Infinity, The Arcade Age

Chapter 420 - 420: The Battle Begins

Toread remained tense, preparing for the imminent onslaught from King Arthur and his forces, but to his surprise, no major attack came.

Quite the opposite, in fact—King Arthur and his group came forward to bid him farewell.

Toread's expression was one of confusion as he watched Arthur, who had brought only a few trusted followers with him.

Upon entering the castle, Arthur and his companions were taken aback to see that the halls were filled with soldiers.

The two sides sat down at the table, keeping their distance, and exchanged polite pleasantries.

While speaking in hushed tones, Arthur and his companions exchanged covert glances.

The size of the defensive force was clearly beyond their expectations, but with the situation reaching a boiling point, there was no turning back now.

Arthur locked eyes with Merlin, who was standing nearby. His gaze gradually hardened. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, Arthur stood up with a smile and extended his hand to Toread.

"Lord Toread, due to the unexpected circumstances, we must depart earlier than planned and are unable to say our goodbyes to His Majesty in person. Please convey my apologies to your King on my behalf."

Toread's expression turned stern as he quickly stood and shook Arthur's hand.

The grass-fork knights that he had called in—who were standing around the room, weapons in hand and expressions wary—kept a close watch on the proceedings.

"Our King is away on business and unable to return in time to bid you farewell. I hope Lord Arthur will not take offense."

The two men spoke solemnly, their voices sincere, like two close friends about to part ways, both looking unwilling to let go.

At that moment, Merlin, who had been subtly shifting closer, quietly moved behind a few of his trusted knights.

Suddenly, the staff Merlin had been holding began to emit a blinding light.

Seeing the flash of light, Toread immediately pulled his arm back, trying to free himself from Arthur's grip.

But with a forceful yank, he realized that his arm was firmly held by Arthur, and he couldn't break free.

Arthur's expression turned vicious as he held Toread's wrist with all his strength to prevent him from escaping. With his other hand, he reached for the holy fork in Toread's grip and yelled, "Attack!"

As soon as the command was given, the sound of battle erupted from behind them.

Merlin, the great mage, raised his hand and conjured a massive portal, pulling in elite knights from another castle under King Arthur's command.

Teleportation magic! This was a common spell among the mages of the Round Table world!

However, most mages could only teleport themselves, and the process was slow and obvious. It was rare for someone like Merlin, a powerful mage capable of teleporting large groups, to exist in this world.

Even for Merlin, such a feat required significant preparation time.

But suddenly, numerous knights emerged from the light, catching the grass-fork knights off guard. Realizing the threat, they immediately raised their forks and charged forward, shouting in anger.

In an instant, the once peaceful meeting had turned into a chaotic brawl, with both sides clashing violently in the hall.

As the commotion spread, knights guarding other rooms and corridors also burst in, quickly joining the fray.

The castle was filled with the deafening sound of battle cries.

Outside the castle, hearing the uproar, the mercenaries stationed nearby looked at each other, having already received their orders.

In the next moment, they nodded in unison, raising their forks and charging toward the castle where King Arthur's forces were stationed.

Merlin, even if he were strong, could not have teleported 4,000 knights in one go.

Those he had brought were only a few, while the main force still awaited orders inside the castle.

As the elite knights of Arthur's army tried to break through the castle gates to reach their leader, they were immediately met with resistance and forced back.

The mass of grass-fork knights, armed with forks and torches, poured in from all directions, their murderous intent clear.

If it were only the grass-fork knights, the elite knights under Arthur's command would have easily dominated them, given their exceptional martial prowess.

Relying on equipment and sheer numbers to overwhelm them would not be an easy feat, especially since elite soldiers are the least susceptible to tactics like these.

However, the real problem was that they weren't only facing grass-fork knights! There was also a powerful unit under Qin Ming's command!

That force was made up of crossbowmen!

Toread had secretly stationed his only unit of crossbowmen to guard against just such a situation.

No matter how skilled your martial arts were, crossbows were a different matter entirely!

