Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Chapter 515 93: The End (Part 4)

Within less than three minutes, Winters, who charged at the forefront, had already been struck countless times.

His instinctual swordsmanship allowed him to subconsciously dodge vital points, yet he still inevitably grew sluggish and numb.

He used spells without any reservation, reaping lives like a legendary court mage.

He no longer used the Iron Melting Technique or other formidable spells, all his "magic" was focused on the most efficient and most practiced spell—Arrow Flying Spell.

He triggered the Arrow Flying Spell almost against the target's forehead, leaving no chance for error or avoidance.

Though outnumbered, the Paratu People seemed to be subtly overpowering the barbarians with a do-or-die attitude.

With everyone packed tightly together, the barbarian gunners were afraid of hitting their own and dared not shoot.

The barbarians realized this too, and a voice desperately shouted, "[Herde Language] Don't be afraid! Fire! Kill them all! Shoot that leader!"

The barbarian gunners hesitated, and the voice yelled even louder: "[Herde Language] Move aside! I'll do it!"

A "boom" echoed in the corridor of the fortress, making the wooden ceiling tremble.

A Herder right in front of Winters was killed on the spot, and the voice shouted again: "[Herde Language] Keep going! Shoot him! Shoot those two leaders!"

Under the urging of that voice, a Herder gunner clenched his teeth and fired. The lead shot hit the wooden wall, sending wood chips flying.

The other gunners, also clenching their teeth, raised their firearms.

Winters and Andre exchanged a glance, then, understanding each other, they charged forward fiercely.

With their own men behind them, there was no way to retreat. They could only fight to the death and move forward for a chance at survival.

Several more shots rang out in quick succession.

Andre, being tall and strong, charged forward heedlessly, knocking the enemies in front of him all over the place.

Winters followed closely behind Andre, ensuring that his back and the back of his head would not be hit by a hammer.

Winters spotted the shouting barbarian. When he was about ten steps away from the barbarian, he clenched a steel spike and raised his hand.

With a flash of cold light, the eyes of the shouting barbarian turned into bloody sockets. Leaning against the wall, he slowly sat down, his head hanging limply.

The barbarians in the corridor scattered like birds and beasts, scrambling to escape.

"Haha," Andre leaned against the wall; his laughter sounded muffled coming from inside his helmet, "We brothers are not bad, huh?"

"Always the best," Winters and Andre fist-bumped.

"Drip, drip."

It was the sound of fresh blood dripping onto the ground.

Andre lifted his arm to fist-bump, then tilted his head as if with a bitter smile: "I was wondering... why I felt numb?"

His right arm had turned into a mess of flesh; a thirty-gram lead ball had pierced through his arm armor, exploded inside his muscle, and left a terrible wound.

Blood flowed into Andre's glove and then dripped onto the ground.

Winters frantically removed Andre's arm armor and used his belt to stop the bleeding.

"Brother won't be much help anymore," Andre sat on the ground, saying carelessly: "The rest is all up to you now."

"Stop talking... stop talking..." Winters seemed to be crying, but his face was hidden under his helmet, unseen by anyone.

Blood loss made Andre very tired; he said softly, "I need to rest for a while..."

...

Meanwhile, Colonel Jeska also reached the top of the rampart.

The colonel swept over the fortress with his lone eye, quickly grasping the situation.

"As expected," the colonel asked, "Where's the cannon?"

"Not on the wall," replied the wounded soldier beside him.

"What about Captain Montaigne and Captain Cherini?" the colonel inquired further.

"They're fighting their way into the fortress."

"Retaking the Southern Highlands is no longer possible!" Colonel Jeska said to the signalman, "Send the signal!"

Obediently, the signalman carefully retrieved a wooden box that contained three signal flares.

The signalman found a source of fire and held out the flares to light them.

Three green signal flares screamed into the sky and exploded with a thunderous roar.

Shortly thereafter, another red signal flare screamed skywards and detonated.

Not from the east side of the fortress, but from the west!

"Uukhai!"

"Uukhai!"

"Uukhai!"

The thunderous Paratu battle cry arose, not from the east side of the fortress, but from the west.

Sounds of hoofbeats, like a landslide or tsunami, approached the Southern Highlands fortress.

"Uukhai!" A black-armored cavalryman wielding a pistol leaped into the fortress, not from anywhere else, but precisely from where the barbarians had attacked during the day.

The breach blown open by the barbarians was hastily repaired with wooden barricades. Since the breach in the west was closer to their main camp, it was perfect for moving troops and artillery.

The Herders attacked from the west and the Paratu from the east; it was a trap of the mind.

Yet today, the Paratu chose to break through the western breach.

The black-armored cavalryman who jumped into the fortress held a pistol in each hand, fired two shots with a "bang, bang," and immediately drew his saber to slash around.

Following him, more black-armored cavalrymen leaped into the fortress, each firing two shots before drawing their blades to kill.

The barbarian defenders of the fortress sensed something was amiss, and the musketeers and archers rushed to the western wall.

After the forty-some black-armored cavalrymen, about thirty Dusack light cavaliers followed, with Pierre, Anglu, Bell, and Vashka among them.

After them surged more than a hundred Paratu sword and shield bearers and halberdiers into the fortress.

The Laszlo Troop had arrived.

The Death Camp was a feint, and so was Jeska's troop.

It was Colonel Laszlo's Standing Army troop and Major Castor's pistol cavalry that were the main forces of the assault.

Captain Robert's troop was responsible for covering the rear.

Originally, the plan was for the "Death Camp and Jeska's troop to attract the enemy's attention, the main force to ambush from the flank and rear, and to recapture the fortress in one fell swoop."

But that plan now lay in ruins because the fortress was filled with far too many barbarians, so many that the Paratu couldn't clear them out quickly.

And the White Lion's reinforcements could arrive at any moment.

The plan had to change to having the main force attract the enemy's attention, creating the opportunity for Jeska's troop to destroy the cannons.

Hundreds of cavalrymen charging into the narrow fortress interior made it extremely crowded.

The cavalry was impeded and began being pulled from their horses by the barbarians who fought on foot.

Major Castor realized something was wrong, as the original plan for one charge to crush the defenders failed because there were unimaginably many of them.

At this point, it was impossible to retreat; the battle had turned into a massive melee, a test of who would break first.

...

With the barbarian defenders caught in a pincer movement, Winters felt the pressure on him decrease sharply.

He led those who were still alive on a reckless charge throughout the fortress.

"The cannons!" Someone suddenly shouted with surprise from behind.

Inside a large warehouse within the fortress, four golden twelve-pound bronze cannons lay quietly on the ground.

"Nails! Hammers!"

Xial frantically searched and found six large steel spikes for destroying cannons.

Each spike was thicker than a thumb, ideal for dealing with the resilient bronze cannons.

"Nail them shut!"

Without hammers, they used knife handles and stones, and the touch-holes of the four bronze cannons were quickly spiked shut.

Winters took out his casting materials and added an Iron Melting Technique to each cannon to ensure that no cannonballs could be fit into their bores.

After doing all this, he felt as if all his strength had been drained in an instant, "Let's retreat, our task here is done."