The volleys were almost seamless, one coming right after the other.
The coordination between the two rows of archers was nearly perfect.
Thanks to the Mount & Blade interface, each of Robson's soldiers was equivalent to a veteran with four or five years of training. Their stamina allowed them to fire at least twenty-five volleys.
Moreover, their bows had been soaked in Magic Potions, making them much easier to draw.
The rain of arrows from Robson's side was relentless.
As the Jackal Wolfmen advanced, the archers' accuracy steadily improved, rising from ten-something percent to several dozen percent.
The arcing volleys gradually gave way to aimed shots.
"Fire!"
As soon as the word was given, the archers in the front rank nocked their arrows, fixed their gazes forward, and released their tightly drawn bowstrings in unison.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
One hundred arrows flew out in a neat volley, and more than seventy Jackal Wolfmen fell to the ground, never to rise again.
"[Ding! Frankish Archer has killed a Jackal Wolfman Herdsman. EXP +100.]"
"[Ding! Frankish Archer has killed a Jackal Wolfman Warrior. EXP +200.]"
When the Jackal Wolfmen came within 150 paces, the Frankish Archers became like Divine Archers, taking one down with every arrow.
By now, six volleys had been fired, and over 300 Jackal Wolfmen had fallen. Some of them had stopped advancing.
Ode's eyes were bloodshot. 'This can't go on!'
The Jackal Wolfmen were bloodthirsty, but they weren't stupid. No one would charge to certain death. At the edge of the battlefield, some had already started to flee.
Ode snatched a fleeing Jackal Wolfman and ran his claws straight through its heart.
"Anyone who retreats, dies! All Bloodthirsters, on me! Unleash your blood aura and charge!" Ode roared.
With that, he charged forward alone, straight toward the human commander.
The Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen, glowing with a red light, followed closely at Ode's sides. They had been at the very front from the beginning.
The blood aura of the Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen stirred the deepest killing instincts within their kin. When gathered, they not only raised the morale of other Jackal Wolfmen but also exerted a kind of psychological pressure on their enemies.
But they had clearly chosen the wrong opponent. They were still nearly 150 paces away from Robson!
Robson almost laughed out loud as he watched the group of Jackal Wolfmen bunching up together.
'Clustering together in front of a large formation of archers? Are they afraid the target isn't big enough?'
"Aim for that red glow. Volley fire," Robson commanded.
At Robson's command, the Frankish Archers drew their longbows and loosed hundreds of arrows at the Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen.
The Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen's blood aura blocked some of the arrows, but dozens still rained down. Accompanied by a few screams, dozens more Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen fell.
"[Ding! Frankish Archer has successfully killed a Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfman Warrior. EXP +200.]"
"[Ding...]"
Ode glanced back and saw the huge number of Jackal Wolfmen lying on the ground. Fear seized his heart.
'I was only supposed to feign an attack and then rout. Now, it looks like it's going to be a real rout...'
'Knowing my Chieftain's temper...'
Instantly, goosebumps broke out on Ode's skin. He couldn't imagine what kind of punishment he would face.
"You! You die!" Ode roared, glaring at Robson.
Seeing the charging Jackal Wolfman, Robson remained unhurried. He raised his Knight's Greatsword and charged forward to meet him.
The claws of a 5th Rank Silver Jackal Wolfman were sharper than any blade. The two clashed violently, sword against claw.
Robson expertly used the Eight Techniques of the Knight, unleashing the full power of a Fourth-rank Silver Knight.
Robson's Eight Techniques of the Knight were perfected; every move and stance was executed flawlessly.
'How is he so strong?' Ode was shocked. Every one of his own moves was effortlessly parried by Robson, while Robson's own attacks were viciously cunning.
A few moments of carelessness and he was already wounded.
"Surround him!" Robson ordered while still fighting.
'I don't think I'd lose to this Jackal Wolfman in a duel, but why fight one-on-one when you can overwhelm him? A duel is too risky.'
Ode's expression was anxious. He glanced back at his Jackal Wolfman forces—there were hardly any left...
'Damn it!' Ode cursed inwardly. He turned back to the human Knight in front of him, his mind calming slightly.
"Human! Just you wait!"
