Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 6: Escape! Horseback Archery

Light cavalry.

Duncan, through his bird's-eye view, saw the severely wounded leader of the guards. Several arrows lodged in his back, though his armor thankfully blocked most of the damage. Another caravan guard had been shot in the shoulder, significantly impacting his riding ability. Their horses were no match for the steppe steeds of the light cavalry, and they were nearly overtaken by the enemy.

One killed and two injured.

The light cavalrymen chasing behind drew their composite bows and were extremely skilled at drawing arrows on horseback. A rain of arrows was thrown, and one of the arrows hit the horse's leg. The caravan guard was thrown off the horse due to the pain.

If the caravan guard fell off his horse in this situation, he would basically be dead.

Sure enough, the caravan guard who fell off his horse struggled to get up, but one of the light cavalrymen had already raised a light lance.

Sprint with gun in hand!

The enemy's lance was made of hardwood, about two meters and two meters long, with a slot on the head fixed with nails. In order to prevent it from being unable to be pulled out after piercing the human body, wings were added to the back of the head.

puff.

Blood splatters!

The caravan guard was killed on the spot. The powerful impact of the sprinting warhorse made the inlaid armor on his body look like paper. In an instant, only one blue unit marked on the edge of the map was left.

"What a strong fighting force."

The enemy's horse archers were still chasing, and the guard leader had already fallen on his horse, seemingly unable to stand due to his injuries.

What was the outcome of the battle on the empire's border?
Why does it feel like a complete failure?
Duncan immediately picked up the Northern War Bow and jumped on his horse. The original owner did not know anything about riding, and he had not learned it in his previous life. He chose a low-class horse with a gentle temperament. Ordinary people could ride it, but its combat effectiveness was very low because it could not run fast at all. It was a hybrid of a low-class horse and a mule horse.

The other caravan guards reacted quickly. When they saw Duncan suddenly move, they immediately rode their horses to catch up.

After several battles along the way, the others had already regarded him as the backbone of the team.

On the convoy side, the witch also stopped and her expression gradually became solemn.

Her lips moved slightly.

The next second, a pitch-black crow from a treetop on the roadside not far away took off into the sky and flew directly towards the direction where the battle was taking place.

But at this time Duncan's attention was all on the battlefield, and he didn't notice the witch's little movements at all.

"Rangers."

"They should be the elite among the light cavalry. They don't look like ordinary archers. They have excellent close combat capabilities."

At this time, the figure of the guard leader could be seen hundreds of meters away. Half of his body was tilted, and he relied entirely on the stirrups to stabilize his body, as if he would fall off the horse in the next second.

When the other caravan guards saw this, they immediately rode forward to support them and quickly left Duncan behind.

He could not run fast on a skinny and slow horse, nor did he dare to gallop. Without riding skills, he might fall off the horse and be half killed.

The distance is getting closer little by little.

The pursuing light cavalry also saw the enemy and gradually slowed down their horses, waiting for reinforcements from behind. Someone drew his bow and aimed, and shot a long-range shot, but it missed. The hit rate of mounted archery is quite touching. It is difficult for a nation that has not been riding on horseback since childhood to produce top mounted archers.

From a God's perspective, Duncan's aiming crosshairs were shaking like an earthquake, and even while riding a horse at full speed, his skills were unable to compensate for the correction.

He simply dismounted, drew his bow and arrow, and locked onto the target while standing still.

call out!
A sharp arrow broke through the air and hit the horse's head directly.

The barbarian fleeing soldiers he killed yesterday had greatly improved his archery skills. When shooting from a distance, he could now aim at the crosshairs very steadily.

Shoot the horse first before shooting the man.

The enemy's warhorse was hit by an arrow and let out a mournful cry. The light cavalryman fell off the horse and was trampled. Although he did not die on the spot, he was obviously seriously injured. When he struggled to get up, his right leg was already lame.

call out!
Duncan slowly put the arrow on the bow again, and the second arrow hit the enemy's left shoulder. The enemy fell to the ground in pain, as if waiting for rescue by his companions.

puff.

But at this time, Duncan's third arrow had already been shot. With the help of the God's perspective, he directly hit the opponent's collarbone. The arrow passed through the neck, leaving the enemy in a state of near death.

"Can I still fight?"

Duncan looked slightly nervous as he abandoned his horse and headed into the woods beside the road. Given his riding skills, a cavalry engagement would almost certainly kill him. He couldn't outrun the enemy, and he couldn't shoot them. Without any prior experience in mounted archery, he didn't believe he could defeat a small group of lightly armed cavalry archers.

