Chapter 443: This Is Definitely a High‑End Play

Even though, no matter which world, one‑on‑one duels between the strong make one's blood boil.

But on this vast battlefield, it's not just a couple of generals fighting in a blood‑soaked melee.

Or, if we take the current Yangyue version, where a handful of strong ones battling each other can decide the outcome, the Deep Forest folk and the Grassland folk wouldn't need to gather tens of thousands of troops here to bleed each other.

Because even if Ke Li Si Ting is as brave as ever, a single person holding off two opposing commanders cannot change the inevitable decline of the cavalry corps.

After consecutively taking part in the enemy‑camp breakout and the centaur chase battles, even the kingdom's elite knights have their stamina and mana nearly depleted.

Now, facing the centaur‑Ouk joint counter‑offensive feels overwhelming; although the formation hasn't collapsed yet, gradually losing battlefield initiative is a foregone conclusion.

Seeing this, the Third Prince's newly risen uneasy thought was quickly pushed back.

To understand, as the main force, the Grassland folk have brought at least eight elite corps this time.

Having just deployed four, they've already regained the face they lost when they pierced the camp in a raid.

Turn the tide? No way…

Even amid the chaos, he saw another advancing corps of Bison folk arriving on the battlefield's flank.

When they collide with the infantry corps, probably half of those ten thousand will have to stay behind.

Furrowing his brow, he still couldn't fully let go of so many troops, crossing his arms over his chest.

After a moment's hesitation, he finally let out a long sigh.

"Master, I'm afraid the scales of victory have completely tipped toward them. Report to the whole army; we won't wait—let's retreat at once!"

Though its presence is low, a biting dog doesn't bark.

The aura is broad and calm, magic surging.

Standing beside the Third Prince, this commander of the mage battalion is actually his greatest trump card in this battle.

Yet this half‑elf elder, whose eyes reveal no emotion and whose ears are slightly pointed, does not rush to answer.

Instead, he strokes his beard, narrows his eyes, and after a long pause, replies lightly.

"Since Your Highness says so, I shall naturally comply," he says.

If it were anyone else, daring to act like this before a prince, his family would have already been taken to the wall in a tidy line.

But who can blame him, being not only a seventy‑plus‑level Archmage, but also the former headmaster of a magical academy in the Deep Forest Royal Capital.

His record stretches back several centuries, and he even claims the right to call an Elven sage a teacher; he is now one of the most respected elders in the capital.

What?

You ask why this old fellow dares to brag about secretly dealing with the enemy chieftain?

Because everyone has done it; aside from the pure lowborn, the original Deep Forest founding team were the Holy Tree aristocracy—who hasn't heard the sage's magic lectures?

Even Little Lion did it; otherwise how did he spot the chance to take that rose‑family girl from the Great Jun Forest into his harem?

Anyway, taking their good stuff openly isn't shameful.

Thus, with this big boss's support, the Third Prince immediately began ordering those around him to retreat with him.

As for whatever Feng En, whatever Ke Li Si Ting… damn, good luck to yourselves, this prince thanks you!

However, the Grassland folk's main forces aren't market stall guards; they can't just come and go at will.

"Hm?"

Just as the Third Prince was about to mount the carriage for a hasty retreat, the dean beside him suddenly furrowed his brow.

"What's wrong… ah!"

The Third Prince was still stunned, but the dean already grabbed his collar and stepped back swiftly, simultaneously raising a magical shield.

And there was no need for his surprise, for in the next instant, a bolt of thunder struck the spot where they had just stood.

The royal carriage, along with its unlucky driver and the surrounding guards, was reduced to ash, leaving no trace of the dead.

Seeing this, the Third Prince's expression turned vivid as he whispered, "A master!"

The dean gazed toward the source of the lightning, his eyes cold: "The Khan has arrived!"

Sure enough, as the distant lightning faded, a figure in a fiery red battle robe appeared, standing over two meters tall, its armor clanking.

— Its mane shines like gold, standing with arms crossed behind its back; its features and stature are so regal that one could almost write the characters "King" atop its head—a golden Lionfolk.

Upon close inspection, his battle robe is adorned with seven‑colored jade fragments arranged like armor plates, linked by fine veins, shimmering and tinkling beautifully.

