The two sides met on a plain. The Centaurs did not have many troops, only a little over a thousand, not much more than the humans.
However, the nobles had no confidence in defeating the enemy, even with Marquis Prague among them. The reason was the leader commanding all the Centaurs across from them!
The Centaur Chieftain was a gigantic monster far larger than an ordinary Centaur, standing a full six meters tall. Its skin was pitch-black, and a terrifying aura emanated from its body. It wielded an enormous battle axe eight meters long.
The humans' warhorses panicked and ran wildly from far away, completely out of control. Even the several hundred elite soldiers without transcendent power trembled all over, cold sweat streaming down their faces.
No proof was needed, no exchange of blows required. Everyone present instinctively felt it! That pitch-black Centaur Chieftain was a Legendary Creature!
Everyone on the human side dismounted. Before the pressure of a legendary Centaur, no horse could remain under control!
The Centaur Chieftain stood at the very front of its formation, reared up high, then came crashing down!
With a boom, the earth shook and the mountains quaked. The ground beneath the humans began to tremble violently. Other than Marquis Prague, everyone in the human camp staggered unsteadily. Many soldiers fell straight to the ground, while the horses scattered in all directions.
With just one move, the Centaur Chieftain revealed its unmatched power. Even Marquis Prague felt immense pressure!
This was definitely a Legendary Level transcendent ability, likely a skill similar to War Stomp. It was countless times stronger than a troll's Roaring Wave, and its effect on the battlefield was even more astonishing.
In an instant, the entire human army fell into complete chaos, while the Centaurs launched a savage charge under the legendary Centaur's lead.
The Centaur army of over a thousand men plunged into the human formation like a sharp blade, instantly smashing the human ranks to pieces.
The scattered human troops could not organize an effective defense. Within mere seconds of the Centaur charge reaching them, their line was completely pierced, and half the soldiers died on the spot!
The miserable cries of human soldiers echoed everywhere. Flesh and blood flew through the air, and corpses were trampled beneath Centaur hooves. The battlefield turned into hell, and the battle reached its fiercest point in an instant.
Having endured the Centaurs' most brutal charge, the fighting turned into close-quarters chaos. The humans remained at an absolute disadvantage. They had fewer numbers and lower morale, leaving them no way to resist the Centaurs.
Human soldiers could be seen everywhere being pierced by Centaur spears and trampled by hooves. Even the Knights were steadily forced back.
If this continued, the humans would soon be wiped out! But the human side had powerful elites!
Nobles who had awakened their bloodlines, descendants of heroic ancestors, could never be defeated by ordinary Centaurs.
Marquis Prague let out a roar, and his body suddenly swelled into an eight-meter-tall giant. With one slap, he sent seven or eight Centaurs flying.
The Centaur Chieftain noticed the change and charged straight at Marquis Prague with its huge axe. On the way, it casually killed several Knights. Before a Legendary Expert, even Transcendent Knights had no ability to fight back.
To avoid involving the others, Marquis Prague lured the Centaur Chieftain away for a duel. He believed the other nobles could repel the Centaur army now that it lacked a powerful leader.
Seeing that the Centaur Chieftain was gone, Marcus began to exert himself as well. This was the perfect chance for him to shine!
Marcus pushed his Bloodline Power to its limit, turning himself into a blazing human torch. He burned several nearby Centaurs into charcoal and shouted himself hoarse, "Those who are still alive, get over here! I'll crush the Centaurs!"
His roar echoed across the battlefield, inspiring many people still fighting desperately.
Marcus was now the strongest person on the human side. The other nobles and Knights gathered around him, while the elite soldiers struggled to resist the Centaurs' slaughter.
Harrot was also encouraged by Marcus's shout. The Centaurs of the Thunder Tribe were far stronger than those from the small outer tribes. Even he found the battle extremely difficult.
To protect several Knight Squires, Harrot relied on his formidable strength to sweep away a charging Centaur, only to draw the enemy's attention.
At that moment, three Centaurs were surrounding Harrot. He knocked aside one Centaur's spear with his sword, took the other two spears head-on, and shouted as he hacked off half the Centaur in front of him.
Blood instantly dyed his body red, but Harrot had no time to wipe away the blood splattered across his face.
He spun sharply, swinging his sword to knock away a spear while simultaneously cutting off another Centaur's head.
The final Centaur thrust with all its strength, breaking through Harrot's defense and punching a hole through his stomach.
