Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

The distant bugle calls heralded the outbreak of war, and the battle line formed by flags of various colors began to approach them. Within that broad line, a dozen or so enormous figures stood out conspicuously.

He knew what it was and he knew what he should do.

This is more dangerous than hunting a rabid brown bear, but there is also an honor worthy of such danger. He will continue to kill his prey and reclaim the glory and victory.

Located to their left rear, the ballistae high in the woods began to fire again. A thick bolt flew out with astonishing power, and almost simultaneously, three or four equally thick black shadows streaked across the sky, tearing apart armor plates and severed limbs in the distant ranks.

A crisp metallic clang drew everyone's attention. Kochkin frowned as he looked at the crossbow bolt that had bounced off the heavy armor—the bolt, which resembled a small spear, was broken in half. Although it was far away, they could tell that this powerful attack had failed to achieve its intended effect.

The crossbow bolt struck the massive creature's thick back armor, breaking through the layers of hard iron plates, but the heavy force was also transmitted inside, perhaps creating a dent? Because they clearly saw the monster let out a wail... but this was a terrible arrow that could have torn shields and impaled two or three soldiers on them.

But this was ultimately futile, because after a brief pause, the thing displayed astonishing vitality and continued to move forward at a relatively slow pace.

The enemy had not yet entered their firing range. At this moment, only ballistae and catapults were in use, so they continued to wait, waiting for an opportunity to use their strength in a worthwhile way. The elite archers distributed in the formation would also shoot their terrible poison arrows into the gaps in the monster's armor.

………………

The ballistae fired again, and this time the monster on the left side of the line howled and staggered. One of its exposed walking organs—let's call it a foot—was torn in half by a thick crossbow bolt, and the huge flying limb even collided with a soldier next to it.

The exhilaration of this sight lasted only a few breaths, because the monster then continued forward, seemingly unaffected—as it had a full eight such walking legs, advancing towards them with its enormous, terrifying body.

The craftsmen began to whisper among themselves, then immediately adjusted the massive weapons in front of them and began firing at an even faster rate, determined to destroy the monsters before they reached the front line... Their identities made it impossible for them to know the relevant information, but they still managed to adjust their mindset in the shortest amount of time, without letting their efficiency decrease in the slightest.

But as it turned out, the attack had a significant element of luck. Most of the crossbow bolts broke off and flew away from the thick armor. The incredibly resilient monster continued to advance, and it was almost impossible for their powerful engineering machines to accurately hit the gaps in the armor. The monster, after being hit again and again, always managed to recover and continue to advance on their lines.

This even brought smiles to the faces of many Assele generals. They could almost imagine the carnage these behemoths would unleash upon the Empire's lines, which boosted their confidence and allowed them to continue their advance despite the casualties from ballistae and catapults.

Once they got close enough, a barrage of arrows rained down. The soldiers raised their shields to defend themselves, and although their pace slowed, they kept advancing. Every now and then, someone would be hit by an arrow and fall, and someone else would take their place, drowning the wounded or dead in the surging crowd. As they got closer, their confidence grew stronger.

This confidence lasted until a terrible wail and howl came, tearing apart the afternoon sunlight and yellow dust, bringing an ominous premonition.

Within their formation, a monster let out a pitiful roar, desperately scratching at its armored body with the sharp, heavy blade in its hand. For the first time, the black-clad figure behind it showed signs of panic, waving its arms helplessly… There, in a gap in the rough armor, an ordinary-looking arrow was embedded, its tail feathers still trembling slightly. A bluish-black tinge spread rapidly through the white flesh, revealing bulging veins, torn skin, and a horrifying pain that penetrated to the bone…

338 Auger (3)

The enormous monster struggled desperately, its terrifying blades, each three fingers thick, tearing wildly at the heavy iron armor. In no time, it snapped the leather straps along the gaps in the armor plates, slashing deep, bone-revealing wounds into its pale body. The hooked blades even grabbed some tangled bones, tearing them directly from the wounds, steaming blood still attached, along with tattered fascia, as if it were frantically trying to rip out its own internal organs. The tentacles that flailed around its head were stiffening at a visible speed.

The black-robed beast tamer panicked, and this time all the soldiers around witnessed a terrifying scene—slippery, snake-like tentacles emerged from the tattered black hood. They spread into the air and began to tremble rapidly, sending out sharp, piercing cries that echoed all around, but did nothing to calm the monster; instead, they drove it even more mad.

"Crack!!"

