Chapter 38: Defeat and Flight

"Long live Stardust! Long live Stardust!"

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

At the centurion's command, the legionnaires unleashed a rhythmic, unified war cry. The partially incinerated corpses of the Dongsong soldiers and the wreckage of their chariots were quickly submerged in a sea of silver and blue. Any bronze arrows fired were instantly melted into this swirling tide.

"Javelins! Three volleys, fire!"

"Release!"

As the distance between the two armies closed, the Stardust forces began hurling their javelins once more. The overwhelming rain of projectiles predictably engulfed the chaotic mass of Dongsong infantry. A single volley was enough to break them entirely. The Stardust formation, shields locked, crashed directly into the routed troops.

Silver-white steel sickles reaped through the ranks as if harvesting weeds. As spears danced and ethereal energy flared, batches of Dongsong soldiers screamed as they were pierced, torn, and incinerated. The stench of blood and charred flesh soon permeated the air. The entire battlefield felt like a slab of rare, bloody steak, thick with the heavy scent of carnage and a faint, sickly aroma. Their polished, silver shields baptized in blood, the Stardust Legion had achieved total dominance over the battlefield.

"Retreat! Fall back!"

"Monsters! They are all monsters!"

"Run! Run for your lives!"

"Argh..."

"I don't want to die yet... I don't want to die..."

In less than a quarter of an hour, the Dongsong army had suffered a total rout, while the Stardust forces remained virtually unscathed. Seeing that the front at Tanqin Terrace had completely collapsed, General Shen was forced to lead his remaining cavalry toward Zhongzhou City.

Meanwhile, Lily, who had slipped into the refugee shantytown, wove her way through the piles of corpses. Her destination was the Zhong River to the west of Zhongzhou. Once across the river lay the vast, rugged mountains; even for the Stardust army, pursuing her there would require significant effort.

"Damn it, these mad hags again." Lily frowned, her foot landing in the entrails spilling from a corpse.

"Keep moving. I have managed to mask the ethereal energy on your body for now," the Jade Spirit whispered. "Though the Star Gods know you are here, finding you will not be so easy!"

Lily nodded, taking a deep breath of the blood-tainted air, and darted quickly through the shanties.

"Hmph! Trying to escape!"

A roar from a White Lion echoed through the air. A squad of White Lion Riders cut down the fleeing refugees in their path. Lily hurriedly ducked into a nearby tent, suppressing her ethereal energy and drawing her inner strength inward. She held her breath, steadying her slightly panicked pulse. Through a gap in the tent, she recognized the tall woman riding the majestic battle lion as Solna, the same officer who had nearly claimed her life in Donglai City.

"Listen up! Third, Fourth, and Sixth Companies!"

"Enter the city at once! Sweep all key locations in Zhongzhou and plant our battle flags on the ramparts!"

At Solna’s roar, the White Lion Riders answered in unison. Their bell-like voices sounded like demonic incantations to Lily’s ears.

"The rest of you, follow me to intercept those feline brats on horseback! Move!"

Solna led the remaining troops, intending to charge toward the east.

"Wait."

Lily spotted an old acquaintance. Before the burning walls of Shenxi Fortress, the demon who had severed her mother’s head and tossed it at her feet was standing barely ten meters away. Freya’s blue-and-white scale armor was already soaked in filth and blood, and the longsword in her hand had turned into a blade of gore.

"Solna, go into the city. I will take the First Company to head off the cat-folk."

"Yes, Commander."

Solna urged her lion toward the city. Just as Lily let out a sigh of relief, waiting for Freya to depart, those sharp, sapphire eyes suddenly locked onto the tent where she was hiding.

Lily retreated deeper into the shadows. Freya wiped the bloodstains from her face, gripped her sword tighter, and began to condense the powerful ethereal energy around her. Sensing this surge, beads of cold sweat broke out on Lily’s forehead. The power of that ethereal presence was drawing closer, and she could hear the clanking of heavy scale armor. Through a tear in the tent, Lily could see Freya’s blood-drenched blade within arm's reach. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and she had to cover her mouth and nose to keep from making a sound.

