Chapter 64 - Battle for the Throne 1 (1/2)
They were currently deep within the forest. If they weren’t careful, they might suffer from an ambush resulting in devastating casualties.
While Count Huntington took charge of the soldiers, Woohyuk took the time to examine the surroundings.
‘It’s a good place for a cavalry charge.’
In the forest where your field of view is limited, a knight's charge was incredibly powerful. If you assaulted from an unexpected angle, you could throw the enemy forces into confusion, leading to a quick collapse.
‘I’ll have to make use of the Hwarang clan.’
45% of their members had the Ranger class. By making full use of this ranged class, he could somewhat offset their current disadvantage.
As Woohyuk gave the order, Gwak Seyoung and the other Rangers climbed some nearby trees.
Dududududu!
The galloping sound of the horses’ hooves thumping on the ground became louder and louder.
“Get ready!”
Taking an overview of the area, Woohyuk examined the current composition of their soldiers.
1,500 Spearmen
800 Swordsmen
500 Archers
200 Mages
Most of them however were merely conscriptions that had been picked up by either the Hwarang clan or the Count.
From his own party, Leifina, Lia, Song Anna and Yoo Kayoung had stayed behind at Hayswick, guarding Han Jangmi.
‘It’s a good thing we have quite a lot of spearmen.’
Unlike other positions, spearmen were relatively quick to train and cheap to equip. Not to mention that they were the ideal counter to the cavalry charge which they had coming their way.
After making his way to the right side of the formation, Woohyuk secretly informed Jung Sanghoon.
[Keep an eye on Gwak Seyoung.]
Even if they were allies at the moment, he would likely betray them without a second thought if it was in his interest.
Unlike during the Canyon Battle, there were no system penalties for betraying your allies.
[Alright, if I notice any odd behavior I’ll notify you immediately.]
As Jung Sanghoon left to perform his task, the enemy cavalry burst out from the bushes, and the battle had begun.
The horsemen charged into their army’s left flank, cleaving through the spearmen as volleys of arrows were exchanged by both sides
Although the men moved quickly to try to fill up the gaps in their defense, they couldn’t arrive in time.
The enemy’s fast moving cavalry had already broken through to the rear, where the majority of the archers were now exposed.
‘As expected.’
If they had some scouts that reported on their formation, it was only natural for them to target the squishy back line.
Shushushu!
As Woohyuk sent the signal, the Rangers equipped with crossbows let loose all at once.
They aimed at the incoming cavalry.
Neiiigh!
As the arrows slammed into the horses’ armor, they moaned as they swung their heads.
The warhorses however were well protected, with almost no gaps in the armor so it was difficult to cause a serious injury with regular bolts.
Their bolts didn’t even manage to slow the enemy down, but Woohyuk didn’t bother too much with it and had them continue firing. The left side had already suffered many casualties, so he couldn’t allow the right flank to fall as well.
‘Soon the archers will change their targets.’
Seeing that there were many Rangers in position in the trees, the rest of the enemy forces wouldn’t be able to stand still.
No doubt they would also send in their own infantry as well.
It didn’t take long for Woohyuk’s expectation to come true, as signs of battle erupted from the right flank.
“Take command until I return.”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
Lee Jaesung nodded from atop his grey horse. He was a competent commander, and could lead the men well even in Woohyuk’s absence.
‘It’s about time for me to join in.’
Huntington could somewhat deal with their cavalry, but someone else would have to take care of the archers..
Leaving his confused subordinates behind, Woohyuk ran into the forest.
Shushushu!
As they noticed Woohyuk’s advance, they began to shower him in arrows. Of course he was able to easily defend using the barrier ability of the Ghost Queen Star Serpent.
‘About thirty to forty thousand of them.’
They were completely surrounded, with the enemy even having at least then thousand archers.
It was quite a large force. Perhaps they had known in advance that Count Huntington would choose to raise an army in the crown’s defense.
“Well, it doesn’t matter too much.’
Even if they knew the city was mostly empty, Hayswick had strong, high walls, and wasn’t likely to fall to any sneak attack.
High ranked Demons wouldn’t be able to enter either due to the engravings of sacred magic placed upon its manor, a legacy of Holy magic.
He had even left behind some members from his party just in case of an emergency.
Wookyuk unsheathed Grandia as he rushed to the enemy’s archer formation.
Chaahak
Blood spurt out like a fountain, as the green vegetation was stained red. As he was busy slaughtering the archers by himself, a group of spearmen appeared and surrounded him.
Just as they were about to stab forth with their spears, a black mist spread out, with him as the center.
[Cradle of Grief]
He was limited in how he could use his Demonic energy with so many witnesses, so this artifact was very useful when fighting against greater numbers.
“What, what….”
“I lost strength in my arms.”
As the enemy spearmen entered a confused state, Woohyuk summoned James.
[Take care of them.]
His Oath Breaker curse was especially strong against enemies that were already confused.
He didn’t want to summon too many undead and risk catching the attention of the Count. After all, he was a devout believer in the Heavenly God and was very sensitive to any dark magic.
‘We just need to hold on a while longer.’
Gaius was currently leading the 5th Legion to come to their aid. He had deployed the Legion without the proper authorization from the King, all due to Woohyuk’s orders.