Time Travel? Rebirth? I Win This Time!

Despite having seen battle records in his previous life where tens of thousands of soldiers were involved, Mike Bai now realized that 8,000 men was still an immense number—especially when those 8,000 soldiers had you surrounded in every direction.

Clad in heavy armor, Mike Bai cautiously poked his head out from behind the parapet of the castle wall. Outside, Saladin's 8,000-strong army encircled the unfinished fortress from all sides.

What Mike Bai saw before him were rows of enemy tents, the banners of Saladin fluttering ominously in the wind. The sight of Saladin's royal flag brought back painful memories that he would rather forget.

Today, after two days of camp preparation and rest, Saladin's army had finally moved into action. Thousands of armored soldiers surged forward like an unstoppable tide, their armor gleaming under the sun.

The first wave of attack came from Saladin's trebuchets. A group of strong men labored at the machines, turning the gears and lowering the giant throwing arms. On the opposite side, the counterweights were slowly raised. One of the strongmen secured the throwing arm with a rope, while another carefully placed a boulder the size of a human head into the sling. With the release of the rope, the counterweight dropped swiftly, and the trebuchet hurled the boulder through the air.

"Holy hell!" Mike Bai quickly ducked behind the castle wall as he saw a massive stone hurtling toward his position.

The boulder crashed into the wall beneath him, shattering into pieces and sending sharp fragments flying in all directions with an ear-splitting crash. Dust rose as the wall held firm, taking the brunt of the impact without a scratch. Mike Bai peered out again and saw that eight trebuchets were lined up, taking turns to prepare, ensuring that another boulder would strike the castle every few minutes.

As he watched, the second wave of attack arrived. About 2,000 archers advanced, forming loose ranks as they began to rain arrows on the castle.

At a signal from a high-ranking Saracen officer, over 500 arrows shot into the sky, arcing downward toward the castle like a dark storm.

Mike Bai dashed into a nearby tower as the arrows came down. Soldiers on the wall raised their shields in response. The sound of arrows striking shields and the walls reverberated through the air, creating a deafening noise. Most of the arrows had little effect, simply clanging off the stone and shields, though a few unlucky soldiers let out painful cries as the arrows found their mark.

The castle's archers returned fire from behind their defensive positions. Protected by the walls and towers, they were able to shoot with more precision, though their numbers were few, and they struggled to suppress the enemy's fire.

Mike Bai took up the heavy crossbow handed to him by Sassan. He lined up his shot on a low-ranking officer and squeezed the trigger.

The bolt shot out with a cold gleam, striking the officer's right-hand archer dead in the chest.

Mike Bai repeated the process, picking off several archers near the officer, but the officer himself remained unharmed, hiding behind his shield and offering frequent prayers of gratitude to his god.

"Wait a second…" Mike Bai snapped out of his concentration. It struck him: Why were the enemy sending only ranged troops to engage him? Where were the infantry to assault the castle?

As he pondered this, the sound of a horn suddenly blared, signaling the retreat of the Saracens. They pulled back, taking their wounded with them. Aside from a few stray arrows, the once-thriving battlefield now looked eerily empty, with only the remnants of the conflict remaining.

"What are they up to?" Mike Bai muttered, scratching his helmet in frustration. "They can't be doing this for nothing… not with so many troops surrounding the castle. My… reinforcements!"

His eyes widened with realization, and he immediately began to pray, "Baldwin, please be sharp enough to figure this out."

Meanwhile, 50 kilometers outside the castle, Baldwin's kingdom army was marching at full speed. The news of the siege had reached them a day ago, and they had quickly changed course to return to the castle.

When they crested a hill, they were met with the sight of a village that had been razed. What had been a prosperous settlement just a day ago was now a smoldering ruin. Thick columns of smoke rose into the sky, and distant flashes of fire could still be seen. The sounds of looting and plundering echoed from the remnants of the village, where Saracens could be seen carrying off stolen goods.

"These damn infidels! How dare they treat the faithful of our Lord like this?" Commander Audode cursed vehemently as he turned to Baldwin, his face flushed with anger.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to lead the Templar Knights to slaughter these heathens!"

"Let me go as well, to defend the people of the kingdom!" Count Raymond added, equally eager to act.

Weary from the long march, Baldwin simply waved his hand in exhaustion. "Go, but be cautious of Saladin."

At Baldwin's command, Audode and Raymond immediately led their respective groups of knights—about 500 in total—toward the village.

As the knights charged toward the Saracens, they saw the enemy scatter in panic. They had been caught off guard and, in their haste to flee, abandoned their looted treasures.

"In the name of the Lord!" Audode shouted as he spurred his horse into the midst of the enemy. His massive sword cleaved through the body of a Saracen with ease.

The Templar Knights followed, cutting down any Saracen they encountered with brutal efficiency. Within moments, the enemy's morale shattered, and they began to scatter in all directions.

But before the knights could celebrate, an arrow flew out from the distance, striking Audode's shield with a loud clang. He turned his head to see about 300 Saracen cavalrymen, now pulling their bows to strike back.

"Perfect! I was worried I wouldn't be able to please the Lord with enough blood!" Audode shouted as he urged his horse forward, charging into the enemy cavalry.

Meanwhile, Raymond also led his knights to attack from the opposite side. The two forces collided with the Saracen cavalry, and in a matter of moments, the Saracens had lost half their number, while Baldwin's knights suffered almost no casualties.

The Saracen cavalry, terrified by their heavy losses, dropped their weapons and fled northward, screaming in panic.

"Glory to my Lord!" Audode shouted once more, rallying his men to give chase.

"Wait! Lord Audode!" Raymond cried out, seeing the reckless pursuit. But it was too late. Audode was already galloping ahead, leaving Raymond and his men to follow.