LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 41
Chapter 41: Forging a Path to Victory
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Intimidation was an extraordinary item provided by the system to begin with.
It served to weaken the enemy’s morale, including those of the Jackalan forces.
Brroooooooommm
The 50 retainer knights led by Hobson immediately cut into the flanks of the Jackalans. The might from the charge of the handful of heavy cavalry units was comparable to that from over 1,000 infantry units.
Around 40 to 50 Jackalans were sent flying by the stout warhorses charging into their midst.
Their fine lances easily skewered the Jackalans’ bodies.
As they continued to rampage among the Jackalans, the knights drew their longswords. Any that had not been able to evade the knights’ attacks in time, or those who simply froze in fear, were quickly slain by the knights on the spot.
Cavalry units always had an edge over infantry units.
Heavy cavalry units in the era of cold weapons were lauded as kings of land battles for their impressive capability to crush any other types of units.
As such, the Jackalans were thrown into utter chaos.
After seeing their own instantly dropping dead left and right, and knowing that they were caught in a pincer attack carried out by human infantries in front and human cavalry units at the rear, the Jackalans stopped resisting and started fleeing in panic.
“For Swadia!”
The infantry units on the street, who were all in a frenzy with bloodlust, continued to hunt down the Jackalans before them.
Kant also had his own cavalry force.
The 17 Desert Bandits quickly emerged. Each one held a spear and skewered any Jackalan that did not manage to flee in time. The Desert Bandits did not even bother to pull their spears out before bringing down their flanged maces onto the heads of those beast-like creatures.
The Jackalans’ skulls were cracked open.
Crimson blood, which was mixed with grey brain matter, splattered everywhere.
When it came to brutality and ferocity, there were times when humans were on par with beasts.
The humans showed no mercy.
In this battle, the survival of their species was on the line. The Desert Bandits charged forward with their horses. They paid no heed to their own safety as they blazed a trail for the infantry units behind them. They charged straight into the deeper parts of the Jackalan forces.
The Desert Bandits divided the already messed-up formations of the Jackalans. As they pushed through the tribe, it was as if they were slaughtering chicks. The ferocious primitive tribe members fled with only terror and fear in their minds.
Owwuuuuuuuu!
The Jackalan chieftain swung its two-handed battle ax down onto the Jackalans beside him, killing them on the spot.
He wanted to stop his forces from crumbling. However, it did not matter how angry his howls were. The Jackalans, which were feeling nothing but fear and terror by then, had no intention of staying on the battlefield.
That was the fate of primitive forces fighting without any form of strategy.
They quickly fell into panic and chaos once a crippling blow had been dealt.
Furthermore, that red banner emblazoned with a golden lion continued to billow without wind. It cast formless waves onto the battlefield in the dark of night.
Its effects continued to work at full force.
The Jackalans’ morale had practically been decimated to the point that was hardly any morale left.
All of them fled quicker than before.
Even though the Jackalans had an overwhelming advantage in terms of numbers, all of them had been thrown into utter chaos and panic. They knew of nothing else at the moment but to run with their brethren around them. As they saw some of them were already running, more Jackalans ran. The vicious cycle brought about by a herd mentality caused the Jackalan forces to crumble.
As he followed behind the Desert Bandits, Kant drew his short sword and held his banner high.
The retainer knights, who seemed to be clad in blood-red linen robes, were seen causing terror among the Jackalans not far away. They were covered in blood by then. Their red linen robes were stained with the blood of slain Jackalans.
In this battle, the value of an elite force was brilliantly displayed.
Even Kant had grown envious of the retainer knights, who were still rampaging about.
If only I had 50 Swadian Knights under my command.
He quickly rectified his thoughts.
Even if he had 10 Swadian Knights under his command, he would have been extremely happy. It would have allowed him to lead the low-level troop classes. They would have torn the Jackalan forces apart, slaughtering the enemy to their hearts’ content without any restraint.
Owwwuuuuu!
Howls of anguish were heard somewhere in front of him.
Kant narrowed his gaze forward and held tight on his Intimidation banner. He looked rather serious.
The howls had come from the Jackalan chieftain.
The chieftain swung his two-handed battle ax without any regard for the Jackalans around him. He brought down two of the retainer knights’ horses on the spot. The blood on the ax was a testament that those two knights’ fate had taken a turn for the worse.
A chieftain position was reserved for the strongest Jackalan.
The strongest Jackalan before them wore mail armor and wielded a two-handed battle ax. He had especially terrifying combat prowess.
He was so terrifyingly powerful that not even the retainer knights dared to get close to him.
