Under the assault of the Silver Lance Pegasus Knights, the vanguard of the Leithanien armored divisions fell into brief chaos.
But this chaos lasted only a few short minutes.
General Taylor's orders came swiftly: all units halted their advance, contracted their lines, and pinned the Kazimierz knight legions firmly at the forefront of Red Pine Forest Town with overwhelming firepower.
Galahad wiped the blood and grime from his face.
He saw the enemy retreating, saw those indestructible iron monsters belching black smoke under the barrage of Silver Lance Pegasus javelins.
"They're afraid!" Galahad shouted loudly, his voice brimming with soaring morale.
"Cowar ds! Cowar ds hiding in their iron shells!"
He raised his last remaining silver lance high, issuing the command to the surviving knights:
"Silver Lance Pegasus Knights! Charge with me! Pierce their formation and bring victory to Kazimierz!"
The surviving knights were infected by their commander's valor, hope reigniting in their eyes.
"For Kazimierz!"
They were Kazimierz's pride, the invincible legends of the battlefield.
The earlier losses were merely due to the enemy's despicable sneak attack.
Now, in open combat, victory would surely belong to Kazimierz!
"Wait!"
Bolesław's voice came from nearby.
The old knight dragged his injured leg, limping over.
His armor was covered in shrapnel scratches, his helmet lost somewhere, making him look utterly disheveled.
"Sir Galahad, don't be reckless!"
"This isn't right—they're luring us in!" Bolesław pointed at the distant Leithanien positions.
Galahad looked in the direction he indicated. The Leithanien infantry riding in armored vehicles were deploying to the rear and flanks of their tanks with practiced efficiency—not the movements of an army in retreat.
But the flames of vengeance had clouded Galahad's mind.
He saw it as mere bluster from the Leithanians.
"So what? A bunch of infantry are nothing but lambs to the slaughter before a Silver Lance Pegasus charge!"
Galahad ignored Bolesław's warning and raised his lance again, preparing to issue the final charge order.
However, at that moment, a pressure more terrifying than a Stuka dive enveloped the entire battlefield.
Everyone instinctively looked up toward the rear of the Leithanien lines.
On the horizon appeared a new formation.
Leading them were nearly a thousand soldiers in heavy armor, each wielding a two-handed greatsword.
The blades were broad and blunt, more like bizarre percussion instruments than weapons.
Golden Law Guard!
Behind them were hundreds of black-robed, masked casters clutching staves of various forms.
Tower Nobles!
At the forefront of these two units, a hundred knights escorted a tall woman.
These hundred wore ornate golden armor, crimson cloaks billowing in the wind, helmets adorned with plumes of glory, longswords at their waists.
Leithanien Imperial Guard!
The woman at the lead was Jian, still in her sleek black combat uniform, greatsword in hand, twin maces at her waist.
Galahad's pupils contracted sharply.
As one of Kazimierz's top warriors, he knew full well what the arrival of peer elite forces like the Golden Law Guard and Tower Nobles meant.
Especially since the enemy held a numerical advantage, backed by those iron behemoths.
This was an utterly unequal battle, utterly against knightly spirit!
Galahad wanted to say as much.
On the battlefield, Jian slowly raised her greatsword.
The Golden Law Guard legion behind her halted in unison, raising their blunt greatswords high before slamming them heavily into the earth.
"Boom—"
A muffled roar emanated from deep within the ground.
Centered on them, visible ripples of purple-gold energy spread outward.
Immediately after, the Tower Nobles raised their staves in unison.
"Not good! Originium Arts! A massive linked spell!"
Bolesław roared in alarm: "Scatter! Take cover now!"
But it was already too late.
Before Galahad could recover from his shock, excruciating pain drilled from the depths of his mind.
It wasn't a physical attack, but a grand, mad symphony composed of countless dissonant notes.
The music resounded directly in his thoughts, shredding his sanity, assaulting his soul.
His prized knightly will crumbled like thin paper before this sound.
"Ah—!"
Countless Kazimierz knights clutched their heads, writhing in agony on the ground.
Blood streamed from their orifices, eyes glazing over—they had lost all combat ability.
This was why Leithanien was called the hall of sorcerers: directly interfering with minds, using absolute order and harmony to annihilate all discord.
"For Kazimierz's glory!"
Galahad roared, forcibly suppressing the pain in his head.
He channeled all his strength; Originium Arts light glowed on his body, resisting the intangible assault.
As one of Kazimierz's top knights, his willpower far exceeded the ordinary.
He saw the Silver Lance Pegasus Knights struggling similarly, preparing a desperate final charge.
At that moment, Jian's greatsword swung forward gently.
The hundred Imperial Guards behind her extended their hands in unison; golden light gathered in their palms.
A shimmering energy barrier of gold and purple erupted before them, extending forward at astonishing speed like a curtain, enveloping the entire Kazimierz frontline.
Galahad and his knights were sealed inside this cage.
Then, beams of purple Originium Arts light swept every corner within the "curtain."
A Campaign Knight had just raised his lance when his expression froze.
His body, heavy armor, and lance disintegrated in the light, scattering as ash.
Another Silver Lance Pegasus Knight sprinted at top speed to evade, but the purple lights shadowed him relentlessly, devouring him in his terrified gaze.
The curtain lasted a full three minutes.
As the Imperial Guards lowered their arms, the forefront of Red Pine Forest had utterly transformed.
The pitted, scorched earth was now eerily smooth, as if stroked flat by an invisible giant hand.
No corpses, no limbs, no weapon fragments—not even a trace of blood.
Only a thin layer of grayish-white powder coated the ground, stirring faintly in the wind.
That was the final remnant of thousands of Kazimierz knights and all they carried.
Silence. Dead silence.
Galahad and most of his Silver Lance Pegasus Knights, along with all Campaign Knights unable to escape the curtain, had become part of that grayish-white powder.
Their vaunted glory, centuries-honed martial prowess, unbreakable wills—all reduced to ash.
Jian slowly sheathed her greatsword, expression unchanged. The Imperial Guard and Golden Law Guard behind her resumed their rigid stance.
Only a few Tower Nobles looked pale from overexertion.
"It's done," Jian said into her communicator.
"Well done," Taylor's voice replied.
"All units, advance. Secure Red Pine Forest Town. We have no time to waste!"
With that, Kazimierz's eastern gate lay wide open.
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