NEC Chapter 136: Single Cavalry Breaking the Formation, Unicorn Female War Goddess

The complete fall of Cloudmist Domain was already destined from the moment Earl Liuyun died in battle.

A strong leader could bind those around him tightly together through personal charisma and ability.

But the same leader's dramatic collapse would leave the entire team stripped of its backbone, instantly falling apart.

Moreover, this situation was complicated by war among the heirs.

Upon receiving news of his father's death in battle and the fall of Purple Rose City fortress, the eldest son, the domain's first heir, immediately withdrew from Cloudmist City with his personal guards.

His reasoning was simple: "If even father couldn't stop the enemy, how could I possibly stop them?"

The second son, far away in Emerald Capital, hastily issued a proclamation. While mourning his father, he also angrily denounced his eldest brother's flight without fighting, believing the first heir no longer qualified to serve as domain lord.

Heirs could inherit not just domains, but also titles!

Even if the domain ceased to exist, an earl's title could at worst be reduced to a viscount's title, at least ensuring continued membership in noble circles.

Perhaps one day, when returning to Cloudmist, this title would prove crucial.

As for the third son, after Earl Liuyun died under siege, Liuchuan wept bitterly while holding his father's corpse, angrily demanding, "Didn't you promise me you wouldn't kill him?"

"Wake up, child!"

"You saw it yourself, we tried to persuade surrender so many times, but Earl Liuyun was stubbornly obstinate!"

"Without our support, you would never have any chance of becoming Lord of Cloudmist!"

"Do you want your father, or do you want your lordship?"

"You can't choose both!"

They were right. Actually, from the moment he decided to kneel before his opponents, Liuchuan had no path back. His fate was no longer in his own hands.

If anyone was to blame, it could only be his father for being too shrewd, apparently having long suspected his different thoughts, not only stripping away his military command but also cutting off his external communications, leaving him no way to end this war through gentler means.

His father simply didn't know how deeply the Divine Court had infiltrated Cloudmist.

He was merely the highest-positioned inside agent.

When Greenspine's failure on the frontal battlefield forced these nobles to further concede power to the Divine Court, gaining deeper support from them, the war's outcome was already predetermined.

Whether he betrayed or not, the result would be the same.

Yes, surrendering early would at least keep Cloudmist Domain in family bloodline hands.

Of course, when his father led the team to survey terrain, facing an ambush by six enemy grand knights and hundreds of professionals, he had secretly replaced his father's only [Everchant Essence] with poison that burned blood energy, ultimately playing a decisive role.

He was rewarded for this!

Liuchuan worked hard to build up his psychological defenses, wiped away his tears, turned around and accepted Greenspine Kingdom's appointment, declaring himself heir to Earl Liuyun's position as the domain's highest-ranking remaining successor, becoming Lord of Cloudmist Domain.

This was what he had yearned for during his twenty-plus years but could never obtain.

The only difference was that instead of being directly administered by Emerald Duchy, it now became a subordinate domain under Greenspine Kingdom's Zircon Family.

Zircon Family was a marquis domain, Cloudmist Domain an earl domain. Even the title didn't need reduction to fit perfectly.

Of course, the new Cloudmist Domain's existence depended on Greenspine's army completely eliminating all resisters and holding this victory.

From the current situation, this seemed unquestionable. Emerald Duchy hadn't even mounted a decent counterattack, retreating across the board and allowing Cloudmist's corruption.

Cloudmist Domain's other heirs, several had died in the main camp, several more died in Cloudmist City. The others had either gone to Emerald Capital or Resting Moon Dynasty. It didn't matter, none of the blind ones remained in this dead land of Cloudmist.

Sometimes Liuchuan couldn't help but sigh that perhaps it was precisely because father was too strong that he raised such a group of worthless people.

Including himself.

With most of the domain's elite forces buried in enemy sieges and the capital captured by Greenspine's army, those scattered troops fleeing across the plains were merely a matter of time before annihilation.

In the third week of September, Zircon Family's Fifth Knight led forces to surround the last resistance army in the mountainous region of Cloudmist's far northeast.

This was formerly Cloudmist Domain's strongest military force, the [White Goose Legion]. As Earl Liuyun's personal guard unit, when the earl died at enemy hands, other units could surrender, but this unit had no room for surrender whatsoever.

They could only fight to the death.

