The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 203 Cutting
After running north for a while, the winged man waved a red and a green flag back and forth, telling Eric and his group of demon pursuers that they had stopped chasing them.

Eric pulled a green flag from his horse's satchel and waved it at the winged man a few times. The man quickly landed and told him that flag signals were not enough to convey more specific information.

"The demon pursuers stopped at the camp," the winged man said. "Some demon soldiers stayed behind to clear the camp, while the rest returned the way they came."

Eric glanced in the direction he had come from. "A portion? How does that compare to the number in the camp earlier?"

"The quantity is about right, Your Highness."

"Are they all ordinary infantrymen?" he asked again.

“Some of them are cavalry,” the winged man said.

Eric immediately frowned. The demon cavalry were not like ordinary soldiers; many of them were elite.

Edward rode forward, "It seems the demons want to use this camp to keep our attention occupied."

“That’s the problem,” Eric said. “If it’s all infantry, it’s fine, but if there are cavalry, it’ll be troublesome if they get entangled.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Edward agreed wholeheartedly. “That’s the only way we can get back to the city, and their goal is to block us.”

Eric looked at him. "So, your opinion is also to go back and deal with them first?"

“Return immediately, and strike and retreat quickly while they are caught off guard,” Edward said.

Eric shared the same view.

The winged people were sent into the air to scout again, while the cavalry turned back and charged towards the camp once more.

The demons who remained behind seemed not to have expected their return. They hastily engaged in battle and quickly found themselves at a disadvantage. Several quick-moving demon cavalrymen attempted to escape to report the news, but were pursued by Eric and his men and all were killed.

Aside from the horses they plundered, most of the demon cavalry's mounts were tall snow sheep with large, curved horns.

However, upon arriving in the warm south—compared to the northern demon realm—the thick wool on these snow sheep was shaved extremely short. Judging from the irregular, pockmarked wool on a snow sheep beside him, Eric guessed that the demon cavalry who owned it had cut it with a knife.

Looking at the several snow sheep beside him that remained remarkably calm after their owner's death, Eric suddenly had a plan.

"Hide these carcasses and drive these snow sheep back to the camp over there."

"Yes."

After driving the snow sheep back to the smoking demon camp, Eric dismounted and mounted one of the snow sheep.

"Your Highness, please be careful," Edward immediately warned.

“It’s okay, I’ve ridden... uh, I’ve ridden similar sheep-like mounts before.”

Eric quickly realized that his riding experience in the game in his previous life could not be transferred to him in this life.

However, these snow sheep were quite docile and seemed not to care whether the rider on them was a demon or a human. Eric got used to it and soon was able to control the snow sheep beneath him as if he were a horse.

These snow sheep are characterized by their extremely strong burst of power in a short period of time. We almost failed to catch up with them just now, making them perfect for close-range surprise attacks.

He told Edward about his plans.

"Outside the city, it's mostly plains with a wide field of vision. We can use these conspicuous snow sheep to hide our identities. When we get close enough that the demons can tell that the people riding the sheep aren't our own, we can launch a surprise attack so that they don't have time to prepare."

“Then we’ll have to sacrifice some mobility for now and drive these snow sheep forward,” Edward said.

Eric nodded. "Or rather, ride them and let the horses rest first. Anyway, the winged people will warn us if there's any danger."

However, there weren't many demon cavalrymen left, only about twenty snow sheep. Eric distributed them, letting the most elite knights ride these snow sheep.

The main force of the demon army was unaware of the loss of the camp here. The group continued eastward, and after advancing for another ten miles, the winged people waved two green flags and one red flag to indicate that they had approached the demon's supply line.

Eric, riding his snow sheep, looked back at the knights behind him. "Just as planned, we'll be in front, and the riders will follow behind. Once we start our charge, we'll accelerate and sprint."

"Yes!"

After running for a while, Eric soon saw a long procession of demons on the road ahead, seemingly carrying something.

"For dozens of miles, they really carried it all on their shoulders..."

However, demons are tough and have greater basic strength than ordinary humans, so this might not be a big deal for them.

Eric gestured, and the sheep riders behind him spread out to both sides, forming a "V" shape to block the riders on horseback behind them as much as possible.

The sound of hooves quickly attracted the attention of the demons, but the caravan continued to move forward without any panic. The riders kept their bodies low to the ground, and the tall and conspicuous white snow sheep greatly reduced their vigilance.

Once he was close enough, Eric raised his sword and yelled, "Charge!"

The knights suddenly accelerated, and in the blink of an eye, they rushed into the transport convoy, killing anyone they saw and chopping off any heads they could find, much to the astonishment of the demon soldiers.

After several charges, the demon laborers on this stretch of road were basically unable to resist and were quickly wiped out.

The demons on both sides of the group dropped the supplies they were carrying and fled in different directions. The demons did not pursue them.

Eric jumped off the snow sheep, picked up a long, cut log and looked at it. Holes had already been drilled in it, so it could be assembled into siege equipment, such as a catapult or a siege tower, when they reached the front line. He also saw round wooden wheels not far away.

