The Barbarian with the Ram Horn Mask

These Star Kingdom knights wanted to pick up the longswords they had dropped on the ground, but the surroundings were filled with a continuous, whistling sound as dense swarms of arrows sped toward them from the darkness.

These arrows were imbued with magic, possessing several times the lethality and speed of ordinary projectiles.

Several more knights fell amidst the chaotic volley, dying in a state of utter frustration.

These knights had been careless; having just survived a bloody battle and believing they had emerged victorious, they never expected enemies to be lurking behind them, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

As Master's second-in-command, Darwin reacted instantly. He looked toward Master, waiting for his orders, only to find his superior standing there with his eyes closed, motionless.

Several arrows grazed his shoulders, nearly striking him.

"Tom, Thomas, Russell, bring the remaining men and circle around to protect the Knight Commander!"

"Yes!"

The three squad leaders answered in unison; they had all survived.

The honor of a knight forbade them from allowing their commander to come to harm, and Darwin made the immediate decision to protect Master's safety.

The knights who had survived the rain of arrows picked up their longswords and shields, closing in around Master.

"Protect the Knight Commander!"

Darwin roared with a hoarse voice, his expression already tinged with despair.

The previous slaughter had exhausted most of the magic within their bodies. Without the support of magic, these enchanted arrows would pierce through them sooner or later.

A dozen knights struggled to hold up their shields, resisting the countless incoming arrows as they slowly formed two rings. Their warhorses had long since fallen in the hail of projectiles.

At the very center stood the still-motionless Master, and Darwin roared.

"Hold on! The Lord and the Grand Knight Commander will return soon, and then we will avenge our fallen brothers!"

Another knight fell, struck by several arrows, his shield shattered into pieces.

Because his magic had been exhausted, his shield could no longer be reinforced.

The knight behind him immediately stepped up to plug the gap.

Then, on the other side, two more knights fell for the same reason—magic depleted. The knights behind them stepped up to block the rapidly incoming magic arrows.

Finally, after an unknown number of volleys from the enemies hiding in the shadows, the whistling sound ceased; their arrows had run out.

But only ten elite knights remained standing!

The shields in their hands were on the verge of shattering, and their expressions were filled with extreme fury, for they had watched helplessly as ten comrades who had lived and died with them fell to the enemy's ambush. This was unforgivable!

They stared unblinkingly into the shadows deep within the forest.

They knew that once the enemy's arrows were spent, they would choose close-quarters combat, and an even more brutal slaughter was about to unfold!

"Are you lot nothing but cowards who only know how to ambush? Do you dare to face us in a real fight!"

Russell, the most hot-blooded of them, roared in the direction from which the arrows had come.

The answer was an eerie silence, as if no one existed there at all.

Yet, every survivor was tense to the breaking point; even now, they did not know who was attacking them.

Finally, low, guttural sounds broke the silence, as if the enemies hiding in the shadows were conversing, whispering like demons to one another.

Amidst this chatter, Darwin and the others gripped their longswords, the last of their magic poised for release.

At last, a series of rustling sounds arose, closing in on their position!

The rustling plucked at the heartstrings of every survivor present, hammering against their very souls.

Tall figures emerged from the darkness of the distant forest.

They rode upon massive black warhorses, the horses' heads adorned with white, skull-like masks, with only their crimson eyes exposed.

The figures on horseback were exceptionally robust, clad in fur coats and incomplete armor, but they all shared one common trait.

They all wore pitch-black, menacing masks with two ram-like horns, looking exactly like demons walking out of the abyss.

They surrounded the group, at least a hundred of these monsters in total.

Each monster carried a different weapon: pitch-black great axes with barbs, heavy hammers, long blades resembling scythes...

But on their backs, they all carried white longbows; there was no doubt that these were the ones who had unleashed the rain of arrows from the shadows!

The one walking at the very front, the most robust and massive of them all, looked like an iron tower placed upon a horse's back. One could see the muscles on his bare arms bulging like coiled dragons, appearing terrifyingly formidable.

"You are... Barbarians?!"

Darwin stared fixedly at these monsters riding the tall warhorses, his grip on his knightly sword tightening even further.

Why had these Barbarians, who had vanished for hundreds of years, suddenly appeared here?

Darwin felt utter despair. To the people of the Star Kingdom, these Barbarians, who resembled demonic gods, were their greatest fear!

They were elusive, they killed without a trace, and they were pathologically bloodthirsty.

Regarding the Barbarians, the Star Kingdom had always kept their lips sealed, never speaking a word.

Even if a few scattered fragments of lore remained, they only spoke of the invincible myths of these terrifying Barbarians.

In the distant past, the Barbarians were their nightmare, the shame of their glorious history, for they had nearly been wiped out as a nation several times over.

The fear of the Barbarians had already been carved into their very bloodlines!

Darwin struggled to keep the longsword in his hand from trembling. He was an elite knight, and his resolve and courage surpassed that of most Starfolk, yet he still could not stop himself from shaking and feeling terror—especially when he saw the figures at the very front pressing down upon them like massive mountains, causing his heart to race uncontrollably.

The terrifying incarnations that the Starfolk spoke of in hushed, fearful whispers had surrounded them, driving them into a desperate plight.

"Gentlemen, are you willing to fight these demons?"

Darwin asked the knights around him. The knightly creed still sustained him in overcoming his fear; if this was the end of the road, then they would go down fighting!

"Of course, to avenge those brothers who died in battle!"

Russell said, his expression resolute, showing not a hint of fear; he was currently filled entirely with hatred.

Darwin turned his head to look at the Barbarians mounted on their warhorses, having already prepared himself for the clash.

These Barbarians, wearing black bull-horn masks, merely surrounded them without making a move, yet the atmosphere on the field was tense to the breaking point.

Suddenly, the Barbarians directly in front of them parted to the left and right, opening a gap, and two people on horseback appeared from within, one following the other.