I was a knight in the Middle Ages

Chapter 478 The Imperial Knights Arrive

At dawn, as the first golden ray of sunlight pierced the inky sky, the Pirate Alliance's long-planned general attack slammed into the mining city like a tsunami.

Even the reserve camp in the rear was filled with billowing dust - the reinforcements that General Philos had mobilized overnight were rushing through the morning mist.

The armor shone with a cold silver light in the dim light, and the tidal-like attack instantly submerged the opponent in the human wave.

When the last rays of sunset were swallowed by the horizon, the outer city had been reduced to scorched earth.

Sporadic explosions echoed throughout the ruins, like the intermittent gasps of a dying man, and could not cause any more waves.

Only broken walls remained of the towering city walls, with broken bricks and wood chips swirling in the night wind, witnessing the collapse of the defense line.

At this moment, only the core area of ​​the inner city was still holding on. The circular iron gate made a dull sound under the heavy hammer, unable to bear the weight, and the rivets on the door edge were sparking, like a trapped beast twitching before death.

"Captain Makina! The third iron gate was cracked by the cyborg! The stone bricks at the foundation are collapsing!" Phyllis gripped the blood-stained hilt of the sword, her voice rough with the smoke of gunpowder.

In front of Phyllis, Captain Makina was tearing off a blood-stained bandage and wrapping it around his palm. A liquid, either rain or blood, was still dripping from the ends of his hair. But when he looked up, a scorching light ignited in his eyes: "Move the stored meteorite ore to block the door! All the passages—seal it!"

After these words were spoken, the soldiers around them paused holding their weapons.

They all understood that blocking the passage meant cutting off the last retreat route.

Once the enemy climbed up the city wall, the inner city became an iron cage with nowhere to escape.

But no one objected - the cement factory in the outer city had already hoisted the pirate's skull and crossbones flag at noon.

The damaged city walls can no longer be repaired. Every crack is a fatal wound, flowing with the blood of the city.

As the light grew brighter, a cloud of dust suddenly rose from the wasteland three miles outside the mining city, covering the sky.

The sound of iron hooves rolled like thunder, and the all-black cavalry formed a wedge-shaped square formation. Amid the light sound of armor colliding, everyone's brow was cold like frost and snow.

What is even more breathtaking are the flags unfolded on both sides of the square - on the scarlet background, the double-headed eagle emblem of the Ottoman Empire flutters in the wind, and the wings embroidered with silver thread seem as if they will flap and cut through the long night in the next second.

"It's the imperial reinforcements!" Someone shouted, and the hands of the soldiers on the outer city wall, who were holding their weapons tightly, finally felt warm.

At this moment, the banging sound behind the iron gate continued, and the blue light of the meteorite ore flickered in the gap, like the last claws of a trapped beast.

No one knew when this battle would end, but when the shadow of the imperial flag fell on the charred city wall, the smell of blood filled the air.

Finally, there was a glimmer of hope or despair to break the deadlock - just like when the night is darkest, there are always people waiting for a star to tear apart the deep darkness.

"Reinforcements? They are just enemies coming to snatch the fruits of victory from us! The mining city - is ours!" A roar filled with extreme jealousy and blood foam smelling of rust burst out from the pirate's throat, and the incomplete skull flag shone dazzlingly on the broken wall.

The knights riding horses in the distance had shining armor, but they were unaware that the double-headed eagle emblem embroidered on their chests had already broken away from the skull flag of the Pirate Alliance in the dark night.

They were just pawns tied to the battlefield by lies, thinking they were coming to the aid of their allies, but they didn't know they were stepping into a stranglehold already set up by the Empire and the Alliance.

Originally, the Empire and the Alliance had no intention of sharing the fruits of victory with them. Now, Philos just wanted these people to bleed to the last drop of blood, without telling them that the Empire and the Alliance had broken up.

