Chapter 89. The Wind Blows (1)
“From now on, I will hand over the command to Sir Magnus.”
Blanc respected the experience and strong soul Magnus possessed.
Although the commander of the detached force was Blanc currently, he acknowledged Magnus' ability as far as cavalry warfare was concerned and handed over full authority to him.
Magnus was surprised at Blanc’s unconventional decision but felt once again that the vessel he possessed was extraordinary.
The Quiesco Cavalry watching that scene was also deeply impressed seeing Blanc handing over the commander’s flag to Magnus.
Because it was proof that he trusted them that much.
Since it was the world of knights to offer even their lives to those who trusted them.
Blanc’s trust was making the morale of the Quiesco Cavalry soar as much as when they broke through Gartaria’s soldiers.
“……I will bring you victory.”
Magnus vowed certain victory for Blanc who trusted him and the Quiesco Cavalry.
“Deploy the formation we practiced!”
The Quiesco Cavalry deployed the formation they had prepared from the meadow of Bronberg against the allied forces’ cavalry.
According to Magnus' instruction, the Quiesco Cavalry assumed a movement of two columns.
“Welcome the approaching enemies!”
The Quiesco Cavalry raised the broken banner high.
For the Princess of the ruined nation, the refugees, and the War Lord Blanc Cadmus who trusted them.
CLACK.
***
“Column formation?”
Arcosi, the cavalry captain of the allied forces, could not hide his bewilderment seeing the formation of the Quiesco Cavalry running toward them.
Due to the characteristic of cavalry prioritizing charge, the basic formation was a wedge formation, but the Quiesco Cavalry was taking a formation of 2 columns as if holding a military parade, ignoring such common sense.
Next to Arcosi who was puzzled, an adjutant reported.
“The enemies are not holding spears!”
As the adjutant next to him said, the Quiesco Cavalry running opposite them was holding something dark instead of long lances.
‘Is it crossbows!’
Arcosi, finally noticing Magnus' trick.
However, he only snorted and ridiculed Magnus.
‘To give up charge tactics to utilize crossbows!’
Crossbows had excellent penetration power and often pierced armor easily, but in terms of stopping power, they were objects that were not very effective.
Moreover, since it was a weapon with very poor rate of fire, if they just withstood the arrows fired for the first time, it was obvious they would become useless in a situation like now.
“Beware of flying crossbows! Just avoid fatal wounds somehow!”
In other words, if they didn't inflict crushing damage to the allied forces in the first shooting, the Quiesco Cavalry holding meager weapons would have no way to resist them.
‘I don’t know what they are plotting, but eventually, it will be nothing more than a stopgap measure to escape the situation!’
Arcosi ridiculed Magnus' incomprehensible strategy and encouraged the allied forces’ charge even more.
“Victory is before our eyes!”
The Quiesco Cavalry was not equipped properly, and their number was not even half of theirs.
The allied forces’ cavalry was confident of victory and charged with all their might, but.
At that moment.
There was something glittering flying in front of Arcosi.
‘……!’
Arcosi tilted his head back and barely avoided it before checking what it was, and.
POOF-!
The thing he avoided flew to the soldier running right behind him and made a small explosion.
The pitiful cavalryman who received the glittering thing instead of him collapsed without being able to scream properly.
‘What is that!’
Not only Arcosi, the cavalry captain, but all cavalrymen around were startled at the explosion that happened just now.
Although only one cavalryman who received the glittering thing directly fell behind because it was a small explosion.
That explosion scattered the cavalry’s concentration and created a gap of a very short moment, and.
“The enemy is splitting!”
The Quiesco Cavalry turned the direction they were charging just before colliding with the allied forces’ cavalry and split into two forks.
It was a fluid evasion maneuver unbelievable even seeing right in front.
“……!”
The allied forces’ cavalry which lost the target instantly ran forward in vain, and.
Something dark was fired and flew from the Quiesco Cavalry passing by crossing them naturally.
“Protect your vital points!”
Volleys of bolts flying to both sides of the allied forces.
As the charge just now failed, the allied forces’ cavalry had no choice but to receive the volley of bolts intact.
However, Arcosi had already expected Quiesco to fly crossbows and requested caution from soldiers.
“Done!”
The allied forces succeeded in withstanding the first attack that would come most intensely by crossbows without difficulty.
Now if they didn't give time to reload crossbows, their plan would turn into bubbles.
“Charge!”
From now on, it was the turn for the allied forces’ counterattack to begin.
However.
The war situation was turning out completely different from Arcosi’s thought.