The monster's massive arm suddenly lashed out with a brutal rip. This wasn't a deliberate attack, but rather a frenzied outburst. It tore the black-robed man in two at the waist as easily as snapping a tree branch, even tearing out a bloody piece of intestine from the sharp hook. Then, with a vicious tug, it severed half of its own head, collapsing to the ground with a thud, motionless.

This was the scene unfolding in one section of the forward formation, while elsewhere, the soldiers remained completely unaware, continuing their advance under the hail of arrows, their courage undiminished by the constant death and injury. The monsters, too, continued their slow advance through the arrow barrage, letting the arrows bounce and break off their armor.

But a change did indeed occur. Satisfactorily, this section of the line began to stagnate. Soldiers and even officers began to hesitate. They stood still, watching the monster that had gone mad and died, until the bugle call to advance sounded again behind them. Only then did they begin to move slowly, but their speed was clearly lagging behind the others.

The brief distortion and hesitation in their formation immediately came at a heavy price. Unable to form a tight formation, the torrential rain of arrows exacerbated the casualties, with men falling one after another, their armor shattered and killed by the powerful arrows.

What an agony it must have been to endure such a barrage of arrows! Moreover, the more casualties they suffered, the more chaotic their formation became, and the more chaotic the formation became, the more effective the attacks were. Soon, the army formation in this section became increasingly chaotic. Only then did Samir hear about what was happening here, causing him to frown and sense something was amiss.

But for the time being, they couldn't figure out the reason... After all, the situation had been great before, and the monster's advance hadn't been hindered at all. Even those terrifying crossbows that could tear shields and overturn fortifications hadn't been able to really kill them, and the other arrows were completely useless against the iron armor that was at least an inch thick... What could have made this incredibly resilient monster turn into this?

But with battle imminent and the arrow already on the bowstring, there was no time to spare... After a slight hesitation, Samir could only send out a squad of his guards to kill the scattered soldiers, forcibly restoring them to their formation so they could continue advancing.

Arrows rained down from both sides, most of them embedding themselves in the soil, spreading out in a fine, continuous drizzle. Those that struck human bodies produced muffled groans and screams, but the Imperial Legion, gleaming with iron light, still held the upper hand. Resilient amidst the white feathers, they relentlessly unleashed a deadly rain of iron. Meanwhile, the crossbows and stone projectiles whistling overhead continuously inflicted casualties on the enemy's formation, weakening their strength, disrupting their plans, and causing them to panic and hesitate.

Colin, positioned in the ranks, aimed his bow for a long time, then sighed and put the arrow, its tip gleaming with vibrant colors, back into the leather pouch.

"Damn, how lucky I was just now, hitting the target from so far away. Now I'm a little hesitant to make a move..."

Colin was surprised and delighted by his unexpected arrow. He squinted, assessing the distance to the massive creatures—his previous shot had seemed divinely inspired. He had precisely pierced a gap in the monster's armor from hundreds of paces away, achieving an immediate and astonishing effect. Now, however, he lacked the same feel for it and dared not fire again, waiting for the creatures to move into a more reliable range.

The elite archers lurking in the ranks were mostly waiting intently, some even refraining from firing a single arrow to conserve their strength and spirit, enduring the rain of arrows around them, maintaining the patience of a hunter in the mountains, waiting to bring the prey that was truly worth their effort closer. Some were so nervous that their palms were sweating, soaking the leather of their bow handles.

Tersolius stood on the high ground, remaining completely silent. None of the armored soldiers and generals around him dared to utter a sound, creating an eerie, localized silence. Only the banners fluttered in the sunlit wind, and the dust raised by the distant army blotted out the sky. The battle lines were gradually closing in, and they could clearly see the hideous, twisted monsters.

"It looks impressive; this thing is probably even stronger than an ox."

Thesolius watched for a long time, then suddenly burst out laughing, pointing and gesturing as if he were standing on the stands of an arena commenting on the wild beasts below, with an air of effortless ease.

"I'm afraid it's far more than that. Even three cows wouldn't have that kind of power... This thing could probably easily tear a strong cow in two. No wonder those villains thought of using it to deal with our army. If they really charge into our ranks, it will be troublesome."

Holding his helmet, Yuriedos, seeing his commander speak, carefully observed him with his excellent eyesight before giving an affirmative answer, while also checking the distance with some concern:

"Sir, should we take further precautions? That way, even if we make a mistake, it won't cause chaos."

“No need,” Tersolius said without turning around. His sharp, eagle-like eyes swept over them for a moment, and then a smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

"It won't fail. Look, it's already started..."

Yuriedos looked up with slight surprise and discovered that the Aselian army had made waves in their line of fire, which was now 150 paces away.

........................

