As his own front lines began to crumble, Tu Lai watched his forces being slaughtered. How could they possibly hold out for another hour? But it was an order. Glancing at the retreating lines, he roared and summoned his personal guards to act as a disciplinary force. Armed with sabers, they positioned themselves behind the front, issuing a deadly command: anyone who retreated would be executed. They must hold the line!
The disciplinary force formed a line behind the front, their gazes grim and their killing intent palpable. This finally stabilized the situation.
However, the battle-hardened Tu Lai knew this was only temporary. These soldiers lacked the will to fight, and whether they could last an hour was uncertain. He could only take it one step at a time.
Grell and Kowida locked in a struggle, neither willing to yield. One considered himself invincible in the northwest, his brute strength unmatched in the world; the other was a light mage of the Blazing Sun family.
"Good lad, you've got some strength!"
"Big fellow, you're not bad either. I'm taking that mount of yours!"
Kowida was about to retort when a sudden surprise struck his heart: "What did you say?"
Grell chuckled, enunciating each word, "This general says he's taking you as his mount!"
Upon hearing this, Kowida's aged face flushed crimson, and he instantly erupted in anger, "How dare you, you imbecile!"
As he spoke, he channeled his magic, whipping up sand and stones. Both combatants were engulfed in the dust storm.
The surge of energy from Kowida's Stone-Splitting Saber intensified, his face turning even redder, clearly enraged.
Grell, however, remained calm and unhurried. Yet, Kowida's forceful exertion was clearly taxing him slightly. His opponent's strength was indeed considerable, but not yet beyond his ability to handle. He couldn't help but tease, "Is that all?"
Grell's lips curled into a slight, sinister smile, causing Kowida to feel an inexplicable dread well up from within, his face flushed to the point of bursting.
Kowida felt a surge of immense power transmit through his saber towards him. He found himself unable to suppress it, his center of gravity gradually shifting upward with Grell's force. Even his feet began to lift off the ground, inch by inch.
Kowida let out a series of fierce roars, trying to overpower the opponent's strength. However, Grell remained as unmoving as a mountain.
He couldn't fathom how such a small person could possess such immense strength. He stared intently at Grell, who was enveloped in a golden aura, his smile growing more brazen, filled with a wicked aura.
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed, instantly kicking up sand and stones. A fierce wind erupted, blinding everyone and forcing them to retreat.
Grell, however, was astonished. Kowida suddenly began to swell like a balloon, growing taller than the city walls. His limbs became as thick as iron towers, requiring several people to embrace. His head was larger than Grell's, and his nose, like that of a giant python, snaked and coiled around Grell. His ears, like two large winnowing fans, drooped down. Amidst the flying sand and stones, the true form of a colossal elephant manifested, casting a shadow over Grell.
At this moment, the power Kowida unleashed far exceeded what an ordinary person could withstand. His Stone-Splitting Saber, unable to bear the strain of these two titanic forces vying for dominance, shattered with a deafening crack.
Karul dispatched the reserve forces to Bijies, who quickly plunged into battle, greatly boosting Bijies' morale. However, Bijies soon discovered a peculiar phenomenon: the front line advanced relentlessly, but the results were far from satisfactory.
With the reinforcement of the reserve troops, he had not managed to break the Saint Roman army's front. The situation seemed to remain the same.
As long as he led his troops in a charge, he could push back the Saint Roman army's line, but he would then face immense pressure. As soon as he couldn't bear it and retreated, the lost ground would be quickly reclaimed by the Saint Romans.
Meanwhile, other fronts were completely blocked by the Saint Roman army, appearing like an impenetrable iron block with no progress whatsoever.
As time wore on, Tu Lai sent several messengers to Kowida requesting reinforcements.
Karul was aware of the dire situation on Tu Lai's front, but he had yet to receive any news of victory from Bijies' contingent. Kowida could only placate Tu Lai with gentle words:
"Tu Lai! You must hold the line! I support you in spirit!"
"Tu Lai! I believe in you! You will surely hold the line!"
"Tu Lai! If you can't hold the line, you don't need to come back to see me; find a crooked tree and go on your way alone!"...
Karul was trying every strategy with Tu Lai, using both soft and hard tactics. He also repeatedly sent orderlies to urge Bijies, and each response he received was: "Almost there, almost there..."
In the afternoon, Karul finally received a turning point in the news: Tu Lai's entire line had collapsed, and Tu Lai was dead.
