"Why Joe is very late?" Sigma grumbled.

"It seems the soldiers he brings still haven't return yet." Viscount Romeo said while checking his shield. 

"That kid. He is playing too much!" Sigma grumbled.

Suddenly, something like a ball was moving between the soldiers.

"What?" Sigma saw that.

"Something is moving there." Romeo started to be panic. 

Count Kim shouted, "That thing fly to you, Lord Sigma!"

Sigma tried to cut but that round things fell onto his lap.

"What is that?"

Sigma was familiar with this. The feeling of the hair and blood dropping from the neck. It was a decapitated head.

He turned it towards him.

His rage couldn't be controlled.

"Who killed Joe!!!!!"

Suddenly, soldiers around them collapsed one by one. 

"Beware of archer!" Kim shouted.

He still has not calmed down from fury but he saw chaos among his soldiers when soldiers feel one by one.

"Where is the arrows coming from."

The soldiers went to nearby area to look for the archer but no one was found. 

After a while, more and more soldiers died that they had to bend down while walking to avoid arrow.

"Damn from where shot the arrows."

"Lord. We checked far away from the road but still couldn't find the archer." A soldier reported.

They started to realize they were shot by a monstrous archer who could shoot further than hundreds of meters.

But that didn't save them from being shot down.

"Damn, where that shot come from?"

"Impossible!"

"Bent down. Bet down!"

Count Sigma was barking aimlessly.

Only Count Kim was able to observe and analyze. His men on horse were covering him with shield.

He looked looked at directions where the arrow was coming from. He furrowed his eyebrows. 

Archers might be weakling but that's only they were near you. 

Archer whose whereabout was unknown  and could shoot tirelessly was unbeatable. That's common sense in battlefield. However, to shoot from unknown whereabout, the archer need to shot from very far away. The best archer he ever knew could shoot from over 100 meters. But in their present situation, no one was found even 500 meters from here. At 500 meters, they could still see the arrows coming from far away.

From the frequency and limited directions of the arrows, he believed the archers must be not more than one, in other words one or two archers were attacking them.

But who were they? The kingdom's knights had no archer. Maybe Duke Cheney hired mercenaries from other countries. That must be it. He never heard such skillful archer in Treia or neighbouring countries.

Now, the only way left to take cover until the archer became exhausted in energy or arrows.

However, the relaying command during crisis was not smooth. Most of soldiers were still clueless standing and becoming open target for the arrows. 

"Take cover!"

"Bend down!"

"Hide!"

After over 100 men were killed, everybody finallt crawled on the ground. The arrows kept coming but after a minute of taking cover, the attack ceased. One by one soldier stood up, after confirming no more arrow coming, everybody stood up.

"Arrrrrrrggggh !!!"

Suddenly, Count Sigma roared while holding his son's decapitated head.

"Some....somone has to pay...."

The remaining 600 men continued their march to Mallorca palace.

*** 

"Good job, Lily."

I gently rub Lily's head. She was panting. Gabriela had been using minor healing to heal Lily's hand who continuously shot arrows for about an hour. 

But fatigue was done they couldn't overcome. After an hour, realising her attack was no longer connecting, she knelt down. Before sitting, she made "V" victory pose.

First 2 phase of our Count Sigma's provocation tactic were completed. I pitied that tyrant.

Now, he didn't know where to direct his rage. We also successfully made their number thinner.

The next event was for Scarlet's knights and Sigma's troops to kill each other.

"Let's go, girls!"

***

They had decided to avoid fighting around the palace. For that, they must engage the Count Sigma's army at the outskirt of Mallory.

While studying the map, Scarlet, Count Connery, and Demia, on horseback, spoke to each other.

“Though we have over 400 knights, we need to leave some to defend the palace. We'll only have three hundred to fight with. Based on our scouts, the enemy numbers over six hundred. It seems they were somewhat decreased. Did they engage with Cheney's army. Still, we are still outnumbered two to one.” Demia's father, Count Connery explained.

"Father, do you know where the enemy might go first?" 

"Probably the Santander plain." He answered while staring seriously at the map.

"Sigma will place his troops so as to maximize attack, then he'll follow after us. Until then, he'll just stay in position. The only place he can do that is at Santander Plains.”

Unlike the rest of Mallorca, full of mountains and forests, the Santander Plains had gentle hills.

Count Connery looked at her daughter, as if expecting to understand something. Demia was clueless.

"What father?"

He sighed, "Sigma and Kim was originally from Arkland, like many nobles here."

“The strength of Arkland lies in their ability to settle down and rush forward with spear and shield.”

As he had said, Arkland excelled in rushing power and the ability to penetrate defenses.

They held long spears and wore thick iron armor while riding horses. They attacked through the crevices between shield bearers.

The shields would be stuck together tightly and was large enough to cover them from head to waist. Though heavy, they could protect themselves while mounted.

Lining up and charging together, it was one of Arkland's most frequently used tactics.

Most frightening was how difficult it was to run away from their attack. With their heavy armor and long spears, even the soldiers behind the front lines could be skewered.

“If they use shields, then we just have to shower them with arrows.”

