It's hard to imagine that a human being can stand up to the world's most vicious monsters. But the facts are in front of us, and people can't help but believe them.

After Minotaros descended into a rage, the gap between the two men was reduced to near zero. Despite being a little old, his physical strength has decreased. But in exchange for more experience, and more skill. And Artoria, on the one hand, in terms of strength, the mad queen is comparable to the old Minotaur. At the same time, skill and flexibility win out slightly.

The two sides can be said to be half-hearted. Both have strengths and weaknesses. The battle between two brutal warriors thus reached a stalemate. For now, though, it's still the Minotaur who has the upper hand. Because of his size and weapon, it only takes one hit to hit his opponent and Artoria will be seriously injured. And for this reason, even if Artoria hits the Minotaur many times, as long as it is not critical, then the minotaur can grit its teeth and persevere...... This great war came to a stalemate. Whether it's a combined campaign or a heads-up between the Minotaur and Artoria. It's all at a stalemate. The Norman hussars had just fought a fierce battle and were resting. And it was also very difficult for the Celtic knights to take down the Roman lancers on the opposite side. As for the frontal battlefield. Originally, it was indeed the Celtic army that had a slight advantage - but that advantage quickly disappeared because the Minotaur had torn through the Norman line.

Around that gap, the Celtic army and the Roman army fought to the death. Immediately afterward, a one-on-one battle broke out between the two generals. The two warriors were red-eyed and completely denied their relatives. Wielding a tomahawk and a great sword, the wind is strong enough to blow people down. Not to mention what happens when you get closer. So neither the Celts wanted to close that gap, nor the Romans wanted to take advantage of the situation to strengthen the attack. You can only wait until the two sides have decided the winner before proceeding to the next step.

As you can imagine, no matter which side wins, their morale will be greatly boosted. And the losing side is bound to be frustrated – especially for the Celts, because it is their queen who is fighting. It can be said that the victory or defeat of this one-on-one battle is enough to affect the trend of the entire battle.

At this moment, Lilianu, along with her last remaining Roman reserve, a total of five hundred Roman guardsmen, entered the battlefield. It's a little tragic, and at the same time it's a bit desperate. The armies that carried Rome, the thousand-year-old empire, charged towards a corner of the Norman phalanx of pikes – throwing javelins – and then drew their swords and charged. Except for the increased equipment, everything is the same as the hoplites of Rome's heyday thousands of years ago. It is not only a tradition, but also an honor. The soldiers roared, swinging their sharp swords and stabbing at the Celtic soldiers' armor joints, open helmets, and necks. And their empress, Lilianu, rushed to the front. A suit of dyed red armor and a bright red cloak are unusually dazzling.

It's just that such a dazzle is really a danger on the battlefield. Those who know her know that she is the Empress of Rome, and those who don't know know that she is most likely a big man. So the musket and heavy crossbow took care of her extraordinarily. Thanks to the armor soldiers around her, he desperately blocked the gun for her. Otherwise, ten Lilianu would have died here...... However, as soon as the news of the Empress of Rome personally appeared, it came out. The morale of the Roman army was indeed greatly boosted. The reinforcements of the Imperial Guards were smaller. But it's really elite. Wielding a long sword and a big shield, he struck again and again. Although they were then surrounded by more Celtic troops, as the gap opened, more excited Roman troops began to move towards the gap, leaving the Celtic army exhausted.

After all, remove the knights with the cavalry of the Normans. The strength of this phalanx is only 20,000 or 30,000. In the beginning, the ability to withstand four or five times the enemy's attack relied on the superiority of formation and ranged weapons. Now, however, the two armies are on the side, and the advantage in long-range weapons is weakened. And as the Romans continued to onslaught, the array of super-long spears became full of holes. The advantage of that formation was also weakened...... In such a situation, little by little, the tide of the battle tilted in the direction of the Romans. If it had continued, the final outcome of the battle would have ended in a crushing victory for the Romans. The 40,000 Celtic and Norman armies had now killed more of the Roman army than they were!

