Chapter 124: Changing Words
Bikna was still wondering who would cause such a huge commotion, devouring villages and attacking the city lord’s guards—weren’t they afraid of the Tibetan Empire’s iron fist?
But now, she wasn’t surprised at all.
The one causing trouble is a Shu? Ah, then it all makes sense.
But no matter how big of a ruckus this Shu little mage has caused, it’s all over now. What else could be the outcome of a mage facing a warrior in close quarters?
Even if the mage is armored, they won’t last long against a warrior. The energy and mana consumption for casting spells is quite significant, after all.
Any Tang slave with the family name of ‘Shu’ would usually be killed on the spot in the Tibetan Empire, but Bikna also understood the concept of pretty privilege.
If this vile little mage kneels down right now to apologize and beg me to spare him… I might still consider it. Provided he brings out his sincerity, of course.
For instance…
Bikna gulped down her saliva.
To her surprise, her opponent showed none of a mage’s fluster when encountering a warrior in close quarters. Instead…Shoosh!
A brilliant white light crashed down on her with the momentum of a meteor storm.
“WHAT?!” Bikna’s face warped in the face of this shocking glare.
How is it that a mage wields such force?!
She quickly raised her enchanted sword to fend against the falling modao, but a frightening spell fell on her at the same time.
“Enfeeble.”
Bikna felt like someone had slammed a hammer into her chest, and she was sent flying like a kite that had its thread snipped.
Pu!
Fresh blood spurted from her mouth, looking like a mesmerizing rose that blossomed in mid-air.
Bam!
Bikna crashed into the ground. Her vision darkened, and she felt like a thousand flies were buzzing in her head.
“H-how is this possible?!”
Bikna was astounded. How could a fifteen-year-old pretty boy wield such terrifying strength?!
His strength is definitely hero class!
Tak tak, tak tak!
Horse hooves could be heard approaching from the distance, and it sounded like there were at least 30 of them!
“…” Bikna’s complexion turned awful.
How did I forget about them?! We ascertained earlier in the city that the assailants had at least dozens of heavy cavalrymen!
Damn it, it’s going to be a tough battle.
With such thoughts in mind, Bikna raised her enchanted sword. She might be in a disadvantageous position, but she was still a hero.
Dozens of heavy cavalrymen?
Even when unbearably exhausted and severely injured, she still stood a fighting chance!
But what Bikna saw next shocked her.
“S-skeletons?”
The heavy cavalrymen donned in heavy armor were neither nomadic tribesmen nor Tang slaves. Rather, they were white-haired skeletons with dim soulfire blazing in their eye sockets. Furthermore, their getup…
“The Anxi army?” Bikna murmured. (T/N: The Tang territory in the Western Region is called Anxi.)
The Anxi army had tenacious Tang soldiers who resisted the Tibetan Empire for decades with barely any support or reinforcement from their homeland.
The Tibetan Empire had been planning to exploit the Tang Empire’s internal strife to snatch over the Tang Empire’s Western Region territories, then move eastward for Guanlong and southward for Bashu. Yet, the fight in the Western Region had already resulted in terrible losses for them. (T/N: Guanlong and Bashu are the Tang Dynasty’s territories.)
It took the Tibetan Empire half a century and many bitter fights before they eliminated those white-haired old veterans.
Even so, their grip over the conquered territories remained unstable. The Tang slaves, despite being demoted to slaves, would incite a rebellion every now and then.
That being said, the Tibetan Empire didn’t think that they posed a threat, as their core force had been suppressed. They believed that everything would get better as time passed.
Yet, the Anxi army reappeared before her today!
“These people…” Bikna felt chilled to her bones. “They refuse to give up even when dead?”
Pah!
A spell lit up the darkness.
Bikna reflexively tried to roll away, but the spellcaster was highly experienced.
The spellcaster didn’t release the spell right away. Instead, they waited till she was halfway through her roll, after her momentum had died down and before she had time to build up a new wave of momentum, before unleashing the spell.
A wave of fatigue suddenly washed over Bikna, leaving her feeling like she hadn’t rested for three days. It felt like she was tied down by a boulder that weighed over a ton, such that even raising a finger was tough.
Pah!
Bikna crumbled to the floor. She tried her best to climb back to her feet, but she struggled to prop herself up even with her sword as support.
Miazova didn’t rest easy after landing a spell; it continued layering more spells on Bikna—Mental Drain, Heavy Weight, Reduced Agility, and so on—to ensure that she would never rise once more.
Shit!
Fear coiled around Bikna’s heart like a venomous serpent.
She was exhausted, wounded, and debuffed, but she still had to face dozens of terrifying skeleton heavy cavalrymen, and there was still a hero-class warrior waiting for her even if she somehow conquered the ordeal.
She racked her brain, but she couldn’t imagine rising up on top or even escaping.
“Crush her.” Shu Yichao waved her hand.
Warm blessing lights basked the White-haired Ghost Horsemen.
At Shu Yichao’s order, they rushed at Bikna like a torrential black flood.
Padah! Padah!
Heavy horse hooves echoed, each clobber jolting Bikna’s heart like a hammer strike. The earth shook, and dust rose in the sky. Death was pressing close.
“…”
Fear, despair, and finally peace.
Looks like I’ll die today.
Bikna, crouching on the floor, chuckled in self-disdain.
What an ironic turn of fate. I never thought I’d die in the hands of a Tang when I suppressed them with violence.
She strained herself to touch her crystal necklace, and a faint light glowed from it. It was a transmission necklace, which was expensive and could only be activated for a short time, so it was intended to only be used at critical moments.
“Hey!” the authoritative voice of the female city lord echoed. “Bikna, I hope you contacted me with good news. If you haven’t resolved that matter yet… I’m going to be terribly disappointed.”
“Rajmaya,” Bikna called the city lord by her name, “I have gotten to the bottom of the matter. The Tang…”
She had wanted to say Tang slaves, but somehow different words came out of her mouth.
“…The Tangs’ Shu Amy are behind this. They…”
Bam bam bam bam!
Before Bikna could finish her words, the cavalrymen trampled her into the dust together with her transmission crystal.
Everything fell silent.