A Lone Rider Breaks the Formation!

With a guide, the journey ahead became much easier.

Duncan and his group spent three days crossing the war zone into Upper Germania, roughly the middle reaches of the Rhine River, western Switzerland, and parts of France. This had always been a contested region. Though the Empire had not abandoned Lesser Germania, it had no way to fully control it and was frequently attacked and raided by the barbarians of Greater Germania.

Greater Germania lay east of the Rhine River and included Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, and other lands.

After conquering Lesser Germania, the Romans divided it into the two provinces of Upper Germania and Lower Germania, stationing troops along the frontier to defend against barbarian attacks from the north.

Severus himself was of barbarian origin, and as a Druid, he had connections throughout Gaul and Germania. With him as their guide, Duncan and the Witch avoided much unnecessary trouble and even crossed the contested region of Raetia by a hidden route.

The whole map of Europe had now become a complete mess. Barbarians, rebels, bandits, Hunnic Raiders, Gothic mercenaries, Frankish mercenaries, and all sorts of others could be found everywhere.

The situation was comparable to the ancient Uprising of the Five Barbarians.

"This is truly an age where human lives are worth less than grass!"

Standing atop a mountain, Duncan looked out over the distant plain. He could see two armies fighting on the open ground. The scale was not especially large, perhaps only one or two thousand men—a local war. It was probably an Imperial army trying to retake part of the Rhine River region.

My cheat is powerful, but it's truly helpless against an army.

If all of Europe hadn't turned into such a mess, I could have farmed bandits, rebels, and Hunnic Raiders in the early stages to grow stronger.

Since arriving in this world, Duncan had rarely encountered enemies who were alone.

At first, he had met three routed soldiers, but nearly every enemy afterward had come in groups of ten or more. With his current abilities, fighting ten alone was extremely risky. Once he suffered even a minor injury, the situation would become very unfavorable.

If he fought, he had to avoid injury entirely. Once he was wounded and crippled, it would all be over.

While speaking with the Druid, he had heard rumors of "Trolls." He just did not know whether he would encounter one. The Trolls Severus mentioned were man-eating monsters from Norse Mythology. They possessed tremendous vitality and could "Regenerate."

That ability held enormous strategic significance for Duncan!

Within the dense woods, Severus appeared with a grave expression. "I just received word. Lower Pannonia has fallen."

"Not long after you left, the Huns' vanguard captured it."

"Scourge of God—Attila—is leading an army of five hundred thousand west!"

Five hundred thousand?

Duncan naturally knew that ancient armies often exaggerated their numbers, but even after a heavy discount, there would still be over a hundred thousand actual soldiers. On a battlefield of that scale, running into any scouting force could put him in grave danger. The safest course was to avoid the core areas where the various factions were fighting until he had fully grown stronger.

Witch—Triss remained silent. She did not seem surprised in the slightest by the Huns' large-scale invasion.

Looking at the distant battlefield, Duncan said in a low voice, "Should we wait until they finish fighting before continuing?"

Severus said seriously, "The borders are all sealed now. The Empire intends to clear the land and fortify the defenses. We may have to pass through the uninhabited areas."

After pondering for a moment, Duncan said, "Wait nearby. I'll find a way to get us some good horses."

This was an extremely risky thing to do.

Raven Queen—Triss immediately stood up. Her eyes fixed on the man before her as she said, "No. It's too dangerous!"

Severus also frowned deeply. Looking toward the distant battlefield, he said in shock, "You intend to steal their horses?"

Duncan replied calmly, "Don't worry. I'm confident."

"If there's no opportunity, I'll retreat immediately."

Raven Queen—Triss looked deeply worried, while Severus wore a grave expression as well. Yet seeing Duncan's face, they also felt that this man was bold because his skills were exceptional.

In the end, neither of them could stop Duncan from having his way.

The Witch walked up to Duncan and handed him a moon-like Rune Stone. "Be careful," she said softly.

--Signet of Diana [Artifact] [Unknown]!

Hmm?

Under God's Eye View, Duncan curiously examined the Rune Stone before him. This was the first piece of equipment he had seen that was designated an "Artifact."

--Signet of Diana [Artifact]: The Signet of Diana, Goddess of Moon and Oak worshipped by the Romans. Blessed by a high priestess, it allows one to receive Diana's Favor in unseen ways. Additional ability: "Heroic Luck." [Note: Heroes of the Mythological Era were all protected by Deities in unseen ways.]

An Artifact that increased luck?

Duncan did not stand on ceremony and put it away close to his body.