Then die in battle!

Under Purple Rose City, facing the earl's corpse hung high by enemies ahead and their own fortress gates sealed shut behind, this unit fought with desperate courage and bloodied determination, performing at an extraordinarily high level.

But ultimately outnumbered, the force of over four thousand suffered over half casualties. The final remnants scattered to break through, with less than one-fifth escaping.

What completely surprised Greenspine's generals was that this unit, with overall casualties exceeding eighty percent and thoroughly scattered in the decisive battle, somehow managed to reassemble in Cloudmist City.

Under the leadership of their highest remaining officer, Deputy General Old Charles, they organized the city's bewildered defenders and launched a beautiful ambush against Greenspine Kingdom.

At this moment, Greenspine's army faced an excellent situation: the enemy leader dead, main forces scattered, high-ranking heirs fled, dead, or surrendered.

Cities throughout Cloudmist Domain surrendered almost at the first proclamation. The vanguard troops, full of confidence, marched leisurely as if on vacation toward Cloudmist Domain's capital, Cloudmist City. Then, sixty kilometers from the city, they were caught and cut in half by the reorganized [White Goose Legion].

Greenspine forces were routed, corpses littering the battlefield.

Taking advantage of his army's soaring morale, Charles resolutely organized Cloudmist City's defensive battle without a lord.

Cloudmist City was a standard large city with towering walls, heavy ballistas mounted on the walls, and above-standard protective magical arrays personally constructed by Emerald Duchy's court mages. If determined to defend, it couldn't be easily taken without dozens of times the casualties.

After several probing attacks that resulted in bloody defeats, Greenspine's army received their backbone, Marquis Valen, Lord of Zircon Family.

This crafty old noble directly brought out heir Liuchuan and began shouting to Cloudmist City.

The psychological warfare was very effective. For most ordinary soldiers, the old lord's son becoming the new lord was just family business. What were they resisting?

Facing the former third son, now new lord's surrender demands, plus temptations of high positions, wealth, and beautiful women, turncoats quickly appeared.

Though Charles promptly suppressed the rebellion, the already weakened [White Goose Legion] inevitably couldn't maintain control of the entire city long-term.

In this precarious desperate situation, this veteran general of over thirty years' service again led his army to break out, abandoning the city to head north, hoping to escape into Emerald Duchy territory, find the eldest or second son hiding outside, and raise Cloudmist Domain's banner once more.

However, they could no longer escape.

This unit's members weren't just soldiers, but also numerous domain officials and their families, professionals unwilling or unable to surrender due to concerns and bonds within the duchy, and craftsmen and civilians who, though not understanding much, couldn't accept rule by enemies who had killed their lord...

They had just helped the [White Goose Legion] defend Cloudmist City. Now they followed behind the legion, stumbling and crying as they fled.

What could Charles do? Kill them all?

The smart soldiers had long since fled. Those remaining were all fools.

They could only bring these equally foolish burdens, stumbling through running battles while heading north.

Finally, they were completely surrounded on this low mountain.

"Fifth day, water source cut off, killing horses for blood, thirst worsened, many soldiers vomiting."

"Fewer than five hundred combat-ready troops, my unit has nowhere to turn."

"The border is mere kilometers away, visible in the distance, but not one person or horse has come from the duchy to aid us."

"The time has come for Cloudmist to disperse. Charles bows again to his lord on this nameless mountain!"

Having finished this final letter, Charles, his eye sockets already sunken deep, held the letter in his hands, but no longer had a swift owl to deliver it, nor knew to whom this letter should be sent.

Looking around, a desolate scene met his eyes.

Scorched earth and yellowed grass, the air thick with the stench of blood, sweat, and decay. Slaughtered thin horses lay roadside as soldiers held helmets, sharing drops of horse urine or horse blood, occasionally retching violently.

The wounded leaned against rocks, their wounds festering in autumn's lingering heat, attracting buzzing flies.

Women and children huddled together, children letting out weak, intermittent cries that mothers could only futilely soothe.

People stared numbly at the mountain's base, at the distance, their eyes ashen gray.

Mountain winds swept by like mournful weeping, faintly carrying shouts from above and below.

"General Charles, the lord respects your character and is willing to spare your lives. As long as you surrender, the lord promises amnesty and important positions!"