That Jackalan chieftain’s bloodshot eyes were focused forward. He howled in a frenzy as he charged at the retainer knights. The chieftain swung his battle ax with wild abandon. He brought down several retainer knights like a miniaturized windmill.
That scene seemed to have restored some of the morale of the Jackalans around him.
“Sh*t.” Kant frowned.
If the Jackalans had their morale restored, the chaos before them was likely to continue.
It was especially so if they were to discover that the number of humans hunting them down was actually only a fraction of their forces in terms of numbers.
At that time, those ferocious Jackalans would have fiercely retaliated. Kant’s forces, as well as the retainer knights know, would have quickly experienced what it was like to be brought down by overwhelming numbers.
“Lord Kant, I guess we need to take that guy down.”
The Desert Bandits, who were riding their horses in front of Kant, noticed Kant frowning.
They continued thrusting with their spears and swinging their flanged maces, bringing down Jackalans around them.
Due to the might brought by all 17 of them, the Jackalans around them were escaping left and right without any intention of fighting back. The Jackalans were still in a panic and desperately trying to flee. F
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“Alright, do you guys have any ideas?”
Kant nodded with a serious expression.
“Sure.” The Desert Bandits answered affirmatively as they drew the javelins from on their backs.
The javelins, which were comparable in length to that of a grown man’s arm and crafted using fine wooden materials, had very pointy spearheads. They were stabilized by a weighty metal counterweight at the rear end. All of that made them very formidable throwing weapons.
The Desert Bandits were also very well-trained in the use of such weapons.
Kant said in a low voice, “Take him out!”
The Desert Bandits lifted their pilums in place of a verbal answer before kicking the belies of their horses hard.
A stinging pain was felt by the desert horses, causing them to immediately charge. All 17 of them formed a wall of horses. They trampled any Jackalans that happened to get in their way.
The Desert Bandits quickly closed in on the Jackalan chieftain.
They expertly threw their javelins, which they had raised beforehand, in full force at their target.
Shoooooo…
The sounds of projectiles tearing through the air were heard. The Jackalan chieftain continued to madly swing about with his battle ax several feet away. Before he knew it, he soon felt a massive force hitting his back.
Owwwuuuu…
The pain caused his eyes to become even more bloodshot.
The 11 javelins penetrated his back, which was clad in mail armor. The spearheads, which had blood grooves, lodged deeply into his back muscles. It made the Jackalan chieftain, who seemed strong and mighty, look like a hedgehog instead.
His right arm, which was the arm wielding the battle ax, had two javelins lodged into it. The pain was so intense that he struggled to maintain a grip on the weapon.
Howls were heard from his wolf-like head. His eyes quickly filled with murderous intent. He glared at Kant and the Desert Bandits behind him. The Desert Bandits switched back to their spears and flanged maces.
Those were the people who threw javelins at him moments ago.
However, he was able to do nothing but remember the moment.
Shoooo…
A glitter of cold steel was seen as a longsword lacerated the throat of the Jackalan chieftain.
Sir Hobson charged at the chieftain with his sword in hand, which was sharp enough to easily tear through the chieftain’s throat. It caused the chieftain, who looked strong and mighty, to fall to his knees holding his throat.
The Intimidation banner billowed in the breeze. The golden lion looked even more ferocious than before.
The second effect was activated.
Killing the enemy leader caused the enemy forces to be thrown into chaos.
The Jackalan forces had fallen into complete chaos by then.
It was chaos of such a level that the Jackalan forces suffered an utter defeat right there and then.
The Jackalans, which saw their chieftain falling to the ground, dropped their weapons and whimpered. There was only one thought on their minds by then—run!
The further away the were able to get the better.
“For Swadia, kill them all!”
The death of the Jackalans’ leaders became a decisive turning point that determined the outcome of that battle.
The soldiers charged as they shouted in a frenzy. They pounced on the fleeing Jackalans with greater fervor since they no longer had anything to fear.
The retainer knights galloped away on their warhorses, killing any fleeing Jackalans they were able to find around them. They wanted to make sure that the members of that primitive race being thrown into chaos was so thorough that there was no way for them to recover again.
The entire place was filled with fleeing Jackalans.
It was quite ironic given that there were still at least 1,500 of them around.
However, having lost the will to fight, they were of little difference than sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
To Kant, his single largest threat in the Nahrin Desert was that massive Jackalan Tribe. Now, under the glittering stars in the sky, they had completely lost the ability to fight him. The Jackalans were reduced to little more than gravel to be stepped on. They were now a page in the history books.