The battle continued to rage on, and despite the odds stacked against them, the group managed to hold their ground. With the help of Gheyna's accurate long-range shots and Mirai's ninja skills, we fought off wave after wave of enemies. However, the enemy's numbers seemed endless, and fatigue began to take its toll on them.

"We can't keep this up much longer," I shouted, parrying a sword strike with my shield. "We need to find an opening and break through!"

Malty, still sitting behind me, nodded in agreement. "I'll keep cutting them down from here. Just find us a way out!"

Mirai, breathing heavily, used her remaining strength to summon her shadow binding technique once more, immobilizing a group of enemies. It bought us a brief respite, but we knew we couldn't rely on it for long.

"We have to make a run for it now!" I yelled, urging the others to follow me. "Stick close together!"

As we charged forward, slashing and striking our way through the enemy ranks, Gheyna continued to provide cover fire, taking down any enemies who dared to approach us from a distance. Mirai, using her teleportation ability, swiftly moved around the battlefield, taking out unsuspecting enemies and creating openings for us to exploit.

But the enemy was relentless. More cavalry charged at us, their spears aimed at our vulnerable spots. We fought back with everything we had, but it seemed like an impossible task to break free from their encirclement.

A trio of riders rushed in.

Irijina, Mithra and Sekrit. Demia didn't come probably due to her heavy equipment that made her horse move slowly.

"Shit. Those women. They’re tough!"

The enemy had already seen the brave fighting from those women.

They couldn’t just ignore them who charged in yelling courageously.

I used that time to dive into the escort’s cover.

Mirai opened up a hole to give me space and panics when she saw me covered in blood, relaxing only a little when I pat her head.

"Hahahaha!"

Irijina was laughing while piercing men with her spear.

Another tall woman, Sekrit seemed tired. She no longer leaped and danced with her sword skill. She only made simple dodging and slashing. Her thin clothing that didn't fit in the battlefield was swaying as she turned left and right. 

Mithra was agile with her light clothing made of animal skin. She cut enemies with her weird sickle. 

"That half-elf woman is fighting weirdly!" Enemies spoke about Mithra. 

The horse Mirai, Malty and I were riding, somehow managed to close in with the help of Gheyna's long range arrows.

The trio of riders, Irijina, Mithra, and Sekrit, proved to be formidable allies in the midst of the chaotic battle. Irijina's laughter echoed through the air as she skillfully pierced through the enemy ranks with her spear, her fighting spirit unwavering. Her presence alone inspired those around her, instilling a sense of courage in their hearts.

Sekrit, on the other hand, showed signs of exhaustion. Her movements had become more subdued, but she continued to fend off the enemy with her sword, relying on her experience and reflexes to evade attacks and strike back. Despite her weariness, she remained determined, refusing to let her fatigue hinder her contribution to the fight.

Mithra, the half-elf woman, fought with a unique style, wielding a strange sickle with precision and agility. Her light clothing allowed her to move swiftly, dodging enemy strikes while inflicting precise and deadly cuts. Her unorthodox combat approach drew the attention of the enemy, who marveled at her unconventional techniques.

After we assembled, I hinted at them to force our way out together.

Gheyna's accurate long-range shots provided cover fire, picking off enemies who dared to come near. Her arrows found their targets with deadly accuracy, creating openings for the riders to exploit. 

With each passing moment, we inched closer to breaking free from the encirclement.

Seeing me get away safely, the trio turned tail and ran.

Of course, they never wanted to charge in from the start, they simply wanted to be a distraction.

Knowing I had successfully escaped, Gheyna and her team rode away.

We somehow made our way out of that place and rode up the hill which was hard on my wounds.

***

"The enemy’s pursuit has begun!"

So fast……

At this rate, the infantry wouldn’t get away.

What did Leonhardt have in mind?

As we climbed up te hill, we saw a few wagons in front of us.

Despite feeling suspicious about those things, there’s no time to stop moving.

The moment the chasing enemies were close…… the wagons exploded.

"I see…… the same method used to breakthrough……"

"That’s not all."

Sekrit showed up from nowhere.

Her eyes narrowed at my neck, then she gave it a few pokes as a test before exhaling softly.

"A simple explosion would only blow up the guys in front. This one has a little trick to it."

Upon further inspection, the smoke from the initial blast was not disappearing.

In fact, the smoke seemed to be getting thicker.

"Is it…… some sort of powder?"

"It’s powdered lime. The explosion was nothing more than a way to scatter that…… that Leonhardt guy is pretty interesting."

When the enemy cavalry tried running through the smoke, they quickly stopped in their tracks.

Both rider and horse were coughing so severely that they could no longer think about chasing.

"Jumping into the lime will induce choking and irritate the eyes. The powder will travel down the hill from that spot and affect a lot of them."

I see, it would be difficult for them to continue pursuing us while their eyes and throats were in pain.

This was way more effective than using gunpowder to blow up a hundred or two.

"The battle itself resulted in extraordinary losses plus the Marquis Cyril's border is close. If I were in that position, I wouldn’t chase."

After Sekrit said that, she checked on my injury again.

"You’ll be fine if you put some ointment on it. Then you can devour a woman while you heal. That woman can be me."

Sekrit added one more thing as an afterthought.

"Oh yeah, that stuffy idiot from Kosora has something to say to you."

"Treatment comes first. That can wait."

Lucy, the maid wrapped a bandage around my neck.

Myla wrapped me in a blanket for some reason.

With my throat in such a sorry state, I couldn’t talk…… guess I would have to listen for the whole trip.

Leonheardt’s plan of spraying lime with an explosion proves to be effective in stopping our pursuers as we can’t see anybody behind us anymore.

According to a scout, they’d abandoned the chase and are starting to regroup.

It’s safe to assume they gave up because of the distance to Marquis territory.

"Does it hurt? Can you breathe?"

I smiled and nodded in response.

Apparently, the injury I suffered in my neck would have been a life-threatening one if we didn’t have ointment.

The medic told me my life wasn’t in danger for the moment, although anything could happen and it’s better if I rest as much as possible.

When I tried to speak, only a strange gravelly sound came out and my throat hurt, so I was advised not to say anything for a while.

After Lucy finished wrapping the bandages, she fixed my collar to hide my neck, ensuring I didn’t look uncool.