Survived

Inside the alley, the few survivors— Mark, Elton, the recruit, and the three Sauron soldier —were all frozen in place, staring dumbfounded at the scene that had unfolded in the blink of an eye.

Having narrowly escaped death, Roderick struggled to sit up, wiping the sticky liquid mixed with his and Olf's blood from his face. Gazing in the direction where the cavalry had disappeared, his eyes were filled with the bewilderment of surviving a catastrophe and a deep shock.

The appearance of the cavalry and the tragic death of Olf, though happening in the blink of an eye, completely shattered the fragile stalemate that had been entrenched in the alley!

As a battle-hardened veteran, Roderick quickly recovered from his shock, his survival instinct and fighting instinct overpowering everything else!

His gaze swept across the battlefield and immediately locked onto the most critical group: Mark! Mark was already at his limit; the butt of his Flintlock Rifle was being hacked away, sending splinters flying, his leather armor was torn, and he was wounded in several places. He was only managing to withstand the onslaught of the Armed Sword swordsman's fierce attacks by sheer willpower.

"Mark! Bow your head!" Roderick roared, his voice hoarse but filled with murderous intent!

He didn't have time to pick up his own Battle Axe. With lightning speed, he grabbed Olf's blood-stained short-handled axe, which had fallen to the ground at his feet!

With a burst of power from his waist, his arm muscles tensed instantly, and his body, like a drawn bow, hurled the short-handled axe like a slingshot at the Sauron soldier who was facing away from him and attacking Mark with all his might!

"Whoosh!! Splat!"

The axe blade sliced through the air with a vengeful whistle, striking with pinpoint accuracy below the right shoulder blade of the Sauron soldier! The heavy axe was almost embedded in the bone!

"Ah!!!" The intense pain caused the Sauron soldier to let out a shrill scream, his offensive instantly crumbled, and he staggered forward.

Mark, relieved of the pressure, seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and, with his last ounce of strength, slammed the butt of his rifle into the back of his opponent's head! The Sauron soldier groaned and collapsed to the ground.

Roderick charged forward like a cheetah, giving his enemy no chance to breathe, and delivered a powerful kick to his lower back!

The soldier screamed as he was kicked to the ground. Roderick took the opportunity to kneel on his back, pressing his left hand firmly against the soldier's head, and with his right hand gripping the exposed axe handle, he pulled hard! Amidst the soldier's pig-like screams, a spray of blood appeared, and then without hesitation, he swung the axe down with a backhand chop!

"Crack!" The sound of the skull shattering rang out, and the struggle came to an abrupt end.

Having taken care of one, Roderick's blood-red eyes immediately darted to the other side!

The Sauron soldier who was struggling with Elton for the spear, seeing his captain Olf die a gruesome death and his comrade fall instantly, was terrified and had no will to fight left. He let out a strange cry, released the spear shaft, and turned to flee into the depths of the alley!

"Trying to run?" Roderick was filled with murderous intent; how could he let the tiger return to the mountain? He swung the short-handled axe he had just pulled out, still dripping blood, and with a powerful thrust from his core, delivered another heavy throw!

Whoosh!! Bang!

This time, the axe spun and struck the fleeing soldier in the back! Although the axe blade didn't penetrate deeply, the enormous impact still sent the Sauron soldier flying forward, spitting blood and landing face-first in the mud, unable to get up for a moment.

Elton finally broke free of the entanglement, roared, raised his spear, and chased after the enemy struggling on the ground, stabbing him hard in the back! The spear tip pierced through the enemy's back!

The last Sauron soldier, who had been tackled to the ground by the new recruits and was still fighting, was terrified after witnessing his comrades die one after another.

He struggled to break free from the recruit's grasp, and just as he was about to get up, he found that Roderick, Elton, and Mark, who was staggering to his feet, had already surrounded him in a fan shape, their eyes flashing with cold killing intent.

"No... don't kill me! I surrender..." The Sauron soldier desperately dropped his weapon and raised his hands.

But the only response he received was Roderick's emotionless voice. "Carnford, take no prisoners."

The three weapons fell almost simultaneously! After a brief scream, the alleyway finally returned to deathly silence.

The battle is over.

Roderick, Mark, Elton, and the recruit leaned against the blood-stained wall, breathing heavily.

Sweat, blood, and mud mingled together, streaming down their faces and armor.

Everyone was seriously injured. Mark could barely stand and needed Elton's support, while the recruits were pale and trembling, clearly not yet fully recovered from the life-or-death struggle.

But they are all still alive.

The four exchanged glances, their relief at surviving the ordeal and their unspoken understanding of fighting side by side flowing in a silent exchange of eyes, requiring no further words.

Roderick took a deep breath, suppressing his surging blood, and said quickly, "There's no time to rest! The gunfire and the sound of horses' hooves will definitely attract more Sauron mongrels! We must get out of here immediately!"

He walked to Olf's body, retrieved his Battle Axe, and tucked the short-handled axe that had rendered him so useful behind his waist. Mark also struggled to pick up the deformed but still usable Flintlock Rifle.

"Go! Follow the route I've memorized, retreat to the inner city! Quickly!" Roderick, having determined the direction, took the lead, dragging his weary and wounded body, and once again rushed into the labyrinthine ruins of the outer city.

Mark and Elton helped him up, with the new recruits following closely behind.

They had to cross this death zone and retreat back to the inner city before Sauron army could completely encircle them.

Roderick and his three companions ran desperately through the ruins and rubble, following the correct direction from their memories.

The closer they got to the inner city, the clearer the shouts of battle and the clash of weapons became, but intertwined with this was the increasingly dense and approaching sound of horses' hooves!

The sound of hooves did not come from one direction, but from multiple alleyways, as if several cavalry squads were moving at the same time.

Soon, Roderick understood the origin of these cavalrymen.

At a crossroads, they witnessed a shocking scene.

A troop of about ten Light Cavalry charged out of the side alley like a whirlwind! These cavalrymen wore the distinctive leather armor of Carnford, with the Carnford insignia embroidered on their cloaks. They were the cavalry unit led by Cavalry Company Lyon!

The cavalrymen moved like dragons, displaying astonishing horsemanship and perfect teamwork in the narrow alleyways.

The sabers in their hands drew cold arcs in the afterglow of the setting sun, slashing precisely and ruthlessly at any Sauron soldier who dared to block their path.

The charging of warhorses and the trampling of their iron hooves, combined with the slashing of sharp sabers, stirred up a bloody storm among the scattered infantry of the Sauron!

Limbs and severed arms flew about, and screams of agony filled the air.

"It's Captain Lyon's cavalry!" Elton gasped, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "The Lord sent them out to meet us!"