Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

As his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the chair, his sharp eyes remained fixed on the Rigut girl he had met in Cerisonas, quietly awaiting the outcome of their confrontation.

Chapter 218 The Battle of the Champions (2)

How terrifying is the power and might of a galloping warhorse? Those who face its charge know best that it is an irresistible and terrifying force, making one clearly aware that the next moment they will be trampled under the hooves of that beast, or pierced and sent flying by its sturdy lance.

Only well-trained, elite, and brave heavy infantry could face this terrifying force. The heavily armored cavalry, with both men and horses in full armor, was the symbol of absolute military power in this era, representing the most terrifying destructive force, and the overwhelming impact and trampling.

But even with just one man and one horse, when the armor is donned, when the spirited warhorse begins to quicken its pace, and when the fully armed knight raises his lance, one can witness the terrifying moment amidst the clash of swords and the thunder of hooves…

In the turbulent world, the two championship contenders exchanged only brief glances before launching a relentless attack. Both rode the finest Passatria warhorses, clad in double layers of heavy armor; a mere graze or collision could reduce flesh to dust, sending opponents flying like rag dolls. Such a clash was destined to be thrilling and awe-inspiring.

The deafening cheers were unconsciously suppressed at this moment. Everyone stared wide-eyed, anxiously and eagerly watching the two people from Changzhong who were about to clash. Their mouths were wide open, but no sound came out of their throats. They just anxiously clenched everything they could hold onto...

The next instant, the sharp clang of clashing metal echoed in everyone's ears. A shard of a shield was tossed high into the air, spear shafts collided and rubbed against each other, then quickly separated as the warhorses moved past each other…

A terrible gash had been carved into the shield in Karila's left hand—the result of the recent clash. The immense momentum of the warhorse and the terrifying destructive power of the sturdy spear nearly destroyed the defenses on her left hand.

The entire shield's structure had been destroyed. This sturdy shield, made of the strongest and most durable oak, covered with thick leather, and with steel edges, had lost most of its defensive capabilities after just one engagement, becoming a hindrance that slowed down movement.

His body swayed briefly from the jostling and pushing. But his well-trained warhorse quickly shifted its hooves, restoring its master's balance. At the same time, it raised its long head, ready for the next clash…

In the first exchange, Karila was visibly at a disadvantage, immediately eliciting gasps from the surrounding audience. A cacophony of whispers followed, but it had no effect on her whatsoever.

Without hesitation, he tucked the spear shaft under his arm, reached out with his right hand to untie the leather strap securing the shield to his left hand, threw the broken shield to the ground, and began to grip the spear with both hands.

This undoubtedly enhances the ability to control the spear, but at the same time, it abandons an indispensable defensive measure—although this measure is no longer of any use.

After creating some distance, both sides simultaneously turned their horses around, adjusted their directions, and charged again without a moment's pause! Facing the opponent's spears, they spurred their mighty warhorses forward once more, their blood boiling with excitement!

The situation changed so quickly that many people didn't even have time to react before Karila had already thrown away her damaged shield and prepared for the second round of combat. Many were so nervous that they could hardly breathe, their mouths agape, emitting dry, hoarse sounds, until a slap from a companion brought them back to their senses.

The Passatria, galloping at full speed, traversed the wide arena in just a few breaths, and in the blink of an eye, the second clash had already occurred...

Without hesitation, the burly Karisi thrust his spear forward. At the same time, his intact shield in his left hand firmly covered half of his body, and the spear tip, precise and powerful, ruthlessly and skillfully pierced Karisi's shoulder!

He had killed countless self-important knights from the Western countries. This one strike was enough to tear through double layers of heavy armor and kill any opponent on the spot!

In the blink of an eye, victory is victory and defeat is defeat; the outcome is always decided in an instant… With almost frantic composure, he used his left hand to deflect the spear that had pierced the shield along the side of his body, while simultaneously releasing his prepared left hand, letting the spear fly out along with the shield in his hand, without pulling or deforming his right hand.

He was certain he would win this day's glory, certain he would triumph as always... He was waiting, waiting for the sound of his chainmail being torn apart by this terrible blow, waiting for the sound of bones breaking and flesh shattering... which would also be the clarion call and cheers announcing his victory.

The weakest point was precisely found by the tip of his spear—there was only one layer of chainmail as a lining between the shoulder armor and the breastplate. He watched as the chainmail rings were torn apart by the sturdy spearhead, creating a huge gash... and then it went through the other end without a trace of blood on the gleaming spearhead!

