After the horrific massacre at the fortified city of William de Fort, the troops led by Lady Utopia immediately moved towards the port city of Skoland, known as the port of Aber.
However, Lady Utopia and her Crafters did not march with her troops this time, because she had received a summons from the leader of The Eight Swords, Sir Plato, to gather at the capital city of Axalon.
Guinere, as one of the kingdom's elite knights, felt very relieved to be separated from Lady Utopia. He could not shake the memory of the massacre that occurred at William de Fort. The echo of the screams and the sight of the bloodthirsty Crafters still haunted him.
The command of Lady Utopia's troops was temporarily handed over to her deputy, Sir Gilles with a total of eight thousand soldiers. Sir Gilles, a stern-faced man, now bears the heavy burden of leading this formidable army.
Sir Gilles himself is an elite knight of the kingdom, who was directly educated by one of The Eight Swords, Sir Anor, the Sharp Archer.
Sir Gilles has a very opposite nature to Lady Utopia; in fact, he was horrified by the way the Lady had attacked William de Fort.
The night before the attack on the harbor, Sir Gilles sought out Guinere's tent.
"Greetings, Guinere," Sir Gilles began in a low voice of greeting, "I heard you begged the Lady not to commit a massacre. Is that true?" Sir Gilles asked Guinere in his resting tent.
"It is true, my lord," Guinere replied, his voice low and hinting at his shame and guilt and the memory of his futility still bitter on his tongue, "I did beg the Lady not to commit a massacre; at least, that she might spare the children and women."
"It is not your fault, Guinere, do not worry. It was the Lady's decision, and hers alone. Now, let us rest, for we shall attack Aber Harbor tomorrow. Rest well, and do not forget your task tonight."
Sir Gilles tried to calm Guinere, who was still struggling with his regrets. It was at this moment that a rare bond of friendship tried to form between the two knights, a brief bond formed in mutual anxiety.
"Does my lord, Sir Gilles, intend to carry out another massacre upon the people of Aber Harbour?"
Guinere asked Sir Gilles, his tone tinged with curiosity and hope.
"No, at least not those who do not resist. Our duty is only to secure the harbour, so that our supply lines are safe. Long live King Oswald!"
"Long live King Oswald!" Guinere responded to the greeting, his heart light with relief.
After receiving Guinere's greeting, Sir Gilles hurried to his own tent, to discuss his plans with the other elite knight commanders.
"What are your plans for tomorrow morning's attack, Sir Gilles?" Sir Galdrich asked Sir Gilles.
"Since this harbour is not fortified, we will enter using the method of besieging the city. I hope this method will also cut off Scotland's supply lines. May this war soon come to an end."
"If the enemy uses cavalry, let the spearmen immediately form a schiltron formation. Cavalry will prove to be very troublesome." Sir Gilles spoke with the calm authority of an experienced tactician.
"That will be all. Now, all of you, rest. Glory to King Oswald!"
"Glory to King Oswald!" Sir Galdrich and Sir Urak replied to Sir Gilles, pressing their swords against the map table, forming a steel triangle.
Sir Galdrich was the one leading the spearmen, while Sir Urak was the one commanding the archers and trebuchet artillery.
Sir Gilles himself commanded the elite knight infantry, serving as Guinere's direct superior.
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Elsewhere, on the same night,
The Skoland forces received a shipment of goods from a small country located to the west of Skoland, the Republic of Eire.
The Republic of Eire was Skoland's only ally. Despite their alliance, the Republic of Eire did not declare war on the Axalon Kingdom, instead choosing to simply send supplies to the Kingdom of Skoland.
The knights of Aber Harbor, who had received aid from the Republic of Eire, were instantly energized and filled with confidence, confidence in the victory that was now within their grasp.
"Hahaha, what a magnificent weapon! This will surely destroy many of those savage Axalon troops!" exclaimed a Scottish soldier, showing off the strange and heavy device with a grin.
"You were right, brother! We will avenge the deaths of our brothers at William de Fort!" shouted another Skoland soldier.
Before this, the eight thousand Skoland troops of Aber Harbor had been plunged into deep despair after hearing the bad news from William de Fort, believing they had no chance against the Lady Utopia's troops.
But now, everything had changed. With the help of new weapons from the Republic of Eire, they were confident that they could win the battle tomorrow. A strong sense of confidence had replaced their previous fears, fueled by the mysterious weaponry they now possessed.
"But how could a country as small as the Republic of Eire acquire such advanced technology?" a curious Skoland knight asked an elite Skoland knight.
"Who can say? Enough of your insignificant curiosity about the affairs of an allied nation. You'd better get some rest and prepare to operate this weapon!" the elite Skoland knight ordered.
"M-me?"
"Yes, you. That's an order," the elite Skoland knight said firmly, pointing his finger directly at the confused soldier.
"V-Very well!"
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The next morning, as the sun rose, the Axalon forces had gathered and quickly formed a siege around the city from all directions.
The Axalon forces had also secured all exit points, ensuring that no Skoland troops could escape.
The trebuchet line and the Axalon elite troops were ready to attack, their Axalon shields and weapons tightly gripped.
