Cornflower Witch

Chapter 264 The Battle of Night
Soldiers carrying torches hurried through the forest, quickly traversing grass and bushes to clear a path for the army behind them. The torchlight flickered through the woods at night, illuminating everything in sight.

As Antiy's soldiers stepped into a grove of trees, a rapid twang of bowstrings filled the air, followed by the sound of arrows striking and soldiers falling to the ground.

"Raise your shields and defend!"

A skilled knight galloped through the woods, shouting loudly. Then, a pale white light spread out from beneath his feet, enveloping the surrounding soldiers.

The 'castle' aspect, the school of monarchy, and phantom images resembling chess pieces appear above the soldiers' heads. This is a temporary blessing bestowed upon the soldiers by the knights, allowing them to temporarily elevate their rank in preparation for the upcoming battle.

When the second wave of arrows attacked, they were first blocked by the pale white curtain, which greatly reduced their speed. Then they were blocked by the shields raised by the soldiers, making a crisp impact sound before falling. Even if a few unfortunate soldiers were hit, they were only slightly pierced and did not cause any serious harm.

Seeing this, Antioch's elite troops were greatly encouraged and once again sped up their charge toward their target location.

Those who supported Prince Jobs in the Three-Forked Forest had nowhere to retreat and were forced to fight.

Under the cover of a hail of arrows, they charged into the battlefield and engaged the attacking Antian soldiers head-on.

The sound of swords clashing echoed through the forest ablaze with fire. Those who still follow Prince Gabriel to this day are the royal family’s most loyal followers and the last elite forces left behind by Regas.

Antiy's army was unable to break through quickly due to their resistance and was temporarily blocked in the forest.

This outcome surprised many of the accompanying officers, but fortunately they were prepared.

"It's your turn! This is your chance to clear your name!" A high-ranking officer drew his saber and shouted sternly at the group of timid figures behind him.

“We…” The people looked at each other, still somewhat hesitant.

They were originally nobles of Valley City, having never experienced a true life-or-death battle. Secondly, the opposing army consisted of Prince Jobs' personal guards, who were also their former allies. Now that they were facing each other with swords drawn, many of them felt a great deal of pressure.

Seeing that they didn't want to move, the officer sneered and then signaled to the soldiers around him to surround them.

"I will count to ten. Anyone who does not step forward to fight will be considered a deserter and executed without mercy!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers on surveillance picked up their rifles and aimed them at the people inside the encirclement.

Under such immense pressure, the wealthy and powerful among them were filled with anxiety and unease, some still clinging to wishful thinking and failing to take any action.

"Ten, nine... five, four, three, two, one." At this point, only a small number of people rushed out to join the battle, while most remained in place without taking any action.

The officer shook his head at this, saying, "How foolish."

"Do it!"

The sound of crossbows rang out behind the surrounding soldiers, and then bolts shot into them, turning the hesitant nobles into pincushions.

After the outer ring of people died, the people inside were violently shocked by the death and shouted urgently. Then they began to rush out, where there was an opening deliberately left by the officers.

Seeing that they had finally taken action, the officer waved his hand, and the sound of crossbow fire ceased.

The nobles of Valley City began to fight against Jobs's guards. Although most of them had never been on the battlefield, they were well-equipped and had received military training before this expedition in order to save their lives. They also had abundant resources, so their strength was much greater than that of ordinary people.

Seeing the Valley Nobles rebelling again, Prince Jobs was furious. He lashed the stone in front of him with his whip and said through gritted teeth, "I should have known that these guys were unreliable."

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in battle. Faced with an enemy many times their size, Prince Jobs' guards began to fall one by one, and many of the nobles of Valley City also died or were injured.

Behind him, Kachis, mounted on his horse, silently watched the brightly lit battlefield in the distance through his binoculars, then gave orders to the messenger rider beside him.

If he led a large number of knights into the fray and participated in the battle, he would surely win quickly, but he did not want to do so.

'You must live well, Prince Steve Jobs,' he murmured, a smile playing on his lips.

On the front lines, many of Prince Jobs's guards have died at the hands of those nobles from Valley City, and the encirclement is constantly tightening. If they retreat now, they will be at the place where the Hundred-Eyed Cult holds its ceremony.

"Is it still not ready?" Prince Jobs was furious and alarmed that the Hundred-Eyed Cult members had not yet appeared or made a move.

