‘I didn’t offend you, did I? You’re not really messing with me, are you? Now that the battle is about to end, we just have to stand here for a few hours and we’ll get the victory settlement, but you, esteemed sir, have to create trouble at a time like this!’
No wonder Alicia was cursing inwardly.
She was now the banner bearer.
Although Andrew and the surrounding big men would do their best to protect the great banner, it didn’t change the fact that she had to walk at the very front!
‘Standing at the very front of the entire formation? Me?’
Alicia kept muttering curses that otherworlders couldn’t understand.
She had no choice but to raise the great banner and start walking with trembling steps, her eyes darting around nervously, afraid that a stray arrow might come flying from somewhere.
‘God, Buddha, Lord, whatever deity! My request this time is not high—please just protect me from dying here!’
The troops that Lemeng had finally gathered formed a defensive formation and held their ground.
However, the bloodthirsty soldiers of Lane’s Army, like wolves catching the scent of blood, pounced fiercely from all directions.
With each brief contact, they viciously tore a gap in the outer layer of the circular formation.
Although other soldiers desperately tried to fill the gaps, Lai En commanded his troops to attack in waves, and the defensive formation, round as a cake, was soon cut into pieces.
Isolated commanders shouted in despair, “I’m here! Hold the formation!”
But there weren’t many troops left that could still follow orders.
The situation was hopeless.
Lemeng watched his own complete defeat, and a sorrowful feeling of unfulfilled ambition began to spread in his heart.
Rather than slinking back to his territory or surrendering, enduring ridicule and mockery, and watching Lai En triumphantly take over Lide’an City, he might as well die in battle here!
Thus, he roared at the top of his lungs, “I, Lemeng Feng Makeximilian, am right here! Come on! Who dares to challenge me!”
There was no sound more tragic and heroic than this roar that forcibly held back pain and despair.
As soon as he shouted, the surrounding soldiers of Lane’s Army swarmed over like vultures catching the scent of carrion.
The guards around him were instantly miserable—’Boss, could you please keep a low profile? You want to die, but we don’t!’
So after getting hot-headed, impulsive actions are not advisable.
At this moment, as luck would have it, Alicia was holding the great banner and, surrounded by a group of big men, advanced near Lemeng.
The group, without any warrior’s honor, surrounded Lemeng and his guards and attacked them eagerly.
“Lord Lemeng, fight me!”
A warrior beside Alicia, unable to hold back, shouted and broke away from the formation to charge forward.
“Good! Come on!”
Parry, parry, head falling?
Three moves?
Was Lemeng’s swordsmanship this formidable?
Alicia watched helplessly as that head revealed its true face from the rolling helmet, tumbling all the way until it stopped at her feet.
Those lifeless eyes seemed to stare vacantly at her.
This scene was much more shocking and bloody than anything in a game!
“Ugh—!”
An uncontrollable sourness surged into her throat.
Alicia’s face instantly turned pale, and her stomach churned.
“Haha! Who else?!”
With the mindset that killing one is a win and killing two is a profit, Lemeng let out an unusually almost mad laugh.
Seeing their lord so fierce, the guards’ morale soared, and they actually killed all the soldiers who attacked in the first wave!
As a result, while the other soldiers were still fighting in chaos, Alicia, carrying the great banner, was exposed first to Lemeng’s sight.
‘Trouble, trouble! Where is Andrew?’
Alicia’s heart was in her throat, but she couldn’t run.
If a banner bearer dropped the flag and fled, the supervisory unit would not show mercy!
‘Running means death, not running means death. Damn it, Andrew, where are you?!’
The girl was stiff all over from tension.
‘That bastard Andrew disappears at this critical moment! Lai En told you to protect me, but what kind of protection is this!’
Just then, a soldier suddenly darted out from the side, shouting as he charged at Lemeng.
Alicia was instantly moved to tears.
‘This unknown extra is reliable, much more reliable than Andrew who is nowhere to be found!’
Before the girl finished being moved, the extra’s roar was cut short.
Lemeng easily parried his sword, and the blade pierced through the gap between helmet and collar, stabbing through his throat.
‘Holy crap! At least hold on a bit longer! How could you get one-shotted?! Andrew, if you don’t come soon, you’ll only be able to take my head back!’
…
Lemeng killed yet another warrior who tried to protect the great banner, but the short banner bearer before him still stood her ground without retreating a step.