After a tense wait, the horns sounded, their piercing sound piercing the morning silence, the trebuchets prepared to launch... and then suddenly,
"BOOM!"
A massive explosion struck the trebuchet line, causing all the Axalon troops to look at the destroyed line. Gasps of shock and disbelief spread through their ranks.
Fire erupted and thick black smoke billowed upwards. Not a single trebuchet line survived; all were reduced to smoldering ashes.
As everyone was still staring at the trebuchet line with deep unease, Guinere heard a massive explosion coming from the center of the city. Guinere focused his gaze and saw a trail of smoke rising.
No sooner did Guinere understand this than a massive explosion erupted among the spearmen, nearly wiping them all out.
"MOVE, ALL OF YOU! CHARGE THAT BARBARIC CITY!" Sir Gilles shouted to his troops, his voice booming, cutting through the chaos and fear.
Guinere and the others charged forward at top speed into the city; they were met by a hail of arrows from the Skoland in the harbor towers and the various archer towers.
The hail of arrows did not faze the Axalonians; they quickly raised their shields above their heads, protecting their upper bodies.
Guinere and the other elite Axalon knights managed to enter the city, which had no solid defensive walls, and quickly secured the entry point.
Sir Gilles and Sir Galdrich also entered the city along with hundreds of surviving Axalon spearmen.
"Greetings, my lord Sir Gilles, we have secured the southern part of the city. Let us attack whatever is in the center of the city," Guinere suggested to Sir Gilles.
"Wait! We must wait for Sir Urak's archers in the east," Sir Gilles shouted.
"Yes, my lord," Guinere replied.
Then, suddenly, a tremendous explosion echoed from the center of the city, and shortly after, a massive explosion occurred in the eastern sector.
Smoke and flames blazed, leaving no doubt that no living soul was there. Horror came over Guinere; the rest of the army, obliterated in an instant by the unholy flames.
"Sir Urak... DAMN YOU, SKOLAND! MOVE TO THE CENTER! DESTROY THAT CURSED DEVICE!" Sir Gilles ordered the elite knights, his voice blazing with burning rage.
Guinere and the other elite knights continued to advance towards the center of the city, their ranks thinning with each desperate charge.
Charge after charge was met by Guinere and the other elite troops, though many of them fell.
As they neared the center of the city, a sudden, massive explosion shattered the elite knights' formation.
The ground exploded, throwing humans around like puppets, their armor shattered under an unseen force.
It was a weapon they did not recognize. A weapon that threw hot iron balls at them.
This weapon was not alone; there were five such machines, surrounding a larger central device.
"Damn it, what is that? What is that strange thing?!" an elite Axalon knight shouted, his voice bordering on hysteria, his eyes wide with terror born of ignorance.
"Sir Galdrich..."
Sir Galdrich had died, leaving only the right side of his body. The power of that weapon was truly terrifying.
The Axalon army, which had originally numbered eight thousand, was now reduced to a thousand. Sir Gilles and Guinere were still alive, but now they were surrounded by the Skoland army.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why did things turn out like this? DAMN IT!" Sir Gilles shouted in frustration.
Remembering the motto of the Axalon elite army:
"Honor meus fides mea est"
Which means:
"My honor is my trust"
They formed a defensive formation phalanx, prepared to fight to the last breath.
"Look at these fools!" a Skoland men taunted, a cruel laugh escaping his lips.
"Really, do they really think they can hold off the cannons?" another Skoland men added, his voice filled with disdain.
"CHARGE!" the Skoland men's cannon captain ordered, his voice loud as he moved the red-hot iron ball towards the Axalon troops.
"BOOM!"
The cannons were fired, accompanied by the Skoland's melee troops. The thunderous roar of the cannons was greeted by the clink of steel.
Due to the cannon fire and the siege by the Skolands, the remaining elite Axalon knights were almost all killed, leaving only a hundred men, including Sir Gilles and Guinere.
Now, those who remained fought the Skolands' melee troops with their weapons.
Guinere's left arm was injured, forcing his to throw away his shield and fight with only his sword.
"WATCH OUT, GUINERE!!!" Sir Gilles shouted, and instantly sacrificed himself to protect Guinere from the enemy's warhammer. He threw himself forward, a final act of desperate loyalty.
"CRACK!"
"My lord!" Guinere gasped in shock. He saw Sir Gilles' shattered helmet, from which red blood flowed.
A scream was caught in Guinere's throat as he watched the life fade from his commander's eyes.
"Long live King Oswald..." were Sir Gilles' last words before his head was struck once more by the enemy's warhammer.
Of the elite Axalon troops, only Guinere remained. He felt that it was impossible to win this battle.
A long sword struck Guinere's helmet, blurring his vision. He could no longer see the other Skolandmen as clearly as before.
Then a spear pierced Guinere's armor, and blood poured from his stomach, but he was still alive.
His last act, as he was impaled, was to throw his sword, hitting the Skolands spearman, before He finally fell.
As Guinere, the elite knight of Axalon, fell there, the other Skoland warriors felt an overwhelming sense of joy. A roar of victory erupted from their throats, echoing throughout the ruined city.
Finally, they had avenged the deaths of their brothers in the fortified city of William de Fort.
Little did they know that this was only the beginning of all that was to come...