The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 137 Sniper
"How is it... Lavian?" Nyx asked with some difficulty, looking at the noticeably thinner army behind Lavian.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness... we lost badly!" Ravian calmly looked into Nyx's eyes.

“Tell me, I can still hold on…” Nyx took a deep breath and said as calmly as possible.

"The Crusaders have been decimated; almost all the professional officers have been killed in action, and Commander Lockferre has also perished..."

"Archers and archers also suffered varying degrees of loss; approximately 200 of them were lost there forever," Ravi paused before continuing.

"Has the battle deteriorated to this extent? Can you tell me about the enemy's losses?" Nyx's hand, gripping the reins tightly, turned pale.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, our enemy has lost about a thousand men. Our greatest achievement in this battle was probably the aerial knight and his two-headed dragon that you killed." Ravian's expression was somber.

"Alas, let our people leave this sorrowful land. Perhaps we will never have hope of restoring our kingdom in this lifetime, but my descendants will always remember this glorious mission!" Nyx glanced eastward before resolutely turning and riding away. No one saw the tears streaming down her face the moment she turned away...

"Knights, organize the soldiers, let's get them out of this hellhole!" Ravian watched Grand Duke Nyx's departing figure with a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

"As ordered!"

……

"There are 1047 Crusaders still breathing, but no more than 900 can fight. There are over 600 archers, and over 200 apprentice archers and archers combined. We have 24 knights! 65 light cavalry! The rest are the 100 Lagrange Royal Guards (Tier 3) around the Grand Duke. That's all we have to fight. Oh! Right! We also have one fire mage and three priests!" Hollin caught up with Ravian and reported in a low voice.

"Damn it!" Lavian slammed his hand on the saddle and roared. Who could withstand such a hellish start? Sixty percent of the soldiers were sacrificed right from the start? Let alone Lavian, a fourth-tier knight commander, even a sixth-tier hero would have to lead his troops to flee.

"My lord, we have spotted those barbarian pursuers 15 miles behind us!" The arrival of a Cross Bauhinia Knight interrupted Ravian's thoughts.

"What? How many people?" Lavian's pupils shrank. These Dongyi people reacted really quickly! In just a few hours, they had regrouped and were even able to send out pursuers.

"I don't know, the smoke and dust are too thick, the cavalry dare not get close to scout." The knight who came to report shrugged. If those lightly armored cavalrymen really got close to the chariots, the archers and marksmen on the chariots wouldn't mind showing off their archery skills.

“Indeed, the light cavalry’s reconnaissance was not reliable enough; the enemy still has many ways to threaten them.” Ravian rubbed his chin.

“In that case, select eight knights and divide them into four teams, then send them out to scout.” Ravian made this extravagant decision with a wave of his hand, since there really weren’t many forces that could afford to send knights to serve as scouts.

"Okay sir."

"Sir, you are truly extravagant!" Hollin exclaimed in surprise.

“There’s no other way. We can’t just send our light cavalry up there to be used as moving targets, can we? We don’t have any rangers, and while the light cavalry are fast, they lack defense. We don’t have many options. Using knights for scouting is the best choice.” Ravian rubbed his temples, looking somewhat tired. Even a skilled cook can’t cook without ingredients!

"Hopefully, the number of pursuers isn't enough to put us in despair." A glimmer of hope shone in Ravian's eyes. "Let's hope so. If things are hopeless, we'll have no choice but to serve our country!" Holin sighed.

“But we must ensure His Highness’s safety first!” Lavian gestured toward Grand Duke Nyx, who was walking at the front.

“I’ll arrange for His Highness to leave first. If he follows the main group, the speed of the Lagrange Royal Guard will be slowed down.” Hollin glanced at Grand Duke Nyx, who was surrounded by the crowd.

“Yes! The ordinary soldiers are seriously slowing down the Lagrange Royal Guard! After all, they are the best warriors of the Lagrange Empire and the last glory of the Duchy!” Ravian nodded in agreement with Holin’s arrangement.

The Lagrange Royal Guards are arguably the most elite soldiers the entire Lagrange Empire and its duchies can muster. As one of the few organized armies composed of Tier 3 soldiers in the Middle Kingdom, their strength is exceptionally formidable. Their profession is not the regular Tier 3 Berserker, but the special Tier 3 Royal Guards! Their specialty is evident from their name—Guards!
Each member of the Lagrange Royal Guard possesses the ability to withstand one attack from a top-tier sixth-tier professional. Their third-tier skill, Guardian, grants them the formidable ability to withstand any attack, making it their core skill. In the game, when Lagrange fell, it was these great Royal Guards who stepped forward, taking turns blocking various high-level enemy skills, thus stabilizing the city's defenses until Governor Renault's army from the North arrived to defend it. Although this force is relatively weak offensively, defensively they completely outclass shield warriors and knights of the same level (excluding knights of special classes; paladins, black knights, and dragon knights all possess invincibility skills).

"Your Highness, the enemy is catching up. We need you to leave first, after all, you are the last hope of the Duchy!" Hollin lightly kicked his warhorse and came to Grand Duke Nyx, pounding his chest and bowing.

"And what about you? What about the rest of the soldiers?" A hint of panic flashed in Nyx's eyes.

"We will buy you enough time to leave. After all, as long as you are alive, the Duchy of Nyx has not yet perished, and the bloodline of the Lagrang nobles still remains on this continent! You may be the last royal of Lagrang!" Hollin said decisively, his voice soft but full of determination.

Most of the duchies surrounding the Lagrange Empire were granted fiefdoms by the empire's royal family, and Nyx also has royal blood flowing through his veins. Strictly speaking, Nyx is now the rightful King of Lagrange.

“Let Lavian come to me. We must have other ideas. I still have quite a few magic scrolls here! Maybe we can hide them?” Nyx said hurriedly.

"This is what all of us think, and Lord Lavian thinks so too. You are above all else!" Hollin nodded slightly in acknowledgment, declining Nyx's request.

"Lagrange Royal Guards! You have traversed mountains and crossed rivers! You have defended the Empire and upheld the honor of the Duchy. You are the last backbone of the Duchy of Nyx! Now I beg you to take His Highness the Grand Duke away from here to seek refuge in the West! Head west! Do not look back, until you reach Rivendell... Can you do it?" Although Hollin was only a second-tier knight, he stood before a group of third-tier guards without fear. He calmly looked at these soldiers who were hailed as the last line of defense for Lagrange.

“Of course, Your Excellency! Please fight with confidence. We will bring His Highness away from here safely, but we need time!” The head of the Royal Guard stepped forward.

“Of course you need time, then we… will give you time! The Crusaders will hold off the pursuers to the last man! Until you are safe!” Hollin pounded his chest.

“If we are safe, we will crush the Echoing Crystal to let you know! Hopefully we can meet again…” The Royal Guard took out a pair of crystals the size of pigeon eggs and handed one to Hollin.

“You…” Nyx choked up, wanting to say that she still had many magic scrolls that could help her take everyone away.

"Your Highness, you will still need to live and protect yourselves in the future. Keep those trump cards and don't waste them here... I wish you peace!" Hollin bowed and then turned away decisively, leaving behind only Nyx with tears streaming down his face.

"Take care..." Nyx murmured, tears streaming down her face.

(End of this chapter)