Chapter 55: Revolution Era - Breakthrough (2)
No one dared respond to the absurd sight of those charging in while blocking
the intensive bombardment and the magicians' barrage of spells.
The dense formations of the Germanian Empire’s front-line infantry, poised and
waiting, were helpless against the close-range shotgun fire.
Only horrific screams and cries of despair erupted.
A storm of scrap metal and shrapnel indiscriminately tore through both the
front and back lines, and even those who belatedly came to their senses and
frantically attempted to flee were engulfed by the whirlwind of buckshot.
Having completed their mission, the cavalry artillery passed by, and the
cavalry, led by knights with swords raised high, began their charge.
“Charge, charge!”
“For Francia!”
The cavalry charged toward the completely shattered and torn center of the
imperial army, followed closely by a wave of enemy infantry surging like a
tide.
Duke Leopold, witnessing this scene, dropped his telescope, which clattered to
the ground.
A tactic never seen before.
No, this could no longer even be called a tactic.
It was nothing more than an outrageous cheat, relying on an irregularity known
as a saint.
Despite clearly seeing the enemy’s intentions, they were powerless to stop it,
even with foreknowledge.
Duke Leopold let out a bitter laugh and murmured softly,
“...what a dog’s mess of a war.”
***
“Ah, ahhaaaa!”
The enemy’s front-line infantry, completely torn and tattered, screamed as
they fled.
“Charge, charge!”
“Spare no one!”
Knights and cavalrymen, in the absence of their foes, madly spurred their
horses on, cutting down every visible enemy.
I quickly drew my bow from my back and nocked an arrow.
Pulling an arrow from my quiver, I aimed at a mage who was bewildered and
panicked amidst the tangled mass of friend and foe.
The mage, struck in the forehead by the arrow, fell, spurting blood, and I
nocked another arrow, looking towards a witch floating in the distance.
The witch, looking down upon us as if she were a deity, was surrounded by a
magic circle that was now one-third complete, moving clockwise.
She was still too far away.
“For Francia!”
“Long live the Republic! Follow the Duke!”
Turning to look behind, I saw our forces, having crushed the enemy’s center in
a single stroke, being followed by the revolutionary army that was burrowing
into the enemy lines in a wedge formation.
Amidst the noise of hand-to-hand combat and the desperate screams from all
directions, Gaston’s shout struck my ears.
“Your Excellency the Duke! The enemy cavalry!”
I immediately loosened my bowstring, slung it over my shoulder, and drew my
sword.
Nearly all of the spears we initially carried had broken in the charge.
“Reform the cavalry lines! Knights to the front!”
The imperial cavalry was approaching, trampling and crushing the fleeing
remnants of their own forces under their horses’ hooves.
I was in awe of the majesty of the imperial knights and heavy cavalry running
towards us, holding spears, accompanied by the earth-shaking sound of horses'
hooves.
“Reform ranks! Reform ranks!”
Sweat gathered in my hand gripping the sword.
“Shouldn’t we retreat now?”
The fear-laden voice of Damien beside me elicited an incredulous laugh.
“Knights! The commoners you once scorned are now charging with their trust in
us alone. Can one who flees be called a knight?”
“No!”
“Those who flee will die by my hand. Advance, advance!”
The horn sounded, and the horses moved forward.
At first slowly.
Then with a light trot.
Soon, they were in a full gallop.
Thousands of cavalrymen charged at each other.
A wild wind battered my body, and the ground vibrated under my legs as if an
earthquake was happening.
As the enemy spears rapidly approached, I raised my sword high and shouted.
“For Francia!”
The enemies shouted back as if in competition.
“Sieg heil Kaiser!”
I cut through the spears aimed at me with my magic-infused sword and beheaded
an enemy knight.
The momentum of my charge, combined with the sword, shattered the weak magical
resistance and cleanly severed through bone.
But at that moment, my horse screamed tragically.
“Damn it!”
My horse, pierced by another knight’s spear, stumbled, and as I rolled on the
ground and got up, I faced a charging cavalryman.
“Ugh!”
I quickly drew a dagger, infused it with magic, and threw it, piercing the
enemy cavalryman’s helmet and striking his forehead.