In an instant, she realized that her opponent had made a move, and as her spear grazed her flesh, Kalissi instinctively reached for the short hammer at her waist. Then, in the next instant, she felt a tremendous force coming from her waist, and her whole body spun around as she crashed heavily onto the soft yellow sand. She rolled five or six times before she could recover from the terrible inertia.

It took him a good ten breaths to get up from the ground, while his opponent was still struggling on the ground, breathing heavily. It took him a while to finally manage to get up and wipe the blood from his face.

"Are you crazy?... You actually dragged me off your horse and broke free from your mount?! Aren't you afraid of being trampled to death by your own horse?!"

After a long while, Kalissi finally couldn't hold back any longer and said those words. The leather handle of the iron rod in his hand creaked as he gripped it tightly with excitement.

Taking a few deep breaths, Karila's expression quickly regained its composure, and she seemed to have been fully recharged. She stretched her shoulders and legs, reached behind her and pulled out two spiked battle axes, eager to put them to use.

"I'm no match for you on horseback, I knew that after our first encounter. To win, I have to drag you into foot combat, which is my specialty! And..."

Carila smiled as she glanced at the departing warhorse:

"Salted fish are very clever creatures! They would never step on me. I even deliberately chose the right direction to pull you onto the ground!"

Despite the lingering dull pain in his shoulder, Kalishi had relaxed completely. He straightened up, reached out and unfastened the leather strap at his chin, removing his full-face helmet.

This was a fierce-looking middle-aged man—with the most common hairstyle for Imperial soldiers, and a hideous scar running from the top of his head down to his eye, as if an axe had once cleaved deep into his skull, splitting part of his head apart.

Even the side of his mouth had a deep knife mark, and the skin on it had been damaged, giving it a smooth, oily texture.

The man took two deep breaths, then spoke solemnly:

"I must pay tribute to you. You are a formidable opponent. It is an honor to duel with such a tenacious and honorable warrior as you."

Karila sniffed the blood flowing from her nose and let out a slightly silly laugh:

"Hahaha! You're not bad either! You're probably the second strongest among all the opponents I know... If you include Alka, you might be the third. I'm very happy to be able to fight someone as strong as you! Let's have a good fight and not hold back!"

"Oh, may I ask who the first place is... You don't need to say, I pretty much already know who it is."

With a slight smile, Kalishi put on his helmet and gave his own answer:

"It would be my great honor."

........................

A continuous, storm-like scream had engulfed every corner; many who had witnessed the terrifying scene had even closed their eyes in fear, unwilling to witness the horrific sight of the two warriors perishing under the horses' hooves.

That kind of ending is definitely not an honor; it's just a terrible accident that no one wants to see! Many people couldn't help but stand up from their seats, letting out panicked cries...

But then, just a dozen breaths later, cheers erupted again—amidst the tidal wave of cheers from the audience, the two champion candidates stood up one after the other, and seemingly unharmed, drew their weapons and began to confront each other.

In that instant, the audience, whose emotions had been stretched to the limit in a short period of time, erupted into an unprecedented frenzy of cheers. Many people couldn't even hear what they were saying, but just kept opening their mouths and making strange, incomprehensible noises in a crazy manner, and desperately pushing their bodies forward.

It wasn't until the soldiers maintaining order used their sticks to calm down some of the more outspoken individuals that the atmosphere began to return to normal.

Looking at the golden cup that he had just squeezed out of shape and twisted in his hand, and the corner of his clothes stained with the spilled bright red wine, Thesolius smiled and placed the cup on the servant's tray beside him, taking the soft cashmere towel to wipe the wine stains off his clothes.

"This girl is prone to doing unexpected things, isn't she?"

The emperor's chuckled voice came from the side, and Tersolius shook his head helplessly:

"She always tends to resort to extreme measures, in every aspect, and prefers to use more radical methods to achieve the best results... I'm not sure if this can be considered a flaw."

"Alright, we'll find out soon enough..." The emperor lazily reached out and picked up a peach from a plate held by a servant beside him, observing the battle unfolding in the vast arena with great interest.

"She has indeed become much smarter, but she is still so reckless..."

........................

Fighting in heavy armor, especially on foot, inevitably consumes a lot of physical strength, making people more prone to fatigue. This is not only due to energy consumption, but also because the heavy armor does not dissipate heat easily, making body temperature higher.

