XIX

The scattered sound of gunfire and fighting continued inside and outside the city walls, and many soldiers dropped their weapons and raised their hands. The cavalry troops, who had been left to clean the battlefield, pursued the remnants of the defenders, collected their weapons, and marched them away one by one. The bodies of soldiers on both sides piled up from the battlefield to the wide drawbridge, and the weapons, armor and uniforms of the dead were layered on top of each other to form what became a brutal barricade.

The galloping horses of the guerrillas forced a path out of the mountain of corpses, and weapons and limbs fell into the moat, making the artificially dug ditch look like a boundary river leading to hell. And for the young commander of the assault company, this hellish river was his only chance to survive.

As soon as Robert's cavalry broke through the shield wall, he lost contact with his men and superiors. To avoid the hooves, he discarded almost all his equipment and jumped into the river. His magical attainments were not yet high enough to use the magic of breathing in water, and he could only try to float in the blood, his white uniform already stained with blood and stains.

He could already hear shouts coming from the banks of the moat, and the increasingly dense sound of covering artillery fire as the opposing artillery positions bombarded the city.

"I'm not here to die. I will live. ”

If he dies here now, no one will know his whereabouts. Just like the countless corpses here, they were hastily buried and finally turned into a number on the statistical records of the logistics department.

There are two ways to describe war in words. In the first work, the dead are just groups of numbers, passing between the lines, replaced by the stratagem of the commanders and the honor of the generals. The second type of work focuses on the death of the main characters, using this technique to reflect the brutal killing and human misery on the battlefield. The real war is a mixture of the two: the winners enjoy the glory, and the losers taste the misery. The living struggle to survive, while the dead sleep forever. In other words, multiply the description of the second work by the number of the first work, and the result.

Using the corpse of an unfortunate soldier as a shield, Naimon cautiously swam towards the mouth of the waterway that led to the city.

Only a few minutes ago, the owner of the corpse was standing near him fighting, and only a few hours ago he was happily celebrating Advent with everyone, eating firebirds that had been roasted in a messy way. Thinking of this, the boy accidentally swallowed a mouthful of blood and coughed violently. He wasn't strong enough to survive on someone else's bones.

"Is there anyone alive? If anyone is still alive, come here!"

Perhaps his cough was heard, and someone was shouting in a low voice not far away. Naimon threw away the body that had been used as cover and swam over, and saw several comrades-in-arms who had also escaped by water gathering in front of an iron water gate, one of whom was still somewhat familiar.

"Lieutenant Soleton under the General Staff?" asked the officer with the rank of second lieutenant on his shoulder, tentatively. Naimon nodded, the tense expression on the man's face relaxed slightly.

"Do you know lockpicking or shock magic? I learned dispersal and fire magic......

Naimon gasped. Lockpicking, Impact Magic, these spells were too difficult for him who had only learned the first level of magic. He hesitated, staring at the rusty old iron lock on the water gate, thinking about the magic he knew. Deep Darkness, Primary Healing, Dazzling?

Naimon suddenly thought of a magic spell, and an idea struck.

"Let me try. Soleton lined up and swam to the watergate, chanting the incantation softly," ...... Ice Dagger. ”

A chill seeped through his palm, instantly freezing the water around him. The river water on Christmas Eve was bitterly cold, and the right hand that used magic no longer had any temperature, and as a result, the ice spike was also strangely shaped. He snapped the Xiaoice around it to make an ice edge.

"Well, I think this thing is probably going to keep breaking this lock. The flame mage's tone changed from anticipation to skepticism, "Can you do it?"

"I'm not trying to cut it, I'm going to pick the lock open. I used to work in the business for a few years. ”

Thinking back to his previous experience wandering on Lenny Street, Lieutenant Soleton carefully stabbed the ice spikes into the keyhole of the rusty lock, listening to the quivering sound of the old cylinder inside. One, two, three......

With a "click", the ice spike broke. There was a sigh.

"Bastard. There's no way back......" The boy grunted, exhaled cold blood and changed his breath as he began to prepare for the magic again.

