The Devil’s Cage

The land trembled as the Warren riders charged into the Prairie’s main camp like a sharp sword.

The sudden ambush of the Warren riders escalated the already chaotic situation in the main camp.

Some of the setups and defensive measures in the main camp that were built specifically to defend against Warren riders were destroyed during the uproar by the Prairie soldiers themselves or the Raven and Viper sect spies.

It allowed three thousand of the Warren riders to charge in without any resistance.

Horses neighed sharply and people growled angrily.

Blades and swords glared as they collide, creating streams and streams of a bloody river.

A fire torch suddenly lit up across the air, drawing a bright arc before landing on the main camp’s army supply.

The fire instantly burned fiercely on the fodders for the horses, followed by rations for the troops.

A big area of the main camp was set ablaze.

The fire burned furiously, causing even the well-trained horses to neigh in fear and when the ropes were cut off, the horses ran rampant everywhere, struggling as the fire was burning on them.

The blazing horses galloped across the main camp, setting more places on fire.

”Put the fire out! Put the fire out!”

Many of the Prairie soldiers were shouting in alarm, but most of them couldn’t escape the sticky situation themselves. A lot of them were facing their envious opponent from other tribes while beside them were enemies charging across their camp, if they would give up in resisting and extinguish the flames, they would perish as well.

The only way for them to survive was to kill the opponent before their eyes, even though their opponent was once their comrades in arms.

Only a small portion of the Prairie soldiers reached an accord in ceasing fire among themselves, yet such accord couldn’t prolong their survival and instead, it drove them to their deaths faster.

Stabs came from the shadows, taking lives one after another.

Flares flew across the sky, setting more fire across the camp.

The Prairie soldiers were being reaped of their precious lives because the riders of Warren had marked down the targets with importance. The riders fired their crossbows sharply at their targets.

Sou Sou Sou Sou!

Arrows rained down from the sky, hundreds and thousands of Prairie’s soldiers fell after being hit.

While some were still crying in agony, the horses stomped over them without mercy, robbing their remaining life force and turning them into a pile of quiet minced meat.

Mary’s palms were sweaty. She experienced battle before but not war on the battlefield.

She saw enemies before her eyes, comrades-in-arms beside her, all she could do was to charge forward, ceaselessly.

She knew she was the leader of the group, if she ever hesitated, it would quickly crumble the hard gathered troops.

That was the reason she rode the white horse to battle.

When she was 7 years old, her mother had warned her more than once that it would be better not to choose an eye-catching color horse while riding to battle because it would eventually turn her into a living target.

Though Mary didn’t have a choice, she had to be eye-catching and shine like a waving flag!

Ding!

Celty once again fended off an incoming arrow with his sword. It wasn’t the first time and definitely not the last.

From the moment they rode into the main camp, Celty has fended at least twenty arrows aimed at Mary. Even though Celty was one of the elite members of the Raven Sect, possessed outstanding skill sets, he couldn’t hold it long enough before gasping heavily.

It wasn’t an easy task to protect a single person with full attention on the battlefield which was forever changing.

Ding.

Another arrow was fended off, this time around it was Maxim instead of Celty.

The Raven Sect recorder wasn’t in good shape either, he glanced over his comrade who shared the worsened condition yet all he could do was yell, ”Your Highness, ride forth!”

There wasn’t a retreating path after that, all they could do was ride through the Prairie’s main camp and if they broke through the camp, victory will be in their hands.

However, should they be surrounded by the Prairie soldiers…

The Raven Sect recorder swiftly shook his head to discard such thoughts from his mind and return to fend off the incoming arrow.

However, this incoming arrow was different from the previous ones. Just as Maxim’s sword was about to break the arrow, the arrow moved in an arc and dodged the slash before heading towards Mary.

Maxim was shocked.

”Your Highness!”

His voice sounded in panic but another figure leaped up from the horses beside and blocked the arrow with his body.

Pum!

The arrow perforated the rider’s chest, bringing his body down to the ground.

Gallops then followed up in crushing the rider’s body.

All the while, Mary didn’t even get a clear look at the rider who sacrificed his life for her.

When she realized she was saved, the rider’s body was drowned by the relentless gallops.

