Berserk: The Prophet

Under the cover of friendly forces, Hikel quickly checked on Gurunberdo's injuries.

"How are you?" she asked anxiously.

Gurunberdo shook his head to indicate that he was fine, but his eyes were fixed on Edward, as if he was unwilling to accept it.

"You're badly injured! Get on the chariot, we're retreating!" Hikel quickly dismounted and helped the massive Gurenberudo to his feet with his shoulder.

Grunberdo stubbornly refused to move, his eyes burning with rage, seemingly still determined to settle things with Edward. But Hickel knew the situation was critical, so he immediately called for several more helpers and forcibly dragged him toward the chariot.

Exhausted, Gurenberu slumped onto the chariot, and the eight warhorses, spurred on by the grooms, reared up and galloped toward the "Dragon's Nest".

Even though Gurunberdo only had his upper body and right arm free to move, no one could stop the fire dragon that was determined to break through.

Moreover, the Grand Duke's troops were already demoralized due to friendly fire incidents, and now no one dared to stop Gulenberudo. After all, no one knew if a shell would land on them at any moment.

Hikel mounted his horse and led his elite cavalry to cover the retreat of Gurenberudo and the Flame Dragon Knights. Edward's former subordinates cast disappointed glances at him.

The loose battle formation was quickly breached by Hikel, who destroyed six more cannons before the Grand Duke's troops could regroup and leave.

Edward watched their retreating figures, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He wanted to organize the soldiers to raise their hands to stop them, but found that his arms felt as heavy as a thousand pounds and he couldn't lift them no matter what he did.

...He couldn't bring himself to do anything to Hecker.

...Those subordinates who once joked and played with him in the military tent, and risked their lives with him on the battlefield...have become utterly disappointed in him.

At this moment, He Kun rode up angrily and roared at Edward, "What are you doing? Why didn't you stop them?"

Edward remained silent, his heart filled with guilt, regret, and helplessness in the face of the current situation.

However, at this moment, He Kun shouted, "Edward, if you don't make a move, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Edward gripped his spear, his mind in turmoil. In the end, he sighed deeply, but did nothing.

Seeing this, He Kun's face turned red with anger. He spurred his horse forward, shouting, "What a useless piece of trash! You can't even stop a cavalry regiment led by a mere woman!"

"Sea Bear Super Armored Knights!!"

Rows of heavily armored knights rode out into battle, awaiting Grand Duke Hokun's command to pursue Hikel and his men.

Edward was shocked to see this and hurriedly spurred his horse to block Hokun's path, shouting, "Are you crazy? Pursuing them now will only lead us into their trap and cause us to lose troops for nothing! Besides, how can heavy cavalry catch up with light cavalry?!"

He Kun snorted coldly and said with a disdainful look, "Hmph, what you said isn't entirely unreasonable."

Immediately afterwards, Grand Duke Hokun turned his horse around and changed the subject: "Artillery units! Immediately turn your cannons around and bombard the enemy!!"

Edward, who had been relieved for Hickel, was shocked and cried out urgently, "Absolutely not!"

Upon hearing this, He Kun's eyes widened in anger. He drew his riding whip from his waist and lashed it hard across Edward's left cheek, roaring, "Are we just going to watch them escape? Or is it because of that woman again?!"

A red mark instantly appeared on Edward's cheek, and even the leather eye patch he usually used to cover the horrific scar on his left eye was torn off. The burning pain left his mind blank.

"Don't forget your mother is still in my hands!" Hokun's anger hadn't subsided, and he was about to continue giving orders when Edward, who had come to his senses, grabbed his arm as he tried to raise it.

"...You!" The Grand Duke was about to explode, but then he saw the hideous wounds exposed under Edward's broken eyepatch. There were claw marks on his left eye where a large piece of flesh had been torn off by a beast, and newly added whip marks crisscrossed the area.

The horrific scars left on Edward's face from those years are still incredibly frightening even today. It's common for them to become ulcerated due to lack of ventilation caused by prolonged combat.

