FL - Chapter 58: Boiling Blood Frenzy

Thud-thud-thud!

Rapid hoofbeats shook the earth like war drums.

Haskell, captain of the Snowsworn, snapped his head up. His wolf-sharp gaze locked onto the cloud of dust rolling toward them.

Those weren't scattered horses fleeing the canyon. It was the measured thunder of cavalry.

The enemy had arrived.

Warhorses burst through the haze, their shrill cries splitting the air. Crimson figures followed at full gallop.

The armor of the Crimson Tide Knights gleamed coldly beneath the setting sun. They swept forward like a blade drawn from the abyss.

"Warriors, form ranks!" Haskell raised his battle-axe and roared.

The Snowsworn moved at once. Shields locked, spears leveled, and battle-axes rose at an angle. Vigilance filled their eyes as sweat ran down their temples.

The Crimson Tide Knights gave them no chance to recover.

Whoosh!

Javelins and arrows ripped through the air and rained across the formation.

*Ranged weapons!*

*They mean to wear us down!*

Haskell's pupils contracted.

He understood at once. This was a carefully planned hunt.

The knights intended to tear open the defensive line from a distance, then charge through the gaps.

"Shield wall! Now!"

The Snowsworn raised their heavy shields. A succession of dull impacts followed.

"Gah!"

One young warrior reacted a moment too late.

A javelin punched through his chest, sending him staggering backward in a spray of blood.

He opened his mouth in defiance, but only frothy blood came out. He crashed to the ground, convulsed once, and fell still.

"Damn those knights!" the warrior beside him howled, murder blazing in his eyes.

"Steady! Hold formation!" Haskell snarled.

Then the Crimson Tide Knights did the opposite of what he expected.

The first harassment squad didn't linger. The moment they released their javelins, they wheeled away like phantoms.

Their retreat threw up a cloud of dust that obscured the Snowsworn's vision.

"Those bastards..."

Before the warriors could adjust, a second squad attacked from the flank.

Warhorses screamed, iron hooves churning the earth.

The second Crimson Tide squad swept onto the battlefield, their lances wreathed in blazing crimson Battle Aura as they drove toward the Snowsworn flank.

"That's the main attack!" a warrior shouted, shifting instinctively toward the threat.

"Don't move! It's a feint!" Haskell barked, but he was too late.

The second phase of the Crimson Tide Knights' tactic had succeeded.

The flank assault was never meant to be the main attack. Its purpose was to break their formation.

Crimson Battle Aura flared around blades and spears as the knights cut through the confusion.

Shunk!

A lance pierced a Snowsworn warrior's throat. Blood sprayed across the stones.

Within seconds, the defensive line had been torn open.

Haskell's brow furrowed, and his teeth ground together.

He finally understood. This was an orchestrated hunt, and the Snowsworn were the prey.

"Damn them..."

He tightened his grip on the battle-axe. Deep-blue Battle Aura churned around him.

Then the third Crimson Tide squad emerged from the dust.

"Kill!"

A cold voice rang out over the thunder of hooves.

Haskell spun around.

"Charge!"

Lambert led a squad of Elite Knights and high-tier Formal Knights out of the haze.

They were faster than the previous two squads. With lances leveled, they swept into battle like a gale.

Boom!

A Snowsworn warrior failed to raise his guard in time. A lance wrapped in crimson Battle Aura drove through his chest.

The impact pinned him to the earth. Blood ran down the shaft, and the Battle Aura continued to burn through the wound, making the corpse twitch.

"Bastard!" Haskell roared.

Deep-blue Battle Aura erupted around him as his battle-axe swept sideways with a violent rush of wind.

Clang!

Lambert caught the axe on his lance. Crimson and deep-blue Battle Aura collided.

The impact exploded outward in a savage shock wave.

Nearby warriors were thrown back, and cracks spread across the ground.

"Not bad." Lambert's mouth lifted faintly, but his eyes remained cold.

He spun the lance into a sweeping strike. Its blade carved a freezing arc through the air.

Shunk!

The blade opened the throat of a Snowsworn warrior trying to flank him. The man clutched his neck and collapsed into the blood-soaked dirt.

"Damn you..." Haskell growled.

The knights attacked in wave after wave. Blood soaked the ground and stained broken armor crimson.

More than half the Snowsworn were dead or wounded.

Haskell dropped to one knee, breathing like a broken bellows.

His battle-axe was covered in chips and notches. His shattered armor was drenched in the mingled blood of friend and foe.

He looked around. Barely a dozen Snowsworn remained standing, and their eyes had grown clouded.

Their legs trembled, not from fear, but because their bodies had reached the edge of endurance.

The Crimson Tide Knights had driven them into a corner.

"Have we... reached our limit?"

Haskell clenched his jaw. His face was dark with rage.

His nails pierced his palms, and the sharp pain cleared his mind.

*No. We haven't lost yet.*

He forced himself upright and looked over his remaining comrades.

"Snowsworn..." His voice was low and hoarse. "Fight to the last man! Make them repay blood with blood!"

"Fight to the last man! Make them repay blood with blood!" the survivors roared.

Their bodies were covered in wounds.

But mad battle lust burned in their eyes once more.

"Kill!"

Haskell drew a deep breath and raised his battle-axe.

A blood-red sigil flared across his chest.

This wasn't ordinary Battle Aura. It was a curse that burned life itself—Boiling Blood!

Boom!

Scalding blood surged through their veins and scorched their bodies. Their muscles swelled, blood vessels bulged beneath their skin, and their pupils became crimson flames.

More than a dozen Snowsworn warriors activated Boiling Blood Frenzy at the same time. Their power soared.

Their murderous intent rose like a tidal wave, making the air tremble beneath its weight.

"Hahaha!"

Haskell laughed like a madman. Blood streamed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Still gripping his battle-axe, he charged Lambert with Battle Aura surging around him.

"Come! I'll show you the hatred of the Snowsworn! We'll go to hell together!"

"Fall back!" Lambert ordered at once.

The Crimson Tide Knights scattered, but it was already too late.