Chapter 125: Victory

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Another three soldiers collapsed, their heads still flying through the air.

Roderic kept pushing on.

He swung his blades at anyone unfortunate enough to stand in his way.

SWISH! SWISH!

Two more fell, nearly having their hearts ripped out.

Occasionally, a sword or spear would slip past his defenses, leaving another wound on Roderic’s already battered body.

But strangely enough, it didn’t slow him down.

Instead, his movements were beginning to change.

They were growing wilder and increasingly unpredictable with every passing second.

Yet somehow, every strike still found its mark.

And slowly but surely, a grin began spreading across his face.

’’This is it!’’ he shouted. ’’Come on!’’

Another soldier rushed towards him.

THWACK!

A hooked blade plunged into his skull, killing him instantly.

Roderic’s grin only grew wider.

He didn’t even notice the blood dripping from his wounds anymore.

Nor did he notice how much time was passing.

All he could see were the enemies standing in front of him.

And he continued killing, again and again and again.

Until eventually, some of the soldiers began throwing down their weapons.

’’I SURRENDER!’’ one shouted, dropping to his knees.

But Roderic didn’t even seem to hear him.

SWISH!

The man’s head flew through the air.

’’PLEASE! HAVE MER—’’

SWISH!

Another head rolled across the road.

A third soldier fell to his knees, desperately clasping his hands together.

’’Please... I have a fam—’’

SHLCK!

Roderic’s hooked blade slid through his shoulder down to his heart.

The remaining soldiers watched in horror.

It didn’t matter whether they fought back, fled, or begged for their lives.

To Roderic, there was no difference anymore.

Until eventually...

SWISH!

Roderic swung his hooked blade towards another approaching figure.

But this time, something was different.

CLANG!

A bright red layer of aura suddenly appeared around the figure’s shield, stopping his blade in its tracks.

’’YOUNG MASTER!’’

Roderic froze for a moment.

’’Huh...?’’ he muttered, shaking his head.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, his surroundings became clear again.

He was standing in the middle of Riverwood Road.

And directly in front of him stood a blood-covered Frederic, his shield still raised defensively.

Behind him were John, Peter, Paul, and many more Whitemane soldiers.

Every single one of them was staring at him.

Some with awe and respect, others with unmistakable fear and horror.

Roderic looked around.

Somehow, he’d ended up standing in the middle of Riverwood Road.

’’What the...?’’

He slowly lowered his blades before glancing over his shoulder.

The entire road was covered in blood.

Corpses lay scattered everywhere, with some missing their heads or limbs, while others had been nearly torn apart.

There wasn’t a single enemy left standing.

Roderic stared at the scene for a moment.

Then he nodded slowly before turning back to his retainers.

’’Oh,’’ he said. ’’Seems like we won.’’

For a split second, Roderic’s gaze went past them.

Dozens of corpses littered their side of the road as well.

Apparently, the Whitemane soldiers had been fighting their way towards him.

His mind raced for a moment.

’’Frederic,’’ Roderic called out, glancing back up.

Frederic snapped out of his daze instantly.

’’Yes, young master!’’

Raising his blade, Roderic pointed at the road.

’’Have the bodies stacked beside the road, on the other side of the village,’’ he commanded. ’’Reset and rebury any traps that have gone off.’’

’’Understood!’’

Roderic nodded.

But just as he was about to give another order, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him.

’’Fuck,’’ he cursed, stumbling forward.

Frederic quickly caught his arm, allowing him to steady himself.

’’You don’t have to do this immediately,’’ Roderic continued, rubbing his head. ’’Ta-Take a good break, maybe a nap...’’

For a moment, he fell silent.

His gaze swept across the battlefield once more.

’’Take those—’’

Roderic began coughing violently.

Even so, he still raised his arm, pointing towards the horses the Deres soldiers had dismounted earlier.

Most of them were still alive, standing further down the road.

’’Take those back as we—’’

His vision suddenly went dark.

Before he could finish his sentence, his legs gave out beneath him.

’’Young master?!’’

Frederic stepped forward, catching Roderic before he hit the ground.

But Roderic was already unconscious.

With the battle finally over, the adrenaline that had kept him fighting was fading, and his battered body could no longer endure the strain.

...

Hours rapidly flew by.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

’Hm...?’

The sound of rain slowly woke Roderic from his sleep.

He opened his eyes, finding himself staring at the white canvas cover stretched over the wagon.

’Where...?’

Roderic tried to sit up.

’’GKH!’’

A sharp pain shot through his body, forcing him to lie back down.

’’Careful, young master.’’

Roderic turned his head.

Frederic was sitting beside him, a wide and warm smile on his face.

’’Young master, please rest some more,’’ he said. ’’Everything’s been taken care of.’’

For a moment, everything fell silent.

The cogs in Roderic’s head rapidly started spinning.

’’Frederic,’’ he muttered quietly. ’’How long was I out for?’’

’’A few hours,’’ Frederic replied instantly. ’’We were beginning to get worried.’’

Roderic glanced down at himself.

Most of his wounds had been bandaged, although several were already beginning to bleed through.

Then his gaze drifted outside.

The sun had long set, revealing the beautiful star-filled sky.

Only then did everything truly set in.

’We won!’ he thought, clenching his fists. ’Now we can win the war!’

A grin slowly spread across Roderic’s face.

After everything they’d been through, their gamble had actually paid off.

’’Hahaha...’’

’’Young master?’’ Frederic asked, looking slightly confused.

’’Don’t worry about it,’’ Roderic replied, shaking his head. ’’Tell me how long we’ve been on our way.’’

Frederic stared at him for a few seconds with wide eyes.

Then he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

’’We left for the estate just an hour ago,’’ he replied. ’’We’ll arrive before the first rays of sunlight.’’

Roderic nodded slowly.

His gaze slowly drifted outside once more.

The rain was still pouring down, with even some lightning strikes flickering in the distance.

’’We’ve even been blessed by the weather,’’ Frederic added with a smile. ’’The rain will wash away most of the blood for us.’’

Roderic nodded slowly.

’’Blessed indeed,’’ he mumbled.

A wide smile slowly appeared on his face.