The battlefield formation gradually became clear to all.
Britonia's knightly army was divided into three parts. The left flank was led by Holy Grail Knight Eisen, with two peasant longbowmen camps in the forefront, Eisen himself leading three hundred knights and seven hundred squires behind on the left. In the center were masses of peasant soldiers, specially selected serf infantry armed with long spears and swords in tight formations.
The right flank was led by Ulysses with five hundred knights and two thousand cavalrymen, with a large group of infantry in front. Ulysses and the five Holy Grail Knights, along with the Lake Spirit Prophet Annara and Earl Karad of Gallamont, were also with him.
The most elite three thousand knights and five thousand squires were positioned before the main army, followed by an elite infantry unit composed entirely of sergeants, with Duke Dalheid himself located in the center.
Dalheid's heir, Aldred, led a reserve force of one thousand behind the main army.
Compared to Britonia's forces, the barbarians under King Egil's command formed several giant squares, a tight shield wall ready to withstand the knights' charge.
The ferocious barbarians formed a strong formation with their shields, but this could not disguise their crude equipment and disorganized ranks. The shield wall was uneven, with many visible gaps.
"Ha! Living in the wastelands, it's already impressive they can form such a line and structure," Dalheid remarked disdainfully, looking at the barbarians' scattered formations.
"My duke, the knights are ready, but charging into the barbarian lines like this will cost us dearly," said Vice Count Ryan, observing the barbarians' formation and speaking to Dalheid: "We should allow the archers to move closer first."
The knightly army slowly advanced, while the barbarians stood firm like boulders.
Masses of archers in loose formations gradually approached the barbarian lines, who did not react, still standing their ground.
Dalheid nodded to Vice Count Ryan, who then charged forward and commanded: "Fire!"
On Eisen's left flank, the archers released arrows towards the barbarian lines on command, while Ulysses on the right flank signaled his troops to hold, ready for any barbarian counterattack.
Amidst heavy snowfall, the narrow Nantz Plains were covered with large patches of snow, with many forests and mountains blanketed in white.
The archers fired at the barbarian army, a dense rain of arrows pouring from the sky onto the barbarian lines.
"Um!" Many barbarians were hit by arrows, screaming in pain, their formation momentarily faltering. A barbarian chieftain stood in the midst of the formation, raising his battle axe: "Do not move! No one moves!"
The poorly equipped barbarian army continued to suffer losses as arrows fell, most barbarians only wearing simple leather armor and using ordinary shields that were inadequate against the arrows, primarily designed for close combat.
Naturally, the barbarians did not just suffer passively. Many axe-throwers and javelineers retaliated with spears and flying axes, dealing heavy blows to the peasant archers, who were mostly dressed lightly and shivering in the cold, falling instantly when struck.
Dalheid watched with indifference, signaling the knights to prepare.
The horses neighed, hooves sliding on the ground as the knights lined up, ready for action.
After three volleys, many peasant archers were frozen stiff, and the exchange with the barbarians took a heavy toll on them, many weakened by the intense cold.
The barbarian lines began to wobble after the three volleys.
"The moment has come! Knights! For the Lady! For Britonia! Forward!!!" Dalheid raised his lance, shouting loudly.
"Forward!" Nearly ten thousand heavy cavalry began to move, starting at a walk and then charging.
Dalheid took a deep breath, the Duke of Lyonnesse closing his eyes, listening to the sounds of the battlefield.
The sounds of snow engulfing the battlefield, the sounds of hooves on the plain, the heavy breathing of the barbarians, the sounds of Britonia and northern barbarians entering the fray.
That was the sound of war!
Dalheid held the lion lance, the weapon of the first Holy Grail Knight and the first Duke of Lyonnesse, Shilruf, listening to the knights' furious roars.
Skarlins, Egil, the pain you've brought to Lyonnesse, the suffering—you will taste the fury of the Britonians today!
"The entire army! Forward!" The white banner of Shilruf fluttered in the air as Britonia's knights rolled over the plain like thundering thunder, charging with unmatched fury toward the barbarian army: "Our goal is Egil's head!"
"Forward!!!" The knights surged through the field like a tempest, charging directly into the
first line of the disorganized, demoralized barbarian forces, who desperately raised their shields to resist the unstoppable knightly charge.
