“Clack, clack…”

The sound of hoofbeats drew closer and closer until the thunder of nearly a thousand light cavalrymen charging filled the air.

Before personally joining the fray, Richard had ordered Viscount Nade, who led the cavalry, to find an opportunity to strike at the enemy. Viscount Nade was a competent noble with a military background; upon realizing the situation on the ground was worsening, he no longer hesitated to expend his valuable cavalry force and swiftly directed them to charge the side of the cannibal horde.

“Kill!”

“Bang!”

The front line of riders, their lances several meters long, charged into the cannibal ranks. Even these enormous creatures could not withstand the impact of a full-speed cavalry charge, especially when it was light cavalry. In an instant, over a dozen were pierced through by lances.

However, Hatch had not failed to prepare for this cavalry charge. A small group of cannibals armed with long wooden clubs had remained on the fringes of the battlefield, avoiding direct combat, while countless dog-headed people waited for this cavalry contingent to enter their midst.

The moment the cavalry charged, while many of the front-line cannibals were sent tumbling, quite a few allied riders also ran headfirst into the cannibals’ long, sharp log palings.

At the same time, the dog-headed people, who had been serving as cannon fodder under the pressure of the cannibals, began surging toward the cavalry.

Though they were short and unlikely to be able to cause significant damage to riders, their sheer numbers were enough to impede the light cavalry’s advance. Their objective was to delay the cavalry long enough to prevent them from achieving a speed advantage, even if they had to sacrifice their lives.

“Kill!”

Viscount Nade led the charge, severing a log paling swinging toward him with a single slash, then stabbing his sword into the skull of the cannibal wielding it, piercing straight through the energy-boosted blade.

The cannibal soldier toppled over, its menacing display moments ago replaced by a still corpse. Yet not every cavalryman possessed Nade’s strength. Many of the cavalrymen, now that they had lost the speed advantage from their charge, were knocked off their horses by the cannibals.

In Richard’s world, there had never been any effective way to stop a charge of cavalrymen once they had begun their advance. Only by laying traps such as ditches or palisades in advance could one prevent a charge.

Even elite infantrymen arranged in formation could only stall a charging cavalry at the cost of their own lives, and even then, they would likely be overtaken.

However, the species of man-eating demons were naturally stronger than humans, and their formations were far more formidable than human spear formations. Cavalry charges were still effective, but they couldn’t break through the enemy’s lines as easily as they did against human armies.

At least, not with this light cavalry.

“Bang!”

A wooden club covered in nails smashed into the horse of Viscount Nade, who let out a mournful cry before collapsing to the ground. Baron Nade, utilizing his knight rank martial prowess, managed to escape.

“Clang!”

“Shh.”

Viscount Nade, who had swiftly gotten back on his feet, was immediately besieged by the man-eating demons. After blocking a wolf fang club head-on, Viscount Nade’s sword struck deep into the closest man-eating demon soldier. As the sword was withdrawn, the demon’s blood poured out of the wound.

“Bang!”

An iron club slammed into Viscount Nade’s back, but luckily, as a knight, he possessed a remarkable physique and was fully channeling his energy at the time. After taking the blow head-on, he only staggered slightly, maintaining his balance without falling. Instead, he turned and slashed down the man-eating demon soldier who had attacked him from behind.

The man-eating demon soldier collapsed to the ground before Viscount Nade, but at the same time, fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The blow from the demon had not been without consequence; Viscount Nade’s condition was worsening.

With Viscount Nade’s fall, the cavalry charge had lost its sharp spearhead, and as the remaining cavalry gradually lost their speed advantage, they were knocked out one by one. The casualties began to mount.

The battle became a stalemate, not only because the allied forces had to dig in their heels, but also because the demons were suffering heavy losses. Hatch had deployed nearly all his forces after the initial cavalry charge, yet still the allies held fast. A stalemate was the circumstance that tested the resolve of both sides most severely.

Unfortunately, though the Flying Bear Army’s soldiers likely possessed a greater fighting spirit than their demonic opponents, the composition of the allied forces was too complex. The capacity of a barrel depended on its shortest board, and the soldiers each lord brought were the shortest boards. This was especially true when some units included auxiliary troops.

The desertions among the auxiliary troops on the left flank were growing increasingly severe, and even some of the professional soldiers under their lord’s command began to waver.

Fighting against demons, it was no small feat for auxiliary troops to hold out this long, but desertion was a punishable crime with death. The lords who led the charge from behind showed no hesitation in beheading deserters.

From a handful, to ten, to twenty… If this went on, they would soon be outnumbered. Once the deserters reached the hundreds, thousands, the situation would be irreversibly lost.

Clang! Clang!

Richard and Hatch exchanged a few more blows, each more intense than the last. Richard’s sword skills were still fairly refined; after all, his sparring partners were Viscount Soutte and Ron, both masters of the blade. Richard’s natural talent also helped him progress more easily.

After several rounds, both combatants had begun to tire themselves out significantly. Hatch’s body was already riddled with wounds, a terrifying sight, but Richard knew they weren’t deep. In fact, these wounds wouldn’t amount to much for a cannibal.

Despite his superior sword skills, Richard was still far from defeating the cannibal before him.

Yet the situation on the flanks was becoming increasingly dangerous. Richard wasn’t the only one who noticed; Hatch also scented victory.

Richard and Hatch each tightened their grips on their weapons and locked eyes, their noses heaving with exertion. Just as Richard prepared to strike again, Hatch’s lips curled into a smile, the grin of a victor.

Though they could not communicate verbally, there was no barrier to the exchange of expressions. Richard felt that Hatch’s smile was a taunt.

“Ha.”

In response, Richard also smiled, expressing his disdain.

But in Hatch’s eyes, Richard’s smile became increasingly exaggerated, from a smirk to a bared-teeth grin, until it finally seemed almost insane. Hatch felt an irresistible urge to smash Richard’s head in.

The opportunity soon presented itself. Richard bent down, picked up his sword, and rushed Hatch again…

If he hadn’t been unable to hold back, Richard wouldn’t have laughed so dramatically.

“Chew, chew, chew…” The dense cries of eagles filled the sky…