***
“Didn’t you say it could blow away ten people without problem?”
“Life is always unpredictable.”
Blanc’s stratagem to create a big variable using Franz’s last remaining reagent ended in failure.
However, even if it was a dud, it slightly disturbed the advance of the allied forces’ cavalry, so the Quiesco Cavalry could perform evasion maneuvers much more easily.
“By the way, I really like this crossbow!”
In Franz’s hand was held a repeating crossbow Dwarf Duven made.
The race called mages were originally people full of curiosity about new things.
“Should I say it fills my empty heart as empty as the empty reagent bottle a little?”
“The Knights leave the battlefield!”
Blanc ignored Franz’s words and led Cadmus and Tolome Knights to leave the battlefield as planned with Magnus previously.
Because they should not interfere with the Quiesco Cavalry who had matched coordination for a long time.
“We wait for the time!”
And Magnus would create the time for them.
While Blanc led the knights and left the battlefield like that.
“They split again!”
“Damn it! Damn it!”
Arcosi could not hold back the anger boiling from deep inside his chest and spat out curses.
Since the fight of cavalry versus cavalry was supposed to decide victory through frontal charge between each other, the current situation was far from that.
The Quiesco Cavalry dodging them here and there as if playing hide-and-seek.
Now they seemed to have given up even maintaining formation altogether and were maximizing space utilizing the wide plain fully.
The Quiesco Cavalry circling around them and continuously shooting crossbows.
“Chase the other guys! Do not be dazzled by the commander’s flag in front of your eyes!”
Arcosi realized that Magnus acted as bait himself to lure them, turned the horse’s head, and rushed toward the Quiesco Cavalry group gathered elsewhere.
However, they also dissolved the formations they possessed without any lingering attachment and scattered in all directions.
And amidst that, the black volleys of bolts flying without fail.
“What kind of crossbow reloads continuously!”
Arcosi felt like he would go insane at the situation he experienced for the first time and the screams of ally cavalrymen constantly heard from the side.
Even standing on the ground, reloading a crossbow was difficult, but doing it while riding a horse and simultaneously dodging their attacks?
It was truly nonsense.
However, the constantly flying black bolts.
CLACK.
Bolts flew in constantly and lightly pierced the armor of ally cavalrymen and horses, creating deep wounds difficult to heal.
“They split again!”
“UWAAAA!”
Arcosi believed that only the heavy charge of themselves, heavy cavalry, could reverse this situation.
If they succeeded in just a single charge, they could inflict crushing damage to the Quiesco Cavalry who were light cavalry.
Therefore, they chased Magnus whom they thought was the enemy’s main force and tried to trample them, but.
The Quiesco Cavalry maintained a distance where their attacks seemed to reach but didn't, continuously nullifying their charges.
It was a maneuver possible because they didn't have a limited battlefield.
Seeing such movements of the Quiesco Cavalry, Arcosi felt like he was falling deeper into a swamp.
‘Magnus Dugar!’
The cavalry captain is like a legend with a scar of glory.
Arcosi gritted his teeth and looked at Magnus looking at him from a breathtaking distance.
The Quiesco Cavalry nullifying the allied forces’ charge with only evasion maneuvers without an inch of error.
And the cavalry captain named Magnus Dugar making that possible.
Even though they didn't even attempt the single point breakthrough they boasted of, damage was accumulating on the allied forces’ cavalry.
“The horses are getting tired!”
“Damn it!”
If only they could change horses and continue to charge, damage wouldn't have accumulated to this extent.
However, now was a battle solely between cavalry and cavalry, so there was no leeway to change horses.
The warhorses of the allied forces carrying heavy barding and even armored cavalrymen were getting tired quickly.
‘We’ve been having…….’
The horse he was riding was also foaming white at the mouth, and its stamina dropping was visible.
“All forces! Retreat!”
Arcosi realized only now that he had fallen into the trap Magnus dug.
Shining honor placed on the broken banner belonged only to those qualified.
It was not something a pack of jackals blinded by victory dare covet.
However, Arcosi’s realization was too late.
Magnus' glorious scar distorted as he noticed Arcosi trying to retreat.
As if that was a signal flare, the Quiesco Cavalry suddenly reversed and surrounded them in an instant, aiming crossbows.
The Quiesco Cavalry revealed their fierce true colors.
They utilized the unique agility of light cavalry to surround the allied forces trying to flee from both sides in an instant and thrust crossbows.
CLACK.
“Increase speed!”
Arcosi ordered full speed to escape Quiesco’s attack, but.
