Whether to slow down Rodney's forces or simply out of sheer brutality, the pirates set fires throughout the village before they fled. The lucky survivors wailed as they scrambled to rescue their belongings and injured family members from the burning houses.
Seeing this, Rodney's face turned iron-grey. He summoned a sword-and-shield man. "You, take thirty levies and stay behind to help fight the fire. The rest of you, with me!"
The so-called levies were the "farmer soldiers" armed with farm tools. Rodney had brought them along mostly for numbers. Now, faced with the need to both pursue the pirates and save the village, he had no choice but to split his forces.
Leaving thirty of the old and weak behind to fight the fire in Lone Bridge Village, all the well-armed veterans and the younger levies followed Rodney in pursuit of the pirates.
Thirty minutes was not enough for the pirates to get far. Moreover, many of them were weighed down by the loot they had plundered and were unwilling to abandon it. One by one, they were caught and killed by the pursuing warriors.
By the time Rodney and his cavalry caught up to the main body of the pirates, the pirates had already formed a battle line on a densely wooded hillside.
Wary of potential archers, Rodney did not approach. After a brief observation, he retreated to his own forces. Once the infantry had arrived, Rodney ordered, "Form ranks!"
As Rodney's command was relayed, the veterans quickly formed a three-rank phalanx.
Nine archers stood in the first rank, followed by a dozen sword-and-shield men. Behind them were the spearmen, who rested their spears on the shoulders of the men in front, pointing towards the pirates.
The levies gathered chaotically to the side of the veterans, raising their motley collection of weapons and howling the true "atmosphere team."
Aldric looked at the Northmen's formation with some concern. It looked decent, but wasn't it a bit thin?
He didn't rashly squeeze into the formation or run to Rodney with suggestions for optimization.
For Aldric, this was his first time in a cold-weapon battlefield formation. He couldn't say he had no experience, but it was all theoretical. So, he pulled Kevin to stand between the levies and the veterans, forming their own small unit.
Rodney glanced at his formation and didn't criticize Aldric's choice. Instead, he loudly commanded the veterans:
"Archers, nock!"
The archers took their bows from their backs and drew the strings tight.
"Draw!"
The archers drew feathered arrows from their quivers and placed them on the bowstrings.
"Loose!"
With Rodney's command, a series of whooshing sounds filled the air as the arrows flew towards the enemy formation.
The pirates' formation was narrower and deeper than Rodney's. After two volleys, most of the arrows had struck the shields of the first rank of pirates.
The Northmen militiamen couldn't see if any arrows had found their mark and caused casualties.
They only saw the pirates' dense little phalanx advancing with a steady pace, crushing the grass and trees underfoot.
The pirates' formation was thick and tough. Although only about fifty of them remained, they crashed into the long line of veterans like a stubborn rock.
The pirates in the front rank roared, raising their battle axes and shields, using the broad shields to push aside the tips of the militiamen's spears.
Under the cover of the shield-and-axe men, the two formations collided. A dozen pirates with two-handed great axes leaped out from behind, smashing their long axes against the veterans' shields. The sound of chopping trees echoed across the battlefield.
In an instant, the militiamen's once-stern formation began to waver.
As the front lines engaged, a dozen or so poorly equipped pirates at the rear broke off from the main force and formed a small detachment, charging towards the group of noisy levies next to them.
So, while the main force of veterans was struggling to hold on, the forty-odd levies were scattered like a frightened flock of sheep by the dozen pirates, running around aimlessly.
If the levies routed completely, the detached pirate force would turn back and flank the veteran phalanx. Once the veterans were attacked from both front and rear, their formation would collapse, meaning a total failure of this encirclement.
By the time Rodney could return to his liege lord for reinforcements and organize another wave, the coastal villages would likely be completely annihilated.
Thinking of that hellish scene, Aldric's pupils contracted. He gripped his spear and commanded Kevin, "Stay close to me!"
After the battle began, because Aldric's equipment was extremely luxurious yet he was not on horseback, the pirates were unsure of his strength and status. They had ignored his existence, neither attacking him nor deliberately avoiding him.
But when they saw Aldric approaching, both the main body of pirates and the small detachment attacking the levies sent a few men to surround and kill him.
