Defeated Like a Landslide
"Teacher, should we pursue them?" Morian asked calmly, a ball of icy energy already gathering in his hand.
Konrad shook his head. "No need, we can't catch up anymore, and... since he's serving Sauron army, we'll have plenty of opportunities to deal with him in the future."
At this moment, the cursed cloud overhead continued to unleash black lightning, bombarding the mental shield that Konrad had maintained, producing dull thuds.
Lina looked at the ripples spreading across the shield with some concern. "Teacher, shouldn't we remove this curse? Maintaining the shield for so long must be very taxing on our mental energy, right?"
Konrad glanced at the dark clouds overhead, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "This ' Soul Rot Curse ' structure is insidious; forcibly removing it might cause a backlash, which is troublesome."
"Let it strike. This kind of continuous area-of-effect curse will run out of energy quickly. Perfect, I'll give you a live demonstration of what the defensive strategy of 'using stillness to control movement' really means."
As he spoke, he snapped his fingers, and the light of the mental shield seemed to solidify further.
Ignoring the lightning overhead, he flicked his wrist and expressionlessly pulled the longsword slowly from Unag's abdomen.
As the sword detached from its body, the blade formed from Magic Power, like a shattered shadow, rapidly transformed into wisps of black smoke and dissipated into the air, as if it had never existed.
All that remained was the horrific wound on Unag's body, from which blood continued to gush forth.
In order to protect himself, the Sorcerer Thor forcibly summoned the distant army of Magic Creature to his side. This was originally a desperate act of self-preservation, but it inadvertently created an excellent opportunity for Lyon and Thorsten's Goldfinch Cavalry to escape from danger.
The goblins and ghouls that had been harassing the cavalry's flanks immediately abandoned their enemies upon receiving the new orders, roaring as they turned and charged toward Thor's location.
The cavalrymen were relieved of pressure and were finally able to calmly break free from close combat.
However, this was a devastating blow to the Sauron infantry phalanx that had just managed to assemble under the pressure of their officers!
Konrad's invisibility caused the arriving Magic Creature army to lose its target, and they naturally focused their attention on the nearest Sauron.
The Magic Creature army surged like an out-of-control tide, crashing into the Sauron's lines from behind!
Goblins, Kobold, and ghouls mercilessly tore at the backs of the unsuspecting Sauron soldier!
Screams, the cracking of bones, and the roars of monsters instantly drowned out all other sounds on the battlefield!
With the ferocious Goldfinch Cavalry charging repeatedly from the front and the indiscriminate, frenzied Magic Creature army tearing at them from behind, the Sauron soldier completely collapsed!
All discipline, courage, and formation vanished under this terrifying attack from two directions!
Run!
"Monsters! There are monsters everywhere behind us!"
"It's over! It's all over!"
Panic spread as quickly as a plague!
The soldiers dropped their weapons, pushed their comrades aside, and fled like headless flies, crying and screaming, in any direction that seemed safe!
Any officer who tried to stop the rout and regroup was either trampled by the surging tide of deserters or instantly overwhelmed and torn to shreds by the Magic Creature that followed!
The army collapsed like a house of cards!
Lyon reined in his horse, looking somewhat bewildered at the sudden, dramatic scene unfolding before him.
The formidable defensive line that he had just fought so hard to breach had now crumbled into a scene of wailing ghosts and trampling on each other, a living hell.
The Sauron... defeated just like that? Defeated so thoroughly, so quickly?
For a long time, in the war with the Sauron, what Lyon heard, saw, and experienced was always the news and scenes of how the army of the Goldflower Kingdom was crushed by the Sauron Iron Cavalry, how the defense line was torn apart, and how the soldiers fled in disarray.
Failure, retreat, loss of territory, sacrifice... these words are like heavy shackles, imprisoning the hearts of every soldier and civilian in the Northern Territory.
Their desperate defense was driven more by a desperate struggle and the instinct to protect their homeland; almost no one dared to hope that they could truly "defeat" these seemingly invincible, barbaric enemies from the north.
However, at this moment, history seems to have been abruptly reversed!
The Sauron army, which had once surrounded Carnford like an iron torrent and exuded a suffocating sense of oppression, was now crumbling and utterly defeated before their very eyes in such a dramatic and devastating manner!
Looking around, the once well-organized and banner-lined Sauron battle line was gone, replaced by a chaotic sea of utter chaos and howling demons.
Those once fierce and fearless Sauron Berserker now showed no trace of ferocity on their faces, only the most primal fear of death.
They discarded their heavy Battle Axe and shields, and like frightened wild beasts, they desperately pushed and trampled their comrades, wanting only to get as far away as possible from the Goldfinch Cavalry behind them, who were like death reaping lives.
Even the well-trained Sauron regular soldiers were now completely undisciplined, their formation utterly destroyed.
The officer's desperate shouts were drowned out by the tide of panic. Any attempt to maintain order or turn around to resist was immediately overwhelmed by the surging tide of fleeing people, or even cut down and trampled from behind by their own people who were also trying to escape.
So it turns out, the Sauron also know fear! Their courage is not inexhaustible. When death truly comes, when the tide of battle turns completely, they too will break down and fight each other to survive!
Their pathetic retreat was no different from any of the Broomflower armies they had ever defeated!
A surge of euphoria and a sense of unreal disorientation washed over Lyon at the same time.
His hand holding the lance trembled slightly, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.
Just then, Thorsten rode up to him, his voice urgent and firm as he reminded him, "Lord Lyon! Lord Karl has ordered us to continue the pursuit! Look at the city walls!"
Lyon snapped out of his daze and looked in the direction Thorsten was pointing.
On the high main tower of Carnford, the flag bearer responsible for communications was vigorously waving a huge red flag, the signal of which read "Pursue with all your might and expand your gains!"
Seeing that Lyon was still somewhat stunned, Thorsten quickly added, "Your Excellency! Opportunities are fleeting! The defeated enemy has lost all fighting spirit, which is the perfect time for us to expand our gains! We must not let them regroup so easily! Give the order now!"
Thorsten's words were like a wake-up call, instantly jolting Lyon out of his euphoria of victory!
Yes, defeating the enemy is only the first step; pressing the attack and expanding the gains is the decisive factor!
I actually hesitated at that crucial moment!
A wave of shame and urgency washed over him. He glanced gratefully at Thorsten, his former enemy now his most reliable ally and mentor.
Without any further hesitation, Lyon drew his flintlock pistol from his waist, pointed it at the sky, and pulled the trigger!
Bang!
The crisp sound of gunfire, like a signal, instantly drowned out the clamor of the battlefield and reached the ears of every Goldfinch Cavalry!
"Warriors of the Broomflower!" Lyon roared with all his might, his voice hoarse with excitement, "The Sauron Barbarians have utterly collapsed! Charge with me! Pursue the remaining enemies! Let their blood forge the invincible name of Carnford! For victory! Kill!!!"
"For victory! Kill!!!"
"Kill them all!"
The cavalry, already bloodthirsty and with their morale at its peak, roared even more wildly upon hearing the order to pursue and Lyon's furious shout!
The will to fight burned fiercely once more, like a wildfire spreading across the land!