Chapter 332: The Second Conqueror (2)

After a few seconds of silence, warriors from both armies spoke.

“Did you see that?”

“Did you see that?”

The same words came out, but the tone and the emotions they carried were exactly opposite.

While the expeditionary force wore expressions like ‘The son of God is with us!’ and swelled with confidence, the Vikings were cowed. The spirit with which they had been banging their weapons and shields to provoke the expeditionary force moments ago had been crushed.

This was why Eugene preferred to take the field personally in situations like this. How you won was just as important as winning.

A knight winning after a close fight versus Eugene crushing them overwhelmingly—the latter naturally delivered a far greater blow to the enemy’s soul.

“Attack!”

King Skal immediately sprang into action. Through countless battles and political maneuvering, he had realized one truth: a dense crowd was easily influenced by mood, and if it was the wrong kind, he had to break it with shock therapy.

Paaaaa!

The charge horn blared.

“I’ll give the one who kills the Count a place in history! My daughter too!”

Eugene was engaged in a Midgardian-style duel. The man was a monster, but when he was on horseback, the story changed if multiple attacked at once.

“So they were training heavy cavalry? He hasn’t been ruling just on his family’s prestige after all.”

Eugene watched with interest as a group of royal guard charged from Skal’s camp.

They were shock cavalry in brigandine and iron greaves with chain covering vital areas. Instead of the fjord racehorses commonly bred here, they rode chargers procured from petty kingdoms.

Strangely, they were armed with elongated axes—the blades longer than usual and curved like a nomad’s scimitar. A weapon developed to maximize Viking brute force and crush shields and armor.

“Protect the Count!”

Cavalry from the expeditionary force also burst from their formation to intercept. Starting a beat later, the Vikings would arrive first.

“Your Excellency! Ride this way!”

“No need. There’s no reason to flee in panic from such people.”

While retreating from a cowardly trick wasn’t dishonorable, turning your back and running from enemy cavalry was also humiliating.

Vrrrrm-!

The Might, having overtaken the expeditionary knights in an instant, charged toward Eugene with tremendous momentum.

“Sleipnir?!”

“Is it really Sleipnir?!”

The Vikings cried out the mythical warhorse at the monstrous appearance and speed.

Myths varied by region but had convergent elements. Thunder gods, great floods, evil serpents, demigods—among these, the world’s fastest horse was a staple legend.

Unlike external civilizations that kept folklore as folklore and religion as religion, Midgard was a region where the two coexisted. The shock that Eugene and Might’s duo delivered was immense.

“They’ll get away!”

“We can’t let them escape!”

Seeing the monstrous warhorse already at its master’s side, Skal’s royal guard screamed.

“I’m not running.”

“Y-your Excellency?!”

After mounting Might, instead of joining his allies, Eugene charged straight ahead.

A two-handed mace longer than most spears. Gripping the end with one hand and swinging it produced terrifying destructive power and range.

Whoosh!

Ka-boom!

Each time the giant’s breath-like sound of air splitting rang out, a thunderous crash followed. Terrified chargers bolted, and their riders fell as if hit by a ballista.

Those who were lucky enough to be grazed survived with injuries, but that didn’t mean they could continue fighting. Less force in the strike meant they couldn’t overcome the magnetic pull.

“Don’t attack. I’m alive…”

“Ulson!”

When Eugene leveled the mace, the rider stuck to its end spoke. His shield was shattered and his arm bent at an unnatural angle—a pitiful sight. The royal guard hesitated for just a moment.

“Well done.”

“Aaaargh!”

Eugene seized that opening and swung the mace twice.

Ka-crash!

Boom!

So the three friends went to a good place together.

“Opening!”

The royal guard who had been targeting Eugene’s back launched a surprise attack. The problem was that Might was watching the rear for its master.

The horse frequently went outside the Moving Castle to hunt. The basics of hunting were approaching from behind. Might was just as sensitive to enemies targeting the rear as Eugene was.

‘I am King Skal’s son-in-law!’

The guard, swung his axe in ecstasy, only to meet a massive hoof. Might’s rear hoof kicked the oncoming charger in the chest.

Wham!

Horse and rider spun sideways and flew through the air. Knights rushing to save Eugene split to either side in horror.

“Dodge!”

The two corpses rolled away. They wore rather fine helmets and armor, but they were now so battered that salvaging them seemed pointless.

