The two cavalry forces collided like a pair of walls, and the dozen or so riders at the head of the Eagle Tribe were swallowed up in an instant.
Kansa watched as the enemy cavalry charged straight at him without slowing down. The rider at their head struck out with a thrust and a slash, taking down two Eagle Tribe riders in quick succession.
Kansa's mind went blank. Just minutes ago, he had thought this was merely a welcoming ceremony. He'd imagined the dozens of Gray Goose riders would kneel before him, take a tongue-lashing, and then leave.
But now the enemy cavalry were charging straight at him. The Eagle Tribe riders beside him realized something was wrong and rushed forward to protect their Priest, but the dozen or so men only delayed the enemy charge for a moment.
Kansa couldn't understand why the Gray Goose barbarians were attacking him, but there was no time to hesitate. He activated the Magic Crystal Base on his Leather Armor, and the Magic Patterns hidden beneath its feather decorations began to glow dimly.
Kansa charged at the fiercest-looking rider in the enemy ranks. After several years of building up his strength, he now had Magic Pattern Armor, a Magic Pattern Blade, and dozens of Magic Crystals. With his weapons and Krypton Crystals, he was not only the Eagle God's representative in the camp, but also the tribe's strongest barbarian warrior, always at the forefront of battle.
In battles between barbarian tribes, killing the enemy leader and seizing their banner meant total victory.
Barbarian culture had borrowed heavily from the Beastmen and the Human Race. Among those two peoples, the chief or lord was both the most important inheritor of a territory's Mana-Wielder Bloodline and the one responsible for dealing with the lords of other territories and cities. Without a chief or lord, those two peoples' territories could barely survive, and their Territory Residents would be forced to migrate or become savages.
Influenced by those two peoples, barbarian chiefs also held absolute authority within their tribes. So if a chief was killed in battle or a duel, the surviving barbarians usually wouldn't continue fighting.
Kansa knew that the man cutting down his men with the most ferocity was the leader of the invading force.
If he beat him, the Eagle Tribe could take in the enemy riders. If he lost, his own tribe would come to an end that day.
So Kansa held nothing back. All the Magic Arrays on his clothes required three Magic Crystals to activate, and he also needed to tear open a Courage Scroll. He had bought it at a tribal gathering two years ago, specifically for a situation like this.
Kansa charged forward. He hadn't ridden a horse when he left, wanting to appear unruffled. Now there was no time to mount up, so he had to charge on foot and rely on his superior equipment to withstand the enemy.
Kansa hadn't expected the other man to see through his intentions and charge ahead of everyone else. Riding a black-scaled horse, he rushed toward Kansa like a shadow, his saber already coming down toward Kansa's head.
Kansa didn't dare underestimate him. He gripped his sword with both hands and met the incoming blow.
"Clang!"
"Impossible!" Kansa's arms suddenly went numb. He was a barbarian clad in a full set of Magic Pattern Sword and Magic Pattern Leather Armor, yet he'd only managed to fight his opponent to a draw?
The Magic Pattern Sword clashed with the enemy's saber twice more, sparks flying. Both Landen on horseback and Kansa on foot were shaken backward.
Landen felt his right hand go numb from the impact. He hadn't dared to take chances before the charge, either. He'd activated the Magic Array on his Magic Pattern Iron Armor and channeled Battle Qi into his blade before striking.
The saber had come from the previous tribe chief's collection in his Magic-Sealing Box. It bore Magic Patterns of Sharpness and durability.
Landen hadn't expected what he thought would be a sure victory to end in a near draw once their weapons actually met.
Landen didn't hesitate. As soon as he briefly broke contact with the Battle Priest, he immediately spent three Magic Crystals to replenish his Battle Qi.
He channeled the Battle Qi into his warhorse and charged at the Battle Priest again. Landen had forgotten all the combat techniques Raul had taught him in recent days, fighting now with nothing but brute force.
Kansa blocked another of Landen's blows, but this time he could barely counterattack. After fending off two more of Landen's strikes, Kansa felt his strength nearly spent.
He had no idea how Landen could keep attacking with all his strength after five or six exchanges, as if he'd only just started fighting.
But Kansa had almost nothing left.
Both Landen's Knights and the Eagle Tribe's barbarians had stopped fighting. They were watching their leaders' duel; its outcome would decide their fate.
Barbarian chiefs had spent ages reinforcing the belief that duels between leaders were sanctioned and blessed by the gods, and that any ordinary barbarian who interfered would incur their wrath.
This lie had cost half the chiefs who took part in duels their lives, but it had effectively prevented the barbarian population of Mana-Wielders from being depleted by frequent intertribal conflicts.
But Kansa truly couldn't hold out any longer. The monster in front of him only grew stronger as the fight went on, while Kansa was on the verge of collapse.
His men showed no sign of stepping in to save him, and the enemy showed no intention of sparing him.
To the barbarians, Priests were precious and sacred warriors. A tribe with a Priest would be larger than an ordinary mid-sized tribe. In past duels, if the weaker side's leader was a Priest, the stronger side would usually show the gods some respect and ask whether the Priest wanted to join their tribe.
Landen had no such intention. First, he didn't know that he could take his opponent as a subordinate during a duel. Second, he didn't dare take in a Priest who could communicate with the gods.
After several more exchanges, Landen had used another five Magic Crystals. Including the three in his armor, he'd now burned through eight Magic Crystals. That was an extremely high cost for a battle. The barbarian had held his own against him through several rounds of blows, which could only mean he was wearing a full set of Magic Pattern Equipment, too.
Barbarians weren't frightening, and neither were barbarian Priests. But a barbarian Priest who could use Human Race Magic Pattern weapons and magic was absolutely terrifying. Mana-Wielders among the barbarians had powerful bodies and the ability to wield mana, and they could use religion to unite large numbers of their people. If such a Priest also had the boost of magical equipment, Landen couldn't imagine how he would face him if he ever rose to power.
He had to take this man down. Landen could tell that the Priest across from him was no longer as quick to react or as forceful in his counterattacks, but he didn't dare let his guard down.
After two more exchanges, they broke apart. Landen and Kansa faced each other from thirty meters away.
Landen decided to give his opponent a breather. He paused for a few seconds and even lowered the right hand holding his blade, making it look as if he wanted to suspend the fight.
"Finally," the Eagle Priest breathed in relief. If the other side could slow down, then they could negotiate terms. He was willing to accept some conditions. He could serve as the other tribe's Priest, send some of his own riders over, or acknowledge the other man's strength at the next tribal gathering.
Behind his mask, the Priest even smiled. "I am the Eagle Priest. The Eagle God will not forgive your disrespect. If you are willing to stop, I will pray to the Eagle God and ask that you be spared His punishment—"
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