With no time to dwell on the Centaur's terrified expression before it died, Henry continued to swing his Yanyue Saber and charged toward the Minotaurs behind it!
Bain watched from behind, his eyes wide with disbelief. He knew his lord was fierce, but he'd never imagined he was *this* fierce!
The Heavy Cavalry behind Henry charged forward, their warhorses thundering ahead with astonishing speed and power.
They leveled their Riding Spears and charged the Centaurs. Each Heavy Cavalryman wore hardened leather armor over Chain Armor and Cloth Armor, and they swept forward like a landslide, Riding Spears in hand.
The Centaurs stared in terror at the approaching Heavy Cavalry. They never expected to encounter elite human Cavalry in their own territory!
These were nothing like the shepherd slaves, serfs, and merchant caravans they usually raided!
'Are the humans invading again?'
But the Centaurs did not retreat. Instead, they let out shrill whinnies, brandished their long spears, and met the Heavy Cavalry's charge head-on.
Unfortunately for them, against the well-equipped and experienced imperial Heavy Cavalry, these Centaurs were completely outmatched.
Centaurs' long spears pierced the bodies of Heavy Cavalrymen, sending them flying through the air. In turn, the Heavy Cavalry's Riding Spears ran through the Centaurs' chests, leaving them to collapse in pools of blood.
With every swing of a weapon, someone fell. After the initial clash, the few surviving Centaurs attempted to fight back.
But the Heavy Cavalry's armor and shields rendered their attacks useless. The cavalrymen slaughtered the Centaurs without mercy.
These Centaurs were not true Half-Beastman elites; they didn't even have proper armor. Otherwise, the Heavy Cavalry wouldn't have had such an easy time.
Seeing this, the Minotaurs immediately raised their great-axes, trying to block Henry's charge.
Henry urged his horse forward. His Yanyue Saber sliced through the air in a vicious arc, aimed straight for a Minotaur's massive head.
The Minotaur raised its great-axe to block, but when the Yanyue Saber struck, the tremendous force of the blow sent a painful shock all the way down to its hooves.
'How can this human be so strong? It's unnatural!'
Henry swung his Yanyue Saber again, striking at the Minotaur. The creature hastily parried with its great-axe, but this time Henry's strength was even greater, sending the axe flying from its grasp.
The Minotaur glanced at its disarmed axe and turned to flee, but would Henry give it the chance?
Henry spurred his horse, caught up to the Minotaur, and with a swift slash of his saber, sent its enormous head flying. Hot, metallic blood sprayed all over him.
Seeing their companion killed, the other two Minotaurs charged, ramming into Henry's warhorse and knocking it over.
Henry rolled several times on the ground before he managed to stop himself. His body skidded forward from the momentum, creating a harsh scraping sound and leaving a deep gouge in the earth.
Despite the immense impact, Henry's powerful physique allowed him to force himself steady.
He quickly drew the Two-Handed Greatsword from his back, gripping it tightly. Without a moment's hesitation, Henry charged the Minotaur before him.
The greatsword carved an arc through the air, descending upon the Minotaur with deadly intent.
SWISH!
The Two-Handed Greatsword, originally aimed for the Minotaur's neck, struck its chest instead due to the height difference.
"MOO!"
Henry had put too much force into the swing, and the Minotaur's flesh was too thick. The Two-Handed Greatsword was stuck and wouldn't come out.
Henry immediately abandoned the Two-Handed Greatsword, drew the One-Handed Double-Bladed Battleaxe from his belt, and launched a ferocious assault on the Minotaur's lower body.
"MOO! MOO! MOO!" A thick, oblong object fell from the Minotaur's body.
The Heavy Cavalry soon arrived to press their advantage. With a roar, Bain led the charge, leveling his spear and taking the life of the other Minotaur.
"Victory!"
At the same time, earth-shattering cheers came from Glen's direction, though it didn't sound like there were many people.
Henry wiped the foul-smelling Minotaur blood from his face and walked toward the kneeling, whimpering eunuch Minotaur.
"Your head is mine."
The battle was finally over. Looking at the field littered with corpses, Henry was filled with emotion.
Henry forcefully sawed off the Minotaur's head and hung it from his warhorse, which had gotten back to its feet. He retrieved his Two-Handed Greatsword, picked up his long-handled Yanyue Saber, and prepared to lead the remaining Heavy Cavalry deeper into the valley.
The other Heavy Cavalrymen quickly dismounted to collect heads and round up the warhorses of their fallen comrades.
"Soldiers! Charge into their tribal camp!"
"CHARGE!!!" the Heavy Cavalrymen roared excitedly, following Henry's lead.
Henry led the Heavy Cavalry into the valley. Their target was the Half-Beastman tribal camp.
When they reached the camp, the sight before them filled them with anger—the place was deserted.
Clearly, the old, the very young, and the female Half-Beastmen had already fled.
'Fuck!'
A nameless rage ignited in Henry's heart. He angrily slammed his Yanyue Saber against something, producing a sharp clang.
He had hoped to completely annihilate this Half-Beastman tribe and level up. But now, having killed only one Centaur and two Minotaurs, Henry had only gained a paltry one hundred and eighty-some experience points.
'I should've just charged into the Kobold horde with the serfs and gone on a rampage!'
The feeling of a deliberate punch landing on a bale of cotton was deeply unsatisfying. It was like putting in an hour of hard work, thinking you're about to reach a great climax, only to find yourself too exhausted to finish.
'So frustrating!'
Soon, Glen arrived with the main force. He was completely clean, without a single speck of blood on him.
"Henry, are you... alright?"
Henry exhaled. "I'm fine. Have the Scouts search the surrounding area. See if they can find any trace of the Half-Beastmen."
"Alright. I've already sent men to do it."
Glen didn't mind Henry giving him orders; Henry's current appearance was simply too terrifying.
'His armor, his horse's barding, his weapons, and his face are all covered in blood. It's horrifying. Has the academy's training gotten this savage?'
Glen couldn't believe that in the six or seven years since his own graduation, the fighting style of Knights coming out of the academy had become so ferocious.
Boman and Fass rode up together, a string of Kobold heads hanging from their warhorses.
"This... Henry, are you... injured?"
"No, it's all Minotaur blood. Alright, let's see what's left in their camp."
The soldiers under Henry's command immediately rushed in to search the Half-Beastman camp, with the other soldiers and serfs following right behind.
Soon, everything the Half-Beastmen had left behind was brought out.
Dozens of pounds of dried meat, tens of bundles of hay, some iron ingots, and a large quantity of human armor and weapons, as well as banners bearing noble crests.
Fass stepped forward, picked up a few of the noble banners, and said regretfully, "I recognize some of these crests. Their masters are already dead."
A moment later, another soldier approached, carrying the head of a serf.
"Commander, we found a few overturned chests full of Dinars! The Half-Beastmen must have knocked them over when they fled. But this serf, he actually tried to hide them."
The other serfs saw this and subconsciously backed away, keeping their distance.