All she could hear was a young voice.

Suddenly, she sobbed hard, a strong wind blew behind her and even made her eyes teary.

Mary held the corner of her eyes with her hand, preventing the tears from falling.

”Move forth!”

”Move forth!”

Her tender voice yelled again with all her might.

Kakroooooom!

The horses galloped non-stop ahead in a fury, the riders of Warren had ridden forth without knowing how long until they felt at ease of their surroundings.

That suppressing, suffocating feeling was thrown behind them.

All they saw was an empty field before their eyes.

Did they break through?

They broke through!

The unbelievable feeling of escaping death rose up!

None of them could hide the delight that popped up on their face.

Mary was exhausted, panting heavily while lying down on the horse.

Celty and Maxim were drenched in sweat as though they came out from the sea.

Both of them didn’t even want to move another finger.

However, both of them were shaking when they saw the unusual situation at the main camp behind their squad.

”Your Highness, someone is furling in the remaining troops!” Maxim warned.

Even without further explanation, Mary knew what would happen to her troops if the Prairies soldiers furled them in.

Although their charge before wouldn’t be in vain, its effect will surely be halved.

The young voice calling ”Your Highness” echoed in Mary’s ears again.

She would not accept it! She would not allow it!”

Wung! Wung! Wung!

The [Thorn Blade] behind her back was shaking.

Suddenly, an energetic force was imbued into the little girl’s body, causing the exhausted Mary to straighten her back at once.

She moved her horse through her squad and stood at the front row once again facing the Prairies soldiers.

She didn’t say anything nor needed any notice.

The Warren riders saw the white horse turned around, they too followed as they switched direction, turning back at the Prairies main camp.

They held their weapons tainted with their enemy’s blood, before the delight on their face faded, it was replaced by determination.

Even though the riders knew they had a slim chance of surviving this, they didn’t hesitate nor feel fear at all. After the first round charging through their enemies, the riders underwent a transformation.

They transformed from the common soldiers to the true elites of Warren troops because they were imbued with the spirit!

”Impossible! How is this possible?”

Maxim was looking at the scene which most people would consider unbelievable. He seemed to have related into something and caused him to call out in surprise.

Celty was looking at Maxim in confusion.

”The saying of a virtuous ruler!” Maxim reminded Celty in a bitter smile.

Celty was stunned and he turned his attention towards the white figure before him.

”With a virtuous ruler leading us, the cowards will become brave, the brave will become heroes and the heroes will become sa…”

Celty was mumbling softly but before he could finish, Maxim covered his mouth.

Celty reacted instantly and even without his friend’s reminder, he knew what he should do.

Both of them moved beside Mary once more.

Each of them stood on the left and right respectively, protecting Mary like before.

This time around the different thing was that both of them had a baffling sense of franticness on their faces.

Gallops sounded again.

The Prairies soldiers charged back at them.

Mary raised her right hand, she was ready to signal and lead the Warren riders to charge back into enemy’s camp but a series of flapping sounded above.

The Fire Raven dived down and landed on Mary’s hand.

She was stunned.

While she was stunned, a fiery figure dived into the charging Prairies soldier like a comet.

KABOOM!

The huge group of Prairie soldiers couldn’t evade in time as they gathered up and instantly suffered a huge loss, the soldiers were being crushed into minced meat upon impact.

A loud roar then followed.

ROAR!

A formless strong wind was blasted following the figure’s fiery wings flapping, the wind blasted out in every direction, causing the wobbling Prairie soldiers to fall and roll over the ground.

Yet none of them felt anything from the fall as they retreated instinctively. All of the retreating Prairie soldiers were staring in fear at that fiery figure that dived down from the sky.

The temperature rose up swiftly, the scene started to distort around that terrifying figure.

The rampant, chaotic aura mixing with the heavy sulphuric smell was baffling to all of the Prairie soldiers.

The suppression from the figure was on an entirely different level, similar to a rabbit coming across a lion.

”The...The Devil!”

A sharp voice shouted among the Prairie soldiers as though the owner of the voice was being suffocated.

The sharp voice threw the courage out of the window after the Prairie soldiers mustered enough to retaliate.

Fear was like a rising tide, breaking through the dam and flooded every one of them.