章節 34: Lucius Aurellions Fragile Final Card

"Many people in the early stages of DO thought that, like many other VRMMORPGs, personal power and how powerful your character was individuality was the most important, even in a war."

"While master and grandmaster fighters can change the outcomes of smaller battles and wars, in battles that involve hundreds of thousands of men being able to lead 5,000 to break through 10,000 or being able to kill 500-1000 men alone is just a small contribution or a drop in the bucket."

"So, leadership strategy and morale are what wins the day more often than not in these cases."

"And for those who do not understand this."

"I will teach it to them by letting them experience the despair of defeat."

"Right before I cut off their stupid presumptive heads for not listening to the many warnings to treat DO like a second real-life world."

Reginald Coulan, creator and head of House Aurellion in dynasties online.

….

While Leon and Bardornus were duelling, the rest of the cavalry battles were just as brutal as the battle in the centre between the Orc and Chavarian infantry, lasting for many hours, with both sides taking a large number of casualties.

In the battle between the Chavarian horse archers and light cavalry, despite the Chavarian horse archers having a good start using their 8000 horse archers to quickly eliminate the Plurian ones taking only 500 casualties and using their moveability to run around the Plurian light cavalry shooting them down. The Plurian light cavalry was still faster than them slightly and slowly made their way into combat and javelin range of the Chavarian horse archers, who took massive casualties from the javelins, which easily broke through their armour and suffered from the light cavalry's superior close combat skills.

Captain Horatius himself was forced to join the melee using his expert sword and archery skill to barely hold the line and help to rally the Chavarian horse archers having half of them engage in combat while the other half shoot the exposed lightly armoured backs of the Plurian light cavalry the steel arrows ripping through the leather armour worn by the Plurians like paper.

With a skilful strike, Horatius successfully killed the Plurian captain. However, to achieve this killing blow, the Chavarian captain suffered a great bleeding gash that diagonally cut across his body from his shoulder right shoulder to his waist. After the Plurian soldiers saw their captain fall from his horse dead, leaderless, they quickly broke and fled from the battlefield allowing the horse archers, who only had half their numbers left to sweep into the centre and help the struggling Chavarian knights fighting in the centre with the Plurian knight their morale only holding due to Leon still standing tall like a statue on top of his horse.

However, 5 minutes after slaying the Plurian light cavalry commander, Captain Horatius breathing heavily, fell from his horse unconscious due to blood loss. In critical condition, some of his men retrieved his body and rushed it to the Chavarian camp on top of the hill leaving the centre leaderless again until after the Plurians had retreated when they came once again under the direct command of Leon.

On the left, where the Orc wolf riders, the Chavarians were struggling under the weight of the Orc's superior numbers, who outnumbered them 2 to 1 and despite their superior combat abilities because many knights found themselves being surrounded and ganged up on, not only by the orcs but their mounts too many after being dismounted by the vicious wolves lost their heads to the large axes which the orcs wielded. Justinus was in the thick of the fight, holding off four wolf riders simultaneously, the sword in his hand dancing in the air as he struggled to hold his ground and act as a beacon of hope for his remaining men.

Only when Aldorus and Leon led the remaining Chavarian forces to assist them did the orcs retreat, running swiftly back to their commander to report the outcome of the war and the perceived betrayal of their Plurian allies.

"General, you are injured!"

Captain Aldorus said with concern seeing the nasty bloody gash on the left side of Leon's body where Bardornus struck and cut through the Chavarain vice general's armour.

Leon merely looked at his wound before throwing his spear into the ground where it stood straight like a statue and ripping part of his crimson cloak, which flowed down from his shoulders, using the small piece of cloth as a makeshift bandage as he tightly bound it around his wound to prevent blood from continuing to flow out of his body.

"Better?"

Leon asked in a soft voice tinged with a coldness that Aldorus knew only appeared when the man was in a hurry, worried or angry, quickly realising the reason for it as he saw the Golden Pelican banner high above the struggling Chavarian infantry blowing fiercely in the wind.

"Yes, sir! How could we save Lucius if you suddenly collapse from blood loss?"

The cunning captain said, making it sound like he was more concerned with Lucius' safety than Leon's to help pacify his slightly worried and angered vice general, whom Aldorus knew valued Lucius' life far higher than his own and was willing to do anything for his friend. After picking up the spear from the ground, Leon began to regroup his battered cavalry so they could send help to Lucius and the Chavarian infantry.

By the time Leon had regrouped with his cavalry, the horse archers that were sent to reinforce him had arrived. Despite not being needed in the fight, Leon was grateful for Lucius' concern and the importance that he put on the cavalry battle between the two sides, as these men could have helped to turn the tide of the battle even if he had to continue fighting Bardornus.

