Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 534: Grand strategy iv

When have they seen such a domineering person before? Behind him was fifty thousand men but he alone dares charge to the front of the castle gate.

This was like the myths of old heroes during the time of chivalric knights and honorable Kings.

Arial pull the rein on his horse and his horse stopped a few hundred paces from the castle gate.

Then he declared his name, his voice reverberated and fill the city.

'My name is Arial, the Celestial Dragon and the Emperor of Eden. I have come to the Three Kingdom to unify its land and fulfill the Prophecy of the past. Surrender and work with me for a noble cause or resist and die a terrible death!' 

There was no answer, only silence and the wind. Arial smiles.

'So that is you answer. That is also fine!' Arial said as he began kicking his horse as his horse quickly dashed forward.

The red hair man shouted 

'All troops!' Release arrows!' and saying this he pointed towards Arial small figure from the top of the castle battlements.

'Release!' One of the officers of Balhae shouted and twanging sound fills the top of battlements.

Rains of arrows raining down towards Arial. 

A lone man facing a thousand arrows, one could even expect that Arial would turn into a porcupine shaped person.

But this did not happen. 

'HMPH' Arial snorted.

He swings his glaive and the wind assisted him, none of the arrows directed at him manage to wound or even reached him as he rides through

The arrows are all flung away like it was being blown away by a strong gust. 

Arial internal energy rise sup from his body as some lightning snake coils around his glaive, making the already sharp glaive to be incomparably sharp.

The red hair man also notices the man behind the man declaring himself to the Emperor of Eden.

He quickly orders the Western Side of the Battlements to release a volley of arrows towards him.

The red hair man noted that the person riding behind Arial was probably his general or guard. 

Either way killing him would be detrimental to the safety of Arial. 

The red hair man believes no matter how powerful Arial is, he is still one man. 

No matter how powerful he is in martial arts, even experts could be contained by a trained army. 

And Vernium is famed for their impenetrable defense. That is why even though they usually lost in an open battle; to siege the city in Vernium would be incomparably hard.

They have honed their defensive abilities fighting both the Darkly Things when Dark Night comes and also fighting the other Iathus and Luxembourg.

'Release!' one of the officers shouted as another barrage of arrows was released on the western side of the battlements towards Ragar.

'Ptuii' Ragar spitted to the ground as he realizes arrows in the sky launching down on him. His face paled for a while before he quickly regains his calm.

He circulated his internal energy and energy filled his feet.

'Forgive me!' 

He shouted to his horse as kick away ten arrows coming towards him, the arrows deflected by a gust of wind and then jump from his horse by kicking his horse forward.

Sound of ribs and bones cracking could be heard as the horse internal organs shattered by the sudden explosive force attacking it.

He turns his horse into a shield as he landed on the ground and retreat backward to avoid being in the range of the archers.

His horse look like a target practice as a hundred arrows pierced its body and blood pouring out from every part of its body. 

The infantry behind Ragar moved forward seeing the dire situation that their general is facing and one of the officers yelled.

'Raise the shield! Protect the General!' 

Quickly they rushed towards Ragar and raise their shield as the rains of arrows hit their steel armor 

The sound of steel being hit by steel tipped arrows were like a prelude to a Song of Death and War

a few hundred men who were late in raising their shield were shot and wounded while some who were unlucky died being pierce in the heads or heart from the arrows attack.

'Brother!' Some yelled.

'Take cover! Help the one beside you!'

'Defend the Gene-!' One officer yelled to the man in front of him before his throats was pierced by an arrows and blood spurted out from his throats.

He slowly falls down on the ground twitching uncontrollably before being trampled by the person behind him who did not realize the man was on the ground. 

It was a mess and full of chaos as people fall downs and blood slowly drench the grass. Screams and orders intermixed with each other.

Ragar who narrowly escaped death quickly order his man

'Stalwart defense! Organize yourself. Maintain the Shield Formation and move forward. Do not leave any gaps. We must be ready to charge when our Lord opens the gate!'

The soldiers near him nodded and relay his order and the mess was quickly being reorganized. The dead were left behind as the living marched forward.

Ragar sweating on his forehead, the top of his head and his side guarded by shields grabbed one of the men beside him, an infantry soldiers 

The infantry soldier expression paled but Ragar did not notice it and quickly orders him.

'Transmit my order to General Castile that his cavalry squads need to be ready to support our Lord! Take one of the horses and quickly transmit this order. There is no moment to lose! Our lord is struggling alone in the front right now!' 

Then Ragar quickly organize the defensive formation as they move forwards. 

The infantry soldier took a horse and under the protection of the Shield Formation and rides towards the back where General Castile is riding slowly as the strategy of Arial dictates.

On the other hand, Ragar is moving closer to the city gate.

Whenever the archers on the battlements reloads their bows, that was the time Ragar order his troops to hasten their movements and loosen the shield but when Ragar felt it was the time for the next barrage he quickly tighten back the defense. 

Slowly casualties among the Ragar defending troops decreased as they began to believe in this Shields Formation.

Ragar smirked. 

'You think you are the only one that knows how to turtle up? I, too am also proficient!'

Ragar eyes and estimation of the enemy ability to reload their arrows, this kind of precise estimation was what drew Arial to develop him as talented General.

On the other hand, Arial was wildly swinging his glaive and the wind force generated by this move of his repel all arrows around him making the area where he rides free of arrows.

He was smiling and laughing, his white hair flinging madly and his Dragon Armor glints dangerously under the sun

The red hair man from the top of the castle look at this prowess and his eyebrows creased. 

'This man is dangerous. Unlike the other rebels. Hmm' he said to himself holding his chin and stroking his red beard before he relays his orders

The red hair man did hear the man called himself the Emperor of Eden but he doesn't know who or what that titles signifies

Vernium is cut off from the sea as it belongs to those that lives in those Mountains.

Vernium traded heavily with the People on the Mountain which is why they have whale oils and products from different land but he doesn't know much about other continent.

'Send a small unit to gauge his strength. I need to prepare that weapon' he said to the officer beside him. 

'Is it necessary to use that weapon?' The red hair man looking at how easy this man called Arial deflecting the arrows nodded.

'Relay my orders!'

'Yes, my lord' the officer nodded and quickly went to the other parts of the battlements to relay his order.

On the ground, Arial was about to approach the city gate when a small door on the large gate was opened and men poured out from that door 

A bulky man of seven feet tall lead the men and the moment that man saw Arial he shouted, his voice shakes the ground he stands on

'CHARGE!!'

'You wanted to stop me?' He asked before his mouth curved into a smile and he urged his horse forward, his glaive raises high and he collided with the charge.

And ten head flew out with the seven feet tall man body slowly falls down revealing a headless sturdy body falling to the ground with a thud sound.

But the attack did not stop as Arial could let out his energy, swinging with speed and precision, decapitating and amputating people like they were cabbages.

Behind him scenery of chaos could be seen. 

Like a turtle, the shield formation was maintained and slowly approaching their lord regardless of the rains of arrows.

On top of the battlements the archers reload and release arrows almost mechanically. They release their arrows, reload and repeat.