The battlefield collapsed far too quickly.
Kaden huddled on a velvet couch, trying to pour himself a glass of wine.
The golden bottle clattered against the rim of the crystal glass, spilling wine all over his robes.
He peeked through a gap in the curtains. Outside was already a scene of hell.
The Steel Scale Knights, so arrogant in ordinary times, now hung like torn rags from the broken bridge's steel reinforcement.
The Silver Vein River was filled with floating corpses and soldiers who were fast becoming corpses.
A giant squid as tall as a city wall was tossing the Knights' Order high into the air, into the icy river... into its mouth. Two slightly smaller ones on its flanks followed its example, sweeping the battlefield clean.
Along the riverbank, many-armed monsters crawled out of the water and formed several arrowhead formations, charging into the Imperial army and hastening its collapse.
The screams were so piercing that even the Silencing Spell on this carriage could not keep them out.
"It's over... it's all over..." Kaden trembled all over, but his gaze suddenly froze.
In the distance, a banner was still moving.
It belonged to Count Marius's private army. That old fox was retreating in good order, making his forces the only intact formation left in this slaughterhouse.
Kaden stared at the banner, and a thought flashed through his mind. Should I rush over and join him?
No.
Even if we joined forces, we'd only die together. Someone had to stay behind to feed those monsters so I could escape.
"Relay my orders." Kaden's voice suddenly stopped trembling as he feigned composure and issued orders to the retainer outside.
"Send word to Marius. In the supreme commander's name, order him to establish a defensive line immediately and hold the east bank