The next moment, I ducked to avoid the spear of another charging cavalryman
and cut off the legs of his horse.
“Aaagh!”
With a terrible scream, he rolled on the ground, pinned under his own horse,
trembling and unable to rise.
All around, there were those who fell from their horses screaming and those
who continued the melee.
“Your Excellency the Duke!”
Gaston, having split an approaching cavalryman in two with his broadsword,
urgently spurred his horse towards me.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, deal with the enemies!”
Just as I was drawing my dagger to plant it squarely between another enemy’s
brows, and had given up counting the foes I’d dispatched in the heat of
battle, Gaston approached again with urgency.
“Your Excellency the Duke! The enemy cavalry is retreating! Please issue your
orders!”
I immediately turned my gaze towards the high ground.
Through the shattered defenses, I could see a considerable number of the
enemy’s reserve infantry advancing towards us, while the flag of Duke
Leopold’s house fluttered amongst them.
So, this must be the Duke’s regiment I’ve heard about.
“This is troublesome. They’re not going to be easy to deal with.”
The witch’s magic circle was now about halfway complete.
I had thought she might cancel the spell to avoid ensnaring her own forces in
the chaos of a full melee, but there was no sign of that happening.
Is this a failure?
Should we retreat now?
Almost instinctively, I looked back.
Tens of thousands of Francian troops, without a single one falling behind,
were screaming for the Republic and following us, engaging in desperate melee
combat.
“Ha.”
There’s no turning back now.
“Those who have been unhorsed, seize whatever horses you can from the enemy!
Prepare for the charge! We’ll smash through them head-on!”
“Yes, sir! As commanded!”
“Prepare all cavalry for the charge!”
As I mounted a horse brought by a subordinate and surveyed the ranks, the
number of our cavalry had already been reduced by a third due to the bloody
conflict with the enemy’s cavalry.
Charging head-on into the enemy infantry with these troops would normally be
suicidal, but these are the heavy cavalrymen, whom the knights and I have
taught the basics of magic.
Somehow, we’ll make it work.
No, we must make it work.
“Advance! Charge!”
“Charge!”
Those already gasping for breath spurred their horses once again and began
their charge.
Just as I saw the infantry of Duke Leopold’s house aiming their
bayonet-mounted rifles towards us, giant fireballs flew from the sky.
“Damn!”
“Don’t flinch! Charge at full speed! Slowing down will get you hit!”
“Yes, sir! Charge!”
Those of us at the forefront managed to increase our speed just enough to
evade, but a fireball exploded in the middle of our ranks, scattering embers
in all directions.
“Argh!”
“Sir Hui!”
The crude magic of the heavy cavalrymen, and even the magic of the knights,
couldn’t withstand the firepower of a powerful mage.
Upon witnessing one of Mirbo’s knights engulfed in flames and thrown from his
horse, I bellowed loudly.
“Snap out of it! They’re firing! Protect the front!”
“Feuer!”
The muskets of the Duke’s regiment spat fire in unison.
“Ugh!”
“Aaagh!”
Countless fell, their magical defenses shattered by the magic, tumbling to the
ground after being dismounted.
The terror filling Damien’s eyes as he rode beside me was painfully evident.
Even those keeping pace with me were soaked in fear, falling behind bit by
bit.
With a roar, I raised my sword high and shouted.
“Don’t stop! It’s either victory or death!”
“Follow the Duke!”
“Better to die honorably than live in cowardice!”
In response, led by Gaston’s voice, a chorus of determined shouts erupted from
behind, and I spurred my horse forward, thrusting my sword out.
I sliced through the bayonets fixed on the muskets aiming to pierce me like
sharp spears, and as I swung my sword horizontally, blood splattered onto my
face.
Some were unseated by bayonet wounds, while others dove into the enemy’s
formation, wreaking havoc, as shouts came from behind.
“Attack, attack! Glory to the revolutionary army!”
Looking back, I saw men in blue uniforms, gasping for breath as they followed
us, exchanging gunfire with the enemy infantry that had tried to encircle us,
all under the flag of the Francian Republic.
“Ha.”
“Yeaah- ugh!”
I cut down a soldier who lunged at me with a bayonet, and with all the
strength infused with magic, I shouted.
