Edge of the Apocalypse

Chapter 444: A Dilemma

When Alan brought a few surrendered soldiers to the village, the village had already fallen. Everything went incredibly smoothly, but it was perfectly normal. When they heard the alarm bell, the guards in the village reacted quickly. A dozen soldiers in armor fought, but they used absolute force to crush Belmore and the others. The miscellaneous soldiers who were rushing to kill a person to obtain a gold coin had not even had the chance to attack, and the battle had already ended.

However, Belmond and the others disdained killing such a low-ranking soldier, so they were all beaten to the ground. Even Regis, a martial artist, casually knocked the soldier unconscious on the spot with the back of his saber. Apart from the two soldiers who reacted fiercely and still refused to surrender after being beaten down, Belmond cut his throat and put it down. However, the soldier's blood calmed the others down. At least, when they asked the villagers to gather, there was no sign of resistance.

Alan arrived at the assembly point and rode his horse to glance at the villagers. "From now on, this village is no longer Sunset City's territory. It's good that you didn't resist. It avoided needless slaughter. Next, I hope that you can faithfully carry out my orders so that I can guarantee that no one's lives will be in danger."

"May I ask what you need, my lord?" A middle-aged man asked.

"Who are you?"

"I am the village chief of this village."

"Very good, Village Chief. Then please let everyone bring out the food. Also, adult men must join my army. My order is so simple."

The village chief's expression changed, "Your Excellency, there's no problem with the food. But if you want men to join the army, they're all civilians."

"The people behind me were also civilians a month ago. However, they are now warriors, so do as I say." Ellen said calmly, "Join my army and kill an enemy. You'll get a gold coin. Kill ten people and you'll be free. If you refuse, then I'm sorry. Don't make me a devil again. You won't want that to happen."

Although he did not say what had happened, the villagers could probably imagine seeing the red-eyed soldiers behind Alan. The village chief sighed and loudly asked the villagers to do as Alan said. Soon, Alan received a batch of food and fifty strong men. The men were given a knife, and Allen tangled them up in the army so that they could not betray him. As for the ten surrendered soldiers, they were brought to Alan's side.

After less than two hours in Denny's village, Allen ordered the troops to set off, following the straight trajectory he had drawn on the map and heading straight for the next village.

It took more than an hour to arrive in the next village, and the charge of the charge was taken by the surrendered soldiers and the men of Denny Village. Feeling helpless, they could only rush to the village and hand the knives to the people in the same territory. The battle was also very quick. The guards of the village were knocked out in shock. Alan brought his army into the village with him and quickly suppressed the village.

The surrendered soldiers and men did not kill many people. Only two soldiers and three or four villagers were killed in the fierce resistance. However, to Alan, this was equivalent to opening up the defensive line in their hearts. They were directly involved in the attack and were tied to Allen's war chariot in disguise. Even if they escaped, they would be heavily punished or even hanged by the lord.

To them, staying by Allen's side would only last a little longer.

Like Denny, Allen adopted the same strategy for the village. Take away the food and the young man, so that even if these territories were recycled later, the most important resources had already been taken away by Alan. Just like that, Allen attacked overnight, taking down three villages and a small town in succession. The army quickly expanded from five hundred to eight hundred. Even though he was still a miscellaneous soldier, he was already a threat to a baron territory like Tomen.

Before dawn, Alan saw Sunset City. Located near Cloud Valley, this city has a certain scale. Of course, that was the conclusion drawn by comparing it with several other villages and towns. In reality, Tuomen City was still lacking compared to Storm City. Its low city wall didn't have a defensive system like cannons to suppress it, so it truly lacked the power to shock foreign enemies.

At least in Allen's eyes, the city was almost unguarded. But this time, Allen was not in a hurry to attack. Instead, he organized his troops and advanced towards Sunset City in a relatively orderly formation, in order to create an invisible pressure on the army.

Baron Tuomen woke up from his sleep. He had just learned that several villages and towns in his territory had been occupied, but Alan had already arrived at the gates. The speed and speed of the march made Baron Tuomen smile bitterly. This swift and fierce tactical style showed that the opponent had no chance of compromising. There were only two choices left for Tuomen. One was to surrender, and the other was to sacrifice one's life to protect the city. Apart from that, he had no other choice.

