The Cornflower Witch Chapter 264

Soldiers holding torches hastened through the forest, quickly crossing through grass and bushes to clear a path for the army behind them. The nighttime firelight weaved through the woods, illuminating everything it touched.

When the Anti-soldiers stepped into a grove, the dense sound of bowstrings rang out, followed by the thud of arrows hitting their targets.

“Shields up, defense!”

A skilled knight galloped through the forest on horseback, shouting urgently. A pale light barrier then spread out from beneath his feet, enveloping the surrounding soldiers.

The ‘Castle’ Aspect, Royal Sealing Academy. Phantoms shaped like chess pieces appeared above the soldiers’ heads. This was a temporary blessing granted by the knight to his soldiers, allowing them to temporarily raise their rank to face the impending battle.

When the second wave of arrows struck, they were first slowed by the pale curtain, significantly reducing their speed. Then they were blocked by the soldiers’ upraised shields, emitting crisp impacts before falling. Even if a few unlucky soldiers were hit, the arrows only penetrated slightly, causing no major harm.

Seeing this, the Anti-elite’s morale soared, and they once again accelerated, charging towards their target destination.

Those who supported Prince Jobs in the Three-pronged Forest had nowhere left to retreat. At this point, they were forced to engage in battle.

Under the cover of the arrow rain, they rushed into the battlefield, engaging the attacking Anti-soldiers head-on.

The clashing of swords and blades echoed in the burning forest. Those who still followed Prince Jobs to this day were loyalists of the royal family, the last remnants of the elite left by Regus.

Under their resistance, the Anti-army was unable to break through quickly and was temporarily blocked in the forest.

This outcome surprised many accompanying officers, but fortunately, they had already prepared for it.

“It’s your turn. This is your chance to clear your names!” a high-ranking officer drew his saber and roared at the cowering figures behind him.

“We…” They looked at each other, still hesitant.

They were nobles from Stream Valley City, who had never truly experienced life-or-death combat. Furthermore, the opposing army consisted of Prince Jobs’ personal guard, their former allies. Facing them now with drawn swords caused significant pressure on many of them.

Seeing that no one wanted to move, the officer sneered and then gestured for the soldiers by his side to surround them.

“I’ll count to ten. Anyone who hasn’t engaged in battle will be treated as a deserter, no mercy!”

“Yes, sir!” The watching soldiers each raised their long spears, pointing them at the people within the encirclement.

Under such intense pressure, the nobles among them became anxious and uneasy. Some still harbored a glimmer of hope and remained motionless.

“Ten, nine… five, four, three, two, one.” At this point, only a small number had charged out to join the battle. More remained in place, unmoving.

The officer shook his head at this. “How foolish.”

“Execute them!”

The sound of crossbows rang out from behind the encircling soldiers, followed by arrows shooting into the group, turning the hesitant nobles into pincushions.

After the outer circle of people died, those inside, intensely stimulated by death, began to shout urgently and then charged out through a gap deliberately left open by the officer.

Seeing them finally act, the officer waved his hand, and the sound of crossbow fire ceased.

The nobles from Stream Valley City began to engage Prince Jobs’ guards. Although most of them had never been to battle, they were well-equipped and had received military training before this expedition to save their lives. With abundant resources, their strength was far superior to that of ordinary people.

Seeing the rebellious nobles from Stream Valley City again, Prince Jobs was furious and struck the stone in front of him fiercely with his whip, grinding his teeth as he spoke, “I should have known these guys were unreliable.”

Unfortunately, there are no ‘what ifs’ in battle. Faced with an enemy several times their number, Prince Jobs’ guards began to fall one by one. Many of the Stream Valley City nobles also suffered casualties.

In the rear, Katchis sat on his horse, silently observing the brightly lit battlefield in the distance through a telescope, then gave orders to the messenger rider beside him.

If he were to lead a large number of knights into the battle at the front, they would surely win quickly, but he had no intention of doing so.

‘You must stay alive, Prince Jobs,’ he thought, a smile playing on his lips.

On the battlefield ahead, many of Prince Jobs’ guards died at the hands of the Stream Valley City nobles. The encirclement was constantly tightening. Retreating now would lead them to the site where the Hundred-Eyed Cult was performing its rituals.

“Are they not ready yet?” Seeing that the Hundred-Eyed Cult members had not yet appeared and acted, Prince Jobs was both surprised and enraged.