Arkland was full of fools who boasted of their strength and power, all while making light of the arrow and sneak attack."

His eyes signaled to her daughter hinting, "Do you remember?"

“The Kingdom of Arkland has many undulating meadows. Those means of fighting are a necessity.”

Scarlet declared, "Then, we engage them using the our pacey light cavalry."

It happened an hour later.

Both armies faced off in Santander Plains.

They led three hundred cavalry, shrinking the distance little by little.

They reached the distance at which they could see the enemies clearly. Scarlet swallowed her saliva in tension.

“Are you afraid?”

Demia spoke quietly to Scarlet so only she could hear.

“I am afraid.”

Though Scarlet answered in such a manner, she was smiling.

It was true Scarlet was afraid, but she was next to Demia, which calmed her down. Rather than anxiety, she felt courage welling deep within her body.

“But – I don't feel like losing.”

The troops before her more than doubled her own.

“What a coincidence, same here.”

Scarlet unsheathed her longsword and held it high. A small wind stroked Scarlet and Demia, as if encouraging the warriors.

“I wonder if I'm feeling this for the first time because you're next to me.”

As soon as they were done joking, Scarlet's smile disappeared. She swung her blade.

“Charge!”

Amidst the noise of the battlefield, a violent wind carried the girl's voice across the battlefield.

The three hundred Treia knights ran across the land as they raised a battle cry. 

Scarlet's horse ran past several enemies with Scarlet unusually held light sword in each of her hand. Exploiting her steed's momentum, she skilfully cut the neck of two enemies, then another two enemies until she killed 14 enemies in one movement. Demia took the chance to outnumber the heavy infantry with quick movement.

4 men surrounded Scarlet, but Demia crushed two of them with her steed before skewering four newly appeared enemies through the face at almost the same time. They fell, motionless.

Another two enemies were panic and easily cut by Scarlet's two swords.

Demia grabbed an enemy on horse like a wrestler and stabbed him. 

She used the same method to kill another two enemy's cavalry.

“You really are a woman without convention.”

Scarlet looked impressed as she spoke with admiration.

“To hear I lack convention from you is a bit unsatisfying.” Demia answered.

“Don't worry, it was a complement.”

The two armies clashed.

A spear was thrust from the right and left toward Scarlet.

Her horse skillfully avoided them. She raised her sword, and, with two quick flashes, blood flew from two necks.

Her silver-white hair waved in the wind. Every time the swords swung, a fountain of fresh blood from the enemy was created.

Brilliantly poised on her horse, her sword moved through the wind as if dancing.

“I can't lose here.”

Demia drew her another sword and stabbed a a man who was a flag bearer, before struck the head of a man who continuously shouted commands, probably a captain.

While her father gather dozens of Knight for a defensive battle in the middle, Demia just run to Scarlet's side, very close to Scarlet that her right feet touched her princess' feet. Her right hand that held a long sword cut anything that approached Scarlet's right side while Demia's left hand cut anything that came to her left and front.

Scarlet had been this so concentrated in her life. Her laser focus enable her attack to be so quick and precise. 

The blade of an enemy approached from the edge of her view. A scream and blood flew out before her before she completed her attack.

Scarlet neither evaded nor defended and concentrated solely on her attack. Her trust in Demia made it possible.

In response to her faith, Demia let neither spear nor sword reach her. All soldiers, infantries and cavalries were cut down.

Sigma's's first legion of 50, with their captain and flag bearer shot down, were confused for a time and quickly collapsed.

Scarlet broke through the first unit.

The enemy's second formation, the second, third, fourth legion appeared. The number was 150 men.

Their massive number and force gave them a sense of strength and terror.

“Charge!”

The roar of horseshoes and the clash of Knights shook the earth.

Demia performed combination of two hand sword attacks at soldiers on horseback rushing toward her. Though the men fell off their horses violently, she did not allow herself to relax.

“Leave it to me. You take the flag and the Commanders and lower their morale.” she shouted while blocking an attack from a huge man.

The Knightss of Treia rushed forward, overwhelming the enemy.

Scarlet's horse dashed to the enemy's flag bearer in the areas where the troops collided.

Though they collided with full force, Scarlet did not waver a single step. She parried swords with her left sword and simultaneously cut the their neck using her right sword. She continued defending and killing with utmost efficiency.

“... Is that the strength of silver princess?” Seeing the girl swiftly killed a dozen of enemies in few minutes, the soldiers felt chill and remembered her famous nickname, "Silver princess'.

“Before the Knights of Treia, armor is nothing but paper.” she shouted, and her knights were psyched. 

After half an hour, they somehow defeated the 3 legions. However, gradually after that Treia knights were being pushed back. 

The numbers were vastly different, so they were gradually forced to retreat.

"Demia! Your highness! Let's retreat. I had killed a lot but we still cannot win." Count Connery came with his body covered with blood and wound.

"Father!" Demia touched her father's back.

"Let's retreat"

Scarlet closed her eyes, grudgingly.

"Retreat!!"

She shouted.

All knights were riding horses, thus escaping was easy.

They ran as fast they could to Mallorca palace and prepare for encirclement.