Chapter 38 – Schleitocker Road 1

“Here…! This is where we’ll engage the enemy…!”

Having gone to inspect Schleitocker Road, I had surveyed the prospective battlefield to some extent and decided where to position our large force to meet the enemy.

It was an area with a constrained width, and the southern side where we would array ourselves was slightly elevated.

Then, days later, with preparations complete, we deployed our formation to match the timing of the enemy army’s invasion.

Since our position was slightly higher, to the enemy our array would initially appear as a normal horizontal line.

But it was no ordinary horizontal line. On the left flank, centred on the Muria tribe is lead by Crudo, we had arrayed 8,000 cavalry.

On the opposite right flank were 3,000 heavily-armoured  cavalry led by Garshin of the Ruto  tribe. Though time was limited, we had them train in preparation for this day.

As for the central infantry, they too did not simply line up horizontally. The centre bulged out towards the enemy in a crescent formation. Those in the front ranks carried sturdy shields.

At both ends of the infantry’s horizontal array, we positioned heavy infantry in vertical columns. However, these heavy infantry did not advance, instead forming long lines to the rear.

The imperial soldier prisoners were positioned in the front ranks of the infantry. If they betrayed us, they would be cut down from behind. But if they survived, they would be released or highly rewarded and incorporated into our army.

“The enemy army is in sight!”

“So they’ve come… Damn, it would have been easier if they weren’t formed up…”

If the enemy had advanced along the road without any formation whatsoever, the plan was to launch a preemptive archer-cavalry attack. But from the start, I considered that possibility extremely low.

After all, our own forces numbered around 40,000 as well. By deploying our formation here, the enemy scouts would spot us and report back to their main force. They would then surely advance in formation to face us.

Still, them entering the road already arrayed in formation was a bit unexpected.

“Listen up, if any of their soldiers try climbing the western rocky mountains, shoot them dead! Don’t let them see our disposition at all!”

“Yes, your highness!”

A small number of archers headed up the rocky mountains on these orders. They were merely lookouts.

This was the only place offering an elevated vantage point over the battlefield. If the enemy tried climbing the mountains, they were instructed to harass them with arrows as much as possible.

“Vilgard-sama! The enemy has begun advancing!”

“So it begins…! Listen up, never be afraid! I can already see our victory in this battle…! Do not think, simply trust me!”

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

The distance to the enemy army gradually closed. We remained still for now, conserving our strength until the last moment.

Ideally, we would have liked to harass them with archers, but in this clash of massive armies, bows would not be decisive. There would be no opportunity for them.

“Alright…! The entire army, advaaaaaance!!!”

With the command issued, the flanking cavalry charged. Simultaneously, our infantry began advancing as well.  

Our horizontal formation bulged outwards in the centre – naturally, the enemy’s pressure would concentrate there the most.

Right in the very middle, including myself, were positioned the elite heavily-armoured infantry. This would become the site of the fiercest combat in this battle.  

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

I activated my full inscription power. Previously, black armour-like exoskeleton only covered my shoulders, but now it enveloped my entire body.

Such armour manifestation inscriptions are rare. It must be due to my royal bloodline.

My head too was fully encased in a solid full-face helmet. And so, we finally collided with the enemy infantry. I swung the sword gifted by my master, cutting down foes.

“OOOO!”

“Guh!”

“Gyyaa!?”

“This…!!”

“Hah!”

The battle began at the bulging crescent tip of the horizontal formation. The enemy infantry charged in, clinging tightly to that section. Then with a time lag, clashes between the infantry spread to the left and right flanks of the horizontal line.

“Ah, my arm!!”

“Guoraaa!!”

Our side was mostly inscription-bearers with enhanced physical abilities. However, we were still outnumbered, and there were limits to how long one could fight continuously.

The downside of being surrounded was clearly ours. We fought on, ensuring no gaps opened in our formation, being careful not to overextend.

My sword strokes easily cut through enemy armour and bodies. But there was slight wavering in my blade path. The excitement of this first decisive battle seemed to be affecting my swordsmanship.

‘It’s harsh…! Too many enemies…!’ 

Gradually pushed back by the enemy’s pressure, the bulging central portion was compacted backwards.  

Feeling their momentum, the enemy’s assault intensified further. Step by step, our infantry was forced to give ground.

“Push on! Trample them underfoot!”

“The enemy is solely defending and showing fear of us! Advance!”

Somehow…! We have to endure this somehow…!

■

“OOOOOO!!!!”

Leading 8,000 cavalry, Crudo clashed with the enemy cavalry forces.

While the Imperial army had deployed 5,000 cavalry on each flank, Vilgard had concentrated his cavalry forces on the left flank, giving Crudo’s side the numerical advantage.

However, there were rocky mountains immediately to the west, and the enemy infantry was arrayed to the east, preventing either side from attempting flanking manoeuvres.  

Though there was some distance to the enemy infantry, it was not enough space for the cavalry to effectively execute mobile flanking tactics on horseback.

As a result, they were forced into a straightforward frontal collision. In the confined space that restricted the cavalry’s lateral movements, once the vanguard units clashed, the following cavalry inevitably became stalled behind them. Seeing this, Crudo gave the signal.

