Lord of the Rings: Warriors

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Holin quickly rushed to Nyx's side, concern evident in his voice. 

After all, some magical scrolls came with stringent requirements, and no one knew what price Nyx had paid to unleash that spell. 

(While most scrolls release stored magic upon being torn, a few rare high-tier scrolls demand spiritual energy or even life force from the caster!)

"I'm fine," Nyx shook her head gently. The fifth-tier wind magic wasn't particularly rare. 

She had released it without even expending a trace of her mana. 

However, the precious high-tier single-target scroll crumbled into fragments, vanishing with the wind moments after its use.

"Protect the Grand Duchess and escort her to safety!" Holin commanded firmly. 

The area was no longer secure. Staying here increased the risk of unforeseen attacks—who knew what other long-range threats the Easterners might still have up their sleeves?

"You all must be careful... and come back alive!" Nyx clenched her fists nervously. Despite her youth, her composed response to Holin was admirable under the circumstances.

"We will uphold our honor! Long live the Duchy of Nyx!" Holin struck his chest with a resolute fist before turning to mount his horse and ride away.

Nyx gripped her staff tightly and spurred her mid-tier magical steed, the Froststride Horse, forward. 

Flanked by nearly a hundred Zaltarion Empire Royal Guards, she swiftly exited the encampment from the rear.

"Why are you back? Where is the Grand Duchess?" Lavian froze in his tracks at the sight of Holin, his mind momentarily blank with shock.

"You big-browed, seemingly reliable idiot! Did you leave Her Highness behind?!"

"I ordered the guards to escort her to safety. It's too dangerous here! Sky Knights riding wyverns have appeared. 

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if something worse showed up," Holin shrugged helplessly.

"You should have retreated with her! Protecting Her Highness is far more important than the outcome of this battle!" Lavian was nearly shouting, grabbing at Holin's collar in frustration.

"A wounded knight like me would be of no help beside her. I'd be more useful contributing my strength here," Holin sighed. 

To be fair, his presence near the Duchess wouldn't have made much of a difference. 

Knights were most effective as a group; a lone knight wasn't as intimidating as people might imagine. (Of course, if you're a sixth-tier hero, that's another matter entirely.)

"You..." Lavian hesitated, swallowing his words. What he didn't say was that he wanted to preserve the last embers of the Knights of the Crossed Purple Jasmine. 

If this battle ended disastrously, at least someone would survive to carry forward the legacy of the knights.

"Commander! Give the order! It's time for us to attack! We're knights—we either charge or prepare to charge!" Holin forced a grim smile.

Every true knight was a madman at heart. The nature of knightly warfare meant they rarely faced evenly matched opponents. 

A standard 100-man knight squad charging into a formation of 1,000 soldiers was considered normal. 

Even the Holy Radiance Knights charging into tens of thousands was a standard expectation. The pressures borne by knights were unimaginable to ordinary people.

"As you wish! Knights, assemble!" Lavian's heart burned with renewed resolve. A flame of faith ignited in every knight's chest.

"We are the duchy's last knights! Fearless and unyielding! If hell lies ahead, let us embrace the abyss with passion! 

Face death head-on! Knights of the Crossed Purple Jasmine, charge!" Lavian leveled his lance as fiery battle aura surged around him. 

He had activated every enhancement skill he possessed.

"Honor is my life!" Holin raised his lance with his uninjured right hand, verdant wind battle aura enveloping him.

"For the Duchy of Nyx! For the Zaltarion Empire!" one of the knights roared with tragic fervor. 

(Zaltarion Empire: Oh, so you finally remember me? Am I really so irrelevant among my vassal states?)

Perhaps people mocked the Duchy of Nyx's infantry for their subpar equipment and lack of training, relying only on courage and loyalty. 

But the same could not be said for the Knights of the Crossed Purple Jasmine. Don't forget—the Duchy of Nyx was under the Zaltarion Empire. 

Their knights trained under the Zaltarion system, making them true Zaltarion knights. In combat and loyalty, they were among the finest, embodying the very foundation of the Empire!

"Kill!" The Eastern Crusade's few cavalry units surged forward, following Lavian's lead. This force of fewer than 100 mounted warriors now became the battlefield's greatest wild card.

Thud!

Thud!

Zaltarion-crafted steel lances pierced through enemy armor—be it iron, leather, or cloth—with ease. 

The knights merely had to channel their battle aura and level their lances to effortlessly reap lives. 

Eastern soldiers were hoisted into the air, whether ordinary fighters or seasoned professionals. Against these death-defying knights, they were like paper, torn apart in an instant.

Crack! 

The sharp sound of wooden lances snapping echoed. The remaining Eastern soldiers faced the light cavalry, whose weapons now shattered like combs running through their lines. 

Though not as devastating as the heavily armored knights, the light cavalry had an advantage: the Easterners, locked in combat with the Crusaders, were like sitting ducks.

The light cavalry's wooden lances, designed to break under excessive impact, ensured their riders weren't thrown off their mounts by the sheer force of collision.

With lances broken, the light cavalry drew their swords. 

Using the momentum of their charging mounts, they angled their blades to decapitate enemy soldiers with swift, deadly efficiency. Their lethality only increased as they switched tactics.

"Waaah!" 

The Easterners broke into panicked cries. Terrified of the terrifying knight and cavalry assault, they abandoned their weapons and fled in disarray, their army collapsing entirely.

"Regroup!" Lavian's eyes lit up with relief as he called off the pursuit.

"Assist the wounded! Finish off the enemies! We're getting out of this hellhole!" Lavian shouted. He had no desire to linger in this battlefield turned slaughterhouse. 

The Crusade had already suffered devastating losses. Barely 500 soldiers capable of fighting remained. They couldn't withstand another clash.

"Retreat!" The survivors' voices rang out in chaotic unison. This single word brought a sigh of relief to every remaining soldier. 

Though prepared to die, the chance to leave alive was a fortune they hadn't expected.

.

.

.

Guys, do leave some power stones and reviews.

🤞patreon.com/MythosWriter🤞

If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.