Chapter 96: War of Madness (III)
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"What is that?!"
"What's going on?!"
"Enemies! Enemies!!!"
Chaos, madness, and cruelty—the bloated army of the Germanic peoples resembled an aging African elephant. Despite their massive bodies, their movements were unusually sluggish, and their reaction speed was slower than ever.
In the camp, dirtier and more disorderly than a slum, the Germanic peoples scattered like headless flies after the sudden attack.
Considering the Germanic peoples' barbaric nature and way of life, almost every adult male was a qualified warrior.
However, being a qualified warrior didn't make them qualified soldiers.
They lacked training, didn't understand military orders, and had no organization.
When Artorius's cavalry surged forward, many tribesmen panicked and fled, but there were also brave souls who raised their weapons to resist. However, against the elite, heavily armored, and magecraft-empowered cavalry charge, the effectiveness of individual light infantry in countering the attack was close to zero.
Swords and lances, horseshoes and crossbows—Artorius's forces possessed the most formidable cavalry in Europe. In the blink of an eye, they wrought endless slaughter as they charged into the enemy camp.
But besides futile deaths, they achieved little else.
Cold steel, blazing magic swords, monstrous warhorses, and heroic warriors.
Severe discipline, fervent beliefs, boundless magical energy, and equestrian tactics honed over a millennium.
All of it combined to form the 'Last Divine Legion', a terrifying force unmatched in combat.
They swept all before them.
Bodies, flesh, and debris.
"Do not linger in battle—charge and press forward!"
""OOOHHH!!!""
Artorius's furious roar resounded throughout the legion. The knights responded with thunderous enthusiasm, rolling forward like an unstoppable torrent.
The cavalry crushed all opposition in their path, penetrating deep into the heart of the Frankish camp.
Only then did Artorius encounter true resistance.
After easily mowing down scattered groups of skirmishers, the cavalry faced a wall of shields.
Countless Germanic warriors in black armor stood before Artorius. They held long spears and large shields, clad in wolf skins, with resolute expressions and cold gazes. Shoulder to shoulder, shields stacked upon shields, spears raised high, they formed a formidable defense line.
The druids and priests wearing deer-horned helmets and wielding oak staffs, hailing from the North and the Slavic lands, frantically worked behind the shield wall. Sinister magecraft scattered from blood sacrifices and life force, empowering these elite Germanic warriors with magecraft barriers.
This was Clovis's Royal Guard! An elite unit comprised of Germanic nobles' descendants! Their number surpassed ten thousand!
This shield wall tactic was one of the infantry tactics learned from the Romans by the Germanic peoples. From that time to hundreds of years later, infantry formations with large shields and long spears were always exceptional and powerful.
They halted the Viking onslaught at Stamford Bridge. They resisted Arab and Egyptian cavalry during the Crusades and the Battle of Poitiers. For thousands of years to come, they remained the dominant infantry tactic, withstanding countless cavalry and steel. Until the rise of the Long Pike formations, which eventually replaced them.
However, now...
They couldn't stop Artorius Pendragon.
"Use light beam."
Among the cavalry group, commanded by Tristan in charge of the mounted archers, after a disappointing round of magic bowshots, Artorius issued the following command.
Shortly after, led by Artoria wielding the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad and Mordred wielding Clarent, the knights rode forward. They were equipped with the Pure White Sword and Icy Blue Lance mass-produced by the Third Magic.
Blinding frosty light beams illuminated the night sky.
Hundreds of light beams, targeting the enemy formation, fired simultaneously. The magecraft barriers of the Germanic druids and priests were easily shattered like eggshells. Thousands of elite Germanic warriors turned into ashes in an instant.
At that moment, the world fell silent.
Fate shifted.
Artorius Pendragon gained the upper hand.
When the strongest 'shield' of the Franks fell beneath the mightiest 'spear' of Artorius, only one last batch of enemies remained, standing between the two rulers of this world.
"ARTORIUS!!!"
Before a tent, Clovis, King of the Franks and also known as the Wolf King and King of Barbarians, roared thunderously with his wolf-like eyes.
He had killed anyone who tried to persuade him to retreat, escape, or surrender. Without hesitation, he mounted his warhorse, raised two swords in his hands, and charged furiously toward Artorius's location.
Even at this critical moment, even when the situation was at its most perilous, he refused to give up.
His royal guards were losing, and tens of thousands of cannon fodder and miscellaneous troops were in disarray. The once flattering Germanic chieftains now had different intentions.
It was not difficult to imagine that once he was defeated, even if not killed, those chieftains would switch sides immediately. They would kneel before the Governor of the Germanic Military Region and then hunt him down with a fiercer, more insane attitude than now.
"I will never accept it!"
"I will never accept it!!!"
"Fate is on my side!"
"I am the King of Europe!!!"
Clovis roared in madness while wielding two swords—Holy Sword Durandal and Golden Sword Joyeuse. These two famous swords, deeply connected to the legends of Charlemagne and the Franks, greatly enhanced Clovis's power.
In the world of TYPE-MOON (Nasuverse), Artorius had no way of knowing whether Clovis had possessed these two swords or if the Counter Force was meddling with events.
But it didn't matter.
What mattered was that the Wolf King had led his troops and launched a charge against Artorius.
The Royal Guards clad in black plate armor stood united around their king, clashing fiercely against the Knights of the Round Table donning frost-silver plate armor, who formed the vanguard of the cavalry group.
The collision between the two forces was like pouring strong acid into boiling water, igniting the pinnacle of this battle in an instant.
When their lances broke, they turned to swords, knives, or bows with enchanted arrows, slashing through the air and exchanging fierce blows. The once-invincible Knights of the Round Table suddenly found themselves embroiled in a bitter and intense struggle.
The eight hundred Clovis's Royal Guards were indeed dwindling in numbers, facing the superior Knights of the Round Table, they were at a disadvantage. But with the help of Germanic berserkers charging from both sides and other troops of the Franks, they managed to hold their ground against Artorius's fierce onslaught.
Amidst the chaotic battle, Artorius wielded Gae Bolg and moved with his horse as if he were in an empty space, instantly slaying any enemies who appeared before him. However, being embroiled in the melee, he couldn't unleash his sword beam to kill from afar. Thus, even with his astonishing martial prowess, he couldn't change the course of the battle.
Unless—
"Artorius!!! Where are you?! You mongrel!"
Clovis continued to rage, his voice causing tree branches to shiver, and Artorius locked onto him immediately.
'Clovis... killing him will lead to victory.'
With that thought in mind, Artorius didn't hesitate and urged his horse forward.
"Artorius!"
At the same time, Clovis also locked eyes with him.
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