Our Family Has Fallen

Whistling shells smashed into the Knights’ formation, erupting in an intense crackle like frying beans, quickly drowned out by the thunder of hooves.

But the results of the battle could not be concealed.

Several of the supposedly invincible Knights fell immediately. Some were hit directly, while others fell because their steeds, struck by gunfire, went berserk, halting their charge and tossing their riders to the ground.

If they were lucky, they could roll to dissipate the force and rise again; but more often than not, they hit the ground hard. Some, unlucky enough to be trampled by their horses, let out agonizing screams.

Alvin only felt a heavy blow to his chest. Fortunately, his armor was no ordinary gear; despite a noticeable dent, it successfully blocked the Lead Bullet.

Lance calmly lowered his musket, seemingly unsurprised that his target had not fallen.

He had tested the musket’s power against Knight’s Armor. Knight’s Armor two millimeters thick could easily withstand a musket at one hundred fifty yards. Within a hundred yards, the likelihood of piercing depended on where it hit.

These muskets, though standard issue, were produced by the Totnes Academy workshop. Their own forces were equipped with this very type.

Lance had improved the gunpowder. After granulation, its power increased, giving him confidence in its ability to penetrate armor and inflict damage within a hundred yards.

However, against Supernatural Power, its effectiveness would be greatly diminished.

Though the Knights suffered losses, their formation remained unbroken. Before Lance could react further, they had closed the charging distance to within fifty yards.

The Baron, amidst his ranks, breathed a sigh of relief. Muskets require a long time to reload after just one volley, and at this distance, they won’t get another chance...

”Change formation!”

At Lance’s shout, his soldiers immediately lowered their muskets and spurred their horses to disperse to the flanks.

Lance commanded one group and Reynard the other, clearing the path of the enemy’s charge. It seemed they had no intention of confronting them head-on.

Fully armed, man and horse together weighing possibly a ton, the heavy Knights found it difficult to halt their momentum once charging. Faced with Lance’s sudden change of formation, the Knights had no time to turn their mounts and quickly found themselves flanked.

Just as those Knights attempted to wheel their mounts around, the soldiers on their flanks drew pistols.

The Baron was stunned. Pistols?!

Lance and his men paid no heed to the Baron’s confusion, unleashing another volley. The short barrels of the pistols naturally lacked the power of the long-barreled muskets, but at a mere twenty yards, a direct hit was still potent enough to tear through armor.

However, the charging Knights were not defenseless. They raised Shields with their left hands. Though the bullets pierced the Shields, they had little remaining force to inflict further harm.

The horses, however, had no such Shields. Their barding was breached by bullets, causing them to rear and struggle violently. In this exchange, a few more unlucky Knights were unhorsed.

Nonetheless, their remaining momentum carried them out of the flanking envelopment.

The Baron, leading the charge, remained unscathed by bullets, but the relentless gunfire left him feeling utterly humiliated.

A Knight might die on the charge, but not ignominiously like this!

These were indeed elite Knights. Even under such circumstances, they hadn’t crumbled. Instead, they began to spread out, attempting to engage Lance’s soldiers in close combat.

But at that moment, Lance and Reynard rallied their men and charged, harrying the Knights’ rear, giving them no easy opportunity to turn.

A bizarre scene unfolded: Alvin and his Knights had initially charged Lance, but now Lance was pursuing Alvin and his men.

Their positions had completely reversed, making it appear as though Lance’s cavalry were chasing down a fleeing enemy.

Regrettably, few witnessed this ludicrous spectacle, as Alvin and his company finally executed a wide turn on the open ground, wheeling back to charge Lance’s men.

The knightly lance was indeed devastating in a charge, concentrating nearly a ton of force onto a single point. A direct hit was almost always fatal; even the elite warriors of the Warwolf’s Barbarian Tribes had been instantly crushed by such an impact.

This was why Lance had avoided a direct counter-charge; he knew his own cavalry couldn’t withstand such an impact.

However, his earlier maneuvers had blunted their charge. Now, without the space to build momentum, their cumbersome lances became a liability, difficult to wield effectively at close quarters.

