Kiss

Karl turned his head and looked intently into Charlotte's anxious eyes.

He neither refuted nor explained.

To Charlotte's astonishment, he suddenly reached out his blood-stained hand, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her deeply on the lips without a word!

The kiss was brief yet incredibly powerful, carrying the taste of blood and fire, the burning passion born of despair, and an undeniable resolve.

After the kiss, Karl released her, cupped her face in his hands, forehead to forehead, and said in a deep voice with a strange Magic Power, "Charlotte, please give in to me this time."

"I don't want to be a deserter, and I don't want to see you die with me."

He took a deep breath, as if trying to imprint her scent into his very being. "You go. Take those who can still move and retreat immediately. I'll stay here and hold them off."

At this point, Karl chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Of course, if we're not lucky, we might really not be able to leave."

Charlotte was completely stunned. Her cheeks flushed instantly, her mind went blank, and she just stared blankly into Karl's calm and deep eyes, which were so close to hers.

There was no madness, no despair, only an almost divine, incomprehensible confidence and composure.

Even in the face of death, this man still radiated a light that made people unconsciously want to follow him.

"I won't leave!" Charlotte shook her head violently, tears mingling with the blood on her face as they streamed down. "We'll die together! I'll never leave you alone!"

Just then, Karl seemed to hear a different voice, and a look of disbelief and surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Wait... Listen! Isn't that the sound of horses' hooves?" He suddenly raised his head and listened intently to any sounds other than the fighting in front of him.

Charlotte was stunned, then choked back tears and said, "What are you listening to? Please! There are hundreds of cavalry charging right in front of us!"

"Not from the front!" Karl's voice suddenly rose. "It's from behind! The sound is coming from the direction of our fortress! It's the sound of horses' hooves! Lots of horses' hooves!"

Almost simultaneously, the two turned around sharply and looked towards the mountain path to the northeast of where Kahnford Fortress was located!

On the winding mountain road, dust billowed as a troop of cavalry charged down at an astonishing speed!

The number of riders was small, about fifty or so, but their charge was exceptionally fierce and powerful!

The figure charging at the very front, leading the charge, was still some distance away and his face was somewhat blurry, but Charlotte recognized him instantly by his familiar physique and unwavering momentum!

Lyon!

"It was him!" Charlotte exclaimed in disbelief.

But at this moment, they had no time to ponder this incredible turn of events.

In that split second, the fifty-odd riders led by Lyon, like an iron torrent plunging down from the mountaintop, did not slow down in the slightest, nor did they pay any attention to Karl and Charlotte who were right next to them.

Instead, with overwhelming force, it swept past them directly and crashed into the Sauron Light Cavalry who had just regained their footing and were trying to reorganize their charge!

The timing was absolutely perfect!

In their attempt to break through the enemy lines, the leading dozen or so Sauron Light Cavalry were essentially cannon fodder, crashing into the Caltrops and severely halting their advance.

Then they were met with a desperate charge by Roland's cavalry, and their formation was stretched and scattered, with the vanguard of the charge showing obvious signs of disjointedness.

The middle team has fallen behind, and the coherence and power of the entire attack have been greatly reduced. They are in a vulnerable moment where old strength has been exhausted and new strength has not yet emerged.

The fifty-odd riders that Lyon brought were completely different from the lightly armed Sauron Cavalry! They were true lancers!

Each knight wore a gleaming cavalry breastplate, their eyes beneath their helmets were as cold as ice, and they gripped an incredibly long, heavy lance!

Even more terrifying is that these knights had just experienced an extremely fierce charge battle ten days earlier.

His armor was still covered with sword and knife marks and dried bloodstains, and his eyes were filled with a murderous aura honed from countless battles. His tactical movements were becoming increasingly shrewd and ruthless!

Unag stared intently at the heavy cavalry rushing down the steep mountain path, his heart sinking as if it had been plunged into ice water.

As a seasoned cavalry commander, he knew all too well what this meant.

Heavy lancers, these steel behemoths of the battlefield, were designed to ruthlessly tear apart and crush everything in their path during a frontal charge!

Their heavy armor was enough to withstand most light weapons, and their extra-long lances, amplified by the full speed of their steeds, contained devastating kinetic energy.

His own troops were typical Light Cavalry.

They relied on their swift mobility and agile mounted archery harassment, like a pack of wolves roaming the battlefield.

They excel at flanking attacks, pursuing remaining enemy forces, and cutting off supply lines.

But what they are not good at is engaging in head-on, hard-hitting charges against heavily armored cavalry that are fully prepared!

Their numerical advantage of four hundred cavalrymen was useless against the quality of the heavy cavalry charge; instead, it only caused greater chaos and more devastating casualties.

What's even more frightening is that the current terrain is extremely unfavorable to them.

Using the immense momentum from the downhill slope, the opponent's horses thundered, their power reaching its peak, like a steel hammer thrown with all its might!

