"Battle of the champions …" Albert fell into deep thought when he heard the word. The count was silent, and so was Laing.
The battle of the champions was the oldest and most sacred rule of the northern barbarians.
After believing in Chaos, the northern barbarians who used to pursue power and glory had gradually become a chaotic race that craved blood and slaughter by hook or by crook. In order to win, in order to get the attention of the Evil God, they would do anything, no matter the cost.
Only the battle of the champions was a sacred ceremony that all the northern barbarians recognized.
The two champions of the same race would have a sacred battle, and the result of the battle would determine the outcome of the war.
One battle to determine the outcome.
The great first Knight King Arthur's Holy Grail Knight, the first Duke of Bordero, Marcus, once relied on the battle of the champions to kill Gavin, the champion of Chaos. He single-handedly defeated thousands of barbarians. This great story was still being told.
However, the barbarians were not that easy to deal with. Countless foolish nobles and knights had sacrificed their heads for the sake of the championship because the barbarian lords were simply too powerful. The reason why these lords could become lords had nothing to do with their bloodline. Instead, they relied on the survival of the fittest and bloody conquest. Under such circumstances, very few nobles who relied on their bloodline and enfeoffment could defeat the barbarians when their strength and status were roughly the same. Countless heroes had failed to do so.
"But … Birig is the chief of the barbarians, an advanced legendary …" Albert walked up to Laing. The count's eyes were full of shock, and he even had some sympathy. "Are you sure?"
"Other than that, we have no other way." Laing shook his head. He walked behind Albert and pointed at the big map on the table. "Most of the areas around Mjolden Haven are plains, and there is no place to defend. We lack cavalry, and there are no mobile troops for me to command. Also … I heard that the only thing you have are fifty muskets …"
"They were all brought to the frontline in the north. I have a lot of bows and weapons in my armory, but not many muskets." The count smiled bitterly. "At this critical moment, I have no need to lie to you, because I really did not expect the barbarians to attack my city."
"Now that we've lost our muskets, there are only two cannons left on the east gate." Laing kept shaking his head. "I really can't think of any strategy. The difference in strength between us and the enemy is too great. We also lost the city wall as a barrier. The only way is to fight for the championship." Laing's tone was indifferent. "This is our only chance."
"I admire your noble character. I acknowledge you. Albert Becker swears to the God of Justice that Laing will always be a friend of the Becker family! If the war is over, I will give you half of my savings and my family heirloom. " The Count reached out his hand and squeezed Laing's shoulder. Then he stretched out his hand: "Tomorrow, let us fight side by side. My guards and I will charge together to create this opportunity for you."
The White Wolf Knight and the Count shook hands. "For Nord! For the sake of your people. "
"For Nord!"
The next day, when the noon sun hung high in the sky, the black mass of the barbarian army finally appeared at the end of the horizon.
Even though they had suffered some losses in the battle of Aarhus Bridge, the number of the Bearmen's army still made them feel despair. Nearly four thousand barbarians marched towards the collapsed east gate of Mjörden Haven.
Nord's army lined up near the gate to meet the enemy. They carefully arranged themselves into an impenetrable line of defense. Archers stood on the nearby walls with their bows drawn, ready to meet the enemy at any time.
"Barbarian raiders, barbarian berserkers, barbarian hunters, and barbarian riders. The only good thing is that I don't see any trolls or giants." Astor stood on the wall, the quiver behind the half-elf was already filled with arrows. "Roste? Do you think we can hold this place? "
The barbarian Roste was checking his weapons. Hearing the half-elf's words, the barbarian laughed. "Of course not."
"But we still have to fight," Astor complained in a low voice.
"I've been through more desperate battles than this. What's wrong with that? My people have already become playthings for the evil gods. Now that we meet again, we can only fight to the death. "Roste shouted." We still have to fight! "
On the other side, a large group of Nord soldiers were guarding Theresa on top of the high city walls. The large amount of magic surrounding the sorceress was the only thing they could rely on. Councilwoman Garan expressed her willingness to participate in the battle, which surprised the entire army. Walnut Knight Nicolay ordered the soldiers to send her away safely if the situation was unfavorable.