However, the total number of troops in Sunset City was less than five hundred. They had to be drawn from the security forces that usually maintained order before they could gather the numbers. Even the army couldn't compare to Alan's. Tomen didn't know how to fight this war. However, as a lord, he could not leave the door behind. He could only let people wear armor and head to the city wall.

Beneath the city wall, Allen's army formation was less than 300 meters away from Sunset City. This distance would be ignored by the soldiers in the blink of an eye. Looking at the fire/gun squad on the wall that had less than a hundred people, Tuomen's heart was extremely heavy.

"Baron Tuomen!"

Alan rode alone and arrived at the city gate. The Fire/Guns on the city were eager to try, but they stopped Tuomen with a glance. "Sir Allen, do you know what you're doing? This is an invasion. You're invading the territory of the respected Sir Daniel. If you leave now, I can tell the Viscount that I don't want to pursue your bold actions this time," the baron said loudly.

Alan smiled faintly and said, "Sure enough, the rumors are that Sir Tommen is indeed a generous lord. Don't worry, since I'm here, I'm ready to be pursued by Sir Daniel and even retaliated. But that will be after tonight. There's no reinforcements in Sunset City now. I'm right, Sir Tommen."

Tuomen glanced at the soldiers on the wall and said, "Even without reinforcements, we will still defend Sunset City."

"Sir, your courage is commendable, but I wonder if you can swing the butcher's knife at your former subjects?" Alan gestured, and the two hundred surrendered soldiers and villagers hesitantly walked out. Among them was even a high-ranking officer.

Tuomen recognized the officer and his expression immediately turned ugly. "Don't blame them, sir," said Allen. "They're just making the right choice in the face of life and death. Now, I want to give you a choice, sir."

Tuomen snorted and did not answer. '"The first choice is to surrender, of course, and we'll all be happy tonight. The second is to fight, and that's a pity. Neither you nor they want to fight each other; so I have a third choice, my lord. How about a duel between you and me?" Allen continued with a smile.

"Duel?"

"Yes, if you win, you can catch me and even kill me. As for my subordinates and the army, whether they can leave or not depends on their own abilities. And in this way, you don't have to wave your saber at your own people, do you? On the contrary, if you lose, Sunset City will naturally surrender. I guarantee that I will not harm your people. And these people, I will give them freedom! "

Upon hearing Allen's words, the people who surrendered couldn't help but turn their gazes to Baron Thorman. Alan's actions undoubtedly gave them a glimmer of hope. As long as Tomen agreed to this duel, they would not have to kill each other regardless of whether they won or lost. They could hardly find any reason for Tomen to refuse. Only Tommy knew that this was a huge problem that Alan had given him.

That's right. On the surface, whether it was winning or losing, Tuomen had taken advantage of it. But in reality, Tuomen knew that he would lose without a doubt. He was never one of Daniel's subordinates who was skilled in martial arts. Even the strongest Duruf had been killed by this young man. With Tuomen's barely level 15 strength, how could he be Allen's opponent?

Alan generously offered the suggestion, but Tomen did not agree, and rejecting it was even worse. Regardless of how he replied, it could be foreseen that his prestige would fall to the bottom after tonight. He gritted his teeth and said, "In order not to let the blood of Sunset City flow into a river, I, Tomen, am only here to agree to Sir Allen's request for a duel."

This was a helpless move. In any case, they would lose, so it was better to lose beautifully. At the very least, they could preserve a little bit of dignity for themselves.

The soldiers in Sunset City cheered loudly for Tuomen when they heard the Sir's reply, and the surrendered soldiers heaved a sigh of relief. Allen waved his hand and ordered the surrendered soldiers to retreat. He raised his saber and got off his horse, nailing it straight in front of the city gate, waiting for Sir Thorman.

The city gate opened, and a silver-armored knight strode out. He held a knight's spear in his right hand and a rifle decorated with complicated patterns in his other hand. Facing Alan, the knight took a deep breath and shouted. An engraved light lit up in front of his chest. Light green origin energy flames penetrated his body and surged around the knight, illuminating the light armor on his body with dazzling light.

In terms of appearance, Baron Tuomen could be considered a lord. Although his aura wasn't very strong, it gave Alan a faint pressure, but that was all.

Alan nodded and said, "Let's begin."

Tuomen was not polite either. He raised his rifle and fired several shots at Allen in succession, opening the prelude to the duel with a tentative attack.