His Light Cavalry were in a relatively flat valley, their speed not yet fully picked up, and their formation was even somewhat scattered due to the previous battle.

At this moment, turning to run away would only expose their most vulnerable back to the deadly lance, inevitably leading to a rout and being hunted down to death.

In a flash, a desperate madness flickered in Unag's eyes, which was then replaced by a ruthless determination to burn one's bridges.

He drew his scimitar with a swift motion and roared hoarsely, "There is no turning back! Warriors! Tighten the ranks! Follow me and charge! Break through their ranks!"

He knew it was a near-certain death, but also the only way to fight for a glimmer of hope.

Taking advantage of the Light Cavalry's relative agility, they desperately dodged at the final moment of impact, while simultaneously engaging in close combat with scimitars and horse bows, attempting to trade their lives for one another and disrupt the enemy's formation.

He roared at the top of his lungs, "Aim at their horses! Cut their legs! Push through! Engage them!"

The Sauron Light Cavalry knew there was no way out, and in their desperate situation, they unleashed a ferocity like wild beasts, howling and urging their horses onward, no longer trying to scatter.

Instead, they desperately tightened their ranks, brandishing their scimitars like moths drawn to a flame, resolutely facing the steel forest that was pressing in with overwhelming force!

On one side were Light Cavalry, cornered and still reeling from the shock; on the other side were heavily armored lancers, well-equipped and charging with the determination to die, seizing the opportunity.

The result was exactly as expected!

"Boom!!!"

The deafening roar of the two torrents colliding head-on even drowned out all the other noises on the battlefield!

Lyon took the lead, his lance piercing precisely through the leather armor of a Sauron Cavalry who was trying to raise his saber, sending him flying off his horse!

The lancers behind him were equally unstoppable; their long lances, propelled by the immense momentum of their charging horses, easily tore through the Sauron' thin defenses.

In an instant, chaos erupted!

The sounds of bones cracking, metal piercing, warhorses neighing, and dying screams filled the air!

The line of Sauron's light cavalry was like a fragile piece of paper, instantly pierced and torn apart by this steel wedge!

At least forty or fifty Sauron Cavalry were killed or seriously wounded in this clash, falling from their horses, and the already chaotic formation completely collapsed!

This sudden and fatal blow completely disrupted the Sauron ' offensive rhythm and bought the Carnford defense, which was on the verge of collapse, perhaps the most precious chance to breathe!

Karl was still stunned as he watched this dramatic turn of events unfold.

Just then, he felt someone suddenly pull him up.

Charlotte had picked up his helmet from the ground without him noticing, and quickly but carefully put it back on his head, fastening the strap in a flash.

Her voice rang close to his ear, urgent yet exceptionally clear, carrying the calmness of a seasoned veteran:

"Stop daydreaming! The impact of being rammed head-on by a warhorse might hurt a lot, but bear with it, you won't die!"

Before Charlotte could finish speaking, the first Sauron warhorse neighed and charged forward!

The cavalryman on horseback had a ferocious expression, his scimitar raised high!

Karl's longsword pierced precisely into the warhorse's relatively vulnerable chest.

"Pfft!"

The longsword pierced deep into the ground without any resistance!

The warhorse let out a mournful wail, its immense momentum propelling it forward and sending Karl, sword and all, flying backward!

"Bang!" Karl's heavy body slammed into the muddy pool of blood, splashing up a cloud of filth.

Almost the instant he landed, Karl didn't even have time to check his injuries. He immediately followed Charlotte's instructions, curling up his body and tightly protecting the vulnerable part where the helmet connected to his torso with his arms, shrinking his whole body into a hard steel sphere as much as possible!

The next moment, a torrential downpour of hooves trampled down!

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Clang!"

The heavy hooves stomped and pounded against Karl's plate armor!

The immense impact traveled through the cold metal into his body, shaking him so violently that his internal organs seemed to shift, and his blood and qi surged!

The helmet was kicked, producing a deafening bang that made him dizzy!

However, the full plate armor he wore, a treasure of the Schmidt Family and of extremely exquisite craftsmanship, demonstrated unparalleled protective power at this moment!

The armor plates are smooth and tough, with a cleverly designed arc that effectively deflects and disperses the impact of the horse's hooves.

The sturdy steel armor withstood all the trampling and impacts without showing any obvious deformation or cracking!

Aside from the initial shock of being thrown into the air and the lingering dull pain from the subsequent trampling, Karl was surprisingly not seriously injured!

He was like a stubborn rock in a torrent, enduring the violent impact, yet remaining unmoved!

He could clearly hear the screeching and dull thud of horseshoes colliding with steel, and feel the violent tremors from the ground, but the deadly damage was firmly kept at bay by this legendary armor!

In the chaos, he caught a glimpse of Charlotte, who was also curled up, using her shield to protect her vitals, enduring the onslaught and trampling of the cavalry.

Her plate armor also emitted a series of muffled thuds, but it seemed to have held its ground.