Knight: Becoming King of the World

Chapter 119: Chapter 100: Likes to Make Red Fountains (Part 2)

The remaining steppe riders were responsible for protecting the military formation, with their main objective being to guard Henry.

Once Henry’s army spotted the long column of torches, they immediately halted their advance and concealed themselves in the woods.

The soldiers concealed themselves in the night, seeming to melt into their surroundings as they awaited the approaching enemy.

Henry sat on his horse, his gaze piercing the darkness, observing the Mercenaries’ movements. As the enemy gradually drew near, he could see the faint glow of their torches flickering in the distance.

The soldiers held their breath and tightened their grip on their weapons, their eyes locked on the approaching enemy.

The archers tightened their bowstrings, the infantrymen adjusted their shields, and the Cavalry gently stroked their warhorses’ manes, calming their spirits.

As the Mercenaries drew closer, Henry’s scouting skill triggered, revealing their disorganized formation. The soldiers looked weary, and some were even riding on wagons, completely off their guard.

Henry scanned the column and quickly spotted the banners of the Shield Brotherhood and the Green Forest Brotherhood. The two were unmistakable.

One might not recognize the sigil of every imperial noble house, but the Mercenary Clans were different. As they were few and far between, most nobles recognized the banners of these veteran clans.

Looking at the loose formation, Henry couldn’t help but smile. This gave his army a perfect opportunity to exploit the enemy’s laxness and launch a surprise attack.

Henry raised his hand, signaling his soldiers to remain silent. The conduct of the Mercenaries made him frown; compared to his own troops, these sellswords seemed utterly undisciplined.

They marched and halted as they pleased. These Mercenary Clans had once been glorious, but under pressure from the crown, they had long since lost their former splendor.

It was likely a struggle for them just to maintain an army of this size nowadays.

"This many torches... it must be about thirteen hundred men..."

On the high ground of the Salt Stone Mountain Range, Henry’s army was already prepared for battle.

The imperial archers had taken the high ground, giving them a commanding view and preparing them to rain deadly shots down on the enemy.

Henry estimated the distance, watching the dragon of fire draw ever closer...

"Go tell Philip. After a count of forty, he is to give the order to fire."

Having received the order, Philip took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the torches that were gradually entering their range.

His heartbeat synchronized with the passage of time as he counted silently in his mind.

The Mercenary soldiers were completely unaware. Their column advanced at a leisurely pace, the torchlight casting flickering shadows on their faces.

They were likely still dreaming of the plunder to be had at Westwood Laine, little knowing that the shadow of death already hung over them.

Finally, Philip reached forty in his count. He swung down the signal flag in his hand, giving the order to attack.

"Fire!" His voice echoed in the silent night sky, clear and firm.

In an instant, arrows from the imperial archers split the night sky like a sudden downpour, screaming death as they flew toward the Mercenary column.

In the torchlight, the Mercenary soldiers were thrown into a panic. They raised their shields to try and block, but under this sudden attack, many had already fallen.

Under the surprise attack from the imperial archers, the soldiers of the Shield Brotherhood and the Green Forest Brotherhood fell into chaos.

Arrows fell like raindrops. Many Mercenaries, caught off guard, fell to the ground. Their screams of shock and groans of pain echoed through the night.

Some soldiers tried to find cover, but the darkness and chaos made it difficult for them to get their bearings. Fear spread through their hearts.

The voices of the Mercenary officers cut through the chaos as they shouted orders, trying to restore order.

"Shields, forward! Form a Shield Array!"

The officers shouted at the top of their lungs. Their experience and leadership were especially vital at this moment.

Under the officers’ command, the elite armored shieldmen responded quickly. They grabbed their heavy shields and rushed to the front line of the column.

Every Mercenary Clan poured vast sums of money into training elite Warriors for its army. These men were the key to the clan’s continued victories and earnings.

The shieldmen surrounded the wagons and quickly formed a solid defensive line.

They raised their shields high, forming a nearly impenetrable wall. The wagons were pushed into the very center, becoming the core of the Shield Array. The other soldiers took cover behind the Shield Array’s protection and began to regroup for a counterattack.

