Ch.694Cavalry Battle

Charging a cavalry unit directly against a spearman formation in a tight defensive position was essentially suicidal.

A tightly packed infantry formation with raised spears was like an impenetrable iron wall bristling with hundreds or thousands of spikes. If cavalry charged such a formation head-on, while a cavalry lance might impale one infantryman, several times as many infantry spears would tear through both rider and horse. This was common sense among Westerners.

However, the Black Banner Army of Ibamay shattered this conventional wisdom.

Elite heavy cavalry trained specifically to crush defensive formations head-on. Their thick armor easily deflected the Dane spears, while their heavily armored warhorses broke through the wall of spear points without hesitation, tearing into the formation with teeth and hooves, crushing enemies as they penetrated deep into the defensive line.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Hold the line!”

The knights interspersed among the infantry held their ground against the Black Banner Army, swinging swords and axes in resistance, but ordinary soldiers, despite possessing the power of runes, were helplessly swept away.

“Be trampled to death, just as your ancestors were!”

War Commander Ibamay, leading the Black Banner Army, created a massive breach in the infantry line, and the Champions who charged in behind him tore the breach wider. Through this gap, the Black Banner cavalry rushed forward relentlessly.

“We cannot hold them!”

As a knight turned back to shout desperately, a streak of blood appeared across his neck. A blade wielded by a Black Banner warrior had sliced through his throat.

The helmeted head flew into the air, and the headless body sprayed a fountain of blood while flailing its arms.

The Dane battle line was breaking apart rapidly, like black ink spreading across rice paper.

“You barbarians—!”

The defense force commander, Burgunt, charged toward Ibamay with rage making his beard tremble. Grayish holy light swirled behind him.

Burgunt raised his spear high, creating a whirlwind as he prayed to the war god to grant him a miracle and blessing to defeat the enemy.

The runes of strength and vitality carved on the backs of both his hands glowed, greedily devouring mana from the atmosphere.

“So you’re the commander!”

Ibamay threw his ice spear to counter Burgunt’s opening attack, then pulled out the double-headed axe secured to his saddle.

“Volberg—!”

Burgunt also firmly gripped his axe with both hands and charged toward Ibamay. The war god’s blessing and runic power descended upon his flesh.

The two axes collided with a thunderous crash, sending sparks flying.

—-

“Archers! Concentrate fire on the light cavalry on both flanks! Those with elemental magic runes, target the heavy cavalry’s ankles! Don’t use lightning—it will hit our own troops!”

With Burgunt abandoning his command post to confront Ibamay, another commander shouted hoarsely, trying desperately to reorganize the formation collapsing under the Black Banner Army’s charge.

The battlefield was chaotically terrible, filled with the sounds of galloping hooves, clashing metal, screams, and cries.

The Black Banner Army, having shattered the front line with their lance charge, trampled the Dane infantry while thrusting spears and swinging swords in all directions. The Danes, still reeling from the shock of the collision, were helplessly slaughtered.

“Urgh…!”

“These demon-like bastards—!”

Those with runes that enhanced physical abilities, like the strength rune or acceleration rune, were barely holding on, but they alone couldn’t stop the surging black-armored tide.

“Lord Leif! Enemy light cavalry approaching!”

To make matters worse, while the Black Banner Army threw the Dane front line into chaos, Targiyan’s Red Banner Army, which had circled around both flanks of the formation, was charging toward the rear and sides, raining arrows upon them.

“Now what will you do, blue-eyed bastards!”

Though the Red Banner Army had lost about thirty percent of their forces to the downpour of arrows and magical bombardment, their morale was higher than ever. Perhaps because they witnessed the Black Banner Army trampling the enemy lines without resistance. Or because the Kagan’s eldest son led their vanguard. Or simply because of their savage warrior instincts. The reason didn’t matter.

“Kieeeeeh!”

The Red Banner Army, giving themselves over to the fighting spirit boiling in their chests, galloped in a semicircle, unleashing all their arrows. They didn’t even need to aim properly—if stray arrows hit their allies in the Black Banner Army, the heavy armor would prevent any damage.

With the Black Banner Army pushing from the front and the Red Banner Army showering arrows from the sides and rear, the confused Dane defenders couldn’t perfectly counter either threat.

The chain mail worn by the Danes tore under the arrows, scattering metal links.

“Cavalry! Stop them! Draw them into melee combat somehow!”

Deputy Commander Leif ordered the cavalry positioned at the rear to charge. While they would have been one-sidedly massacred if they had engaged in cavalry combat from the beginning, now that the distance had narrowed sufficiently, they could catch the Red Banner Army before they retreated.

“Dane forever—!”

The Dane cavalry, armed with elongated leaf-shaped shields and lance-swords, charged toward the Red Banner Army as if they had been waiting for this order.

—-

“You dare challenge us to cavalry combat? Madmen.”

Seeing the Dane cavalry charging toward them, Targiyan shook his head slightly in disbelief, mocking them.

“You’ve completely lost your minds, intoxicated by your petty sorcery!”