The horses of the allied forces were already exhausted to the limit, and even the armors that used to block bolts were in tatters due to the attacks meanwhile.
“AAAAAH!”
“Captain!”
The allied forces’ cavalry had no choice but to accept the poison stings bees shot intact.
‘Damn it!’
Arcosi could not come to his senses at the war situation reversed despairingly in an instant.
He was only running toward the entrance of the plain visible far away with only the thought that he had to escape the plain somehow.
So he did not see.
That Magnus' commander flag was pointing somewhere.
And that a series of knights receiving that signal were coming down riding the hill.
“Barzio! Pierce them!”
The knight who lost honor and transcended death burned his eyes white.
He rode a horse and rushed, unsparingly throwing his solid and heavy body to strike the flank of the allied forces’ cavalry strongly.
“AAAAAH!”
“This crazy bastard!”
An ignorant body slam charge like a suicide attack as if prepared for death.
However, that attack deviating from the orbit of common sense stuck into the flank of the allied forces too effectively.
Soldiers of the allied forces who couldn't handle that shock soared high into the sky with horses and scattered here and there screaming.
“Knights! Charge!”
Knights of Cadmus and Tolome receiving Blanc’s instruction wrapped Aura on their swords and charged, breaking the small gap Barzio pierced.
The allied forces’ cavalry staggering instantly at the formidable power the knights emitted.
‘We were stabbed exactly in the flank!’
Arcosi knew that Blanc’s knights charged at the allied forces occupying the timing and position too accurately.
For this to be possible, it would be impossible unless it was a commander with outstanding ability.
“Magnus Duga—r!”
The cavalry captain using a broken banner as the commander’s flag.
He was commanding the battlefield.
He drove them here.
The cavalry captain with a scar of glory put down the crossbow as if the time had come, drew his sword, and shouted.
“Remember that time always! The time when our castle walls were burning!”
Magnus' scar distorted.
“Now it is our turn to burn! For Quiesco!”
“For Quiesco!”
The Quiesco Cavalry drew swords and rushed, striking the rear of the allied forces.
“Strike the Gartaria bastards to death!”
“Avenge our compatriots!”
The single point breakthrough the Quiesco Cavalry boasted of creating a ray of light was realized.
“AAAAAH!”
“Enemies are striking the rear!”
Cavalry that lost mobility is no longer cavalry.
The charge of the Quiesco Cavalry, sharply forged containing the sorrow and anger of the ruined nation on top of the skill and experience they possessed, was not something the allied forces who lost fighting spirit dare receive.
“AAAAAH!”
Soldiers of the allied forces were disappearing one by one into the dust cloud the Quiesco Cavalry created.
The fishy smell of blood felt even in the acrid dust.
Arcosi realized that his surroundings were covered fully in dust before he knew it.
Screams of subordinates full of pain heard from within it.
“I, I must go. I must go.”
Arcosi lost fighting spirit and tried to turn back, ignoring their screams.
However, at that moment.
There were two rays of blue light rushing in front of him.
That thing rushing soundlessly from beyond the dust was fast and strong, and above all, had no presence.
Just like death.
“Kugh!”
Arcosi rolled off the horse feeling something sharp digging into his abdomen roughly.
“Keheok! Hah!”
Sound of horse hooves ringing on the ground was surrounding him.
It felt like the world was shaking.
“Ha, hah. Kugh.”
Arcosi lowered his gaze and looked down at his abdomen.
It was a flag.
“……Kamora?”
And it was the flag of Kamora, the family he belonged to.
It was piercing his abdomen.
“Eventually Kamora kills you.”
Through the dust starting to settle slowly, someone was walking.
“Who are you!”
Arcosi pulled out the sword from his waist and raised it toward the unidentified person.
A young man with black hair.
Behind him, a giant wearing black armor was following holding a flag making clanking sounds.
It was a flag engraved with the crest of a black wolf.
“You should already know who I am.”
Blue eyes that shone in the dust were looking at him.
“Blanc Cadmus…….”
The knight who rose from ashes and brought death.
“Knight of Baron Kamora. Arcosi.”
The black wolf approached him slowly holding two flags in both hands.
“You have to convey my words.”
The two flags the black wolf was holding were of Langketa and Vicious.
“Wh, what do you mean.”
The man in front of Arcosi now was not Blanc Cadmus.
It was not a look that a mere sixteen-year-old could have.
“Deliver death.”
It was death.
Inevitable.
Full of malice.
But righteous.
In Arcosi’s body where death brushed past, three families settled simultaneously.