It was an extraordinary spectacle, but the knights’ attention was captured only briefly. The heavy cavalry charging with thunderous noise ahead was far more interesting.

“You monster!”

True to being King Skal’s royal guard, even reduced to less than half their number, none fled. They tried to find an opening in Eugene’s defense.

“Stay close! Even at the cost of sacrifice, stay close no matter what!”

“With that kind of polearm, getting close is actually advantageous!”

One guard managed to close in on Eugene’s flank. But Eugene used the mace’s shaft to strike the enemy charger’s head.

The horse’s eyes bulged as it collapsed, and the rider was ejected forward by the recoil. He struck the mace head 0.1 seconds later and was driven into the ground.

Crunch!

As Might trampled to confirm the kill, Eugene twisted his waist and smashed another guard. Hit at a perfect angle, the man’s neck compressed, creating a corpse where his head and chest were pressed together.

Hihihiing!

The horse he was riding also collapsed as three of its knees shattered from the impact.

“He’s trapped! Now!”

Finally, five guards managed to surround Eugene in a 360-degree circle. Charging in desperately as if this were their last chance, Might lowered its stance.

A magnificent cloud of dust billowed as the five riders stared blankly at the sky. Might had leaped backward, breaking through the encirclement. No horse—or any animal—could perform such a leap.

Whack!

Even while flipping over backward, Eugene swung the mace and shattered another skull. Pure, malicious tenacity.

“Thank you. You gentlemen gave me a breather.”

“Your Excellency. We haven’t even broken a sweat.”

The knights, bewildered but energized, charged the remaining enemies.

A short while later, a pitiful number of guards fled, and as if trading places, Vikings swarmed in. Thus, both armies entered full-scale battle.

*

In a battle between large armies, the first clash had a special flavor.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Hearts pounded as if they would burst.

“Waaaaaah!”

“Uwaaaah!”

Shouts erupted from every direction.

Thrum! Thrum! Thrum! Thrum!

Drums beating—whether friend or foe, what command was being given—indistinguishable. The sheer volume of noise made auditory orientation meaningless. All that remained was sight.

Gulp.

The Britannian soldiers looked at the enemies across from them. At first, their gaze was scattered among the hundreds filling their field of vision, but with each step closing the distance, it compressed into a single person.

‘That’s my opponent!’

‘Is that mine?’

When I see my opponent, my opponent sees me. It was a partner selection somewhere between instinct and destiny.

And in this aspect, the Vikings had the advantage. A hand’s width taller in build, faces that seemed to flow with male hormones instead of sweat—the Britannian soldiers were psychologically cowed.

But they had their commander, who radiated overwhelming presence in the center. A knight who had shattered both fair duels and cowardly ambushes through sheer force. Eugene’s very existence gave soldiers courage.

Crash!

Thousands of shields collided with a sound like a building collapsing. The Britannians held, the Vikings charged.

Originally, Skal’s plan had been to lure Eugene into attacking, then counter. That was the way to maximize the shield wall’s power. But with the champion and royal guard defeated, morale had plummeted, leaving no choice.

The front ranks collided, and double the number of feet were driven backward. Grass worth thousands of bundles was crushed and the earth overturned. They were truly human plows.

“Hold!”

“Push!”

“■■■!”

Surprisingly, for the first five seconds after the collision, not a single person died. No one was using weapons; they were all pushing against each other with shields in a contest of strength.

The front lines of both armies glared at each other from thirty centimeters above the touching shields, spewing curses.

“Kuaaah!”

“Hieek!”

A fierce-looking Viking roared as if to devour a Britannian soldier, who squeezed his eyes shut.

“Kuh!”

“Kaaagh!”

Gradually, spears began thrusting between shields, and men started bleeding and falling.

“Never break formation!”

“Don’t penetrate even if part of the enemy collapses! Maintain formation at all costs!”

The Jarls commanding Skal’s two wings controlled their warriors.

-Our clear advantages over them are weight, strength, and shield wall proficiency. We must impose this on them throughout the battle.

Skal’s combat guidelines were taking effect. The expeditionary force’s two wings were gradually pushed back by the difference in weight and strength.

The center, however, was balanced. That was because it was composed of Vikings fighting fellow Vikings.