In comparison, He Kun's equally ugly face paused for a moment, but was quickly filled with rage again.

"...How could that promiscuous harlot, Fulda, have given birth to such a philanderer like you?!" He Kun cursed angrily, feeling utterly disappointed in her.

But who did he inherit this from...? Perhaps only He Kun himself knows. The more he looked at Edward, who resembled him in the past, the more indignant he felt.

Edward gritted his teeth, staring at He Kun with eyes full of anger yet forced into restraint, and said in a deep voice, word by word, "Our army is in disarray right now. The most urgent task is to regroup, not to act rashly."

He Kun was trembling with anger, pointing at Edward and yelling, "Stop spreading alarmist rumors! I think you're deliberately protecting them. Edward, I advise you not to forget your own stance!"

Edward took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and released his grip on He Kun's arm. He looked directly into He Kun's eyes and said calmly, "...I will not forget my position."

He Kun glared at Edward, snorted coldly, lashed the reins, turned around to reorganize the troops, and personally prepared for the siege.

Edward watched his retreating figure, his heart filled with helplessness. Turning his gaze to the "Dragon's Nest," now engulfed in flames, he saw that Gurenberdo was severely wounded. It seemed that this fortress, which had held out for fourteen years, was destined to fall into the hands of its own people.

......

Hikel led Gurenberdo and the Fire Dragon Knights back safely to the Fire Dragon's Nest. However, the situation at the Fire Dragon's Nest was not optimistic. When Abecasius heard the cannons roaring in the north, he ordered his army to launch a strong attack using extended, makeshift ladders.

The six cannons atop the Dragon's Nest bastion immediately went into action, relentlessly bombarding the Judas' ladders, with logs and asphalt raining down on the densely packed Judas soldiers.

The archers on both sides shouted at each other, and the sound of arrows leaving the bowstring rose and fell.

In an instant, arrows rained down and people swarmed like locusts.

The final battle, which will bring an end to a 14-year-long struggle, has begun.

Gurunberdo had his somewhat deformed armor removed by the medic. He was in bad shape, with multiple fractures throughout his body. His left arm was completely numb, and his internal organs had been damaged by the shelling, requiring rest.

Although his injuries gradually stabilized after treatment, his resentment towards the battle still burned within him.

Hikel knew that the conflict with Grand Duke Hokun was just the beginning. With Tino blocking the southern walls, she urgently summoned the centurions of the legion to plan their next move.

“We cannot sit idly by and wait to be killed; we must take the initiative,” Hikel said with a determined look. “But right now, we have suffered losses in manpower and are also short of supplies. We need to come up with a foolproof plan.”

A centurion frowned and said, "The enemy is coming on strong. Should we consider asking our allies in the surrounding area for help?"

Hickel shook his head: "Distant water can't quench a fire nearby; we must rely on ourselves."

Another centurion suggested, "The most urgent task at present is to deal with the Grand Duke's forces to the north of the city. We haven't destroyed all the cannons yet. Why not take advantage of the terrain to lure the Grand Duke's forces into the various bastions, and then set traps and obstacles in the bastions within the city to surround the enemy and defeat them one by one?"

The suggestion came from Walton, a centurion of the cavalry who had followed Edward for many years. Unexpectedly, the experience he had accumulated over the years of following Edward came in handy at this moment.

Hickel pondered for a moment and nodded: "That's one way, but it still needs detailed planning."

At this moment, the shouts of battle outside grew more intense, and the situation became increasingly tense.

Hikel took a deep breath and said, "Everyone, go and start preparing. We must defend the Fire Dragon's Nest!"

"Yes!!" The crowd accepted the order and set off, prepared to perish with the Fire Dragon's Nest.

Hikel walked towards the city wall and stood atop the tower, gazing at the enemy surging like a tide outside. How long ago it had been that the three of them stood side by side here, chatting and laughing, fearless even when facing an enemy many times their number.