"Is that so? Banda is dead? " Teresa learned from Emilia that the little mercenary who always followed her around died in the terrible explosion. The mercenaries only found one of his hands.
"Yes …" Emilia replied in a low voice. The girl didn't say what happened after that. After losing his apprentice, Wayalt was so sad that he cursed the councilwoman in front of him loudly, claiming that it was all her fault.
"I'm sorry about that," Teresa said. Then, she said, "Emilia?"
"Yes?" The mercenary was stunned. She was surprised that the sorceress in front of her would say that she was sad.
"If we can't defend this city, you can teleport back to Heaven's Castle with me and Ryan." The sorceress looked at the slender mercenary standing beside her and suddenly reached out to touch her face with her fingertips. "Beauty is not a sin."
"… Thank you, but I'll stay." Emilia stepped back slightly, avoiding Teresa's touch. "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm a mercenary of the Blood Axe Mercenaries."
"Forget it. Do as you wish." Seeing that the barbarian army was getting closer, the sorceress no longer insisted. She began to prepare a spell under the protection of the soldiers.
As the barbarian marauders approached the city gate, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the city gate had collapsed. Now, all that was left was a pile of rubble and the Nord army guarding the ruins. Thus, everyone fought bravely to be the first. They raised their shields high, bowed their bodies, and walked slowly, then quickly, and then sprinted. The black flag of the white bear was raised high, fluttering in the cold weather.
The defenders on the city wall desperately shot arrows. The militia also threw javelins, stones, and all kinds of strange objects. The barbarian raiders raised their shields to block the rain of arrows. The engineers on the city tower nervously reloaded and directed the only two remaining cannons to shoot at the barbarian army.
The barbarians were no fools. Under the command of the champions, the barbarian raiders immediately spread out and rushed towards the Nord army in twos and threes.
In a face-to-face distance, the fighting styles of the barbarians and the southerners were vividly displayed. The Nord army's front line stood like steel in front of the ruins of the city gate. Under the close cooperation of the spearmen and great swordsmen, the first wave of barbarians who rushed up fell in large numbers. But soon, more barbarians rushed in.
The attackers were warmly welcomed by the crossbowmen on the city wall. Under Nicolay's command, the crossbowmen fired in an orderly and targeted manner. The weak barbarian squires were frightened by the rain of arrows and stopped in their tracks. But this did not apply to the strong barbarian raiders. These warriors who believed in evil gods were even harder to stop. In just ten minutes, they rushed into the vital part of the army formation. The Nord army had no choice but to face these powerful barbarians head-on.
In a one-on-one battle, ordinary soldiers were no match for the marauders, but excellent tactics could make up for the weakness of Nord's army. The pikemen and great swordsmen formed a tight formation to take the brunt of the charge, while the halberds flanked the barbarians from behind. Under the sincere cooperation of Nord's army, the second wave of barbarians was repelled once again.
The barbarian chieftain, Birig, was riding on a huge white bear. Seeing that his two waves of attacks had been beaten back, he waved his hand. His champion, Kolorin, was wearing a full set of giant plate armor. After receiving the chieftain's order, he raised the black flag.
Continue the attack.
Snowstorms and frost wreaked havoc in the air. With the help of the sorceress' powerful spells, Nord's army and the barbarian army continued to clash. Theresa had already used all of her strength. Under the full power of her magic, the barbarians' hastily constructed siege chariots and siege towers were smashed into pieces by her ice spears and snowstorms. Frost arrows were shot out one after another under her will. Every shot meant that Councilwoman Garan had killed another barbarian warrior, and the defenders would always cheer.
The war began to drag on. The Nord army repelled the barbarians' attacks again and again. At this moment, the barbarians were beaten back again and again. Whether it was the regular army, the conscripts, or the temporarily recruited mercenaries, the barbarians were beaten back again and again under their efforts. Again and again, the barbarians left behind a large number of corpses and fled in panic.
However, there were simply too many barbarians. After every attack, the originally thick front line gradually thinned out. The army of a few hundred could not withstand this kind of consumption. More and more militia joined the battlefield in a hurry. The militia, lacking in training and tenacity, began to be defeated by the barbarians' attacks. Seeing this, the Walnut Knight, Niklai, rushed into the battlefield with his attendants and barely stabilized the situation.
