The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations - Chapter 289
Chapter 289: Break Through Them! (3)
“Uwaaah!”
With a charge like a beam of light, Ghislain’s assault sent Desmond’s army’s spearmen toppling one after another.
Boom!
The knights and cavalry that followed delivered an impact no less powerful than Ghislain’s.
A broken formation could not withstand a cavalry charge. Desmond’s army’s formation crumbled in an instant.
When the formation collapsed, so did the chain of command. Desmond’s troops, engulfed in confusion, were unable to respond properly.
From all directions, the voices of commanders overlapped in shouts.
“Hold the line!”
“Focus on the enemies in front of you first!”
“We outnumber them!”
Movements honed through long hours of training became second nature. Even with their formation broken, Desmond’s soldiers instinctively regrouped and attacked the enemies before them.
“That one’s their lord! The one on the black horse!”
At someone’s shout, Desmond’s troops surged forward, trying to pull Ghislain down. But it was a futile effort.
Each time Ghislain, his crimson eyes gleaming, swung his spear, Desmond’s soldiers who dared to approach were decapitated on the spot.
Some soldiers attempted to attack his horse instead, but what they witnessed was unlike anything they’d seen before.
Snort!
The Black King let out a fierce glare, rearing wildly.
It leapt to avoid incoming weapons and kicked at approaching enemies with its hind legs. It fought on its own without caring that its rider was still on its back, engaging the enemy with reckless abandon.
Seeing this, Ghislain let go of the reins and focused entirely on swinging his spear. The two seemed to compete with each other, both intent on killing as many enemies as possible.
It was hard to believe how perfectly the unruly master and the wild horse complemented one another.
Thwack! Thwack! Smash!
“Argh! What is this horse?!”
“It’s too fast! I can’t even see the spear coming!”
“Get back! Don’t get close to it!”
Desmond’s troops were thrown into chaos. The erratic movements of both horse and rider made them impossible to predict.
Each time they thought they saw an opening and stepped in, their heads flew off in an instant.
Thud! Smack! Crunch!
With every dull sound, Desmond soldiers’ heads rolled across the ground.
The knights following Ghislain poured out their mana without reservation.
Fighting atop their horses would only hinder them once their armor’s powers activated. One by one, the knights leapt down from their mounts.
Gordon, in particular, dismounted with a loud shout.
“Time to punish my legs today!”
Boom!
Mana surged into his legs, propelling him forward at an incredible speed. Other knights also unsheathed their weapons, charging into Desmond’s formation.
“Those black-armored ones!”
“There’s even more of them this time!”
“Don’t let them find any openings!”
Desmond’s troops screamed in terror at the sight of Fenris’s knights clad in black armor.
They had suffered enough under Gillian and the knights, experiencing firsthand the overwhelming power they wielded.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The knights, with their armor’s power fully unleashed, displayed truly staggering strength. Hundreds of Desmond soldiers fell within moments.
The heavy infantry belatedly regained their composure and rushed forward to push the Fenris troops back.
Desmond’s elite knights also began joining the fray, intercepting Fenris’s forces and slowing their advance.
Though Fenris’s forces had managed to break through the frontline, their small numbers inevitably began to sap their momentum.
At that moment, Ghislain yanked hard on the Black King’s reins and shouted.
“Move aside!”
As soon as his voice rang out, the Fenris knights and soldiers shifted to the sides without looking back.
Shaaah!
In an instant, a clear path opened up, like the parting of the sea.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The Black King galloped forward without hesitation, carrying Ghislain on its back.
Lowering his spear, Ghislain unleashed the Third Core once more.
Rumble!
His crimson eyes grew even fiercer.
The ferocious glare of the Black King, paired with Ghislain’s bloodthirsty gaze, made Desmond’s troops instinctively falter.
“Stop him!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The heavy infantry thrust their massive shields into the ground, forming an impenetrable wall. Those who had witnessed Ghislain’s earlier charge gritted their teeth and braced themselves.
But Ghislain had no intention of clashing head-on with them.
Swish!
“Huh?”
Desmond’s troops looked up in astonishment.
The Black King leaped high into the air, soaring over the wall of shields.
Boom!
As Ghislain landed in the heart of Desmond’s formation, he struck the ground with his spear, unleashing a powerful shockwave.
“Urgh!”
The soldiers nearest to Ghislain collapsed, coughing up blood, while those farther away staggered, unable to maintain their footing.
Their hesitation lasted only a moment. There was no way they’d simply stand by as an enemy lord charged into the heart of their army alone.