The man in charge of them immediately gave command over to Leon, who reared his horse, raising his spear high into the sky.

"Charge! Flank them and open up a new golden age for the citizens of the three kingdoms!"

Leon shouted, leading the Chavarian cavalry, who were now free of any opposition, to charge into the flank of the orcs who were on the verge of breaking through the Chavarian lines.

…..

"I can't hold on!"

A Chavarian soldier said weakly, all his strength exhausted as an axe glanced off the shield clutched tightly in the man's hands. Pushing the exhausted Chavarian soldier's shield aside, the iron-clad orc prepared to strike the finishing blow.

"Die, meatbag!"

The orc who had just pushed the man's shield aside roared and brought his large axe above him, performing an overhead swing aiming for the man's neck.

"I won't let you!"

Another armoured human shouted, deflecting the blow with his sword before stabbing the orc in his heart. The red plume which blew in the wind from the top of his helmet, denoting him as an officer in the Chavarian army.

"Captain!"

The soldier who was kneeling on the floor shouted in alarm, seeing two more orcs charge towards his saviour, flailing their crude axes about.

The captain's sword slashed horizontally, bisecting the two charging orcs whose bodies slumped to the ground.

[Bisecting Slice skill activated]

Breathing heavily, the Chavarian captain looked around at his men, who were struggling to hold out against the fierce onslaught wrought upon them by the orcs, who used their greater physical strength and prowess to break down the stamina of the Chavarian troops whose energy was almost spent.

"Nathos, Are you all right?"

The captain asked, seemingly going increasingly into a trance as he fought yet another orc this time, taking three direct hits to kill the muscled hulk of green-skinned meat, the fight lasting about 10 seconds.

"Yes, Captain Darius! They just keep coming! How are we meant to hold out against them? Even vice general Lyndon has fallen to the horde!"

A soldier said in despair, seeing the endless sea of orcs in front of them, their green faces filled with bloodlust.

"We were ordered to hold the line, so we hold the line! The general will have seen our predicament and should send some reinforcements soon."

Captain Darius said the 26-year-old man with an extended brown goatee and light brown eyes said to his soldier, trying to be a beacon of light for his men in the darkness of the bloodied battlefield.

A muscled orc wielding an iron machete charged towards the captain, a bearskin cape draped over his shoulders, his muscled arms bulging as he brought his large machete down on the Chavarian captain, who bulked under the orc's overwhelming strength.

[Muscled Strike skill activated]

The heavily breathing Chavarian captain blocked the machete with his sword but cried out in pain as the block strained his hand and sent the sword in his hand, clattering to the ground 6ft away. Seeing that he had no weapon or shield anymore with which to defend himself, Darius bent his body backwards, avoiding the orc's next strike narrowly, but as he did so, the orc's iron boot kicked his stomach, sending the man flying back 20 feet, his armoured body clattering to the ground.

Nathos could only watch, too exhausted to move, as the vicious orc sauntered towards the man who had saved his life, its deep voice saying a few words of respect before it brought its machete down towards the body of the defenceless Chavarian captain.

"Captain!"

The man called out desperately, hoping for someone, anyone, to save his captain as a spear flew through the air, its steel tip piercing through the head of the orc that was about to kill Darius. Both men looked shocked and turned to see Lucius not far away, his arm outstretched, making it evident that he was the one that threw the spear which saved Darius' life.

'Lucky shot.'

Lucius thought as he threw the spear on a whim to try to save the captain, whom he knew was essential to helping him keep the infantry together to act as an anvil for the Knights captain's hammer to hit.

"General!"

"The general is here!"

Chavarian soldiers called out Lucius and the 100 Chavarian knights that remained of his bodyguard, looking as if they were baked in the light of the setting sun. The Chavarian general, at that moment, seemed like a hero of old as Lucius grabbed his crimson golden pelican banner from a knight next to him and planted it into the ground, making a statement that he was going to make his last stand here and fight to the death.

"Dismount and go and help plug the gaps in the line and order the men to retreat slowly! Also, have the archers retreat to where the crossbows are in an orderly manner while firing back every now and then! We need to get them closer to our ranged units so they can support us more".

Lucius ordered the knights clustered around him, slightly relieved and confused at their general's orders as they were expecting to be charging with their general down the hill and into the orcs, not stopping just behind their men and dismounting however, followed Lucius' order none the less though some signalled secretly to each other that if the battle looks like it's going bad, then they were to eject Lucius from the battlefield even if they had to do it by force.

