ā»Black is Herculeās side, White is Hadrianusāsā»Each symbol represents one battalionļ¼1,000 ~ 2,000 soldiersļ¼ā»Subject to measurement error
Situated on the flanks of the Lemurian Army led by Hercule were four cavalry battalions. In the middle was one infantry regiment. Longbowmen were deployed in the front row.
On the opposing side, the rebel army had 1,000 cavalry placed on each flank. In the center were 20,000 infantry. Crossbowmen were positioned in the front row.
āAll troops, advance!! Crush the rebels!!ā
āThe Lord is with me. Let us bring down the phony emperor!!ā
As soon as Hercule and Hadrianus both gave their orders, the two armies started moving.
The first to take action were the cavalry on two wings and the ranged units in the middle.
āHm, I guess the cavalrymen that the nobles threw together arenāt that weak after all.ā
Garphis, who was in command of the clibanarii on the Lemurian Armyās right wing,Ā drove his troops forward with a lance in hand. The clibanarii charge was indeed powerful, but they had to accelerate for a certain distance before they could unleash such a mighty attack. But if they began accelerating from too far away, the horses would get tired and the force would diminish.
Cavalry charge was not simply charging forward. It was a sophisticated maneuver that required excellent judgement of distance.
And thenā¦
āCHARGE!!!ā
The speed of the enemy cavalry; the speed of our own; and the distance. Making calculations with his perception, finely honed over the years, Garphis began to accelerate as soon as he got into the perfect range.
āWindās protection!!ā
On Garphisās command, the elves simultaneously invoked their contracted wind spirits. Those were almost always low-ranked spirits that could be contracted by most elves. Each spirit was capable of making a light breeze at best, but if five thousand of them manipulated wind all at onceā¦
Even if each spirit could make only a breeze, combined they would turn into a strong squall!!
Catching wind blowing from behind their back, the clibanarii accelerated rapidly. Meanwhile, the enemy cavalry messed up their timing and couldnāt gain enough speed.
The enemy charge that lacked force smashed into theĀ clibanariiĀ who were at their peak acceleration.
āAmon!!ā
When Garphis called upon his contracted spirit, flame strewed out. Enemy cavalrymen who came into contact with the flame of the top-ranking spirit, Amon, were instantly charred alive.
Several cavalrymen tried to gang up on Garphis but were blown away in return.
Just like that, the enemy cavalry turned around and fled. Garphis and his men gave chase.
Completely remove enemy cavalry from the battlefieldāthat was the order thatĀ Garphis received.
Meanwhile, the left-wing cavalry of the Lemurian Army were commanded by Edmond. Beside him was Carolina.
āIām in your care.ā
āYeah, same here. Itās my pleasure to fight alongside the magnificent knight who contracted the first-class spirit,Ā Eligos, at a young ageā¦ That said, General Garphis sure is strict, isnāt he.ā
Garphis was a strict father. On the battlefield, he made sure to distance himself as much as possible from Carolina. He feared she might end up relying too much on her father if he kept her close, and Garphis didnāt want to spoil her either. It was all for Carolinaās sake.
Should something happened to Carolina, though, Edmond wouldnāt get away in one piece.
āI canāt lead a charge as skillfully as General Garphis, butā¦ that might be educational in its own way.ā
āYes sir! I will keep my eyes peeled!ā
Edmond was amused by Carolinaās serious response. She really took after her father.
Even though they donāt get along well, itās still a far cry from the relationships between us father and sons, and between us brothersā¦.
āOops, thatās not important right now. Menā¦ letās move!!ā
Edmond quickly galloped his mount. If it was Garphis, he would charge directly from the front, butā¦
āProceed according to the plan, Carolina.ā
āUnderstood, sir.ā
One-third of the troops were put under Carolinaās command and split off from the main force. And thenā¦
āCHARGE!ā
āCHARGE!ā
Edmond and Carolina accelerated at the same time. The charge wasnāt as flawless as Garphisās, but still superb enough to get a ten out of ten.
Spurred on by the tailwinds generated by wind spirits, the two armies collided with each otherā¦
Right before that moment.
Carolinaās group slipped away diagonally, avoiding the enemy charge. Only Edmondās main force crashed into the enemy cavalry.
āWe will welcome you firstā¦ Andromalius!!ā
One of the Seventy-two Demons, the great spirit who ruled over thievery and justice. Andromaliusās power was āStealingā. That is to sayā¦
āH-Huh? My sword aināt hereā¦ā
āMy helmet!!ā
āArmor, whereās my armor?ā
āM-My undies!!ā
Andromaliusās power was to steal a random object among about 300 people. It tended to take weapons and armors, but in rare cases something worthless could be stolen too.
But that hardly mattered.
āT-Timeout!! I donāt have my sword!!ā
āWho would wait, dumbass?ā
Edmond cut down a foe who was in panic without his sword. His subordinates also slew enemy after enemy with ease.
The movement of the enemy cavalry had ground into a halt. At that momentā¦
āEligos!!ā
Carolinaās troops who had surrounded the enemy cavalryās flanks began to push in. Unable to withstand the assault, the enemy troops began to rout.
āFleeing, eh? Men, after them!!ā
āYES SIR!!ā
While the calvalry in both wings were crashing into each other, the infantry troops in the center also began to move. The first to clash were the Lemurian longbow corps and the rebel armyās crossbow units.
āThe Lemurian Armyās longbow corps are truly powerful, Your Majesty.ā
āWell, theyāve got a lot of drilling. The power, accuracy and shooting range also far outstrip those of regular archers thanks to wind magicā¦ Itās a given that we come out on top in an exchange of arrows.ā
While Hercule and Darios were talking, the Lemurian longbow corps annihilated the rebelsā crossbowmen. It was at this moment that the rebelsā infantry began to move.Ā Upon seeing that, Hercule ordered the longbow corps to fall backā¦
āAs we have discussed, Iām entrusting the right side to you, Darios. You remember the plan, right?ā
āYes, I got it already.ā
Hercule and DariosĀ divided their roles according to what they discussed beforehand and mobilized the troops.
Hercule ordered the longbow corps to evacuate to two sides and the the infantryās rear. Then he had the halberd units from the front and back spread out to the left and right and the pike units move forward.
The LemurianĀ pike units and the rebel armyās infantry smashed into each other.
The rebel infantrymen, lacking uniformity in equipment and coordination, could not push back the pike units.
āWait, donāt push forward yet.ā
āPreserve stamina. Notify all commanding officers to refrain from advancing.ā
Hercule and Darios ordered the pike units to focus entirely on defense. Meanwhile the longbow corps continue to shoot at spots far from the frontline, shaving away the rebel infantryās numbers.
And thenā¦
Hercule and Darios composedly sent the halberd units to surround the rebelsā flanks. It was but a simple maneuver for the halberd units that, unlike the pike corps, were highly mobile and had been extensively drilled.
Then, the tightly packed pike units began to spread out to both sides in a thin formation as if to plug up the holes left open by the halberdiers.
Before they realized it, the rebel army had already been enveloped in their flanks. They were slowly being pushed toward the middle.
That was also theĀ momentĀ Garphis and Edmond finished crushing the cavalry on the wings. Finallyā¦