It would be better to hide in the woods and shoot arrows from behind.

As long as the caravan guards can hold them back, with Duncan's current archery skills, he might be able to counterattack and kill them.

At this time, the caravan guards had already picked up the seriously injured guard leader.

A bearded guard took out a short crossbow from his waist, quickly loaded the crossbow and took aim, but did not pull the trigger. The crossbow's range was not far enough. The other guards raised their shields, but the small round shield could not block a large area and could only protect the vital parts.

Their combat skills are similar to those of the Imperial Light Cavalry, and the only difference between them and the infantry is that they can ride horses.

The enemy pulled away and fired a round of arrows.

It was a typical light cavalry tactic of "kite flying," but their archery was quite advanced, using a technique similar to the "resting horse arrow." They could shoot with their backs to the enemy and their facing away, which did not affect their riding skills at all, allowing them to control their mounts with ease.

"If we calculate the skills based on Mount and Blade, the riding skills of these cavalry archers must be at least 150!"

What a tough enemy.

Duncan began looking for opportunities as he entered the grove. The effective range of the Northern War Bow was not as good as that of the Longbow, and he was not sure of killing with one strike, so the first step to achieve victory was to shoot the horse first.

As long as the enemy falls, he has the chance to kill him.

call out!
In the brief confrontation, Duncan finally found his opportunity. He had no energy to pay attention to the fighting situation of the caravan guards. After an enemy light cavalry entered his range, he immediately aimed and shot at the warhorse. The horse was a bigger target, and with his current archery skills, it was not difficult to hit the target every time.

Amidst a roar.

The light cavalryman's mount screamed after being hit by an arrow, but he did not fall off. He sensed something was wrong, so he turned his horse around and prepared to retreat, while calling for help from his companions nearby in the grassland language.

Duncan did not hesitate and shot the warhorse to death with another arrow.

With his current archery skills, he can probably maintain a shooting rate of one shot per 1.5 seconds, but his stamina bar is depleting very quickly, and the recovery speed cannot keep up with the consumption. At most, he can fire 20 to 30 shots in a row, and it is estimated that his stamina bar will soon run out.

The enemy was defeated.

It was difficult for him to run out of Duncan's shooting range with his legs, and he was galloping in an open area, leaving no room to hide.

Duncan was in a dominant position and shot three arrows in a row, killing the target directly.

But he would have to run away soon.

Because the light cavalry, who were entangled with the caravan guards, heard the cry for help and immediately split into two horses, one carrying a bow and the other holding a spear, and circled to the small woods beside the road from both sides. If Duncan didn't have a God's perspective, he would have been attacked from both sides by the enemy.

"call!"

Duncan took a deep breath, his expression slightly nervous. He retreated deeper into the grove and took off the Fran throwing axe from his waist.

in!
puff.

Aiming with a throwing axe was more difficult, but Duncan still managed to shoot the enemy in the head, knocking him off his horse.

call out!
The bowstring trembled.

Another enemy had already discovered Duncan's position. He quickly drew his bow and shot an arrow. The arrow flew through the air and hit Duncan's back. It was unlikely that he would die on the spot given the short robe and studded leather armor he was wearing, but it was certain that he would be seriously injured.

Only if you wear heavy armor can you continue to fight with more than ten arrows stuck in your body. A light breeze blew by.

As if a cicada was chirping, the arrow shot at Duncan suddenly deviated a little and hit the tree trunk beside him directly.

From a God's perspective, the mark representing the witch has entered the grove.

Duncan didn't hesitate at all. He put an arrow on his bow at a distance of 60 meters, took aim at the enemy's head, and shot the target's head directly.

There were strange shouts coming from the distance.

The light cavalry who were fighting with the caravan guards retreated immediately. By the time Duncan walked out of the grove, the enemy had gradually withdrawn from the battlefield.

The opponent's willingness to fight was not high, and they retreated immediately after suffering a loss.

If this fight really goes on, the caravan guards will probably be wiped out, and Duncan himself can only flee alone, relying on the dense mountains and forests to avoid the enemy's pursuit.

Of course, if the enemy really dared to chase him into the forest, he would not panic at all.

"The witch is gone!"

Just as Duncan observed the battlefield again, the unit mark representing the witch had disappeared. After about a few minutes, it appeared at the edge of the God's perspective, and then quietly returned to the convoy from the side.

at the same time.

The retreating light cavalry regrouped and communicated in a slang close to Persian.

"Why retreat?"

"We can definitely eat them!" one of the riders complained angrily.

The leading captain had a blank expression on his face and said indifferently, "They are just a group of caravan guards. What's the point of eating them?"