But it's more than decoration, for it represents the seven components of the Beimosi Khanate.

— The legendary races: Spiritfolk, Beastfolk, Humans, Half‑bloods, Magical Beasts, and the Bizarre.

Indeed, this thing is essentially an otherworldly version of a patchwork robe.

According to tradition, every group that joins the Khanate must present the Khan with a jade fragment pre‑crafted by the Khanate, symbolizing absolute loyalty.

Thus these jade pieces are symbols of the supreme authority of the Bei Mo Si Ke Han, of the equal status of the Beimosi people, and the foundation of the Beimosi Khanate's foothold on the grasslands.

Their function is similar to that of the little monkey who, after sharing a wild fruit with the Khan, successfully joined the Khanate and was appointed to the Khan's personal guard.

Brother, I'm willing to accept even a tiny magical beast, let alone you.

— Hurry! Everyone, MSGA together!

Thus, while the Deep Forest folk were startled, wondering if the Bei Mo Si Ke Han had truly arrived, the Grassland folk were already breaking the howling snowstorm with cheers.

He is the overlord of all sentient beings on the grasslands, plus a few highly intelligent magical beasts, encompassing the seven major races.

If he hadn't so stubbornly refused to sell his figurines, he might have already become one of the major worldly deities, saving centuries, and becoming the strongest quasi‑god far beyond the Wendigo.

Moreover, accompanying him were a Foxfolk shaman corps, a human mage corps, and, most prestigious, a Lionfolk heavy‑armor corps.

At this point, all eight elite corps of the Beimosi Khanate had entered the battlefield, joining the slaughter of the Deep Forest folk.

Therefore, the dean's first thought was to flee; the enemy had already unleashed full force, and he alone could not turn the tide.

But as a regional noble with five centuries of intricate connections rooted in the Deep Forest, how could he abandon a prince and run away alone?

He could only draw a distinctly elven‑style staff and lower his voice.

"Your Highness, you lead the royal guard and mage battalion out first; I will go meet that enemy chieftain!"

Bei Mo Si Ke Han stood on the hillside, also noticing this half-elf old man of considerable skill, and slowly clenched his fist.

If we say that novice mages use magic to protect their own bodies, then experienced mages use magic to harm the enemy's body.

So those true masters who have fully grasped the mage's art are usually……

"Come!"

Accompanied by thunder and lightning, the Lionfolk Khan took a burst step and charged over, as fast as a flash of lightning.

He may be swift, but how could a half‑elf mage with five hundred years of study and combat experience fall behind?

His white robes billowed, his staff held like a hammer; raging flames rose into the sky, and he too turned into a streak of light to meet that red bolt.

Indeed, since mages are destined not to hide forever in towers, warriors cannot rely solely on short weapons to decide right from wrong.

Thus, the battle mage who can both resist and strike, training in both ranged and close combat, is the sole answer for Yangyue.

Boom—rumble!

And when a seventy‑fourth‑level fire‑adept mage collides with a seventy‑sixth‑level lightning‑skilled warrior, the resulting momentum is earth‑shaking.

Just as martial arts masters love to pit inner strength against each other, after they blasted the surrounding people apart they did not separate, but kept pouring in magical power, initiating a tug‑of‑war of basic skills.

But everyone knows magical power is not inner strength; whether fire or lightning, both are things that bring high heat.

Thus the snow around them melted rapidly in the clash, boiled into a pot of hot soup then completely evaporated, blown away by the cold wind.

All that remained was a barren wasteland a hundred meters in diameter, trembling amid the ever‑more violent magical duel, even beginning to glow faintly red.

Faced with this sight, the Third Prince……

Old Three?

San'er!

Where are they?

Oh, after listening to advice and eating his fill, Old Three has already taken his personal guard and those two thousand mages and fled at lightning speed.

But he had slipped away; just then, General Feng En finally led his infantry, whose losses had already exceeded half, pressing on despite the pursuit of wolf‑folk, leopard‑folk, and bison‑folk, and escaped the Grassland Warriors' camp.

"Cough cough cough…"

The wolf‑folk leader is still manageable, but the leopard‑folk leader actually has a gun— that's a real stab.

Thus Feng En this time truly risked half his old life, barely surviving under the enemy's fierce onslaught.

