The knights and veterans frantically pulled the triggers of their firearms, retreating back to the corner of the wall once the bullets were exhausted.
“Do we have any bullets left?”
The knight shouted desperately.
“Not many, but the magic power on the other side is dwindling too!”
After reloading, the veteran seized the opportunity to leap out, shooting the mage in the head.
“Aren’t you a knight? How come you’re not that tough?”
Gasping for breath, the veteran kicked the mage’s corpse and glanced back at the knight who had followed him.
“Not all knights are of Lars’s caliber, you know?”
The knight calmly reloaded the ammunition in his firearm.
The current Beitang Defensive Line was in chaos, with the lowest-ranked soldiers rising in revolt alongside junior officers, and this rebellion quickly spread throughout the entire defensive line.
Even with weapons, ordinary soldiers found it difficult to contend with professionals without protection.
Originally, firearms could inflict significant damage on mages, but as the war in the Northern Border progressed, aside from knight professionals, the mages in the Northern Border had gradually developed barriers specifically designed to counter firearm damage, especially among the mages in the Beitang Defensive Line.
After all, the development of magic is also dynamic; professionals couldn’t simply remain passive and take hits.
However, even in such circumstances, firearms still narrowed the gap between both sides. Even the lowest-ranking soldiers could rely on their weapons and the familiar terrain of their fortresses to contend with these professionals.
In the past, not to mention confronting them, ordinary soldiers wouldn’t even dare to look a professional in the eye.
“At least it’s indoors.”
The veteran quickly bandaged himself.
“This group of professional lords usually can’t be bothered to leave their quarters, so they’re not familiar with the situation inside the defensive line. We can still hold on for a while.”
The knight, gazing out the corridor window filled with rising gun smoke, sighed, “Perhaps in future battlefields, professionals will still be valued, but not to the extent they are now.”
The foremost fortress had already fallen, but the fortresses where the officers were still stood resolutely, with soldiers and professionals continually emerging from those fortresses to suppress the revolting soldiers.
The knight checked his weapon and was about to step down to assist those soldiers when the veteran stopped him.
“We’ve already done quite well. In fact, after we finished firing, we just lay on the ground. The rest can be handled by the lords of Graywhite Territory. Why push ourselves to the limit?”
The veteran was right; many insiders had already mixed in among the soldiers or were from Graywhite Territory and began commanding on the battlefield. Moreover, on the other side, a cavalry unit waving the Northern Wind Bear flag was making its way toward the Beitang Defensive Line.
The knight had already completed his mission beyond expectation and could afford to relax.
“I want a promotion.”
Without looking back, the knight headed toward the battlefield outside the fortress.
“I asked around; the treatment for soldiers from Graywhite Territory is quite good. There’s compensation for sacrifices, and they actually take your contributions into account.”
The veteran habitually followed the knight, continuing to listen as the knight said, “Hey, old man, after I get promoted, let’s play football together.”
The veteran listened, inexplicably feeling a bit emotional, readying his gun to join the knight in battle.
“Oh right, after the promotion, I can also confidently marry the big aunt next door, but it seems Graywhite Territory can’t just abduct the local women. Forget it; I’ve never even met her husband.”
“…”
The whole segment crumbled as the veteran evaluated it in his heart, feeling a mix of emotions.
However, the two hadn’t plunged into battle for long when the army from Graywhite Territory had already slaughtered their way into the defensive line.
Just as a fireball was about to hit the veteran, a molten fire ray directly detonated the fireball, and a knight in white armor galloped by, swooping over the veteran’s head, brandishing a spear emanating an orange-red glow and piercing through the opponent’s barrier, sending them flying.
“From the Hammond Unit of the First Army Group, surrender or be killed!”
Hammond’s powerful voice echoed across the battlefield, while the knights in armor behind him charged forward, forming an impregnable line of despair, blocking all incoming magic.
The veteran watched the pure white armor glowing with magical brilliance and suddenly felt a sense of illusion, as if the Lars army had arrived.
At that moment, the opposing professionals who were still resisting experienced the feelings of ordinary soldiers facing them in the past.
These Lars knights were exaggeratedly strong, with astonishing defenses, all clad in enchanted plate armor.
Regardless of the long spear that radiated heat and cutting effects, even the sheer impact of these cavalry could turn over 80% of the enemies into mush, even if they were wielding nothing but a wooden stick.
The most desperate part was that the Lars knights were no longer simply watching the enemy dumbfounded across the river; seeing someone escape, they directly brought out the ray guns and showcased a new concept of mounted shooting.
The Lars knights had long been criticized for lacking long-range capabilities against enemies, but even that issue had been resolved.
The Beitang Defensive Line was extremely lengthy, and Hammond led his knights, swiftly taking one fortress after another. Some professionals had united in an attempt to halt Hammond’s advance, even employing magical catapults.
The effects of the magic explosion couldn’t be denied, but it must be said that there was still room for improvement. The explosions caused no damage to the Hammond unit; even the knights stood firm and unfazed, while those catapults misfired and hurt many neighboring fortresses.
Those fortresses still believed they were under attack from Graywhite Territory’s artillery. While they could still manage their internal affairs, tightly shutting the gates to prevent revolts, many hastily opened their doors to surrender instead. They were not incapable of resistance but had already lost heart.
Soon, Lauri also arrived with reinforcements, but those troops were primarily there to take over the battlefield, deal with the wounded, and handle follow-up matters.
Hammond’s rate of conquering was ever-increasing, with more and more fortresses directly surrendering under the white flag. Some fortresses even managed to procure or quickly stitch together the Northern Wind Bear flag, hanging it atop their fortress walls to signal their surrender.
This was the first time Hammond experienced the sensation of watching the enemy surrender. Truly, no resistance remained.
All the way, Hammond even ignored those fortresses that offered no resistance and directly rushed toward the largest fortress in the Beitang Defensive Line, the command center that was said to never fall.
When Hammond arrived, he saw the deputy commander holding up a severed head, draped in a Northern Wind Bear cloak, who then opened the door and surrendered.
When the deputy commander saw Hammond, his expression was somewhat complex but soon relaxed, even becoming more at ease.
The deputy commander knelt down with a group of people, presenting the head of the chief commander and said, “The faux army leader has been executed. Please inspect it, General.”
Hammond had just thought about dismounting when he hesitated and said, “Wait until the general arrives, then you can present the head to the army.”
During the wait, Hammond quietly asked, “When did you defect?”
The deputy commander, holding the head firmly, replied resolutely, “I have never defected. I have always been loyal to the Northern Border.”
