

With that, Zugg, on all fours, resumed the pursuit.

◆◇◆◇◆

Hearing the cheers of the Zoan from a distance, Darius lowered his head slightly, bit his lower lip, and pressed his temples. Concerned, a guard asked him, and Darius, extending his right arm, spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Give me a bow..."

Taking the bow from the guard, Darius stood on the running chariot, drew an arrow, and pulled it back. Before the guard could say anything, the arrow was released with a whistling sound.

The arrow perfectly pierced the neck of Miltas, who was clinging to the litter carried by slaves. Miltas, his face frozen in shock, fell from the litter as the slaves, seizing the opportunity, dropped the litter and fled.

Darius, glancing at Miltas's body, which was trampled by the following soldiers, spat out the words.

"Fall to Genovanda and apologize to Marius and the others. You swine!"

However, the grief of losing the young man he had recognized as his successor and the many soldiers who had fought alongside him in numerous battles was not so easily healed by the death of a corrupt priest.

Thus, thanks to the sacrifices of Marius and Borgus, Darius managed to escape to the rear. He then gathered the scattered soldiers, reformed their ranks, and dealt a heavy blow to the Zoan who had pursued them. Afterward, Darius, deterring the Zoan who were struggling to advance, crossed the river and burned the bridge to prevent further pursuit, finally retreating to the city of Luoma.

It is said that about 3,000 soldiers safely reached Luoma with Darius. This was a devastating defeat, with more than half of the 7,000-strong army lost. However, what pained Darius even more was the loss of many of the excellent officers he had nurtured.

As a result, Darius's support base in the Holmea army rapidly disintegrated.

The Battle of Bornis had finally come to an end. However, it was only the beginning.

The name of the blue horse, who had defeated the great general Darius, spread not only to the neighboring countries but also to the central continent, along with the title "Child of Destruction."

The legend of the "Child of Destruction" was about to begin.

Next Chapter: "Battle 11 - The Beginning of the Legend"