He waved to the Witch behind him and entered the dense forest without looking back.

Damn this chaotic age.

Duncan and the Witch had only gone into the mountains for two days to find the reclusive Druid, yet their mounts had been forcibly requisitioned by the Imperial army.

The other party symbolically paid the inn looking after the horses five Denarius, then took away the cattle, sheep, and other livestock around the village where they had been staying.

The Empire's finances were now close to collapse.

Of course, many great estates and wealthy landowners had already appeared within the Empire. They possessed vast lands and tenant farmers and were transforming toward the feudal nobility of the Middle Ages. Yet Imperial tax collectors did not dare demand money from them and could only make the common people suffer more.

The common people here were all treated equally. Fewer and fewer Romans remained free citizens, while barbarian commoners were also so oppressed that they rose in rebellion.

The Empire treated all lowborn people equally, draining them dry and sucking them to the marrow in an unsustainable manner.

"Expand battlefield map!"

When Duncan acted alone, he did not need to consider as much. If he could win, he fought; if he could not, he ran. He would see whether he could fire a few surprise arrows to bring down some cavalrymen, or find horses whose riders had died near the edge of the battlefield.

The Empire had taken his mount, so naturally he had to settle that score.

The forces fighting on the plain ahead were composed of a complicated mix. Through God's Eye View, Duncan spotted soldiers from many different factions.

--Imperial Field Army (One-Star).

--Imperial Border Guard.

--Frankish Foreign Mercenaries (One-Star).

--Visigoth Kingdom Rider.

--Germanic Foreign Mercenaries.

These were troops from the Imperial camp, seemingly scattered forces that had been reorganized. The Visigoth Kingdom was currently allied with the Empire against the Hunnic Empire. A cavalry force of roughly a hundred men was fighting on the battlefield.

The enemy camp was just as complicated.

--Alan Auxiliary Army.

--Ostrogoth Auxiliary Cavalry.

--Frankish Mercenaries (One-Star).

--Hunnic Elite Cavalry (One-Star).

--Germanic Barbarian Auxiliary Army.

There were not many Hunnic troops on the battlefield. Most were forces from other barbarian tribes conquered and enslaved by the Huns. The most formidable among them were undoubtedly the Frankish Mercenaries. Their equipment was not much different from one another's, and they were all exceptionally fierce in battle.

After invading the Empire, the Huns accepted the surrender of the Ripuarian Franks. Scourge of God—Attila had always wanted nothing more than to swallow the pro-Roman Franks whole.

"There are barely any Romans on this battlefield."

The Franks were barbarians. The Visigoth Kingdom was a state established by barbarians. The Germanic Foreign Legion consisted entirely of barbarians fighting for the Empire. Most of the Imperial Border Guard was made up of frontier barbarians, and even more than fifty percent of the strongest Imperial Field Army came from barbarian backgrounds.

The Imperial Field Army was known for its high military expenditure, with salaries two to three times those of the border troops. Later, it had vanished on its own after the Empire went bankrupt, and only in recent years had a small portion been recruited again.

But the battlefield situation was far from encouraging.

The best-equipped Imperial Field Army troops wore scale armor, carried shields and short swords, and had javelins on their backs. Armed from head to toe, they were standard Heavy Infantry. Yet they were actually being crushed head-on by a group of barbarian auxiliary troops, unable to raise their heads. The right flank was even showing signs of collapse.

"Is their morale really this bad?"

Observing through God's Eye View, Duncan found that these legion troops had additional labels. The Imperial Field Army had a highly conspicuous "Low Morale" mark above them.

In contrast, the nearby Frankish Foreign Mercenaries had "High Morale." The Germanic Foreign Legion's morale was average, but they believed the enemy could be fought. The Visigoth Kingdom had always been warlike; even their king had died charging on the battlefield, so their morale was naturally not bad either.

Across the entire battlefield, only the Empire's Field Army and Border Guard clearly had poor morale.

"Looks like God's Eye View has strategic functions too."

Duncan tried concentrating his attention on the troops, and more prompts quickly appeared. The Imperial Field Army bore an "Unpaid Wages" label, while the Border Guard had "Disorganized Reorganization." The Frankish Mercenaries, who had the highest morale, possessed the positive status of "Fighting for Homeland."

This region already belonged to what would later become France. The Franks established their own kingdom during the Empire's final years.

"This morale is even worse than the Young Legion of Ancient Rome!"