"The demons have already built a camp at the foot of the eastern mountains to manufacture these siege weapon components, so our objective is now clearer."

Eric glanced at the winged people in the sky. "But the defenses there are very tight. Even the winged people can't get too close. Let's not try to break through in one go, but try to harass them as much as possible."

After destroying as many siege engine parts as possible that had fallen along the way, the knights returned to their horses and quickly retreated from the area.

While resting in a safe place, Eric ate ​​his dry rations while listening to the winged people explain the situation they had just scouted.

The demon camp at the foot of the mountain sent out a cavalry to escort the transport caravan forward, while the demon camp on the other side sent out a large number of infantry, seemingly intending to set up defenses along the way.

After finishing his dry rations and taking a sip of water, Eric made a plan.

"Edward, you take men to attack the transport convoy. Focus on harassment and ambushes, don't get bogged down in battle, safety first. I'll take the sheep knights to check out the demon camp at the foot of the mountain."

“Your Highness, this may not be safe,” Edward said immediately.

“It’s alright. They ride the same mounts as us. We can run as fast as they can. As long as we don’t take any risks, we won’t be caught.” Eric pointed to the sky. “Besides, we can see much farther.”

The sheep and the horse were both grazing with their heads down. They discussed their specific action plan and agreed on a meeting place.

A moment later, the two groups of knights departed in different directions. Eric rode a snow sheep, not going too fast for the time being, as he needed Edward to draw his attention.

After running for a while, they approached the foot of the mountain and the terrain became more undulating. There were still many shrubs or small, unusable trees left here. They had not been cleared during the scorched earth campaign and were not considered by the demons. Now they served as excellent cover.

According to the information given by the winged people, the camp was not far ahead.

Eric rode up a small hill to observe the surrounding terrain when a knight beside him suddenly warned, "Your Highness!"

He looked up and saw that the winged people had unfurled two red flags, pointing directly towards the demon camp.

"Another cavalry unit has emerged."

Eric immediately alerted everyone, and after observing for a while, the winged man used a flag to indicate the direction of the demon cavalry.

"They were drawn to Edward's side."

Eric drew a conclusion and immediately ordered everyone to follow him to storm the demon camp, still using the same tactic of first disguising and then launching a surprise attack.

The sheep riders quickly approached the foot of the mountain and soon saw the demon camp, which resembled a lumber mill. Simple platforms were erected at the four corners, with several demon archers standing in each corner, monitoring the surroundings. Naturally, they soon noticed the sheep riders.

"rush!"

Eric led the charge, followed closely by the other knights. The demons carrying siege engine parts scattered as soon as he charged, and they were not Eric's primary target. After the first charge, he immediately turned around and headed towards the camp gate.

The demon guards in the camp rushed out in a sparse manner, and the knights slashed left and right without encountering much resistance.

Eric rushed to the foot of one of the watchtowers, his body radiating golden light. He slashed out with his sword, cleaving one of the pillars of the tower in two.

With another sword stroke, Eric decapitated a demon who had jumped down. He then controlled the snow sheep to circle around the platform, cutting down all four pillars. The platform collapsed, and the falling demon archers were quickly dealt with.

Turning his head, Eric saw that the Holy Flame Priest had already set fire to many tents in the camp. This attack had been quite fruitful. Before being surrounded, Eric decisively ordered, "Retreat!"

The knights returned to their snow sheep, galloped out of the camp from where they had come in, and left swiftly without a backward glance.

The winged people who descended from the sky excitedly recounted their victory. Soon, another winged person flew over, saying that Edward's cavalry had fought their way through the demon convoy several times before quickly retreating before the demon cavalry could catch up.

"Great."

Two more winged beings took off to continue observing the situation. Eric led his men to retreat a short distance further, then stopped on the small hill where they had previously been, looking back at the distant commotion.

"Your Highness!"

Not long after, Edward arrived with his men and joined them.

"Well done," Eric praised. "Keep this pace, avoid the main force of the demons, attack their weak points, and keep harassing them. That's how we play our role."

“I understand, Your Highness.”

Eric looked around. "It would be great if we could have a camp outside the city."

"Unfortunately, the surrounding area is all plains, making it too easy for the demons to discover us."

"Yes."

Especially since they not only had people, but also many horses, making it really difficult to hide.

Of course, it's easy to find a campsite for temporary rest or even overnight stay. The winged people had already found such a location for them in mid-air. Although they couldn't guarantee that the demons wouldn't find them, a night's rest wouldn't be a problem.

After a short rest, the two groups set off again, using the same strategy: Edward led his men to attack the weak points of the supply line, while Eric launched another surprise attack on the camp from another direction.

Practice makes perfect. In this raid, Eric chopped down the remaining three watchtowers in the camp and fled before more demon soldiers could pour out.

The enraged demon pursuers chased them for a while, and the infantry gradually fell behind. Seeing that there were only a dozen or so demon cavalrymen left behind, Eric suddenly turned around and charged at them again.

Whoosh!
An arrow struck him squarely in the left shoulder. Eric grimaced, "Kill the archers first!"

