The eye slits of the helmet limited his vision. Luhn could only see straight ahead, but when he turned his head, he saw three hammer carts leaning against the central square. There was also a catapult that was desperately throwing asphalt stones as cover.
Virgil's people filed out of the gap. "Wedge formation," he ordered. The cavalry troops intertwined into spears, and he was the tip of the spear. Everyone rode close to each other, their knees colliding with each other as they moved forward against the high wall. The black and white war flag fluttered in the wind, and the white bear and the black eagle danced together. The troops went around the bottom of the castle and gradually accelerated.
Arrows shot out from the city wall, and stones spun and flew above their heads, blindly crashing into the buildings on the ground, shattering steel and flesh. The Gate of Triumph was right in front of them, and the enemy swarmed in. They pushed a huge iron oak siege hammer with all their strength and rushed towards the cavalry troops.
"Prepare the spears."
Luhn ordered. Facing the siege hammer, he did not slow down at all and began to sprint. The archers with the Magic Breaker surrounded them. As long as someone appeared on the gate tower, they would immediately aim and shoot.
The ground was wet and sticky, full of filth mixed with mud and blood. His horse tripped over a corpse, and its hooves slipped on the mud. It almost jumped out of the formation directly. Fortunately, Luhn used his strength to stabilize the horse and maintain the balance between the man and the horse.
The enemy under the gate rushed up, roaring, and met the cavalry's attack with flesh and blood.
Luhn raised his sword and shouted, "Long live Virgil."
The soldiers responded loudly, and the cavalry flew out, letting out a long screech of steel tearing through silk. The rolling horse hooves and the spears and swords collided into fire.
The siege hammer was soon forgotten in the mud, and the people around it either fled or fought to the death. Luhn rode his horse and knocked down a soldier who held a shield high. He cut off his arm from the shoulder to the armpit, and then cut open his helmet. This sword was a very rare enchanted weapon. Although it was not legendary, it was still very powerful. Luhn used it with ease, and wherever the sword went, the shield would shatter, the hand would break, the head would be broken, and the flesh would be separated.
Through the padded heavy helmets, painful wails could be heard. The crackling of the flames, the loud war horns, and the roars of the griffins. Blood and fire were everywhere.
In the end, the pike cavalry still managed to get past the battering ram, and the enemy began to flee. Luhn looked left and right, but he could not see Tashanmu's figure. They rode their horses through the scattered corpses, cutting the throats of every enemy lying on the ground.
"Well done."
The man rode to Luhn's side and hit Luhn's chest with his right fist, which was covered with a gauntlet. "This city is ours."
"It's a pity that we didn't find Tashanmu."
Luhn tidied up his helmet and chatted with his companions. They led the team through the flickering flames and smoke, passing through the ruins of the residential area and stepping onto the long Lord's Bridge.
"How could it be so easy?"
His companion smiled. He was very young, and his black hair was neatly parted. Even though he had just gone through a bloody battle, it was not much messy. He wore a pitch-black armor, and his helmet was surrounded by a ring of sun-like diamonds. The eagle on top of the helmet had ruby eyes, and the female eagle on his shoulders clasped a long and heavy golden cloak, which hung down to cover the horse's buttocks. The horse armor was also gilded, and it was decorated with the eagle coat of arms of the Charlie family.
Charles Charlie, the new king of Aiyo. His father was the famous hero, Nelson Charlie. During the "Return of Nightmares" campaign, he led 10,000 people to stop the sudden attack of the Viper Dragon Tide at the Broken Mountain Fortress. He fought until the last 214 people died. After that, the emperor of the Northern Empire ordered people to pay tribute to him and gave him the title of "Eagle King." Charles Charlie was also known as the "Son of Eagle."
This descendant of the hero was not just a name. After Nelson's death, the heavily damaged Aiyo should have been annexed by other countries in the Ersala region. However, after Charles ascended to the throne, he relied on his strong governance and connections (of course, he also had the protection and support of the Blackwing Empire) to quickly save the country from the shadow of a great loss. In the next five years, the country's strength flourished day by day, and it vaguely seemed to become the leader of the Ersala region.
"The one in the North did not give up on Virgil in the end," Luhn Joseph whispered.
Rune Joseph whispered. The king of Virgil, the hidden necromancer, had a gloomy look in his eyes.
No matter who it was, they would be dissatisfied. Rune thought that he had shown enough sincerity. At the beginning of the attack on Kohor, Virgil had already cut off their retreat and surrendered to the north. However, the other party had not given a response. It was only when the Virgil people were at the end of their rope and were almost trapped to death by Tashamu that they finally saw the light of hope — the arrival of Ersala's reinforcements.
A week ago, Charles led the Ersala army to come under the orders of the Blackwing Empire. Not only did he help Virgil solve the siege of Fort Vere, but he also cleaned up the hostile forces in the city of Kohor with Rune Joseph. He also began to launch a counterattack against the Tashamu coalition army.
"Don't be angry."
Charles patted him on the shoulder in a sunny manner. "The Black Emperor probably had no intention of going to war with the Unfallen Empire at the beginning. He should have taken a lot of risks by intervening in the affairs of the central region."
Rune Joseph fastened his greatsword and suddenly became silent. After a while, he said, "When can I see him?"
"I don't know."
Charles smiled. "After all, I've only seen him on the murals. If you must see him, maybe there will be a chance after this war is over."
"A war between mortals," Rune said softly with unknown meaning.
…
When the last batch of scouts returned to the castle at dawn, the scholar came to him.
"My lord," he said, "we're being defeated."
Tashamu stared at the plate of oats, cane sugar, and sausages in front of him in a daze. Another sleepless night had made him sore all over. He was hungry, but when he saw the food, he only felt nauseous. "Enrico hasn't replied yet?"
"No." The scholar said, "Those southerners in Brannelyn Island haven't done anything either."
"Send someone to invite him again!"
He punched the plate. "Ersala has already joined the war. The trading city alone can't hold on. Does Enrico want me to surrender?"
"You're right."
The scholar said, "We should take a defensive position now. The opponent's next target is Myrnen. As long as Myrnen closes the door and defends, Rune Joseph and his allies will be suppressed, and they will be unable to go any further. If necessary, Myrnen's food reserves will be enough to support a year of siege."
"There won't be a siege."
Tashamu shook his head. "In the first one or two days, they may camp to make ladders and bind claw hooks. But once they find that it's useless, these guys will build a magic circle and force a transmission. Once they succeed, Myrnen will be breached in hundreds of places at the same time, just like yesterday."
Under the layers of leather, steel, and wool, Tashamu was sweating slightly. "I want wine. Give me a barrel."
A fire was lit in the lord's bedroom. He sat by the fireplace and poured a cup of summer wine from the cellar. This wine was produced in the north, which was hostile to him. It tasted surprisingly good. Tashamu had ordered that no one in the city trade with the north, but he had his own business in secret.
A reply from the south soon arrived. "The Empire of the Unfallen has agreed to provide assistance. Maans has led a large group of people up the river and headed north."