"Don't forget our mission."

When they encountered the three riders before, they thought they were messengers from the empire and thought they could be easily killed. However, they didn't expect that they had bitten a tough bone and lost a lot of their men.

If they continue to fight, they will probably suffer heavy casualties.

While talking.

Suddenly, a pitch-black crow flew across the sky. The cavalry captain's horse seemed to be frightened and began to neigh wildly. Before he could pull the reins, the horse galloped towards the river. In just a breath or two, the mad horse threw the rider off the horse, and the stirrups dragged the rider for more than ten meters, leaving blood all over the ground. Then the horse stomped on his head with one hoof and fell into the river.

This sudden scene made the rangers present look at each other in astonishment, and everyone's face was filled with shock.

Outside the convoy.

The witch stopped and listened with her ears tilted slightly. At the hoarse cry of the crows, a charming smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she quickly and quietly blended into the team.

"Disengage from the battle."

——"Mastery of Riding: You possess riding skills as profound as those of the nomads of the grasslands. People on horseback are born with this talent."

——"Mastery of Horseback Archery: You have mastered the skills of horseback archery, comparable to those of grassland cavalry archers, greatly improving your hit rate when riding and shooting."

——"Retreat Horseback Arrow [Combat Skill]: You can skillfully perform Retreat Horseback Arrow in combat, quickly completing the shot while facing or facing away from the enemy."

——"Lance Charge [Combat Skill]: You have mastered the combat technique of the lance charge, allowing you to quickly launch a lance charge attack in battle."

The caravan guards suffered heavy casualties.

Almost all of them were injured, and the leader of the guards was seriously injured and couldn't be brought up. It was unknown whether he could survive.

"Throw away all the goods and take only the necessities of life."

"Everyone should travel light."

Duncan led a prairie horse out of the grove. With a serious expression, he looked at the guard leader who was removing an arrow and healing his wounds. He said in a deep voice, "We must hurry, otherwise we may not be able to leave."

The guard leader struggled to open his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "You mean, they are..."

"Scout!" Duncan said firmly, "The enemy cavalry will probably arrive in a day at most."

A small group of elite light cavalry penetrated deep into the enemy's rear.

If this isn't a scout, what is it?
Perhaps a large number of imperial defeated soldiers will soon retreat here, and the enemy cavalry will intend to intercept them here and then kill them all in one fell swoop.

Duncan couldn't judge the battlefield situation based on the limited information.

But judging from his experiences in the past two days, the imperial army should have been defeated, and a great defeat. It is possible that several border provinces will fall.

The empire's territory was vast.

It almost encompasses the most fertile land on the continent, and at its peak, its territory occupied more than half of the continental shelf. However, such a vast territory was destined to significantly reduce the empire's control over the border provinces. Especially after the empire weakened, the administrative agencies were extremely bloated and rigid, and it was unknown how long it would take for them to mobilize the army to retake the lost territory.

This vast empire is gradually falling apart.

The cultivated barbarians rebelled, the uncultivated barbarians invaded, the empire's legions had long been corrupt, the glorious eagle flag had become a decoration, and the last bit of appearance on the battlefield was still supported by the barbarian mercenaries.

"I'm afraid this empire is about to end!"

Duncan pondered for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "Throw away all the cargo, and everyone should board the carriages. We should travel overnight and escape the border as quickly as possible to the northern cities."

After saying this, he lowered his head and stared at the leader of the guards in front of him.

He is the real boss of the caravan.

If the other party disagrees, Duncan will ride alone and at most ask the mysterious witch if she wants to go with him.

But that would expose him, and the witch would definitely guess something.

But the situation has come to that point, so we can only speak frankly. If all else fails, we can just go our separate ways.

Duncan has no relationship with them, and this is already the limit for him.

In war, the power of an individual is too small.

He didn't want to be involved in the war at this moment.

The guard leader hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "Throw away the goods, and everyone must leave overnight."

His decision made Duncan look up to him.

War is coming.

It is time to give up. As long as you are still alive, there will always be a chance to make a comeback. If you die in the chaos of war, then you will really have nothing.

These days, massacring cities and destroying villages is commonplace.

Since the other party has made this decision, Duncan will continue to go with them.

But he is now alone, so if he encounters any situation, he can retreat at any time. Before he is strong enough, the most important thing for him is to lie in wait. At least before he faces a hundred enemies, he cannot act recklessly.

With the current rate at which his combat skills are improving, defeating a hundred people is not a difficult task.

It would be even better if you could master supernatural powers!
………………

(End of this chapter)