Western Continent, early October of the year 2812, vol. 4:

""Assault-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

　With a shout, the knights on horseback are ready with their spears and one after another they rush into the battle line of Oltmere.
　They are followed by knights on foot, swinging their spears to widen the gap created by the charge of the horsemen.

'What are you doing!　Lances at the ready!　We'll just surround them and kill them!　Don't let him get away!

　The Oltmere commander in charge of the front line shouted at him.
　He gave precise instructions to his confused men who were frightened by the horse's charge. His shout chilled the heads of the floating knights.
　The orders of the front line commander were passed on to the commanders of the various units by message after message.


'Surround them!　Don't let them leave!

　The troop leaders who have grasped the situation scolded their subordinates with their mouths.
　The spears of the soldiers were pointed at the mounted knights of Zaruda.

You are a fool who does not know the normal course of battle!　The true value of a horseman is his mobility and forward motion!　A horse that is hobbled is only a conspicuous target!

　One of the troop leaders, who had blocked the retreat to prevent Zaruda's horsemen from escaping, smiled ferociously.

　While cavalry horses have excellent offensive and maneuverability, they have difficulty with endurance and defense.
　They are covered in metal armor all over their bodies and run with a human being at the ready with a weapon. No matter how strong the horses are, they are still living creatures. Naturally, there are limits. And it was never going to be a wise choice to jump into the enemy camp and fight on the spot without leaving.
　In fact, the spear-wielding knights of Zaruda on the spot are falling off their horses by having their legs cut off one by one.
　Even if they try to run their horses, they are brought into close combat and cannot get distance, so they have no choice but to wield their spears on the spot.
　And the cost of this reckless charge is great. The knights on foot, who were following behind the horses, were also overwhelmed by the numbers
He had cut that number down to half.

'Good!　Let's just crush them!　The Order of Merit is what you want it to be!

　Oltmere's troop leader exclaimed with a smile twisted with desire.
　Among the knights, it was decided that those who could ride a horse had a higher status. Defeating such a person would greatly affect the post-war argument.　
　No wonder his expression slackened. But his hopes would be brutally betrayed.

'Troop leader!　It's a new one!　

'Hey!　What!

　The unit commander's brain freezes for a moment when he hears his subordinate's report.
　That's because the report was so unexpected.

''What do you want to do!　If we don't, we're going to get caught between the front and back!

　He was fully aware of the dangerous position he was in, even without his subordinates telling him.
　In order to deal with the new troops, he would have to turn his troops backwards.
　However, if he did that, he would be showing an opening to Zaruda's knights who had surrounded him.

　There are few steps you can take if you have an enemy in front of you. And his decision was never wrong. However, he didn't have the time or the plan to break through the reality.
　You'll be able to find out what you can do about it.
　Something cold cut into his gut.
　The noise around him faded from his ears. And the sensation of something raw and warm sliding down his skin from his side.
　No pain. Just a sense of surprise and a weariness that seemed to drain his body of all its strength.

''You........''　

　The next moment, the spear is pushed hard into his stomach.
　The last thing his eyes caught in his interrupted consciousness was the hate-fueled eyes of a Zaruda knight whose entire body was dyed red with his own blood in return, and the figures of his men attacking the knight's body.


　A thousand or so troops newly assaulted Oltmere's frontline troops.
　They met up with the troops that had rushed in earlier and then rushed back into the back of the camp, contrary to the Oltmere side's intentions.
　Contrary to Saito's intentions, they apparently hadn't come to rescue the troops that were left behind.

''Poof!　Why can't you just draw your army?　What the hell are you doing?　They're going to give up their lives!

　The knights of Zaruda just keep pushing forward single-mindedly.
　They are like raging, ravenous bulls, rushing forward repeatedly. No matter how much you kill them, they show no signs of flinching.

　Normally, once the troops have charged in, they usually leave the front line immediately and regroup.
　Naturally, there are cases where they are surrounded by the enemy and can't pull back, but it is impossible for them not to choose to leave of their own volition in the first place. This is especially true when you are operating a horse.
　Of course, winning is everything in warfare. You don't have to choose any means to win.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more information on the subject. In his eyes, the commander of the Zaruda Kingdom seemed to have abandoned the idea of winning and simply chose to kill the Oltmere soldiers.

''What the hell do you mean by that?　Why don't they slow down their advance? If we don't, His Highness's plans will be derailed!

