Chapitre 33: The Duel Dictating Fate.
"Do not think that because I defeated Bardornus once on the battlefield that he is an easy opponent."
"Not only did I have instructions from a Master level strategist like my lord Lucius Aurellion, but we are also equal when it comes to our personal fighting prowess.
"But I even had to use the man's past to force him to become emotional and make a mistake to attain victory."
Leon Mantelon, The Shield of Aurellion and later Grandmaster of Loyalty.
….
A flash of worry appeared on Bardornus' face as he fought Leon and heard the small grunts of pain from Alden, who was stuck in the Chavarian's tactical formation. The Plurian general even tried to unsuccessfully move the fight between himself and Leon close enough so he could help Alden break it.
Minutes passed with Bardornus staying silent despite the ultimatum given to him by Leon; as the battle seemed to enter a stalemate, Bardornus and Leon continued their deadly duel while Alden struggled to defend himself from the Chavarian's master-level tactics. A spear suddenly struck through the young vice general's ornate breastplate, the spear tip piercing through the carefully layered steel and cutting into Alden's flesh. Only the young man's swift reactions allowed him to dodge slightly to the side, turning the killing blow into a flesh wound as a trickle of red blood flowed down his front from the open wound.
Seeing his protégé get injured, Bardornus' expression darkened before calming down, his experience helping to calm the worry which began to take over his heart. No matter what, for the good of the kingdom and its future, Alden must survive. As Bardornus is not confident in being able to save The Kingdom of Nadron without at least half of his army intact and Alden by his side.
Both Bardornus and Leon knew that if The Kingdom of Nadron falls then, it was only a matter of time until the weakened Pluerus fell, as this was the reason they were fighting this battle in the first place and why they only sent help when it was desperately needed even having to make a deal with the orcish kingdom of Otrua to get them to reinforce them due to The Kingdom of Pluerus itself lacking military strength.
"What do ye want!"
Bardornus scowled as he performed a powerful overhead strike with his steel glaive, not slowing down the fight in the slightest as he exchanged words and blows with the smiling Chavarian vice general.
"Simple, I want you and the Plurian cavalry to retreat!"
Leon said calmly as if what he said was a matter already decided, glancing to the side slightly at Alden, who was on his last legs in Aldoruses formation, using the last of his strength to try and break through the Chavarian's master-level tactics. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 Chavarain knights died in succession to the deadly steel halberd, which elegantly seemed to dance in the air while Alden himself was in a trance-like state, perfectly blocking the steel spears which came at him from all sides. Each blocked strike was perfectly turned into a counter strike, each of the strength-filled strikes turning into a death blow which reaped life after life.
Just as Bardornus' eyes brightened and Alden was about to escape, Aldorius came spear in hand and, with ten knights, pushed the adrenaline-filled Alden back into the deadly formation with another cut on his cheek courtesy of the captain's spear.
"Once you are caught in my net, only I can let you out!"
"You do know we tested this on our general, right? Even if, due to his talent and skill, Leon could still break through, if I can't keep a little pup no matter how talented like you in this formation, then I might as well resign my commission and retire."
Aldorus said coldly, his words becoming that of a judge pronouncing a death sentence as they flew into the nearby fighting, keeping a close eye on the Plurian vice general to ensure he stayed surrounded by the Chavarian knights who attack him with renewed vigour with no concern for their lives.
"Tick tock."
Leon said ominously as he fought Bardornus to a standstill, subtly reminding the Plurian general that time was not on his side.
"Do ye really think I will retreat and allow your cavalry to flank the orcs and devastate them?"
"More importantly, do ye have time to waste with me here while your beloved general face down those vicious orcs while outnumbered 2-1, don't look at how they can sometimes be brainless for their physical strength and abilities more than makeup for it!
Bardornus shouted angrily at Leon, who held the life and death of the middle-aged man's protégé in his hands.
"Do you really think you can win anyway? Shall we stop and look at the battlefield for a few seconds?"
Leon said, not caring whether Bardornus agreed or not, for he had absolute confidence in Lucius' abilities putting Bardornus in an awkward position as Leon would not bring it up if it would lower his own bargaining position now that he basically had Alden in his hands. What the general missed, however that unlike what he thought, it was not that Leon had already analysed the battlefield but was his absolute trust in his lord and friend Lucius Aurellion and his knowledge of the Plurian's poor circumstances that made him so confident.