“...... Ice Dagger！”

A second ice spike silently extended from his palm. Without waiting for the magic to be completed, Naimon directly extended the ice spike into the keyhole, allowing his psychic power to extend with the slight tremor of the lock cylinder--

"Open it. Please, open it up. ”

He closed his eyes, feeling the subtle extension of the ice spikes, forcibly altering the result of the magic, forming a bridge from one spell to another......

"Click". The soft voice was as melodious as the angels singing a hymn, and the boy was relieved to find that his technique had not regressed. Together with several other men, he pushed open the water gate and swam through the waterway into the fortress.

What he didn't know was that when this "click" sounded, he had already taken the first step of the "super magic technique". It was the gateway to expanding a few hundred standard spells into nearly infinite utility variants. The man, who is known as "the most comprehensive mage in history" in another history, first encountered the starting point of this technique here-

"Meta Sculpt", a supermagic technique that changes the shape of the area of effect of a spell. That's a completely different starting point from Denika's "empowerment".

*** ***

At this time, outside Fortiburg, the offense and defense had been transposed. Eugen led his army to another assault on the artillery positions of the Phaetes.

"All field artillery advance, don't let the opposing side cross our garrison!"

In the face of Eugen's tidal onslaught, the remaining Phaetes were still well established. Even though Robert had taken more than half of his men, and even though he had almost twice as many enemies in front of them, the soldiers of the Fatez Division, an elite unit of the Free Army, were still confident. Regardless of whether the commanders on the opposite side are from the elite of the central government, they are also confident that they will not easily lose to the rabble cobbled together with the remnants of the coup army and the garrison of the fortress.

"Damn! We have 4,000 men, and they have less than 2,000 men! If we can't break through even this level of defense, what can I do to see Your Excellency the Marshal! Attack again!"

Eugen roared at his rabble. Seeing that the battle was about to fall into a stalemate again, the reinforcements sent by Govar finally arrived. It was a surprise soldier that the Phates had not anticipated.

"If the fleet of Phaedes can collide, so can we. Bump into it!"

Major Cussen's fleet savagely assaulted the already set landing ground in the same manner as the Fattas' fleet. Two thousand soldiers from eight companies drawn from the southern fortress, raising battle flags with green backgrounds, followed the same path, cutting off the connection between the 4th Guard Fort and the artillery positions from behind. The ratio of forces between the two sides has changed from two to one to three to one, or even more.

The lieutenant colonel looked at this scene and opened his mouth wide in surprise, even the cigar in his mouth fell to the ground.

"So that's what Your Excellency the Marshal thinks. Directly borrowing the strategy prepared by the other party, it is amazing. This time I will personally lead the attack, and we will join up with friendly forces in their artillery positions!"

However, the offensive ended before it could begin - because the opponent quickly erected white flags on all positions. Eugen and Cussen were indeed in the artillery position, but neither had the expression on their faces that a victor should have, and the major who had come to take over the surrender did not look like a gray loser at all.

"Chief Staff Robert's message to us is that if you flank us or flank us from behind, we can surrender immediately. There was no need for us to pay too many unnecessary casualties in a war that we must have won, so we decided to surrender. Anyway, when the lieutenant colonel catches your marshal, we will all immediately regain our freedom. ”

Hearing such an arrogant surrender, Eugen shrugged his eyebrows.

“...... If you were an Imperial officer, I would have killed you on the spot in front of this position. What if I say that you may not be able to catch Govar?"

"That's impossible, because Lt. Col. Robert· Al El stands for justice. Although justice may not always win, he will win. ”

The major replied with neither humility nor arrogance. It was clear that all the other staff officers and soldiers around him agreed with him. Seeing this group of officers and soldiers who trusted the commander to the point of exaggeration, Eugen had nothing to say.

"I always thought the rumors were exaggerated, but I didn't expect them to be true. The Phaetes were really a Order, Betsy was their god, and Robert was his prophet, and they were just a textbook to be used as a holy book. Unfortunately, I guess it won't be me who bans this order. ”

"Don't worry. Major Cussen interjected, "The marshal's battle plan is perfect. As long as Robert wanted to keep his cavalry, there was only one way to do. I don't see anything wrong with that plan......"

