Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

The black-clad cavalrymen who charged out from the nearby woods, attempting to break through their formation, were instantly smashed to pieces by the sharp spears. Their warhorses were easily brought to a stop by the spears, and the light cavalrymen, having lost their speed, immediately fell into a horrific massacre. The heavily armored guards used their spears to stab them off, or simply dragged them off their horses and slit their throats.

When the heavily damaged cavalrymen tried to retreat, more than a dozen crossbows were immediately aimed at their backs, shooting the remaining soldiers off their horses one after another, leaving only the strong horses scattered on the surrounding grassland.

With a whoosh, the attackers retreated en masse, rearranging their formation like hungry wolves lurking around a sheepfold, eyeing the convoy with predatory intent.

Only one carriage survived the entire caravan; the rest were burning fiercely by the roadside, and corpses lay everywhere—both guards and servants from the caravan, as well as these men in black who had emerged from the forest.

Their losses were considerable... The guard captain pondered deeply.

These attackers were clearly prepared. They didn't fly any flags, but they still managed to find them accurately... Their purpose was so clear that it was obvious that information had been leaked, which allowed them to prepare here and attack the unsuspecting team.

Since the other party was coming for them, they must have made up their minds and would not back down because of the status of the distinguished person in the carriage. So he didn't say anything unnecessary and just firmly maintained the defensive line.

The guards were down to 32 men, but that was more than enough to protect a carriage. In addition, each of them carried a powerful crossbow, which caused the assassins, who were only wearing light leather armor, to suffer heavy losses and beheadings.

The well-trained guards began to tighten their defenses. They didn't know if reinforcements would arrive in time. The nearest village was 20 miles away, and caught off guard, they didn't have time to send a messenger.

But the noble lady in the carriage must not be harmed! Even if they all die here, these despicable scoundrels must not be allowed to lay a finger on her.

Sharp crossbow bolts were jammed into the grooves, and powerful crossbows were raised from the gaps in the shields, ready to send these deadly little things into armor and flesh at any moment.

These despicable assassins are destined not to stay here long; they cannot risk being captured by the army. So, as long as the current situation can be maintained...

For some reason, he always felt uneasy, and even his palms were sweating, making the hilts of his swords slippery.

The enemy on horseback charged again, and the crossbow bolts fired immediately caused more than a dozen men to fall off their horses. But the others ignored the danger and continued to charge. When they were about 10 paces away from the carriage, they suddenly reined in their horses, reached out and picked up two jars tied with hemp ropes, spun them around like a shepherd tossing stones, and then threw them out hard.

The ceramic jars shattered as they hit the shields, and a pungent, familiar smell made the captain's face change drastically. The attackers charged forward, braving the crossbow bolts, and smashed the jars they were holding into the middle of them.

"Oil!"

The captain's roar snapped everyone back to reality, and they hastily retreated away from the ground splattered with the pungent liquid. The situation took a sharp turn for the worse in an instant...

………………

A few minutes earlier, on the highest slope around, which was covered with trees, three mysterious figures, their bodies wrapped in black cloth with only their eyes showing, were watching the Blood Battle in the open space below.

The leader in the very center sighed, his voice filled with regret:

"As expected of the elite veterans of the Imperial Legion... We won't be able to catch the target with just these new logs. Let's finish this quickly, or it won't look good if we get caught."

"understood."

The man in black on the left nodded slightly and took out a strange object from his pocket—a wooden tube attached to a raven skull devoid of flesh, with the gaps filled with silver metal.

He lifted his face mask, put the round mouth of the strange little gadget into his mouth, then took a deep breath and blew hard—

"Crack! Crack! Whoosh!..."

………………

A strange sound came from behind. The men in black, who had gathered together, exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, turned their horses, and charged toward the tough nut to crack in the distance.

They no longer tried to break through the enemy's formation; their only goal was to smash the jars in their hands.

The pungent smell did not escape the notice of the veterans of the Imperial Legion. At the captain's loud shout, the guards immediately took action, surrounding the carriage closely and then urging it to move away from the place covered in oil.

But everyone knew it was futile... As they watched several men in black with crossbows begin loading rockets—hollow arrows filled with fuel—a desperate sigh echoed among the guards...

A cloud of dust suddenly rose from one side of the hill, immediately attracting everyone's attention. As the glint of metal came into view, a terrible commotion began to spread among them.

The men in black immediately panicked, and the guards cheered, even though their clothes and shields were still stained with oil, they looked as if victory had already been achieved.

The silver torrent approached swiftly like a sharp arrow, giving the men in black no time to react. The cavalry, riding magnificent warhorses and wearing light chainmail, crashed in, instantly tearing the black-clad crowd to pieces.

