The 2,000 undead army immediately got into formation on the shallow riverbank. The spider swordsmen in black stood next to each other in a row. They were wearing armor with spider patterns on their chests. They took a step forward in unison and held their palm-wide black greatswords with both hands. They placed the blades flat and pointed the tip of the sword to the ground. One of their hands held the hammer at the same level as their chests while the other hand held the hilt of the sword with the palm facing up. Their bodies leaned forward and formed a certain angle with the sword. The 2,100 skeletons maintained this posture at the same time. Rows of greatswords were put down one after another in the cold rain. The cold light on the edges of the swords formed a line that looked like the sharp teeth of death.
A small group of Black Knights surrounded Sir Viskag. This dark noble lord nicknamed the Silencer was also wearing the armor of a Black Knight. However, he did not wear a helmet. A pale head was exposed above the breastplate. The few strands of hair on his head were like weeds in the wind. His face was covered with dried livor mortis, and his eyes were burning with pale flames. His entire body was emitting a cold aura of death. He held the hilt of his sword that was inlaid with black roses with one hand. Just like his nickname, he silently looked to the west.
That was the undulating river bank and hills. The rain formed a thin mist that blocked the view. Behind the mist, the dark forest stood like a wall. However, suddenly, holy white flags appeared in the forest. Under the flags, there was a group of human infantry marching. Their silver-gray armor reflected the light as they moved up and down. A trace of doubt flashed in Sir Viskag's eyes. He had never heard of this army. However, the other party's equipment was excellent. It was obvious that they were not a random army.
500 meters was a distance where both sides could only observe each other quietly.
"No shields. Light infantry. The size is about five companies." Sir Viskag calculated the size of the army in front of him. For someone like him, this was not a skill. There were more than 400 autonomous regions and small states in the Sea of the Dead Moon. They lacked everything except soldiers, especially experienced soldiers. They were the best mercenaries in the entire Dark World. They had experienced hundreds of battles and were sensitive to war. "One and a half companies." She was relieved. The pride of the Black Rose in her soul flame took over again. She could not help but feel a little disdainful.
Spider Swordsmen were the nemesis of light infantry and cavalry. As long as there were no heavy cavalry, they were the most terrifying force on the battlefield. Furthermore, the enemy's numbers were far inferior. Sir Viskag smiled coldly. He thought to himself that these arrogant human nobles must still be adhering to the rules and holding onto the creed that infantrymen were only defensive forces. However, they must not know that infantrymen could also bare their fangs and become a sharp blade that could tear apart a battlefield.
"Let the Queen of Spiders tell you that your era is over." The Black Knight took another look at Erouine's army. The White Lion Guards were slowly advancing, and he was even more certain of this.
At this moment, sparks of light began to appear on the other side of the river.
"They're casting spells."
"There's a group of magicians."
The Black Knight's muffled conversation made Sir Viskag raise his sparse eyebrows slightly. The army opposite them was really not ordinary. If there was a group of magicians, then it was at least an army on the level of the Vermeer Legion. The other party was very likely to be part of the Central Legion and not some noble's army. However, he did not know which legion it was. He frowned and muttered in his heart. Wasn't the Southern Legion already near Ampere Seale? Which legion did this army in front of him come from?
The sparks of magic gradually became denser. Sir Viskag's expression finally changed. With this scale, could it be Erouine's Royal Knight Regiment, or a part of the Black Blade Squad or the White Lion Legion? "Impossible. These three elite units of Erouine would not come to the South unless they had completely abandoned the area north of Ampere Seale." He shook his head and muttered in his heart. The army in front of him was too strange. Although there were liches in Madara's army, liches were not considered wizards. He had never seen such a group of magicians before. Even in the history of Wohnde after the War of the Holy Saints, such a group of magicians had never appeared before.
Fifteen hundred infantrymen accompanied by more than a hundred magicians.
"This is crazy!" Sir Viskag thought that either the enemy was crazy or he was hallucinating.
The sound of horns echoed on the battlefield.