“You running dogs! Aren’t you ashamed to face your ancestors?”

“Our great leader is the hero who freed those ancestors!”

The center fought without giving an inch.

“Rotate the front line! Pull back!”

“Go! Push forward!”

After multiple line rotations, the expeditionary center began to protrude. This was because the two wings were steadily pushed back.

“Count. At this rate, the center could be encircled.”

“It’s a remarkably solid phalanx. They’ve placed Huskarls at the junctions between tribal units to serve as connectors.”

Despite likely commanding such a large force for the first time, his command ability was remarkable.

It might not seem like much, but binding warlords who all did their own thing into a single combat doctrine, adapting and applying the original plan of luring and countering on the fly—doing both simultaneously was no ordinary feat.

“Should we pull the center back?”

“No. Maintain the center’s position and relay the attack order to the wing cavalry. The left wing aside, the right wing under Baron Leicester will strike the flank in time.”

While dozens of couriers busily came and went, the center’s protrusion continued.

“Count! It’s dangerous like this! Order a retreat!”

A Bargeant lord, whose flank was now being attacked, made an urgent request.

“No retreat. Hold your positions.”

Eugene gave the order coldly.

“We’re surrounded!”

“If we don’t pull back now, it’s dangerous!”

The encircled Bargeant warriors requested again. The protrusion was now so severe that Eugene’s main force behind them was on the verge of combat.

“Your Excellency. Please issue a rotation order.”

“Our defense is more than sufficient.”

As the center’s situation deteriorated, the Hammer Brothers’ centurions also stepped forward. They were ready to charge the moment the order came.

“Both requests are denied. The wing cavalry will charge soon. Everyone hold your positions.”

Finally, several Huskarls exploded.

“Screw this! I can’t take it anymore!”

“Whether I die like this or that way!”

They broke formation and tried to retreat to the rear. As converts, they had a stronger survival instinct than most Vikings.

“If you retreat any further, I’ll tear you limb from limb and throw you into the enemy camp.”

Eugene’s low voice spread through the Roar of the Sovereign’s mystery, reaching not just the Bargeant but also the Vikings fighting them.

“…Sorry.”

The Huskarl who was about to retreat returned to his position. The deadly intent in the command was no empty threat.

Eugene’s early crushing of the enemy helped here too. The fear effect of having a commander who could truly tear you apart glowering behind you—it kept the formation tight.

‘The Count?’

‘He had this side to him?’

Eugene’s subordinates were shocked by his savage demeanor unlike his usual self. He wasn’t the man who smiled warmly and shared field rations with them.

“Please, give the retreat order!”

“If you beg for retreat one more time, I’ll order a charge. There is nowhere to breathe except where you stand now.”

“…”

If they didn’t charge, they would be executed for disobedience. From then on, there were no more complaints—only screams of combat.

“Knights, charge!”

Finally, the reward for enduring hell arrived. The expeditionary force’s wings had deployed their cavalry. Knights, squires, and men-at-arms forming heavy cavalry struck the enemy’s flanks.

*

The Vikings, excited by the sight of the expeditionary force being overwhelmed in strength and momentum, pushed harder.

-Stop! Stop! We’ve gone too far!

-Too far? We need to crush their spirit while we can!

The composed Jarls and Huskarls tried to halt them, but it wasn’t easy. The intoxicated Vikings kept pushing.

-The enemy’s center is being isolated! If we push the wings like this and then attack the center from both sides, the enemy will collapse!

Moreover, they weren’t pushing blindly. There was a perfectly rational reason.

The Bargeant in the center had suffered heavy losses from being attacked on both sides, but as a result, the Viking coalition’s wings had also loosened their formation. The knights seized this gap fiercely.

“Gentlemen! When in our lives will we ever experience a battle more fierce than today? Let’s break the enemy’s wings and make our valor known to all!”

The left wing cavalry, composed of Britannian central and northern forces, charged three times. They dealt damage to the Vikings’ right wing but failed to break through.

“Krrr.”

“Hyahahaha!”

Those who had become berserkers through drugs and collective consciousness stood in the way, fearlessly disregarding even death.

“Raise your spears! Blades and axes are useless against Trans-state fighters!”

“Stab with spears! Make holes in their hearts or lungs!”

However, since many central nobles also used berserkers, they knew how to deal with them. They repeatedly charged until their spear shafts were completely bent, steadily accumulating damage.

