After that round of cavalry attack, the last hidden Zheng Yichen charged out, and as he did, an arrow shot towards his head. With a tilt of his head, he dashed at extreme speed towards the cavalryman who had attacked him.
The attacking cavalryman discarded his hand-held crossbow and drew his own sword to slash at Zheng Yichen’s neck. The Sword of Hell clashed with the ordinary sword, shattering the common weapon on impact, and that cavalryman was sliced in half by the immense force.
A slight burn mark appeared on the wound, indicating that even without flaming, the Sword of Hell possessed a minor cauterizing power.
After successfully striking, Zheng Yichen rushed towards his next target. The second cavalryman, who hadn’t recovered from the shock, was cut down with a single stroke. The rest of the cavalry were somewhat chaotic, having already used their crossbow arrows; they couldn’t manage a ranged attack anymore.
They attempted to turn their horses to widen the gap, planning to kiting Zheng Yichen to death, but Zheng Yichen was faster. By the time the cavalry had changed direction, Zheng Yichen had already slain nearly half of them.
Although he felt his physique had been weakened when he first came to this world, his growth over this period had greatly enhanced his physical condition, stronger even than when he was in Hazy City. With the advantage in weaponry and strength, those cavalrymen couldn’t stop his assault once he closed in on them.
He could even split a horse in two with his strength.
After he dealt with nearly half of the cavalry, the remaining ones had widened the distance. One of the cavalrymen pulled out a cylinder and yanked it towards the sky—a flare burst open above. The other cavalrymen began loading their crossbows, but without any hesitation, Zheng Yichen mounted a horse.
Raymond, who had been shot in the leg, also seized a horse and mounted it, while John had a crossbow arrow lodged in him, though not in a fatal spot. Of the remaining two Hunter-Demons, one was still alive, while the other had an arrow through his chest, a fatal wound.
"..." Anger surged in Zheng Yichen at once.
"Don’t just stand there, move!" John yelled. They lacked ranged weapons, and even with horses, they were at a disadvantage.
Zheng Yichen nodded, and the four of them galloped away in haste. The cavalry behind pursued closely, shooting crossbow arrows incessantly. John, already injured, was the first to be struck—an arrow hit his back while riding, affecting his ability to maneuver and block the arrows precisely.
John, shot in the back, fell from his horse and rolled on the ground, soon lying still without a sound.
"Fuck!" Zheng Yichen glared at the cavalry, wanting to charge back and fight. John was his combat training instructor in this world, particularly as he was preparing to retire, having taught Zheng Yichen all he knew about combat.
"Don’t be rash, they have reinforcements," Raymond bellowed, causing Zheng Yichen to click his tongue. He remembered the flare the cavalry had sent up earlier, and with his exceptional vision, quickly glanced towards the distance. Sure enough, two groups of fresh cavalry were rapidly approaching.
It was clear that the group was trying to trap them from several directions.
The idea of a counter-attack was suppressed. His physique was strong now, but he was still flesh and blood and could not withstand a barrage of crossbow arrows.
Throughout history, even the most skilled warriors were often shot down by random arrows without a horse; charging back would not spare him either.
However, Zheng Yichen quickly noticed that Raymond’s speed had decreased. He hadn’t been hit, but his horse had.
"Damn it, I can’t believe I’m going to meet my end in this crappy world!" Raymond cursed, as he threw the Subduing Item he carried towards Zheng Yichen: "They want this, so don’t let them succeed!"
After speaking, Raymond turned his horse’s head and charged back towards the cavalry behind him. His wild countercharge disrupted the rhythm of their pursuit.
Their speeds had initially been similar, and as the rhythm broke, the distance between Zheng Yichen and the pursuing cavalry immediately widened, while Raymond became a target drawing ever closer to his pursuers. Along the way, he was struck by several swords.
Another Hunter-Demon in the group cast an apologetic look towards Zheng Yichen, knowing that Raymond, who undertook the countercharge, would certainly not survive. Moreover, the Subduing Item had fallen into Zheng Yichen’s hands, meaning he would undoubtedly become the primary target of the enemy’s relentless pursuit.
"I’m sorry..." With an almost imperceptible expression of regret, the last Hunter-Demon in the group turned in a different direction and ran off. He glanced back towards Raymond, who by then had fallen off his horse, motionless. The cavalry did not divert any of their numbers to pursue him but continued chasing Zheng Yichen, much to the relief of the Hunter-Demon.
Given the choice, who would want to die?
"Huff—okay then." Watching the last of his companions flee, Zheng Yichen let out a long breath and continued to ride his horse at a breakneck pace. They were already close to Dusk Cathedral, but the most important thing was to shake off the pursuers.
Including those that came to reinforce, there were more than thirty men, and the enemy was armed with crossbows, which put him at a significant disadvantage in a battle.
Fortunately, the closest pursuers had been disrupted by Raymond’s interference, allowing Zheng Yichen to put some distance between them, putting him out of reach of their crossbow arrows. Now it was a test of endurance.
Zheng Yichen wasn’t panicking, his horse was fast, and assuming both parties had similar mounts, it would come down to a test of stamina once the horses were exhausted—and he was very confident in his own physical endurance...
After nearly ten minutes, Zheng Yichen resorted to running on his own two legs, understanding that a horse can cover great distances if trotting, but wouldn’t last long at a full gallop.
Not only Zheng Yichen, but the pursuers had also mostly switched to running on foot.
Especially those who came as reinforcements; they had traveled from much further away, and some had already started falling behind Zheng Yichen even before he switched to running on foot.
"That guy is fast!" An irate pursuer cursed as he watched Zheng Yichen’s silhouette get smaller in the distance.
Both were on two legs, and Zheng Yichen should have been exhausted from just escaping a dangerous area, so how was he running so fast now? The more they chased, the farther the gap between them grew; Zheng Yichen was almost out of sight!
"We must get our hands on that item, keep chasing!"
"...How do we chase? We’ve got no horses left!"
A group of pursuers watched helplessly as Zheng Yichen ran further and further away, eventually losing his trail, but they didn’t give up. Among them were those skilled in tracking; it didn’t matter how fast Zheng Yichen ran, for a moment of slack would allow them to catch up following his traces.
"Damn it, I’m lost." Zheng Yichen surveyed his surroundings, finding himself in unfamiliar territory. A map was useful if there were landmarks to reference, but in his current location, no suitable landmarks were to be found, making the map in his hand far cruder compared to the one held by John.
He looked at the metal box in his hand; this Subduing Item had ended up with him, and for an instant, he was tempted to pry it open and take a look...
"First, I need to get to Dusk Cathedral." Zheng Yichen slung the Subduing Item onto his back and quickly left the area. He couldn’t be sure whether this group was affiliated with Dusk Cathedral or not, but he was determined to investigate.