“Victory is within our hand! Never stop!”
***
“Aaaah!”
With all my strength, I raised my sword and split an oncoming foe in two,
along with his rifle.
Having lost my horse again in the melee, my arms felt numb from swinging my
sword so much.
My nose had long since gone numb, and my blood-soaked body seemed to trick my
brain into smelling iron.
The witch’s magic circle, now ominously close, was about 80% complete.
“Long live Duke Leopold!”
Despite seeming more than half dead, the Duke’s regiment’s soldiers clung
tenaciously to us, refusing to let go.
In the midst of the chaos, a gunshot rang out beside me.
“Ugh!”
Ignoring the searing pain in my left arm where I’d been hit, I drew my dagger
and drove it into the forehead of the one who had shot me.
I quickly tore my clothing to tightly bind the gunshot wound on my left arm.
Even as I did so, the witch’s magic circle continued to grow.
“Haah Haah.”
My breath reached my jaw, and the sky seemed to turn yellow.
The battlefield echoed with the shouts, curses, and screams of soldiers,
blurring the line between friend and foe.
“Duke, Haah, Your Excellency.”
Gaston, gasping as heavily as I was, approached and I urgently commanded him.
“We’re almost there. I need to conserve my strength, so clear a path.”
“As you command!”
Watching Gaston charge forward, I roughly wiped the blood from my sword and
sheathed it, my hands still trembling uncontrollably.
Sweat poured down like rain, making it difficult to even keep my eyes open. I
rubbed my blood-stained hands over my eyes, then stopped, realizing it was
futile, and watched Gaston’s charge.
Despite his exhaustion, every swing of his great sword cleaved through the
enemies with a sonic boom.
Finally, the blue-uniformed line infantry, pushing back the enemy, surged
towards us, following in Gaston’s wake.
“For Francia!”
“Victory to the revolutionary army!”
I couldn’t help but laugh, a hollow sound.
Everyone, including myself, must have reached their limit.
Despite the witch’s magic circle nearing completion right before our eyes,
everyone continued to charge without hesitation.
I was the one who incited them to do this.
Knowing it would burden Eris with guilt, I still showed them a deceptive
light, as if it were a divine blessing.
Yet, their moth-like dash towards death, fully aware of the risk, sent shivers
down my spine.
What made them fight with such fervor?
I followed slowly behind them, waiting for the trembling in my hands to
subside.
“The enemy is fleeing!”
“Wow!”
“We’re almost there! Charge!”
In the chaotic melee, the once unshakeable Duke’s regiment finally collapsed,
their flag falling to the ground.
The magic circle surrounding the Storm Witch was nearly complete.
Yet, in the face of imminent destruction, the ferocity of our charge unsettled
even the remaining enemy line infantry.
Following behind them, the tremor in my arms subsided slightly as I raised the
bow slung on my back and nocked an arrow.
In the end, my strength alone was insufficient.
-I will lead with trust in you; in turn, trust and follow me!
Even as I said this, it was more about incitement than true belief.
-For all as one, and one for all!
Yet, in this moment, I had to acknowledge the truth.
They were not just soldiers supporting us; they were the protagonists of this
battle.
I drew an arrow blessed with divine power, surging with sanctity.
For them, for Eris who asked for their trust, infusing it with all her might
over days, this single arrow.
Pulling the bowstring, the soreness reminded me of the bullet wound in my left
arm.
My target was singular.
Aiming at the witch, floating above this desperate battle, arrogantly chanting
spells as if she were a deity.
I mustered all my remaining magic and released the arrow.
***
Just before the spell was complete, Wilhelmina von Weinfeldt let out a sneer.
The astonishing breakthrough and desperate struggle of the Francia forces were
indeed impressive, for a bunch of barbarians ignorant of magic.
But in the end, they couldn’t reach her.
Wilhelmina, having used dozens of magic amplifying crystals and with the
assistance of her subordinates, thrilled at the immense magical power infused
into the magic circle.
Such a chaotic battle, where friend and foe were indistinguishably entangled,
using such grand magic would undoubtedly result in severe friendly fire.
But the plight of such primitive folk was of no concern to her. The power she
was about to unleash would become a symbol of awe and terror in its own right.