Most of the knights were still holding the order they had received when they set out, and the ink on the parchment with the words "jointly suppress bandits" had not yet dried.

They had seen the wind and snow on the imperial border and drank the salty wine in the alliance ports, and they believed themselves to be a glorious army that spanned the sea and land.

But the moment the horse's hooves stepped into the ruins, he was awakened by the smell of blood wafting from the city wall.

The "allies" in front of him, holding the skull flag, were quickly closing the city gates and defending the city walls with blood-stained scimitars, while the scarlet flag of the Empire behind him had been stained with a solemn atmosphere.

"Fire the catapult!" Alpha's order landed with a solemn tone.

The sound of horses' hooves from the dwarf tribe and druid team rushing to the rescue last night is still ringing in his ears, and now it has turned into chips tightly grasped in Alpha's palm.

As the rough stone bullets streaked across the sky, the linen banners bound to them fluttered and unfolded:

The Empire and the Alliance have officially split, and the fence-sitters must choose between the double-headed eagle and the skull and crossbones.

"The Alliance launched a surprise attack on the Imperial Knights! The Alliance and the Empire have become enemies." The hoarse roar was like a rusty dagger, fiercely cutting through the solidified air.

The knuckles of the swords turned white, and some people stared at the gilded double-headed eagle emblem on the chest, and then looked at the grinning skull on the pirate flag.

Those “allies” who had once clinked glasses beside the wine barrels were now holding blood-stained scimitars to close the city gates and resist the attack of the empire;

The imperial soldiers, known as "hosts," were outside the collapsed city walls, throwing stones, arrows, and banners representing their choices into the city.

The war horses crushed the rubble in the smoke, but the knights' figures swayed like puppets with broken strings.

Fate has nailed them to the wall of power. When the wind of truth blows away the wax seal of the secret letter, to which sky should their blood-stained foreheads bow?

The sound of horse hooves continued to roar, but at some point there was a pause of hesitation - someone pointed the tip of the sword at the scarlet under the pirate's eye patch, and someone pulled the reins to look back at the flying tassels on the imperial flag.

Only the blood-soaked land remained silent, mocking this betrayal wrapped in the lie of "reinforcements."

The sharpest blade is never the arc of a scimitar.

The moment when the ink was stamped on the document of breakup, the moment when the banner of choice crossed the battle line under the sky.

Those brothers who once swore to drink together have now become fallen leaves swirling in the wind.

There is no longer pure black and white on the battlefield, only gray soaked in power struggles.

Amid the roar of catapults, it fell towards the bloody dawn where it was impossible to tell friend from foe.

"This must be a trick of the enemy! We can't draw our swords against our own people!" Someone looked up at the linen banner falling in the air, his fingertips still clutching a half-read page - the "Declaration of Breakup" with the ink not yet dried was fluttering in the wind, like a night owl trying to peck out people's eyes.

"But those tens of thousands of knights outside the city are holding the imperial flag, while our brothers in the alliance are defending the city walls to the death! This posture is clearly to prevent a sneak attack!" Another soldier rubbed the alliance emblem on his wristband, and the telescope reflected the shiny spear tips of the imperial camp, and the taut bowstrings of the archers on the city wall, forming a deadlock of confrontation.

"Who should we trust?" The soldiers holding the spoils looked at each other.

The hand that was just staring at the enemy's granary and calculating the "fruits of victory" now had cold sweat on the hilt of the sword.

Someone clutched his shield and retreated into the shadows.

Some people turned their spearheads towards the gaps in the clouds farther away. Only the wine bags around their waists made hollow sounds amidst the turbulence, as if mocking this war that was drunk with intrigue.

"The situation is unclear, let's wait and see!" The rational cry was torn apart by the sound of swords clashing.

The knight, blood-curdling with rage, kicked away the warning at his feet: "The last bite of meat is getting cold! No matter who they are, you can only get the medal if you kill enough people!"

