Chapter 1502 1342: Magical Orb: The Challenge 1
After the episode on the ice plain, Alex expected to be sent to another game but unexpectedly he was still here, meaning it was not the end. He wondered when all this would end.
As he returned to his fief, a majestic fort, he was assigned a new strategist, a woman with a normal appearance, slightly sleepyhead, Madeline.
Johnson immediately requested for a duel to test the newcomer and Alex accepted.
This world was technological, a unique orb where you could create an avatar and train without fearing losing your life, Alex was shocked the first time he saw it and used this to train his man. This magical orb would be used again for this challenge.
°°°
Everyone observed the big screen before them.
On the other side, Madeline swayed from left to right while riding on a short, thin warhorse. At the same time, the thick, gorgeous book in her hands was spread out before her. She held the book in one hand while the other gently rubbed the page corner. Her downcast eyes hid her thoughts from everyone.
Johnson Cavalrymen had formed an assault formation on the gentle slope of the valley. Sun rays shone from behind him illuminating the entire plains and valleys. This was the best terrain for the Cavalrymen and this triangular assault formation was apparent of Johnson's abilities in commanding his subordinates.
"How should we go about doing it, Miss Madeline?"
Marcus narrowed his eyes as he gazed toward Johnson's majestic group of Cavalrymen on the other end. However, the glaring sun made it impossible for him to carefully observe their every movement. Even though he had gathered the mercenaries and garrisons together, the young lady sitting casually on the back of the warhorse remained silent.
Although the mercenaries and garrisons were abiding by orders strictly… This wasn't a test for them, after all.
"… Hmm…"
Madeline didn't immediately respond. On the contrary, she lowered her head and fiddled with the page with her right hand. After a few moments, she let out an indistinct hum.
"Defensive formation. Spread out on both sides."
"Spread out?"
Marcus was taken aback by her answer. He turned around and gazed at the clutter of a hundred soldiers. Then, he shifted his narrow eyes to the neatly grouped and heavily-equipped Cavalrymen in the distance. He couldn't understand what Madeline was plotting. A hundred infantries against Cavalrymen was already tough enough and she still wished to spread their positions out?
"Let's start."
Before Marcus could fully understand the situation, Alex gave his order and a mage beside him extended her hand forward. She shot a dazzling fireball into the sky to signal the start of the battle.
"Everyone! Attack!"
Johnson lifted his pike with a proud smile. Then, he swung the pike down before taking the lead and charging forward.
The Cavalrymen behind him screamed a battle cry in unison, leaped down the slope like a mountain torrent, and aimed for their targets on the other end.
"Defensive formation. Spread out!"
Marcus raised his sword and commanded loudly without any hesitation.
Even though the troops under him weren't as powerful as veteran soldiers, they perfectly displayed their strict discipline. Without any delay or question, the troops split into three rows to form a narrow line of defense. At this moment, Johnson's Cavalrymen were within close range.
"…!"
The bystanders held their breaths. Johnson took the lead while the Cavalrymen behind him were inseparably close. Their united formation was as though a sharp blade slicing forward.
On the other end, Madeline sat slanted on the tiny warhorse as though she was just a passerby while the flustered Marcus appeared more like their commander.
"Hmm?"
Perhaps due to Marcus being unable to accurately understand Madeline's command, Johnson's Cavalrymen had already charged forward when he got his troops to put up a defensive formation. Johnson was astonished as he had experienced many battles and this was the first time that he witnessed last-minute changes to the formation and at such a slow speed too.
'What was the purpose of putting up a defensive formation when he had arrived in their faces?!'
"Charge!"
Johnson swiftly gave a command and his Cavalrymen accelerated!
Both sides finally met!
Boom!
The Cavalrymen mercilessly ripped through the defensive formation that was formed in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, more than 30 troops in the defensive formation flew off upon impact. Even though they wouldn't suffer from lethal damage and die in the mirage, injuries were still unavoidable. And now, the magical orb system had labeled them as 'Dead' as they lay unconscious on the ground.