Upon receiving the news, Kowida's massive body staggered three times, his vision turned black, and he nearly fainted. He trembled and said, "Bijies has betrayed me!"
It turned out that Xiao Xun, stationed in the rear, had already grasped the situation on the front lines. He decisively dispatched his reserve forces to Tu Desen, who, not failing his mission, defeated Tu Lai.
Grell clearly hadn't expected Kowida to reveal his true form in public. But as they struggled amidst the flying sand and stones, Kowida's manifested true form genuinely delighted him. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "What a magnificent demon elephant, perfectly suited to be my mount!"
Although Kowida had revealed his true form, Grell's words were heard clearly. In his fury, he let out a roar, and waves of sonic energy stirred up immense sandstorms, forcing the generals and soldiers on both fronts to cover their ears. But the sound, like flowing water, was pervasive, agitating their eardrums.
Grell, caught within it, felt the power of the sonic waves, and his vision was further obscured by flying sand and stones.
Grell waved his hand, sweeping aside the oncoming sand and stones. As the dust settled, an object flashed in his hand, emitting a brilliant light that, even through the heavy dust and stones, could not be obscured, illuminating everything.
Kowida, in disbelief, gasped, "Heart of Blazing Flame?"
With Tu Lai's eastern route broken, Bijies' flank lost its protection and was soon like a breached dam, quickly overwhelmed by the Saint Roman army.
Tu Desen seized the opportunity and joined forces with Giret to jointly assault Bijies' position.
Facing the Saint Roman army surging from all directions, Bijies' contingent could no longer resist and fled in disarray.
However, Karul, engrossed in fighting Bijies, was unaware of how perilous the situation had become. He continued to strike with his palms and kicks, but he only felt the enemy forces growing in number and the pressure increasing. The boundless Saint Roman army seemed endless, as if he could never kill them all.
When he raised his head to catch his breath, he finally understood his predicament. His surroundings were filled with Saint Roman soldiers, their swords, spears, and blades forming an endless horizon.
Karul's reaction was not slow. Upon receiving the news of Tu Lai's defeat and death, Kowida realized the battle was lost. If he refused to abandon his position, his only end would be to be gradually consumed by the Saint Roman army. He immediately disregarded his frontline soldiers and led his personal guards in a retreat.
At this time, the frontline soldiers were still unaware of the situation. As they fought, they suddenly felt the rear becoming empty. They were then broken through by the Saint Roman army, and during their rout, they discovered that the main force had long since vanished. Karul's western route was thus utterly defeated, suffering an even swifter and more thorough defeat than Tu Lai's earlier collapse.
Xiao Xun, calmly observing from the rear, saw that the overall situation was decided, with victory reports pouring in.
Aaron's contingent had killed two thousand enemy soldiers and captured three thousand, with countless spoils!
Tu Desen's contingent had killed three thousand enemy soldiers and captured three thousand!
Battle reports from the eastern and western fronts flew back and forth like swift messages, but there was still no news from the central army.
After a long while, news finally came from the central army. The central army had surrounded a black bear as large as a small mountain and had managed to trap it. However, the black bear was extremely ferocious and could not be subdued easily. They could only wait until its strength was depleted before capturing or killing it.
Upon hearing it was a black bear, Xiao Xun, who had been preparing to order the army to shoot it, suddenly had a thought and said, "Take me to see it!"
Grell hadn't expected Kowida to be so discerning about treasures, which saved him considerable time. Seeing the astonishment evident on Kowida's face, even though he had revealed his true form, Grell couldn't help but say with pride, "You have sharp eyes!"
Saying this, he was about to unleash the Heart of Blazing Flame to attack Kowida. As he looked up, amidst the flying sand and stones, the clouds and mist shifted. A dense fog dispersed, and an eerie wind arose. He hadn't expected Kowida to be so cunning, stirring up a gust of demonic wind and fleeing.
Grell had not anticipated such decisive action from a brute like Kowida. Upon confirming the Heart of Blazing Flame, he had completely abandoned resistance and fled. Enraged, he unleashed his magic, pursuing along Kowida's trace.
When the sandstorm subsided, both Grell and Kowida had vanished from the battlefield as if by magic, disappearing in plain sight before the two armies, causing gasps of astonishment from both sides.
However, Autoris, already accustomed to such occurrences, reacted swiftly. He drew his longsword and shouted, "The enemy commander has fled! Brothers! Charge!"