Chapter 430 - 178: Pursuit

Chapter 430: Chapter 178: Pursuit

"For the kingdom! For Fengman!"

"Charge!"

North of the Centaur formation, a fully armored Valentino charged forward, lance raised, shouting a war cry.

Behind her were over a thousand cavalrymen.

The Cavalry Team combined with the Fengman Knight Order formed a force of one thousand Heavy Cavalry, the very definition of an earth-shattering, heaven-rending power.

But within the Centaur formation, Quintus had no mind to spare for the Heavy Cavalry at his back.

A dozen or so Energy Balls were streaking through the sky, all heading straight for him.

After several days of practice, Robson’s Magic Crystal Cannon Teams had essentially reached the level of fourth-tier units.

Any inaccuracies were mostly due to the inherent imprecision of the Magic Crystal Cannons themselves.

"Damn it! That damned Grantham!"

Seeing this, Quintus was naturally reminded of Marshal Grantham.

The tactic of massed Magic Crystal Cannon fire was first pioneered by Robson, but it was Marshal Grantham who had developed and perfected it.

More importantly, Quintus had been there when Marshal Grantham first used this strategy.

In that battle, hundreds of Magic Crystal Balls had carved countless arcs through the sky before exploding amidst the Beastmen formations. Screams had echoed everywhere, and two entire Extraordinary Corps were wiped out...

"Retreat! Flank! Kandar Tribe to the left, Wim Tribe to the right!"

"Spread out to the flanks! Quickly, spread out!"

Quintus knew just how terrifying these things were. He would rather face the thousand Heavy Cavalry at his rear than die at the hands of these contraptions.

After all, Quintus commanded one of the most elite defense forces of the entire Centaur Royal Court.

By the standards of the war panel, there wasn’t a single Warrior below Tier 3—they were all professional Soldiers!

Upon receiving the command, the entire Centaur formation quickly and orderly broke apart, wheeling to the left and right.

But a mortal’s speed is ultimately limited. No matter how formidable, an army is made of men, not gods.

The majority of the Centaur formation managed to pull back, but a small portion was unable to withdraw in time.

And at that moment, the Energy Balls from the sky slammed into the ground.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

With a series of deafening roars, several gaps were instantly blasted into the rear of the Centaur formation.

That single volley killed several hundred of them at least.

Quintus’s face darkened, but there was nothing he could do about the bombardment.

’Where are Liete and his men? Why haven’t they shown up yet?’

The humans gave Quintus no time to ponder such questions.

A thunderous rumbling came from the ground as dust billowed in the north.

The Heavy Cavalry approaching from the north consisted of the Fengman Knight Order, Tier 6 units, and even Extraordinary Heavy Cavalry.

The quality of the Fengman Knight Order went without saying. As for Robson’s own cavalry, they rode superior Right-Hand warhorses; thanks to Earl Harold’s aid, he had been able to splurge for once.

The quality of the entire Cavalry Corps was plain to see. They covered the distance of several li in an instant, closing in on the enemy.

"For the kingdom! May the Lord of Dawn shine upon you!"

Leading the charge at the very front was, once again, Valentino.

The entire Fengman Knight Order, lances leveled and voices raised in a great cry, formed the vanguard of the charge. Their whole formation shone as if it were an Extraordinary Corps plated in gold.

"Spread out! Keep flanking! Keep flanking!"

Seeing this, how could Quintus possibly have the mind to worry about the Centaurs in Julian City?

The Magic Crystal Cannons were terrifying, but the power of this Extraordinary Knight Order with their leveled lances was not to be underestimated either.

If they took that charge head-on, half his formation would be devoured.

The Centaur formation continued to follow his commands, splitting and charging toward both sides.

Watching his formation’s maneuver, Quintus felt they should be able to escape this disaster.

However, this feeling didn’t last long. He saw the Heavy Cavalry in the rear of the human formation suddenly slow down.

"Cavalry Corps! Spread to the flanks! Spread to the flanks! Intercept them on both sides!"

Noticing the Centaur army’s movement, Claude immediately stepped forward and made a move that shocked everyone.

He actually ordered the charging Heavy Cavalry to change their direction mid-charge!!!

Of course, this wasn’t Claude just being a smart-ass on the battlefield; there was a precedent for it!

The percentage of Tier 6 soldiers in the entire Cavalry Corps had now reached sixty percent. If one looked only at the Heavy Cavalry, their ratio was not much different from the First Corps, and their Extraordinary rate was even higher!

Claude didn’t know the specific Tier classifications of the soldiers, but he had seen Robson use this tactic before they had set out from the eastern front.

Quintus naturally heard Claude’s command. Seeing the human Heavy Cavalry slowly attempting to change direction, a grin nearly split his face!

’What pampered fool is this? How dare he use Heavy Cavalry like that?’

Due to their immense momentum, it was extremely difficult for Heavy Cavalry to change direction once they had begun a charge.

It might be possible for a single rider, but this was a formation of hundreds, even thousands! A military formation!

Just because one cavalryman could turn doesn’t mean a thousand of them could!

If the maneuver was botched, the formation would fall into chaos. A stampede among heavily armored cavalry would be anything but a minor incident.

"To the sides! Flank them and prepare to attack! Prepare to attack!"

Quintus was certain that these human cavalrymen would gradually fall out of step, ultimately causing a massive stampede that would affect the entire army, including the surrounding Extraordinary Cavalry!

Heavy Cavalry changing formation mid-charge? Quintus had never even heard of such a thing.

Hearing the command, Valentino, leading the charge, went pale with fear beneath her helmet.

’What kind of person did Robson find to be an officer? Can someone like this even be a commander?’

Valentino thought of those Heavy Cavalry, especially the Extraordinary Heavy Cavalry, and a sharp pain lanced through her heart.

’As a couple, those troops are the foundation of our future standing, a symbol of our power!’

’And now, is it all going to be wasted here?’

"Fengman Knight Order! Continue the charge! Full speed!"

Valentino shouted. No matter what, she couldn’t let the cavalry behind them drag her down.

The situation on the battlefield continued to evolve, but Quintus gradually sensed that something was wrong.

’What’s going on? Why haven’t they crashed into each other yet?’

He watched as, from within the human formation, Heavy Cavalry actually began to emerge from the flanks.

These humans... they were actually changing formation!

Quintus could hardly believe his eyes.

In his decades of warfare, he had never heard of such a thing. It was simply impossible!

But events did not stop developing just because of Quintus’s astonishment.

The human army’s reformation continued. Hundreds of Tier 6 and even Extraordinary Heavy Cavalry moved as if sharing a single mind, peeling off in perfect unison to both sides of the army.

Even though the entire army was in motion, they had miraculously formed a state of relative stillness with one another.

’He actually did it!’

Quintus’s expression changed drastically.

Half of the Heavy Cavalry force had already split off and was now thundering toward the Centaur army’s line of retreat to cut them off.

’This is bad! He actually pulled it off!’