The scales of victory and defeat continued to sway. The Nord army's defense line seemed to be on the verge of collapse, but it stood firm. The archers on the wall had used up all the arrows in their quiver. Many soldiers threw down their bows and crossbows and pulled out their weapons to fight below the city wall.
"Ah!" The warhammer smashed down fiercely, knocking down another barbarian warrior. Niklai wiped the blood off his face. The battle had lasted for two hours. The Nord army was exhausted, and more than half of them were dead or injured. However, they still stubbornly held on with a strong will. After all, they knew that they were fighting for the lives of their families.
Under the persistence of the army, the barbarians' attack began to slow down. The barbarians seemed to have lost their confidence. In front of the neat shield wall and dense spear line, corpses were densely packed and piled up like mountains.
On the streets of the city.
"The barbarians can't hold on for much longer, Count!" The captain of the guards, Emil, nodded to Albert, who was fully armed and wearing the armor of his ancestors and holding a lance. "It's not that easy. Get ready. Let's give them a fatal blow! Let's fight for Laing! "
The count's personal guard had close to 30 people, and all of them were wearing a full set of plate armor and holding lances. As the paladins of the Church of Justice and the Church of Life came to join them, this cavalry army of 50 people had already been assembled.
Laing was among them, holding a warhammer. At this time, his heart was filled with calmness.
When he decided to stay and face the enemy, he truly understood the most difficult of the eight virtues of a knight — sacrifice.
"Knight, do you have the courage to sacrifice when you have to pay the price to fulfill the interests of the majority? Perhaps sacrificing material benefits, perhaps sacrificing your life? "
— The Fairy of the Lake
Sometimes, the knights were pitiful and sad because the gods they believed in enjoyed the sacrifice of their own knights. The knights were asked to face a hopeless battle, but they had to sacrifice themselves.
Sometimes, in order to protect their home, in order to protect the things they cherished, the knights sacrificed themselves regardless of the cost. This was the beginning of countless praiseworthy stories. In the great Holy War 150 years ago, many knights fought to the end. The famous Burning Sun Knights of the Empire fought to the end until there was only one person left. Even after 150 years of rest and recuperation, the Burning Sun Knights had only recovered 80% of their original size.
But they had no regrets.
At the same time, Laing did not regret his choice.
This was not the materialistic and morally devoid world he lived in. In this world, the threat of Chaos was always a threat to humanity. If no one stood up and was willing to sacrifice for the race and the world, the whole world would fall under the claws of the demons.
Even his father had paid a terrible sacrifice, hadn't he?
After more than eleven thousand years of torture with no end in sight, he had allowed his soul and will to be shattered in countless places in the entire universe, watching the human empire he had built gradually turn from science and enlightenment to decadence and superstition, and the entire human empire gradually collapsed under countless external enemies and internal strife.
But his father still persevered, only for the race he loved, the humans he loved.
Along the way, the refugees in the city, as well as the old and weak in the city, all looked at the last remaining force with hopeful eyes. They were the last hope of the city. Those pairs of yearning eyes, those young and tender faces, evoked countless thoughts in Leon's mind.
But these thoughts were quickly dispelled. A hubbub of noise sounded from the city gate. The barbarian chief, Birig, finally could not stand watching his tribe being unable to break through the Nord army's formation after sacrificing more than 2,000 people. The powerful champion of Chaos decided to take the field himself.
When the Barbarian Chieftain, who was over two meters tall, rode his white bear and led his champions into the battle formation, Nord's army seemed to have been cut in half by a giant axe. With a roar, Birig raised his battle axe. With a bear in the lead, the pikemen's shields were easily knocked away. Not only could their pikes not hurt Birig, even the giant bear he was sitting on couldn't move an inch. The Barbarian Chieftain swung his axe and cut two soldiers in half at the waist. The barbarian riders and champions he led smashed into the army formation like a flail hammer. Nord's army was in a complete mess. Their formation was being broken and defeated. Panic and despair began to spread on the frontline.
The time to decide the fate of the city had arrived.
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