Book 3, Chapter 97

Breaking An Army

While many merchants were trying their best to get out of Bluewater, Richard was standing in front of the city gates with a stern look on his face. The cavalry gathering outside was slowly growing in size; at least 10,000 soldiers were now making their way forward. The vanguard of 8,000 soldiers were divided into 2,000 per group, starting to flank around the city.

Once they were only a few kilometres from the city, the enemy soldiers slowed down to regain their strength. They were preparing for the big battle which was about to come.

The nobles around Richard had ashen looks on their faces, some even shaking uncontrollably. The imperial army displayed a flawless battle formation; they were evidently giving their all even for the oasis.

Richard suddenly smiled, stroking his short, stiff moustache as he glanced around the surroundings, “Do you remember the wall of steel in the Cracked Canyon?”

Everyone was immediately stunned into silence. They suddenly remembered the brutal campaign, that legendary war where Richard displayed his fierce control of battle and awe-inspiring spellcasting. The mere mention boosted their morale.

He took in all their reactions and smiled calmly, “These people from the Iron Triangle Empire will feel the might of that wall, but first… Let me teach them a lesson. GANGDOR!”

“Ready, boss! My axe is thirsty for blood!” Gangdor’s clear voice rang out everywhere, his fist loudly smacking against his axe.

It was only then that the nobles realised a few hundred warriors had gathered at the city gate. Amongst them were a hundred Golden Eagles, two hundred throwers, and two hundred humanoid warriors. They were all confused. What were these 500 soldiers trying to do, did they want to leave the city?

Richard didn’t wait, retrieving the nameless sword and Extinction from his followers and crossing them behind his back. The Twin of Destiny in his hand, he took big steps towards the front of the city and hopped on his horse.

“Open the gates!” he cried out.

The nobles looked at each other in dismay. Was Richard really leaving the city? With only 500 warriors, a few followers, and two saints? Even though they had seen Richard perform several miracles, they still could not believe their eyes.

Zim’s reaction was different. Although he had virtually no knowledge of military affairs, he felt his blood boiling. He snatched an axe from a warrior beside him, “Wait, I’m coming along!” He then rushed forward, ignoring the protests of his guards. However, in his moment of eagerness the Viscount could not locate his horse right away. A smart attended had seen the developments and quickly taken it away.

Looking at him huffing and puffing as he walked in circles, Richard couldn’t help but laugh. He raised his hand and pointed at the Viscount, “Halt!”

Zim was immediately rooted to his spot, awaiting the next orders. However, he would never have imagined that Richard would completely ignore him while the gate slowly opened. Face screaming murder, the runemaster waved the Twin of Destiny and cried out, “CHARGE!”

The Golden Eagles gently spurred their horses forward, all 500 soldiers leaving the city one after the other in a charge towards ten times their numbers.

The general on the other end was initially stunned, but that was followed by a humiliated rage. This was an obvious provocation that trampled on the dignity of the imperial cavalrymen. He didn’t speak a word, resolutely drawing his sabre and waving it twice at the pathetic army that seemed like it could be destroyed easily. Two battalions of a thousand soldiers each charged out from the flanks, picking up speed as they converged towards Richard like a powerful current!

However, just before this current of steel was about to his Richard’s small army a dazzling splendour lit up from amongst Richard’s troops. The first few rows of soldiers and cavalrymen were blinded by the light of a divine spell.

The general squinted his eyes, stunned by the dazzling display. How many clerics could they possibly have to cast such an awe-inspiring spell? This spell was so powerful that each of Richard’s soldiers basically gained two levels in an instant. Even though he had participated in countless wars, he had never seen such a powerful spell!

Atop the city walls, Faylen, Fermi, and Shea were all left stunned by the display. Their mouths were gaping wide open; every wave of the arms from Flowsand and Io showered a barrage of divine rays onto Richard’s men. It seemed like there was no end to their power; be it strength or range, these priests were left in the dust. Only Kellac seemed somewhat normal, but even that was compared to Flowsand. He still exceeded Faylen and the rest.

