Only God
Chapter 281 - 242: A Crushing Defeat

Chapter 281: Chapter 242: A Crushing Defeat

General Beck and his army of twenty thousand had embarked on their military expedition.

For the first two months, the campaign progressed more smoothly than any of the generals had imagined.

The Beastmen, just as King Anuket had predicted, had depleted a great deal of their living forces in the chaos of war.

As the war chariots of the Three-eyed Ape People crushed one tribe after another, the heads of Beastmen warriors rolled to the ground, their blood seeping into the earth, dulling the swords of the Three-eyed Ape People. Yet the fruits of victory seemed inexhaustible; swathes of land were annexed into the territory of Ajia.

In the beginning, General Beck’s doubts about the war brought a somber atmosphere to the entire army, but as the victories mounted, all the solemnity dissipated.

Other generals secretly doubted, even mocked the weathered veteran.

In the face of victory, General Beck could not help but doubt his own ominous premonition, which now seemed like an illusion brought on by age.

He had once requested several nobles to utilize their precious power of Prophecy to foretell the outcome of each battle, but he saw no defeat, only victory after victory.

Today, while on the march, one of the generals came forward to report the results of last night’s Prophecy to General Beck.

"General Beck, the great power of Prophecy from Kagawus has been revealed to me."

"What is it?"

General Beck asked.

Prophecy was the greatest weapon of the Three-eyed Ape People. Although often vague and its outcome uncertain, good or bad, it always proved the Prophecy true.

But the existence of the Prophecy also allowed the Three-eyed Ape People to anticipate the enemy’s moves and boost morale. In any era, these were decisive factors for victory.

"My Prophecy tells me,

we will face the army of the Golan King, and they will retreat before us."

The general slowly described the vision he had seen, then said:

"It seems we are destined for yet another victory.

Upon our return to Ajia Land, King Anuket will surely reward us handsomely.

As long as the war ends and I receive the King’s reward, I will be able to marry the daughter of the Kanu family."

General Beck listened and then smiled,

"Well then, I wish you all the happiness."

The young general had shone brightly on the battlefield and might one day become the leader of the army.

General Beck gazed into the distance, the army like a mighty serpent, the flags of the Three-eyed Ape People billowing in the wind.

It seemed he had been overly concerned all along.

General Beck exhaled, suppressing the bad premonition in his heart.

"Golan from Dolan Oras..."

He murmured the enemy King’s name to himself, then slowly steeled his resolve,

"Pass the order down, hasten the march!"

The Three-eyed Ape People had secured so many victories, even the rising star, the Golan King, would fall to the sword of Kagawus.

Behind the advancing column of the Three-eyed Ape People’s army,

the supply troops were separated by a considerable distance from the main force.

The Stone Slaves, either carrying or dragging carts filled with grain and weapons, were drenched in sweat, trembling under the harness.

Whip-wielding cavalrymen responsible for supervision spurred on, and amidst urgent bugle calls, shouted at the slaves carrying the supplies:

"Quick! Quick! Speed up the march! Double-time!"

However, the Stone Slaves had little strength left, even marching was a struggle. Seeing this, the supervisors exchanged looks before spurring their horses forward, raising their whips in hand.

The whips meant for horses tore through the air and lashed cruelly against the backs of the Stone Slaves.

In a matter of moments, the supply line echoed with painful wails, countless lash marks inflicted by nearly a hundred whips, forcing the slaves’ pace to quicken, even as their backs were flayed open.

"Who dares to slow down?! I want to see who dares!"

The crack of the whip was relentless as the supervisors drove the slaves to transport supplies with their lives.

Exhausted beyond measure, some of the slaves began to fall behind.

A few collapsed on the ground, the supervisors fiercely rode forward, lashing out with their whips. After several strikes, the fallen remained motionless; the supervisors realized that these individuals were likely dead.

In that era, even though slaves didn’t have to face the enemy’s sword on the battlefield, it didn’t mean their shed blood was any less than that of the soldiers.

The Stone Slaves gritted their teeth, anger flickering in their eyes as they looked at the supervisors lashing them.

"God...protect us, just for one night will do..."

Someone, with flesh torn and bleeding, uttered a quiet prayer.

...

By the afternoon, General Beck and others indeed encountered the advance guard of the Beastmen.

The battle lasted only for half an afternoon; the Three-eyed Ape People’s valiant efforts forced the imposing Golan King to retreat with his remaining forces from the battlefield.

Although the Three-eyed Ape People hadn’t inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy, there was no question, it was yet another fortuitous victory.

Watching the Golan King’s flag receding into the distance, General Beck finally set aside his worries, disregarding the premonitions in his heart.

So-called bad premonitions were no more than baseless anxieties, whereas victory was tangible and persuasive, far beyond any unfounded intuition.

"Let’s celebrate!"

After locating a defensive position on a hillside, General Beck relaxed and instructed his generals.

The generals looked surprised, then burst into cheers. General Beck had always been particularly somber, but now, he too indulged in the joy of victory like the rest of them.