"The problem is, no one can count the accident. Eugen interrupted mercilessly, "I trust the experience and experience of the marshal, but his plan is based on the fact that the other side has only this army. What if they have reinforcements? or...... I think we'd better be ready for reinforcements. ”

"No, Marshal Govar has specifically told me not to send reinforcements. If the battle is not good, he will choose to meet by water. If we throw in again, there will be no possibility of retreat. ”

Hearing Peter's words, Eugen's expression suddenly became solemn. "Is that what Your Excellency Marshal said?"

"That's right. ”

"Quickly take over all the forts and aim the artillery in the direction of the walls. The companies seized the time to rest and recuperate, and there may be a hard battle ahead. Eugen reached into his jacket pocket and grabbed the last cigar, "I hate all schemes. Don't they know that all stratagems are risky? ”

*** ***

The nearest exit to the waterway is at the foot of the fortress's massive walls, between the cracks of the buildings. They walked out to the point near the main road, and saw a very bleak scene. The confetti banner hung in celebration of Advent was picked off by a saber and trampled by a horse's hoof, and soon turned into pitch-black pieces. The cold wind made its way through the lanes of Fortibourg and blew on the people who struggled out of the water, turning their skin blue.

It was only now that Naimon had time to count the number of people who escaped along the same path as him. There were seven men in total, three from the assault company, two from the infantry company, and two accompanying mages.

"Perhaps, there are only a few people left of more than 1,000 people. ”

He shuddered, and hurriedly banished this unlucky thought from his mind. Before falling off the moat, he saw Major Constance leading the surviving troops into the fortress, and presumably they would be safe and sound. If he was alone, he could have surrendered, but now ......

"Is there any fire magic that can make it easier for us, we'll freeze to death!"

"Sorry, I've only learned some attack magic...... Lieutenant Soleton?"

"Huh?" Hearing the conversation between his comrades, Naimon came back to his senses, "I'm sorry, I didn't prepare this magic either...... Ahh

Then his sneezing, horses' hooves, and the sound of conversation with a Fatesian accent came from the other end of the building. The faces of the privates changed, and they looked at the two commanders with panicked eyes. Naimon and the second lieutenant glanced at each other, and immediately made a decision: "There's a bunker over there, hide in it first!"

No sooner had they taken refuge behind a bunker where a shotgun was hidden, and a whole squad of cavalry rushed to where they had just been, just in time to stop at the artillery firing line. Naimon took the flint and steel out of his pocket and tried to light it, but the flint and steel got damp and could not be lit.

"Leave it to me. The lieutenant sparked a spark on his fingertips, igniting the fuse. The dull explosion of the artillery rang out, and hundreds of lead particles smashed out—

The lieutenant, covering his ears, looked up and saw a silver halo rising in front of his eyes. It was an iron sword, slowly but unstoppably deploying a sacred shield in the air. All the lead particles hit the shield and bounced off. Seeing this, everyone was stunned - except for Namen·Soleton.

The moment he saw the light curtain, Naimon dropped the sentence "Run!" and turned around and ran into the fortress complex. At this point, the lieutenant of the logistics department, who often traveled to various corners of the fortress to check supplies, finally took advantage of his experience. Of all the people who had entered the fortress from Lenny, he was probably the most familiar with the roads.

"I'm going back alive...... Forgive me. ”

Behind and in front of him, the dull sound of fire, screeching explosions, and the glow of magical instruments flickered one after another. He ran at a speed he couldn't even believe, running in the direction of survival.

"You swam out of the moat, get back and change your clothes and warm up!"

A captain in a blue uniform stopped him. Naimon looked up and saw a familiar face—it was Captain Lennie who had rescued him. Naimon vaguely remembered that he had been a dashing magic officer who used only magic and no firearms, but now he crouched behind cover with a musket like a normal soldier. The "troops directly under the General Staff Headquarters," which have the proud name, are also about to be exhausted.

