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Season 3: Chapter 128: Saving Private Ryan (3)

The cavalry charging with a war cry instantly fell silent.

"......!"

As they crossed the ridge, their vision finally cleared.

Dozens of Roman soldiers came into view over the crest, maybe even close to a hundred. Each one was fully armed, forming an unbreakable line.

Despite the considerable distance between the soldiers, it felt like there was no gap to slip through. Something invisible flowed between them.

The Roman blades glinting in the sunlight seemed to say that anyone passing through would be cut down.

'Are we supposed to charge through there?'

No one would have dared to step forward if this was a real war. The first to go would surely die. The pressure of being abandoned in the enemy camp was immense.

Now, they could clearly see how outnumbered they were. The absence of familiar faces became even more apparent.

None of Almond’s usual companions were part of this cavalry unit.

"This battle will be fought without familiar faces," Carrot had said earlier during the match.

At first, Almond wondered if fighting with familiar faces really made a difference. After all, Civil Empire involved mixing and fighting on various battlefields.

Playing the game and competing in a match was different. Not having trusted comrades beside him at this crucial moment felt more burdensome than he expected.

***

The commentators were stunned.

"Unbelievable, the north! Ah......!"

Any of the four directions would have been better than the worst— the north.

"They went north!? That place is hell right now!!!"

"This is a complete jackpot for Rome! Bingo!"

— God abandoned them...

— Bingo, LOL

— No…

— Bingo, really?...

The Roman forces gathered in the north after realizing that Joseon was trying to break through the north gate. The already numerous enemy troops increased even more. R??????

"But! What is Joseon trying to achieve by breaking through here?!"

"Securing better visibility is the primary goal! But that's not enough! They need to reach the rear. Think about this cavalry unit breaking through to the enemy's rear!"

Joseon desperately wanted to break through in any direction to strike the enemy's rear.

"It's like a cannon entering the enemy's camp in chess! Completely unmarked!"

"Ah! So it’s not just to relieve the frustration and secure visibility!?"

What would happen if Joseon's cavalry broke through the siege vehicles and reached Rome's rear?

Until now, Rome only needed to focus on the front. Joseon had been trapped within the walls, so Rome only had to herd them like livestock.

What if some Joseon troops broke through and positioned themselves behind? If Joseon's cavalry hid somewhere between the Roman forces surrounding Joseon and Rome's main base, Rome would now have to worry about the rear as well.

"Moreover! Both the Roman and Joseon forces are continuously dying, aren't they!?"

"That's right."

"When replenishing those dead forces, Rome will have to be mindful!"

"Ah! It’s like severing the supply line!?"

Rome could keep surrounding Joseon because of their rapid recruitment and replenishment of troops. This process happened in the main base and several other locations. At least that wasn't near Joseon's camp.

Rome wouldn't be able to replenish their manpower easily if Joseon's cavalry occupied the replenishment routes. They would need to gather enough soldiers to ensure sufficient combat power before sending them to Joseon's camp. This way, they could survive even if they encountered the cavalry.

"But that only works if the breakthrough is successful, right?!"

"Yes! So this cavalry unit’s goal is not to kill the enemy! But to advance! I’m sure Cookie wants that! Fighting and breaking through is too risky!"

"We'll have to see how the decisions on the field turn out! As we speak, the cavalry unit is engaging!"

***

"Close formation!"

"Don't let them through!"

The Roman soldiers, who had been scattered loosely, quickly tightened their formation to face the Joseon cavalry. Rome focused on infantry strategies and had a deep understanding of formations. They swiftly moved into position as soon as they received the order.

From above, it looked like a single organism closing its wings.

Dudududu...!

The Joseon cavalry charged at them.

Swish!

Malatang signaled to the right.

"Left!!"

The horses' heads turned left in unison and the Joseon cavalry quickly changed direction. Just as the commentators predicted, they intended to avoid fighting and charged ahead.

“Ah! They’re just avoiding the fight!? This is their field judgment!”

“Yes! A good decision! Malatang!”

“But what about the crossbowmen!?”

Clink!

The Roman crossbowmen advanced as if they had been waiting for this. They planned to keep shooting from a distance rather than engaging in close combat.

“Ah, the angle! The angle is perfect! It’s the worst for Joseon!”

“The target area feels much larger!”

If the Joseon cavalry had charged straight, the crossbows would have aimed at a single point. Now, the Joseon cavalry presented themselves in a long line while trying to evade.

It became much easier for the crossbows to hit.

“Like shooting fish in a barrel!”

Pew!

Countless arrows flew.

“They’re falling!”

Thunk!

Several of Joseon's cavalry fell. They helplessly collapsed without doing anything.

“But some are blocking!?”

“Ah, it’s painful! I can feel the pain!”

Clang!

Some deflected the crossbow bolts with their heavy polearms. It was easier to block since the shots were predictable.

“We’ve lost about three to four units!”

“If they shoot again, more than half could be wiped out!?”

“They have to keep charging! Charge faster!”

“Ah, there are too many in the north to escape!”

The cavalry's purpose was to strike the enemy's rear, but too many enemies occupied the north. Even the perfectly positioned crossbowmen had expected their move. Charging forward seemed futile.

"Charge as fast as you can!" Malatang shouted at the top of his lungs.

Despite everything, the cavalry only had one solution. They needed to break through quickly and minimize the damage. That was their only option now.

“Oh!? But wait!”

The observer zoomed in on the cavalry formation.

“There's a fight breaking out!?”