Though the Red Banner Army had suffered considerable damage from Dane magic, that was only because hundreds of spells had bombarded them from a distance. In close combat like this, magic posed no threat whatsoever.

“Red Banner Army—! Teach these fools how to ride!”

The Red Banner Army thrust their bows into their saddles and drew their lance-swords, charging toward the Dane cavalry. An unhesitating counter-charge. Sharp spear tips extended toward each other. Runic incantations crossed with beast-like roars, followed by the sound of violent collision.

Spear points that instantly shattered shields and armor, emerging from the back. Hot blood stained the spear tips red.

Riders with pierced hearts fell from their horses with death cries. Horses collided head-on and tumbled, while riders with feet caught in stirrups crashed into the ground, breaking their necks. The bodily fluids of the trampled soaked the earth like mud.

Most of it was Dane blood.

“Do you see? This is horsemanship! True horsemanship that your childish play cannot even approach!”

Targiyan, having discarded his broken spear, drew his curved sword and cut down the Dane cavalry’s necks, shouting triumphantly.

At the moment of collision, the Red Banner Army had avoided the Dane spears by lying flat on their horses or jumping up while holding the reins, then counterattacked with their lance-swords despite their unstable positions. It was like acrobatics.

Due to the overwhelming difference in horsemanship, the Danes were almost one-sidedly pushed back despite strengthening themselves with runic power.

Enhancing strength with runes meant nothing if they couldn’t land a hit, and defensive runes couldn’t withstand such power. Only those who had heightened their reaction speed with acceleration runes could barely respond.

“Turn your horses sideways! Draw them back and hunt them down!”

Having broken through the Dane cavalry in the one-sided collision and subsequent melee, the Red Banner Army turned outward as if leaving the battlefield. This was to separate the enemy cavalry from their main force and annihilate them.

The Dane cavalry understood this was Ka’har’s strategy, but they couldn’t afford not to pursue. If they left the Red Banner Army alone, it was all too clear they would circle back and strike the rear of the formation.

“Yes, they’re coming as expected!”

Targiyan looked back at the Dane cavalry charging toward him and raised the corners of his mouth. Everything was going according to his plan.

======[ Orhan ]======

‘Haschal… doesn’t seem to be here.’

Soaring above the city to survey the battle, Orhan confirmed Haschal’s absence.

The imperial forces inside the city were on the verge of defeat, and even the reinforcements that had arrived were being devoured by the Red and Black Banner Armies. If she hadn’t shown herself in such a situation, she must not have been there from the beginning.

‘Then, did she really leave for Ordos?’

For revenge.

Orhan turned his head to look east. If she had really gone to burn the great plains as Ludwig had said… by now, she would have more than destroyed Ordos.

She would have slaughtered Orhan’s wife, children, and all his wife’s blood relatives.

Orhan couldn’t decide whether to consider this fact a tragedy and be angry, or to be proud that his daughter had acquired such capability.

It was a question he simply couldn’t answer.

‘I…’

Just as Orhan’s attention momentarily wavered as he sank into these unanswerable thoughts—

“Where are you looking!”

Joshua’s giant-hunting sword struck Orhan’s body, sending him crashing toward the ground. Orhan fell like a swatted insect. The inner garden overturned with the impact, spewing dirt like a fountain.

“Did you think I’d let you fly away and escape?”

Through the rising dust, Orhan slowly rose from the deep crater, covered in dirt and leaves, baring his teeth.

“…Right. Deciding which path to choose can wait.”

He decided to stop thinking and focus on what needed to be done now. To fulfill his duty as Kagan and lead this war to victory.

“First… I’ll tear you apart.”

His crimson blade, filled with the karma of murder, howled like a dragon as it swept through the air.

======[ Haschal, Several Days Earlier ]======

After defeating Ragnar, the first thing I did was ask Knut to try implanting a healing rune on me.

To recover from the injuries sustained in my battle with Ragnar, and to further enhance my own strength. Since the accumulation of karma had reached its limit, I had no choice but to find another method to become stronger.

Of the four elements that determine a warrior’s strength—attack power, defense, vitality, and recovery—I had already reached the extreme in three. If I could add recovery ability, I would fear no enemy.

However….

“…It doesn’t work.”

I looked down at the back of my left hand and let out a bitter laugh.

The moment the healing rune was carved onto the back of my hand, the flame rune engraved on my wrist emitted heat and burned away the ‘ᛒ’-shaped mark that had settled on my hand. I tried reciting the activation word just in case, but nothing happened.

It wasn’t just the healing rune. Any rune the Danes possessed burned away with heat the moment it was implanted. It was as if the fire mark on my wrist rejected other runes.

“Is it supposed to be like this?”

“Of course not. A runic mark rejecting other runes? I’ve never seen such a thing. So this is why the domination rune didn’t work.”

Knut shook his head with a somewhat surprised expression.

Since neither he nor other rune mages could identify why my mark rejected other runes, I eventually had to abandon my plan to heal myself with a healing rune and instead called for a healing priest to treat my injuries.

Since there were no other religious orders in the capital Edriksaen except the Church of Volberg, it took quite some time to bring in a priest with the miracle of healing.