Even after countless battles alongside Ryan, the Bretonnian army had never faced an enemy as terrifying and oppressive as Be'lakor. When the Daemon Prince appeared in the sky, only those with the strongest wills could keep their hands from trembling.
But Be'lakor was in no rush to attack. The First Daemon Prince hoped to wait for the arrival of Wulfrik the Wanderer's forces from the east and the undead pirate fleet from the west.
The old problem remained: Be'lakor couldn't fully control its army.
As soon as the Chaos forces entered the battlefield, three Chaos warbands immediately launched an assault on the fortified defenses Ryan had prepared.
They were:
- The Bloodreavers warband, led by Khorne Champion Varnir Ek.
- The Warhawks warband, led by Tzeentch Champion Crom the Cunning.
- The Blessed Sons warband, led by Nurgle Chosen Melok the Rotten.
As they entered the battlefield, the followers of Chaos drove themselves forward with simple brutality and a thirst for glory, charging directly at the defenses. The three massive warbands, numbering three thousand in total, surged forward like a three-colored tide, heading straight for the left flank defended by Francois's forces.
Francois, tasked with commanding the left flank, and Bertrand, his deputy, were the first to spot the approaching Chaos tide through the rain and fog. The Chaos army was relentless, charging forward without pause.
"Hold your positions!" Francois remained calm, his command style always steady. He signaled for all soldiers to hold their ground. In the heavy rain, firing from too far away would only waste ammunition.
The elite southern knights, having fought alongside Ryan and Francois in countless brutal battles, knew that against the destructive power of Chaos, individual combat was futile. Francois's thousands of troops formed tight shield walls and weapon formations along the walls, silent and ready. Veterans whispered instructions to the new recruits, teaching them how to deal with heavily armored enemies and where to aim their handguns and crossbows for maximum effect.
"My Duke, the enemy numbers over three thousand," Bertrand said, squinting into the distance. "It seems the main force isn't joining the battle yet. This might just be a probe."
"Then let's make sure this probe doesn't return," Francois said firmly. "Tell me, Bertrand, do you see any Chaos Hellcannons in their ranks?"
Bertrand scanned the battlefield and confirmed, "No, my Duke. No Chaos Hellcannons or Chaos Dwarfs in sight."
"Good!" Francois turned to his men. "Bertrand, arrange the artillery, longbowmen, and handgunners. Have them ready to fire as soon as the enemy gets close."
"Yes, my Duke!" Bertrand hurried off to relay the orders.
"Jerrod," Francois called next. "Prepare the knights. Once the enemy's charge falters, we counterattack!"
"Yes, my Duke!"
Facing the silent walls in the pouring rain, Khorne Champion Varnir Ek was the first to unleash a furious war cry.
"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
Hundreds of Chaos Warriors and Khorne Berserkers charged forward, breaking into a run hundreds of meters from the walls.
On the walls, hundreds of handgunners leaned out from firing ports, and dozens of cannons took aim.
The thunderous volleys of gunfire and cannon blasts echoed across the battlefield. Even in the rain, the screams of the Chaos forces were unmistakable. The tightly packed Chaos ranks suffered heavy losses. Those who managed to reach the walls found themselves helpless against the wooden fortifications. As cannonballs exploded in their midst or sank into the mud, Varnir Ek roared in fury, swinging his axe wildly, searching for a worthy champion to duel.
The Khorne Berserkers and Chaos Warriors hurled brass chains, but their attacks were too scattered to break the defenders' lines. Even those who managed to scale the walls were met with dozens of halberds and point-blank gunfire. One Chaos Warrior made it to the top, only to be impaled by three halberds through the gaps in his armor, followed by a volley of crossbow bolts and handgun shots that sent him tumbling back down.
Varnir Ek quickly realized that the handgunners and cannons on the walls were their greatest threat. He signaled a group of Khorne Berserkers to follow him. Most of these berserkers wore only simple leather armor, cloth armor, or were even shirtless. They chose an angle to flank the defenders.
Unfortunately, Bertrand had anticipated this. Dozens of longbowmen and handgunners were already lying in wait on the flank. Arrows flew, and berserkers fell under Taal's wrath.
The first to die was Varnir Ek himself. Despite being riddled with over a hundred arrows, he still stood tall, shouting Khorne's name as he climbed the walls, challenging anyone to take his head.
Francois witnessed this and couldn't help but feel a sliver of respect for the Khorne Champion. With a wave of his hand, the Unicorn Guard charged forward. Over twenty halberds pierced Varnir Ek's body, reducing him to pieces.
Crom the Cunning of the Warhawks met an even more gruesome fate. Riding his Tzeentchian Disc through the air, he was struck by a psychic blast from Grey Knight recruit Foch. The Tzeentch Champion's head exploded in agony, and his disc twisted uncontrollably before crashing to the ground. The Grey Knight's finely crafted psychic halberd pierced his chest and back, gutting him.
The last to fall was Melok the Rotten of the Blessed Sons. The slow-moving Nurgle forces became easy targets for the cannons and handgunners. Melok took dozens of bullets and several cannonballs before a mortar shell exploded on his head, reducing the Nurgle Chosen to a pile of mush.
The first wave of the Chaos assault had been repelled.
From afar, Be'lakor observed the battlefield. The First Daemon Prince knew that Ryan and his army had prepared extensively for its arrival. Thus, Be'lakor didn't rush to continue the attack. Instead, it signaled for the army to regroup and enter the battlefield properly.
Ryan reacted swiftly. The Sun King ordered his army to turn and face the enemy with incredible speed. The inner walls were quickly manned, and Marshal Rokossovsky prepared the 1st Guard Lancers for battle.