Duncan circled around from behind the battlefield's right flank. The best-equipped Imperial Field Army was shrinking back, too afraid to advance. The frontal battlefield was being held almost entirely by the Frankish Foreign Legion. The Visigoth Kingdom's cavalry had clashed with the Huns, suffering considerable casualties immediately. The Hunnic Elite Cavalry were simply too fierce.

"When the Han Dynasty fought the Xiongnu, it also suffered tremendous losses."

Ancient nomadic peoples learned to ride before they could even walk. Once cavalry met head-on, it was obvious how formidable the Hunnic riders were. Whether in mounted archery or cavalry combat, the Huns held a very clear advantage.

Of course, there were exceptions.

For example, there was a unit on the battlefield marked "Visigoth Noble Knight," with a One-Star silver-gray label. With a single charge, he knocked a Hunnic rider from his horse.

They had evolved from the former Barbarian Chieftain Guard. The barbarian warrior class had become the new nobility of the Visigoth Kingdom.

Duncan placed his thumb and forefinger in his mouth.

A sharp whistle rang out!

Soon, at the edge of the battlefield, a warhorse whose rider had fallen raised its head as it wandered outside the fighting. It trotted toward Duncan, and he leaped up, swung onto its back, and moved with the agility of an elite nomadic rider.

--Call Steed [Riding Branch]: You may use a whistle to summon nearby riderless warhorses, with a certain chance of making a warhorse approach you. The higher your Riding skill, the greater the success rate. (Druid abilities can further enhance this skill.)

This was an ability of the Hunnic Eagle Archer, already taken by Duncan.

Duncan immediately mounted and pressed toward the cavalry melee on the battlefield's right flank. If the right wing was completely defeated, the Imperial legions would certainly collapse across the board.

Since he was already here.

Wouldn't it be a wasted trip if he did not kill a few people?

Duncan immediately nocked an arrow, drew his bow, and aimed at a Gothic Auxiliary Cavalryman. The arrow tore through the air, knocking the enemy from his horse on the spot. He was then trampled to death beneath the chaotic cavalry.

One kill!

The battlefield was in complete chaos, and not many people noticed Duncan's presence. The Empire's mixed forces also assumed he was an ally.

This was the perfect opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

Two kills!

An arrow ripped through the air. An Alan auxiliary rider fell from his horse, badly wounded, and was immediately stabbed to death by a Visigothic Cavalryman.

Duncan rode and shot while constantly watching the Hunnic archer units on the map. He loosed an arrow, shooting an Imperial Armored Cavalryman who was trying to flee from his horse.

Three kills!

That was half an accidental kill, because the man's head had happened to enter the Cross Star reticle, and Duncan instinctively headshot him.

Who told him to flee with his morale collapsed?

Besides, the battlefield was a mess. No one knew where a stray arrow had come from.

Duncan's main targets were still the Huns and barbarian troops. If he occasionally killed one or two Imperial cavalrymen by accident, that was merely an accident.

But his appearance undoubtedly changed the situation along the Imperial right flank. More than ten Hunnic riders spurred their horses after him. Duncan immediately turned and ran, escaping straight beyond their shooting range.

"Eagle Shooter has improved me far too much!"

Duncan's Riding skill was already no weaker than that of a Hunnic Elite Cavalryman. He calculated the distance.

--Parthian Shot!

At a forty-five-degree angle, he fired a high arc. The arrow struck a Hunnic rider in the chest from an unbelievable angle, and the enemy soon fell from his horse and died in the fall.

"Eagle Shooter?!" (Hunnic)

This term was used to describe a Sharpshooter. Eagle Shooters held very high status in the Hunnic Empire.

Four kills!

Duncan remained unhurried. Controlling his horse through thought as easily as moving his own arm, he fired another arrow. The Parthian Shot locked firmly onto the Cross Star reticle and headshot a Hunnic Elite Cavalryman on the spot.

Now the Huns were somewhat afraid. They drove a small squad of Gothic Auxiliary Cavalry after him.

"Are they delivering kills to me?" Duncan was overjoyed.

The Ostrogothic Auxiliary Cavalry carried shields and lances and rarely brought bows. Their riding skills could not match his. Under God's Eye View, Duncan would never ride around blindly on the battlefield. Other riders might charge until they lost their direction, but he could count every enemy head near him clearly.

One arrow headshotted a warhorse, and the second directly killed the fallen Gothic rider.

Five kills—Rampage!

Duncan became more and more adept at killing. It was just that killing Gothic Auxiliary Cavalry carrying shields required wasting several more arrows. Occasionally, fallen riders were trampled to death by their own men.