After cursing, Ode turned and fled. Robson had no intention of stopping him; after all, if he pursued, there was always the risk of being killed in a counterattack.
"Do not pursue! Archers, continue firing!" Robson commanded.
Seeing that their leader had fled, the other Jackal Wolfmen naturally followed suit, turning tail and running for their lives.
Ode did a quick count. Just over fifty Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen remained.
His heart ached. He was originally supposed to feign an attack, pretend to be defeated, and lure away the human Knights.
Well, so much for that. The performance was a little too convincing. The humans would undoubtedly believe he was routing now—because he really was.
'Huh? The way is blocked?!'
Seeing the suddenly appearing Viscount's banner ahead, alarm bells rang in Ode's mind. After the recent battle, his contempt for humans had completely vanished.
'If a mere man with no title can command such an army, how terrifying must a Viscount's forces be?'
"Charge straight through! Tear them apart!"
With that, Ode once again lowered his head and charged, plowing into the middle of the human battle formation.
He had no choice. If he didn't want to die, he had to charge, even if mountains and seas stood in his way.
There was no terrifying rain of arrows, no heavily armored, fierce warriors.
'This is an ordinary human army!' Ode was overjoyed. 'I don't understand why there's such a huge difference in rank between the commanders of these two armies, but it doesn't matter!'
"Charge!" Ode's fighting spirit flared again as he plunged headfirst into the human formation, the remaining Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen right behind him.
By now, even the dumbest Jackal Wolfman could understand the situation. If they didn't break through this human army, the only path left was death.
"You trash! Hold your positions! Move it!"
In the center of the human formation, Noah Viscount shrieked in terror at the charging Jackal Wolfmen, ordering his surrounding "soldiers."
Unfortunately, Ode and his Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen had already crashed into Noah Viscount's formation. The Viscount's troops were, at best, militia who were only slightly better than Peasant Soldiers.
Faced with such a scene, how could they possibly have the courage to fight back? They scattered and fled in all directions.
Noah Viscount could only wave his whip in terror from horseback, endlessly regretting why he had gotten involved in this mess.
When the Jackal Wolfmen had all charged toward Robson earlier, Noah Viscount had breathed a sigh of relief. He had heard a thing or two about the power of the Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen.
This was his first time on a battlefield, so of course he couldn't compare to a battle-hardened veteran like Count Offman. He couldn't tell at a glance that Robson's army was a true Elite Army.
He had thought the Jackal Wolfmen would first fight Robson to a standstill, suffering mutual losses, after which he, Noah Viscount, could make a grand entrance with his own army.
Then he could show that old fool Offman who really had the Elite Army.
But the result was a huge disappointment. The useless Jackal Wolfmen were repelled by just a few volleys of arrows.
Before, he thought their forces were more or less equal. He even felt he might have a slight edge, since he had many more Extraordinary individuals under his command.
Therefore, he had completely ignored Count Offman's orders, wanting to bring his army over to snatch some military merits for himself.
But unexpectedly, his supposedly elite troops started causing trouble the moment they hit the battlefield, their marching formation a complete mess.
By the time Noah Viscount sensed something was wrong, the Jackal Wolfmen had already charged right up to him.
"Hold your positions!" Noah Viscount kept whipping the militia around him as if nothing had changed from when he was back in his castle, but the entire formation had already fallen into chaos, its discipline completely shattered...
Ode and his band of Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen became killing machines in the human formation, wreaking havoc from the inside out.
With every human soldier that fell, their blood aura grew stronger! This was what made the Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen truly fearsome.
Ode finally felt a sense of relief. 'This is the true strength of humans. If every minor human officer had an army that powerful, the northern grasslands would have been conquered long ago.'
'That last battle was so frustrating. We were nearly wiped out before we even reached the enemy...'
'No! I must capture that Viscount and return to redeem myself!'
Ode looked toward Noah Viscount, bared his wolfish claws, and carved a path of slaughter toward him.
"Stop him! Quickly, stop him for me!" Noah Viscount's face paled as he saw Ode charging toward him, his words becoming incoherent.
The few Knights by Noah's side rushed forward, trying to stop the Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfman. But they were only second or third-rank. How could they possibly be a match for Ode?