Behind them was the central square where everyone had celebrated the arrival of Advent before, the only spacious open space in the entire fortress where the cavalry could regroup, and the fire for the dinner had not yet been extinguished. Naimon ran to the fire, greedily absorbing the heat so that his already stiff limbs would not die. The clothes soaked in the water of the moat and blood were frozen by the cold wind, sticking to the skin, and if you took it off, I was afraid that it would make the flesh blur. He took off his military coat and placed it by the fire, and dried his water-soaked bullet pouch, fire pouch, and his own black repeating pistol on his military coat.

"If I could make a wish for Advent Day, I just want a safe and warm place to sleep. It's too desolate to die in such an empty square, it's a little better than dying in a moat......"

He snapped back to his senses. It's empty, it's the only place in the whole fortress where you can gather a large army......! He looked up and saw strange sacks piled up around him, and understood.

"Everyone, hurry up and get out of here! This is the place where the enemy soldiers are buried arranged by the marshal, and we can't stay! Once the last line of defense is breached, this place will become a sea of fire!"

Naimon shouted loudly, hurriedly grabbing the damp and cold coat and putting it back on, and the biting cold immediately spread throughout his body.

"Oh, very smart, Lieutenant Soleton. Now that you yourself are aware of the arrangement of your superiors, I don't have to give any more orders. Lieutenant Soleton!Second Lieutenant Martin!Return immediately!"

At some point, Constance was also standing by the fire. Although he didn't know much magic, the military police captain's uniform, which had also escaped from the collapse, looked much neater than the two magicians, and by no means so embarrassed. Seeing that he also survived, Naimon felt a sense of relief, thinking that maybe things weren't as bad as he thought.

"Yes, sir, may I ask how many of us escaped?"

Sain frowned and lowered his voice: "About three hundred, but many more people were sacrificed in the previous sluggish battle, and now there are more than two hundred left." You're the only company commander who survived......"

He was interrupted by the sound of continuous shelling. People subconsciously looked in the direction where the sound came, only to see fragments of the tower shield and broken spears flying in the air with the firelight. The nightmarish pursuers finally broke through the last obstacle to the square.

*** ***

Govar was on a shore gun battery near the harbor, observing the movements of the Fates cavalry with a telescope. The commander, wearing a shiny silver cuirass over his green uniform, rode into the middle of the square and looked at the remnants of the Firebird Contest around him. The guerrillas poured into the square, and the strikers shot the retreating defenders from the square with pistols, trying to repel them, while the rest formed around the fire in the center of the square.

Even the veteran marshal, who had experienced a hundred battles, felt a slight excitement at this moment. Every true general will feel excited and excited when he is confronted with the opportunity to win more with less.

"Full cannon preparation. The enemy has already arrived in the square, and when they start attacking in formation!"

This time the order was not conveyed by Edith, but was sent to the various batteries by the heralds. Govar was well aware of the importance of the first round of shelling and would not allow anything to interrupt his plans. Viscount Rasta was also watching the situation from the sidelines, with a complicated expression.

"It's Robert·ayle. His sword seems to be really a ...... as rumored to be."

Rasta stared closely at the Commander's figure and the inconspicuous iron bar at his waist, his eyes flashing with burning longing, then retracted.

"Detonate!" When almost all the Phates had arrived in the square, the marshal decisively gave the order.

Edith aimed at a fire barrel in the corner of the plaza and fired a precise ray of fire. Several other magical officers who were hiding nearby also moved at the same time, detonating all the fire behind the Phartes, splitting their troops. More than two dozen fortress guns began to pour fire on the places where these partisans were.

The explosion immediately caused confusion in Robert's army. Frightened horses gallop freely, and the mages in charge of using the anti-fear enchantment are exhausted. A handful of squads completed the entire formation, but they were unable to break through the heavy formation in front of them. Govar mustered all the forces at hand, and arranged infantry formations with a total thickness of twenty platoons on each road leading to the port, enough to stop almost any assault that lacked fire support.

When the Testes were about to be wiped out......

A yellow magical glow flew straight at Robert·El, and hit him!

Rasta gasped at this scene, fearing that the sword would be destroyed by such a brutal attack.

However, the result of this shot was beyond the expectations of the viscount and all the officers on the battery. Robert did not fall from his horse and was not injured. He simply drew his sword and pointed the tip of the sword in the direction where the yellow light was flying.