How could he know that Alicia was so nervous she couldn’t move a step? In his eyes, this short but determined flag bearer must be highly skilled and confident, so Lemeng readied his stance.
“Come on! Fight me!”
Lemeng charged with a shout, his bloodstained full plate armor like a human tank, unstoppable.
‘Fight? Fight my ass! I’m dead, I’m dead! How could I…’
Alicia was utterly despairing.
But as they say, people are forced into action.
Yes, forced.
There’s no deeper meaning.
‘Since I can’t rely on others, no matter what, I have to fight for my own life!’
Alicia gritted her teeth tightly.
Maybe adrenaline kicked in—her arms no longer ached, her back straightened, and she felt strong enough to kill several people in a row without effort!
“Aaaaaah—!”
She let out a sharp scream at the top of her lungs.
This mad look actually startled the young Lemeng.
The girl swung the flagpole with all her might, the metal decoration at the top along with the great banner hitting Lemeng like a heavy hammer, raining blows on his head and face.
“Don’t come near me! I don’t want to die here! Get away, get away—!”
That’s right, the girl chose to go crazy.
But madness works for a short time, not forever.
Lemeng quickly realized that this short flag bearer was not only a woman, but also had no martial skills at all—just a madwoman throwing a fit.
Lemeng felt his emotions had been deceived.
Just as he angrily freed himself from the banner covering his face and prepared to stab this madwoman to death, Andrew, who had been missing, suddenly appeared behind him!
Before Lemeng could react, Andrew stabbed him in the calf.
As he fell in pain, Andrew ruthlessly finished him off without any chivalry.
Seeing their boss in mortal danger, Lemeng’s guards fought desperately, recklessly blocking Andrew and the other soldiers from pursuit.
The remaining few stragglers dragged Lemeng back.
‘Did… did I succeed?’
Alicia found she had survived.
She planted the great banner on the ground, leaned on the pole with no strength left, panting like a dying dog, unable to speak a word.
…
The underlings dragged Lemeng back to the remaining position like livestock, frantically removing his helmet to check if their boss still had vital signs.
If the boss had lost his breath, all the guards present would be finished.
Fortunately, Lemeng was only injured in the leg, pride, and face.
He struggled to sit up and declared he could still fight.
“We haven’t lost yet! We can still fight!”
The underlings exchanged glances, silently cursing that their boss must have gone mad—the army was already scattered, and he still wanted to fight.
“Your Highness, look—”
A sharp-eyed underling pointed ahead.
Lai En, wearing that flashy red armor, was leaving the cavalry troop and returning alone.
‘Was he returning personally to stabilize morale because the great banner had been unstable? If we act now, we should be able to do something!’
Lemeng gritted his teeth, his eyes darted around, and he raised a hand to summon his men.
“How many crossbowmen do we still have…”
…
“I didn’t expect you to be so brave!”
Lai En dismounted, apparently returning to command the final assault.
“But with the great banner unstable and morale shaken, you are guilty of a capital offense. How do you plan to atone for your crime?”
Alicia glanced at his amused smile, stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes.
“If I… if I get beheaded, the flag will… fall too.”
Seeing Alicia looking about to collapse from exhaustion, Lai En stopped teasing her.
“You performed a great feat by forcing back Lemeng. Let Andrew hold the flag for you. Take a rest.”
Not bad—her boss wasn’t heartless.
The girl handed the banner to Andrew and planned to find a place to lie down and play dead.
At that moment, an indescribable sense of crisis crawled up her back, as if she were being watched by a venomous snake.
Alicia shuddered and instinctively stepped forward.
With that one step, a crossbow bolt, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle, pierced through her padded armor and struck her solidly in the buttock.
Alicia curled up in pain like a shrimp and reflexively lurched forward, stumbling straight into Lai En’s arms.
Almost at the same time, several crossbow bolts whistled in.
Most missed, but one struck her shoulder.
Only then did the nearby guards, finally reacting, shout in terror, raise their shields and surge forward, surrounding the two in layers upon layers of protection.
‘Now is too late…’
Alicia’s vision rapidly blurred and darkened.
The noisy shouts around her grew distant, and she collapsed limply in Lai En’s arms.
‘It hurts! It really hurts!’
‘Lai En’s armor is really hard. Is this sticky stuff blood? Whose blood? Mine?’
‘…Who is calling my name? Lai En?’
‘I can’t hold on anymore. Consciousness…’
‘After this, it has nothing to do with me. So tired. Let me sleep for a while…’