"As long as you can get this win. Then I would be able to secure my position and have a certain advantage in the confrontation with the Normans—only a group of Celtic Norman armies would be so strong. So how far has the real Norman army grown now?!" Seeing her own army gradually gaining the upper hand, Lilianu's heart was secretly happy, and then, a problem that could not be ignored made her slightly happy mood worse.

Just fighting against a third of their own number and fighting for the Norman army of the Celtic ethnic group has to go all out, and can only fight for a crushing victory. Then wait until the main Norman forces come. Will the Roman army really be able to fight them and achieve victory?

"Or after this war, return to Constantinople and hold on?" it seems like a very good choice...... and Lilianu then contemplated: "After a victory, the people will be comforted by how often." At the same time, the tragic losses can also be used as a reason to hold on. In this way, the walls of Constantinople could be used to stop the Norman invasion. As long as we get through this crisis, then the empire still has a lot to do!"

That's true, every time, every time. When the barbarians were strong, the Romans were stationed in Constantinople. As long as Constantinople is not lost, then there is hope for the empire. Countless times, the empire lost large swathes of territory, and even the so-called empire, only one Constantinople remained—but in the end, these wars ended in the victory of the Romans.

- Defeat - Retreat to Constantinople - Barbarian siege cannot be broken - Long fatigue - Counterattack - Victory.

I don't know how many times this cycle has been. Arabs, Turks, Rus, Bulgarians, Magyars...... Enemies adjacent to the empire have almost all experienced such a thing at one time or another. This routine is almost the same script, and I don't know how many times it has been played. And this is also the city of Constantinople, and it has indeed protected the Eastern Roman Empire many times. This has elevated the city from a mere settlement and fortifications to a level of spiritual sustenance and even faith......"

Only, as Lilianu thought excitedly, another Thunder Swordsman roared, swinging his great sword and slashing at her. The savage Celtic soldiers did not have the good mood of the Norman emperors. This blow hit Lilianu's head and cut it off, and if it hit, it would definitely make the Roman empress, who was dreaming, have her head in half!

It's just that Lilianu can't compare to Egil, Artoriana and other unworldly generals. But he is also a rare warrior. Hearing that something was wrong with the wind, she wanted to flash to the side - but this was not a one-on-one battle, but on the battlefield! Next to her was a soldier of the Feather Forest Army. There's no room for her to dodge at all!

"Damn! damn it!!" Lilianu cursed secretly - it was too late, the great sword had already been cut down, and Lilianu had to turn her head to avoid the fatal blow, and instead used her left shoulder to take the blow - only to hear a "dang", Lilianu's shoulder armor had finally withstood the attack - but the cotton armor lining could not fully absorb the strength of the opponent's full force. The Empress received a blow to her left shoulder, and there was an immediate sharp pain that made Lilianu's face turn hideous.

While dodging, Lilianu also stretched out her hand at the same time and stabbed a sword towards the opponent's neck, which was one of the few flaws of the Thunder Swordsman wearing full-body plate armor!

Like a viper spitting out a letter, Lilianu's Roman-style short blade stabbed straight at the target, then jerked to the right, and with a twist, it sliced off a large piece of flesh. Arterial blood gushes out like a fountain. The target's Thunder Swordsman immediately convulsed and fell to the ground, in a state of death...... Then Lilianu moved her left shoulder slightly—still in intense pain, but still able to lift her arm. That said, Lilianu's worst fears didn't happen - her bones weren't broken.

"Thankfully. The Empress of Rome breathed a sigh of relief. Then he removed the distractions and continued to devote himself to fighting bravely on the battlefield.

This stalemate lasted for about half an hour. The Roman advantage continued to expand. They eroded the left and right flanks of the Celtic array, flanking them on three sides in a semi-encircled form. If the Romans were able to detach themselves and attack the Celts from behind, bypassing the zone of engagement. Then I'm afraid this war is coming to an end? It's just a pity that the Romans don't have any mobile forces in reserve. And the Roman empress, who can give orders, is now desperate on the front line. So it's just an "if" and an "if".

And after that, the actions that could really change the situation of this battle began. After a period of rest, nearly 4,000 hussars once again attacked the flank of the Roman army with thunder and lightning might!

(To be continued)