The densely packed heavy infantry all turned their focus to press Ghislain. Even Desmond’s knights shifted their targets and began to close in on him.
At that moment, something unimaginable occurred.
Rumble.
Spears held by fallen soldiers began to rise into the air from all directions. The sight left Desmond’s soldiers with expressions like they’d just seen ghosts.
While they were dazed, unable to comprehend what was happening, hundreds of spears rained down on the soldiers surrounding Ghislain.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
“Uwaaaah!”
With spears moving of their own accord in midair, panic swept through the ranks. The knights managed to deflect the spears with relative ease, but the soldiers were not so fortunate.
Each spear carried varying degrees of force. Some soldiers managed to deflect them with their armor and shields, but others were impaled outright and died on the spot.
“The spears… are flying by themselves?”
“It’s magic! The Count of Fenris is using magic!”
“What are our mages doing?!”
It wasn’t magic, but there wasn’t a single person present who could recognize the technique Ghislain was using.
Not only Desmond’s army but even the Fenris knights and soldiers were momentarily stunned.
For many of them, this was the first time witnessing the technique, as only a few knights dispatched to the Shadow Mountains had seen it before.
“So that’s the skill we’ve only heard rumors about.”
“Didn’t I tell you? That technique is utterly insane.”
“With something like that, does he really need anyone else to fight?”
But their thoughts were short-lived, as Ghislain, having already disrupted the formation, roared loudly.
“Get it together!”
Rumble!
The Third Core’s release couldn’t be maintained for long. Bloodshot veins appeared in Ghislain’s eyes, and the bulging tendons in his body signaled the strain he was under.
Startled by the rebuke, senior Fenris knight Gordon waved his hand and shouted.
“Alright, let’s push forward quickly!”
Even with the armor’s power, breaking through the heavy infantry holding thick shields wasn’t easy.
However, thanks to Ghislain plunging ahead and wreaking havoc on their formation, advancing was much easier than before.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Fenris knights and soldiers plunged into the gaps, swinging their weapons like rampaging beasts.
Desmond’s troops were utterly overwhelmed by this outrageous and reckless tactic.
Although Desmond’s side still had the numbers advantage and maintained a thick rear guard, at this rate, even their reserves would eventually fall.
Fear began to creep into the eyes of Desmond’s soldiers.
But Ghislain wasn’t entirely at ease either.
I need to move faster.
The Fenris forces’ power had a time limit. With so many enemies to fight, they’d exhaust themselves before killing them all.
Disgusting bastards.
Ghislain and the Fenris forces pushed straight through Desmond’s formation, killing everyone in their path. But reinforcements continued to flow in from both flanks.
That’s the terrifying thing about a large army. No matter how many were slain, their combat strength hardly seemed to dwindle.
On top of that, the individual skills of Desmond’s troops weren’t lacking. While Ghislain and the Fenris knights clearly held the advantage, the pace of their advance was gradually slowing.
Ghislain’s eyes scanned the battlefield quickly.
The cavalry under Emerson, who had been fighting the royal forces, began to target Fenris’s archers. The allied archers, who had been harassing Desmond’s rear lines, were now scrambling to evade the approaching enemies.
We must eliminate the mages first.
To secure a decisive victory, Desmond’s mages had to be dealt with. Only then could Fenris’s mages focus on attacking the remaining enemy forces.
There was no need to worry about the mages stationed on the flanks. The high-circle mages, who were the most heavily protected and positioned at the rear of the formation, were the priority target.
Boom! Boom!
Ghislain unleashed his mana without reservation, hammering away at the center of the enemy formation.
Having been given prior orders, the Fenris forces focused entirely on following him, advancing relentlessly.
With their single-minded assault on one point, the Fenris forces began splitting Desmond’s troops into two.
Watching from the far end of the battlefield, Harold let out a ragged breath.
“That man… is he really capable of this…?”
Even seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it. This went beyond the rumors. Though he had always thought highly of Ghislain, even that estimate had fallen short of reality.
Just witnessing the strategies Ghislain had prepared was enough to leave him in awe, but to think his individual combat prowess could rival that of the finest knights!
At this level, he deserved to be called the Greatest Sword of the North. His ability to contend alone against thousands of soldiers was undeniable.
“And yet… why… does he fight like that?”
The movement was strange. They were advancing recklessly, without any finesse. With their level of skill, employing a different strategy would have been far more effective.
