Chapter 260: [Alternate View] The Silver Knight's Sword

【Cosworth】

“Th-they’re out…! Those are the rumored immortal knights! Two knights have appeared!”

“Too fast! Not even artillery can stop them!?”

Panic instantly spread across the castle walls after the silver knights appeared. But when I looked at the knights again, I had to agree. The enormous figures, tall enough to be mistaken for giants, wore full silver armor, yet dashed across the battlefield with the speed of the wind. Furthermore, their inhuman strength allowed them to knock back two or three people at once with a greatsword nearly as tall as they were. The sight was the stuff of myth to their allies, but enough to make the enemy suspect demons had been summoned.

Naturally, those operating the artillery immediately tried to aim at the knights who displayed such abnormal movement. However, that would be playing right into the enemy’s hands.

“You fools! I did not issue that order! Only the central three units are to target the knights! The rest will continue to target the enemy’s crossbow-mounted carriages or the mages! Understood!?” I roared so loudly that it might have been audible to the enemy.

Finally, the artillery operators snapped to attention.

“They can’t easily approach the castle wall! Destroy the enemy’s long-range targets first!”

When I reiterated this, everyone responded and sprang into action. Not only the artillery operators but also the archers shifted to an interception stance.

In the meantime, the two knights continued to rush toward us, moving separately. Three cannons were constantly aiming at them, but the two knights were running at an incredible speed, making a direct hit seem virtually impossible.

“Your Highness Cosworth! They are close to the wall! They don’t have battering rams, but that superhuman strength will definitely be a threat…!” A knight reported anxiously.

Of course, I understood this without being told. That is precisely why I had prepared for it.

“Heavy Infantry! To the front!”

At my command, the infantry, who had been waiting in a line behind the castle walls, quickly swapped places with the archers on the front line.

Confirming their deployment, I issued the next instruction.

“Now is the time for counterattack! Deploy the black metal and oil pots!”

“Yes, sir!”

Taking the order, over two hundred infantrymen simultaneously hurled black metal bombs and oil pots toward the base of the castle wall.

A few seconds later, the successive explosions of the black metal shook the castle wall with a blast wave. The oil ignited, causing multiple columns of fire to shoot up, reaching the height of the wall. It was truly a burning wall of flame. This sheer scale and power would be impossible to achieve even with ten fire mages combined.

The unprecedented violence of the explosion and flames was so intense that some of the heavy infantry who had thrown the black metal even stumbled backward.

“Artillery units, Archer units! Do not flinch, prepare to attack! If the enemy judges they cannot get closer, they will revert to long-range attacks! If the slow-moving crossbows or cavalry are stopped, prioritize targeting them!”

I urgently issued instructions to my subordinates, who were distracted by the intense explosion. They quickly snapped back to their senses, and the attack resumed all at once.

This must have been unexpected for the enemy as well. Many showed a clear sluggishness in their movements.

This is the perfect opportunity.

This time, I will make the Kingdom of Scuderia realize the terror of the Kingdom of Yelenetta.

【Van】

A ferocious string of explosions occurred right in front of the castle wall, as if it had been carpet-bombed. Immediately after, a wall of fire began to spread.

“W-what was that…!?” someone shouted in shock.

It was an explosion on a scale never seen before. For those who don’t know about modern weapons, the shock must have been enough to leave them speechless.

Well, even for me, this was a sight I had only seen in war movies, but at least I had some prior knowledge.

Thanks to that, I was able to restart my actions faster than anyone else.

“…! Quickly get the armored carriages into a defensive position! The enemy attack happened right in front of the wall! If we don’t counterattack from the absolute maximum range of the ballistae, we’ll receive unnecessary counterattacks!”

I shouted loudly. I judged that the tide had instantly turned against us. Because of this unexpected event, our side was in a state of panic. The Yelenetta and Shelvia forces, who caused this situation, would surely move to exploit it.

I could confidently state that remaining passive without a plan would be the worst course of action.

“Arte! Can the dolls move!?”

Arte’s dolls are one of our strongest assets. Securing control of them was crucial. I turned back with that thought, but Arte was trembling, unable to answer. She was visibly shaken.

“Arte?”

When I called her name again, Arte’s face snapped into focus, and she immediately sprang into action.

“I-I apologize…! I’ll m-move them right away…!”

I hadn’t given any additional instructions, but Arte used her magic again on her own initiative. At least the dolls were usable.

“If you’re okay, can you somehow open the castle gate?”

When I gave the new instruction, Arte nodded silently.

Then, a change occurred at the castle wall, which was still shrouded in fire and black smoke. A part of the main gate collapsed and fell inward. Most likely, Arte’s dolls forcibly slashed it open with their swords, but the enemy camp probably wouldn’t know what had happened.

“The gate! It’s open!” Khamsin shouted.

Simultaneously, cheers erupted from everywhere.

Now was the time to attack.

“Go! We will occupy the enemy’s fortress city! Ballista unit, provide support!” Panamera shouted this from the front line, immediately charging forward herself with all her might.

Of course, the enemy camp would not simply wait to be assaulted. Not only artillery, but a massive volume of arrows were shot into the sky. A terrifying number of arrows descended upon Panamera and her forces.

But such feeble resistance would not work against Panamera. She must have been chanting as she advanced, preparing to deal with the arrows. When Panamera raised her voice and activated her magic, a wall of fire appeared, seeming to cover the entire sky, and burned all the arrows to ashes.

The scope of the magic was astonishingly wide.

“Charge!”

Thrusting the tip of her sword toward the wall of flame she herself had created, Panamera shouted again and spurred her horse forward. She moved with a momentum that seemed to confirm the battle was decisively decided at that very moment.