Arrows rained down, snapping and bouncing off the rough, heavy steel. The elite troops of the Aselian lords grew increasingly excited, believing that these monsters would easily break through the empire's defenses. All they had to do was follow them in and rout the terrified imperial soldiers. Power, wealth, and glory would soon be within their grasp.

After all, even they couldn't think of any way to stop these armored monsters. Even if they could kill them, it would come at a heavy price, and in the current situation, such a price was not something they could easily accept…

A sharp roar suddenly reached their ears, and a minor noble officer who was directing his soldiers to advance turned around in surprise—and saw a colossal beast with three chains tied to its hands roaring and struggling. Three still-trembling arrows pierced its head, left forearm joint, and back of neck, respectively, quickly pulling out large patches of swollen, writhing, and ruptured flesh. Rotten black blood flowed continuously from its gaping maw full of teeth, mixed with viscous blood clots and internal organs.

The armored monster, which was as massive as a small mountain, now appeared incredibly fragile. After struggling a few times, it collapsed forward, scraping its tentacles to shreds on the rubble, and then remained motionless.

Before he could react, another pitiful wail suddenly came from the side. Another monster with huge hooked blades bound to its hands was struggling and writhing. The same rotten black blood and entrails gushed from its mouth, and it collapsed to the ground, motionless, turning into a pile of dead flesh in the blink of an eye.

A profound sense of foreboding suddenly gripped his heart. Before the minor nobleman could react, panicked cries spread rapidly along the army lines, as dense as the throats of sheep being ripped out of their flock and slit one after another…

I helped someone else again today.

There have been so many weddings in my hometown these past few days ┐('-｀)┌ I haven't had a moment's rest... I've already given out who knows how much money in wedding gifts... I just got off the bus, I'm so sleepy, so I'm taking a day off from updating. I'm really sorry (||?_?)

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339 Auger (4)

According to legend, when the souls of the dead first enter the Dark Realm, they will hear 14 bells ringing. Each bell will wash away their confusion and resentment. After the 14 bells ring, the souls will rest in peace and turn into grains of sand in the black desert in their slumber.

And the one who rings the bell is the protector of the dead, the master of just rest and tranquility—Black Porialos, the god of death and rest.

The bells that rang from his skeletal hands were meant to appease the souls of the dead; the living could not hear them, but Samir felt as if he could faintly sense His call…

The once invulnerable and ferocious monsters now screamed and howled like slaughtered chickens before collapsing to the ground. Their screams came one after another, like the rhythmic tolling of a large bell, leaving one breathless. In just a few breaths, twelve monsters lay on the ground, turning into lifeless, motionless pieces of flesh.

Positioned at the rear of the army formation, he had a general view of the entire situation. With his excellent eyesight, he could vaguely see these things happening, but due to the distance, he could not figure out the reasons in a short time. He could only watch as these strange and surprising situations continued one after another, completely baffled.

Caught off guard by this sudden change, the once well-organized front line began to twist and waver. Soldiers and officers were filled with doubt, and even the noble generals who commanded them became hesitant, which naturally reflected in the overall situation.

He didn't know what had happened to the monsters, but he knew very well how fatal such wavering could be in the face of a well-prepared and powerful enemy—so almost instinctively, he gave the order to execute a dozen or so people who were afraid to fight with swift and decisive action, including even a general.

Under the bloody swords of the guards, the vanguard formation was finally reassembled, and the soldiers mustered their courage to continue advancing. However, this time, as they passed by those huge, stinking corpses, a sense of unease and fear inevitably arose in the hearts of each of them.

As for Samir, his heart sank completely... Even before the battle officially began, he had a very ominous premonition—the successive deaths of these monsters had turned their original advantage into a terrible point of attack on morale, and the soldiers were filled with doubt and panic, their condition was not as good as before.

His face darkened as he gripped the hilt of his sword. Had he known things would turn out this way, he would have preferred to avoid this predicament and instead engage the Imperials in a proper battle. That would have been far better than this terrible and embarrassing situation.

Julius, standing next to him, also had a gloomy and pale face. He kept turning his head to look at a man in black next to him, but the man just lowered his head and didn't say a word. Only his slender fingers, which were sticking out of his tattered sleeve, were twisting nervously.

At this moment, although both of them were filled with negative emotions, they both had a similar thought—that their plan had backfired.

....................................

At 100 paces, hitting a person is not a difficult task. Any skilled archer can do it, and a more skilled archer can even accurately hit the vulnerable areas such as the face or armpits that are not protected by armor, killing indiscriminately within the limits of physical strength.