As expected, the arrival of reinforcements filled the barbarians of Castle Carcassonne with glee. Under the command of Harold and Egrimm, they launched an assault. However, the numerous trenches, moats, and unfavorable terrain forced Harold's army to spend significant time breaking through. By the time they reached the inner gate, Dorgrim Ironfist, the Dwarf master engineer, was ready.
Several Dwarf flame cannons had been adjusted to their maximum settings, hissing with pressurized steam. Valves turned, and two streams of fire, each dozens of meters long, erupted from the firing ports!
The leading barbarians were instantly reduced to bubbling, flaming sludge, merging with Albion's swamps in the pouring rain.
"Fire! Fire at will!" Dorgrim Ironfist laughed heartily. Under the combined efforts of Dwarf and human engineers, several streams of fire swept across the battlefield three times, turning a thousand barbarians into charred corpses!
Harold, the King of Albion, was struck by the flames. His right hand and half his face were seared by the molten heat of the Dwarf flame cannons. Flesh burned and melted as Harold screamed, trying to tear the burning flesh from his body. His royal guard dragged him back.
At that moment, the thunder of hooves echoed across the battlefield. Long before the barbarians had planned their pincer attack, Ryan had accurately predicted their move. Calard's knightly host and Marshal Rokossovsky's lancers launched their counterattack!
The barbarian army was instantly trapped in the swamps. To their front were the fortified walls, the scorching flames of the flame cannons, and the numerous handgunners and crossbowmen on the walls. To their sides were the charging cavalry.
"For the Lady and the King! For Bretonnia!"
"For Ursun! For the Old World!"
Battle cries erupted from the flanks and rear. The Chaos forces turned in panic, feeling the ground tremble under the thunderous hooves of over a thousand Winged Lancers. Further back, Calard's knights, aided by divine magic, charged as if the terrain were flat.
Egrimm van Horstmann quickly took command to face these new threats. The Tzeentch Champion first cast a spell, sending dozens of Chaos fireballs exploding among the Winged Lancers. Fifty to sixty lancers were torn apart by the flames. Next, Egrimm summoned a swarm of crows to attack the lancers' mounts.
From afar, dozens of beams of light clashed with the crows. Supreme Matriarch Veronica's hateful gaze locked onto Egrimm. She had a score to settle with the Tzeentch Champion.
What shocked Egrimm even more was that the Winged Lancers suddenly halted eighty meters from the barbarian shield wall!
The lancers had no intention of charging headlong into the shield wall. Under Rokossovsky's command, they stopped abruptly. The marshal was the first to draw a pistol from his holster and fire at the shield wall. "My brothers! Draw your pistols and crossbows! Give them hell!"
"Ura!" The lancers' morale soared. Dozens of Nuln grenade launchers, over two hundred cavalry pistols, and two hundred crossbows unleashed a storm of bullets and arrows that engulfed the barbarian shield wall. Sturdy shields were pierced and shattered by gunfire and grenades, and rows of Chaos Warriors fell.
Calard's knights, arriving later but faster, split into two formations. Two massive lance formations flanked the Winged Lancers, circling around to charge the barbarian army from the sides!
Flesh and blood flew as the clash of steel drowned out the barbarians' screams. Calard's knights avoided the strongest part of the enemy's shield wall, instead slicing through the vulnerable flanks like a surgeon's scalpel. At the forefront of the lance formation was Calard himself!
The Grail Knight, shouting the Lady's name, fought like a raging lion. No Chaos Warrior or barbarian could withstand his blows. With both flanks under attack, Egrimm angrily ordered the shield wall to reinforce the sides. But Rokossovsky wasn't about to let this opportunity slip.
"In the name of Ursun and Thor, Winged Lancers! Charge!" Rokossovsky raised his lance, and hundreds of lances, adorned with red-and-white striped banners, surged forward.
Attacked from three sides, the barbarian army quickly collapsed. With Harold severely wounded again, command fell to Egrimm, who was more adept at dealing with wizards than leading armies. After exchanging two spells with Veronica, the Tzeentch Champion could only order a retreat, concentrating his forces to break through.
Ten thousand barbarians and militiamen fell. Some were consumed by the molten streams of the flame cannons, merging with the swamps. Others were impaled by lances, their blood staining Albion. Some were crushed into pulp, while others were smothered by their comrades or corpses.
Egrimm was powerful, but his strength lay in combating wizards. Facing Calard's ferocious assault and Rokossovsky's attacks, the Tzeentch Champion, locked in a magical duel with Veronica, could only order his Raven Guard to charge forward and create an opening for the barbarians.
The Tzeentchian warriors swarmed forward, their sharp swords and halberds putting immense pressure on Calard. In his fury, Calard and his knights had pushed too deep into enemy lines. To avoid being surrounded, Calard ordered a breakout.
Egrimm managed to create an opening. He spread his wings, dodging a beam from Veronica's Luminark, and retreated.
The barbarians of Albion paid a heavy price once more, with only two thousand managing to retreat.
The first clash between the two sides ended with Be'lakor losing three Chaos warbands, the Bretonnian army suffering over 1,200 casualties, and the barbarians of Castle Carcassonne losing nearly 10,000 men.
But the Bretonnian army had no time to rest. The sound of massive horns, drums, and marching feet echoed from the east. A new army was about to join the battle.
Five Chaos Mammoths, some carrying massive Chaos altars, others laden with Norscan warriors and spearmen, lumbered forward in the rain, their massive bodies swaying with each step.
Among the mammoths, Norscan riders and warriors marched side by side. Wulfrik the Wanderer led a group of twenty-odd legendary champions, clad in heavy armor and wielding Chaos weapons, into the battlefield. Flanking them were groups of Norscan whale hunters, four Norscan Giants, and a host of Dragon Ogres.
The Worldrider Army had arrived!
This was Wulfrik's revenge!
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