"The road has been opened!

All the cavalry lowered their bodies and, braving heavy artillery fire, rushed at the attacking Constance and his two hundred men.

What happened next, no one dared to believe. In front of Robert, who is on the verge of despair, a miraculous path really appears!

*** ***

"All lay down their weapons and get out of the middle of the road. That's an order. ”

Major Constance swept over all the lieutenants with his fearsome gaze and the muzzle of the cannon in his hand. Everyone opened their mouths wide in surprise at the command.

"What do you say, sir?!! so that the enemy will break through from us!"

"I just want them to break through from us. Enough of this coup d'état, it's time to end, no more bloodshed is due. Get out of the way now, or don't blame me for not speaking of comradeship. ”

There was a rare relaxed smile on Sein's face, which looked a little chilling. Even the most stupid person now understands his identity.

"Are you Betsy's spy ambushing here?!" Naimon blurted out a question.

"The word spy is a little ugly...... Right, Lieutenant Soleton of the Southwestern Army? The steak in the officer's cafeteria is good. ”

Hearing this, Naimon finally understood and opened his mouth wide. The cold wind passed uncontrollably through the young officer's nose and into the lobes of his lungs. He coughed and couldn't answer.

All the mysteries are solved. Trying to put that kind of wax pellet in the steak was not difficult for the head of the counterintelligence department. The reason why he did not die immediately was only because the captain of the gendarmerie was also a spy...... Probably because "the enemy of my enemy is a friend"?

He stared at the muzzles of the two guns side by side, imagining a fifth-pound shot put hitting him at the same time.

(Bloodflower will splash beautiful parabolas in the air.) I'm just an ordinary person, an ordinary tool, a tool that is manipulated by other people in the palm of my hand. There is no choice for tools to survive...... ）

"Assault company, withdraw from the encirclement. Naimon leaned feebly against the wall, "Why are you doing this, Major? You are in a high position in the Overseer......

Sein smiled disdainfully: "This kind of question is only asked by someone like you who lacks principles and only betrays for personal gain." I'm fighting for what I think is right. ”

Naimon was stunned, not knowing how to answer.

*** ***

"These cowards! bastards!" Govar took a step back uncontrollably, and yelled ungracefully, "how can they get out of the way!"

The artillery was still roaring, but it was impossible to stop the more than a thousand cavalry from rushing through the gap without resistance. No matter how perfectly arranged, it may collapse in an instant in the face of betrayal.

"No, I think it was a premeditated betrayal. To face the owner of that sword, I should have thought of it a long time ago. ”

Rasta stroked the hilt of his sword and slowly drew his sword. It was a large sword with a golden glow, and the body of the sword was engraved with the intricate Lord's Prayer in ancient characters. This famous sword, which has countless legends, is an authorized sword given by the Orthodox Church to the Liberation Order, which is equivalent to the symbol of the entire Knights. If it weren't for his origins, he wouldn't have gotten this sword even on this mission. Only the noblest and most honorable knights can wield the power of this famous sword bestowed upon the Orthodox Church by the gods.

However, the sword he was about to face was far more legendary, so legendary that he didn't recognize it at first sight - the famous sword without any aura or ornamentation was the most recognizable of all famous swords. It is not a magic sword, nor is it a divine sword or a magic sword, its power comes from the faith of its wielders through the ages.

The sword can only be identified by identifying its owner: doing things that no one else can do, doing things that the world sees as foolishness, doing things that are dangerous and not expecting anything in return. For example, he can command his subordinates to surrender at any time, let go of an opponent who is already at a disadvantage, and always charge ahead of all the soldiers. If it is held in the hands of the unqualified, it is only an iron rod, but if it is held in the right hands, it can break all magic and slay all evil.

"Come on, 'Honor'. Since it's hard to go into battle once, let's compete with our rare opponent, Justice...... Even if it's risking your life. ”

Welcome to the majority of book friends to come and read, the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all here!

Welcome the majority of book friends to come and read, the latest, fastest, the hottest serialized works are all here!