But to shoot at the flesh of a colossal creature that is only a palm's width wide and not protected by armor at this distance, especially when the target is constantly moving... that is beyond the capabilities of ordinary archers; only the most elite archers out of a hundred can hit it.

To ensure absolute success, each target was monitored by at least a dozen elite archers. Once the monster entered their range, they would immediately aim at vital points and fire poisoned arrows. It was through such meticulous planning that such remarkable results were achieved.

The remaining two monsters continued to advance persistently, following the final command. They had even come within a hundred paces, allowing arrows to strike and break them repeatedly. Occasionally, the arrows would pierce their flesh, but this did little harm. However, they still could not escape their fate of death.

........................

Suppressing her breath, the muscles in her shoulders and arms taut and elastic, the powerful longbow was slowly drawn back, the stretched deerskin bowstring accumulating terrifying power, until at a certain moment, she made up her mind and her fingers naturally released.

The thick, broad-bladed, barbed arrow glided through the air, becoming a swift white dot as it flew out, then accurately struck the back of the monster's neck, exposed by the movement of its joints as it walked... It looked as if the prey had deliberately exposed its vitals to be shot.

The poison on the arrow immediately took effect, causing the monster, which had been relentlessly advancing, to stop abruptly. Terrible pain began to destroy and torment its nerves, even driving it to madness as it pounded its head with the iron hammer in its hand. But before it could flatten its head, the poison had already extinguished its last vestige of life.

As the last massive armored monster staggered and fell to the ground, the soldiers of the Imperial Legion immediately cheered. Any lingering doubts or panic they might have had vanished, replaced by unwavering confidence in victory and glory. They couldn't wait to tear their opponents apart, to crush this army that dared to oppose them, and to watch their warriors howl and flee before them.

Such cheers were like a warhammer striking the Asel army, further weakening their morale and confidence in the final moments before the battle.

But having reached this distance, there was no possibility of retreat for anyone... The nobles and generals of Asel spoke up, shouting encouragement to their soldiers, braving the casualties brought by the rain of arrows, and bravely pressed towards the Empire's formation.

After firing an arrow, Colin immediately gave the order to retreat without hesitation. The archers quickly organized themselves and retreated in an orderly manner, moving to the rear along the path left for them by the heavy infantry formation, avoiding the charge of the enemy's elite infantry, while leaving behind a large number of obstacles such as chevaux-de-frise.

This caused the continuous barrage of arrows to finally stop, and the Assele generals immediately seized the opportunity, urging their soldiers to use this time to cross the dangerous middle section.

"Prepare!"

"Prepare!!"

Loud shouts of agreement rang out simultaneously from the mouths of officers on both sides. Within the steel barrier formed by spears and halberds, the heavy infantry on both sides drew their javelins, waiting for the other to enter effective firing range.

"cast!"

Just a few dozen steps before the battle lines were about to collide, the Imperial Legion, which had been well prepared, took the lead. The well-trained elite heavy infantry had been resting and recuperating here for most of the day, and each of them was full of energy. Upon receiving the order, they immediately and uniformly threw their sharp and heavy javelins into the air, drawing one deadly and precise parabola after another.

Large raindrops fell again, but this time they were much heavier and more deadly...

"what!--"

"Ugh! Ah!!"

"Ahhh!"

………………

The heavy javelins, carrying terrifying kinetic energy and tempered steel spearheads, swooped down from the sky, easily piercing shields and shredding iron armor. In the blink of an eye, they brought terrible casualties, causing the front ranks of the Asel infantry to fall in droves, like wheat cut down by the scythe in autumn.

The sudden appearance of these corpses, along with other comrades, caused them to stumble and fall. In an instant, all sorts of screams, the sounds of bones breaking, flesh tearing, armor plates squeezing and rubbing against each other, shields clashing, and the most vicious and filthy insults mingled together.

The Assele's counterattack finally arrived—they were also a people skilled in using javelins, but at this moment they had suffered heavy casualties due to their disorganized formation and exhaustion. However, someone eventually threw his javelin at the officer's command.

The not-so-dense hail of javelins landed on the Imperial lines, causing some casualties as shields and armor blocked them, but this did not do them any harm. Instead, it immediately provoked a fierce retaliation from the Imperials.

Round after round of javelins rained down from the sky, each one heavy and deadly, making the cries of the wounded all the more piercing. The increasing number of javelins even coalesced into an undeniable sound, sharp and piercing, as if tearing throats apart to elicit a heart-wrenching wail.

In a very short time, without precise aiming or the slightest hesitation, the Imperial Legion's heavy infantry emptied their five javelins, giving the enemy a heavy lesson before even making contact. Then, fearlessly, they raised their shields, gripped their spears and halberds, forming an indestructible wall of steel, and clashed fiercely with the Asel infantry!