"Viero's people want us to turn around and retreat," Brando said to Cohen, Carglise and Freya who were beside him, "Looks like they still have some conscience."
"Hehe, at least it proves that the people we want to save are not all useless," Carglise replied with a grin.
Cohen did not say a word. This was the first time the young man from Schafflund had personally participated in a battle. The scene in front of him was different from what he had imagined. The White Lion Legion was moving slowly in the drizzle, and he heard orders from time to time. "Unsheathe your swords!" "Advance in formation!" When the young men from Tónigel had just left the forest, their formation was still a little messy. However, after a hundred meters, they had already formed a well-defined formation. The sergeants and heralds on horseback galloped in front and behind the formation, flags flying in the air. This army was completely different from the armies of the nobles that he had seen before. He had a vague feeling that this army had come from a certain period of history and had come to this battlefield.
That period of history was called the establishment of Erouine.
He subconsciously looked back and saw Brando standing on horseback with a sword in his hand. He looked up at his own army with a calm expression on his face.
"This army is just so-so in his eyes," Cohen thought. "What kind of army does this Earl want?"
Brando smiled softly. The White Lion Legion had begun to take shape, and Erouine had taken its first step. Now, what he wanted to see was to open the door with his own hands. Behind the golden door was another era. In the previous period of history, it had begun in the Year of Silver. In this period of history, it would begin today. After today, it would be the future. He raised his head and looked at the slender figure in the rain. At the same time, Freya also looked back in the direction of Brando. She was riding a snow-white warhorse, and her heart was filled with doubts. "What is Brando trying to do? This is not how mages should be used … "In Erouine's tactical manual, it was clearly written that the precious mages must be protected with the utmost care. Mages with more than a hundred mages must be protected by a legion. Otherwise, they should be dispersed to avoid being destroyed.
Magicians were a precious auxiliary force that could sometimes even change the outcome of a battle. Adepts had extremely strong individual combat abilities and were one of the stronger individuals on the battlefield. In normal battle tactics, such individuals with strong combat abilities should be scattered throughout the army. This way, they could be effectively protected and could also pose an effective threat to the enemy's formations and commanders at various points.
But now, Tónigel's mages were arranged in a phalanx like the infantry. Only a small number of White Lion Legion guards were outside the phalanx. Their chanting resounded throughout the riverbank like a hymn. Light floated in the air, and layers of spells were cast on the White Lion Legion guards in front of them. Carglise raised his head and looked at the colorful halos that fell from the sky together with the rain. They fell on every soldier, including himself.
He curiously touched the layer of energy barrier that was a few inches away from his body. It was as if there was a layer of air flowing around his fingertips, forming a whirlpool. It was the Wind Shield. "What a spectacular sight." Carglise muttered to himself. Allocating so many wizards to an army of only fifteen hundred was opposed by almost everyone, especially Amandina and Metisha. Amandina advised Brando to cherish this rare force because of the difficulty of training wizards in the territory. Amandina, on the other hand, had experience from the War of the Holy Saints and was not optimistic about Brando's decision. Most of the others, including Freya, were against this decision as well. Tónigel had many wizards, but most of them came from mercenary groups, witches, and druids in the Loop of Trade Winds. They were not the reserve force of the territory, which meant that once they were lost, it would be difficult to replace them.
In everyone's opinion, this rare group of wizards should be used carefully as a secret force of Tónigel. However, Brando stood his ground and put them together to form this group of wizards. Carglise even heard that even Ciel was not optimistic about the future of this mage group. The Kirrlutzians who followed Veronica even said that this was a move of a nouveau riche.
But was Lord Carglise a nouveau riche?
Carglise looked at Brando's calm face and rubbed his chin. "Hmm … Alright … Maybe." But no matter what, the buffs provided by the group of more than two hundred wizards were enough to cover an entire army. When the buffs were cast on every single member of the White Lion Squad, it was indeed a spectacular sight.
"My Lord Carglise's decision seems to be wise." Jutta took one last look at the other side of the river and pulled down her metal mask. Her voice was muffled in the rain.
