God Said, Let There Be Light (2-in-1)

Bai Xiaowen hadn't led his troops far when they heard the rapid sound of horses' hooves.

Lord Cecilia, the White Rose, rode a tall white horse, her pure white cloak fluttering in the wind, and caught up with Bai Xiaowen.

"Dio, what do you mean by this?" Cecilia said coldly. "His Highness is trapped and in a critical situation. Why aren't you going to his rescue? You've ordered the third line of defense to detour; are you planning a retreat?"

"My orders are based on an assessment of the battlefield situation," Bai Xiaowen thought for a moment, then decided to make things clear to Cecilia, "Do you really think the Remnant Vanguard Army can defeat Prince Nicholas?"

Cecilia frowned.

Bai Xiaowen explained, "The main force of the Remnants hasn't arrived yet. If even a vanguard can defeat the most elite Imperial Legions of Blackrock Fortress, then this battle is pointless... Based on my judgment, His Highness must have a backup plan, and the Remnant Vanguard Army will surely be defeated in this battle."

After a pause, Bai Xiaowen continued, "Therefore, we must now outflank the enemy from behind, ambush them in strategic locations, and cut off their retreat... When they are routed and fleeing north, we will annihilate them in one battle."

Bai Xiaowen had something else she didn't say.

The second main quest, [The Flames of Blackrock], requires you to defend Blackrock Fortress for ten days.

The strength of Bai Xiaowen's White Stone Army, relative to the overall battle situation, is probably only a fraction of that, in terms of numbers. If we look at its strength, the proportion would shrink to less than one percent... In other words, the White Stone Army's influence on the overall "general trend" is very weak.

This indirectly shows that the Human Allied Army at Blackrock Fortress has considerable strength and can hold out for at least several days against the attacks of the Remnants forces... If they can't even defeat the vanguard and collapse at the first touch, then even if Bai Xiaowen is two ranks higher, he will not be able to reverse the tide.

--The Spirit Realm Rules will not generate tasks that cannot be completed. Of course, this is information from outside the field, and Bai Xiaowen cannot say it explicitly.

Cecilia said coldly, "I don't agree with your judgment; I only believe what I see."

This is the result of information asymmetry. Although Bai Xiaowen was 100% confident in his judgment, he couldn't convince Cecilia. Of course, this was also related to Bai Xiaowen's low reputation in the Human Allied Army. If he had gained a reputation of reverence or even worship, Cecilia would have to consider the weight of his words.

"In my capacity as commander of the Third Line of Defense, I order the 19th Infantry Phalanx to follow my orders and advance in a flanking maneuver!" Bai Xiaowen said in a deep voice. "Ms. Cecilia, please carry out the order."

"A mere Baron relying on his family's wealth dares to be so insolent!" Cecilia sneered again, holding back even harsher words. "I only obey the prince's orders, and his final command was... a full-scale charge!"

Lord Julien rode up and said, "Don't be impulsive. We are all cultured nobles. Let's talk this out..."

However, Cecilia looked down on even Lord Julien, turned her horse around, and rode away without any intention of continuing the conversation.

"Brother, I heard everything you just said..." Lord Julien chuckled. "I must admit, there's some truth to what you said, but it goes against the prince's orders. I think we should proceed with caution. Let's aim for no mistakes, rather than great achievements."

Bai Xiaowen shook his head. "Opportunities are fleeting, how can we just wait for orders? If none of you want to go, then stay here, let's go!"

"Hey, hey, wait a minute," Lord Julien stopped Bai Xiaowen. "Young people are so impatient. Here's what we'll do: I'll give you my most elite cavalry unit. It's my personal guard, twenty men in total, but they're all elite. Rather than fighting them all on the battlefield with those greenhorn recruits, it's better to transfer them to your command for a retreat; at least they'll survive."

"... Didn't you want to wipe out your entire force as soon as possible so you could return to Blackrock City?"

"Hey, I'm talking about the newly conscripted commoners, those guys whose legs go weak at the sound of drums. They're just a waste of rations. These twenty cavalrymen are different; they're my treasures," said Lord Julien.

"...I'll emphasize again, I'm going to the enemy's rear, not retreating," Bai Xiaowen said. "Your precious cavalry may suffer losses, or even be wiped out if you're unlucky."