"Strange," Lily could even hear Freya muttering to herself. "Why is there a trace of ethereal energy in this tent? These cat-folk shouldn't be able to use it..."

*Thump!*
*Clank!*
*Thump!*
*Clank!*
*Thump!*
*Thump!*
*Thump!*

"Commander, the Dongsong cavalry is approaching our position." A telepathic message resonated in Freya's mind at the perfect moment.

"Very well. I am bringing the First Company over."

Though still suspicious, Freya turned and strode away, mounting her White Lion and leading the First Company toward the east. As the roars of the White Lion faded into the distance, Lily finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close," Lily whispered as she continued to run toward the riverbank.

"See? I didn't lie to you. What the old man said was true," the Jade Spirit remarked.

"But we can't help those Dongsong people," Lily said, glancing back at the battlefield, where the sounds of slaughter remained intense, the flickering ethereal energy a terrifying sight.

On the distant battlefield, the fate of the Dongsong army seemed sealed.

"Run for your lives! We can't hold them back—just run!"

The Eighth and Fourteenth Legions crushed all resistance; the Dongsong lines had long since disintegrated. The disciplined, unified legionnaires stood in sharp contrast to the wailing, broken remnants of the Dongsong army. Even the few soldiers who mustered the courage to charge the Stardust forces with bronze halberds and swords found their weapons useless against the Stardust warriors' iron armor and ethereal shields. They were quickly impaled by spears and incinerated by ethereal fire.

The desperate battle dragged on, and what little courage remained was replaced by fear and despair. Like a collapsing tree, the Dongsong army shattered, the survivors fleeing toward the banks of the Zhong River.

"Execute those who retreat! No retreating!"

Dongsong officers desperately repeated the failing military discipline, but the routed soldiers and the border troops of Northern County who had joined them were like mindless sheep, fleeing the Stardust tigers that threatened to devour them alive.

"All units, ignore your rear guard! Charge! Charge!"

"Twelfth Legion, Second Legion, push forward! Annihilate them completely!"

"Kill them all! Burn them all!"

"Kill!"

Solter’s orders echoed in the minds of the legion commanders and officers. The command was carried out instantly. The two reserve legions pushed forward, and the four legions advanced toward the Zhong River like bulldozers, harvesting the retreating Dongsong remnants.

At the same time, the returning Dongsong cavalry was driven into a desperate trap. Freya led over five hundred White Lion Riders, trampling over the burning, mangled bodies of refugees as they charged. The roar of the lions immediately intimidated the incoming warhorses, and the beasts' claws tore through the horses' throats and flesh. Many riders were thrown from their saddles and had their necks broken before they could even engage.

Equipped with stirrups and clad in fine armor, the White Lion Riders fought with a blend of speed, archery, and swordsmanship. The vanguard’s longswords danced like a whirlwind of blades, while the rear archers precisely pierced the throats of the Dongsong cavalry. The inferiority of the Dongsong’s flimsy leather armor and lack of stirrups was fully exposed. Facing iron-clad cavalry from a different era, they were completely defeated. Many were simply knocked off their horses by the sheer force of the White Lions. This was to say nothing of the ethereal fire that clung to the White Lion Riders' weapons—invisible, impossible to block.

The ever-victorious General Shen led his cavalry in a desperate charge into the mudflats before the refugee camp. While the White Lions could use ethereal pads to maintain their momentum, the Dongsong cavalry became hopelessly bogged down.

The thousand-strong Dongsong cavalry faced the five hundred White Lion Riders and were decimated in a single exchange. A one-sided slaughter began. The madwomen, wearing hideous smiles, roared as they tore the last of the Dongsong elite to pieces.

The desperate General Shen swung his bronze halberd, attempting a final, heroic sacrifice, but was struck down by a pounce from White Light. His neck snapped against a fallen warhorse. Moments later, his head was hung from Freya’s battle flag as she continued to ride through the carnage, slaughtering the remaining Dongsong soldiers.

The outcome of the war was sealed. It was a one-sided massacre. Yet, some still sought a chance at life. Lily continued to sprint toward the riverbank.

"Dongsong has fallen, but I must get out of here!"