With the Shield Array formed, the threat of the arrows was greatly diminished.

Under the protection of the Shield Array, the masked archers of the Green Forest Brotherhood began looking for an opportunity to counterattack.

Although their armor was inferior to the imperial archers’, their archery was not to be underestimated.

Through the gaps in the Shield Array, they began to return fire into the darkness. However, due to the poor light, their counterattack seemed somewhat feeble.

The woods, spitting a constant stream of arrows, looked like a gaping maw in the darkness.

The soldiers of the Shield Brotherhood, meanwhile, used long spears and throwing weapons to prepare for a possible Cavalry charge or infantry assault.

The officers knew that in a chaotic night battle like this, the impact of a Cavalry charge would be fatal, so they had to be fully prepared.

The phalanx of Skilled Infantry began to advance steadily, their shields and spears forming a dense wall of iron.

As the imperial archers’ volley temporarily ceased, the tense atmosphere on the battlefield grew even heavier.

Henry’s phalanx of Skilled Infantry began its steady advance. Their steps were firm and powerful. Their shields and spears formed a dense wall of iron, slowly closing in on the Mercenaries’ Shield Array.

The Mercenary officers shouted loudly, directing their soldiers to adjust their formation and prepare for the coming impact.

The soldiers of the Shield Brotherhood gripped their long spears, warily watching what lay ahead, while the archers of the Green Forest Brotherhood looked for firing opportunities from behind the protection of the Shield Array.

When the distance between the two armies shrank to just over ten meters, the battle erupted in an instant!

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Before closing for melee, the Skilled Infantry threw a volley of Javelins that pierced through many of the shieldmen’s shields and impaled their arms.

The Skilled Infantry Team slammed viciously into the Mercenaries’ Shield Array. The sound of clashing metal and the shouts of soldiers echoed through the night sky.

The Shield Brotherhood’s heavy shieldmen on the front line bore the brunt of the assault. Their large round shields were constantly battered, some even cracking under the force of the blows.

But even so, they held their ground, using their bodies and shields to protect their comrades behind them.

They didn’t dare surrender either. In a battle like this, if they dropped their weapons, the enemy would cut them down before they knew what was happening.

The Skilled Infantry also suffered considerable casualties. Facing the spear and Shield Array, they had forced an opening and charged inside.

Fortunately, due to the surprise attack, the enemy did not have their javelins and throwing axes with them.

"Kill!"

Henry roared, spurring his warhorse and brandishing his long-handled Yanyue Saber as he charged into the Mercenary formation like a giant boulder.

Henry’s warhorse neighed, and the ground beneath its hooves seemed to tremble.

A few shieldmen noticed the roaring Henry and immediately clustered together, raising their shields and setting their spears to unhorse this heavily armored Knight.

LEAP!

In mid-charge, the warhorse suddenly leaped into the air, bringing its immense weight down to kick an enemy’s shield.

CRUNCH!

A shield-bearing spearman’s arm instantly shattered. The immense force slammed into his chest, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

Before the shieldmen to his left and right could react, Henry’s long-handled Yanyue Saber carved a deadly arc through the air.

Wherever his blade passed, the enemy shields seemed to be made of paper, offering no resistance at all! The shieldman he struck was sheared in half from the neck down.

The Mercenary soldiers witnessed Henry’s charge, their eyes filled with fear.

’Is he even human? Who the hell are we fighting?!’

The surrounding Mercenaries who saw this tried to fall back but were harshly stopped by their officers. If the formation collapsed, they would face an even more tragic fate.

Henry’s arrival was like pouring water on a grease fire, instantly shattering the balance of the battlefield.

His charge was unstoppable. His warhorse leaped and spun across the battlefield, nimbly avoiding the enemy’s spears and arrows.

SCHLICK! With a single swing of his saber, Henry sent three heads flying.

Three small fountains gave their comrades a special kind of face wash, making them tremble all over. If Henry wasn’t mistaken, it looked like one of them had fainted.

’Really?’