The vast Gobi Desert stretches as far as the eye can see.
Several carrion birds were greedily devouring a completely rotten, swollen, and deformed corpse on the ground.
The corpse was quickly torn apart, and dark brown, oily bodily fluids flowed down from its sharp, cold beak. The corpse was soon ripped to pieces, exposing its half-rotten organs, and a nauseating, pungent stench filled the air.
Suddenly, a carrion bird that was feasting on a delicious meal raised its head.
It seemed to have heard something, and a look of doubt appeared in its scarlet eyes.
Whoosh!
A long arrow pierced the sky, arriving in an instant like lightning.
The arrow pierced his skull mercilessly, pinning the carrion bird to the spot. It was momentarily half-dead, howling and struggling. The unfortunate carrion bird's companions were startled by this sudden turn of events and took flight amidst sharp, piercing cries.
They sensed danger approaching.
but--
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Amidst the seemingly leisurely rhythm, a series of bowstring vibrations and the sound of arrows piercing the air erupted as one long arrow after another shot out from behind the distant hills. The white feathers at the tails of the large arrows trembled, drawing straight silver trails in the air, bringing down all five or six escaped carrion birds.
Then, the sound of horses' hooves rang out.
Two fully armed cavalrymen, clad in light black armor, carrying longbows and wearing demon masks, rode up from behind the hill.
The two were riding mounts that were over three meters tall, shaped like horses, and extremely magnificent. Their four hooves were crimson red, shimmering with a faint phosphorescent light, and they were actually fourth-tier magical beasts called Crimson Flame Beast.
Fortunately, the two were extremely tall and robust, so riding such powerful mounts did not make them appear short. On the contrary, they exuded an aura of innate ferocity and menacingness, inspiring awe in others.
One of them, with long, golden hair, lifted his demon mask to reveal a square face with sharp features, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, exuding righteousness. He dismounted as he approached, seemingly unfazed by the pungent stench in the air and the gruesome sight of the disemboweled, half-rotten corpse before him. He examined the body closely for a while before drawing his long sword from his waist, quickly digging a small pit in the ground, and burying the corpse inside.
This series of movements was extremely practiced, suggesting that the cavalryman had buried many corpses in the same way.
" John, I've seen him. He was dressed in Zenit attire, around fifty years old, and should also be from the Empire. He died from an arrow wound in his back; the arrow fragments are still visible. I examined them closely, and the one that killed him was a Bloodfeathered Arrow, a common weapon used by the Ajax cavalry."
The blond, square-faced cavalryman jumped onto his horse, turned around, and said angrily to his companion.
"Damn it! These Ajax bastards don't even spare civilians. We've probably buried hundreds of these corpses along the way." Another cavalryman named John, slightly thin with a long, thin face and no beard, heard his companion's assessment, stared at the distant horizon where yellow sand rolled in, and uttered an angry curse.
"We've approached the border between the two countries. In less than a hundred miles ahead lies Twin Flag City. It seems the situation has deteriorated. The Ajax cavalry dare to cross the border a hundred miles to pursue civilians—it's outrageous! We must report these findings to Shevchenko and Čech as soon as possible. I suspect there are Ajax cavalry and scouts nearby. They've bypassed Twin Flag City ' defenses and already control an area of a hundred miles. We must be careful."
"Hmph, when His Majesty Alexander arrives with Alexander army, we'll make those despicable Ajax bastards eat their words!" John Terry yanked the reins. "Let's go, let's report the situation to Captain J...
"Wait a minute, I think I heard something..." The blond, square-faced cavalryman made a waiting gesture, tilting his head and listening carefully.
"Don't listen, it's those Ajax bastards, they've appeared..." John Terry put on his demon mask and pointed into the distance, where about twenty fully armed Ajikexi cavalrymen appeared on the side of the hill.
These Ajikexi cavalry did not raise their banners.
However, their khaki cloaks and armor clearly identified them.
Most of the land within the borders of the Ajax Empire is Shamo. Their cavalry ride a second-tier magical beast called the Sand Tiger, known as the " Ship of the Sand Sea." It resembles a warhorse but is much larger, with long, slender limbs and thick hooves that allow it to move steadily and swiftly across the sand. This earth-type magical beast is incredibly strong and proficient in low-level earth magic such as sand spikes and sand traps, making it exceptionally fierce in Shamo warfare.
"One... two... six... ten... hmm, twenty-two people in total, John, what do you suggest we do?" The blond knight was eager to try, licking his lips, his hand already gripping the longbow.
