The Extra Wants To Live

The cavalry of the Tumari rebels, charging towards the cavalry of Carl's unit, all had pale and astonished faces. They were now charging up the hill, without even forming a proper formation, toward a larger number of enemy cavalry.

It was a no-win situation. If they charged, they would only end up dying. But to buy time, they had no choice but to do this. The commander, who was about to launch a cavalry charge, discovered the vanguard of the enemy cavalry descending at incredible speed. He couldn't help but notice it.

Even in the dark night, with blurred vision, Carl's figure stood out so brightly. "Just charge straight in!" he prayed to Hadad in his heart. Carl was coming down the hill at tremendous speed, and although he was fast, his formation wasn't strong, so the commander thought there was a chance.

The most important thing in a cavalry charge is to form a line. Despite knowing this, the Tumari commander was charging forward to buy time by engaging the enemy cavalry as far from the infantry as possible.

As if his prayer had worked, the cavalry of the Laurel Union continued to gallop without slowing down. "That's it! That guy was impatient too!" the commander thought, but at that moment, Carl's cavalry split in two.

Carl, who was at the front, increased his speed and turned to the right, and half of the cavalry followed him. The remaining half of the cavalry lined up and charged forward with their spears aimed. The Tumari rebel commander felt his head spinning. If they charged at the enemy in formation like this, they would be destroyed, and Carl, who had made a detour, would happily trample the rear of their forces.

However, if they turned to follow Carl, they would completely expose their flank to the cavalry charging in formation. Splitting the force in two was even more impossible. It would crumble in vain, like hitting a rock with an egg. In a fight, the side with the higher numbers wins.

Although the Tumarian rebels vastly outnumbered their opponents on the overall battlefield, the Laurel Alliance's cavalry outnumbered them in this smaller battlefield where cavalry combat was taking place. Tactically, it was a complete defeat.

"…Change direction! Change direction!" the commander finally shouted after much internal conflict. He decided to make a detour and attack Carl, who was aiming for the rear of his allies. What they needed was time for their rearguard to prepare defenses. Even if the flank was attacked and their cavalry annihilated, the situation could turn if the rear was protected. A cavalry charge is meaningless against well-organized infantry. They just had to block this one attack.

His bold and courageous decision to protect his allies, even at the cost of his life, deserved praise. But it collapsed in vain in the face of Carl's decision.

"Catherine!" Carl, riding at the head of the cavalry with his visor down, cried out. His voice rumbled through the sky like thunder and reached Catherine squarely. Carl didn't even look back at Catherine, who was running behind him. He simply raised his sword in his left hand high and spun it counterclockwise.

"Laurel Unit!" Catherine, seeing this, shouted loudly and, like Carl, lifted her spear and turned it around widely. The Laurel Wreath Unit was mostly made up of imperial soldiers—elite warriors who could fight as infantry when dismounted and as cavalry when mounted.

The Laurel Legion split off again to follow Catherine. Their numbers were small since the Laurel Unit was originally limited in size, but there were enough of them to protect the flanks from enemy attacks. Even if the numerical difference was significant, the number of fighters in a single clash was fixed. They just had to face the Tumari rebels once, and then their forces, descending from the hill in formation, would strike the enemy's flank and destroy them.

The Tumari rebel cavalry, who had been charging uphill but changed direction, were stretched out, exposing their sides. Everything was going smoothly under Carl's lead.

"Damn it! I'll smash it and break through!" the Tumari rebel cavalry commander growled, his flagship sinking at the sight. However, unable to retreat, he resolved to penetrate the small number of Laurel troops and strike the flank and rear of Carl's cavalry.

To stop them, Catherine's Laurel troops, though few, spread out in a long line to protect their friendly forces' flanks. The ranks were thin, spreading out widely, and all the Tumari commander needed was to break through them once.

He couldn't believe that a single charge wouldn't break through that thin wall. The Tumari warriors had no idea how formidable the Laurel Troops—led by Catherine and Billford, knights personally chosen by Carl and trained by him—would be.

Just before the clash, Catherine and Billford kicked off their horses' saddles and leaped forward. Three men from the Tumari rebel cavalry did the same. There was no reason for knights who wield mana to fight only on horseback.

As their masters left, the horses behaved as they had been trained. Catherine and Billford's horses slowed down and fell back since the ranks were thin, while the Tumari rebel cavalry's horses continued to ride at a steady pace, their rears blocked by their allies. Those who landed on the ground with one foot first ran towards each other. Three against two—a disadvantageous situation.

"Sir Billford," Catherine said softly, just before their swords clashed. Billford, her revered teacher and fellow knight, understood the meaning in her voice.

Just before their swords met, Catherine leaped forward, while Billford, who had been running alongside her, moved to the side. Catherine faced the three enemies alone.

The Tumari warriors, surprised by her reckless move, attacked Catherine at full speed, determined to kill her in one strike.
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Catherine, lightly armored due to the desert's extreme temperature fluctuations, couldn't wear full plate armor like Carl. Her lighter armament was useful in these circumstances but left her vulnerable in direct combat.

She placed her sword in a defensive stance, raising it diagonally to shield her head and chest while using her arms to protect her abdomen and waist. The Tumari warrior in the center raised his sword high, threatening her head, while the warriors on the left and right aimed spears and swords at her midsection and legs.

At the critical moment, Catherine made a series of precise moves, countering attacks from three directions. The sword that covered her diagonally suddenly rose, barely blocking the blow aimed at her head. However, it wasn't a complete block, and the opponent's sword struck Catherine's helmeted head.

Her right arm dropped down, freeing itself as she absorbed the blow with her helmet. Blood flowed from her arm as the enemy's sword embedded itself in her limb, cutting through her snake brace.

At the same time, a spear aimed at her left thigh was blocked by a short one-handed sword she had drawn with her left hand, demonstrating her mastery of dual-wielding—a skill taught to her by Carl. Though the spear grazed her side, tearing through her breastplate and causing blood to spurt from her waist, Catherine had managed to fend off all three attackers at once.

Billford didn't miss that momentary opening. He hurled a javelin, skewering the three men in one clean strike. He followed up by drawing his sword and charging, completely disintegrating the enemy cavalry's center before their clash.

Even though Billford was struck by a horse's chest and hooves, he stood firm, cutting down the spears aimed at him and creating space. Thanks to Billford's determination, the already-disorganized enemy formation split further, allowing the Laurel Troops to gain a significant advantage in the battle, despite their smaller numbers.

Kwaaaaang

"Ahhhh!"

Unlike the Tumari rebels, whose ranks were in shambles and they couldn't even aim their spears properly, the Laurel Tree troops were in such a tight formation that their knees were almost touching each other.

The cavalry of the Laurel Legion, who had been dismounted by a single blow, were only a handful in number, and they went into the gap created by Catherine and Billford, discarding their spears and drawing their weapons, and mercilessly trampled on their opponents.

"Sir Catherine!"

Billford, his armor twisted and in disarray after being hit by a cavalryman, hurriedly retreated to find Catherine.

Catherine threw herself into protecting the soldiers of the Laurel Legion and held on to three Tumarian warriors, but Billford was in such a bad state that his body was clearly visible.

Because he couldn't retreat and take advantage of the situation, he had no choice but to be attacked unilaterally by the three of them.

Billford felt flames pouring out from within him as he watched Catherine fall backwards after being struck in the head, still holding the enemy's spear tightly against her side.

No one knows Catherine's skills better than Bill Ford.

If they fought fairly, they wouldn't dare hurt Catherine, but three of them surrounded and attacked Catherine as she struggled to protect her soldiers.