So, the Knights naturally discarded their lances, drawing their Knight’s Longswords instead.

Among them, even the Baron, typically the calmest of the Knights, felt rage surge through him. We’ll make these country bumpkins pay...

Then, the Baron saw Lance’s soldiers holster the pistols they had just fired, their right hands now drawing sabers.

Just as the Baron braced himself for a traditional cavalry melee, he saw those same soldiers draw *another* pistol with their left hands.

The Baron’s jaw dropped. Not again! What happened to the honorable knightly duel? Do you people have no martial virtue?!

Lance, however, noticed their momentum falter and couldn’t help but reveal a smug smile. What era are you living in, still playing with traditional charges?

His right hand drew the bone knife, Wolf Fang, while his left held a pistol as he charged forward.

These cavalrymen had learned tactics, formations, and riding skills from Reynard.

They had learned how to wield sabers from Barton.

They had studied two-handed combat with Dismas.

Lance had equipped each of these cavalrymen with two pistols, a long-barreled musket, and a saber suitable for slashing.

Upon encountering the enemy, they would first fire their muskets. A volley from fifty men was enough to eliminate some enemies, or at least weaken them with injuries if not outright killed.

When they closed to within fifty paces, they would use their pistols. At such a short range, aiming was barely necessary, and ordinary Knight’s Armor wouldn’t withstand the impact. Even if it did, the kinetic energy of the Lead Bullets would stagger the Knights and disrupt their movements.

After these two volleys, the enemy’s rhythm would be thoroughly broken. Only then would Lance’s men draw sabers and charge into the fray.

The third shot, from the pistol in their left hand, was reserved for point-blank range, often aimed at the face. No one could withstand such a close-quarters blast—it was essentially one shot, one kill.

This Three-Stage Tactic was specifically designed by Lance for dealing with the Heretics: use concentrated firepower to weaken the enemy, then move in for the kill.

Through this series of tactical maneuvers, at least a dozen of the enemy Knights were struck down, and their charge was decisively broken.

In an instant, the fresh Hamlet Cavalry clashed with the heavily armed Knights, the two formations colliding violently...

The bone knife obtained from the Sacrifice of Warwolf had, on its description panel, only displayed the traits ”Sharpness” and ”Armor-Piercing”.

But its actual performance in combat genuinely startled him.

Confronting a Knight charging furiously towards him, Lance fired his pistol. The man instantly raised his Shield.

These Shields were typically covered with a two-millimeter layer of iron plating, backed by a wooden board for support and cushioning. Some finer Shields also incorporated leather padding. Such composite materials allowed them to be both lightweight and offer ample protection.

The Lead Bullet Lance fired pierced the Knight’s Shield, shattering the wooden backing into splinters, though the bullet itself lost most of its momentum.

However, Lance seized the moment the Knight raised his Shield to defend, surging forward.

As they passed each other, the blade of Wolf Fang sliced through the Knight’s Shield as effortlessly as if it were cutting leaves, and struck the Knight from his horse.

Only then did Lance, with a sidelong glance, see the full extent of the damage: the Knight’s Shield was split in two, the arm holding it severed. Even the Knight’s Armor beneath was gashed wide open, the blow nearly cleaving the man in two.

Damn! How terrifying!

Lance had anticipated that this Legendary Weapon would be powerful, but he hadn’t imagined it would be *this* devastating.

But in the next instant, Wolf Fang vanished from Lance’s hand. Simultaneously, the pistol in his left transformed into a Shield, and his right hand now gripped a Warhammer, which he brought crashing into the enemy ranks.

His new Shield parried an oncoming longsword, and he pressed closer, bringing his Warhammer down upon the Knights.

The Knights desperately tried to block with their own Shields, but against Lance’s ferocious strength, their efforts were futile.

The moment their Shields met the Warhammer’s head, they shattered. The unstoppable force of the blow caved in their armor. Struck by such power, the Knights were sent flying from their saddles as if hit by a runaway dump truck.

This is the power of a Champion!