Barbarian Quest

Chapter 260

Chapter 260

The imperial army needed a decisive move to change the tide of the battlefield. The Porcana-Alliance army launched a full-scale attack, and the right wing under Urich’s command devoured the imperial army from one side as they encircled them. No matter how strong the imperial army was, it would be hard to last if their formation was overwhelmed like that.

‘This is strange.’

Carnius closed his eyes and opened them again. He looked at the right wing of the Porcana-Alliance army.

‘That side has an unusually high morale and breakthrough power. There must be an extraordinary field commander. I remember seeing something like this before....’

Carnius traced his old memories. In his youth, he had fought alongside the Sword Demon Ferzen.

‘Something similar happened whenever the Sword Demon Ferzen led his army at the forefront.’

The legendary knight was not only exceptional in command. There was something indescribable. When he took the field, the soldiers forgot their fear. His mere presence was a halo to the soldiers.

He made his entire army stronger not through logical strategies and tactics but through his mere existence. Such a presence wasn’t something that could be mimicked by anyone. It was as if these people were chosen by the gods, born with such talents.

‘A blessing of the gods.’

Carnius smiled bitterly.

“Bring my horse!”

The cavalry who had gone out returned to change horses. Many horses were injured by the pike phalanx, and the horses that made it out almost collapsed from undergoing two charges.

“Hurry up!”

Supply soldiers and squires moved busily. They took the armor off the horses and put it on other horses.

‘If we don’t break the momentum of that right wing, our front line will be pushed back. We need something that can change this flow.’

Carnius looked at the battlefield while mounted on his horse. The imperial army, which had maintained superiority in an equal standoff, was now unable to properly carry out shift battles while defending the flank. If they got pushed any further, a chaotic battle would ensue, which was exactly what the barbarians wanted.

The pride of the imperial army lay in their discipline, organization, and ability to perfectly maintain formation according to the commander’s tactics. If that collapsed, the imperial infantry would be no more than just slightly better soldiers.

“General, the preparations are complete.”

Carnius nodded. He took the lead on his horse. Two thousand heavy cavalry followed, along with three thousand light cavalry. The heavy and light cavalry combined numbered over five thousand.

The light cavalry were mostly mercenaries or wealthy commoners. While good discipline and combat power couldn’t be expected from them, the number one priority at the moment was increasing the numbers.

“Follow General Carniuuuuus!”

“Long live the Sun!”

“We have Lou’s blessings on our backs!”

The knights shouted to boost morale, but despite their efforts, their morale wasn’t as high as it was for the first and second charges.

‘Their spears are longer than our lances.’

Confronting them head-on was not an option. There was no way to break through the pike phalanx with the current equipment of the imperial army.

Carnius led the cavalry to circle around to the side of the alliance army. His eyes constantly scanned the battlefield.

Thwip!

An arrow came flying from afar. The heavy cavalry that were gradually increasing their speed made good targets.

Most of the steel knights who protected the front and sides of the heavy cavalry had fallen in the previous charge. The light cavalry were fully exposed in the rear ranks, and even many of the heavy cavalry were injured by arrows because they were only protected by their chainmail.

‘Where should we go?’

Carnius bit his lip.

Now that he had actually brought out the cavalry, he couldn’t decide on what to do next. Every direction seemed like a dead end. Even with accumulated experience and knowledge, he couldn’t see a way to break through. The current path was also as good as a dead end.

“General! We’re about to clash!” The adjutant shouted.

The heavy cavalry in front increased their speed. They held their lances at their sides and braced for the imminent impact.

Carnius narrowed his eyes. The world seemed to slow down, just like when a blade was grazing his throat. The lives of thousands of soldiers depended on his judgment.

Buzzzz.

It was a strange feeling, one he had never felt before.

It felt like he could even sense the elasticity of the passing arrows. Sounds were divided and heard in fragments. His eyes were staring at the heat of the battlefield. Indescribable intuitions welled up.

“To the leeeeeeft!” Carnius shouted as he rushed out to the forefront. He pulled the reins hard, changing direction right in front of the alliance army.

“We saw a rare spectacle today. The general was unlike his usual self.”

The knights laughed as they swung their swords in circles. They wouldn’t have followed Carnius’ reckless charge if they were going to be scared now.

“Lou is waiting for us.”

The stranded knights fought with a roar, but no matter how brave, they couldn’t stand against the barbarian warriors and soldiers coming from all directions. The knights all became corpses shortly after.