Raban, who was not far away, shook his head. He pulled out his sword and slowly walked forward with his men. He was slightly worried. It was not that no one had ever done this before, but the effect was limited. The enemy would spread out their formation, making the spell less effective. Even if one or two groups of wizards were defeated, the loss of precious wizards would be far greater than the loss of the enemy. It was not worth it. Over time, no one dared to do this.
But what was the Lord Carglise thinking?
Brando looked at Carglise's curious face and knew what he was thinking. "What do you think wizards are, Carglise?" He asked. The latter hurriedly pulled down his metal mask. Even though it was a little impolite, he guessed that Brendel had seen him snickering, and he stammered: "My lord, the tactical manual says —"
"Don't joke around, Carglise. You're not a professional. Don't talk to me about tactical drill. Tell me what you think." Brando replied impatiently.
"My Lord, I really don't know." Carglise shook his head. He was not a wizard, so how could he know what a wizard would do? There were rumors in the countryside that wizards were all-powerful and omnipotent, but these rumors could not be trusted. "But Princess Metisha, she …"
Brando sneered at Erouine's old tactical drill, but he did not necessarily agree with Metisha. The War of the Holy Saints could be said to be the largest war in the world since the destruction of Babel Fortress. In that war, there were Frost Knights, Dragon King's Cavalry, Miirna's Dusksong Guards, and the Silver Elf Princess' guards. That war was as magnificent as an epic, but there were no wizards in that war.
The history of wizards began with Tuman.
Tuman taught magic to the Silver Folk, and from him, Wohnde had its first generation of wizards. However, it was not until the Buga Empire's prosperity that the history of wizards began to shine brightly. During the War of the Holy Saints, these Stealers of Laws were just a fledgling force. They were as weak as fledglings that had just broken out of their shells. In a battle of that level, all they could do was look up to the Holy Saints. The history of wizards' participation in the war was even later. The collapse of the Holy Alliance directly led to the Buga Empire's withdrawal from worldly affairs. The Silver Elves retreated into the Deep Valley, and the era of mortals came. Many years later, the rules of war had truly changed.
What was a wizard?
Many people thought that wizards were the power to change the situation on the battlefield. Their strange spells could bring unexpected changes to the whole war. They could turn the hard ground into mud, make dry battlefields suddenly rain, ignite fires in forests, build forts and fortresses in an instant, and provide endless help and protection to friendly forces. But they all overlooked one thing, the other side of wizards.
Destructive power.
"Wizards represent firepower," Brando said to Carglise, who stood proudly in the rain. "It is a power that can dominate the battlefield."
This statement was not much different from the previous one. Carglise did not understand what "firepower" meant, but he understood what Brando was trying to say. He did not think much of it, but he still replied in a muffled voice, "Wizards have limited magic power, my lord. Moreover, their enemies are alive. Didn't Lady Veronica say that it is a waste to use the wizards' precious spells to kill scattered enemies?"
This was indeed a problem. After all, this was not the era of the Great Demonic Wave. But that was a matter for the future. Today, the wizards under his command were more than enough to deal with the skeletons. Brando thought back to the Battle of Oblique Forest and the miracle that the wizards had created. He smiled coldly. Soon, the same miracle would befall the skeletons of Madara.
Tónigel's wizard apprentices had practiced this battle thousands of times, but even they did not know what it would bring. They only knew that when it shone, everyone would be deeply shocked.
The two sides were now 150 yards away from each other.
Erouine's men began to blow the cornet, and the White Lion Guards began to speed up. But they were still orderly. The officers on horseback also dismounted and joined their ranks. They raised their swords and commanded their men to prepare for the charge. At this moment, Brando's eyes flashed. He glanced at Madara's long formation. The skeletons were indeed scattered. As expected of the Emperor's Chosen Group from the Sea of the Dying Moon. They lived up to their name.
When both sides were within a hundred yards of each other, the liches under Sir Viskag began to cast spells on the Spider Swordsmen. They were very calm, or rather, their commander was very calm, because there was no such thing as being calm in the first place.