Leaving 20 men to guard the general, the other 80 knights dismounted and went to the tiny gaps that had begun to appear in their troops while the Chavarian infantry slowly made their formation smaller to accommodate for the casualties they had sustained and clustered around Lucius after losing nearly 60% of their strength fighting over the last few hours with the orc heavy infantry.

The skirmishers on the right under Zugbu retreated as they could no longer hold out under the fire of 5000 archers and crossbows. Losing nearly half of his men over the battle, Zugbu decided to retreat early because he had realised that despite appearances, the Chavarians were far from breaking.

Some of his orcs, due to Wutgoth using bloodlust, refused the order from the small orc, who only shrugged and used these prideful, arrogant and stupid, green-skinned specimens as human shields and cover for those who did retreat as the crossbows would focus on suppressing them allowing for the 4000 of the orc skirmishers on the right side who listened to him to retreat using the stubborn orcs for his own ends. The small orc had already achieved his objective and began to see a large dust cloud emanating from the battlefield's left side, making him feel a sense of foreboding. So, following his instincts, he pre-emptively retreated.

Having killed 2500 Chavarian archers and 1000 Chavarian heavy infantry, the orcs skirmishers under his command had done and taken enough damage for the small orc to call for a retreat.

"Brothers! We will fight together to bring the dawn of a new golden we fight not only for our king and country but for our families who, after this, can finally live in peace!"

"Even if we die, our burning spirit and courage will last forever and be remembered by the people of our kingdom and even the world for all eternity."

"So fight! Fight with your fists and teeth if you have to! Fight to your last breath!"

"For only then will our children have a bright future!"

Lucius shouted, his voice booming through the steppe and reaching the ears of all the infantry struggling on the hillside, activating his skills, and pulling out his last trump card to ensure the frontline does not collapse.

[Rousing Speech skill activated]

[Increasing the fighting ability of every Chavarian soldier under your command who heard the speech by 1 rank up to a maximum rank of an expert]

[Never Give In skill activated]

[45 MP detected, making soldiers in your faction unbreakable for 9 hours while you are conscious]

Hearing his words, the Chavarian soldiers, who were on the verge of breaking after seeing Lyndon die and Archtorius get injured, regained their morale and hearts, each soldier becoming a lion with renewed energy, all thinking the same thing.

'Even if our vice generals are dead or injured, we still have our general who will never abandon our families or us.'

'The general is right! Even if we die, our story and deeds will live forever!'

'If we win here, my 6-year-old son will not have to join the army and can live in peace growing food and surrounded by a happy family.'

One by one, the soldiers some motivated by their families, some by glory and some out of sheer loyalty to their general who did not abandon them and has even helped the families of the soldiers who had died in the past with whatever they needed to make the darkness that was about to envelop them blown away by the light that was Lucius Aurellion.

However, Lucius knew this was a double-edged sword because if for any reason he either died or became unconscious, the army he commanded would immediately rout and flee the field, turning the already large target on his back into a huge one which only had 20 knights to defend it and potentially allowing the enemy to win the battle by taking him down.

The Knight Captain, after receiving his orders, had his now 750 knights charge into the orcish archers while the 2000 Chavarian mounted archers shot the orc infantry from behind the tight formation allowing each arrow to hit its mark. However, due to running low on ammunition, the horse archers were quickly forced to charge into the back of the heavy orc infantry wielding their swords and taking some casualties as they are not designed for direct charges like this, even into the rear of an enemy unit.

But the horse archers helped to ease the pressure on the infantry, who, with the crossbows now focussing on supporting them from up the hill, managed to hold on, their morale, now unshakable due to Lucius appearing and boosting their confidence.

Just as Zugbu was about to get so far away from the battlefield to the point that he could not go back, he saw the flag of the enemy general and decided to try to do one last thing that could potentially end the battle here and now as he clutched his short bow tightly in his hands and after ordering his men to continue to retreat snuck back towards the battlefield becoming a shadow on the chaotic battlefield.

The battle had hit a stalemate. The Chavarian archers, who had now retreated up the hill, joined the crossbows in covering the Chavarians, who slowly retreated to allow them to get better shots at the orcs who relentlessly attacked them, the knights playing a pivotal role in the rear-guard taking on multiple orcs with their skilled swordsmanship as they were trained both to fight mounted and on foot, this versatility was why they were so hated and envied by other nations.

"General, watch out!"

"General, are you ok?"

Chavarian soldiers shouted around him as an arrow shot through the air like a bullet and pierced Lucius' armour embedding itself into the Chavarian general's chest and knocking him off his horse.