“Captain!”
At that time, an arrow was seen flying in this direction, accompanied by a
shout from a subordinate.
“Tsk, a futile struggle.”
The old witch, deeming it insignificant, raised her hand to the sky, intending
to block it with a magical barrier.
However, unable to contain the overflowing energy and bursting into flames
like a comet, the arrow struck Wilhelmina’s magical barrier with such force
that she couldn’t help but gasp in shock.
“Ugh?”
Astounded by the arrow that effortlessly shattered her magical barrier,
Wilhelmina hurriedly raised both hands, layering the magical barriers.
Yet it was unstoppable.
With a sound akin to breaking glass, the magical barriers shattered.
One by one, her magical barriers were instantly broken, and the arrow
continued to burn fiercely.
“This can’t be!”
Realizing her remaining magic, already depleted from pouring into the grand
magic, was insufficient, Wilhelmina screamed almost like a cry.
Then, hesitating to divert the magic she had been channeling into the grand
spell into the magical barrier.
Was she to use the spell she had invested her entire fortune in, a feat
unparalleled among sorcerers, just to stop a mere arrow?
Could she, known as a sage, fail to stop this?
In a moment of hesitation, Wilhelmina’s last magical barrier shattered, and
the arrow pierced through her shoulder.
***
The arrogant witch, who floated as if she were a deity, falls.
“Oh, ohh!”
Amidst the cheers of the soldiers, the magic circle of the grand magic, left
uncontrolled by the sorcerer, slowly collapsed.
The momentum of the enemy forces, which had been relentlessly surging from all
sides to protect the witch even after the Duke’s regiment’s defeat, visibly
faltered.
Together with Gaston, I cut down anyone in our path as we advanced.
Other enemy sorcerers, apparently drained from supporting the grand magic,
seemed to have fled instead of hindering us.
After cutting down a few more, I finally came face to face with the witch.
With an arrow lodged in her shoulder, the witch glared at me with bloodshot
eyes and spat out,
“I will never forget this humiliation.”
I was about to rush in when I noticed a massive magic circle drawn between the
witch and me, causing me to hesitate.
The witch extended her finger, tracing the air as if drawing along the magic
circle.
I reached for my dagger to throw, but found none left after using them all in
the melee.
Suddenly, a column of fire erupted.
The intense heat made me step back involuntarily, and I saw the ground around
the witch engulfed in flames.
“Duke, are you alright?”
Gaston, arriving belatedly, asked me, panting heavily, but I felt so drained
that I couldn’t properly respond.
The towering inferno seemed to consume anything it touched, blocking our path
of pursuit.
After all the sacrifices made to get here.
We lost her.
No!
I clenched my teeth.
This was a miraculous opportunity.
An opportunity barely realized because they underestimated our desperation and
were not fully prepared!
How much blood was spilled to get here, and to give up now?
There’s no guarantee we could win like this again.
If we were to meet the witch again and lose, regardless of whether the
Republic fell, Christine and I would surely be executed.
Having proposed to her and now crawling into this perilous situation, trusting
her to wait for me.
The first time, I left her to die.
The second time, she nearly died without my knowledge.
Having put her in danger twice, a third time?
I tore off my water flask and poured it over my head.
“Duke?”
Gaston exclaimed in shock, but I charged into the flames regardless.
It was searing hot.
Even squeezing out the last of my magic to protect myself, it was quickly
depleted.
I couldn’t breathe.
As my body screamed and shrunk from the heat, a surge of magic from my chest
protected me.
With my eyes shut to avoid being scorched, I had no idea how long this heat
would last or what was happening.
Finally stepping out of the heat, I saw the witch staggering away in the
distance.
The sword, heated intensely in the flames, was thrown with all my might.
It flew with a sonic boom and embedded itself squarely in the witch’s head as
she turned in confusion.
The arrogant witch, who fancied herself a deity, fell slowly without uttering
a last word.
Seeing the flames behind me disappear, I too collapsed.
“Duke!”
I heard Gaston’s urgent call.
As my consciousness faded, I saw the light from the black rose brooch on my
chest slowly dimming.
“...Christine.”
And with that, my consciousness cut off.
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