The arrival of these heavily armored infantrymen caused the defenders of Taiwei Four no small amount of trouble. The militia's shortswords could barely harm enemies clad in heavy armor, while their spear shafts snapped in half when thrust against the breastplates. The heavily armored Valantis soldiers merely staggered back a few steps from the impact.
The militia had to swarm them and restrict their movements before they could kill them. One heavily armored Valantis infantryman crouched and used his shield to shove aside an oncoming militiaman, then thrust his shortsword upward and flung the man behind him. He turned sideways, blocked another militiaman's shortsword with his shield, and stabbed through a gap beside the shield, killing him.
But immediately afterward, a militiaman charging from behind drove a spear into the back of his left knee. The spearhead pierced the chainmail and sank into flesh. These heavily armored infantrymen were actually Valantis elite cavalry. To make riding easier, their leg armor was relatively thin and flexible, which now became their weakness.
The Valantis elite cried out in pain as his knee buckled involuntarily. Militiamen on both sides swiftly seized the chance, rushing up to pin down his arms and hold his head in place. The Valantis elite struggled desperately, but to little effect. He could only watch helplessly as the militiaman before him thrust a spear through the Y-shaped opening in his helmet.
The spear pierced his eye and drove into his brain. Blood poured from beneath his helmet. The militia released him, letting the corpse crumple to the ground, then picked up their weapons and searched for new targets.
The Vigyan Knights found it relatively easy to deal with these Valantis elites. As the Vigilia Kingdom's top-tier troops, they had fought nations such as Swadia for years. To deal with heavily armored soldiers, nearly every one of them carried armor-breaking weapons such as war picks, Two-headed warhammers, and Spiked maces.
The war pick in particular was known among the soldiers as a can-opener. It was especially effective against targets encased head to toe in heavy plate armor. A war pick could easily punch through the armor they were so proud of, leaving holes in their bodies or simply smashing through their skulls.
Blunt weapons such as warhammers and maces were also quite effective against heavily armored troops. Though they could not break through the armor and inflict external wounds, the force of a heavy two-handed warhammer striking a vital point could not be reduced by armor. Even without visible injuries, their internal organs would already have been ruptured by the blow. If struck squarely in the head, not only would the helmet deform, but so would the skull beneath it.
A Nord Royal Guard gripped a Battle axe in both hands and attacked from the left, but a Valantis soldier blocked it with his sword. Just as the Valantis soldier raised his shield's sharp edge to attack the Nord guard, the Nord twisted and pulled with both hands, using the hook beneath the axe blade to disarm him of his longsword. Then the Nord seized the Valantis soldier by the head and slammed him viciously into the wall.
The Valantis soldier's helmet was secured in place and did not get torn off, but the tremendous impact left him dazed. Even his shield fell to the ground. He swayed unsteadily, and the Nord seized the opportunity without hesitation, repeatedly hacking at the same spot on his breastplate with the Battle axe, knocking him back against the wall each time.
On the third heavy blow, the breastplate finally gave way and split open. The Nord swung the Battle axe again and struck the gap, burying it deep in the man's chest. The Valantis soldier spat out a mouthful of blood, then went limp. Yet his corpse remained caught on the axe and did not slide off.
A slave soldier launched a sneak attack while the Nord guard was pulling his Battle axe free from the corpse, slashing the guard across the back with a sword. The shortsword cut through the chainmail, but after being impeded by it, left only a shallow wound. Rather than seriously injuring the Nord guard, it stirred his bloodlust. With a roar, the Nord guard wrenched out his Battle axe, spun around, and kicked the slave soldier so hard that he flew backward, tumbling more than two meters before falling from the wall.
The Valantis forces fought desperately while Taiwei Four's defenders resisted with all their might. The two sides waged a battle of attrition atop the walls, but the defenders held the advantage of the defensive position. The Valantis forces could not secure a foothold on the walls for a long time.
At that moment, Ronan noticed that another drawbridge had been raised against the western wall. A large group of burly men suddenly poured out from it, dressed in fur armor, their arms bare, wearing horned helmets and carrying greatswords and massive axes. The western defenders were beginning to struggle under the sudden assault.
"Mario!" Ronan shouted over his shoulder. Mario turned around and saw the situation on the western wall. He hurriedly called on his elven archers to unleash a volley of arrows at the burly men, while Ronan led his subordinates running toward them to provide support.
The elven archers had been well protected. Only a few had been injured while exchanging fire with the enemy. By the time Ronan reached the western wall, the enemy had already occupied a large section of it. The Phantom Feather Clan was responsible for defending the west, and Inella was now under her subordinates' protection, continuously chanting spells and waving her staff to launch streams of ice spikes.
But her skill was clearly mediocre. Or perhaps, with the Gods hidden away and magic waning, all mages apart from a handful of archmages had rather limited destructive power. Mages were now more useful in other areas. For example, the orc shaman Guldan's Soul-searching technique could obtain a great deal of useful intelligence.
Inella's spells failed to stop the fierce assault of the burly men, who averaged over 1.9 meters tall. Her guards had already engaged them in battle. The elven guards were clearly far more skilled. These elves, clad in light green armor and armed with slender swords, were swift and agile, but they could not fully display their abilities atop the wall. Under the onslaught of the horned helmet strongmen, casualties soon began to mount.
These horned helmet strongmen did not wear the thick armor of the Valantis elite soldiers, so Ronan could finally swing his greatsword to his heart's content again. He viciously drove the sharp crossguard of his greatsword into the kidney of a horned helmet strongman who was locked in combat with an elven guard. The man's whole body went numb and his movements faltered. The elven guard seized the opportunity and thrust a sword straight through his throat.
The horned helmet strongman clutched his neck and slowly fell. There was no time for thanks. Ronan and the elven guard immediately turned to face new enemies.
Ronan raised his greatsword and blocked an enemy's descending Battle axe. Then he caught the axe with his blade and yanked. Appearances could be deceiving. Though Ronan was smaller than the towering brute before him, he was stronger. The enemy had not expected Ronan's strength and stumbled forward, nearly losing his weapon.
Ronan shook his head inwardly. He had learned that disarming move from the Nord Royal Guards, but he was clearly still lacking finesse. Ronan drew back his sword, turned, and slashed diagonally upward from the left, cutting a long gash across the enemy's back. Even his spine had been severed. He was certainly not going to survive.
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