Six kills—Unstoppable!

Seven kills—Intimidation!

Eight kills—Terror!

Nine kills—Collapse!

This squad of Ostrogoth Auxiliary Cavalry went from High Morale at the start to Low Morale. By Duncan's seventh kill, they had entered an Intimidated state. Then another rider fell, and they immediately became terrified. By the ninth kill, their "Morale Collapse" triggered. Though more than ten riders remained, they fled in panic on the spot.

This was too terrifying!

Not only the Ostrogoth Auxiliary Army, even the Hunnic Elite Cavalry had gained the "Terror" mark.

Ten kills—Rout!

He was taking roughly one head every thirty seconds.

In only a few minutes, Duncan achieved the astonishing feat of ten kills on the battlefield. The Visigothic Cavalry cried out repeatedly, shouting "Warrior of the Lord," and their morale surged at once.

Some of the Goths who migrated west had converted to Catholicism, and many barbarians in Germania were also followers of The Church.

"That's about enough!"

Duncan was in no hurry to defeat the Huns and auxiliary troops, because when he reached back, he discovered that he was running low on arrows.

He carried two quivers with him. He had not expected to nearly shoot them empty so quickly. (A leather quiver held twelve arrows and was convenient to carry and draw from, causing no obstruction at all. A large quiver held twenty-four arrows, with the largest carrying thirty-six, but they all hindered movement. Usually, only foot archers carried more than sixty arrows.)

"Franks!"

"Barbarian Elite Warrior."

Duncan had to take several important heads. One was a Frankish Elite Infantryman, skilled with the Farron Throwing Axe. The second was a Barbarian Elite Warrior, who might possess extraordinary abilities.

He began circling around the edge of the battlefield, trying not to approach the enemy archers.

An opportunity!

Through the battlefield map, Duncan quickly marked several Frankish elite warriors conquered by the Huns. He yanked the reins hard. The warhorse neighed, its hooves rising high. At an almost vertical angle, Duncan used the better vantage point to aim at his target.

--Parthian Shot!

The arrow crossed the battlefield.

Time seemed to freeze at that instant.

Thud!

A single arrow headshot.

The Frankish Elite Axeman conquered by the Huns died instantly.

Eleven kills!

Duncan continued galloping. He noticed that enemies on both sides had surrounded him again, unwilling to give up. Without God's Eye View, he would never have noticed the battlefield's overall situation and might have been flanked by the enemy.

"Time to test my skills!"

Duncan took a deep breath and yanked hard on the reins. His warhorse leaped into the air, and in that brief moment of suspension, Duncan locked onto a marked target.

--Barbarian Chieftain Warrior (1 Star).

--Parthian Shot.

On the battlefield, the Barbarian Chieftain Warrior had just let out a roar and split an Imperial Field Army soldier's skull with his two-handed battle axe when, in the next second, an arrow sliced through the air and pierced straight through his neck.

Twelve kills!

Duncan's quiver was already empty.

His body suddenly dropped to the side of his horse. In an instant, he hung from the saddle and grabbed a fallen knight's lance from the ground. This was a riding technique at which only the Huns excelled; most knights in Europe did not possess such masterful skill.

He tucked the lance beneath his arm.

Duncan took a deep breath, glanced at his more-than-half-depleted Stamina Bar, and charged head-on at the Ostrogoth Riders trying to encircle him.

--Lance Charge!

Squelch.

In an instant, sparks flew. As they crossed paths, Duncan's lance pierced directly through the enemy's body. He released the lance at once and still had enough skill to draw the enemy's longsword from his horse during their passing.

Thirteen kills!

Run!

Duncan did not hesitate in the slightest. He had fought his way from the right flank of the battlefield all the way to the left, then rode off without looking back even once.

His Stamina Bar was nearly depleted.

Even within the Dimensional Space, he could feel the arm of the body he controlled trembling slightly.

Day seven since transmigration.

Heads taken: 37.

After he finished searching for the horses scattered around the battlefield, he would head back and write it all down in his little notebook.

On a mountain outside the battlefield.

Raven Queen Triss stared in shock, almost dumbfounded. Severus could not see what was happening on the battlefield, but through some form of sorcery, she could see everything clearly through a bird's eyes.

She had watched Duncan fight his way through the entire battlefield before riding away in triumph.

The sight made her delicate body tremble slightly!

Amidst thousands of troops and charging horses, Duncan had slain more than ten men in succession, shot the Barbarian Chieftain Warrior dead, and ridden away.