The angels weren't spared either. One by one, they collapsed, blood gushing from their mouths. Only the bearded angel in the center remained upright. He looked solemn, towering over the other angels. Dressed in full armor, his sword looked exceptionally long and sharp, clearly top-tier gear.
The angel used his shield to shove back two charging minotaurs. The minotaurs and their riders crashed to the ground and couldn't get up for a long time, clearly badly hurt.
The other minotaurs quickly recovered and prepared to charge again. Linley quickly shouted, "Form up the cavalry!"
The followers quickly jumped back onto the minotaurs' backs and immediately felt their strength return. Linley's Dionysus Cavalry skill could significantly boost his followers' attack, defense, and speed. Though minotaurs weren't typical mounts, they had no other option in this situation. Linley had to take a risk, and it fortunately succeeded.
Minotaurs were naturally incredibly strong, and carrying a rider didn't faze them. With the Dionysus Cavalry skill, their combat power skyrocketed, enabling them to swiftly catch and kill the fleeing Roman soldiers.
Seeing his followers reformed as cavalry, Linley decisively commanded, "Charge!"
Riding Brutus, Linley led the charge at the bearded angel, pulling out a grapevine slingshot, loading it with a mermaid's tear, and taking aim. The bearded angel, who had been focused on Brutus, was startled when he saw the mermaid's tear coming and quickly raised his shield. With a soft thud, the mermaid's tear punched a small hole through the shield.
The shield fell to the ground, revealing the bearded angel's figure. A mermaid's tear was deeply embedded in his forehead, with blood flowing profusely. Deprived of divine power, the slingshot's lethality was greatly reduced, and since the bearded angel was much stronger than the previous angels, it failed to penetrate.
The bearded angel was severely injured. Brutus rushed forward and rammed into the bearded angel, lifting him up. The bearded angel's longsword fell from his hand, and he grabbed Brutus's horns instead, forcefully throwing Brutus to the ground, then headbutting Linley.
Linley performed a backflip off Brutus, shooting a second mermaid's tear in mid-air. This mermaid's tear accurately shot into the bearded angel's left eye, penetrating his head.
The bearded angel fell to the ground but sat up again, found his longsword, and threw it at Linley. Brutus punched the bearded angel's head, and the bearded angel grabbed Brutus in return, pinning him down as the two wrestled.
Linley looked up and saw that the Roman soldiers had reformed into a solid phalanx, with the angels standing in the front row. The Dionysus followers were also ready. Linley waved his hand and commanded, "Onward!"
The Minotaurs charged headlong, as the Roman soldiers raised their shield wall to shield the angels' bodies. The angels swung their long swords, stabbing at the Minotaurs. Linley shouted, "Jump over them!"
The Minotaur warriors charged forward with valor. The foremost tall Minotaur leapt into the air, vaulting over the angels' defensive line and landing squarely in the enemy formation. He unleashed a flurry of horn thrusts, headbutts, sword strikes, and stomps, instantly causing massive casualties. The furious angels immediately charged into the formation, trying to hunt down the Minotaurs, but their actions only further disrupted the formation.
More Minotaur cavalry seized the opportunity to charge in, continuing to slay their enemies.
Seeing the dire situation, the golden-bearded bishop was preparing to cast his next divine spell. But just as he opened his mouth, his head suddenly burst, brain matter splattering. It turned out that Linley had finally gotten within shooting range and shot him with the mermaid's tear.
Although the golden-bearded bishop was of a high level and could use powerful divine spells, he was still a mortal and not physically strong. The non-divine version of the mermaid's tear would only make a dent in an angel's head, but it caused fatal damage to his head.
With the death of Archbishop Goldbeard, the holy light in the sky disappeared, plunging the sky back into darkness. The angels' movements slowed down, and their strength noticeably weakened. Without the protection of the holy light, the regular Roman soldiers fell into a panic. Confronted with the bloody battlefield, they ran around in fear.
In contrast, Linley regained his strength. He felt power fill his entire body, making him feel like he could almost fly.
At this moment, the angel with a large beard was pinning Brutus down and pummeling him with punches. The death of Archbishop Goldbeard startled him, and as he looked up, he saw a long sword coming at him. Linley picked up the angelic sword from the ground and thrust it into the large-bearded angel's chest, piercing through his heart.
The large-bearded angel's body ignited into a raging fire, and soon he was burned to ashes. The other nine angels let out mournful cries, and the morale of the Roman soldiers collapsed, and they began to flee in all directions.
The centurions, who were supposed to hold their positions, were the first to escape, followed by the veteran soldiers overseeing the phalanx. Seeing this, the ordinary soldiers thought, "Are we supposed to resist the enemy alone? Isn't that just waiting to die?" So they immediately fled as well.
The angels were besieged and killed one by one. The Romans scattered to escape, but their speed was no match for the rampaging minotaur cavalry. In the end, they were either killed or surrendered.
The remaining priests continued chanting spells, trying to emit holy light, but their light was far inferior to Archbishop Goldbeard's and could barely be used as flashlights.
The tauren cavalry turned around, scattering and slaughtering the priests. Darkness fell over the surroundings, but soon the moonlight poured down, gently caressing the earth. The frenzy ended, and the tauren, exhausted, sat on the ground panting heavily, sounding like bellows.
The human followers fared slightly better; though weak, they could walk after a short rest. They gathered all the Roman captives.
From this, Linley understood the importance of having a reserve force, believing that some forces should always be kept in reserve. They should avoid drinking and going berserk early on and instead be deployed at critical moments to strike at the enemy's weak points, to prevent the entire army from becoming weak all at once after the frenzy.