-21. No vital organs were injured. I can still hold on!
Harrot tightly gripped the spear, preventing the Centaur from pulling it out. He pressed close to the Centaur and thrust his greatsword through its horse body and into its human body, finishing off the last Centaur.
Gasping for breath, Harrot realized his own weakness. His combat strength could be considered at the peak of ordinary humans, but he was still powerless in a large-scale battle against Centaurs. He could not play the hero again next time.
Harrot pulled the spear from his stomach. His semi-digitized body made him bleed far more slowly than an ordinary person. He still had more than half his health left and could continue fighting.
Without time to catch his breath, Harrot rushed to support his five Knight Squires. They had been entangled by several Centaurs and could barely break free.
"Hold on, I'm coming!"
Just as one of the squires was kicked to the ground by a Centaur and was about to be pierced by a spear, Harrot fired a Small Fireball from afar and stopped the Centaur's attack.
Then Harrot charged over, swinging his flaming greatsword and cleaving the enemy in two. The severed corpse continued to burn in flames.
"Come on, beasts!" After saving one squire, Harrot continued to help the remaining squires.
One Centaur had just turned around to face Harrot when the Knight Squire behind it leaped up and slashed it across the neck.
The Knight Squire was not as strong as Harrot and failed to decapitate the Centaur outright. His sword became lodged halfway through the Centaur's head. Blood sprayed out, and after a few final struggles, the Centaur collapsed.
The Knight Squires were not much weaker in combat than the Centaurs. They had simply been thrown into disarray by the sudden charge of so much cavalry, making it difficult to counterattack.
Next, Harrot joined forces with two squires to rescue the other three. The six of them fought their way toward Marcus with all their strength.
The Bald Man was already beside Marcus, and many nobles had gathered around him to fight. Bloodline Nobles and Knights still held an edge over the Centaurs in combat. As long as they stabilized their line and avoided being attacked from both front and back, they could easily withstand the Centaurs' assault.
Harrot and his five squires also reached Marcus's side and joined the others in organizing a counterattack.
Marcus had switched weapons to a fiery whip formed entirely from flames. When he swung it with all his strength, the surrounding Centaurs were lashed until they smoked, caught fire, and screamed repeatedly. With such powerful cover, Harrot could attack without restraint.
With his 31 points of Strength, boosted by skills such as Power Strike and Heavy Strike as well as his proficiency, his attacks rivaled those of a troll. Every swing of his sword left behind a Centaur corpse.
The five squires could create an excellent opening for him, ensuring he would not be surrounded. His valiant performance also greatly raised everyone else's morale.
"Excellent work, Harrot! Keep it up and wipe out the Centaurs in one push!" Marcus praised Harrot enthusiastically.
More and more people joined up with Marcus. In the end, the remaining three hundred or so survivors gathered together and launched a full-scale counterattack against the Centaurs.
The nobles all pushed their Bloodline Power to the limit. Flames, ice, lightning, earthen spikes, wind blades, and balls of light suppressed the Centaurs' momentum.
Then Harrot, The Bald Man, and the other fierce warriors led the way, bringing the Knights into close combat to cut down the demoralized Centaurs.
Finally, with their leader absent and their losses mounting, the Centaurs began to retreat. Since the humans' horses and mounts had long since fled, the humans had no way to pursue.
The battle between Marquis Prague and the Centaur Chieftain also came to a temporary end. Both the Centaur Chieftain and Marquis Prague were seriously injured, and the Centaur Chieftain fled rather than continue fighting.
Marquis Prague had fought desperately, staking his life on the battle. He had no way out. If he fled, the remaining people could not possibly stand against the Centaur Chieftain and would all be slaughtered. Not only would the expedition fail completely, but his reputation would be ruined as well.
The Centaur Chieftain, however, had no reason to fight to the death. The humans could not catch up to the Centaurs, so retreating carried no risk. Faced with Marquis Prague, who was fighting for his life, it simply chose to withdraw and regroup its forces.
The Centaur Chieftain had not expected the invaders to have a Legendary Level expert as well. Otherwise, it would not have come without bringing elite troops.
Aside from the Centaur Chieftain and two or three of its personal guards, no Centaur on their side could match the humans' elite fighters. That was why their overwhelming advantage at the beginning became a stalemate, before the humans ultimately turned the tide and claimed victory.
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