Too fast! In the blink of an eye, these warhorses, which had been charging at top speed from miles away, pushed their speed to the limit. Using the hills as cover, they plunged into the waist and abdomen like deadly daggers in an instant! In a flash, a large amount of flesh and blood was pulled out!

Riding a yellow warhorse, Natamus charged at the forefront of the cavalry, like a frightened and furious lion. He swung his greatsword, cleaving body after body in two. The torn flesh and flying entrails splattered on the ground beside him. Those who couldn't dodge in his way were even cut down along with their horses.

In the blink of an eye, the ground was covered with the dead bodies of the men in black. The fierce cavalrymen mercilessly slaughtered each assassin. In the instant they passed by, their sharp weapons easily sliced ​​open the bodies, leaving the black-clad men's bodies like tattered sacks from which blood and internal organs flowed out.

Natamus's greatsword tore through the last obstacle. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief after seeing the carriage still unharmed and the guards protecting it, he saw two or three men in black raise their flaming crossbows as they prepared to flee!

In an instant, Natamus understood everything.

"coward!!"

A thunderous roar erupted from his mouth, as if real lightning had struck the ground, terrifying everyone. The man in black, who was preparing to fire his crossbow, paused for a moment. In that instant, he grabbed a spear stuck in the ground and hurled it with all his might.

Using the momentum of the charging warhorse, this strike was extremely powerful, easily piercing through a body dressed in black, penetrating a thigh, and then embedding itself deeply into the horse's back!

The warhorse collapsed with a mournful cry, and the black-clad men, strung together like meat skewers, were lifted up, but one of them still pulled the trigger of the crossbow...

In Natamus's wide-open eyes, the sparkling point of light flew towards the carriage in the distance. The black oil flowing on the carriage was so dazzling at that moment that it made his head buzz as if it were about to explode.

In that split second, a figure suddenly leaped onto the side of the carriage and caught the crossbow bolt with his back!

It was the captain of the guard! The instant he saw the enemy raise their crossbow, he turned and lunged at the carriage, catching the fire arrow at the last moment!

Because the arrowheads for loading fuel were hollow, the crossbow bolts weren't very penetrating. But the moment they embedded themselves in the chainmail, a shower of sparks flew everywhere, directly igniting the black oil on the captain's shield and armor!

Flames immediately ignited, and the captain of the guard, scorched by the flames, stumbled to his feet, rushed out of the formation, and then collapsed to the ground, howling in pain.

Natamus, who had charged on horseback, leaped off his horse, rolled on the ground, and rushed to the Burning Captain. He reached out, grabbed the burning chainmail, and ripped off the straps with brute force, tearing the flaming metal off.

The burning flames seared his skin, but Natamus didn't stop. He reached out and ripped off his burning jacket again, then dragged a still-living black-clad corpse from the side and chopped off its head with his sword, letting a large amount of blood pour down on it!

The gushing blood instantly extinguished the remaining flames, turning Natamus and the captain of the guard into blood-soaked figures. After doing all this, he threw away the corpse in his hands and took two heavy breaths.

No assassin could escape... The speed of the unarmored warhorses was unmatched by their horses, and the elite cavalry would not let them easily pass through the encirclement. In the blink of an eye, most of them had been killed, and the remaining few were bound with whips and dragged over by the necks by the cavalry.

"Get him to Dr. Talina! And quickly!"

The guard captain, still groaning in pain, was helped onto a strong warhorse and securely tied to a cavalryman with ropes. With a crack of the whip, a small squad carrying the seriously wounded headed toward the distant army camp.

As the squad disappeared into the distance amidst the dust, Natamus finally relaxed. The other dozens of cavalrymen were scavenging the corpses, searching for anyone still alive.

The burning pain in his arm, scorched by the flames, became irritating. Natamus reached up and wiped the sticky blood from his face to clear his vision.

Smoke and blood mingled on his face, creating a filthy appearance. His eyebrows were stuck together with blood, and the remaining blood flowed down the rugged curve of his cheeks to his chin before dripping down.

He clenched his fists tightly, trying to calm the turbulent emotions in his heart. The intense pain from his burned skin made his face even calmer.

Ignoring the guards and servants who bowed to him, Natamus rushed to the carriage, reached out and ripped the wooden door off...

A beautiful woman with thick, long, curly hair and a fair, full face looked at him with a smile. Her white robe was stained with dust, and her slightly protruding belly was clearly visible beneath the silk. The slightly aged female official was carrying a shield and a short sword. When she saw him, she put away the shield that was protecting her mistress.