The fastest and closest was a sword-and-shield man in an open-faced iron helmet and chainmail.
As his first opponent in this battle, Aldric decided to show his respect by using his full strength. He raised his spear and thrust at the enemy's head.
The sword-and-shield man raised his shield to protect his face and continued to jog towards Aldric, intending to use the moment Aldric's spear struck his shield to deflect it and close the distance.
This was the only tactic a sword-and-shield man had against a spearman. Unfortunately, this time the tactic was only half-completed. Although Aldric's spear tip did indeed hit the shield as expected, before he could react, another spear had pierced through his chainmail and into his stomach.
Kevin twisted his spear blade in the pirate's abdomen, and the intense pain instantly drained all the strength from his body.
He wanted to say something, but couldn't. Blood foamed from his mouth as he collapsed, his last sight being a tall and a short figure shouting "Attack! Attack!" as they rushed past him.
He was left to fall into endless darkness alone.
With the master and apprentice working together, the fastest-charging pirates, whether armed with sword and shield or warhammer and great axe, fell one after another to their combination of feint and killing blow.
The remaining few pirates gathered together, shields in front, axes behind, forming a small defensive formation that slowed Aldric's advance.
Fortunately, there were still seven or eight brave levies who hadn't run far. Hearing Aldric's call, they gathered their weapons and came over.
Seeing that he had reinforcements, Aldric was greatly encouraged. "Brothers, charge with me! Kill one and you break even, kill two and you make a profit!" After shouting this embarrassing line, he led the charge towards the enemy formation. Relying on the sturdy armor on his body, Aldric was not afraid of the potential harm a melee could bring him.
On the contrary, he was more afraid of the battle ending in a disadvantageous situation for his side, with dozens of blade-wielding pirates surrounding him, figuring out how to open a can.
So, either don't join the battle, or fight to the death until the last moment. There was no other choice at least not until he could buy a good horse.
Not far behind the line, Harry rode back and forth on his horse, cutting down the fleeing levies with his sword. In a short time, three or four levies had fallen, clutching their heads and necks.
Harry shouted loudly, "Go back! Go back and fight! Deserters will be killed!"
The levies didn't have the courage to charge into battle, but they did have the courage to follow behind someone else who was charging and pick up the spoils of war. And they had a lot of it.
Faced with the choice of being executed by their lord or following the mercenary knight to earn military merit, they had no choice but to run after Aldric.
Aldric charged at the front, Kevin followed behind. The master and apprentice were like two spinning blades in the wind. Wherever their blades went, the pirates were either dead or injured.
Once a pirate was injured by Aldric and showed an opening, they would be swarmed and overwhelmed by the following levies.
A moment later, the small group of pirates that had split off to attack the levies was completely wiped out.
At the same time, the pirates attacking the veteran phalanx saw the unfavorable situation on this side and intensified their attack on the veteran formation, pushing forward regardless of casualties.
The already wavering veterans began to collapse under the pirates' fierce attack.
On the other side, Aldric led the levies in a charge. Under Harry's threats, the previously routed armed farmers also returned to the battle. The few cavalrymen also began to circle around and charge, harassing the pirate formation.
Although the veteran formation was broken, because of their high rate of armor, their casualties were not severe.
After getting up from the ground, they rejoined the battle against the remaining pirates.
The battle had now turned into a chaotic melee.
After a round of fighting, there were still about twenty tall and strong Skagosi pirates left, while on the militia side, only about ten veterans could still fight, and there were still more than twenty levies who could be gathered.
At this point, both sides were at the end of their ropes. Victory or defeat would likely be decided in the next moment.
Just then, a two-meter-tall giant in a horned helmet, wielding two short axes, charged towards Aldric.
At this point, Aldric's spear shaft had already been broken in his furious assault. Seeing the enemy's fierce charge, he threw away the broken spear, drew "Serpent's Striker" from his back, and met the enemy leader.
The horned pirate was taller than Aldric and extremely strong. After closing in on his target, he swung his twin axes at Aldric in a continuous, fluid motion.
Aldric didn't meet him head-on. He took a step back to create distance, then used the length of his blade to thrust at the enemy's throat.
