*
Riverlands, Stony Sept
"Wooo..."
As the horns blared, clouds of dust rose from the roads outside Stony Sept. Amidst the shouts of officers, infantry phalanxes completely surrounded the northern side of the city.
Cavalry phalanxes composed of knights from various Great Houses were positioned on both flanks, ready to charge the enemy army at any moment.
Archers and crossbowmen stood packed tightly around Stony Sept, and several ballistae had been moved to the high points of the city by these men.
Rumble...
Just as the Riverlands nobles finished deploying their troops, the sound of galloping hooves echoed from the northern road. Cavalrymen, carrying the momentum of an overwhelming tide, appeared like a black line on both sides of the road.
Just as Lord Janos Bracken and the other Riverlands nobles thought Jon's side would charge directly, the cavalry came to a halt about 600 meters away from them.
"What do these guys want to do?"
This question echoed in the hearts of the Riverlands nobles; they couldn't understand what these cavalrymen were planning.
Normally, in such a battle, the attacking side would choose to strike the cavalry on the castle's flanks first, then launch a surprise attack on the infantry phalanxes from the sides.
The reason Lord Janos Bracken deployed his army this way was to maximize the casualties of Jon's cavalry when he sent them to attack, and then use infantry-archer coordination to gradually eliminate Jon's follow-up forces.
But Jon had seen through his intentions early on. Soon, twenty sturdy Drakons appeared on both flanks of his army.
"What is that thing?"
Amidst the exclamations of the Riverlands nobles, four colossal figures appeared on Jon's left and right sides.
"Those are giants!"
The identity of these giant humanoid monsters was voiced by some well-traveled noble lords. When the Riverlands lords saw those four armored Cyclopes, they all gasped in unison.
Yes, Cyclopes. To prepare for this battle, Jon had forged armor specifically for the Cyclopes in advance, with the goal of turning them into meat grinders on the battlefield.
Jon wouldn't be like the Jon from another timeline, using the last giant as a mere meat shield. At the very least, he had to give them weapons. That other Jon had actually let the giant face the enemy's spears with his bare body; it was a complete waste of a natural treasure.
Boom, boom, boom...
Upon receiving Jon's command, the four Cyclopes appeared extremely excited, though the surrounding soldiers couldn't see the expressions on their faces.
But the soldiers could see their excitement through their movements. The massive spiked clubs in their hands were slamming into the ground, as if proclaiming their rage and power to the enemy.
These terrifying creatures were impatient to begin the slaughter, eager to display their power on the battlefield and strike fear into everyone.
As for the Drakons on both sides of the formation, Jon had specifically selected them for the charge.
These were the most recent batch of successful catalysts. Nourished by Blood Magic, these Drakons had grown very large, with skin as hard as iron and possessing great strength and speed.
Furthermore, because they were magical creations, their food intake was very small. They were usually fed with sheep, but during wartime, they were fed with the corpses of enemies.
Such a discrepancy between size and appetite would be impossible on Earth, but in this world, they could exist.
Under Jon's command, these Drakons would become the most terrifying presence on the battlefield. Led by them, Jon's cavalry would cut through the enemy forces like a knife through butter.
"Wooo..."
As the attack horn sounded, the strange magical creatures on Jon's side quickly moved into action under his command. Jon himself walked up to a high platform that had been constructed.
With Jon's appearance, everyone on the battlefield saw his current look. Black armor and a red cloak had now become Jon's signature style, added to his striking appearance.
When Jon appeared, almost everyone not currently fighting turned their gaze toward him. Jon stood there to facilitate his command and spellcasting.
Following his movements, Jon reached into his inventory space and pulled out a magic book.
The dark magic "Lunar Eclipse" was a spell capable of long-range attacks. In the game, this spell could halve a single target's health, but here, the system had directly modified it into an area-of-effect spell.
Although its attack power was reduced, the eerie atmosphere and area effect produced when the spell took hold could easily terrify the enemy and cause their morale to plummet.
Seeing that his magical creatures had already set out, Jon quickly activated the spell. As the magic manifested, a colossal black orb of light appeared above Stony Sept.
"What... what is that thing?"
The sun had just risen to the middle of the sky. Under the influence of the "Lunar Eclipse" spell, the soldiers in Stony Sept were suddenly at a loss.
"Do not be afraid, everyone! These are just simple witchcraft tricks. We are followers of the Seven, we..."
Lord Janos Bracken panicked for a moment upon realizing they were under a strange attack, but after seeing that the spell hadn't hit him yet, he regained his courage.
Boom...
Unfortunately, before he could finish, the massive black orb exploded. Countless strands of black energy crawled onto their bodies like snakes.
"Ow..."
"What is this?"
"Have I been cursed?!"
"My head hurts so much..."
"My hand too..."
...Those struck by the "Lunar Eclipse" were instantly terrified by the horrific attack. These soldiers were either screaming or cowering, having no energy left to worry about what was happening outside the city.
Because of the magical attack, most of the soldiers in the castle focused their attention there. Because of this, they missed the optimal moment to attack.
At that moment, Jon's Drakons charged directly at the enemy cavalry. Lord Janos Bracken had arranged his troops in a crescent formation.
When Jon's troops charged, the archers were supposed to wear them down first, followed by his own cavalry breaking through Jon's forces.
Although the troops on Stony Sept retaliated, Jon's magical interference meant the archers failed to provide timely support.
Even though the archers didn't attack as planned, the knights below did not abandon their targets. Despite the Drakons being massive, the Riverlands knights resolutely chose to charge.
Boom...
Crack...
The two rapidly approaching armies soon collided. Faced with the Drakons' immense strength, the knights serving as the vanguard were unable to break through their defense.
When the knights' lances struck the Drakons' bodies, it felt as if they were hitting stone—or rather, a speeding tank.
The result was obvious. Before the knights could even register their surprise, they were sent flying by the impact of the Drakons.
The knights charging behind them, realizing they couldn't deal with these terrifying creatures, instinctively swerved to open a path.
Since these enemies couldn't be attacked effectively, they wouldn't keep banging their heads against a wall. There were more enemies behind them; they had plenty of time to kill.
Unfortunately, once their wedge formation was broken by the Drakons, it lost all its momentum. In the subsequent clash, their advantage vanished completely. Instead, they were unhorsed or cut down by the knights charging from behind.
After completing this round of charging, a large number of knights and cavalry lay dead on the battlefield. Those who survived did not linger, instead rushing toward their pre-designated assembly points.
"Wooo..."
Amidst the heralds' horns, the Riverlands knights continued to charge toward Jon's center position. Jon's own cavalry began to gather on the left and right flanks of Stony Sept, waiting for the Cyclopes to break the enemy's lines before raiding the infantry phalanxes.
Jon, for his part, ignored the charging Riverlands cavalry entirely, continuing his magical barrage.
Just then, Robb, who had been riding a Drakon beside Jon, took over command and began directing the army's offensive.
Seeing that the Riverlands cavalry had reached a certain area, Robb immediately gave the signal to attack.
"Ready!"
"Fire!"
With the order given, the catapults already assembled at the rear of the army launched pre-prepared bags of crushed stone.
Boom...
Crack...
Soon, the charging Riverlands knights saw bags of burlap flying toward them. Just as they prepared to evade...
Upon hitting the ground, the bags instantly shattered under the force of the impact. The crushed stones and rocks inside sprayed out like a torrential downpour, striking the knights.
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