In a single volley, dozens of Round Table knights were killed, forcing the rest to retreat in panic and regroup inside the castle.

Carrying powerful crossbows—though of varying designs, all of high quality—the crossbowmen, surrounded by grass-fork knights, surged into the castle and began a brutal defense against the Round Table knights.

The crossbows shot relentlessly, while the grass-forks swung fiercely. Faced with these piercing weapons, the Round Table knights were forced to fall back, their positions slipping further into disadvantage.

However, while the Round Table knights struggled, Arthur's forces, with the advantage of their surprise teleportation, began to gain the upper hand.

Toread never anticipated that the enemy would come after him specifically. He had sent out his most elite forces to guard against a potential uprising from the Round Table knights.

Though crossbowmen were stationed around him, their numbers were limited.

The less elite forces, facing the best of Arthur's knights, stood no chance of winning.

Arthur, holding onto Toread desperately, suddenly let out a scream, kicking Toread away with all his might.

When he pulled his hand back, a fork had been thrust through his palm, the sharp tines piercing deep.

Looking at the fork stuck in his hand, Arthur then glanced up at Toread, who had been thrown into the crowd but quickly helped up by his men.

Arthur's face was a mix of anger and satisfaction.

With a forceful tug, he pulled the fork out, pocketed it, and issued a command.

"Withdraw! Out of the castle!"

Hearing their leader's order, the knights around him dashed for the windows.

In their heavy armor, they smashed through the windows, leaping into the streets below.

They were headed to meet up with their fellow knights and force their way out of the city, back to their own territory.

But as they arrived outside the castle, they were met with a shocking sight: the area around the castle was already surrounded by people.

Countless mercenaries, armed with forks, were pressing forward.

Within the castle, the Round Table knights were now cornered, pushed back into the innermost parts of the fortress, showing no signs of attempting to break free.

Looking at the vast crowd ahead, King Arthur and his companions changed their expressions. Just as King Arthur was about to charge forward, the Grand Mage Merlin stepped forward and forcefully stopped him.

"Your Majesty! The enemy is too fast! The legion is already surrounded! They can't break out! Don't worry about them anymore!"

"But!"

"There's no 'but'! With the Holy Sword and the Holy Fork in our hands, we have everything! The priority now is to find a way to escape!"

Upon hearing Merlin's words, King Arthur's expression became uncertain and gloomy.

He glanced at the elite legion surrounded by dozens of times the enemy's numbers and then at the precious treasure he had just seized. He gritted his teeth and made a swift decision.

"Retreat!"

Turning around, the hundreds of elite knights immediately turned and began running, heading straight for the distant city gates.

The defenders at the gates weren't terrifying crossbowmen, but they were part of an elite ranged unit carefully arranged by Toread, one of the few long-range forces in the Empire: the Archer Legion!

To be precise, they should be called the Hunter Legion.

Most of the members of this legion were hunters from the mountain villages, armed with self-made hunting bows. They were entrusted with the crucial task of guarding the last gateway.

Now, seeing people charging forward, arrows immediately rained down from the sky.

While the power of these arrows wasn't as terrifying as crossbow bolts, the upgraded hunting bows still had considerable lethality.

The royal guard, charging up against the arrows, had several of their own fall under the barrage. With each fall, King Arthur's eyes twitched violently.

These were not just any soldiers; they were the most elite and loyal knights in his guard. They were his lifeline.

At this moment, it wasn't just soldiers dying—it was his foundational trump card being lost!

After paying the price of dozens of lives, the royal guard finally reached the gates and clashed with the defenders holding spears.

With a forceful push, the royal knights managed to open the gates while enduring both ranged and close combat attacks.

Seeing this, King Arthur was overjoyed and immediately led the group outside.

Beyond the city, the soldiers he had sent earlier had secretly left a large number of horses in a hidden corner, along with a cavalry unit of two thousand.

If they could meet up with them, escaping would be assured!

The royal guard, pursued by countless enemies, rushed into the woods.

After suffering nearly a hundred casualties, they finally reached the designated meeting point and successfully met the cavalry they had been waiting for.

