The Witch Yeti (11)

The Great Oni

Volume (1) Chapter (17)

"Your Highness, are you all right?" the commander said in alarm.

"Mm, I'm fine," the third prince sheathed his sword and replied.

"Ignore them; in the forest it's their terrain. We'll make best speed to Aarunyuu.

We cross it in one hour—move, move!"

The third prince urged, leading from the front himself.

"Ha-ha, interesting indeed, King Artha," the prince muttered, battle-lust curling his smile.

During that hour Artha and Yeti kept popping up, loosing arrows, felling trees.

In the hour they killed over five hundred Fire-Nine soldiers; about 4 500 remained.

Yet they still outnumbered the Sun-Legion three to one.

"We can't flush them out yet; I'll fight a holding action," Artha said, watching the charging Fire-Nine.

"Be careful," Yeti replied, standing where she had placed her ten quivers.

She drew three arrows at once, gave her loveliest smile, and loosed.

"Fwhoosh!"

"Fwhoosh!"

"Fwhoosh!"

Three Fire-Nine soldiers died instantly without even lifting a shield.

Then her arrows exploded like little bombs.

"Boom!"

Artha wheeled his black stallion back toward town.

He drove his sword point into the ground, grabbed big black balls the size of cannon-shots stacked beside him, and pitched them at the Fire-Nine ranks.

"Whii-sh!"

Hurled by Artha's strength, a ball flew tens of meters and landed amid the enemy.

"BOOOM!"

A huge blast and fireburst rocked them, breaking the Fire-Nine formation.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Yeti's three exploding arrows added smaller shockwaves.

The once-charging mass now faltered and reeled.

Horses panicked; they would not press forward.

Inside town Commander Sandar stood over ten catapults.

When the crews finished loading balls the size of wagon wheels, Sandar shouted:

"Fire!"

"Whii-sh!"

"Whii-sh!"

The catapults' cords twanged; black spheres arced into the sky.

At the same instant Yeti fired one hundred arrows in eight seconds.

Each shaft struck its mark and exploded; fragments tore even nearby men.

Artha's big black balls detonated in massive fireballs, taking twenty or thirty soldiers at a time.

The Fire-Nine advance stopped cold.

Not even two minutes into the battle and almost a thousand were dead.

The third prince had been knocked from his horse, cloak scorched, armor dented.

"Damn it—what are those things? Fall back!"

His face, once certain of victory, was dark with shock.

Then ten more black balls descended from the sky.

One of them landed barely ten meters from the prince.

"WHOOM — BOOOM!"

A vast roar and quake; no soldier close by remained standing.

The ten bombs killed about a thousand at once; many more were maimed.

The third prince survived only due to a tough body, but his wounds were severe.

Half his body was scorched; blood seeped everywhere.

"Ughh…" He groaned, bracing with his sword, forcing himself upright.

He looked at his Fire-Nine.

The whole formation lay scattered, routed.

Huge gray smoke columns billowed across the field; the sky glowed red.

Amid fading hoofbeats he saw, advancing, a stunning young woman on a white horse, bow and sword ready.

"A… a woman?" The third prince's face twisted.

Hearing him, Yeti smiled lightly, replied:

"What's wrong—unhappy that you lost to a woman?"

Anger flared; the prince drew his sword and charged her.

Yeti vaulted from her horse and waited.

Though badly hurt, the prince raised his blade and swung full power.

Yeti drew; one cut shattered his sword.

"Clang!"

She kicked his head and ended the fight.

"Ha! Couldn't beat Artha's wife, yet wanted to capture Artha himself—mangy dog," Yeti muttered, scanning the field.

About 2 500 Fire-Nine survived: many missing limbs, most wounded; only a few unharmed and unwilling to fight.

Soon 1 500 Sun-Legion troops arrived and began the cleanup.

They would have slaughtered the lot, but Yeti forbade it. Any who surrendered were bound instead.

The commander beside the third prince fared no better—dead before any orders.

Sun-Legion soldiers eyed Yeti with total respect, knowing the bombs were her idea.

King Artha rode up and sniffed. "You're dripping sweat—wash up."

Yeti wrinkled her nose and ran off; he followed.

In this first battle, Yeti's side didn't lose a single soldier.

The Earthquake Empire lost its elite Fire-Nine of over 5 000 and handed its showpiece, the third prince, over as a sword hostage.