Battles fought in heavy armor are destined to be a dual test of will and physical strength. The mere fact that one can accomplish this is enough to eliminate the weak and cowards. And at this moment, the people of the capital are witnessing an epic battle of armored warriors...

The two heavy axes were wielded like a whirlwind, working in perfect harmony and seamlessly connected, without the slightest flaw or gap. The only thing that was pressing down was the relentless, ferocious strikes that made it hard to breathe!

Suppression! A suppression with a clear and overwhelming intent! From beginning to end, the goal is to completely crush the enemy from the front, tearing them apart and killing them with a terrifying barrage of attacks. The slightest opening or carelessness will result in a terrible price to pay.

His steps were equally firm and steady, rarely moving, as if his legs were cast in the ground with steel. He never retreated a step from beginning to end, but instead pressed forward from time to time, hoping to break through the enemy's tough defense.

Meanwhile, Kalisi, the warrior from the Northern Legion, also defended impenetrably. The shield in his left hand, which was still relatively intact, was like an insurmountable wall of steel in his hands. In complete contrast to Kalila, he adopted a defensive strategy that consumed very little energy and was extremely reliable. He rarely used the iron staff in his right hand, and it seemed that he was being firmly suppressed by his opponent and was slowly retreating.

On the surface, it seemed that Karisi was at a disadvantage, but in the eyes of many people, this was a sign that he was about to launch a counterattack. Although a fierce attack like Karisi's had a terrifying suppressive force and could kill most opponents in an instant, it would also cause terrible physical exhaustion and was difficult to sustain. Once there was a slight pause, a huge flaw would be exposed.

The warriors of the Northern Legion were waiting for the moment when the enemy was exhausted, for that opportune moment to strike...

Two extremely threatening spiked axes swept across the shield in two fierce arcs. The sharp blades dragged across the leather shield, but because they were not sharpened, they did not cause much damage. They simply transferred the heavy force to the shield, which the opponent caught steadily after slightly adjusting his posture.

Instead of crashing directly to the ground, the battle axe deftly changed its trajectory in mid-air, hooking upwards again—once successful, it would flip the shield open from below, creating a rare opportunity for itself.

Calissi calmly lowered his center of gravity, then ended the exchange with a fierce charge... At the same time, he keenly realized that his opponent's speed had slowed down...

Chapter 219 The Battle of the Champions (3)

The heavy axe traced a cruel path like a whirlwind, enough to pulverize anything that accidentally fell into its storm. Whether it was sturdy iron armor or sharp swords, they would quickly fall to the ground. But it was powerless against heavy and tough shields, especially now that the blades had been sharpened to reduce weight.

Kalissi was also a master of the shield. He knew exactly how to defend against enemy attacks while maximizing his own stamina, ensuring the impact was just right, and maintaining a stance ready to launch an attack at any time. He was a man who could both defend and attack.

Moreover, he was well aware of the enormous physical exertion involved in armored combat. Even if his opponent was exceptionally talented, she was, after all, a woman and could not possibly be physically stronger than him... She would inevitably reveal weaknesses in the ensuing confrontation.

After ending the opponent's fierce attack with another charge, the subsequent pursuit was as futile as ever. Even though he was wearing heavy armor, his opponent was still very agile and easily dodged the blow.

Although he remained calm and composed, not even loosening his grip on his weapon, he was actually incredibly surprised. He had expected his opponent to have exhausted his strength a dozen or so moves ago and be completely suppressed by him. But now his opponent showed no signs of exhaustion; on the contrary, he seemed to have inexhaustible energy.

Even he was feeling a bit tired at this moment, sweating profusely in the warm sun... Despite focusing on defense, he couldn't help but feel secretly alarmed after the long tug-of-war.

Just now, the other party deliberately showed signs of exhaustion in order to lure him into making a bolder attack and abandoning his current impenetrable defense... In fact, he almost let her succeed and paid a price - he was hit on the shoulder by an axe before the situation returned to its current state.

Two heavy blows struck from left and right, like scissors slashing down simultaneously. At the same time, the notch behind the axe blade deftly hooked towards the edge of the shield. This was an extremely risky strike, almost abandoning any means of blocking or defense. It seemed that as long as the shield was used to block, the opponent would be wide open and easily hit.

