A thunderous beast's roar rang out from the depths of the forest. Everyone immediately went on full alert, ready to face the formidable enemy within.
The beast that had roared still failed to appear, but Gawain did not let his guard down. Suddenly, alarm bells went off in his head!
He looked behind him and realized that the army he led was already two or three li from the Royal City's southern gate.
His unease grew stronger as Gawain recalled the day's fighting.
This was the largest horde of demonic beasts they had faced in months, yet advancing their formation had not been difficult. In fact, it had been almost effortless.
If not for the sheer number of demonic beasts, they could have driven them out long before sunset, given how little resistance they had encountered.
But the demonic beasts had fought as they retreated. Apart from those killed by the Solar Flare released from his Carnwennan, all the other soldiers combined had barely killed more than Gawain alone.
Now Gawain understood why their formation had advanced so easily today.
He shouted to the soldiers behind him:
"It's a King Beast! Don't get bogged down fighting! Retreat immediately!!!"
A "King Beast" was the leader of the demonic beasts. Only one King Beast could exist in any forest inhabited by them.
On this island, where the Age of Gods was nearing its end, what they called demonic beasts were not actually the [Demonic Beasts] of the true Phantasmal Species ranks: [Demonic Beasts], [Phantasmal Beasts], and [Divine Beasts] ([Sacred Beasts]).
Rather, the name referred to fierce beasts corrupted by magical energy, or crossbreeds between Phantasmal Species and ordinary beasts.
Demonic beasts utterly surpassed ordinary beasts in both strength and intelligence. Certain exceptional individuals could even approach primates-humans-in intelligence.
The strongest and most Wisdom among the demonic beasts was the King Beast.
Generally speaking, the greater the proportion of Phantasmal Species blood in their veins, the greater their intelligence and strength. Some supreme King Beasts could even possess bloodlines infinitely close to those of true Phantasmal Species!
Roar! Roar!
The King Beast in the forest roared again, and the sounds of running demonic beasts came from both sides of the infantry formation.
The soldiers began retreating, running back, but the demonic beasts on either flank had already swept around to encircle them from behind!
"Damn it, we're surrounded!"
"What should we do, Your Highness Gawain?"
"Let's just break through!"
Voices rose over one another. Their footsteps grew frantic, and the formation began to scatter.
Whoosh-!
Suddenly, a scorching blaze shot skyward, tearing through the darkness of the night and halting the formation's disintegration.
It was Gawain!
Gawain drew out the Solar Flare within Carnwennan, drawing everyone's attention like someone pounding a great gong in a noisy marketplace.
"Everyone, don't panic!
Follow my orders! Change from a wedge formation to a shield formation!"
"Yes!"
The soldiers closest to Gawain heard his orders and relayed them to their comrades.
The formation began to shift around Gawain. The point of the wedge contracted inward, while its two rear wings folded toward each other.
The Kingdom of Orkney lay at the northernmost end of Britain, routinely fending off raids from foreign peoples and the Picts.
As such, its army ranked among the finest in all Britain in both organization and fighting strength.
In less than two minutes, more than two thousand men changed from an offensive wedge formation to a defensive shield formation.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Heavy footsteps sounded from the forest ahead. Gawain wreathed Carnwennan in flames, giving the soldiers as much visibility as possible in the darkness.
At last, the creature making those footsteps emerged from the forest.
A bear!
An enormous bear seven or eight meters long!
Were they all going to be wiped out here today...?
The thought sprang unbidden into everyone's mind. Gawain forced down his unease and ordered the messenger beside him:
"Pass the order down. Everyone is to attack northward with all their strength and force a breakthrough. As long as you break out, you can all survive! I'll hold the rear with my three hundred personal guards and buy you time."
Sir Andrew, who stood nearby, immediately objected:
"Your Highness Gawain! You can't! You're the crown prince! Lead everyone out. I'll hold the rear for you!"
"I have Carnwennan, and Gringolet is here too. I won't die.
Get to the northern end of the formation and lead everyone out. Hurry!"
"Your Highness!"
"Shut up! Follow your orders! If we waste any more time, the King Beast will charge us, and none of us will get out!"
The surrounding demonic beasts had already begun closing in, ready to slaughter all two thousand-odd men.
"Your Highness... Understood! I'll obey! Everyone, follow me!"
"Yes!"
Under Andrew's leadership, everyone changed from a shield formation to an arrow formation and fought northward with all their strength. They broke through the encirclement at the cost of more than four hundred lives.
Gawain and his guards held the rear, buying time for the more than two thousand men ahead.
Gawain also barely managed to stop the giant bear, and the two became locked in combat.
Every swipe of the giant bear's paws seemed to carry immense force. Despite its enormous size, it was agile, and Gawain's Solar Flare only singed its brown fur black.
The defensive strength of this bear's hide was terrifying.
I need an opening to make the Solar Flare erupt inside its body!
Gawain thought as he dodged. He looked behind him; the others were already nearing the city gate.
"Aaron, sound the horn! Tell everyone to retreat!"
"Yes!"
Aaron, the captain of his personal guard, took the horn hanging at the back of his waist and blew with all his might.
Woooo- Woo- Woooo-
The long, short, long horn blasts drifted on the wind, summoning the warhorses waiting at the foot of the city walls. The soldiers still standing took the wounded with them and retreated north.
"Gringolet!" Gawain swung Carnwennan, forcing the King Beast back a step, then called loudly for his beloved horse.
A neigh rang out from among the beasts. Gringolet leaped forward, trampling two demonic beasts that had tried to attack Gawain from behind as the horse reached his side.
On the distant walls of the Royal City, banners snapped in the wind.
Morgan and King Lot watched the distant battlefield, where flames flickered in the darkness. Light shimmered in Morgan's hand as she hesitated over whether to use magecraft to bring Gawain back.
Moments earlier, under the cover provided by Gawain and his guards, Sir Andrew had successfully led the battered survivors-more than two thousand men-into the city and reported the casualties to them.
Excluding Gawain and his guards, the infantry and cavalry had numbered three thousand. Eight hundred and fifty-four had died, and two thousand one hundred and forty-six had survived, with nine hundred and forty severely wounded and one thousand two hundred and two lightly wounded.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Gawain had called Gringolet back, intending to leave with everyone else.
As Morgan watched Gawain gallop toward the Royal City, the light in her hand faded.
Gawain sat on the fairy horse's back, gasping for breath. He was a boy in his teens who had fought from daylight into darkness. Even with six hours of blessings, his body was beginning to buckle under the strain.
Rumble.
Rumble.
Rumble.
Something seemed to be rumbling underground...
Gawain dared not take any chances. He nudged the horse's belly with his heel, signaling Gringolet to speed up.
In an instant, an enormous claw burst out of the earth, blocking Gringolet's path...
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