But at this moment, he had no energy left to blame or curse.

The leading Anti-soldiers had already charged forward. Dressed in simple chainmail surcoats, one hand holding a shield, the other a standard longsword, they hacked through the chevaux de frise blocking their path, constantly shouting, “Prince Jobs is here!”

“Prince Jobs is right ahead!”

“Killing him will earn you a peerage!”

“Kill!”

Such shouts echoed through the forest, filling Jabbers with fear and dread. He glanced around him, a hint of panic in his eyes, before drawing his longsword and holding it in his hand, his feet slowly shifting backward.

The few remaining loyal soldiers surrounded him with their shields, constantly retreating and deflecting the incoming crossbow bolts.

At this moment, the messenger rider from the rear arrived and whispered a few words to the officer in charge of the vanguard. The officer then, with a strange expression, waved his hand, ordering the Anti-soldiers to halt temporarily and letting the Stream Valley City nobles go forward.

“You go ahead and capture Prince Jobs!”

“This…”

“Yes.” Although they hesitated, they knew they had no other choice now.

Since they had already started fighting Prince Jobs’ army, they might as well take the prince’s head and ask for a reward from the Anti people, perhaps even becoming nobles in the Anti Kingdom.

With this thought in mind, the nobles of Stream Valley City advanced, gradually encircling Prince Jobs in a semicircle, closing in little by little.

Facing these traitors, Prince Jobs felt a surge of angry amusement, and the faint panic rising within him was forcibly suppressed.

“You despicable wretches, you are destined to be liked by no one!” It was rare for this prince to utter such a resolute and pride-inducing statement to his subordinates.

Although Prince Jobs was incompetent and had repeatedly lost battles, at least he hadn’t fawned over the enemy like a dog. However, the nobles of Stream Valley City had completely abandoned their former glory and vows, acting as cannon fodder for the Anti-people and slaughtering their former allies.

Faced with accusations, the nobles of Stream Valley City felt like they were in an impossible situation, but at this point, there was no turning back. They could only stiffen their resolve and try to quickly kill the prince to shut him up.

As long as everyone in this camp died tonight, no one would know about their shameful behavior.

With such thoughts, they began to fight desperately, striving to kill the heavily protected prince.

At this moment, the scene of clashing swords and flying blood drew closer and closer to Prince Jobs, and his calves began to tremble.

“Jobs!” A familiar voice came from behind Jobs, it was Princess Masha’s voice.

The golden-haired, black-dressed princess, ignoring the obstruction of her subordinates, rushed to Prince Jobs’ side, embraced him, and then turned her head.

“Please, everyone, don’t give up. I know this is difficult, but it is the last bloodline and hope of Regus.” She gathered her skirt, bowed deeply, and then tightly clasped Jobs’ hand, shielding him, urging her brother to stand firm, and finally protecting him from the elements.

“Sister…” Jobs’ eyes widened slightly. His figure was momentarily shielded by Princess Masha, sparing him from facing the ferocious rebels opposite him.

A long-lost sense of security rose in his heart, bringing with it a touch of shame. He rarely experienced such emotions, but today was different.

Behind the camp, the light pillar from the ritual finally dissipated. Just as Princess Masha saw the approaching rebels, her heart pounding quickly with nervousness, the members of the Hundred-Eyed Cult finally emerged from the magical array in the forest behind.

Under the command of these cult members in dark red robes, streaks of purplish-red light shot through the forest, striking down and piercing through the enemies who had entered the camp.

The battlefield instantly changed dramatically. At this moment, a large number of the Stream Valley City nobles who were at the forefront died. The remaining people no longer had the courage to face those evil monsters, not of this world, and screamed as they retreated and fled.

The Anti-officer had no intention of reprimanding the fleeing nobles of Stream Valley City. Instead, he frowned deeply and ordered his adjutant to blow a special horn.

The low, mournful sound of the horn stood out remarkably in the night, spreading continuously.

Upon receiving the signal, the cavalry squadron, held in reserve at the rear, began to move. They advanced along the cleared path, continuously accelerating, their charging forms merging into a single mass. The knights at the forefront then raised their lances high, and a sharp, triangular arrow-shaped curtain spread, an invisible blessing descending upon each cavalryman. They were all clad in silver armor, their long spears burning brightly.

Like a shimmering silver dragon, they sliced through the deep darkness of the night, plunging into the front lines of the battlefield.