An hour later, the battlefield at Blackwater Valley had been mostly cleared.
The air still reeked of blood and gunpowder, but not a single intact corpse remained on the ground.
Under Florgloria's command, the Black Rock auxiliary troops systematically gathered the fallen Imperial Soldiers and griffin carcasses for disposal.
Weapons and armor were sorted into separate piles.
Several thousand Imperial prisoners received rudimentary bandaging and bleeding control from Black Rock medics.
Like cargo, they were strapped onto makeshift stretchers, loaded onto carts pulled by pack beasts, and carted off in batches to the field hospital in the rear.
Alesha's Medical School team was already standing by.
These men will make excellent labor for the mines!
Wu Liang's rule for these workhorses: no dying and no permanent crippling.
Surgery was unheard-of in this world, but with modern medical knowledge, Alesha found it straightforward.
As long as there were adequate antiseptics and basic tools, most men could be put back on their feet—and then spend the rest of their lives building the Black Rock Tribe.
The afterglow of sunset painted the earth in crimson gold.
Wu Liang stood on a rise, surveying the distance through a telescope.
On the horizon, Taiwen Merlin's routed army left a long plume of dust, like a dying earth-dragon writhing toward Tiee Fortress.
'Wu Liang, everything's ready.'
Akomann came to his side, her light leather armor hugging her tall, athletic frame.
Her long legs, encased in hide trousers, looked powerful.
'The Ember Fire Legion and Rifle Battalion will lead the pursuit, light cavalry will sweep both wings, and the shield phalanx plus auxiliaries will follow.'
'Suina's heavy-machine-gun teams and artillery have finished resupplying and can move at once.'
Wu Liang lowered the telescope and nodded.
'Good. Pass the order: the army advances.'
He turned and saw Ignis approaching.
The former chieftain of the Ember Tribe, her flame-red hair streaming in the evening wind, licked her lips, eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
'Wu Liang, let me spearhead the charge this time!'
He glanced at her, then at the equally eager Akomann, and smiled.
'You two take left and right wings—cut off every escape route.'
'Leave it to us!'
Ignis thumped her full chest with a dull smack.
'Our goal isn't slaughter for its own sake.'
Wu Liang's tone turned grave.
'I want a complete hunt.'
'Like hounds on game, we keep the pressure on, draining their strength and will until terror and despair break them.'
He would show every Roland Empire citizen the wretched fate of opposing the Black Rock Tribe.
Death can be the kindest release.
'Understood!'
Akomann and Ignis answered in unison.
At Wu Liang's command, the Black Rock war machine sprang to full life.
'All forces—attack!'
The horns sounded, deep and resonant, and thousands of Black Rock soldiers set off in perfect step, their footfalls merging into a tide of steel that shook the earth.
Fifty li from Blackwater Valley, among rolling hills,
Taiwen Merlin was fleeing with fewer than three thousand battered survivors.
He sat his warhorse, ashen-faced, eyes hollow.
The high spirits of old were gone, replaced by endless exhaustion and humiliation.
'Faster! Over the next ridge and we're safe!'
Arthur lay across another mount, supported by a guardsman.
Agony in his chest made every breath torture, yet the will to live spurred him on.
But every man and beast had reached the limit.
Soldiers stumbled along lame and spent; morale had sunk to freezing point.
They were sheep harried by wolves, fleeing blindly, too afraid even to look back.
Suddenly, frantic hoofbeats came from the rear.
'The enemy's on us!'
A rearguard knight screamed in terror.
The cry dropped like a stone into still water, sending panic rippling through the rout.
'It's the savages—they've caught us!'
'Run! I don't want my legs broken!'
'We're finished… we'll never get away…'
Chaos began to spread; some soldiers even shoved comrades aside so they could run faster.
The column's discipline collapsed in an instant.
Taven yanked his reins and looked back.
On the horizon, two black torrents were sweeping in at high speed from both flanks.
They were Black Rock light cavalry, moving like a pair of unsheathed blades meant to encircle and finish off his battered force.
Behind them, ranks of infantry had also appeared—slow but perfectly formed, exuding crushing pressure.
"Form line! Form line now! Hold them!"
Taven tried to restore order.
But no one listened anymore.
Fear had already shattered the will of these Imperial Soldiers.
All they wanted was to flee—farther, faster.
"Father! Leave them! We ride alone!"
Arthur shouted urgently.
"If we don't go now, it'll be too late!"
Taven's heart bled.
He watched men who had been unshakably loyal now scatter like headless flies.
"Ride!"
He clenched his teeth, wheeled his horse, and galloped for Tiee Fortress with the hundred guards still at his side.
The instant they abandoned the main body, Black Rock cavalry closed the pincers.
Sa Lan sat her horse, short hair whipping in the wind.
She looked at the routed enemy ahead and felt no pity.
"Scout Battalion! Fire at will! Target their horses first!"
At her order, hundreds of light cavalry raised short-barreled rifles.
Designed for mounted use, the weapons lacked the range and accuracy of standard rifles, yet remained lethal at medium and close quarters.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Sharp reports echoed across the plain.
Fleeing Imperial Soldiers heard only the screams of their mounts before being hurled to the ground.
Knights without horses were tigers stripped of fangs—helpless against the fast-moving Black Rock cavalry.
Sa Lan's scouts worked like seasoned herdsmen, harrying the flock with precise shots.
They peeled stragglers from the main body and left them for the following infantry.
"Warriors of the Ember Tribe! Charge with me! Let them taste our might!" Ignis shouted, leading the way into the enemy flank.
Ignis swept her long saber; behind her, Ember Fire Legion cavalry roared with fanatic zeal.
Schlick!
Her blade carved a crimson arc, cleaving an Imperial knight—armor and all—in two.
Hot blood splashed across her, widening her smile.
"Glorious!"
Under the twin blows from both wings, Taven's battered force was sliced apart and dissolved.
Most soldiers lost the will to fight and dropped to their knees in surrender.
They preferred captivity to facing devils such as these.
Only Taven and Arthur, protected by a hundred elite guards, broke through and continued their desperate dash toward Tiee Fortress.
Night fell; the plain lay under a veil of silvery moonlight.
For Taven Merlin and the hundred riders beside him, the night felt bleaker than the deepest dark.
They had fled for three full watches; men and horses were spent.
Tiee Fortress seemed a mirage—close yet forever out of reach.
The pursuers kept the same unchanging distance behind.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Another volley rang out from the rear.
Bullets whistled overhead or struck the ground in spurts of dust.
Several rounds clipped past horses' legs, sending the animals bucking in terror.
"Steady! Hold steady!"
Taven shouted hoarsely, fighting to control his own frightened mount.
His heart pounded like a war drum.
The torment was unbearable.
The enemy could have killed them easily, yet chose not to.
"Father, they… they're toying with us!"
Arthur lay low over his saddle, teeth clenched so hard they grated.
He would rather a quick death than this endless cruelty.
"Keep riding!"
Taven growled.
"Ride or die!"