"Why don't you think about it for a second?"
"Who says we can't come to an arrangement?"
Leon said, his voice as calm as ever while the duel continued.
"Are you insane?"
Bardornus countered, wondering how two nations who had been at war for ten long years could suddenly come and work together, even ignoring the grudges that the two kingdoms have established over the centuries.
"Think about it if you help us out here now, not only will Otrua be severely weakened securing that border, but your kingdom can surrender to us and get great benefits and concessions for your citizens and the royal family."
"After all, his majesty Cassius IV is a benevolent ruler who treats all subjects equally. Even those people in conquered regions have little to complain about, and with you coming into the fold voluntarily….
"I am sure he will not only treat you well but will even give you important positions to calm you and your citizens."
"Would that not be ideal? A united Alendel Steppe free from the horrors of war allowing the people to live in peace and prosperity."
Leon's voice boomed through the blood-soaked steppe entering the ears of every single one of the Plurian and Chavarian soldiers taking part in the battle who seemed to stop for a second, pondering over his words while the orcs looked worried at the prospect of a Chavarian Plurian alliance—turning the submission and fall of the Kingdom of Pluerus into something righteous.
"Who said Nadron would fall?"
"Are you not getting ahead of yourself?"
Bardornus asked as, unlike the rest of his men and even Alden to a certain extent, he was not mesmerised by Leon's speech in the slightest instead, a flame of anger sparked in his once tranquil and calm heart.
"Even if you win here, will you really have enough men to go against Drusus Dardanius?"
"The legendary grandmaster strategist and war god of Chavaria."
Leon said, his voice and words becoming as sharp as a dagger ready to stab the Plurian general's heart while he aimed his spear at Bardornus' right side, the stab being elegantly blocked by the Plurians general steel glaive.
"And the one who even beat and beheaded your brother…."
"The Plurian dragon known for his great strategies' and skill with the blade, putting his head on display for the world to see."
Leon said, his sharp words stabbing into Bardornus' heart, as a look of shock of anger appeared on the usually calm and collected Plurian general's face, each word coming out of Leon's mouth, twisting the dagger further and further in. Bardornus' entire body shook as he lashed out at Leon with a blinding speed, his strikes becoming lightning-fast, fuelled by the flaming inferno of rage which consumed the Plurian general's entire being.
"YE DARE BRING THAT UP!"
Bardornus roared, remembering the Chavarian spears and crossbow bolts, which viciously reaped the lives of Plurian knight after Plurian knight who were stuck on a muddy field.
Of his brother, who was beheaded while buying time for Bardornus and 10,000 Plurian knights to escape.
Of the sight of tens of thousands of Plurian prisoners of war being mercilessly beheaded by the demonic general after surrendering and begging for mercy while Bardornus was forced to watch from afar, seething in anger as the executioner's blade struck again and again, his soul being seared from the sight and being burnt into the man's very soul.
In an instant, all that rage and helplessness exploded into a terrifying power which coalesced into the man's glaive, becoming an incarnation of death itself.
"YE DARE BRING THAT UP, AND CALL YOUR KING RIGHTIOUS!"
[Deaths Incarnation skill activated] (Bardornus' skill)
Powerful Strike] (Bardornus' skill)
[Masterful Backswing] (Bardornus' Skill)
[Armour Piercer] (Bardornus' skill)
[Mantelon Spearmanship Serene Stronghold skill activated] (Leon's skill)
[Mantelon Spearmanship Perfect Parry skill activated] (Leon's skill)
[Mantelon Spearmanship Precise Pierce skill activated] (Leon's skill)
Bardornus screamed, activating skills prompting Leon to do the same activating new skills that he had developed for the battlefield over the years for when anti-magic crystals are activated, sensing the intense anger and burst of power which emanated from the enraged Plurian general whose eyes had turned red and soulless, the fight reaching a climax.
The main reason these skills were not used until now is that it was rare for Leon to face an opponent who required him to use them, keeping them secret even from Lucius.
Leon calmly defended himself from Bardornus' rabid assault, being more skilled than the knight captain who faced the Plurian general before using Perfect Parry to deflect Bardornus' Powerful Strike, and his increased defence from Serene Stronghold allowed him to defend against Bardornus' Masterful Backswing. At the same time, he continued to taunt the enraged man who continued to attack, nearly losing his life to a powerful swing which was designed to cut him in half but was instead turned into a nasty gash on the left side of his body by a well-timed dodge.