Meanwhile, the right wing cavalry under Baron Leicester was tearing through the enemy flank.

“What is that?”

“Monster! A monster appeared!”

With the sheer number of knights plus the stone cavalry led by Rampage, they simply overran the Viking coalition’s left wing with sheer force and weight.

“The enemy cavalry is biting our flank!”

“Reserve! Attack!”

The expeditionary force’s infantry on the retreating wings also threw in their reserves and counterattacked fiercely.

“Here. Bargeant, pull back. Hammer Brothers, Lantzheim warriors. Attack.”

Eugene finally allowed the Bargeant to retreat. The battered forces staggered out. Experiencing such a large-scale group battle for the first time while encircled—they had the faces of people who had seen hell.

But it was something someone had to do. Eugene hadn’t placed his men in the jaws of death to fight Skal’s direct forces while being encircled on three sides.

“Argh!”

“My foot!”

The Dwarves ruthlessly attacked the lower legs. Vikings struggled against opponents whose hitbox was lower than usual.

“You damn runts!”

Enraged Vikings also aimed for the upper body, but it wasn’t effective. The Dwarves’ helmets and breastplates were optimized to deflect attacks from above.

No matter where a Dwarf looked, part of their helmet always touched their shoulder armor, dispersing impact. Even vital spots including the neck were solidly protected.

Meanwhile, the Vikings’ shins and insteps, areas their shields couldn’t cover, were being sliced by military pickaxes. But they couldn’t lower their shields either.

“Stab them!”

Behind the Dwarves, pikemen had been eagerly watching for openings.

“The enemy’s flank is crumbling! Keep charging!”

Meanwhile, the who-knows-how-many-th cavalry charge was being repeated. Broken spear shafts and corpses were piled all over the battlefield.

*

“You damn monsters!”

The Vikings were speechless at the Britannian army fighting back like mad dogs. The starting point wasn’t when the wing cavalry charged.

Flutter!

It began when Eugene, who had moved to the front lines, raised the supreme general’s banner. Both the pole and flag were three times larger than usual, visible to everyone on the battlefield.

“Count Mayr is watching our struggle!”

“Don’t retreat! If you retreat, I’ll kill you myself!”

The Britannian knights attacked with a frenzy indistinguishable from berserkers. Mercenaries trying to flee were executed on the spot by their centurions.

“What did these guys eat wrong?”

The Vikings were baffled but soon understood why. The expeditionary force recharged with valor every time they saw the general’s banner, as if under a spell.

Of course, Eugene’s banner didn’t literally cast a spell. It was the knowledge that the commander-in-chief was watching from the front lines that sent the army’s morale through the roof.

‘Such a great lord stakes his life alongside us!’

That wasn’t how morale worked. The battlefield was too cruel and wretched for such romance.

The real reason morale rose was that every achievement was reported directly to the commander.

“Enemy commander killed!”

Knight Mawin, who had beheaded a Jarl, held the head high on his sword point.

Flutter! Flutter!

Eugene waved the general’s banner left and right, meeting the knight’s gaze.

“Waaaaaah!”

“Long live Sir Mawin!”

Mawin’s subordinates, who witnessed their commander’s acknowledgment on the spot, cheered ecstatically.

“What are you all doing?! Follow me!”

Seeing this, other knights and mercenary captains also rushed madly into the enemy lines.

As the saying goes, the bear does the work and the owner takes the money—military achievements were also easily snatched by others.

A common soldier capturing a noble and receiving only a few silver coins, or mercenary companies having their achievements stolen by superiors, was commonplace.

‘Now is the time.’

‘I must earn merit!’

But with the commander watching directly, no madman would dare pull tricks. Even those of humble birth were promised immediate top rewards for achievements.

And among all commanders of this era, Eugene was the most generous with rewards and honors. He was a great noble with both the magnanimity and wealth to back it up.

Among those fighting with madness, the most burning with ambition were the free knights.

-I acknowledge your achievement. State your wish.

-Grant me the honor of becoming your Kingsguard. That is the only thing I desire.

Everyone wielded their swords carrying the scene from the fairy tale they had read as children in their hearts.

Day by day, more people were becoming convinced that Eugene would ascend to the throne. And there was no warrior in the world who didn’t want to be in the king’s eyes.