The giant deflected Aldric's blade with his axe, tried to advance but was held back by another step from Aldric, and was then stabbed in the chest.
But Aldric's blade did not pierce the enemy's chest. It stopped outside the giant's armor.
From the feedback from his sword, Aldric realized that under his fur coat, his opponent was also wearing a suit of heavy armor just like him.
Aldric had abandoned his shield to pursue maximum damage and a quick end to the battle. His opponent, choosing to dual-wield axes, clearly had the same idea.
And so, their furious attacks instantly enveloped a five-meter radius of the battlefield. Both veterans and pirates fled, afraid of being drawn into this fight.
Aldric's figure was agile, his blade heavy, and his power astonishing. He moved across the battlefield with swift steps and flexible postures, constantly looking for his enemy's openings and weaknesses.
"Serpent's Striker" had extremely high attack power. When used with full force, it could shatter an enemy's weapon in a single blow, or even cut an enemy and his horse into four pieces.
The pirate giant, on the other hand, was a force of nature. Wielding a short axe in each hand, he charged forward with his strong physique and immense power.
His attacks were fast and powerful. If he got an opportunity, he could inflict multiple injuries on Aldric in a short time.
Although his short axes were not as devastating as Aldric's longsword, they were extremely effective in close combat.
Aldric relied on his superb skills and agile posture to constantly dodge the pirate's attacks while looking for opportunities to counterattack.
The pirate giant used his strength advantage, constantly pressuring his opponent with his powerful attacks and unyielding fighting spirit.
However, Aldric's armor was far superior to the pirate giant's iron armor. Gradually, the small, scattered wounds on the giant began to affect his movements.
About 180 heartbeats after the battle began, the giant accidentally stepped on a corpse on the ground, and his body swayed.
Before he could regain his balance, Aldric seized the opportunity and charged forward. He blocked the giant's axe blow with his helmet and brought his sword down, shattering the giant's shoulder pauldron and cleaving him diagonally in two.
As the two pieces of the corpse hit the ground with a soft thud, everyone on the battlefield stopped and stared in astonishment at the source of the sound.
After a moment of silence, the pirates threw down their weapons in terror and fled into the forest.
"Warriors, don't let them escape!"
Seeing that the battle was won, Rodney led the remaining three cavalrymen in pursuit of the fleeing pirates.
Aldric didn't move. He sat down on the spot, leaning on his longsword to rest.
The two halves of the giant's corpse lay beside him, blood flowing out and soaking the corpse on the ground that had tripped him.
That back... The more Aldric looked, the more familiar it seemed.
He turned the corpse over. Although half of the skull was caved in, from the goofy smile on the remaining half of the face, he could vaguely recognize him as "Ivan the Fool."
Aldric smiled bitterly. "I didn't expect you to be the one to help me in the end."
"Ser..."
Just then, Kevin, covered in blood, walked over, one hand clutching the shoulder of his other arm.
"Call me Master," Aldric corrected him. "What's wrong with your shoulder? Is it serious?"
"It's nothing. I got hit by a hammer. No broken bones."
Aldric patted the ground next to him. "Then sit down and rest for a while."
After a battle, only the victor gets to clean up the battlefield. Similarly, only the victor's wounded have a chance to survive.
The surviving militiamen moved across the battlefield, checking the wounded on the ground.
If it was one of their own, they would carry him to the side and hand him over to a comrade with medical experience to treat his wounds.
If it was a pirate, they would finish him off and take all his belongings. That's not right, a lot of that is my loot, Aldric thought, and he ordered his student, "Kevin, go and cut off the heads of the ones we just killed. And gather their equipment and belongings. Don't let anyone else take them. If you're too busy, hire someone to help you."
Cut off heads?
Hearing this, Kevin's face soured as if he had just eaten a raw lime.
But he didn't dare to refuse. He had tried to disobey an order once in the forest and had been scolded for it. There was no need to repeat that mistake.
Kevin thought for a moment. "Can I go find Ivan the Fool to help me?"
Aldric pointed to the corpse a few steps away. "No need to look. He's right there."
Kevin looked over, then lowered his head and turned to leave without another word.
The sun was setting, its last rays like blood, and the blood like the setting sun.