"My My. That was close! You nearly had me there! I had heard that the two of you were close, but for that incident to affect you and your decision-making to this extent.
"Is quite a surprise, but you should know as a master fighter yourself…."
That in a fight at this level, emotions are a double-edged sword…."
Leon said, his voice ice cold, defending himself with ease as his eyes shined with a predatory light as he found a gap in Bardornus' defence to exploit.
"They can both help…."
The spear in his hand shot out like a snake slithering past Bardornus' defence and piercing through the Plurian general's armour into his gut as Leon leveraged his spear to lift Bardornus's body into the sky with his spear turning the Plurian general into a human banner before sending him crashing to the ground with a downwards swing of his spear, who spat a mouthful of blood as the Plurian general glared at Leon with hate-filled eyes only to see serene calm ones looking back down at him.
The spear tip, now splattered with blood, was twisted, searing the inside of the Plurian general's body before being removed as Leon elegantly moved it to his side once again, breathing heavily, having to temporarily psychologically break Bardornus to be able to have the chance to beat him as the two were truly too evenly matched.
A second after Leon's spear left Bardornus' body, another cry of pain emanated from Alden, who was trapped in the Chavarian's formation, a spear piercing his right shoulder Aldorius skilfully pulled the spear out and backed away as three knights raised their shields to block the counter which barely took the Chavarian captains life.
Just as Leon was about to finish off the Bardornus, he sensed a spear flying towards him, forcing the Chavarian vice general to block it with his spear making it clatter to the ground.
"Protect the General!"
500 Plurian knights led by a captain screamed as they broke through the even seesaw battle that was happening in front of both Alden and Bardornus. The absence of Kleos, who was killed earlier on by Alden, allowed the Plurian knights, under their own captain, to break through the skilled Chavarian knights and arrive just in time to save the Plurian general.
"100 of you go save the vice general! The rest with me; we will go to save the general!"
The captain said, giving orders as his men quickly went to execute them. The captain, with 400 knights, charged towards Leon wielding their bloodstained lances and swords, which glinted in the sunlight.
Seeing this and Lucius' banner, which charged down the hill, Leon addressed Bardornus, who was groaning on the ground, a hand covering his wound as he attempted to staunch the blood.
"Call your men off!"
Leon said, trying unsuccessfully to keep the worry at seeing Lucius join the battle himself from being detected from his voice.
"You know this won't end well! Call your men off, and you will still have some left at the end of this battle."
"You have already lost more than half the knights you started this war with! Do you really want to lose all of them due to stubbornness? What will your kingdom use to fight against us with ¼ of their total remaining knights dying in battle?"
Leon said coldly to Bardornus, who, after hearing the cry of Alden, calmed down and remembered taking care of the young man seeing him as a son and seeing the poor situation that he and his army were in thanks to a particularly heroic Horatius he reluctantly gave in.
"Captain, stand down! We're retreating! Have everyone regroup at camp!"
Bardornus shouted, his voice tinged with a mix of emotions as a horn blew, and both sides, with the exception of the orcs, stopped fighting as Aldorus, his hand balled up into a fist, reluctantly allowed Alden out of the formation. The young Plurian vice general collapsed as he exited the formation, his body and face full of scratches and scars from his hard battle inside the Chavarian formation.
Bardornus stumbled over, using his cloak as a bandage to cover his wound as he lifted the Alden onto his horse with bloodstained hands before mounting it and heading away from the battlefield.
"Farewell."
He said to Leon getting a reluctant curt reply from the Chavarian vice general as he galloped away, Alden's unconscious body resting against his chest. After 1 minute of riding, Bardornus gently moved the young man's hair from his face.
"Your safe now, my little lion. We'll get them tomorrow rest for now. Tomorrow will be another long day on the battlefield."
Bardornus said like a parent worrying over and comforting his child.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
LaziestDragon
LaziestDragon Sorry for the late chapters, I was busy last weekend so wanted to get 2 chapters out at the weekend to make up for it but they were only finished now.
Thank you to everyone who continues to support this novel and for the comments and power stones I do notice them.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter next one should be out a few minutes after this one.
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