Chapter 248

Hersela’s idea seemed to work well, at least until the enemy knights were thrown into confusion.

If we could intimidate the enemy soldiers into surrendering like this, maybe we could end this war with minimal sacrifices.

Not just me, but all the allied commanders must have thought the same.

However, the sense of relief was short-lived.

Isabella and the human trash under her command used an unexpected method to drag this fight into the mud.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

A scream closer to a wail than a battle cry.

Conscript soldiers, barely dressed in padded clothing, charged like a swarm toward their deaths.

Their pale faces streaked with tears, running desperately, was eerie and downright horrifying.

Behind them, the regular troops—now reduced to less than five thousand—were pushed forward by a rain of arrows fired from behind, forcing them to advance.

They had no choice. Those who resisted or tried to flee were being shot down mercilessly.

These lunatics, forcing their own soldiers to the battlefield by killing them? Even though they know they can’t win?

These damn bastards…!

The holy light enveloping my body faded as if being devoured.

The rising anger greedily consumed the blessing’s light, rapidly restoring the energy I had lost.

“You sons of biiiitches!”

The pent-up frustration erupted, carrying a murderous intent.

=============

Ironically, it was Ernst’s knights who were now thrown into confusion.

They had been seriously considering surrender, but the conscript soldiers, whom they hadn’t expected much from, were charging forward with a desperate ferocity.

It didn’t look like they were running to surrender to Leopold’s forces… If this continued, they’d be pushed into the chaos of close combat.

Surrender or fight. There was no time to think carefully.

Leopold’s medium cavalry, interpreting the conscripts’ advance as resistance, would charge at them soon. They had to make a decision before that.

Fear seeped into their hearts like fog, while loyalty and survival clashed in their minds.

Their thoughts, as chaotic as the rapidly changing battlefield, came to different conclusions.

“I will take the right path! Those who value honor, follow me!”

One knight threw down his lance and turned his horse.

Even if they wanted to surrender, approaching Leopold’s forces like this could be mistaken for an attack, so he decided to leave the battlefield entirely.

He spoke of the right path and honor, but in reality, it was just a desperate attempt to avoid a meaningless death.

A group of knights followed him, breaking formation.

The limits of a war without cause. They found no value in sacrificing their lives on this battlefield.

Faced with a lord driving them to a worthless death, even the loyalty they had been brainwashed into began to waver.

Knights were human, after all.

“Running away in fear of death, yet talking about honor? You coward, how dare you spout such nonsense!”

Some knights shouted in protest.

But their cries elicited no response.

They criticized the cowardice of those fleeing, but in truth, those who remained were the ones who, even if they surrendered, had too many sins to escape punishment.

The number of deserters grew. The knights’ formation was in disarray.

“Leave those who have laid down their weapons! Target only those who resist!”

“All medium cavalry, prepare to charge! As Elpinel wills it, annihilate every last servant of the witch!”

As if driving a wedge into the wavering knights, Leopold’s forces finally issued the attack order.

The medium cavalry, which had been advancing slowly, spurred their horses and picked up speed.

The sound of hooves thundered like a storm. Lances fixed to their armor gleamed like white foam on waves.

The excited warhorses foamed at the mouth as they charged, ready to trample and crush anything in their path.

“Damn it…! Grab your spears! We charge too! Fight for your lord, for His Highness Ernst!”

There was no turning back now.

Stopping would mean being trampled by Leopold’s medium cavalry.

The remaining two thousand cavalry of Ernst’s forces charged forward. Just as Isabella had intended.

With their rear blocked by a wall of people, their only way to survive was to push forward.

The clash was inevitable.

The catastrophe was right before their eyes.

And then,

The violent collision of steel tides roared as they shattered.

—-

The head-on collision of thousands of medium cavalry.

It was like watching meteors crash into each other.

The tips of their lances, concentrated with speed and weight. The leading cavalry were thrown off their horses by the overwhelming impact.

While knights might have been different, the lances of ordinary medium cavalry could dent steel armor but weren’t strong enough to pierce it like paper.

Still, it was enough to unhorse their opponents.

Screams, wails, battle cries, and shouts were crushed under the hooves.

Those who fell from their horses…

If that was it, then it was over. Even a master-level knight wouldn’t survive under thousands of hooves, let alone others.

Armor crumpled, bones shattered, necks twisted.

In just one clash, hundreds of lives vanished like bubbles.

Leopold’s medium cavalry also suffered some losses, but the majority of the fallen cavalry were from Ernst’s side.

It was an expected outcome.

Morale was low, formations were scattered, and the enemy was blessed by priests.

On top of that, they had the numerical advantage.

Because so many had fled, Ernst’s cavalry didn’t even reach 60% of Leopold’s.

Desperately charging wouldn’t lead to victory.

“Draw your swords! We’ll annihilate them all!”

Someone’s command echoed loudly.

The tangled cavalrymen, without hesitation, dropped their spears and drew their weapons, plunging into a chaotic melee.

Lance charges were meant to break the enemy’s front and deliver a shock.

Against infantry, maybe, but against other medium cavalry, a single charge wouldn’t wipe them out.

Swords, axes, and maces flew everywhere, harvesting lives.

Knights crushed enemies in their armor, while less skilled cavalrymen aimed for gaps in the heavy armor, thrusting with sharp blades.

A muddy melee. Screams and death spread in all directions.

Once the close combat began, the scales of the battlefield tipped rapidly.

For every Leopold cavalryman who fell, about three Ernst soldiers were cut down.

Their skills were similar, but the priests’ blessings truly shone in this chaos, not in the charge.

The blessings restored stamina, enhanced strength, and reduced injuries, making Leopold’s forces twice as strong as they normally would be.

Moreover, the difference in high-tier combatants was overwhelming.

Leopold’s medium cavalry had thirteen masters.

They discarded their lances, drew their beloved weapons, and crushed the enemy like splitting bamboo.

A swung greatsword felled two or three at once, and those pierced by spear tips writhed in agony.

Hayden wielded twin swords, cutting down enemies as he advanced, while Richard bombarded with holy spears conjured in mid-air.

Ernst’s side had a few masters too, but they were too busy saving their own skins.

Since the masters originally at the front of the cavalry had all been killed, only three remained.

They were like hunted rabbits.

No, their situation was even more precarious.

The undisputed strongest swordswoman in the empire was charging at them, radiating a ferocious killing intent.

============

Damn it.

Cursing, I swung my right hand.

Durandal’s blade, extending like lightning, cleaved through a knight’s body, armor and all.

I yanked the spear from the fallen man, scattering his entrails, and hurled it.

The thrown spear pierced through medium cavalrymen like a skewer.

In the face of this inevitable clash, my options were limited.

Without slowing my charge, I cut down every enemy in sight, smashed everything within reach, and pressed forward.

No one could stand in my way.

The radius around my sword was now eerily empty.

Even those who had been spared earlier were now scrambling to get out of range instead of blocking my path.

“Those who want to die so badly, why aren’t they charging?!”

Tendrils of life force erupted like waves, tearing apart the knights who had tried to keep their distance.

Horses and riders fell together, scattering entrails as they collapsed.

I didn’t stop running. There was no time.

If this chaos dragged on, the conscript soldiers approaching would join the fray.

If that happened, an unprecedented massacre would unfold.

Sparing the conscripts’ lives was only my and Lacey’s wish. Others argued that even if they were conscripts, if they resisted to the end, they had to be annihilated.

…It wasn’t wrong, so I couldn’t argue against it.