He pulled out the arrow, treated the wound slightly until the bleeding stopped, and then rode his snow sheep back into the battle, brandishing his longsword and fighting against the demon cavalry.

A moment later, all of the dozen or so demon cavalrymen fell, and the knights also suffered many injuries. After receiving basic treatment, Eric led his men to retreat a considerable distance before stopping to focus on treating their wounds.

The knights' injuries varied in severity. One of them was particularly unlucky, as he was attacked by three demon cavalrymen at the same time. Half of his shoulder was almost cut off, but he still managed to reach a safe place before collapsing. Several lightly injured knights quickly treated him together.

Besides the arrow that hit him at the beginning, Eric was also slashed in the arm, but only he himself could heal him.

Holy light filled the air. Eric pressed the wound on his shoulder; the pain had disappeared, and it was completely healed.

He approached the most seriously injured knight and examined the wound that had almost torn his shoulder apart. It had now largely healed, and his shoulder and body were reconnected.

“Your Highness…” The knight struggled to stand up, but Eric held him down and gestured for the knight who was treating him to continue.

"There's another battle ahead. Can you hold on?"

"I'm fine, Your Highness."

“Okay.” Eric reached out, paused, and patted Edward’s uninjured shoulder. “When Edward comes back, we’ll charge the camp again and try to set the whole camp on fire this time.”

"Yes, Your Highness!"

A moment later, Edward's group returned to this side.

The Knight Commander was quite composed. When being pursued, he did not rashly turn back to fight like Eric had done earlier. As a result, it took him a little longer to shake off his pursuers, but the gains before the retreat were still considerable.

Eric told him his plan, and Edward immediately agreed, "They certainly don't expect us to launch a third attack, and on a larger scale."

“But we have to be careful that they bring in more troops to defend the camp…” Eric looked up at the sky.

The winged people reported that a large number of demon soldiers were heading towards the camp at the foot of the mountain, including a significant number of cavalry.

"It seems the opportunity is fleeting," Eric sighed, but he wasn't too disappointed.

He didn't expect to completely sever the supply line within a day—even if the camp at the foot of the mountain was burned down, the demons would quickly build a new camp with the mountains behind them—it was just a pity that their actions attracted so many demon troops that they had no effect on the main battlefield.

—The demon army is at the city gates. The reason is unknown, but so far there have only been some small-scale attack attempts. The Lutia garrison is far smaller than the demon army. Its advantage lies in its relatively abundant long-range firepower. It is difficult for them to take the initiative to attack before reinforcements arrive.

“Let’s continue to rest and wait for an opportunity to cut off their supply lines,” Eric said.

"Yes."

The days were still long, and the knights were conserving their energy, especially that of their horses, which was the source of their mobility.

Eric kept a close eye on the intelligence provided by the winged people in the sky. However, information is always lost in the process of transmission. He was not worried that the winged people would forget to warn him of the impending danger, but he always felt that they were not sensitive enough to the opportunity to attack, and were even somewhat slow to react.

His desire to fly into the sky and gather intelligence with his own eyes grew stronger.

It wasn't until dusk that the winged people seized a truly reliable opportunity.

The cavalry, which had rested for half a day, quickly launched an attack. At a location a dozen miles away from the Demon Clan's camp at the foot of the mountain, they moved back and forth with the convoy transporting siege equipment parts, temporarily cutting off the supply line.

The knights, divided into two groups, chased after the demons for several miles in two different directions, killing those they could and kicking those they couldn't kill in time, threatening them and giving them a few words of intimidation. Eric estimated that it would take another half a day to reconnect the transport line.

Destruction always creates a desire to continue, but he learned his lesson and knew when to stop. He destroyed as many siege engine parts as possible on the ground, then withdrew his troops, intending to engage the pursuing demon cavalry in a few rounds before finding their own foothold.

Edward, who had caught up with them from the other side, arrived at the agreed-upon location. The winged beings in the sky indicated that there were no pursuers chasing them.

“That’s enough for today,” Eric said. “We need to find a place to spend the night.”

Although the return trip to Lutia would only take a little over an hour, they were prepared to stay in the wild for a few days to conserve time and the horses' energy in preparation for any eventuality.

"The place the winged people mentioned should be just ahead."

The winged people chose a safe location in a low grove of trees to the northeast of Lutia. The trees were not too dense, but they were enough to conceal the figures of people and horses, ensuring that they could spend the night in peace.

There was a path through the woods that horses could pass through. Eric was about to enter when he looked up and saw a black dot flying over the distant mountains from the north.

"You go in first." He turned his horse around and waited outside the woods for a while.

The black dot gradually approached; it was also a winged being. It quickly approached one of the winged beings who had been providing Eric with intelligence in the sky and hovered for a while.

Then, the two winged beings landed together and found him with a clear objective.

"Your Highness, a large number of demon cavalry are heading south from the north and are expected to pass through the northern pass before nightfall."

"A large number of cavalry?"

Eric frowned, glancing towards the northern pass. Night was approaching. "How many? Two hundred, or five hundred?"

The winged man swallowed.

"Roughly estimated, there are more than three thousand."

(End of this chapter)