…………

"I've come to find you."

Natamus remained expressionless, but his cheeks twitched slightly, as if he were chewing every word away.

"……I know."

Christina's eyes were glistening with tears as she lowered her head, climbed out of the carriage, and then stretched out her hands to him.

Natamus hesitated for a moment before glancing at his blood-stained hands. Before he could even wipe them off, a soft figure bumped into him. He instinctively hugged the person, as if catching a child.

A soft, warm touch pressed against his lips, and smooth, black hair cascaded over his shoulders. He saw those bright eyes, so close, like stars reflected in a river…

Chapter 110 Sudden Event (2)

"grown ups!……?"

The man in black, holding the bone whistle, turned around angrily, only to find that their leader had begun to adjust his trousers and belt, looking as if he was about to flee at any moment.

The leader loosened the ligaments in his joints, restoring his long, flexible limbs to their optimal state:

"What are you waiting for? It's time to run! In a little while, you won't even be able to run away!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished from the spot, leaving only two shallow imprints on the weed-covered ground. He had already run into the distant woods and was still heading further away.

No one knew why he could run so fast. His long legs were as powerful as the hooves of a warhorse, and he moved through the jungle at lightning speed, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

The remaining two exchanged a glance, quickly straightened their clothes, then took out a bottle of blue potion from their pockets, uncorked it, and drank it down.

After swallowing the medicine, the two shivered in unison, and then started running without hesitation. Their speed was equally astonishing, but it was far slower than that of the leader from before.

In an instant, the trampled weeds, relying on their remarkable resilience, began to slowly spring back. Before long, all traces of them would disappear...

………………

As night fell, the three finally met up in a cave. Everyone was drenched in sweat from running, and the muscles in their legs were burning hot.

The leader reached inside his headscarf and pulled the fabric away from his skin, letting the cool night breeze in.

"Alright, we should be close to where we are now... As for those unfortunate souls who couldn't escape, we can only pray that they will be redeemed under the radiance of the Supreme Knower... We will not forget their contributions; it is because of their sacrifice that our cause has been able to advance further."

The other two immediately drew a peculiar shape on their chests with their fingers with solemn expressions, while the leader merely gestured perfunctorily before putting his hand down.

"My lord, we failed to capture the sacrificial offerings or eliminate the threat... How are we to explain this to the elders?..."

"Don't worry, this was within my expectations."

The leader's confident tone piqued the curiosity of both of them, prompting them to take two steps forward.

"The Chief Elder's daughter was attacked by unidentified individuals near the capital... Do you think this matter will simply pass by unnoticed? Neither the Emperor nor the Elder will let this go. During this period, the country is destined to be in chaos, and countless people will suffer as a result. The waters have already been stirred up..."

"It's a pity we didn't capture the sacrifice, but it's within our acceptable range... After all, the real important objective isn't this..."

A low chuckle escaped from beneath his mask, and a ruthless glint appeared in his long, narrow eyes as he reached out to grab the moon in the sky.

"It's a pity that such a good game was not perfect... but the flaws don't detract from the overall excellence, and this is precisely the time for us to show our skills."

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

Thesolius galloped on his horse, with cavalrymen accompanying him, their banners fluttering overhead, and the dust kicked up by their hooves obscuring the road.

Tersolius's face was gloomy, showing no joy at the victory, and most of the cavalrymen had the same expression.

They seized three seats from the Senate and personally executed the culprit who framed them, thus curbing the Senate's power to some extent... It seemed like a moment of triumph, but a sudden piece of bad news completely shattered their spirits...

When Tessorius heard the news that Christina's convoy had been attacked, his first thought was that it was a hoax spread by someone to confuse the public and create confusion.

After all, as the daughter of the chief elder, and living near the capital, the most powerful city under the empire's control, how could she possibly be attacked! Just a little thought about this news is enough to make one realize the chilling part of it.

But the message came from his brother's adjutant, who would never tell him something without confirmation. So there was only one possibility—Christina had really been attacked.

Almost instantly, he sensed something unusual, so he immediately went to the palace to meet the emperor and explained the matter in detail.

After discussion, the two decided that Clautina would stay in the capital to prepare, while he would lead his troops to the area and camp as quickly as possible to stabilize the situation.

The Empire's wide, smooth roads always played a vital role at all times, and now they were able to reach their destination at top speed without stopping. Pedestrians on the road would also make way for the central avenue as soon as they saw the flags in the distance.

The elite cavalry column, like a rolling yellow dragon, meandered along the road at an extreme speed, stirring up dust that blew up the fallen leaves piled up by the roadside, and quickly left the area under the jurisdiction of the capital.