But at this point, he no longer had the energy to blame or curse.

The leading Antioch soldiers had already rushed forward, dressed in simple chainmail tunics, holding shields in one hand and standard longswords in the other, hacking through the barricades blocking their path, shouting incessantly, "Prince Steve Jobs is here!"

"Prince Steve Jobs is right ahead!"

"Kill him and you'll be granted a noble title!"

"kill!"

Such sounds echoed through the woods, filling Jobs with both surprise and fear. He glanced around with a slightly panicked look, then drew his longsword and gripped it tightly, slowly taking a step back.

The few remaining loyal soldiers surrounded him with shields, retreating continuously to fend off the incoming crossbow bolts.

At this moment, the messenger riders from the rear arrived and whispered a few words to the officer in charge of the vanguard. Then, the officer waved his hand with a strange expression, ordering the soldiers of Antiy to stop for the time being, and then ordered the nobles of Valley City to step forward.

"Go and capture Prince Steve Jobs!"

"This……"

"Yes." Although they hesitated, they knew they had no other choice now.

Since we've already started fighting Prince Jobs' army, we might as well take the prince's head and ask the Antirians for some benefits. Perhaps they can become nobles in the Kingdom of Antioch.

With this in mind, the nobles of Valley City stepped forward and gradually surrounded Prince Jobs in a semi-circle, closing in little by little.

Faced with these traitors, Prince Jobs was so angry he wanted to laugh, and he forcibly suppressed the growing fear in his heart.

"You despicable bunch are destined to be disliked by everyone!" It was rare for the prince to utter such a tough statement that made his subordinates proud.

Although Prince Jobs was incompetent and suffered repeated defeats, at least he didn't betray his country like a dog and defect to the enemy. But these nobles from Valley City had completely abandoned their former glory and oaths, becoming cannon fodder for the Antirians and slaughtering their former allies.

Faced with the accusations, these nobles of Creek Valley City felt caught in the middle, but there was no other way out but to bite the bullet and hope to kill the prince as soon as possible to shut him up.

Once everyone in this camp dies tonight, no one will know about their shameful behavior.

With these emotions in mind, they began to fight fiercely, striving to kill the heavily guarded prince.

As the scene of clashing swords and splattering blood drew ever closer to Prince Jobs, his legs began to tremble.

“Jobs!” A familiar voice came from behind Jobs; it was Princess Musa’s voice.

The blonde princess in the black dress ignored her subordinates' attempts to stop her, rushed to Prince Jobs' side, embraced him, and then turned away.

"Please don't give up, everyone. I know this is difficult, but it is Regas' last bloodline and hope." She lifted her skirt, bent down heavily, then grasped Jobs' fingers tightly, stood in front of him, and helped her brother strengthen his resolve, ultimately sheltering him from the storm.

“Sister…” Jobs’ eyes widened slightly. His figure was temporarily shielded by Princess Musa, allowing him to avoid facing the fierce-looking rebels on the other side.

A long-lost sense of security rose in his heart, bringing with it a touch of shame. He rarely felt this way, but today was different.

Behind the camp, the pillar of light from the ceremony finally dissipated. Just as Princess Musa watched the rebel army getting closer and closer, her heart pounding with tension, the members of the Hundred-Eyed Cult finally emerged from the magic circle in the woods behind the camp.

Under the command of these cult members in dark red robes, streaks of crimson light pierced through the forest, killing and piercing through any enemies who stepped into the camp.

The situation on the battlefield changed drastically in an instant. At this moment, many of the nobles of Xigu City who were charging at the front died, and the remaining people no longer had the courage to face the evil monster that was not human. They screamed and retreated.

At this moment, the Antian officer had no intention of reprimanding the group of fleeing dignitaries from Valley City. Instead, he frowned and instructed his adjutant to sound a special horn.

The low, mournful sound of the bugle was particularly striking in the night, spreading continuously.

Upon receiving the signal, the cavalry column that had been holding the rear began to move. They advanced along the cleared path, constantly increasing their speed, their figures forming a continuous line as they galloped. Then, the knight at the forefront raised his lance high, and a sharp triangular arrowhead spread out, an invisible blessing descending upon each cavalryman. They were all clad in silver armor, their lances blazing like fire.

Like a shimmering silver dragon, it cleaved through the dark night and plunged into the front lines of the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)