Just as it seemed like the two cavalries were about to crash into Richard’s troops, the heavy infantry that was guarding the perimeter tightly suddenly spread out. Richard’s soldiers revealed their fragile ribs to the enemy!

The general realised something was wrong, but it was too late to change orders. A strange whistle rang through the sky, filling everyone’s ears in an instant as they drowned out the thunder of the horses’ hooves.

Grey blades flew out from the gaps in the formation, crashing into the charging cavalrymen. The frontlines of the incoming cavalries immediately collapsed, not one man left standing! The once-orderly charge was left with a glaring gap.

The cavalrymen at the back could not believe their eyes, subconsciously reining in their horses. The mounts immediately let out long neighs, raising their hooves. Those who were in the back were still moving at full speed, but in order to avoid collision they were forced to change direction. The formations were immediately messed up; although they didn’t descend into complete chaos, many still bumped into each other.

Two more volleys of poisonous axes flew out in quick successions, forming two grey clouds that were almost connected. The axes were distributed well, covering a large area uniformly. This also meant every inch of this cloud spelt death.

Only 700 cavalrymen were left on each flank after the three volleys. This swift destruction had shocked the incoming cavalries who were the pride of the Iron Triangle Empire, morale immediately crashing down. Faced with the strange formation and the attacks of the 200 throwers, the remaining cavalrymen strayed from their intended formation and charged towards the Golden Eagles instead.

The cavalry on the left wing knocked hard into the heavy shields of the humanoid warriors, but with how heavily buffed the infantry was they only managed to push the frontlines back by an inch. The first row of cavalrymen fell down from their horses into Richard’s troops, meeting a gruesome end. These weren’t heavy cavalrymen; they were not designed to fight an infantry that was armed to the teeth.

Both sides were immediately engaged in a melee, but the situation left the opposing captain dumbfounded. A hundred humanoid warriors swiftly broke ranks, ferociously ramming into the cavalrymen who had lost speed. They then swung their swords and beheaded their opponents, sending blood spraying everywhere! They immediately switched back to their shields and charged the next set down, before drawing their shields and slashing down once again. Another row of cavalrymen cried out in defeat and perished.

The longswords used by these drones were shrouded in a magical glow. They were unmatched on the battlefield, cutting through armour like a hot knife through butter. Even the heaviest weapons the cavalrymen tried to block with were cut apart!

“Are they all enchanted?!” the general cried out. His eyesight was exceptional; he could tell that the swords of the humanoids weren’t ordinary, each one able to match his own sabre!

Each of the humanoid warriors was level 9, already possessing an overwhelming advantage against their level 5 enemies. That rift was only torn wider with all the buffs and equipment; in the end, the 200-strong heavy infantry completely slaughtered the enemy. The enchanted swords Richard had kept to himself ended up being used well.

Blood spurted and limbs flew as these blades met flesh, but this was only the beginning. The grand display was only getting started!

Richard started spinning his staff, surrounding his soldiers with walls of fire. These fierce blazes had once burnt the fearless orcs alive; it was definitely too much to bear for these mere cavalrymen.

A bird’s eye view would reveal that the walls formed a perfect circle that was just wide enough to cover Richard’s men. If the enemy soldiers wanted to get to his troops, they would have to suffer through the inferno. Even if they did manage that, however, waiting on the other side were the war machines that were the humanoid warriors.

Several soldiers decided to charge into Richard’s troops. Engaging in a melee with Richard’s troops was better than being burnt alive.

Two fireballs suddenly flew out from afar. The mages of the Iron Triangle Empire had finally had enough, beginning to act. One of the fireballs exploded in the midst of Richard’s troops, but another was rebounded by Io to the midst of the imperial cavalry. The soldiers of the Iron Triangle Empire were lit up, but with all their buffs and barriers Richard’s men had no trouble enduring the blast.

Richard roared and pointed the Twin of Destiny forward, causing a thick bolt of lightning to fall down from the sky onto one of the enemy mages. The other great mage was frightened, quickly retreating. He didn’t dare to step close to the battlefield anymore; Richard’s casting range was just too absurd.

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