In a patch of woods several hundred meters from the blood-soaked high ground, a pair of eyes quietly watched everything unfolding on the battlefield through binoculars.
Ludwig stood on the shoulder of an Armored Knight kneeling on one knee. This steel behemoth, painted with the Teutonic Knights’ black cross insignia, was one of the two Armored Knights Morin had seen earlier.
“Ludwig, if we don’t intervene now, this infantry battalion will be wiped out.” Beside him, on the shoulder of the other Armored Knight, his comrade Wilhelm lowered his binoculars, his voice tinged with anxiety.
“Their casualties will yield greater value,” the Armored Knight pilot named Ludwig said flatly, his gaze still fixed on the binoculars. “If we charge out now, we’ll just get tangled up with those infantry and lose the initiative. To complete this ‘hunt,’ patience is the best weapon.”
“How long do we have to wait?” Wilhelm was confused. He admitted he couldn’t be as calm as his comrade.
“Soon.”
“Stop being mysterious and just tell me.” Hearing his comrade’s anxious tone, Ludwig lowered his binoculars and said: “The Northumberland Fusilier Regiment’s 4th Battalion still has half its men left. The Britannian commander won’t stand by and watch this decorated unit be completely annihilated, so he will definitely send someone to rescue them. When that happens, whether it’s the Highland Mages, their Armored Knights, or another full battalion of the Northumberland Fusilier Regiment, that is the prey worth engaging.”
Having said that, Ludwig raised his binoculars again. As if to confirm his words, the tide of the battle suddenly shifted shortly after.
Just as the Northumberland Fusilier Regiment’s 4th Battalion was about to run out of ‘organization’ under the combined siege of Morin’s men and the charging lancers, four figures in pure white, exquisitely designed Armored Knights appeared in their rear. Surrounding these Armored Knights were twelve Knight Attendants wearing Magic-powered Armor.
The elite of the Britannian forces: the Order of Garter Knights!
Ludwig’s eyes immediately lit up. He lowered his binoculars, his gaze filled with barely suppressed excitement.
“Jackpot! All units prepare for combat! Attendants, fire three red flares!”
The order was given. He and Wilhelm deftly flipped and dove into their respective Armored Knight cockpits. The heavy frontal armor slammed shut. Ludwig and Wilhelm quickly completed the Armored Knights’ startup using muscle memory, even before the dark cockpit was fully illuminated by the Magic Crystals. Beneath the armor plates, several Magical Channels connected, and the Magic Muscle Fibers buried within the torso and limbs were activated. As the self-check of all Magical Channels was completed, the view before Ludwig and Wilhelm shifted from the dark cockpit interior to an approximately 180-degree external view. They then completed the final activation steps.
In the silent woods, the internal combustion engines—the primary power source for the two steel behemoths—roared to life with a deep rumble. Thick black smoke billowed from the exhaust pipes protruding from the knights’ backs. Around them, six Knight Attendants, also wearing Teutonic Knights’ standard Magic-powered Armor, stood up. Three of them swiftly raised flare guns and pulled the triggers into the sky.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three bright red spheres of light soared into the sky, strikingly visible over the battlefield.
Simultaneously, Morin, who was fiercely fighting in the ‘meat grinder,’ also noticed the newly arrived white Armored Knights and the better-equipped enemies surrounding them than the Heavy Armored Soldiers. The system map immediately flashed with red unit markers and detailed information.
[Holy Britannian Empire Affiliated: Order of Garter Knights]
[‘Saint George Mark 3’ Magic-powered Armored Knight x 4]
[‘Broadsword Mark 2’ Magic-powered Armor (Knight Attendant) x 12]
[Anti-infantry, Anti-armor, High-threat Unit]
“It’s not just Magic-powered Armored Knights, but Magic-powered Armor too?! Are these things even the same style of equipment as ours?!” The information provided by the system completely bewildered Morin. This is absolutely not a unit that infantry can fight. Furthermore, Morin and his men had no heavy-duty weapons, apart from a few nearly spent grenades—and certainly no anti-armor weapons. Rifle bullets were merely tickling the Heavy Armored Soldiers; they would be useless against these massive figures that looked incredibly well-armored.
The remaining soldiers of the Northumberland Fusilier Regiment’s 4th Battalion cheered thunderously upon seeing the reinforcements arrive; their morale instantly recovered. They began a frantic counter-attack as if infused with adrenaline. The front lines of the Saxon infantry and the International Brigades, which had just held the advantage, showed signs of crumbling.
Just at this critical moment, two sharp whooshing sounds broke the air.
Boom! Boom!
Two artillery shells landed precisely in the counter-attacking ranks of the Northumberland Fusilier Regiment. The violent explosions kicked up flesh, blood, and dirt. Morin instinctively looked behind him.
Unnoticed until now, two Armored Knights in black and white livery had appeared on the slope not far behind him. These were the Armored Knights belonging to the Saxon Empire’s Teutonic Knights. One of the knights, kneeling on one knee, held a weapon that looked like a rifle but had a caliber closer to a field cannon, its muzzle emitting wisps of smoke. The other knight had just completed reloading, smoothly working a straight-pull bolt. A massive brass casing was ejected, and the cannon’s muzzle was once again aimed at the enemy on the slope.
The two reloaded Armored Knights fired several more rounds into the Northumberland Fusilier Regiment’s formation, once again scattering their hastily organized ranks. This direct-fire support from a heavy unit instantly crushed the morale that the Northumberland Fusilier Regiment had just regained.
On the slope below, the four Order of Garter Armored Knights saw this unfold. They halted their attempt to rescue their comrades, accelerating their charge instead toward the two annoying Teutonic Knights’ Armored Knights that had opened fire.
The atmosphere on the battlefield became incredibly strange. The infantry on both sides, locked in brutal combat, disengaged with an unspoken, mutual understanding, retreating from contact. They didn’t even stop to retrieve the bodies of their fallen comrades. The Saxon lancers, having completed their final charge, unhesitatingly wheeled their horses and galloped away, retreating from the battlefield in the other direction. Morin followed their path with his eyes, noticing they were heading toward the location of the hidden Aetherium Crystal Cannon emplacement he had marked earlier.
However, he couldn’t worry about the lancers’ movements now. He directed his men to pull back up the high ground. “Quick! Follow us! Retreat back to the high ground first!” Morin naturally didn’t forget the International Brigades allies. Seeing that his 3rd Platoon was already retreating, he waved his hand and shouted loudly to the equally confused International Brigades fighters to retreat with them toward the crest of the high ground.
After the remaining force of less than 600 men (from the 1st Battalion and the International Brigades) retreated to the high ground, a bearded man who appeared to be the International Brigades commander actively shook Morin’s hand. The rest of the men then dutifully hunkered down on the high ground, watching the ‘gladiatorial match’ between the Armored Knights unfolding below them with tense fascination, like spectators.
On the other side, just as the four Order of Garter Armored Knights prepared to charge and eliminate the two bothersome ‘vermin,’ they abruptly stopped their advance. Morin and the others, who had retreated to the high ground, watched this with confusion, before the answer was revealed.
More Teutonic Knights’ Armored Knights emerged from cover in several other directions in the combat zone. Dark muzzles pointed at the four Order of Garter Armored Knights from all sides, forming a loose encirclement.
(End of Chapter 35)