A brilliant red light gathered in the hands of the Two-headed Ogre priest, obscuring the energy emanating from the clashing Ogre chiefs and Great Knights. The focus of the battlefield shifted from the individual combatants to the priest.

Marquis Wade’s gaze naturally fell upon the red light, revealing the Two-headed Ogre priest, who had been relatively inconspicuous amidst the horde of Ogres.

“A Two-headed Ogre priest?” Marquis Wade’s question was laced with incredulity.

While ordinary soldiers might not understand the significance of a Two-headed Ogre to the Ogres, they instinctively felt terror at this grotesque abomination.

Those of Marquis Wade’s rank, however, were well aware of the legends surrounding Two-headed Ogres. In the past, Marquis Wade had never bothered to pay much attention to these legends, merely skimming over them before tossing them to the back of his mind.

Encountering one on the battlefield now provoked a wholly different reaction. It was akin to hearing a ghost story as a child and dismissing it as mere fantasy, only to regurgitate the tale for entertainment purposes later on.

When the monsters actually appeared before your eyes, it was a far from delightful experience.

Marquis Wade’s current feelings upon sighting the Two-headed Ogre priest were quite similar.

However, no matter how conflicted Marquis Wade’s emotions were, the order to attack had already been issued, and there was no going back. All he could do was urge his troops to join the fray even faster, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure on his advancing army.

“Charge!”

In comparison to Marquis Wade’s reserve troops, the five thousand cavalry led by Veru struck the flank of the Ogre army even more swiftly.

Although the dog-headed people on the fringes of the Ogre army fought valiantly, their height was too diminutive to pose any threat to the mounted cavalry charging toward them.

The Northern Expeditionary Army’s cavalrymen spared no effort in bending down or lifting their lances, instead opting to trample directly over the dog-headed people obstructing their path.

The warhorses’ high-speed charges sent the dog-headed people blocking their way flying, or flattened them underfoot. Any dog-headed person brave enough to stand in front of the charging cavalry was practically mashed into paste under the horses’ hooves.

This violent scene struck fear into the hearts of the dog-headed people, who had never hesitated to throw their lives away. Those who had been lucky enough to avoid the Northern Expeditionary Army’s cavalry charge stood frozen in place, gripping stones and wooden clubs, no longer daring to step forward and block the soldiers’ path.

“Bang!”

The Northern Expeditionary Army’s cavalrymen, having encountered almost no resistance, slammed into the ranks of the cannibals. As they closed in, the riders at the front lowered their spears, leveling them at the cannibals’ chests. Considering the average height of a cannibal, there was no need for the riders to adjust their aim.

The tremendous force of the high-speed charge made it impossible for even a cannibal’s robust frame to stand against it. Many of the outermost demons were directly impaled by the riders’ spears, while those not pierced outright by the spears were nevertheless knocked flat by the charging warhorses.

Even if they survived, they were likely out of this battle. At least a hundred demons collapsed in an instant, but so too did the Northern Expeditionary Army’s cavalrymen pay a heavy price for their advance.

The riders who struck the cannibals were likewise thrown from their horses, and their warhorses could not trample the cannibals like they had the dog-headed people.

As the cavalry advanced, more and more demons fell to their charges, but an equal number of riders were thrown from their horses.

For a cavalryman to fall in battle was tantamount to a sentence of death; even if they didn’t die instantly, they would soon be trampled to death.

“Die!” Veru shouted as he spurred his horse forward, using the momentum to summon his energy and slaughter one of the demon warriors blocking their path.

As the eldest son of Marquis Wade, Veru had received the finest knightly training since childhood. Combined with his exceptional innate talent, his strength had steadily risen, and he had achieved the peak of the Knight rank at the tender age of forty.

In fact, he had maintained that peak for many years, and his promotion to Great Knight was all but imminent.

To other knights, dispatching a demon warrior might be a difficult task, but for Veru, it was routine.

“Don’t engage in prolonged battles,” Veru shouted as he led his troops forward. “Keep moving! Follow me!”

He knew that cavalrymen could not afford to lose the advantage of speed; without it, these precious knights might not outperform foot soldiers.

“Kill!”

Veru struck down another demon blocking his path. He was the tip of the spear, leading the Northern Expeditionary Army’s cavalrymen as they charged forward, desperately trying to close in on that red light. He didn’t know what it was, but if it was the enemy’s objective, then preventing them from achieving it was the correct course of action.

The closer they drew to the red light, the stronger the resistance they met; the cavalrymen’s charge slowed visibly. After all, they had already fought so many demons, and their horses’ speed naturally slowed after such exertion.

Even more alarming was that there appeared to be an increasing number of demon warriors guarding the red light. A glance revealed at least a dozen such warriors standing near it, and more seemed to rush over from all directions.

“Kill!”

While Veru led his cavalry attempting to pierce through the demon line, Marquis Wade’s reserve troops joined the fray. In seamless coordination, he also led his men toward the red light, striving to draw the enemy’s attention away from Veru and create conditions favorable for him.

Those who understood warfare often managed to cooperate even without prior communication.

With the addition of Marquis Wade’s troops, the pressure on the demon line grew exponentially. Never mind the ten thousand soldiers, the mere presence of a Great Knight like Marquis Wade was not easily countered by the demons.

At least five demon warriors had to gang up on Marquis Wade to impede his progress, barely managing to slow him down.

But the total number of demons was limited; as some were tasked with delaying Marquis Wade, the pressure on Veru’s side eased significantly.

By now, Veru and the riders in front could clearly see the ugly visage of the Two-headed Ogre illuminated by the red light. Its massive fangs and gnarled face, twisted by some dark magic, inspired disgust and a violent urge to strike it down.

If Veru were to charge all the way to the Two-headed Ogre priest, the battle might well be over then and there.

Though the Two-headed Ogre priest appeared unsettling, it lacked true close-combat ability, making it at most a weak quasi-knight. If Veru or any of his knight-ranked officers got close to it, the Two-headed Ogre priest would likely be swiftly dispatched.

“Mass Rage!”

To Veru and his men, the words that came out of the Two-headed Ogre priest’s mouth sounded like gibberish, but the dazzling red light split into numerous threads, each piercing into the body of an Ogre engaged in battle.

The threads covered a large area, encompassing roughly a quarter of the battlefield, within which nearly a thousand Ogres were present.

After releasing the threads, the Two-headed Ogre priest slowly lowered his arms, standing firmly in place. However, upon closer inspection, one would see his hands trembling uncontrollably.

The disappearance of the light ball momentarily stunned Veru, who was already within striking distance of his opponent. A red thread had sunk into the body of the Ogre warrior he was currently fighting, right before his eyes.

This Ogre warrior, who had been retreating after their initial exchange, clearly shuddered and then rushed Veru again with a war cry. This abnormal reaction filled Veru with a bad feeling…