"Hahaha, I get it, I get it! A detour, a retreat, not a withdrawal!" Lord Julien laughed loudly. "Well, if you really guessed right, you've intercepted the Remnant Vanguard Army's escape route ahead of time. That's a great achievement! Even if my cavalry is wiped out, it'll be worth it..."

Bai Xiaowen felt a sense of awe.

Lord Julien muttered again, "I can also get some merit points, and it'll make me look more prestigious when I return to Blackrock City..."

"..."

With twenty cavalrymen under Lord Julien, Bai Xiaowen ordered the entire army to make a flanking maneuver and leave the battlefield from the side. Based on his memory of the Northern Frontier frontier map, he quickly selected a strategic location called Blackiron Gorge, fifty miles north of Blackrock City.

The battle continues fiercely before Blackrock City.

Prince Nicholas's predicament has greatly worried the nine Northern Frontier lords (now eight remain) on the three lines of defense. If something were to happen to Prince Nicholas, how would they explain themselves to the Gorseflower Empire? They would have no way out.

Therefore, even with the formidable strength of the Remnants forces, the Northern Frontier Human Allied Army still advanced despite heavy losses.

Meanwhile, the Troll Headhunter and Half-Orc Spearmen fighting against the Northern Frontier Human Allied Army, under the loud shouts and commands of their vanguard commander Kelman, also put in their best efforts to hold off the enemy's advance, giving the Northern Frontier Human Allied Army no chance to rescue Prince Nicholas.

Cecilia, now truly enraged, once again ordered her archers to fire indiscriminately, a rain of arrows reaping the lives of soldiers on both sides. She herself led dozens of white-armored knights, forming a sharp wedge formation in a charge.

At first, the cavalry charge was unstoppable. But in the blink of an eye, the vanguard commander Kelman, sent out a group of Stone-armored Basilisk Rider to halt Cecilia's momentum.

The Stone-armored Basilisk Rider possesses formidable defensive capabilities, standing like a thick city wall blocking one's path, impenetrable to any attack.

Having lost their speed advantage, Cecilia's cavalry were instead surrounded by Troll Headhunter, with several being dragged off their horses.

Cecilia swung her bowstring, slaying a Troll Headhunter. A whirlwind of arrows cleared a path behind her, and she barely managed to lead her army out of the encirclement. Looking back at the white-armored knights beside her, she realized that nearly ten of them were missing.

Cecilia's heart was bleeding, but she gritted her teeth and said, "Keep charging!"

Julien, standing nearby, advised, "Let's forget it. Those barbarians riding Stone-Armored Monitor Lizard are as hard as rocks in a cesspool. There's no way we, with our ragtag army, can get through them."

Indeed, it wasn't just Cecilia who was hampered. The other units of the Northern Frontier Human Allied Army also halted their advance, becoming entangled in a fierce battle with the enemy's Stone-armored Basilisk Rider.

Cecilia wasn't stupid, nor did she give the order to continue the charge. Instead, she drew her bow and began to use her advantage as a ranged Leader Tier expert, reaping the lives of elite soldiers of the Remnant Allied Army with arrow after arrow.

This tactic was clearly familiar to her soldiers. Dozens of white-armored knights surrounded her, with skilled archers in the inner circle also beginning to fire; while heavily armored knights formed an outer perimeter to protect her.

Following Cecilia's orders, the infantry archers beside her launched a barrage of fire at the largest target, the elite Stone-armored Basilisk Rider. Although the damage from a single shot was limited, the sheer number of them was too much for these incredibly strong Elite Tier giant lizard knights to handle.

However, Cecilia and Julien's gazes toward the enemy camp were still filled with worry.

The enemy disregarded casualties on the main battlefield and concentrated their main force, elite troops, and Leader Tier powerhouses on the flank to attack Prince Nicholas. Clearly, they were treating Nicholas as a big fish; even if the entire main battlefield was wiped out, capturing or killing Nicholas would be a huge gain.

Because the Remnant Allied Army only had a small force on the main battlefield.

At that moment, a yellow flag suddenly rose behind Nicholas, waving in the wind.

Immediately afterwards, a terrifying energy fluctuation came from the direction of Blackrock City, causing the earth to rumble and the sky to be covered with dark clouds!

A figure dressed in a red robe slowly ascended into the sky. His red bishop's robe fluttered as if it were being inflated!

Dazzling beams of light shot out from below, gathering on his body and illuminating him as if he were a person of light.