“Someone's cutting down the Roman soldiers!”

“Ah, the right end! They’re stuck!”

— Crazy Almond

— ???

— He’s different for sure

One cavalryman on the far right had collided directly with the Roman soldiers. This would slow down the cavalry’s speed, but—

“He’s fighting well!? This is a battle variable! How many can he take down!? One! Two! Three! Four!”

Slash!

His polearm skillfully and efficiently cut through the Roman infantry.

“A crossbow bolt bounced off!”

A crossbowman shot at him, but he easily deflected it with his polearm.

Using the momentum, he changed stances and cut down another soldier.

Slash—

A long line of blood trailed where he passed.

“That’s insane! He can’t be stopped by just one or two soldiers!”

Blood splattered everywhere in a large circle as Roman soldiers kept falling. It seemed too crude to be a strategy, but too well-fought to be a mistake. The odd phenomenon made sense when the nickname above the player’s head was revealed.

[Almond]

— ??

— Ah

— It was you

— Nutjob

— Of course, he’s killing everyone while advancing

— ??? Break... break through and destroy?

“It was Almond! It’s Almond!”

The commentators stood up excitedly upon recognizing him.

“This... this is good! Strategically, it doesn’t make sense! But simply put, it’s highly advantageous!”

Despite the lack of strategic gains, killing so many enemies was advantageous.

“It’s like in school when you solve probability problems by drawing everything out!”

“Ah! Yes! That takes a lot of time!”

“This is just like that! The solution looks weird, but it’s advantageous! And it doesn’t take much time thanks to his monstrous physical abilities!!!”

— A nut who solves math problems with his physical abilities

— LOL

— There are people like that

— I was like that too LOL

— Math (Gym Class)

It was a display of tenacity and quick reflexes, enough to leave a strong impression on the enemies.

"What’s with this guy!?"

"Don’t back down! It’s almost over!"

However, it had its limits. Despite Almond’s efforts, the fight would inevitably be halted because it was structured that way.

“Ah! He’s getting blocked! His acceleration is decreasing...!”

“Even if he draws out all the probabilities, he can’t solve half the math problems! There’s a limit!”

More soldiers stabbed at him with their spears. With his decreased acceleration, his slashing power lessened. Each slash no longer felled an opponent.

“Neeeeigh...!” his horse screamed in pain.

“Of course, it’s too much to break through!”

Despite the game mechanics making it harder to bring down horses, so many spearmen made a difference.

“He’s about to be unhorsed!”

“Ah, he’s going down! A mountain is falling!”

Thud!

Almond finally fell off his horse.

“The cavalry is leaving Almond behind!”

“He bought them plenty of time even though he’s separated from the main unit!!”

“But Almond is still alive!”

Almond shook his head and quickly got up. Cavalrymen suffered a slight slowdown after being unhorsed, but his awareness remained sharp. He quickly assessed the situation.

The surrounding Romans stabbed at him with spears, tried to pin him down with shields, and rushed toward him.

'Where am I?'

Only now did Almond realize that he had been left behind.

'I wasn’t supposed to charge into the enemies?'

Almond had misunderstood the meaning of breaking through and could no longer execute the cavalry's plan.

'Should I just die quickly?'

Staying alive without fulfilling his role would only waste team resources. The game consumed food continuously as long as one was alive.

'I should die.'

Almond lifted his polearm with difficulty and charged at the enemies. If he was going to die, he would take as many with him as possible.

Clang...!

His blade clashed loudly against the Roman spears.

"Still struggling?!"

"?"

The enemy thought Almond kept fighting to buy time for his allies. It was true in a way, but Almond already intended to die.

"Hup!"

Almond quickly got up and slashed up at an enemy.

Slash!

He cut down a Roman soldier vertically with perfect balance and force distribution.

— Wow

— Like a double popsicle?!

— Still cutting through them;

“He’s fighting back after being unhorsed!?”

“Is Almond assessing the situation and trying to survive as long as possible!?”

His intention to die led to such perfect slashes that the commentators misunderstood. However—

"Huh?!"

The Romans weren’t idle. A soldier who seemed to be down grabbed Almond’s ankle. While Almond glanced down, soldiers from both sides rushed in.

Thrust!

Spears pierced him from every direction.

— Oh...

— Roman execution!

— ??? Bluetooth, you too...!

— Noooo

Almond tried to twist away, but the spears pierced his leg and abdomen.

[HP: 11%]

Thud.

Almond fell to his knees again. He would die from any more hits.

Then—

"Ha!"

A Roman soldier raised his sword high, but suddenly flew to the right.

A loud crash rang out.

Bang!

"?”

A huge shadow loomed over.

"Monster support!"

A familiar voice could be heard.

"Uh...? Why...?"

It was Malatang. Almond felt confused.

'Didn’t they leave me behind?'

Almond had deviated from the plan, yet the cavalry returned. He couldn’t understand.

"The plan has changed! Saving Private Ryan!"

Whoosh—

With Malatang's words, countless shadows of horses passed over Almond.

— Wow

— Private Ryan, LOL

- Nice!

Not just Malatang, but the entire cavalry had returned.

Thud!

Malatang raised his polearm high.

"Kill them all! We die here too!"

A mighty roar echoed across the battlefield.

"Waaah!"

It was unclear whether the roar came from the Joseon soldiers or the spectators. It was also unclear whether Malatang returned on his own or according to the commander.

One thing was certain.

'It’s flipped.'

The tide of the battlefield had changed.