Johnson's ruthless assault was as though a razor-sharp blade slicing through a gauze. Not only did the defensive line crumble, but the surrounding troops also panicked and their formation turned into a terrible mess, where another assault from the Cavalrymen would leave them at a dead end. Marcus turned to the young lady beside him hurriedly and she lifted her head and swept a glance forward.
"Advance. Forward."
'Advance?'
Marcus felt that this command was incredibly strange and even ridiculous.
'The opponents have punctured a hole in our formation so what's the point of us charging forward?
If Marcus was a player, perhaps he would have ridiculed Madeline for having a lagging Internet connection. But Marcus wasn't in the mood to mock her judgment. He bestirred himself desperately and yelled for the troops to charge forward. Even though Marcus's orders were senseless, the troops eventually abided.
Madeline watched leisurely from the back while Marcus shook his head and let out a hopeless sigh. Although the formation was messy, the troops managed to maintain their formation with their long hours of training and experience.
"I guess this is asking too much of her."
Someone commented. The head of the mages is named Cecilia.
Cecilia let out a subtle sigh. She had led the Mage team in battle, fought against the Reformist Party several times, and more or less understood situations on the battlefield.
Currently, it appeared that the troops under Madeline were a spent force. Even though they managed to maintain their neat formation, Cecilia was sure that they would crumble completely as soon as Johnson led another assault. The Cavalrymen had the upper hand against infantries in the first place, and it didn't seem possible for Madeline to turn the situation around.
Indeed. As though proving Cecilia's prediction, Johnson led his Cavalrymen around the plain and regrouped into an offensive formation to deal the final onslaught through Madeline's troops from the back. This time, Madeline would be utterly defeated if she didn't come up with any adjustments.
"Stop. Gather. Turn around."
Even though the situation was incredibly tense, Madeline didn't show any signs of nervousness at all. She lowered her head and scanned the page in her hand before giving another command. Marcus hurriedly urged the troops who were charging forward to stop and regrouped them. At this moment, Madeline gave another command that left Marcus speechless.
"Form a triangular assault formation."
'Assault?'
Marcus grew increasingly suspicious of her capabilities. In fact, from the start, he felt that this young lady performed like a newbie and had slow reactions. Not only that, but she also misjudged the situation, which led to the loss of over 30 troops on their side.
So what if they gathered into an assault formation? They were infantry while the opponents were Cavalrymen! There would still be a chance to win if our men have pikes, but what can they do against the Cavalrymen's assault? Isn't this asking for death?
Even though Marcus cursed inwardly, he could only follow Madeline's orders since Alex had instructed him beforehand.
This time, Marcus reacted swiftly, but the result was almost the same as before: Johnson's Cavalrymen had arrived before them when they finally regrouped.
"Sigh…"
Many of them sighed as they believed that the conclusion had been made. Johnson's first assault had shattered Madeline's troops and it went without saying that she would surely fail if he were to penetrate her troops once again. There were no two ways about it.
Even at this crucial moment, Madeline nodded her head as though she was about to fall asleep on her warhorse and forced herself to stay awake like a student nodding off in class. The furious gallop of the warhorses had arrived before her.
At this moment, she lifted her head suddenly.
"Charge."
That was all she said.
"Charge!"
Even though Marcus couldn't read her mind at all, he charged forward intending to end this battle with alacrity! It was better than not retaliating at all. He raised his sword and brandished forward!
The two triangle formations collided heavily. The Cavalrymen crushed the troops below them with no difficulties and everything would end as soon as they punctured the opponents before them. But…
"Eh?"
Anne widened her eyes in astonishment. The crowd surrounding her also had a change of expression.
Johnson didn't gain the victory as the bystanders had expected. Instead, the Cavalrymen panicked and their inseparable formation stirred like a pot of hot soup.
To maintain the speed of their assault, the Cavalrymen maintained a certain gap between them. But now, they had lost the 'safety distance'.
The Cavalrymen from the front and back crashed into one another. Some tried to avoid, it but lost their balance and fell to the ground. The luckier Cavalrymen weren't any better. They lost their threat after losing their
acceleration. In addition, the Cavalrymen couldn't even turn around in the chaos, during which the infantries took advantage of the situation and dragged the Cavalrymen down from their warhorses.
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