Britonia's knights quickly demonstrated the power of the Old World's mightiest knights. As the first champion knight broke into the barbarian lines, spearing a barbarian through the chest with his lance, the knights flooded into the barbarian ranks like a tide.
"Fight!"
"Forward!"
"For the Lady!"
"Crack, crack!" The sounds of dense lances breaking echoed within the first line of the barbarian forces. Hundreds of barbarians fell instantly under the knights' charge, the rest being crushed by the powerful impact, the barbarian raiders falling in droves.
"This is revenge from Lyonnesse!" Ryan shouted as he charged, throwing away his shattered lance, drawing his sword from his waist, and calling out: "Don't stop, continue the charge!"
"Forward!" The knights roared, bringing death to the barbarians.
Yet the barbarians showed little fear, even as they were overrun by the knights, many barbarians were kicked into the air by the warhorses, their heads smashed. The remaining barbarians gathered like ants around the knights, swinging their battle axes, desperately slowing the knights' charge.
The knights' charge was devastating, but when the barbarians' morale was not affected by the impact, numbers were no longer a problem. Almost every barbarian seemed madly to converge on the knights, chanting the slogans of the four gods of chaos.
This might be one of their few chances to catch the attention of the evil gods. The barbarians did not fear death; they feared dying namelessly.
Count Ryan quickly realized the barbarians' plan.
The knights began to change formation; they could no longer afford to be bogged down in fighting and had to continue their charge.
Otherwise, once the momentum was lost, the knights would lose their advantage.
In the barbarian center, Egil watched as the knights charged towards him, the King of Skarlins revealing a bloodthirsty grin as he turned to the Chaos Dwarf Lord Zumarah: "Fire."
Zumarah responded with a cruel smile: "Since you command it, fire it is."
"Release what we've prepared!" Egil then ordered his foster son, the Chaos Sorcerer Chakoy.
Chakoy bowed: "Fire!"
Hundreds of Chaos Warhounds were released on the sorcerer's command, charging directly at the first line of the barbarian formation.
The grotesque warhounds, faces covered in bumps and tumors, were released from cages, madly rushing in front of the knights, nimbly dodging the lances aimed at them.
These warhounds didn't target the knights atop their horses; they attacked the horses directly.
"Ah!" A knight's warhorse was attacked by a warhound, rearing up in fright then falling, throwing the knight to the ground where several barbarian warriors quickly finished him with their axes.
With the warhounds' attack, the barbarian forces tightened their grip, and the first wave of knights fell into a dire situation.
Dalheid immediately realized the knights' charge was faltering and signaled to Holy Grail Knight Eisen: "Continue the attack!"
"Knights! Follow me!" Eisen, seeing this, led the remaining knights to charge into the barbarian ranks.
This move caused immense pressure on the first line of barbarians, which began to collapse. Holy Grail Knight Eisen, riding his elven warhorse, his sword flashing up and down, slaughtered masses of barbarians. Before the Holy Grail Knight, the barbarians' vaunted valor shattered.
"I am Chief Roler of the Balder Tribe, Holy Grail Knight, what is your name?" A barbarian champion raised his axe, challenging Holy Grail Knight Eisen.
"I am Holy Grail Knight Eisen." Eisen swung his sword, splitting two Chaos Warhounds in half.
"I am here, do you wish to take my head?"
"More than willing!"
Three minutes later, as Chief Roler fell to Holy Grail Knight Eisen, the first line of the barbarian army finally collapsed.
At this moment, the grey sky lit up with two deep red beams.
The barbarian center, Egil, looked at the battlefield with a cold smirk.
The first line of barbarians was bait, consisting of the old, sick, and warriors from minor tribes. Egil did not care about these individuals.
Now, the Hell Cannon of Chaos roared loudly, groups of peasants screaming as they were stuffed into the red-hot cannon barrel, serving as cannon fodder.
Feeding on human flesh and souls, the demon sealed within the Hell Cannon issued a satisfied sound, and then, as everyone on the battlefield saw, two deep red beams rose into the sky and fell towards the embattled first line of barbarians.
The Wrath of the Demon exploded indiscriminately within the barbarian lines.
The blast directly hit hundreds of knights and thousands of barbarians,
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