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Countless cavalrymen fell from their horses, the psychological pressure brought on by this was immensely huge.

If it were not for the Divine Arts “Song of Courage” bestowing them with extraordinary mental endurance, the entire cavalry squadron would have likely crumbled and scattered under the rounds of artillery bombardment.

Even if the men could bear it, the horses beneath them could not!

Nevertheless, the incoming artillery fire was still eroding their courage bit by bit. Though the power of the fourth-ring Divine Arts was terrifying, once dispersed among fifteen thousand men, it was reduced to the level of first or second-ring Divine Arts on each individual…

“These damn Wizards!” Johnson’s mind was seized by a flicker of fear, dreading that the next round of fire would land on his own head. He, like Nord, regarded the fearsome artillery as the Wizards’ Magic.

...

“Keep charging, don’t stop!” Johnson yelled loudly, fear aside, he understood that once the cavalry began a mass charge, they could not stop rashly; all they could do was to charge at the highest speed and break through them in one go!

Such powerful Magic also caused severe friendly fire; only by charging into the throngs of mine slaves would they be the safest!

“God is with us!” The knights around him let out rousing roars, though their voices trembled slightly.

Just then, the mine slaves facing them suddenly scattered to both sides, and Johnson’s pupils constricted, for what was revealed behind them were thousands of musketeers in exquisite armor, holding matchlock guns!

Stepping, raising guns, pulling the trigger; the actions of thousands were uniform, not a single unnecessary move, as this was what they had trained the most over several months…

As for the onrushing cavalry, no one was scared or hesitant, for how could this compare to the terrifying hordes of undead and formidable beasts?

The next moment, dense gunfire rang out, the charging cavalry brigade, like hitting an unyielding wall head-on, saw over two hundred cavalrymen fall instantly.

Their refined armor provided little protection, easily penetrated by the high-speed lead bullets. The horses neighed in agony and the gruesome wailing started, as the fallen cavalrymen in the front row caused even more casualties.

Johnson, who was leading the charge, was unsurprisingly among the first to be hit by the musket fire, but a Divine Barrier swirling around him saved his life. This was a blessing he’d earned from his bravery in a previous campaign, and it was the very reason he dared to lead from the front!

But this barrier, which could protect against crossbow arrows, was now showing cracks…

Yet Johnson paid it no mind; his only thought was to charge through! @@novelbin@@

Especially upon seeing the enemies, who were holding strange long sticks, not continuing to fire, Johnson already foresaw the glimmer of victory. Clearly, such a powerful weapon could not be used continuously!

However, the slight joy lasted merely a few seconds. He then saw the front row of musketeers pass their weapons to the back row and took up new ones in their hands.

The use of Firearms Triple Strike can vary widely, with ancient civilizations from the East and West each developing their own routines. These can be generally classified into the Japanese style of the front line firing and the back line reloading, and the Ming and European style in which the three lines rotate firing duties.

Both methods have their own advantages, suitable for different battlefields. This time, with no need to retreat nor to maneuver, the musketeers used the former method.

Under the relentless cycling of flintlock guns, a continuous hail of bullets poured forth.

Although muskets were not as devastating or intimidating as artillery, they were more numerous, and the short distance of tens of meters became a veritable road of death. Every volley brought down hundreds of Cavalry…

The Amulet on Johnson’s chest had shattered during the second volley, and although he was lucky to dodge the third, he was hit in the abdomen by the fourth.

Fortunately, his armor was of special quality and blocked most of the damage. Johnson almost got knocked off his horse by the force of the impact, but managed to steady himself. Enduring the agonizing pain, nothing remained in his mind but the obsession to charge through and cut down the damned miners and the Wizards casting spells!

Not to mention, he simply couldn’t halt his advance now, with less than ten meters to the front line of musketeers—it was too late to turn his horse around!

“Charge… Charge!” Johnson roared hoarsely, only to see the musketeers ahead abruptly aiming their guns directly at him.

It was not until then that he realized he was startlingly alone. Glancing back, he saw the decimated Cavalry squad had already scattered in retreat—he was the only one who had charged all the way to the musketeers!

Before Johnson had a chance to curse, he was turned into a sieve by a dozen muskets and fell just five or six meters from the musketeers.

Watching this scene, Rickman felt as though his heart was breaking. He wasn’t concerned about Johnson’s fate but grieved immensely for the fallen Cavalry.

You see, these two thousand Cavalrymen weren’t all from his own forces—they also included Prince Harold’s trusted aides. The losses were so severe this time that the Crown Prince would surely tear him to pieces!

“Archers, counterattack! Cover the Cavalry retreat!” Rickman yelled desperately. The charge and sacrifice of the Cavalry were not in vain; at least it covered their approach within bowshot under the artillery assault.

However, seeing the plight of the Cavalry squad, the army of tens of thousands had already devolved into chaos, and several nobles, sensing the dire situation, prepared to flee with their men.

On the field, the Priests were casting Divine Arts feverishly to sooth and prevent the complete disintegration of the forces. Only Rickman’s trusted aides faithfully followed orders. They had just released a volley of arrows when artillery shells began raining down on them.

“Stop firing, stop firing, just stop!” Rickman hastily changed his mind, fearing being targeted by the artillery.

“It seems we have overestimated them; these people are nothing but loose sand…” Meanwhile, Lynn appeared before them all.

But then again, it was to be expected as this legion had been hastily cobbled together from the personal guards of dozens of nobles. It would have been miraculous if they could be easily commanded and controlled.

Fighting when the wind was at their backs was one thing; facing headwinds, they were bound to scatter, each for themselves. The fact they hadn’t completely disintegrated under the onslaught of artillery and the volley of muskets was entirely due to the Divine Arts…