Since they kept blindly moving forward, they were naturally becoming surrounded by allied forces. If they could hold out until the Fenris Knights were exhausted, they could crush them in turn.
“What are they aiming for?”
Harold was aware that the more Ghislain and the Fenris Knights exerted their strength, the faster they would tire. He also knew their strength had a time limit.
However, their intended target became apparent from the direction they were heading.
Harold, following Ghislain’s movements with sharp eyes, bit his lip.
“That bastard is targeting the mages.”
The direction Ghislain was advancing led straight to Willow. As a 6th-circle mage of Fenris, Willow was an obvious thorn in Ghislain’s side.
Although their side was gradually forming a surrounding formation, given Ghislain’s prowess, it was certain Willow would be captured before the formation was complete.
But they couldn’t move Willow farther back. Whether countering enemy magic or using it against enemy forces, a certain proximity had to be maintained.
As it was, Willow had managed to hold their ground and exert control at this distance, thanks to being a 6th-circle mage.
In the end, Harold resorted to deploying his trump card, which he had been reluctant to use until now.
“Lenos.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Lead my entire Personal Guard and stop that man. Emerson will handle their archers and mages.”
“…Our duty is to protect you, my lord.”
“If Willow dies, the battle will turn against us. It seems they’ve run out of hidden cards on their side. Go now. Stop that man.”
“…Understood.”
As a high lord, Count Desmond commanded a vast number of knights. Among them, those with exceptional skills were appointed as his personal guards.
These personal guards, known as the Royal Guard, numbered fifty under Count Desmond’s command.
Their numbers weren’t their only strength. The captain, Lenos, was an advanced knight, while the rest were elite knights of at least mid-tier rank.
To stop Ghislain, Harold had decided to mobilize even these forces, who rarely left their defensive positions.
With a solemn expression, Lenos gave the order.
“Let’s move.”
Clad in gleaming armor, they mounted their horses and charged forward.
By nature, they excelled in tactics designed to protect someone or block an advancing enemy.
With fifty of his Personal Guards, they could subdue even a skilled opponent like Baron Hutton without killing him.
That was why Harold believed that, no matter how skilled Ghislain was, he wouldn’t be able to reach Willow if the Royal Guard intervened.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Desmond’s Personal Guard wasn’t the only force advancing. Emerson, having completely shaken off the kingdom’s pursuit, had begun chasing the Fenris archers.
The archers, realizing this, started retreating, continuing to harass the rear of Desmond’s forces as they withdrew.
Surveying the battlefield, Emerson issued a new order to his lieutenant.
“I’ll give you a thousand troops. Crush the mages in their rear.”
“Understood.”
The lieutenant immediately led a thousand cavalry toward the Fenris mages.
The mages in the rear of Fenris forces were protected by about three hundred guards.
These guards were dressed in tattered gray robes and wielded large greatswords. Their swords, long-handled double-edged blades, were specifically designed to cut down mounted opponents.
As Desmond’s cavalry approached, the guards surrounding the mages began walking slowly toward them.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Desmond’s cavalry tightened their grips on their lances, accelerating with the intent to trample the guards blocking their way.
“What kind of beggars are these, standing in our path?”
The cavalry lieutenant sneered. With numbers like that, breaking through to the mages seemed inevitable.
One of the robed figures stepped forward, glaring at the approaching cavalry.
Walking slowly at first, the figure began to pick up speed, eventually sprinting toward the enemy.
As the gap closed, the cavalry lieutenant shouted loudly, thrusting his lance.
“Die! Foolish bastard!”
Whoosh!
The robed man swung his massive greatsword at the oncoming horse.
Boom!
The lieutenant’s lance didn’t even touch him. Instead, the lieutenant’s body was torn apart along with his horse, flying through the air.
The robed man continued swinging his greatsword, cutting down several more cavalry who followed.
Boom! Boom!
Neighhhh!
As the cavalry at the front fell, the rest of the guards jumped into the fray.
They swung their massive greatswords with brutal efficiency, mercilessly massacring the enemy cavalry.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Aaargh!”
“Who are these guys?!”
“Get out of their way!”
Desmond’s cavalry were cut down one after another. Many who couldn’t stop their charge in time tripped over the growing piles of corpses.
As a brief lull settled over the chaos, the first robed man lazily flipped back his hood, revealing his face.
Brushing back his disheveled red hair, Kaor, the “Ogre Slayer,” gave a cocky grin.
“The great me, making my entrance.”
The robed figures were none other than Kaor and the hunters from the Shadow Mountains, renowned for hunting monsters.