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The sounds of tens of thousands clashing in battle echoed through the heavens, drowning out everything else in the world. Euryedos spat disdainfully, then fastened his helmet and pulled a hornbow from his saddlebag.

"The Assele tribal riders are coming! Look at their ridiculous appearance! Riding those skinny horses and wrapped in sheepskins, they dare to challenge warriors like us?! Come on, let these southerners know how overconfident they are!"

The light cavalrymen immediately erupted in loud cheers. Some of them still retained the customs of their hometowns, making sharp and loud sounds unique to life on the grasslands. They followed their officers and roared away, like red clouds sweeping away from both flanks of the army!

Each of them could firmly secure themselves to their saddles with just their two legs, calmly drawing their bows and shooting arrows on their galloping steeds. At this moment, riding the empire's finest horses was like adding wings to a tiger. Their armor and cloaks formed a sea of ​​silver and red, and they had already unleashed a rain of arrows before the battle even began.

For most of the Assel tribe's cavalry, this was nothing short of annihilation... Their inferior armor offered barely any protection against such an attack, and they were thrown off their horses piece by piece, like flesh being scraped from the bone with an iron brush, or falling to the ground along with their horses.

What's worse, this completely reduced their already mediocre organizational skills to the bare minimum... They were recruited riders from one large or small tribe after another, and they didn't have any good cooperation with other tribes to begin with. When faced with such a setback, they immediately lost their fighting spirit, and many of them even turned around and fled on horseback.

Of course, it was soon proven how foolish they were to do this—the overseers mixed among them immediately brandished their swords at the fleeing men, forcing them to turn back and continue their attack with a bloody and brutal massacre. The other riders and horses' hooves that completely blocked their view also made their escape difficult, and they were soon driven back.

Worse still, the Imperial archers had already taken up new positions and, under command, began to unleash a barrage of fire on the enemy.

In an instant, arrows rained down from the sky like locusts, even colliding and rubbing against each other. Many fell to the ground without hitting the enemy, and the ground was quickly covered with a layer of arrows, with countless people crying out in pain as they fell to the ground.

The tribal cavalry immediately suffered a heavy blow, and their intention to harass the rear of the imperial army was instantly shattered—or rather, became impossible, though still possible, the possibility had become ridiculously small.

The Imperial light cavalry relentlessly fired arrows, weakening their enemies and keeping them constantly entangled, preventing them from easily escaping. In the end, they could only desperately endure the onslaught of arrows, yet at crucial moments they would always raise their spears and swords, bravely tearing apart the enemy's weak points and launching a fierce and unparalleled attack with the help of their iron armor.

They guerrilla-style attacks, like a real wolf pack, and will relentlessly attack any opponent who dares to turn their back on them until the opponent suffers heavy losses and flees in panic, before moving on to their next prey.

Thus, after a long period of probing, the two armies finally began a full-scale battle, fighting each other like two ferocious beasts, tearing each other apart until their flesh was dripping with blood, until the enemy's bloody sinews were exposed and their throats were ripped off, and only then would the victor devour the flesh of the defeated.

This is a war unlike any other in the world... The main forces of two powerful nations are fighting fiercely on a plain, and a victor must be decided, who will reap all the rewards.

At this moment, neither side has committed their reserves, because everyone knows that the time is far from over. The reserves that will determine victory must be deployed to the battlefield at the crucial moment, even if it means bloodshed and carnage ahead...

340 Auger (5)

The battle axe in his hand drew a fierce and short arc. Although the distance was short, it accumulated enough power to precisely tear open the already battered chainmail neck guard, cutting deep into the muscles and bones, severing blood vessels and exiting from the other side, bringing out a large gushing of hot blood.

The halberd swung down heavily, its sharp armor-piercing spikes on the back easily piercing through the helmet with immense momentum, bringing out the mangled red and white contents beneath.

The spear thrust out again and again, each time with precision and power, piercing the weak points of the armor plates and striking vital organs such as the throat and chest. Many unlucky ones were even shoved onto the spearhead, helplessly watching themselves being pierced, letting out miserable howls and screams, and then falling to the ground like trash as the spear was pulled out, to be trampled by thousands of feet.

The sounds of steel piercing flesh and weapons clashing against armor were as dense as the flapping of wings of a swarm of bees leaving their hive. The screams and wails were so numerous that they were difficult to hear clearly. All that could be heard was a loud, indistinct, and powerful sound, like thunder—a unique sound of the battlefield, a mixture of metallic clanging, screams, and wails.