Carnius moved forward without looking back as if he had turned into an arrow. He had lost even the knights who had served alongside him for a long time.

‘Ah, so this is how you felt, Lord Ferzen.’

Instead of sorrow, laughter came out. In his youth had watched Ferzen’s charges from behind. At first, he thought it was reckless, but as the reckless charges succeeded not just once or twice, it became legendary.

‘There are things you just can’t see until you stand in the spot yourself.’

Carnius had always hesitated to take that one extra step. He never took action unless he could be logically certain. However, there were things that could only be seen by throwing oneself into uncertainty.

At first, he planned to concentrate all the cavalry as the only breakthrough. It was a desperate gamble with the resolve to die. But when he got closer to the alliance army, only then did another path appear. Though he could not be certain, Carnius chose the latter path.

Thud.

Halfway up the hill, the horses fell to their knees out of exhaustion. The horses had carried the armed knights while wearing armor themselves. It was impressive that they were able to endure this far.

Clank, clank.

The dismounted knights ran up the hill. Their hearts felt like they would burst, but they knew this was their last chance.

“Oooooh!”

On top of the hill, Porcana’s heavy cavalry, who were guarding the command, were descending. Five hundred heavy cavalry charged down the hill and clashed with Carnius’ unit.

Bo—om!

Carnius dodged the spear of the charging heavy cavalry and swung his sword long. He broke the horse’s leg, and the knocked-off heavy cavalry had their necks snapped and died.

“Do you think you can beat us with the tactics you stole from us?” Carnius shouted, raising his bloodshot eyes.

The knights faced the heavy cavalry and responded calmly without fear. The difference in skill between the empire and the kingdom was evident here. The highly trained imperial knights were deadly weapons even without their horses. They blocked the attacking heavy cavalry with maces and swords.

The few remaining steel knights even withstood the iron lances with their bodies and survived. The curved surfaces of the steel armor deflected the crude spears to the side. They were able to get away with only broken bones, even with direct hits. The kingdom’s iron lances couldn’t easily penetrate the steel armor.

“My god!” Duke Lungell shouted from the top of the hill upon seeing Porcana’s heavy cavalry being overwhelmed.

Despite holding the advantageous hill, the heavy cavalry fell helplessly. Many of Porcana’s heavy cavalry were only now experiencing mounted charges in actual combat for the first time. They were not as seasoned as the knights of the empire.

“Call back our troops at the front! Quickly!” The nobles shouted, stomping their feet.

No matter how advantageous the situation was for their army, it was all pointless if they died here. The forces they had with them on the hill were a thousand infantrymen, and even their morale was plummeting after seeing the heavy cavalry at the front being defeated so easily.

It was a mistake to commit all their forces to overturn the unfavorable situation. Even the heavy cavalry, believed to be sufficient for protection, powerlessly rolled down the hill.

The number of knights climbing the hill after abandoning their horses was over a thousand at a glance. The blood-soaked imperial knights were more threatening than thousands of soldiers.

“We must flee, Your Highness!”

The nobles hurriedly mounted their horses. They were fully prepared to abandon the command and flee.

“If we abandon this place, who will command the rest of our troops? Even if we survive that way, who will be loyal to us in the future?” Varca spoke calmly.

He tightened the belt of his chainmail. Raising both hands, he donned his helmet adorned with a crown symbol. His blue eyes gleamed beneath the helmet’s shadow.

‘The imperial knights are just as anxious. Our troops who were in formation are already retreating to save us.’

Varca narrowed his eyes, looking at the approaching mountain goat warriors. The agile detachment was coming to save the command.

“The situation is in our favor. Stay calm, guardians of Porcana! Look at them! They are exhausted to the point of stumbling. Their swords will not reach us.”

Varca encouraged the soldiers, stepping forward. His noble appearance was proving its worth. Upon seeing the kingly demeanor bestowed by the heavens, the soldiers prayed as if they were facing Lou himself.

“The enemy has split into two,” a Porcana knight said beside Varca.

Carnius’ unit that was climbing the hill had split up. Half stayed behind to stop the mountain goat warriors while the other half continued to rush up the hill.

Huff, huff.

Wheezing sounds came from among the imperial knights. The exhaled breath was blocked by the helmet and was inhaled back through the nose.

Though exhausted, the imperial knights’ valor was fiercer than ever. The success of the seemingly reckless charge gave them a feeling that the protection of their god was with them.