The two thousand cavalry, upon hearing the commotion, didn't hesitate to charge forward. The terrifying impact of cavalry became evident.

The brave spearmen, facing the oncoming two thousand cavalry, quickly scattered and fled.

Looking at the scattered pursuers, King Arthur, now mounted, suddenly shouted.

"Don't chase them anymore! Retreat! Back to the territory!"

Cavalry against infantry—especially heavy cavalry against infantry—was an overwhelming advantage.

They were like ancient tanks: impervious to blades and arrows, with an immense intimidating power.

But even the strongest force has its limits. You can fight ten, but can you fight a hundred?

Two thousand against four thousand, and they could break through easily.

Two thousand against eight thousand, and they could still push through.

But if they truly faced off against all the spearmen in the city, it would be two thousand against over a hundred thousand! And each of those enemies had formidable armor!

Charge? Even if you smash the horse's head, you won't move so many people!

In the previous charge, over three hundred knights had already been killed directly. This was because the pursuing forces were mostly farmers with no battle experience. They instinctively feared the cavalry charge, like a tsunami.

Otherwise, even if they won, they would probably lose half of their men.

Now, if they didn't seize the opportunity to escape, there was no guarantee they could outrun the main force of pursuers.

The sound of hooves grew louder. The two thousand knights escorted King Arthur and the others, rushing toward the official road, hoping to distance themselves from the capital.

Finally, seeing that they had exited the town's range, King Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the Holy Fork in his hands, his tense nerves finally relaxed.

But it was clear he had relaxed too soon. As they slowed down, the sound of rapid hooves suddenly came from behind.

Everyone turned around in unison, only to discover that a cavalry unit had caught up with them!

A cavalry unit of five thousand men!

Riding mismatched, but upgraded mounts, each holding an extended spear, the second special cavalry unit of the Spear Empire had appeared!

This was the Spear Cavalry! Thrown together by Qin Mingdong, choosing the most elite soldiers and the strongest horses... Well, actually, any kind of horse would do for the Empire's cavalry!

At the front of this cavalry unit was none other than Toread, the Empire's deputy officer!

He raised his head and stared ahead. Upon seeing King Arthur, who was gazing at him in shock, Toread, dressed in heavy armor and wielding an extended spear, had a grim expression.

He had been hesitating, but as the enemy closed in, a look of determination appeared in his eyes.

The next moment, he suddenly raised his hand, unbuckling his faceplate, and then leveled his spear forward, pointing at the over two thousand knights ahead.

"Brothers! Fight for freedom!"

"Freedom!!!"

With that battle cry, Toread led the charge, and the thousands of cavalry collided directly into King Arthur's elite knight unit...

At the same time, on the other side, Qin Ming's thirty thousand troops, with the help of numerous militia forces, had successfully blocked the so-called great evil Duke

Looking at the regimented forces still holding out in the village, Qin Ming, leading his troops to encircle them, had a grim expression on his face.

Standing next to him were several orderlies.

Through the orderlies' reports, Qin Ming now understood that King Arthur's forces had been up to something, and he realized he had been led into a trap.

Looking at those before him, all dressed in evil Duke armor but clearly identifiable as the Knights of the Round Table, he took a deep breath.

Then, with a sudden sharp wave of his hand, he shouted.

"Kill! Leave none alive!"

Lead them out? Seize the castle?

Ridiculous! Qin Ming might have doubts about his own command ability, but he would never doubt the strategic genius of Deputy Officer Toread!

If his daughter were a general, then Toread was a military prodigy! In fact, the Empire's survival and stability owed a great deal to Toread's contributions!

If the enemy had lured Toread out, they might have had a chance to seize the castle.

But what use was it to lure Qin Ming out? He was essentially the Empire's flag and mascot!

With Toread around, Qin Ming didn't worry about the castle.

Since the enemy wanted to play, he would play along—he'd crush their forces and see who suffered more!

With Qin Ming's order, tens of thousands of troops launched a full assault on the village.

The extermination battle officially began.

(End of Chapter)