Yet when he drew deep breaths, lifted his eyelids and looked around, the smile that had just appeared on his face froze.

Because he saw at a glance the prince's guard, heads not turned, already sprinting through wind and snow toward the horizon.

"…"

Frankly, he didn't really believe the Third Prince could keep his promise.

After all, having struggled in this circle for years, how could he not know what kind of person a noble lord is?

But often what keeps a person going is just a breath of spirit; Feng En could only cling to that breath by relying on this matter.

Now the dream is shattered, and that breath can finally be swallowed.

……

"Greed! Damn it! Still you damn greedy bastard!"

With a loud shout, Feng En tore off his helmet and began slapping his own face left and right.

Actually, he had a chance to leave at the start of the year, but he was unwilling to remain merely a minor baron.

Under the Marquis's urging, he still hoped to climb a bit higher.

What if, what if he could become a viscount?

Then he could found his own stable lineage, blessing generations of descendants—not a dream at all!

The result was that because of this greed, he dragged himself into it as well!

Look behind—there are bison, leopards, and wolves; ahead—there are fox‑lion folk.

Six elite Berserker legions, accompanied by many more Grassland Warriors who may not qualify for top‑tier troops but are certainly not cowards, waited on these several thousand remnants of defeated troops.

If they could still win this situation, it would truly be a miracle!

"Don't pull me—I'm guilty, I'm guilty!"

Thus the desperate Feng En, aside from self‑destruction, seemed to have no other choice.

However, as he screamed, while his personal guard struggled to encourage him to perk up, he kept beating himself.

Hooves clattered, and a shadow like a canopy suddenly fell upon them.

That was Kristin, likewise locked in endless bloodshed, returning with only half her cavalry after a circuitous route.

She looked at Feng En, tears and snot streaming down his face, and raised a hand to wipe the blood from her own cheek.

"General Feng En, the Third Prince has fled, but do you still remember your promise to me?"

Feng En rubbed his cheek, which was about to ice over, and merely shook his head.

"Your Lordship Viscount, I myself can barely hold on—how could I…"

"No!"

However, Kristin cut him off coldly.

"Since I have fulfilled my promise, you must fulfill yours!"

"I…"

Feng En was left laughing and crying at her willful remark, thinking this monster woman must have a screw loose—how could she…

However, his inner muttering had barely begun when Kristin's words cut him off again.

"The Third Prince only thought of fleeing, abandoning many horses—including the mounts of our fallen soldiers—now ownerless."

Saying this, she reached out and pointed to a nearby hill of modest height.

"Though they are merely livestock, they're not stupid; they should have hidden on the leeward slope over there—do you get what I mean?"

!!!

Indeed, when mountains and rivers overlap and there seems no road, willows darken and flowers brighten — another village appears!

Feng En instantly understood Ke Li Si Ting's meaning, but just as he was about to lead his own people and the Viscount's people in a breakout, he suddenly remembered.

"And you?"

"Where will you meet up with us?"

Ke Li Si Ting: "......"

"You don't need to handle this; first finish your own duties, then we'll talk."

Feng En instantly felt the blood that had just warmed in his heart cool halfway, but what could he say? He could only nod.

"Rest assured, I will definitely die ahead of them!"

Life will always find a way out; those who fear death yet are not afraid of it are the same.

After confirming the subsequent strategic deployment, Feng En and Ke Li Si Ting immediately led their respective subordinates separately, beginning their own battles.

Feng En was not an idealist; from the start he never thought he could lead everyone to escape alive.

So, after hardening his heart and gathering the few hundred core members from both sides, he coerced the other soldiers into beginning a breakout.

And Ke Li Si Ting's large build once again brought him an unexpected 'advantage' in battle.

"What is that, a centaur? How could he be on the enemy's side?"

"No, look at the arc of her breastplate — that looks like a woman!"

"Good heavens, can a woman-horse grow this big? It seems even larger than the chieftain of the Gem Tribe!"

Although in theory the steppe people are all equal, the differences ingrained in their bones cannot be erased so easily.

Thus, the Eight Great Legions, mainly composed of beastmen, still subconsciously held back when facing that centaur.

After all……

"If she were on our side, with that build and that combat power, fighting would be absolutely exhilarating!"

——Must be captured alive!

(End of chapter)