The wolves snarled at the humans and would’ve attacked if the demons didn’t rein them in with the leashes. Unsurprisingly, the demons spread out in search of any weaknesses in the shieldwall. Dreu then found himself staring at the leader of these demons. The demon leader wore no armor and was equipped with a blade along with a bow and a half-full quiver. Dreu also studied the wolf carrying the demon leader. The creature had a dark gray pelt covered with numerous scars all over the body. Unlike the other wolves, this wolf made no noise and was instead studying him back. From how one of the knights was killed earlier, Dreu learned that the demons and their wolves had incredible teamwork.

“Hold your ground and face the enemy!” shouted Bayard.

Dreu could no longer sense the shaking of the knights. The young man muttered a thanks to Bayard without taking his eyes off the demon leader. When the demon leader unsheathed its blade, the other demons unsheathed their weapons. Dreu swallowed his spit moments before the demons made their move. The wolves closed the distance rapidly and were greeted by the shields. In the corner of his eye, Dreu noticed weapons with hooks that latched onto the shields. When the weapon users pulled back with their wolves, they dragged the shields with them.

“Don’t pursue the enemy!” Bayard ordered.

However, his orders fell on deaf ears. The shieldless knights simply panicked and charged at the demons. Having broken from the formation, the knights were easy pickings as two or three wolves descended upon them.

What do we do about the gaps in our formation, Bayard?

Stay calm and don’t panic like those fools. The gaps are both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing?

Watch!

The demons first cleaned up the easy targets. They then spread out once more like earlier. They charged in for the second time, though this time focused more on the gaps within the shieldwall. As the wolves closed in, Bayard moved with incredible agility to surprise one of the demons and its wolf. With his shield, the footman hit the wolf knocking it into the adjacent wolf. As the demons and wolves were tangled up, Bayard did a few quick swings to end their lives.

Now I see why Zhao was praising Bayard’s sword skills.

While Bayard took down two demons and two wolves, the other knights weren’t as successful. A few more knights lost their shields but these men, having seen what happened to their comrades, wisely stayed in the formation.

“Reform the shield wall!” ordered Bayard as he made his way back to Dreu.

The knights did as they were told and the circle shrunk.

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Why not reform earlier, Bayard?

We had to embolden them. Sadly, we didn’t kill as many wolves or demons as I had hoped.

I was hoping we can end this swiftly.

Lacking the agility of the wolves, we won’t be catching them. Better to let them come to us.

As if in response, the demon charged in once again. Dreu noticed two demons were charging straight at Bayard, likely determining him as their biggest threat.

Focus!

Bayard suddenly moved in front of Dreu with his shield raised. As the two wolves pounced, Bayard pivoted to intercept one of them leaving his flank open to the other. Dreu copied Bayard from earlier and bashed the wolf with his shield. While his hit didn’t send the wolf flying, it did halt the wolf’s charge. Dreu quickly raised his shield to intercept the demon’s ax. The hit knocked him onto his bottom. Luckily, Bayard made swift work of the demon and wolf who were both too focused on the young man.

You will need some work with your stance....thanks for covering my flank.

Dreu then noticed the arrow stuck in Bayard’s shield, understanding that the footman told him to pay attention to the demon leader. When he looked, he saw the demon leader with an arrow notched. For the next couple of minutes, the demon leader fired his arrows with incredible precision at any unsuspecting human, killing them with a single shot. Meanwhile, the demons repeated their charges until only two dozen knights remained and six demons and their mounts remained. The demon leader was out of arrows at this point and unsheathed his blade once more. Dreu expected all the demons to make the final charge but, to his surprise, the six demons and their mounts fled the battle. Only the demon leader remained.

Why are they fleeing? Don’t they have an advantage?

They might be calling for reinforcements while their leader keeps us busy.

The knights, upon seeing their numerical advantage, reformed their shieldwall into a line. They marched towards the demon leader with renewed confidence. Only Dreu and Bayard stayed back as they watched. Unexpectedly, the demon leader broke straight through the center as the knights were sliced and diced. The way the demon sliced through the knights, armor and all, reminded the young man of how easily Zhao pierced the spear into the Scead. In a couple of swings, the demon made short work of all the knights, leaving only Dreu and Bayard.

Get behind me! His weapon isn’t an ordinary one.

Bayard fought the demon and the wolf with lots of caution. He generally backed away before the demon could get a proper swing on him. Then, Dreu jumped in surprise.

< Congratulations! You are equipped with the Aegis Armor. You are granted invincibility.>

Trusting the prompt and knowing Bayard needed an opening, Dreu charged straight at the demon.

Stay back, Dreu!

Ignoring Bayard, Dreu kept charging and got the attention of the demon. The wolf backed suddenly away from Bayard and immediately dashed towards the young man. The demon readied his blade as Dreu raised his shield. The blade cut into the shield but failed to cut cleanly through. The demon lost his balance as he failed to let go of the blade. As the demon tumbled onto the ground, Bayard ended the demon’s life. The wolf, in its desperation, attacked Bayard only to suffer the same fate as its rider.

It’s over, emperor. You have come out of this victorious!

With exhaustion overtaking him, Dreu smiled and embraced the darkness. Before the darkness fully embraced him, the prompt window showed up once again.

< You have acquired the weapon, Red Mist Blade. >