A cloud of dust rises.
The cavalry slowly accelerates, then gallops after entering the battlefield. Duncan draws Oathkeeper, raises the small shield hanging on the horse’s back, and leads a team of cavalry, launching a flanking assault from the enemy’s left rear, directly charging towards the several hundred-strong Saxon hunters ahead.
"Reinforcements have arrived!"
Cheers erupt from the wooden walls of Exeter. The previously wavering morale is momentarily steadied. Just the arrival of one person instills the courage for those disheartened soldiers to continue fighting.
"Support Lord Duncan!"
A traditional Celtic warrior roars, "British Legion, follow me!"
This roar miraculously causes the surrounding British Legion to start regrouping.
By this time, Duncan has already charged directly in, with sixteen riders forming a simple formation. In a wedge array, they rush towards the unprepared Saxon archers. It is only when they are right in front that the Saxon pirates react, and the enemy commander hastily leads a chieftain’s guard to provide support.
But it’s already a little late.
Oathkeeper flashes a cold glint.
With just a casual swing, Duncan’s longsword slices through the neck of a Saxon elite forest hunter as if cutting through tofu. The blood sprays on the faces and heads of the surrounding enemies. The archers’ equipment is rather simple; many of them don’t even have leather armor, armed only with a short sword at most.
The simplest moves, each strike cuts down limbs and bodies. Duncan leads the way, breaking through the formation single-handedly, with the sixteen riders following, gradually expanding their success. Kulin cuts down a Saxon hunter suspected to be a squad leader with one slash, and Clegane’s lance charge pierces through an enemy’s body, quickly drawing his sword to slash on both sides.
These sixteen riders instantaneously cut through the entire Saxon hunter team, causing heads to roll and bodies to litter the ground, throwing the archer troops into chaos.
The first cavalry charge, touching them means death.
——Saxon Forest Hunters (Morale Wavering) (Encounter Strong Enemy) (Horrified) (Heavy Casualties)!
Duncan slashes continuously down the line, killing five or six, moving as if in an uninhabited realm.
The sixteen riders behind, Kulin kills three more, Clegane kills two, and the others also have their share of success, cutting down over twenty in a breath, causing the Saxon hunters’ morale to collapse, with some already starting to flee.
When the cavalry reaches the archers, it truly becomes a massacre!
There’s no need to wait for Duncan to lead the crowd back for another charge, as those Saxon hunters are already fleeing, breaking through three lines in succession, entangling over three hundred Saxon hunters into a disoriented mess, driving them across the hills, spreading chaos toward the battlefield, causing the front troops to frequently turn their heads.
Until thoroughly breaking through the enemy’s formation, only thirteen riders remain from the sixteen trailing Duncan.
Kulin takes an arrow to the left arm, breaking the shaft without even frowning. Wearing scale armor, such a wound is of no consequence.
Clegane’s Sarmatian riders follow closely, unscathed, discarding their lances and drawing swords instead.
One strong charge costs three riders.
Duncan’s heart bleeds slightly, but without looking back, he leads the others to circle in from the western gate. Thanks to his charge, the British Legion catches a breath, morale greatly restored, and the fallen city gate is reclaimed, with some even attempting to organize a counteroffensive to support the group.
A general’s accomplishment comes at the cost of countless bones.
Duncan ignores the fallen three, riding rearguard alone, pulling out the Nord Bow, nocking an arrow, and releasing a whistling shot. A distant advancing heavy-armored chieftain guard is immediately knocked off the horse.
The arrow pierces through the chest, almost breaking through the armor!
This scene stuns the enemy.
The Nord Bow’s power far exceeds the previous Northern Land war bow, estimated to be around three hundred pounds, as Duncan notes a clear increase in energy bar consumption when drawing the full bow.
This time, Duncan came prepared, bringing a quiver of armor-piercing arrows.
——Resting Horse Arrow!
While the enemy hesitates on whether to continue the pursuit, Duncan already nocks another arrow, drawing the bow to full, releasing it to pierce through an elite chieftain guard’s skull, the arrowhead almost passing through the helmet.
The enemy falls into chaos, losing all courage to pursue!
Duncan gallops forward dozens of steps, launching the arrow at a forty-five-degree angle, aiming at the enemy leader from a distance.
He dares not get too close, as the enemy still has several hundred archer steps. Read complete version only at novel⟡fire.net
The bowstring thrums.
This arrow directly kills the barbarian leader’s warhorse, causing the surrounding chieftain guards to desperately escort him to retreat backward.
The assault and defense of Exeter come to an abrupt halt!
In the cheers of the British Legion, the main force of the Saxon pirates begins to retreat, seemingly realizing that they cannot capture this town for the time being.
As the enemy’s chieftain guard withdraws,
the frontline siege troops’ morale starts to waver and soon follow suit in retreat.
Duncan, solo on horseback,
patrols the battlefield in a circle, confidently entering Exeter from the main gate besieged by the Saxon pirates.
No one dares to stop, no one dares to intervene!
Indeed, just one man with sixteen riders scares away nearly over two thousand Saxon pirates.