The blood on their armor splattered on the word "loyalty" on the banner, spreading out a dark red that was even darker than the ink.

Those soldiers who were just trying to gain experience had already quietly taken off their dusty shoulder straps.

They clutched the dry food they had hidden and crawled towards the west gate.

In the direction of the east gate, the heavy armor of the imperial knights shone coldly in the sunlight, like an iron gate closing, and they did not want to become broken bones in the gap.

……

"Captain Makina! The watchtower reports that nearly ten thousand knights are approaching the east gate!" Lina's voice mixed with the vibration of the bricks, and her fingertips left white marks on the stone wall.

At this moment, the sentries on the high walls of the inner city were pressing their telescopes against their eye sockets, but they could only see the dust and fog swirling on the horizon, like a giant python spitting out its tongue.

"So what if we have 100,000? Our city wall hasn't collapsed yet." Makina wiped the blood groove on the hilt of his sword, and the heart-protection mirror reflected the broken alliance flag.

Even though the flagpole was tilted, the hawk with outstretched wings still tore a few pieces of the imperial banner in the wind.

"Something's wrong! Those knights didn't attack the city, but instead engaged the enemy forces inside!" Phyllis rushed to the top of the city wall, holding a newly found banner. The edge of the linen was still stained with mud from the catapult. "The spies said they were spreading the message 'The Empire and the Alliance have broken off, and the attack has ceased'..."

Makina's pupils suddenly contracted.

The offensive that was like a tide just now has now turned into a whirlpool under the city.

In the enemy camp, knights holding the Imperial flag and soldiers holding the Alliance flag were pushing and shouting at each other, their spears pointed at each other instead of the city walls.

A long-lost light spread from his eyes, but was quickly covered by a darker shadow.

"The mutants are coming." Lina stared at the wriggling monster in the distance, her throat tightening.

The red-eyed giant that replaced the catapult was crushing the last row of barricades. The dark blue veins surging under its skin were more glaring than any declaration of breakup.

While humans are tearing each other apart in power struggles, the "weapons of war" transformed by the alliance are stepping on the ruins of lies and heading towards the real killing field.

In the cracks between the bricks, a few fragments of unburned banners flickered, like extinguished fireflies.

Amid the heavy footsteps of the giant, this debate about "loyalty" and "betrayal" will eventually be trampled into dust stained with blood and mud.

Only the emblems of the goshawk and the double-headed eagle remained on the city walls, each stained with blood that did not belong to them in the smoke.

"Lord Alpha, there's still fighting going on at the west gate. We can charge in directly." Mash had already inspected the four gates. Only the west gate was currently experiencing intense fighting, and their advance troops had already mixed in. Even if the gates were closed, they could still force their way into the city with superior numbers.

"Okay, tell Quinte to assemble the cavalry and follow me in." Alpha did not expect the surrendered cavalry of The Hague to join the battle. He only ordered them to watch the battlefield from afar and let the real imperial knights charge into the enemy camp to show everyone what a knight is.

At the same time, real Ottoman knights were stationed on both sides, with dwarves, druids, and Da Gama's knights arriving in the middle. This formation was enough to intimidate the enemy.

Before he finished speaking, Alpha had already galloped on his horse, stabbing at the weak point of the enemy's defense line like a sharp blade.

"The mining city has belonged to the empire! Everyone stop attacking immediately and evacuate the mining city!" Alpha's roar mixed with the crisp sound of metal guards hitting gun handles exploded, and the battle cry of the Violent Knights behind him was like thunder rolling over scorched earth.

Alpha's spear tip was tilted, and dark red blood beads fell into the dust along the fine steel tip. At his feet lay the last enemy knight who tried to stop him.

The blood splattered along the way finally made the confused knights realize that this raid was no joke.

Those guys who once held the lion-patterned battle flags were now stumbling back into the alley with their broken spears in their arms, and the blood seeping from the cracks in their armor was dragging winding trails in the mud.