"They are faster than expected," Viskag said to his men. "There is something strange about this army."
The White Lion Guards' strange shoulder armor had already entered their vision. With the support of magic, the speed of this Trentheim infantry, whose average standard was only at the peak of Iron-rank, was already close to the starting speed of light cavalry. Viskag suddenly gritted his teeth. He realized that the army in front of him was not defensive infantry. Like his Spider Swordsmen, they were infantry that was used to attack.
"What do they look like?" He turned around and asked.
"A bit like the legendary White Lion Legion," a Black Knight replied in a muffled voice.
"No, they are not." Viskag shook his head. "That's not right."
It was a pity that he did not have any skeleton archers. Otherwise, he could have tested them. But it did not matter. This was the Emperor's Chosen Group from the Sea of the Dying Moon, an army personally selected by His Majesty the Supreme Emperor. They were equipped with the most elite undead soldiers and commanders in Madara. No matter who was in front of them, there was only one ending, and that was to be crushed. She gestured for the Black Knight to raise the flag and pass the message to the liches in the army. The entire formation was more spread out. The open terrain of the river bank was advantageous to them because they had more troops.
At this moment, a flash of light suddenly flashed in the rain in front of them.
'It's here.'
Sir Viscag thought.
Count Jacques saw hundreds of golden lines cut through the rain from the top of the mountain. Those blazing flames were like streams of molten steel. They intertwined with each other, then disappeared and flashed again, one after another. It was as beautiful as the fireworks at the Winter Zither Festival. Everyone was so surprised that they were almost speechless. "Mages!" Someone shouted. "The Tónigel people have so many mages!" The count looked back at the others. The nobles of Viero looked at each other.
How could they use mages like this? Was that Count Tónigel a nouveau riche?!
Everyone had the same thought in their hearts.
The fireballs fell on the riverbank like raindrops, causing an effect that was beyond everyone's imagination. The soft soil on the riverbank seemed to have been injected with life and came alive. Pieces of it were churning and being lifted up, forming a scene that was like the end of the world. Even the sergeants of the White Lion Legion were almost stunned by the scene in front of them. The terrifying explosion plowed through Viskag's front line. The skeleton swordsmen there were already scattered, and now they were even more scattered. After a round of fire, a sieve-like position appeared in front of the White Lion Legion.
At this moment, Freya seemed to have a flash of lightning in her heart as she realized something.
Sir Viskag also realized the problem.
This round of magic attacks did not destroy his army. In fact, the damage caused was very limited. Although there were casualties, it was negligible compared to the magic consumption of the enemy mages. However, the problem was that after the magic attacks, there was still a White Lion Legion in front. He had thought that they were just infantry and would not be able to enter the position so quickly. However, the enemy's speed was beyond imagination. They were not infantry at all.
They were the damned cavalry that did not need to ride horses!
They were the real White Lion Legion in history!
"Quick!" Viskag suddenly screamed, "Let the rear line go up, don't let them cut into the front line so quickly! Don't let them run! "
However, at this moment, the second round of magic attacks came.
Brando's gaze fell on The Shire. The Shire pondered for a moment and gave the order to attack. Under everyone's stunned gazes, the mages' spells extended forward and landed on the position between the Spider Swordsmen's front line and the second line. Now, it was just a piece of empty land. The Viero people behind Count Jacques were scared out of their wits. "Why are the Tónigel people attacking the empty land? Are they crazy? Do the mages not have any mana?"
Count Linz suddenly stopped talking because he saw countless Fear-Wraiths suddenly fly out from the Blood Staff's formation and rush towards the west side of the river. Those monsters seemed to cover the sky and the sun as they rushed out in full force.
"The Blood Staff has realized the problem," Count Jacques looked at this scene and replied dryly, "The two regiments in the south are done for."
"What?"
At this moment, there was a loud whistle on the river bank.
The magic effects were far from over, but Freya had already raised her longsword and gave her first command in this war, "Charge!"
… …
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