Chapter 11: The Unicorn’s Stratagem

Guided by such words, the centaurs who had just escaped suffered a devastating blow. The young centaurs, barely old enough to fight, were shot dead by the elven archers brought by the unicorn.

As for the centaur sergeant, he might have had a chance to defeat the enemy, but instead he set his sights on the unicorn. After stabbing the unicorn with his spear, he was blinded by the unicorn's spell and remained sightless until the battle ended. When he finally regained his vision, he saw about sixty elven archers with bows drawn and arrows aimed directly at him.

Looking at the bodies of the young centaurs, the centaur sergeant tightened his grip on his spear. "You kept me alive to ask questions, didn’t you?"

"Indeed," the unicorn replied coldly. "I have something to ask you. Did you notice the dwarves standing in front of the elven archers?"

Following the unicorn's direction, the centaur sergeant glanced over and saw that in front of each elf stood a dwarf wielding an axe and shield.

"And what if I did?"

"Have you encountered a group of dwarves before? There was a leader among them; did you see him?" the unicorn pressed.

"Of course. I killed him myself and offered his heart in sacrifice to our ancestors," the centaur sergeant replied with icy disdain.

"So it was you. When he died, did you see anything unusual appear on the ground?" The unicorn showed no anger at his nemesis's death, instead asking the question earnestly.

The centaur sergeant recalled the items that had fallen when he killed the dwarf. He laughed. "You mean the white diamond? I saw it, but I’ll never give it to you."

"So it’s in your possession. Good. You’re as good as dead anyway—I’ll find it on you. You may proceed," the unicorn said, raising his head arrogantly, as if unwilling to witness the centaur sergeant's demise.

But at that moment, the centaur sergeant sprang up like a coiled spring, thrusting his spear at the unicorn.

The unicorn merely snorted in disdain. "Foolish," he murmured, and paid no further heed.

The elven archers all loosed their arrows; sixty wooden shafts pierced the centaur sergeant's body. Bereft of strength, the sergeant crashed to the ground before he could reach the unicorn.

As he fell, several dwarves rushed forward, stripping him of all his possessions.

When these items were laid out before the unicorn, a flash of anger burned in the unicorn’s previously proud eyes. "None of these are what I seek. He must have hidden it within his body. Dismember him!"

The dwarves wasted no time, raising their axes and beginning the grisly task of tearing the centaur sergeant apart.

Yet, the result was unchanged—the unicorn found nothing he desired. Now anxious, the unicorn realized that his true purpose in leading this campaign was not to slay centaurs, but to retrieve the incandescent stone. With it, his master could recruit another follower, preserving their strength.

But the incandescent stone was missing. For the apprentice hero, this was a significant loss, and the unicorn was at a loss as to how to explain the situation upon his return.

He had no choice but to continue searching, ordering his followers to raze the surrounding forest in hopes of finding the stone.

Even so, nothing turned up. At last, an elven archer spoke, "Sir, before the centaur died, he mentioned sacrificing the dwarf. I know centaur customs—their sacrifices are usually performed at the ancestral totem. Perhaps what you seek is there?"

The unicorn’s eyes gleamed. "That’s highly possible. We’ll head there at once. Maintain formation; we can advance slowly, but we must avoid further losses."

Upon receiving the order, the troops formed a tight phalanx. Now, it was clear how formidable the unit was: at the front marched sixty dwarven warriors led by a single dwarven defender.

In the midst of these warriors stood sixty elven archers, each wielding a composite bow and carrying two quivers of feathered arrows. Their movements revealed they could loose two arrows simultaneously in the blink of an eye.

Beyond the dwarves and elves, five elven warriors rode winged steeds above the treetops, each brandishing a two-meter-long blade. Anyone seeing their swords would never mistake them for mere scouts, and their proud bearing marked them as the realm’s most formidable aerial troops.

Such a powerful force left the unicorn deeply satisfied. He waved his hoof at the sky-riders, sending them ahead to locate the centaur ancestral totem.

He then led the rest of his troops at a distance behind the winged cavalry, unconcerned about the force in the earlier reports that had attacked the centaur tribe. In his view, even if those troops had driven off the centaurs, they would have seized what they wanted and departed, certainly not lingering to face his own battalion.

Yet fate proved unkind. As the winged cavalry reached the centaur ancestral totem, Li Mingxing was training centaurs and harpies in cooperation.

Upon hearing that five winged cavalry were approaching, Li Mingxing immediately suspected the apprentice hero from Dragon City was coming for trouble.

He quickly dispatched a group of harpies to gather intelligence, while the rest of his forces were concentrated.

Li Mingxing’s plan was to stop them outside his newly established base, and to do so, he first needed to deal with the five winged cavalry in the sky.

Through observation, Li Mingxing noted the cavalry’s speed was tremendous, but their aerial maneuverability was lacking.

A plan formed swiftly. As the winged cavalry passed overhead, thirty white harpies burst from the woods, encircling them.

The cavalry were startled at first. One rider called out, "You must have defeated the local centaur tribe. Don’t worry, we mean you no harm. We’re only here to find something."

The harpies ignored them, swirling in the air, dizzying the riders in moments.

Then, the harpies drew their blowpipes and took aim at the cavalry still airborne.

This was precisely Li Mingxing’s strategy. He had discerned the cavalry’s weakness: though swift and lofty, they did not fly of their own accord—their steeds carried them.

Thus, all the harpy attacks targeted the flying mounts. The potent darts, tainted with Li Mingxing’s special poison, swiftly immobilized the winged steeds.

With their muscles frozen, the cavalry were no longer merely at risk—they lost all movement and tumbled from the sky, snapping a dozen massive trees before crashing amid Li Mingxing’s gray dwarves.

All five winged steeds perished in the fall; three riders died outright, but two retained considerable fighting power.

After these two were slain, the Blackstone Champion reported to Li Mingxing, "Their skill rivals that of the Blood Knights, though their mounts are superior. Without their mounts, they’re nothing."

Li Mingxing nodded lightly, letting the topic drop. Instead, he asked, "Any news from the scouts? Where’s the enemy now?"

"Reports have arrived, along with their strength—sixty dwarves among them," the Blackstone Champion replied with a chuckle.

"I know what you’re thinking," Li Mingxing said without looking up. "As long as we keep them all here, you can kill as many dwarves as you like."

His words sparked cheers among the gray dwarves, who regarded Li Mingxing as a towering figure—almost a god.

The centaurs under Li Mingxing felt differently; they reflected on their roles in the coming battle. They knew this was their first fight under Li Mingxing’s command. If they performed poorly, they would be relegated to cannon fodder. So, no matter how many died, they were determined to show the strength of the centaur race.