Chapter 9

Command Platform.

Huroshan had been closely watching the intense battle between the two figures in the distance. When Uleg turned from defense to offense and gained the upper hand in the blink of an eye, Huroshan couldn't help but feel regret for not being able to recruit such a brave warrior!

Uleg's final fatal strike and Nefal's desperate counterattack happened in a flash. As "Fierce Wind" transformed into a silver light and rushed toward the command platform, most of the Ossasu savages didn't react in time, but Huroshan was not among them.

In the blink of an eye, the silver light arrived. Amid everyone's shock, Huroshan took a step forward, and his strong right hand burst with an overwhelming force, directly slapping the flashing light of the assassination attempt into the sky!

"Hmph!"

Seeming to be angered by the old man's actions, Huroshan, unnoticed by the guards around him, took a spear and threw it with a deadly aim at Nefal, who was on the verge of death!

The speed of the spear was even faster than Nefal's last desperate throw. Before Nefal could react, the spear had already pierced through his body, the immense force pinning him to the nearby stone wall.

Huroshan, the commander of the most important flanking army in the Ossasu revival plan, was far from the mediocre figure one might imagine. Huroshan, who had one foot in the Eldran FerNu realm of law, possessed power known only to a few of the highest-ranking members of the Ossasu!

The pride of the Northern Grasslands' Golden Clan would not be trampled by a mere commander of a small Adriyan Kingdom military town!

Without paying attention to the aftermath, Huroshan left the command platform amidst the shocked cries of the Ossasu savages. Only Uleg, standing far away, stared intently at Huroshan's departing back.

Uleg, who had returned from training in the Hachis Great Snow Mountain, had always believed deep down that he would become the greatest warrior of the Ossasu. However, seeing the strength Huroshan, a commander he only vaguely knew, displayed in that moment of assassination, he realized how naive his thoughts were. Only those who had reached his level could understand how terrifying Huroshan's move had been!

Sighing lightly, he knew he would need to train even harder in the future. Turning his head, he looked at Nefal, who had been pinned to the stone wall by Huroshan's spear, and shook his head. What a pity to lose such an opponent.

Nefal, his chest pierced by the spear, remained motionless, his half-closed eyes gazing at the sky. With the mission unaccomplished, there was no point in dwelling on it.

When he was assigned to the battlefield from the Kingdom Military Academy, he had been full of ambition and grand words. The sky back then was as blue as it was today. Time had passed, and the young man who once had such dreams now bore the heavy responsibility of a town's military commander. All the past events had become fleeting memories, and he had ultimately died in the line of duty for his country.

Adriyan Kingdom's Toulouse Viscount, Northern Defense Line Ledan Military Town Commander Cola Yufiel Nefal, died in the Ossasu attack at the age of thirty.

...

"Go!"

On the road behind Ledan Military Town, Xialan rode his warhorse, galloping quickly in the direction where the women and children were fleeing. The town was now engulfed in flames and smoke. Despite his brief escape to safety, Xialan felt uneasy, his heart urging him to flee farther to truly be safe.

A large group of fleeing women and children, led by a few young men who had escaped from the street battles, were evacuating. However, they encountered a dispute at the fork in the road leading to the Wandering Swamp and other military towns!

Some believed that the road to other military towns was easy for the Ossasu savages to pursue, while choosing the Wandering Swamp might make the Ossasu less likely to risk a pursuit. Others argued that they must seek refuge in other military towns, and while the Ossasu might or might not pursue them, entering the dangerous Wandering Swamp would be almost certain death!

The dispute caused the fleeing group to pause. Rona, who was close to her mother, tugged at her mother's clothes and asked worriedly, "Mom, which road will we choose? How will Xialan brother find us? Should we wait for him?"

"Don't worry, my dear. Mom will figure something out," Lisa, Obur's wife, said with a forced smile, trying to reassure her daughter.

In Lisa's mind, everything was a mess. Her husband's fate was unknown, and Xialan, who had gone to find horses, was nowhere to be seen. Both sides of the argument seemed reasonable, but she was torn about which group to follow, and if she chose one, how would Xialan find them when he caught up?

Mrs. Lisa trusted and valued Xialan, but now the group mostly consisted of women and children, with only a few young men protecting them. In times of danger, they would prioritize their own families. Who would protect her and Rona? Her husband's trust in Xialan before he left had given her some peace, but she was still unsure of what to do, and could only comfort her daughter with vague answers.

"Clatter... clatter..."

The approaching sound from the distance of Ledan suddenly filled the group with fear and chaos. Everyone began to hide and flee, while the few young men gathered together, weapons in hand, watching the direction of the sound.