"They've spotted us, huh? Trying to outflank us?" Two against twenty-two, the two were at a complete disadvantage in terms of numbers, but John Terry's eyes gleamed with excitement. He made a gesture, and the spurs of his heel gently tapped the belly of the Crimson Flame Beast beneath him. Man and mount achieved perfect harmony at that moment, slowly charging towards the twenty-two Ajax cavalrymen charging towards them.
"Go! Let's teach these bastards a lesson!" The two men's eyes gleamed.
No wonder Terry and Ruiz were excited.
Both of them knew better than anyone what the current situation meant.
This will be the first time the Saint of Chambord City Azeroth Continent. Considering King Alexander's consistently assertive nature, the two will absolutely not allow themselves to turn and run when facing their enemy. They will use the strongest possible approach to tell their opponent—
We, the people of Chambord, have arrived!
call out!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ruiz and Terry drew their bows and nocked their arrows almost simultaneously.
The bowstring vibrated, and arrows rained down like a torrential downpour. The white fletching of the arrows drew beautiful, straight, yet deadly lines. The range of the arrows far exceeded that of ordinary bows and arrows. The Ajax cavalrymen charging with their swords had no time to react and fell to the yellow sand in an instant. Amid five or six screams, spurts of blood gushed from the corpses, staining the earth red.
"Damn it! Charge! There are only two of them!"
"Damn it! Kill them! I'll skin those two damned Zenit alive!"
"I'm going to chop them into mincemeat!"
The death of their comrade did not deter the fierce Ajax cavalry; on the contrary, it fueled their brutality and ferocity.
They pressed themselves tightly against the backs of the Sand Tiger to reduce their visibility as archers, and accelerated their sprint. The well-trained Earth Tiger let out fierce growls, increasing their running speed like arrows released from a bow, or like plumes of yellow smoke skimming the ground, leaving dozens of billowing plumes of dust behind them, their momentum truly formidable.
In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two sides closed.
When they were less than twenty meters away, the bow and arrow had lost their advantage.
The Ajax cavalrymen then revealed ferocious smiles.
The previous volley of arrows had cost them six or seven men, but they still held a significant numerical advantage. The two Zenit archers were indeed skilled, but in close combat, Ajax's scimitar would tear through their fragile leather armor and muscles, drowning them in their own blood...
In recent days, they have been using a cat-and-mouse game to slaughter all the Zenit people within a hundred miles who had neither entered Twin Flag City nor had time to escape.
Blades sever blood vessels and hearts, ears listen to cries and wails, holding life and death in their hands, indiscriminately slaughtering...
What a wonderful feeling!
These days, the Ajax cavalry have become completely intoxicated by this feeling.
A frenzied charge ensued; the dozen or so Ajax cavalrymen felt their blood boiling. They could see clearly that, apart from the knights' attire, the hideous black masks held no fear for them...
but...
Waaaaaah!
A sudden, ominous sound ripped through the sky, and four black shadows appeared before us, spinning wildly about two meters from the ground, like four small tornadoes tearing through the air as they swirled towards us.
The blood of the four Ajax cavalrymen at the forefront instantly turned ice-cold.
"Ah..."
"It's a throwing axe..."
The scream lasted only half a minute, disappearing like a noisy hen being choked, followed by four sharp, sequential sounds of blades slicing through weapons, muscle, and bone.
Blood and severed limbs flew everywhere like a torrential rain. The four Ajax cavalrymen at the front, along with their second-tier magical beasts, Sand Tiger, were struck by the shield-sized giant axe. Even though two of them reacted quickly and used their scimitars to block, it was to no avail. The giant axe, carrying a violent force, cleaved the four men and their mounts into sixteen pieces as if they were scarecrows. Severed limbs and organs splattered into the dust, and they fell askew into pools of blood.
Unparalleled power.
How terrifying the Zenit people are!
The Ajax cavalry had lost the exhilarating feeling of complete control they had felt earlier. The shadow of death was creeping closer; ten of the twenty-two had already fallen before even making contact. This dramatic shift in the situation made them sense an ominous atmosphere.
But it was too late.
What happened next pushed the remaining twelve Ajax to the brink of collapse.
The two Zenit, acting like madmen, laughed heartily. In each hand, they held a dark, short-handled giant axe. It looked unremarkable, but its sharpness was such that it could cut through iron like mud. Even the finest Ajax scimitars they wielded could not stop the giant axe in the slightest. It was like the difference between a carrot and a divine weapon. With a single swing, an Ajax cavalryman was cut in two.
Axe is good!
Axe techniques are even better!
The giant axe, weighing over a thousand pounds, was as light as a straw in their hands; they could even create afterimages and axe flowers.
After the first Charge, axe blades flashed and blood splattered; of the twelve cavalrymen, only four remained.
This... is not even in the same league.
First update.