"Earl Liuyun's remains still hang from Cloudmist City's walls. Don't you want to give the old lord a proper burial?"

"The third son is still Cloudmist Domain's bloodline. Surrender was unavoidable, to preserve Cloudmist Domain's hundreds of thousands of subjects. Why must you drag these people to their deaths here?"

"So many innocent women and children on the mountain, the longer you resist, the more of them die. Why persist?"

Admittedly, the enemy's surrender negotiations were truly skilled, not mere bribery but incorporating many appeals that struck the heart.

Raising his hand toward the capital's direction, for an instant Charles seemed to truly see the old lord's corpse swaying on Cloudmist City's walls, waiting for him to collect the remains.

"General! You can't trust them..."

Charles waved his hand, struggled to his feet, and roared across the distance at the mountain's base with his remaining strength.

"Your new lord can watch his own father's corpse hanging inverted, exposed to sun and rain. Would I, Charles, an outsider, care about such things?"

"Save your breath, lest you lack strength when I start chopping!"

The mountain base fell silent for a moment, and the surrender calls disappeared.

Of course, not attacking until now wasn't because the enemy was merciful or valued him enough to insist on surrender.

They were waiting for the mages' arrival.

Mage legions served as Starry Continent's "artillery clusters," often needed for decisive siege battles, but like Blue Star's artillery, they had poor mobility.

Most mages, from prolonged meditation and model construction, had bodies weaker than modern programmers and overworked employees, only able to slowly advance behind main forces.

Now that they had trapped this group here, the enemy could leisurely await the magic brigade's arrival for several rounds of magical bombardment to cleanly finish the battle.

By any calculation, his people probably had only a few days left.

Suddenly, commotion arose from behind as the northward-facing lookout shouted hoarsely, drawing everyone's attention.

From this mountaintop, with unobstructed flat plains between, Emerald Duchy's border walls were clearly visible.

Nine-meter-high thick fortifications with Emerald's banners flying above, small black dots moving on the walls, seemingly on high alert.

Though cavalry could cover this distance in twenty minutes at full charge, Emerald's gates remained sealed without even a single reconnaissance mission.

Charles even suspected enemies had deliberately trapped his group so close to the border to slowly kill them.

If Emerald didn't come to rescue, his people would collapse further in despair, perhaps even joining the enemy out of resentment.

If Emerald came to aid, Greenspine had probably prepared accordingly, potentially seizing this border pass and smashing another barrier to Emerald Duchy's heartland.

So Charles understood Emerald's generals perfectly. After all, rescuing his people would only be a minor merit, but losing the border pass would mean death!

However, at this moment, those perpetually sealed gates opened.

Charles shot to his feet, hurrying several steps closer to see more clearly.

A small cavalry squad emerged from within the pass!

Immediately after, the gates quickly closed, everything returning to its previous state, only those few riders galloping across the official road, raising clouds of dust.

Greenspine's forces waiting in formation below saw the approaching numbers and burst into earth-shaking laughter.

But Charles already had tears in his eyes, his hands trembling.

Though still distant, he could already see the several banners held by the knights, fluttering in the wind.

The Emerald Vine and Sword banner.

The Cloudmist Flowing Pattern Spiral banner.

And a Flying Feather and Long Arrow heraldic banner.

This last banner rarely appeared, but as a domain veteran, Charles recognized it immediately.

This banner with strong elven styling belonged to only one name.

Cloudmist Frost!

Realizing this, Charles effortlessly spotted the young girl in the cavalry formation.

That knight's build was too small, nearly missed at first glance.

Lady Frost's petite frame rode a black horse clearly mismatched with her size, charging at the formation's front. Her left hand controlled the reins while her right held a lance almost three times her body length, swaying up and down with the horse's motion.

The massive lance's swaying made one worry it might catapult the girl's slender body into the air at any moment.

"Quick! It's Lady Frost! Lady Frost has returned!"

"Charge down, charge down!"

Charles shouted incoherently. He understood why only these few riders had emerged. Emerald Duchy still offered no rescue, but they couldn't prevent this squad that originally belonged to Cloudmist Domain from departing.

When Frost went north to study, she had brought exactly this many guards. Now she rode her horse and held her lance, leading these few lonely companions in a charge toward Greenspine's formation below.

Charles felt that charging down now to die beside the domain's last lord capable of fighting would be his greatest fortune in life.

