Chapter Thirteen: Decisive Victory
When thirty Earth Dragons stepped into the battlefield with heavy strides, it signaled that the outcome of the war was approaching. The balance of power, previously stuck in a stalemate, immediately tilted in favor of the Caucasus side with the arrival of these dragons.
Three Earth Dragons formed one attacking arrow, while the thirty together constituted ten attacking fronts. As their pace accelerated, these dragons, covered in thick scales, rushed like moving fortresses toward Homer’s forces.
The task of leading them naturally fell to Shatima, who volunteered for the role. Seeing dozens of dragon-like creatures surrounding her, she felt little sense of accomplishment. Leading such creatures into battle was a disgrace to her noble status as an Ice Dragon. But this was not the time to compare bloodlines—it was a critical moment to defeat the enemy. Though simple-minded, Shatima understood the urgency of the situation, especially after Komer’s repeated warnings.
A bizarre scene unfolded: a beautiful warrior goddess clad in heavy armor led the thirty Earth Dragon warriors, wielding a massive spear no less formidable than those held by the dragons themselves. Her speed was on par with that of the dragons, who had already accelerated. Anyone who witnessed this would be stunned, including the barbarians and orcs on either side.
The barbarian and orc formations, already instructed, quickly created numerous gaps. The Earth Dragon warriors followed Shatima, driving their dragons through these gaps to storm Homer’s forces. The massive spears, swung with great force by the warriors, sent waves of blood mist into the air. No one could withstand these devastating blows—neither knights nor warriors could resist the force of these attacks. The enormous bodies of the Earth Dragons became a nightmare for Homer’s knights and warriors. Swords and knightly lances could only leave minor scratches on their thick, smooth scales, which served as an impenetrable shield. Aside from a few targeted attacks by knights that managed to cause the dragons to bleed, most physical attacks had little effect on them.
Philip and Karl Liebknecht stared blankly at the scene before them. The swarming earth dragons instantly shattered the standoff between the two sides, scattering Homer’s forces in an instant. Soon after, the morale-high barbarian and half-orc armies charged forward like a flood breaking its banks, swirling toward Homer’s already crumbling camp.
Adjusting his armor, Karl Liebknecht gently raised his greatsword. The situation was irreversible. So far, there was still no sign of the Order of Rebirth. If the Gallics had betrayed Homer, they would be facing an insurmountable obstacle. But now it didn’t matter anymore. Even if the Order of Rebirth appeared, it would be too late—Homer’s camp had completely collapsed, and no one’s arrival could reverse this defeat.
“Duke, please leave first. Let me hold off the enemy for you.” The sacred dignity on Karl’s face left the bewildered Philip at a loss.
“Karl, what are you doing? Have we already lost?” After muttering those words, Philip realized how childish his question was.
“Duke, we have lost. The Gallics didn’t join the battle as expected. We don’t know what happened to them, but even if they appeared now, it would be too late.” Taking a deep breath, Karl Liebknecht put on his helmet and became solemn. “We’ve done our best. Our Homer warriors never retreated or fled.”
“Lost?” Philip murmured again. “Then what should we do now?”
“Duke, it’s best for you to go to Gaul or Silesia. Only there can you have a chance to make a comeback. Cyprus can no longer be held.” With a sigh of regret, Karl Liebknecht wondered whether Gaul and Silesia would still support Homer under these circumstances.
By the time the Order of Rebirth finally broke through the harassment of the enemy’s Raptor Knights and entered the battlefield, all that remained for Kulkin and his men was chaos—dead bodies and fallen flags everywhere. A few horses without masters ran around aimlessly. In the distance, the bear-headed flags of the Caucasus could be seen fluttering. Several infantry formations, still organizing themselves, seemed to be waiting for the arrival of the Order of Rebirth. As soon as they saw the knights, they formed up and slowly advanced in their direction.
“What’s going on? Did Homer fall?” Falken asked in surprise, finding it hard to believe that the Homerians could collapse in such a short time. After all, they had the support of the Nicomedia Court Knights and mages sent by the Light Church, and they had deployed all of Homer’s military forces. Could it really be over in just a few short hours?