"Hmm? Finally caught up! But what's going on here?" Xialan, riding his warhorse, stopped and thought as he saw the chaotic group of women and children and the few tense young men.

Seeing that the sound was just a young boy, the fleeing women and children breathed a sigh of relief, but one of the young men still cautiously asked about his identity!

"I'm Xialan from the Obur family. Are Rona and Mrs. Lisa here?"

Xialan, tugging at the reins of his horse, realized there had been some misunderstanding and quickly identified himself.

"Brother! It's Xialan brother!"

Rona, who had been hiding in her mother's arms, heard the familiar voice and excitedly called out to her mother, her big eyes searching for Xialan.

Lisa, hearing Xialan's voice and her daughter's call, breathed a sigh of relief and emerged from her hiding place. Seeing Xialan on his horse, she felt reassured. Xialan had indeed kept his promise to Obur and returned with the horse to rescue her and her daughter.

Rona, seeing Xialan from a distance, broke free from her mother's embrace and ran toward him, calling out to him.

After confirming it was one of their own, the young men relaxed, but many of them couldn't help but glance at Xialan's horse, their eyes darting with thoughts of their own!

Seeing Rona running over, Xialan dismounted, took the reins, and opened his arms to catch her. Rona's voice was filled with sobs, her eyes brimming with tears as she gently pounded on Xialan.

With Mrs. Lisa's arrival, Xialan's tense nerves finally relaxed a bit.

"Mrs. Lisa, I've brought the horse as Uncle Obur instructed. You and Rona must get on the horse immediately. We need to leave and seek refuge in other military towns. I have a bad feeling that the Ossasu savages will be pursuing us!"

Xialan shared his thoughts with Mrs. Lisa, urging her and Rona to mount the horse. Despite seeing them safe, his unease persisted.

"Boy! This horse looks like the one from my uncle's stable. Did you take it during the chaos? Thank you, though!"

After Xialan helped Rona and Mrs. Lisa onto the horse, a young man suddenly appeared and loudly accused him.

"Kugo! What do you mean it looks like your uncle's horse? This is clearly my older brother's warhorse!"

"What? Isn't this my younger brother's horse?"

The young men, who had been eyeing the horse with ill intent, now jumped out to claim ownership. Xialan, seeing them approach, angrily drew his sword from the horse and pointed it at them. "All nonsense! This horse is a trophy from Uncle Obur killing an Ossasu cavalryman. Look closely! Does the horse's decoration bear the mark of the Ossasu savages?"

Pointed at by the sword, the young men didn't retreat but instead turned their weapons toward Xialan.

"I never heard of Obur having such a feat on the front lines! You're lying!"

"Right! I haven't heard of it either!"

"You're even pointing a weapon at us! We suspect you're a spy for the Ossasu savages! Hand over the horse and submit to questioning, or we won't hold back!"

"Hmph! Maybe Obur is a spy too. You and Obur must have conspired to guide the Ossasu savages to attack, causing the fall of Ledan!"

Faced with such accusations, Xialan's anger boiled. Even the fleeing women and children gathered around, their eyes filled with suspicion, making Xialan's scalp tingle.

"My father is not a bad person! Xialan brother is not a bad person! You are all bad people bullying us!" Rona, seeing the situation from the horse, cried out in panic.

Even Lisa felt the situation was dire, covering her face and sobbing. She knew that the presence of the horse had made everyone suspicious and greedy, and her husband's efforts on the front lines were now being slandered. How could she and her daughter bear this?

"I and Uncle Obur are not spies! You cowards have no right to say such things! Uncle Obur fought bravely on the front lines to protect Ledan, while you did what? Are you going to repay the families of those who fought for you by bullying and robbing them?"

Xialan, his face flushed with anger, pointed his sword at everyone and shouted. He hadn't expected such an outcome after going through so much trouble to find the horse. He had forgotten how selfish people could be in times of danger, willing to do anything to survive.

"Hmph! At least I fought on the front lines! What about you? You were protected by Obur and didn't even go to battle!"

"Right! I fought and escaped from the front lines, doing my part. What did you do? Just thinking about how to run away!"

"Brat! Hand over the horse to us! Or we'll take it by force!"

The young men's words caused a stir among the women and children, and some even began to cheer them on. Xialan, gripping his sword tightly, was almost losing his composure as the young men pressed closer.

"Clatter... clatter..."

The ground suddenly trembled slightly, and a oppressive aura spread from the distance. Everyone stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.

"The Ossasu savages are pursuing us! Run for your lives!"

Someone suddenly shouted, and the crowd fell into even greater chaos!