Meanwhile, the cavalry of the Northwest Legion followed close behind under their officers' command.
Although these recruits were well trained, most had little experience with genuine cavalry combat. Tense yet excited, they gripped their reins tightly and followed the veterans' charge.
The human cavalry's sudden offensive had clearly caught the Orcish Cavalry off guard.
The battle changed in an instant. The retreating Orcish Cavalry were not entirely helpless. Several Centurions roared amid the chaos as they rallied their men, attempting to reform their ranks. They knew that if they simply fled, they would become sitting targets for the human cavalry.
"Warriors of Zalge! Turn and face the enemy!"
An Orcish officer with a face full of scars raised his bloodstained Curved Blade. Dozens of cavalrymen immediately closed around him. They skillfully wheeled their mounts around and formed a Wedge Charge Formation while still at full gallop—the grassland cavalry's favored tactic for a desperate counterattack.
Count Hall Duke immediately sensed the danger and raised his Longsword to warn his warriors.
But before he could give the order to respond, deafening cannon fire suddenly erupted from behind the human formation.
Howling shells skimmed precisely over the heads of the pursuing human cavalry, shrieking with death as they slammed into the gathering Orcish Cavalry.
The shells landed in the enemy ranks. One struck the Orcish Centurion's mount head-on, blasting its entire upper body apart. Flesh and tumbling shells sent the newly formed counterattack formation into instant collapse.
"Artillery, extend your fire!"
In the sky, the sentry aboard the Observation Balloon constantly corrected the trajectory with Flag Language. A second barrage followed close behind, this time using Airburst Blossom Shells.
The shells exploded more than thirty feet above the Orcish Cavalry. Prefabricated shrapnel poured down like a rainstorm, pinning the resisting orcs and their