However, a sharp sound of metal friction suddenly came from the pass ahead.

When Alpha's horse stepped over the last corpse, his vision was blocked by the dark barricades.

Three full squadrons of knights were forming an iron wall, with rough log chevaux de frise driven into the ground.

The hedgehog formation formed by the spear tips shone coldly in the sunlight. The shield bearers in the front row had already slammed their bronze shields heavily on the stone bricks. The dull "bang" sound made people's eardrums tremble.

"Magic Spear Team, fire!" Alpha tore off his blood-stained cloak and threw it behind him, and dark blue lines appeared on the black magic spear in his palm.

He was certainly aware that ordinary magic spears would have difficulty penetrating the enemy's thick shield - but when the bullets fired by thirty magic spears engraved with spells cut through the air at the same time, the dark blue flames condensed at the spear tips had twisted like living things. They were special ammunition infused with shadow magic.

The first row of chevaux de frise was blown into sawdust with a loud bang, the shield bearers in the front row were knocked over by the air wave, and the magic patterns on the bronze shields emitted white smoke under the erosion of blue light.

Alpha's horse charged forward on the broken wood, and the Bloodthirsty Spear brought up an arc-shaped blade of light as it swung, cutting a gap in the spear formation that was trying to close.

A knight holding a spear wanted to stop him, but Alpha pierced his shield with his spear and then pierced his own body.

"I'll repeat it again," Alpha pressed the tip of his gun against the throat of another shield bearer, who was breathing heavily under his helmet. "The mining city belongs to the Empire. Now, put down your weapons and get out."

The crisp sounds of shields hitting the ground rose and fell, forming a requiem for the losers in the twilight.

The blood-weeping spear in Alpha's hand swung like the Grim Reaper's scythe. The moment the five shields burst at the tip of the spear, the armor of the knight behind him was torn into a hideous bloody hole.

But before the fallen figure hit the ground, eight knights stepped on the corpses of their companions to fill the vacancy.

Amid the roar of metal boots rolling over gravel, the encircling iron wall was shrinking inch by inch - even though the invading team had killed hundreds of enemy cavalry, the blood of dozens of violent knights under their command had dyed half of the shield red.

When another wave of knights' charge knocked Alpha and his guards out of the battle line, Alpha clenched his fists as he looked at the wounded wailing on the ground.

"Evacuate the wounded first!" Alpha tore open his blood-stained collar, and a salty taste of rust rose in his throat. His eyes swept over the figures curled up in pain, and his brows were deeply depressed.

"Lord Alpha! Dwarf Captain Baras has brought the cyborg warriors!" Mashu's voice mixed with the loud sound of the tank tracks rolling on the ground hit the eardrums.

I saw these modified human warriors who were unable to run long distances stepping out from the metal frame of the six-wheeled chariot one after another.

The original Number One stepped onto the running board of his and Number Two's unique eight-wheeled chariot and jumped down. His mechanical prosthetic eyes gleamed coldly in the sunlight as he gazed at the enemy's steel battle line with disdain: "Lord Alpha, leave this to us."

The warriors transformed by the dwarven craftsmen clenched their alloy blades tightly - each of their strikes could split three layers of iron plates, but they could not continue fighting due to the limitations of the energy core.

At this moment, they arrived at the battlefield with the roar of chariots, and they joined the battle in their strongest condition.

The clicking sound of the mechanical joints turning and the sharp scream of the sword breaking through the air intertwined, carving out a dazzling silver light in the gradually closing encirclement.

Alpha dragged the last wounded man back into the shadow of the chariot, his fingertips brushing against the blood clots on the spear shaft.

Alpha looked at the sparks of the battle between the cyborg warriors and the knight legion in front of him, and suddenly heard the roar of the tank engine mixed with his own heartbeat.

This has never been a war of one person, but a way out forged by gears and blood, fury and machinery.