Berserk: The Prophet

Ironically, Edward couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. The humiliations he had suffered at the hands of that man were too numerous to count.

His long-standing resentment suddenly made him regret for a moment... regret not agreeing to He Kun's proposal.

No... he shouldn't be so pessimistic, at least not for Hickel's sake...

The task the Grand Duke assigned to Hikel and Gurenbeddo this morning must have been problematic!

He had to buy time for Hecker and his men, even if General Kirsten didn't arrive.

Since we've already exhausted all other options, we might as well give it our all!

Enraged by this, He Kun gritted his teeth and shouted, "Charge! Crush them!" His knights surged forward like a tidal wave.

"Kill!!" Both sides were filled with overwhelming momentum. The elite heavy armored spearmen of the Olsen family stood at the forefront, and the two sides instantly clashed.

Perhaps influenced by the French Royal Palace and the mainland in his early years, Grand Duke Hokun has a particular fondness for raising these heavily armored knights to carry out a massive charge tactic.

Foolish! Even though the spear flash of our heavy pikemen is far less exaggerated than that of the phalanx pikemen, once those iron-clad knights fall from their horses, they're like helpless turtles lying on the ground, completely at our mercy!

Edward didn't just sit idly by. As soon as the knights came within range, he ordered the ballistae on both watchtowers to fire two shots. Even though the streets of Norudkahuati were wide, they could only accommodate a dozen or so knights walking side by side.

With just one shot, several sea bear riders were strung together like human barbecue. Several riders following behind them also fell from their horses, causing a small-scale stampede.

Although this move may seem insignificant, it actually greatly reduces the damage the Sea Bear Knights inflict on heavily armored spearmen during their charges.

Unfortunately, the crossbows had a very long reload time. In the blink of an eye, thanks to the cavalry's high mobility, the two sides were already locked in a fierce battle.

For a moment, a gap was torn in the formation of the heavily armored pikemen. However, the horses of the knights charging at the front lost their fighting ability when they collided with the pikemen, and they tumbled off their horses and were trampled into mincemeat by the cavalry behind them.

Even so, many heavily armored spearmen were still pierced by lances and suffered internal injuries from being knocked down by warhorses. Their advantage lay in the fact that the cavalry had lost their ability to charge.

"Looks like today's going to be a tough fight." Looking at the battle below, Edward gripped his sword hilt tightly, as if he was carefully considering how to win.

With such a disparity in troop strength and soldier quality, achieving victory in this battle would undoubtedly be a huge challenge, and he had to be prepared for the possibility that Kirsten might not come to his aid.

Dick stood beside him and whispered, "Then let's fight. We won't lose anyway. Reinforcements will arrive on time!"

Edward remained silent, but he had already assumed the role of commander. At present, he was the only one with substantial combat experience on the battlefield; no one was more suitable for the position.

Although today's deployment was more rushed than usual, it did not diminish the confidence of an experienced general in his desire for victory.

That's right, he is the "brain trust of the dragon's nest". Every time Gurunberdo goes out, he has been there to advise him. So far, he has never lost a battle.

After all, Gurenbelud is a monster on the battlefield. As long as he appears, he can easily crush the enemy's hard-won morale and kill the enemy general.

Only when the Grand Duke's personal guard infantry charged into firing range did Edward order the crossbowmen on the city wall to fire their crossbow bolts. In an instant, arrows flew across the battlefield, and shouts of battle echoed through the sky.

Years of defensive experience had made the crossbows of the Duchy of Grant exceptionally powerful. Arrows rained down on the Grand Duke's personal guard infantry, causing chaos and defeat. However, as elite soldiers of the Duchy of Grant, they were well-trained and quickly raised their shields, forming a tight defensive formation, and continued their steady advance.

Edward's gaze was cold and stern, knowing that this was only the beginning of the battle. He turned to Dick and said, "Pass down the order: have the heavy pikemen maintain a tight formation and not be broken up by the enemy's charge. The pikemen should attack in shifts, and the soldiers in the rear should be ready to fill in at any time."

Dick immediately took the order and ran along the city wall, loudly relaying Edward's instructions.

Edward closely observed the changing battle situation, watching as his heavily armored pikemen gradually found themselves in a difficult position against the coordinated enemy attack. Despite their valiant resistance, the enemy, with their numerical superiority and superior equipment, pressed forward relentlessly.

The battle quickly escalated to a fever pitch, with soldiers on both sides fighting with ferocity. Edward's troops, under his command, tenaciously held their ground, knowing that the consequences of a breach in the defensive line would be unimaginable.

Meanwhile, He Kun was overseeing the battle from the rear, constantly urging his soldiers to advance without any strategy or plan. He firmly believed that his numerical advantage would ultimately lead to victory.

...After all, that's more than twice the number of troops as the enemy.

Soon, the soldiers under Grand Duke Hokun were overcrowded, and they didn't even need to aim; a single crossbow shot could take down a large number of soldiers.

Thousands of arrows rained down like locusts on the chaotic crowd. Even the most elite troops were unable to form ranks in such a disorganized scene, and were like a pile of weeds covered with steel plates, ready to be harvested.

The soldiers in front were pushed to the front by the soldiers behind them. Before they could even get into an attack stance, they were poked with a hole. They had better pray that they didn't fall, because they would definitely be trampled into mincemeat by the people behind them.

Edward shook his head helplessly as he watched Grand Duke Hokun turn such an elite force into a scene more chaotic than a marketplace, while still harboring a sliver of hope.

He knew that while the chaos was advantageous to his side, the situation remained critical. He turned to look into the distance, silently praying that General Kirsten would arrive with reinforcements as soon as possible. At that moment, shouts of battle and screams mingled together on the battlefield, and the pungent stench of blood filled the air.

Despite having a slight advantage, the lack of manpower could not be compensated for, and the archers on the city walls had run out of arrows, with no further supplies available except for the ballistae on the watchtowers.

...I believe that soon all the ammunition on those crossbows will be used up.

We must come up with a new winning strategy as soon as possible!

Edward looked down at the narrow alleys and houses nearby and fell into deep thought. Should they fight a street battle?

No, after a series of losses, Grand Duke Hokun had fallen far behind his main force, with only a few noble confidants and knights surrounding him.

...Why aren't Madwood and the Shadow Hands here? Edward wondered.

If we could just kill Grand Duke Hekun directly, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble! Edward couldn't help but miss the image of Guren Belludo, who single-handedly ventured deep into enemy territory to take their heads.

Yes, the reason his strategy was able to be implemented effectively was because of that guy... a "dragon" who could take a person's head even among a million.

Although their heavy pikemen were putting up a fierce fight against wave after wave of attacks from the Hokun army, their casualties were steadily rising.

The heavily armored pikemen's defensive line is getting weaker and weaker; relying solely on the guards kept at home by the nobles is simply unreliable!

They saw that even though only a few dozen people in their team had died, they were already trembling with fear!

Moreover, the south gate has been kept open. If nearly half of them are killed or wounded, they will definitely start to flee without hesitation!

Dick's face gradually turned cold. They had been fighting for at least two hours, and Kirsten's troops still hadn't arrived!

Damn it... even he couldn't help but wonder if Kirsten had given up on Edward!

Edward, naturally feeling the pressure from his surroundings, gritted his teeth and decided to take a gamble. He ordered a group of pikemen to feign a retreat, luring Hokun's troops deeper into the enemy territory, while secretly assembling an elite squad on the flank, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

"I wonder what General Kirsten is entangled in! I must personally lead the team to take down He Kun, then we can control the situation!!"