The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 1037 Decoy Troops (1)

Elina's troops marched forward in formation. The farther they went, the darker it got.

The cliffs on both sides grew taller, blocking out the sunlight and casting the valley into shadow.

Suddenly, a dark shape appeared in the distance. Elina narrowed her eyes.

As it got closer, she could finally make out what it was. A group of cavalry was heading straight toward them.

"The enemy is here!" Elina shouted, raising her sword. "Everyone, get ready!"

The soldiers drew their swords and lowered their stances, preparing for the incoming attack.

"Hahaha! It's the imperial army! Attack! Don't be afraid!"

Ledin burst out laughing as he urged his horse to charge ahead.

Meanwhile, Evalyn and Freya spotted the approaching enemy from atop the two cliffs.

They immediately ordered their troops to get ready for battle.

"Archers, raise your bows!" Evalyn commanded loudly.

Thousands of archers raised their bows in unison and drew back their bowstrings.

On the opposite cliff, Freya raised her right hand.

The mages raised their staffs in unison, lifting the giant boulders behind them into the air.

"Not yet," Freya murmured, narrowing her eyes.

The enemy forces continued to charge forward, rapidly closing the distance between themselves and Elina's troops.

Just as they reached the area directly beneath the cliffs, Freya shouted, "Now!"

Whoosh!

Hundreds of giant boulders came crashing down from above.

"Now!" Evalyn shouted.

Whoosh!

Thousands of arrows shot into the sky before raining down on the enemy troops.

Ledin and his troops didn't realize they were under attack until one of the soldiers screamed in terror.

"Attack from above!"

Ledin's eyes widened. Before he could react, hundreds of giant boulders came crashing down on the rear ranks of his troops.

"Argh!"

"No!"

"Damn it! My leg's shattered!"

The soldiers caught beneath the boulders were crushed instantly.

Those who survived suffered severe injuries, falling from their horses and becoming easy targets for the thousands of arrows raining down from above.

Ledin went pale as the fear of death crept over him.

But then he remembered Corvin's promise and quickly pulled himself together.

"Charge! Don't give up!" he shouted.

The surviving soldiers pressed on, riding past the huge boulders that had crushed their comrades.

"Again!" Evalyn commanded.

Whoosh!

Thousands of arrows once again rained down on the enemy forces.

This time, Ledin and his troops had identified the archers' positions.

Although many soldiers were still struck by arrows, the casualties were far fewer than before.

Freya wasn't about to stand idly by, either. She raised her hand and ordered, "Mages, attack with your magic!"

Whoosh!

Hundreds of fireballs appeared in the sky before hurtling toward Ledin and his troops.

Ledin was shocked. He hadn't expected the enemy to have so many mages.

Still, he gritted his teeth and urged his horse forward, refusing to back down.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions echoed through the valley as the fireballs struck the troops. Hundreds of soldiers were reduced to ashes in an instant.

"Attack! Don't be afraid!" he roared.

"Attack!"

The soldiers shouted in unison and charged forward even faster.

This time, Freya and Evalyn held off on launching another attack.

With the help of the mages stationed on each cliff, they began communicating with each other.

"Good work, Evalyn."

"You too, Your Highness. But did you notice? The enemy forces aren't as numerous as I expected."

Freya watched the enemy troops advancing into the distance with a suspicious look.

"You're right. I had a feeling they were just a decoy."

"A decoy?"

Evalyn's eyes widened.

"Using decoys is a common tactic in war. They're usually troops who are either willing to sacrifice themselves or simply expendable. Their job is to distract the enemy and draw their attention away from the main force, allowing it to escape."

As she spoke, Freya's expression grew serious.

She was now almost certain that this was exactly what the rebels were doing. There was no way their entire army was that small.

Evalyn furrowed her brow.

"Then, should we inform Elina about this?"

"There's no need. Let her deal with those decoy soldiers first. That way, her attention won't be divided, and she can focus entirely on the battle."

Hearing Freya's reasoning, Evalyn said nothing more.

***

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

"Don't let them beat us!"

The two armies clashed.

Elina raised her sword and swiftly cut down the soldier in front of her. She then leaped off her horse and struck down two more soldiers.

Two enemy soldiers launched a sneak attack from behind, but she managed to parry their blows.

She kicked one of them away before driving her sword into the other's chest.

"Die!"

Two more enemy soldiers lunged at her from the left and right.

Elina quickly snatched a nearby enemy soldier's sword and used it to parry both attacks.

Taking advantage of their brief hesitation, she spun around and kicked the soldier on her right in the face before stabbing the one on her left in the stomach.

The sight was enough to make the enemy soldiers who had been preparing to attack her retreat in fear.

They had assumed that Elina would be easy to defeat simply because she was a woman.

The reality, however, was quite the opposite.

She was terrifying—far more terrifying than their own commander.

"Why are you just standing there?"

Elina pointed her bloodstained sword at them.

"Come on, you cowards! Bring it on!"

Her taunts made the soldiers furious, but they were still too scared to move.

"Move aside, everyone. I'll take care of her."

Hearing that, the soldiers turned around and saw Ledin approaching, a bloodstained sword in his hand.

They breathed a sigh of relief before scattering to engage the imperial soldiers.

"So, you're the leader, huh?"

Elina gave Ledin a cold once-over.

"Since you're brave enough to show your face before me, I don't mind cutting off your head."

Ledin chuckled softly.

"You're quite arrogant, Your Highness. But I've heard you're a princess who's always been sheltered from the outside world. How can you say that with such confidence?"

Elina smiled mockingly.

"You'll see for yourself."

Whoosh!

She dashed toward Ledin, swinging her sword from left to right.

Clang!

Ledin managed to parry the blow, but Elina didn't stop there. She bent her knees, leaped into the air, and spun around.

Thud!

Her powerful kick struck the right side of Ledin's face.

Ledin staggered sideways from the impact but quickly regained his balance.

He rubbed his aching cheek and shouted, "You bastard! I'll kill you!"

Elina wasn't the least bit intimidated. She spun her sword in her hand before charging at Ledin at incredible speed.