“Dismount!”

In that instant, the Muria tribesmen following behind simultaneously made their horses lower their stance by folding their legs. The warriors then immediately dismounted, converting to infantry formation.

“Advance!”

Transforming from a cavalry-versus-cavalry fight, they now pushed against the enemy cavalry with infantry units. The vanguard cavalry passed through the sides of the ongoing clashes, attacking the stalled enemy cavalry from behind.

Ordinarily when cavalry charge into infantry with their breakthrough force, they can easily scatter most foot soldiers. But cavalry brought to a halt and thrown into disarray posed no threat at all.  

“How quickly we can break through here will decide the fate of this battle! Fight to the last man and leave not a single enemy alive!”

“OOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

The ferocious warcries sent tremors of unease through the enemy ranks. Their own infantry formation had already been breached by Vilgard’s forces, who outnumbered them.

“Tsorahh!”

Crudo’s spear took off an enemy captain’s head. Though the inscription-enhanced foe was powerful, Crudo emerged victorious despite sustaining some wounds.  

“I’ve slain their commander! Finish off the rest!!” 

“OOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

The morale of the enemy cavalry began to crumble entirely.

■

“Endure! Do not let this position be breached! Defend it with your lives if you must!”

The battle had been raging for quite some time now. Garshin, entrusted with the right flank, continued to withstand the fierce onslaught of enemy cavalry.

Despite being outnumbered, just like their adversaries, our reinforcements were halted as soon as the vanguard units engaged in combat.

Yet Garshin and his heavy cavalry refused to dismount, focusing on defence to prevent being outflanked by the enemy. From atop his horse, he glanced at the battlefield from a distance.

‘Our infantry units…! They’re being pushed back significantly…!’

Even Vilgard and his men were struggling to maintain their formation, relentlessly pressured by the enemy.

While the frontline infantry all wielded large shields, the weight made it exhausting to hold them for long. Moreover, the sturdiness of the shields often tempted them to prioritise personal defence, risking a slackening of their offensive. This was especially true for captive soldiers.

The enemy infantry units were also aware that they were pushing forward, their focus increasingly directed towards the front.

They understood it too. With superior numbers, if they could break through our front lines, the battle would be decided.

We, too, wished to conclude the battle swiftly, but only a limited number could engage in combat at the forefront.

Moreover, being outnumbered, we refrained from launching aggressive offensives and instead focused on defence, strongly conscious of not being outflanked by the enemy. But if we continued like this, while we might not be outflanked, victory seemed elusive.

‘Any moment now…!’

A slight sense of impatience began to grow within Garshin.

Yet his role was to halt the movements of the enemy cavalry here. With numerical inferiority, launching an offensive would result in heavy casualties.

“Any moment now…!”

The words escaped his lips at last. Garshin had no intention of ending things here. While his archery skills were above average within the tribe, he didn’t rank among the best.

Nevertheless, his well-trained body was robust, and his spear skills were particularly exceptional within the tribe.

He had continued his warrior training on the grasslands, despite harbouring doubts about the vague mission handed down through generations.

Yet, like his ancestors, that decisive moment might never come and he would grow old and pass away. He, too, would follow the same path.

Then what purpose did all this training serve? Because of the tribe’s mission? But what was that mission for?

With such difficult-to-express emotions in his heart, he had lived on the grasslands for so long. It was a time of feeling trapped in endless darkness, with a body and skills that would eventually decay. It was at such a moment of emptiness that it happened.

‘At last, in my generation…! He…Vilgard-sama has appeared…!’

With Vilgard’s appearance, the chieftain publicly disclosed the atonement and contract imposed on the people of the grasslands. It had been whispered about before, but now it was laid bare for all to see.

Vilgard had once lived among the people of the grasslands in his youth, and over time, he emerged to save his brethren and appeared on the grasslands.

Furthermore, by issuing commands to them, the skills they had honed until this day finally saw the light of day.

It wasn’t just Garshin who trembled with joy; everyone did… especially the younger ones.

Moreover,Vilgard , who stood above them as their king, had established himself with the appropriate strength and goals.

Ah…this man is truly our king. Surely everyone thought so instinctively. That’s why.

‘At a moment like this…! There’s no way Vilgard-sama’s ambitions will be crushed!’

Injecting vigour throughout his body, he brandished his spear. But he didn’t advance too far, maintaining a defensive stance.

He could already feel his grip weakening from having swung the spear numerous times. But what did that matter?

When this decisive battle ended, the world would know the man named Vilgard. They couldn’t afford to fall without witnessing that sight.

“Uooooooohhhh!!!!”

And then it happened. Another cavalry unit approached from diagonally behind the enemy cavalry. They were familiar faces.

“They’ve come…! Hold on, Crudo!”

After Crudo’s unit broke through the enemy cavalry, they mounted their horses again. Then, they circled around the northern side of the battlefield, flanking the enemy cavalry that had been holding Garshin back.

From here, they would flank the enemy cavalry in front and annihilate them.

“Let’s do this! Don’t let the enemy escape, sandwich them with our allies!”

“Ooooooooohhhh!!!!”