Chapter 120: Sorry, I Can't Save You
When the Ogre fled, Faris did not pursue.
A flash of blood streaked across the sky.
Faris descended heavily onto the ice.
The small patch of ice immediately shattered and cracked.
"Faris, kill it!"
The High Priest on the ship's deck shouted angrily at Faris.
Faris picked at his ear with his pinky.
"I told you, Kain, you've already lost. If you don't leave now, you won't be able to."
Kain's expression shifted repeatedly on the deck.
The Crystal Temple had worked hard to persuade the Lionheart King to expand into the Goblin Forest.
Who would have thought the expedition corps would be repelled by mere Goblins?
"We haven't lost! We still have Lord Carlos!"
Kain roared, looking towards the battlefield ahead.
His face froze at the sight.
The ice on the river surface had disappeared.
The ice layers were now replaced by turbulent waters.
Neither the Goblin warriors nor Lord Carlos were anywhere to be seen.
"This can't be! It's impossible! Just mere Goblins!"
Kain’s face contorted in disbelief.
"You can lose your mind here; I won't be joining you!"
Faris's figure darted off like an arrow toward the fleet behind.
"Faris, wait, take me with you!"
Seeing Faris truly leave, Kain panicked.
He hurriedly leaned over the ship's railing, shouting in the direction of Faris's departure.
"Someone will come to get you, haha!"
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In the distance, Faris's laughter echoed.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a loud rumble erupted from beneath the icy surface of the ship.
The ice beneath Kain's side of the ship shattered instantly.
A column of water shot into the sky.
Within the water column, a silver-white figure emerged.
Before Kain could react, his body was lifted into the air.
"Lord Carlos?"
Seeing Lord Carlos, whose face was bloody and mangled, Kain was startled.
Carlos said nothing, carrying Kain as he sprinted across the ice.
Whenever he moved his mouth, the flesh on his face threatened to fall off.
Kain finally realized.
"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"
He shouted the order to retreat with reluctance.
Kain's desperate cries echoed across the battlefield.
"It's Lord Carlos! Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"
The adventurers and human soldiers fighting desperately heard the High Priest's retreat order.
They also saw Lord Carlos retreating with the High Priest in tow.
Across the two-kilometer-long battlefield, wherever Carlos passed, the human army collapsed entirely.
The already battered human forces were immediately overwhelmed by the Goblins.
Human soldiers on the ice fled en masse from east to west.
The few remaining soldiers frantically withdrew westward.
The ships not yet caught in the ambush circle tried to approach the ice to rescue them.
However, the Triple-bow Ballistas on the shore stopped them.
Massive bolts flew across the river.
Some plunged into the water, while others pierced the sails and hulls.
The powerful impact sent human soldiers on board tumbling.
In less than two minutes, the lead ship was struck and sank.
The massive vessel was riddled with holes.
Large gaps in the hull allowed river water to pour in, gradually capsizing the ship.
Seeing this, the trailing ships quickly turned away from the battlefield.
"The fleet has fled! They've abandoned us!"
Human soldiers fleeing to the edge of the ice showed expressions of despair.
They helplessly watched the fleet retreat further into the distance.
Without the fleet's support, how could they escape?
Now, they were powerless.
All they could do was watch the fleet fade away.
"Head to the south bank! Quickly, retreat to the south bank!"
Experienced adventurers immediately chose the best escape route:
To flee into the southern forest and follow the river downstream.
The adventurers began running toward the south bank.
"Follow them! Retreat to the south bank!"
With the adventurers retreating, the remaining human soldiers had no choice but to follow.
From above, the battlefield on the ice appeared to shrink in space.
The fleeing human army surged toward the south bank.
Chasing after them were the Goblins.
The ice was incredibly slippery.
Both humans and Goblins frequently slipped and fell.
Even the large Ogres occasionally stumbled, falling clumsily.
"Haha! The humans are running! They're running!"
The Goblins were ecstatic at the sight of the human retreat.
They screamed and shouted as they pursued the fleeing soldiers.
A storm of ballista bolts rained down on the fleeing soldiers.
"Ah!"
Soldiers at the rear fell, screaming in agony.
"Don't come closer! Stay away!"
One fallen soldier struggled desperately.
He tried to rise, but the searing pain in his body robbed him of strength.
The Goblins sneered as they closed in on him.
"Lord Carlos, save me!"
"Lord Carlos!"
"Lord Carlos!"
More soldiers fell behind.
Helpless soldiers could only cry out for their revered leader to save them.
The soldiers' screams and pleas made Carlos pause.
Running across the ice, Carlos came to a stop.
He put down High Priest Kain.
"Lord Carlos, don't do anything foolish! As long as you live, we can rebuild and rise again!"
Kain knew what Carlos intended to do.
But he also knew Carlos was already at his limit.
If he continued to fight, it would surely be his end.
Lord Carlos's value far exceeded that of an army.
Ordinary soldiers could be recruited again.
But a warrior like Carlos was not so easily cultivated.
Carlos’s figure vanished in a flash, speeding through the retreating army.
"It's Lord Carlos!"
"Lord Carlos has come to save us!"
Carlos halted on the ice.
Expressionless, he looked at the soldiers lying on the ice.
Those soldiers lit up with joy at his arrival.
"Sorry, I can't save you."
Carlos raised his massive sword.
He glared hatefully at the approaching Goblin horde.
Their overwhelming numbers were like a tide, sweeping toward him.
"Goblins, I will kill you all!"
Carlos opened his mangled mouth.
The loose flesh on his face fell away, revealing exposed bone.
Brilliant light magic erupted from his body.
Shockwaves rippled outwards, sweeping through the surroundings.
"Light Sword: Sky Severance!"
With all his strength, Carlos slashed his massive sword forward.
Under the horrified gazes of the fallen soldiers...
A raging force tore through them.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the ice quaked violently.
An invisible force erupted outward.
The ice in a straight line shattered explosively.
Countless Goblins and three Ogres were torn apart.
Two massive water columns shot hundreds of meters into the sky.
The ice across two kilometers split in half from west to east.