Henry rode his horse back to the army’s formation. He looked at the shocked Boman and the other nobles and said, "Why waste time talking to Half-Beastmen? The sooner we fight, the sooner we rest."
’Dude, seriously? You really don’t see Half-Beastmen as people! Oh, right, they’re not people... but you can’t be this arrogant, can you?’
The Minstrels and court poets accompanying the army all began composing. Henry had really opened their eyes; they had never before seen such a ferocious noble, especially not on a battlefield against Half-Beastmen.
The Third Legion Commander looked toward Henry’s position and asked Sebastian, "Is that one of your men? Which officer on the right flank?"
"An Independent Noble and a student of the great King."
The Eleventh Legion Commander waved his hand and said, "Let’s prepare for battle. It’s not like we can speak their language anyway. There’s nothing to discuss."
Meanwhile, the swarming black mass of Half-Beastmen was furious. They hadn’t expected the humans to be so arrogant.
Both sides sounded their horns and beat their war drums almost simultaneously. However, the Half-Beastman side was clearly a chaotic mess, far less organized than the humans, who used various banners as signals.
A large number of serfs were pushed to the very front, meant to absorb the first wave of the Half-Beastman charge.
Large phalanxes of mixed infantry and Crossbowmen advanced slowly. Their immense depth was enough for them to operate independently in units of five hundred men.
Countless Cavalry began to move. Their targets were the Centaurs and Minotaurs.
Warfare in this world was just that absurd, truly achieving the terrifying spectacle of two hundred thousand soldiers from both sides clashing head-on.
"Bain, you follow Philip and take command of the New Recruit Team. Keep yourself safe."
"Philip, you stick with Boman and Fass’s armies. Don’t stray from the main force."
Bain was nervous. Henry’s sudden charge had startled him, and now Henry’s words made him extremely worried.
"My lord, what are you going to do?"
Henry looked at a moving troop of sixty Centaurs and said, "Hunting."
With a shield slung over his back, a Two-Handed Greatsword at one hip and a One-Handed Double-Bladed Battleaxe at the other, Henry gripped a long-handled Yanyue Saber and charged straight out of the formation.
Like a ferocious tiger, Henry rushed toward the Centaur troop he had targeted.
The Centaurs saw him. ’Isn’t that the mounted archer from before who fights without honor?’ They let out meaningless, chaotic roars and charged toward Henry.
The two sides rushed toward each other, the full kilometer of distance between them closing quickly. The Centaurs were already imagining kicking Henry’s head around like a ball.
Unfortunately for them, they had run into Henry.
Henry faced the nearest charging Centaur and swung his Yanyue Saber. The sharp, heavy blade sliced the Centaur clean in half at the waist.
Its pathetic armor and shield were as flimsy as a sheet of toilet paper!
Henry swung the Yanyue Saber rapidly. The combined speed of their charge meant he didn’t even need to use much force to easily slice through the Centaurs’ skin and muscle.
The Centaurs didn’t even have time to react before several of their number had already fallen to the ground.
Blood stained the ground red. Unidentifiable organs lay scattered about, emitting a thick, bloody stench.
Henry’s face was flushed red. His attacks were so fast the Centaurs were completely unable to block them.
After one pass, the troop of sixty Centaurs had instantly lost a third of their number!
They no longer wanted to kick Henry’s head like a ball; all they wanted was to escape! But Henry was in hot pursuit, giving them no chance to breathe.
Henry’s figure was like that of a demon. He relentlessly chased the Centaurs, his long Yanyue Saber felling them one after another, cutting them down to the ground.
Unfortunately, a horse is still just a horse, no match for a natural cavalryman. The Centaurs eventually managed to flee back to their formation. With a reinforcing squad of Half-Beastmen drawing ever closer, Henry had no choice but to reluctantly pick a new target.
Henry’s actions undoubtedly gave a massive boost to the imperial army’s morale. The Cavalry units specifically tasked with dealing with Centaurs were dumbfounded.
’Seriously, were you practicing Martial Arts in the womb?’
The three Legion Commanders, who were observing through spyglasses, also noticed Henry’s figure. Only Sebastian was full of praise. After all, this was a man from his Seventh Legion, so he would get some of the credit no matter what.
The other two didn’t pay too much attention. A man single-handedly routing a small squad of Centaurs was certainly an achievement to boast about for a lifetime, but they were commanders of a major battle and needed to focus on the overall disposition of their forces.
Meanwhile, on the right side of the massive battlefield, Henry found seven or eight squads of Gnolls, numbering over one hundred and twenty each, slaughtering three battalions of imperial soldiers.
Their total number, in the thousands, made the few nearby Cavalry hesitant to advance. The imperial soldiers trapped in the meat grinder could only struggle to hold on, though they still had a numerical advantage.
Henry glanced around and saw they were just regular infantry with a few Skilled Infantry and Crossbowmen. This was just a motley crew from the Legion.
Henry immediately rode over, handed his warhorse to the Cavalry, and entered the fray on foot.
The Cavalrymen didn’t dare refuse. Their view from horseback was much better than the infantry’s, and they had already been won over by Henry’s earlier display of valor.
Besides, such extravagant equipment was most likely something only a noble would possess. Even elite soldiers of high rank wouldn’t be acting alone like this.
Henry’s noble warhorse couldn’t be allowed to die here. No matter how thick its barding, its legs could still be hacked off by the fearless, bloodthirsty Gnolls.
Henry picked up his shield and battleaxe and charged into the battle with a roar. He swung the axe in an impenetrable flurry, each attack precise and deadly.
In just over ten seconds, Henry had slit the throats of five or six Gnolls.
The battleaxe shifted constantly in Henry’s hands. His horizontal slashes and vertical chops were as fierce as a sudden storm, making it impossible for the Gnolls to resist.
Henry effortlessly dodged every one of the Gnolls’ attacks and swiftly countered. Often, a single shield bash would send a Gnoll to the ground, turning it into a lamb for the slaughter.
Even when Gnolls managed to launch a sneak attack, they couldn’t penetrate Henry’s armor. At most, they would make him stumble before he finished them off.
With Henry’s every attack, blood splattered, forming crimson pools on the ground and making the already gory battlefield even more horrific.
Seeing how viciously Henry fought, the other soldiers were greatly encouraged. They spontaneously followed close behind him, roaring as they charged the Gnolls.
For a moment, the small battlefield on the right flank was filled with clouds of dust and thunderous war cries.
Half-Beastman reinforcements immediately started running to contain the situation. Many of the noble Private Armies from the Seventh Legion also noticed what was happening and couldn’t resist joining the fray.
Nobles craved military glory!
Meanwhile, the Gnolls fighting Henry let out terrified howls. They stared in horror at this ferocious human, their hearts filled with fear and despair.
’JUST WHO IS THE HALF-BEASTMAN HERE?!!’