“That seems to be the only explanation,” Kulkin said helplessly. Watching those barbarian infantry formations with high morale approaching, he shook his head. Continuing the war now made no sense. Duke Zelin had advised him to assess the situation carefully and avoid unnecessary sacrifices. The message was clear: if the Homerians deserved help, then their existing system should be preserved. But if even that foundation no longer existed, Galle had no obligation to sacrifice itself for them.
“What should we do?” Falken seemed to grasp the meaning behind Kulkin’s words and asked with a frown.
“Retreat slowly, leave the battlefield first, and then assess the situation. If it’s really as we think, we can head back home,” Kulkin said calmly. “I think our journey here is almost over.”
“Kulkin, we can’t do this! Those guys from the Caucasus can’t defeat the Homerians so easily. We can try to defeat these scum first and then decide our next move,” Sart said, suppressing his anger. “How can those inferior races from the Caucasus defeat Homer’s regular army? This is just an illusion.”
“I’m sorry, Sart, but you’re being blinded by emotions. The inferior races of the Caucasus may be far less civilized than us mortals, but we both know that victory on the battlefield isn’t determined solely by civilization. And what we see now proves that those inferior races have defeated Homer’s mortals. Galle can’t keep sacrificing itself for Homerians who can no longer hold on—it’s pointless.” Kulkin gave his impulsive companion a cold look. Sart was too obsessed with his feelings for Princess Vero, ignoring everything around him. That wasn’t the quality of a knight.
“Kulkin, you’re showing cowardice!” Sart glared at him fiercely.
“As you wish, but it’s impossible to force us, the Order of Rebirth Knights, to make senseless sacrifices in this war,” Kulkin ignored the provocation and said calmly, “Folken, order the vanguard to form the rear guard—let’s withdraw from the battlefield!”
Phalan didn’t breathe easy until the figures of the Order of Rebirth Knights completely disappeared on the horizon. Caucasus had secured ultimate victory! Homer’s faction had collapsed completely. Under the assault led by Shatima’s Earth Dragon Warrior Charge, Homer’s infantry units retreated first, and Homer’s knightly order was also unable to turn the situation around. Leclerc managed to escape Vladkov’s grasp at the last moment, while Bronin barely managed to get away at a cost. Sorenborg’s Frostbite nearly froze him solid, and the final blow forced him to flee, coughing up blood.
As the lily flags representing Grand Duke Philip withdrew one after another, the entire Homer faction began to waver. For Philip, since defeat was inevitable, it was time to consider how to salvage what could be saved—preserving himself to the greatest extent might be the only option. But for the troops on the battlefield, defeat meant collapse, and escaping easily was no longer possible.
Large numbers of Homer’s infantry began to flee, while the knights tried to maintain their dignity. Their fierce resistance caused heavy losses to Caucasus, but in the end, they all had to withdraw—no, to be precise, collapse. They had lost all fighting strength. If not for Caucasus’s extremely weak mobility, Homer’s knights would never have been able to escape the battlefield so easily.
The Court Mage Corps finally defeated the Skeleton Troops led by the Black Knight, but they didn’t do so without a price. Two mages and three sorcerers were seriously injured in this battle. Onia had no choice but to endure humiliation and lead the Court Mage Corps in retreat. The clash between the Light Knights and the Giant Zombies ended with a defeat for the Light Knights. Although Onia provided the greatest assistance to the three Light Knights, the Giant Zombies’ formidable strength made things extremely difficult for them, with two of the Light Knights suffering serious injuries in this battle.
Among the three holy ones, aside from Saryenko carrying the dying Malderno and retreating with the court mages, Saint Elena disappeared mysteriously, leaving Onia and Saryenko extremely worried. No one knew why Elena vanished so suddenly—she had still been on the battlefield during the height of the war, but she disappeared during the retreat, with no signs of an attack by those barbarians or undead. Onia and Saryenko also didn’t believe the undead could harm Elena in such a short time. But where exactly had Elena gone?