Such Blind Eye light and shadow effects served an impressive purpose, earning 82 points for their cool factor. Both sides in the battle, whether the Remnants or the Human Allied Forces, stopped and stared in disbelief at the "light man" rising into the sky.

From the blinding light, one could vaguely see that it was a tall old man holding a glowing legal code in his left hand, reading it aloud in a voice as loud as a bell, which could be heard clearly throughout the entire battlefield.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light..."

As the reading began, the old man in the red robe laboriously raised his hand, as if carrying an immense weight, inch by inch, slowly ascending.

"... God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness."

"God called the light 'day,' and the darkness 'night'..."

"... There is night, and there is morning. This is... the first day..."

As he uttered the last word, the old man in the red robe pointed his finger to the highest point above his head.

Dark clouds gathered, but suddenly it was as if a sharp sword pierced through the clouds, and sunlight poured down, directly covering the camp of the Remnants!

Stone-armored Basilisk Rider, wolf riders, Half-Orc Spearmen, Troll Headhunter... and even the Boss Tier of the Remnant Vanguard Army were all enveloped in light.

In an instant, countless screams rang out. The holy light shone on the Remnants, but it was like being fried in oil, a cruel torture. Every second, their Life Value dropped rapidly!

The light that fell on the soldiers of the Human Allied Army was gentle and warm, and their Life Value were slowly restored, and their wounds were also slowly healing.

Seconds later, the light dissipated, and the dark clouds in the sky vanished without a trace. The old man in red robes, who had been enveloped in light, fell helplessly into the city.

However, the situation on the battlefield had completely changed.

With their Life Value at full strength and morale soaring, the Human Allied Army launched a fierce charge.

The Remnant Vanguard Army purified any Standard Template soldiers, such as Orcs laborers, that were exposed to the light. As for the Elite Tier soldiers, even if they survived, they were all injured, with some having less than half their Life Value and being afflicted with a negative status effect that halved all their attributes.

"Withdraw the troops!"

Commander Kelman, commander of the Remnant Vanguard Army, roared hoarsely. As a veteran Orcs who had been through countless battles, he knew very well that fleeing was not a shameful thing. As long as the flame of these elite soldiers could be preserved, they could still make a comeback when they rejoined the main force!

Knock knock knock!

Kelman sounded the war drums and activated another Boss Tier skill— Inspiration! The entire army's attack speed increased by 15% and movement speed surged by 30%! Of course, he activated this skill in the hope of retreating faster; a counterattack was out of the question.

As the rousing bugle call sounded, Prince Nicholas smashed the head of a giant lizard rider with his hammer, and ordered the entire army to charge, pursuing the Remnant Allied Army and striving to expand their gains.

"Charge! Justice will prevail!"

Praise be to the Holy Light! Long live the Holy Light!

The lords of the Northern Frontier Allied Army, as if injected with adrenaline, led their troops in a fierce charge, following in Prince Nicholas's footsteps.

"Hey, that guy was right!" Lord Julien slapped his thigh, ordered his infantry to charge, and turned to Cecilia, "What are you standing there for? Charge! Don't let those barbarians get away!"

Cecilia frowned slightly, pointed her bow and arrow, and her white-armored cavalry led the charge, with many archers rushing forward.

However, Cecilia herself was somewhat disheartened. For a moment, she couldn't believe it and stood there stunned for a long time.

"That young punk... did he really guess right?"

Lord Julien didn't join the charge either. He valued his life highly and stayed behind, saying, "Yes, he guessed right. Heh heh, this is going to be good. Hopefully, he'll come back alive... Those savages retreated very decisively; quite a few elites escaped. At the speed of the Imperial Legions, I'm afraid they won't be able to catch up."

Cecilia quickly understood. "Yes, although he correctly predicted the course of the battle and laid an ambush in advance, whether he can wipe out the routed troops of the Remnant Allied Army depends on his strength. Is it too late for us to send reinforcements?"

Lord Julien shook his head. "Let's report to His Highness first."

Prince Nicholas Bloodbath from his blue armor, which added a fierce and menacing aura to his originally handsome face, though most of it was the blood of his enemies.

"Chase them! Chase them all!"

Prince Nicholas brandished his warhammer, Inspiration the morale of his entire army. However, the enemy was under the influence of the Inspiration buff, and the survivors were all Elite Tier who ran extremely fast, causing the distance between them to widen the further they chased.