Led by the old general's desperate, stumbling mad dash downward, the mountain's remaining soldiers and desperate domain folk, as if injected with a powerful stimulant, struggled to rise and burst forth with final strength, crying and supporting each other like a flood bursting through a dam, surging toward Greenspine's formation below!

Responsible for blocking the north was Greenspine's central formation, led by a familiar figure: Zircon's Fifth Knight, who had previously ambushed Captain Paven at southern border.

He also recognized this girl who had repeatedly shamed him, joy and embarrassment simultaneously flooding the Fifth Knight's entire being.

"Heaven offers you a path yet you refuse it!"

The knight commander sneered, mounted his horse, and hefted his heavy lance.

"Cavalry unit! Crush them!"

With this command, over two hundred elite cavalry quickly formed a sharp wedge formation, hoofbeats like thunder, advancing toward that enemy squad flying toward destruction like moths to flame.

In terms of numbers, over ten times the difference, with Greenspine having large forces still uncommitted behind.

In terms of general combat power, the apparent fifth-tier versus third-tier difference meant that no matter how much Frost had improved in Twilight City, she couldn't reach heaven in one step. The rank difference was enough to crush her completely.

In terms of experience, technique, strength, from every aspect, this was an absolute crushing victory.

The only visible advantage the opposing girl had was her mount's somewhat large size.

At three hundred meters distance, the Fifth Knight had leveled his lance, the tip angled outward.

He didn't plan to kill Frost here, somewhat reluctant to harm that magnificent warhorse. He intended to sweep the girl off with one strike and capture both horse and rider, keeping the horse for himself and presenting the girl to the marquis.

Charles on the mountain continued his desperate sprint, his lungs burning like fire, each breath carrying a bloody taste.

With all warhorses slaughtered, how could two legs match cavalry charge speed? He could only futilely emit meaningless "aah" roars, eyes blazing as he watched that unequal collision about to occur!

Two hundred meters!

One hundred meters!

The Fifth Knight slightly lowered his body and tensed his muscles. Cavalry generals' frontal charges often decided victory in a single round.

Then he saw the opposing girl make an incomprehensible move.

Frost pulled hard, lifting the "horse's head" to reveal a thick white horn crackling with dangerous arcs of light.

Before the Fifth Knight could react, blinding lightning flashed toward him like a crescent moon arc, carrying the intense smell of burning air, striking directly along the connection line of man and horse's faces.

The warhorse's front hooves buckled, momentum carrying the Fifth Knight forward off its back, straight into Frost's four-meter lance.

Indeed, it was decided in one round.

Indeed, it was rank crushing.

An adult seventh-tier superior unicorn, even in juvenile form, had no problem overwhelming a fifth-tier knight.

The two sides crossed, the Fifth Knight's horse tumbling down while the knight himself was lifted high into the air on a lance, blood spraying a long crimson mist that seemed to form rainbow colors in the sunlight.

Then came the second lightning bolt, the third lightning bolt.

The mighty unicorn crashed into the cavalry formation like a tank hitting toy cars, its horn's constantly flickering electric arcs and hundreds of tons of charging force carving a bloody furrow through Zircon Family's cavalry, leaving fallen riders on both sides like blooming lotus petals.

Frost didn't look back, charging again toward the infantry formation behind.

"Loose arrows! Loose arrows!"

Infantry commanders screamed frantically as dense arrow flights began arcing toward Frost.

A gentle breeze seemed to pass through the air as the flying arrows scattered like wind-blown leaves.

[Wind Walker Light Feather Armor]!

But that wasn't all. Frost's left hand swept out, sending five or six dark round objects flying into the infantry formation.

Defensive hand grenades, as Chen Mo had written in his letter, these worked best when thrown into crowds.

When Charles finally reached the mountain's base, he saw Greenspine forces in complete chaos, cavalry, infantry, and supply troops all fleeing desperately from that massive figure rampaging through the battlefield's center like escaping death itself.

The final scene Cloudmist's people witnessed was Lady Frost, having failed to catch fleeing enemies, angrily raising her lance and hurling the Fifth Knight, whom she'd been carrying for over half an hour, far into the distance.

The mighty unicorn, the lance raised high, covered in enemy blood, and those gleaming amber eyes.

From this day forward, the southern continent gained this legend of the Unicorn Female War Goddess.

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