An hour later, Robin arrived, leading 20, 000 Ghost Wolf Iron Cavalry, 40, 000 Northland Iron Riders, 80, 000 Lynix Legions, 1, 000 Red Flames, for a total of 141, 000 troops. All of these forces had suffered terrible losses in the previous battles.
That was why Benson Laydon thought he could defend this place.
But he did not expect the Punishment Legion – in such a short time it had turned his own men into bloodthirsty, ferocious beasts. Now they were attacking the city as if possessed, with only lust left in their eyes.
He truly did not anticipate this.
Perhaps they had already lost when Robin first struck and wiped out Maclean Lyons’ forces.
That was when the Punishment Legion first took shape.
“General, Aguda has gone to kill Pierre Calder. Benson Laydon is here,” Jeff Reczek brought Benson Laydon over.
Robin looked at Benson Laydon. The man had an upright, resolute face, with a straight posture – he looked every inch a soldier. But everyone knew Benson Laydon was a strategist, a military strategist.
He was different from Walton Myers.
“I’ve met your daughter,” Robin finally said to Benson Laydon.
No wonder Betty Laydon was so beautiful – it turned out Benson Laydon was quite handsome and heroic himself.
“You want to harm my daughter?”
Benson Laydon panicked for a moment. He was a general of the nation, but he only had the one daughter, his soft spot.
“It’s possible,” Robin said calmly, staring at Benson Laydon.
If Benson Laydon’s daughter was an unarmed woman, Robin would not touch her – he was not so despicable. But sadly Betty Laydon was not that kind of person. Betty Laydon was a top scout who had killed many on the lands of Kisia.
She was no merciful soul.
So Robin did not want to show her mercy.
He wanted to use Betty Laydon to threaten Benson Laydon. He needed intelligence.
“Give me valuable information, and I can promise you this – unless your daughter commits terrible crimes, I will not kill her. As for her trying to kill me, that is not a terrible crime,” Robin said.
After Robin killed Benson Laydon, Betty Laydon would certainly come seeking vengeance.
But he was true to his word – he said she could avenge, settle scores with him, and that was not a terrible crime. However, if Betty Laydon harmed others and caused slaughter in Kisia, then he would show no mercy.
Benson Laydon was silent for a long time. Finally he looked up at Robin, “You speak and keep your word? If she kills you, you won’t kill her?”
“I keep my word,” Robin replied.
Benson Laydon fell silent again for a long time. Eventually he spoke slowly, “In the King of South Land’s chambers, there is a secret passage that leads out of the city. Whether you can find the exit of that passage depends on your abilities.”
He had betrayed the King of South Land.
Just as Maclean Lyons said – in the army, Walton Myers’ prestige was even greater than the King of South Land’s.
And here, it showed.
If Walton Myers was alive, Benson Laydon would not have betrayed South Land. Even if Betty Laydon was killed by Robin, he would not betray, but after Walton Myers’ death, Benson Laydon’s loyalty faded.
The King of South Land meant nothing to him. His daughter was all that mattered.
“Good, that information was worth the price,” Robin nodded.
Then he looked at Benson Laydon, “Do you want to live or die? If die, how do you wish to die? To live means surrender.”
Death.
You choose yourself.
You, Benson Laydon, were second-in-command in the South Land army. I give you this authority.
“May I have a sword?” Benson Laydon shook his head and spoke.
“Very well.” Robin had a soldier give him a sword.
Benson Laydon looked at the sword, then gazed towards South Province – not South Land, but where Walton Myers had died. He smiled, “General Myers, in the end we still didn’t win. I started following you into battle when I was 25 and you were just 19, but you had my allegiance. For over 10 years after that, I was under your command.
I always thought we would keep winning, conquering the whole world. But sadly, right on our first step out, we were defeated. The heavens toy with men – to pit a hero like you against an even greater hero. Indeed, an era cannot allow two heroes to exist.”
“We cannot win here, so let us go below – we will continue our fight down there. I, Benson Laydon, am willing to follow you for life.”
The sword slashed across.
Blood sprayed.
Benson Laydon fell from the 30-meter city wall, crashing heavily to the ground below. His eyes stared straight up at the skies of Kisia.
“You spoke… and fulfilled…”
With that last murmur, Benson Laydon breathed his last.
The hero’s curtain fell.
For Benson Laydon, the most important people in his life were likely his wife, his daughter Betty, and his leader Walton Myers. His wife died in childbirth. His leader died in battle.
Now only Betty Laydon was left.
At the critical moment, his thoughts were still with his daughter.
On the city walls, the generals all witnessed this scene – no arrogance, gloating, ridicule or contempt from them. On the contrary, they deeply respected Benson Laydon for his resolute decision to follow Walton Myers unto death.
“I would too,” Jeff Reczek murmured, watching this scene. It made him think – if one day Robin sacrificed himself and he could not avenge, he would do the same as Benson Laydon. Follow the General in the next life.
But that would never happen. Never.
Robin also watched with hands clasped behind him.
Benson Laydon said he was a hero, and he was right. Though he learned swordsmanship from that blade of grass, no one knew how much hardship he endured, how desperately he must have fought on battlefields, how many brushes with death.
He was a true hero.
Robin respected both Walton Myers and Benson Laydon.
“Theresa,” Robin suddenly called out.
“Here,” Theresa Lindsay stepped forward.
“How many in your unit remain?”
“One thousand and thirty two,” Theresa replied, her face sad.
After all, out of the 50, 000 who came, only 1, 032 remained. Nearly the entire army had been wiped out.
“Red Flames need not go to South Land. Stay here in South Province to recuperate. I have a task for you – erect a monument, the Monument of Heroes. Bury the bodies of Kisia soldiers and South Land soldiers there. This battle did not make me or Walton Myers heroes, but those warriors who shed blood and fought bravely. They were the true heroes.”
“No one was wrong, only on different sides, fighting for their countries. There is no shame in that.”
“The Monument of Heroes inters heroes and buries heroic souls.”
Robin gazed with clasped hands at the ravaged South Province. The earth-shaking great battle had nearly shattered this once prosperous land. It was time to end this, time to find the root of all this chaos.