　Saito stared abominably forward.
　His role is to lead the Zaruda's troops to the point where they are laying low.
　This is a very important task, as it is the only way to keep your troops in line with the Zaruda forces.
　It's important to keep your own troops intact while fighting to the point where the enemy doesn't think it's unnatural, and yet never get drawn into a melee.
　And yet, Saito and Zaruda's army was engaged in a melee that could be described as a boggy battle.
　Oltomere's army wanted to draw their troops. Zaruda's troops were biting back and refusing to leave.
　The particular problem is that the entire Zaruda army is not rushing in.
　Although the Zaruda Army was formed in a horizontal formation, there were approximately 4,000 units positioned in the center of the formation that were repeating the assault.
　The troops deployed to the left and right feel as if they are trying to nail Oltmere's troops to the spot rather than advancing forward.

''Deputy Commander Saito!　No left or right wing!　Instead of sending reinforcements to the center, they're asking for reinforcements!　Zaruda's guys, they won't let our troops move forward, but they're insistent that our troops try to pull back. They're going to make us stop completely!

　One of the Night Demon Knights heard the report of the messengers who had rushed through the front line in a desperate attempt to die, and shouted out.

''Tch, what in the world are they aiming at?''

　In Saito's eyes, this situation is too unnatural.
　Zaruda's central unit rushed forward, ready to lay down their lives.
　The troops on the left and right wings biting down on Oltmere to prevent him from retreating.
　Unintentionally, Oltmere had been transformed into a crane wing formation and Zaruda into a fish scale formation.
(No way........these guys........)
　A hypothesis flashed through Saito's mind.
(Don't tell me he's after Your Highness?)
　When this thought came to him, Saito shuddered.
　He could sense the fierce and firm will to fight on Zaruda's side.
(Are you insane?　 But a 5% chance of achieving that would be a good one. Besides, whether we succeed or not, most of Zaruda's troops will be destroyed... yet we took the gamble... why?　No, I don't care why. We have to rebuild the battle lines first...)
　Saito shook off the boiling doubts and proceeded to think about how to deal with them.
　In any case, because of the insane suicide attack of Zaruda's central unit, the formation that had been lined up in a single horizontal line had been bent to the middle or in the shape of a Chinese character.
　If we don't regain our footing quickly, the center of the Altomere will be pierced and Shardina, who is stationed in the rear, will be in danger.　
　Saito thought about it and made a quick decision.

"Attention!　We have changed some of our tactics and will continue to attack Zaruda's army here. Inform Your Highness Shardina of the situation at once!　Nice!　And tell him that Zaruda's aim may be His Highness' head.

　The rendezvous point with the allied units that are bypassing the plain from the north and south is a place about 3km to the west.
　It is the perfect place for a surprise attack, as it is surrounded by small hills in three directions.
　It was Saito's job to lure Zaruda's troops there, and if he could do this, he could literally kill the entire Zaruda army.
　But Saito has given up on the idea of leading Zaruda's army to that point.
　This is a good thing, as it will allow you to get the most out of your time.
　If they were to break through the line of fire, it would put Shardina, who is in the rear, in danger. Of course, they are guarded by their own direct subordinate units, but there is no guarantee that they will not be breached.
　If that's the case, there's only one choice left. We must stop the retreat and prevent the Zaruda offensive.
If I inform Your Highness of the situation, He will surely send another force to attack Zaruda's rear, which will only change the place of attack, but.... ...the wear and tear will be more intense than expected... d*mn it!　(A bad idea.)
　It's not enough to just win this battle.
　We must reduce the losses of the Oltomere Army as much as possible.
　If we can't do that, the Oltomere Empire will not be able to prepare for the real enemy.
　It's a good thing that Saito knows this, because in his heart he cursed Zaruda's commanders.

''Tell all the reserve units waiting in the center!　We'll take on the Zarudas right here.　His Highness will send us reinforcements at once!　Until then, don't let the Zaruda people get through to you!

　Saito dismisses his usual calm demeanor and commands in a loud voice. That's how urgent the situation was. Hearing those words, his subordinates also understood the gravity of the situation and became tense.

I'm not going to let them get away with it!

""Ha!"

　The subordinates nodded in unison at Saito's words, and then scattered to their posts in unison.
　Zaruda and Oltmere. The war between the two armies was escalating into an all-out battle.