However, Kalissi simply took two quick steps back, letting the two axes graz his shield without striking him squarely. His opponent then pressed forward without hesitation, further compressing his space and forcing him to take another step back.

It seemed like he had made a poor response, but after the exchange just now, he was certain that his opponent had a backup plan. That overly reckless attack was definitely a tempting trap, waiting for a truly careless prey to fall into it, and then tearing it apart and killing it without hesitation.

..........................................

Karila took two deep breaths, then bounced back slightly, the armor plates on her body making a crisp sound as they rubbed together. Sweat had soaked her hair and was dripping from her chin.

She looked quite disheveled now—not only was her hair soaked with sweat and stuck to her scalp, but her face was also covered in grime and sweat. She looked completely disheveled and was nothing like the imposing figure she had just been.

After just a slight movement of his sore shoulders, his arms, which had been numb and aching, immediately felt relaxed as if they had been immersed in ice water. The fatigue disappeared almost entirely, and he once again began to search for his opponent's weaknesses with renewed vigor.

This is a rather formidable opponent... Karila realized this from the very beginning, so she had already put in her best effort to deal with it, but the battle was still too difficult and long. Even now, with her best foot combat skills, she still couldn't find a weakness in her opponent and was stuck in a very rigid tug-of-war.

Perhaps a stronger man would have collapsed from exhaustion by now, right?... She couldn't help but smile, but that didn't matter to her.

Back when she was traveling alone in the vast, barren, and bitterly cold land of the North, she had already gotten used to exhaustion, to the bitter cold, and to hunger. Sometimes she would go for days without rest or a full meal. She was surprised that she had survived and had become stronger and more resilient.

"You're already very tired, aren't you?"

Looking at the slight rise and fall of her chainmail mask, and listening to her shallow, yet increasingly rapid, breathing, Karila grinned, confirming her judgment.

The opponent froze for a moment. Although his face was not visible, a sense of surprise and confusion was clearly conveyed, as if he had heard someone say what he wanted to say.

"I still have plenty of energy left, so get ready..."

As if she had made up her mind, Karila's offensive suddenly became frenzied. The swinging axe struck the shield like a storm, causing the leather to turn white and deform visibly, until it could no longer withstand the force and was torn apart, like a wooden board being smashed by a hammer, displaying the purest form of violence.

The sudden increase in pressure caught Kalissi off guard, forcing him to retreat repeatedly. His shield began to break down rapidly, making him increasingly uneasy... To make matters worse, the opponent's attacks became faster and faster! It was as if they weren't even breathing, leaving no openings for him to counterattack. His previously calm emotions began to fluctuate.

He quickly realized that he had to make a choice—his opponent still had plenty of energy, and if he continued, he would only be suppressed and defeated.

A thought flashed through his mind, and before the opponent's next axe blow could come, Kalissi took a step to the side and stomped heavily, shifting his weight to his right foot. As he deflected the shield, his right hand swung the iron staff fiercely at the opponent's knee!

The first axe struck the shield, cutting deep into the already damaged leather and tearing off a whole piece of hard cowhide to reveal the hard, clean oak underneath, still with traces of yellow glue.

The second axe slashed fiercely at his shoulder because of his movement, and at the last moment he used his sturdy and heavy shoulder armor to block it. His whole body tilted to the left because of the fierce blow, and the intense pain made him feel as if his shoulder had been cut off at the root. The stacked thick armor plates twisted and deformed, but still blocked the blow solidly!

His heart was pounding so hard it could barely contain itself! The iron staff in his right hand slammed solidly into his opponent's knee, producing a dull, heavy thud. The gold-plated steel knee pads were deformed by this terrifyingly powerful attack, the bones inside clearly damaged. His foot, firmly planted in the yellow sand, staggered to the side, his opponent's balance was now compromised!

I won!!

He could hardly contain himself and wanted to cheer – in such a contest, even a moment's lapse could have serious consequences, not to mention losing one's balance.

Just as he was eager to give chase, a strong pull on his left hand made his expression change! The dark leather strap was firmly gripped by a hand clad in chainmail gloves, and with a forceful tug, his opponent's previously weakened balance instantly stabilized. And the gleaming helmet was growing larger and larger in his eyes!

boom!

The chainmail faceplate rattled as it was hit, the heavy force transmitted solidly to the bridge of his nose, a strong soreness surged to his head, and a buzzing sound like bees swirling in his ears filled his ears, causing his head to tilt uncontrollably backward.