"Charge forward! Only by breaking through can we live! Anyone who retreats dies!" A savage roar echoed through the crowd. The threat of death pressed in from both front and rear, and the people, utterly ruled by fear, could only let out despairing howls as they surged forward even more frantically.
Arrows and shot continued to rain down. The cannons joined the chorus, roaring dully as solid iron balls smashed into the packed crowd, plowing bloody lanes through flesh and bone. The bandits' casualties mounted rapidly, but there were simply too many of them. One mass fell, only for more to rush up from behind, trampling over their companions' corpses and cries like an endless tide.
The distance closed at terrifying speed. The musketeers hurriedly cleared their barrels and reloaded, but the enemy was moving too fast.
"Musketeers, archers, gunners! Fall back! Spearmen! Forward! Hold them!" The orders came swiftly. The ranged troops hurriedly withdrew through the gaps in the spear formation. The foremost spearmen let out a unified shout and violently lowered their spears from where they had pointed slantwise toward the sky. Layer upon layer of spearpoints formed a wall of death glittering with cold light.
"Boom—!"
The two torrents finally crashed together with brutal force! It was not an orderly collision of battle lines, but a chaotic human wave slamming against a relatively disciplined wall of spears.
In an instant, the sickening sounds of blades tearing through burlap, piercing flesh, and snapping bones drowned out all previous clamor, so dense they made scalps crawl. Screams, furious roars, clashing weapons, and dying groans merged into a cruel symphony.
Charlotte felt a tremendous force travel down the spear shaft. Gritting her teeth, she braced the butt of the spear with every ounce of strength she had.
A jolt of