Chapter 334: Gate to Heaven
Being chased by nearly two thousand Fallen cavalry was quite troublesome. Although Roland was not as directionally challenged as Anson and had a very accurate grasp of the route, he still made some mistakes.
Roland's precise control of the route actually resulted in a mistake.
He shouldn't have run in a straight line - those fallen warhorses didn't need to rest, and when running in a straight line they could charge at top speed the entire way, and if the distance was a little longer, ordinary horses wouldn't be able to outrun them.
Instead, they should lead Aigram to keep changing directions and take a zigzag route, because the Fallen Warhorse, like the Fallen, has lost most of its flexibility, and its reaction and turning are very slow, so you can rely on constant and flexible changes of direction to get rid of them.
But Roland only realized this situation after being chased for several miles, and it was too late to adjust... because the Gatu horses ridden by his own troops were already quite tired after a continuous high-speed sprint for five miles.
As a result, Roland only led Aigraim six miles before he had to shoot a signal arrow to call for reinforcements.
His troops were overtaken.
Leon and Lisadiran did discover the flaring arrows shot into the sky in time, but when they led their troops to respond, Roland's troops had already been entangled.
Roland himself was a skilled fighter and not easily affected by Aigrim's spells, so nothing happened to him.
But his soldiers were in big trouble.
Including Ilanor, these warriors from the Raven Stern seemed to have a hard time facing the Fallen cavalry - their attacks lacked lethality to the Fallen.
Although their archery skills are decent, it is difficult to accurately shoot through the brain of the Fallen - even if they shoot accurately, their force is not enough to penetrate the black helmet of the Fallen ghost.
Not to mention hand-to-hand combat, even the muscular men of the Silver Hand couldn't defeat the Fallen in hand-to-hand combat, so these mediocre Raven Realm warriors were naturally no match for them.
The only thing worth praising is their courage.
Almost every warrior was fighting desperately, trying to hold back the large group of Fallen so that Roland could escape.
Roland recruited his subordinates mainly based on their character, and most of his subordinates indeed had the good quality of being willing to sacrifice.
But it was precisely because of this good character that Roland did not flee alone - the sacrifice of his men gave him ample time to escape the battlefield, but he turned back twice to rescue his troops...
Sometimes being kind is a sin.
Because kindness makes it difficult for people to make decisive decisions, and it is more likely to cause greater losses.
When Leon and the Noldor arrived, more than half of Roland's men had been killed or wounded.
There were approximately 1,000 Fallen cavalrymen currently present, and many Fallen were approaching from a distance. They were probably the ones who had fallen behind when they were chasing Roland.
Roland himself was being besieged by some fallen ghosts, and beside him were the former Dawn Knights led by Reynard.
Another group of Fallen who were lined up more closely were circling behind them, probably preparing to complete the encirclement.
Leon didn't see where Aigram was. It was probably mixed in with the Fallen Ghosts - the group of Fallen Ghosts that surrounded him from behind were arranged quite densely, and it seemed that the entire team was emitting black mist.
When a group of Fallen Ghosts move together, it is difficult to tell who is the Aigrim because they all look the same.
They rode the same horses, wore similar helmets, and were all monsters with no skin or flesh and big exposed eyeballs.
People do look the same when they lose their skin.
The only difference is the armor they wear - many of them are the armor they wore before they lost their souls, and some of them are still wearing Dawn Knight armor.
But the problem is that their armor and helmets don’t match, and many of the Fallen even have two different gloves...
In other words, Aigram must have asked these Fallen Ghosts to change their equipment. It is estimated that he just wanted to minimize the losses of the Fallen Ghosts and did not consider whether it was a complete set or not.
This is a practical demon who can drive people with obsessive compulsive disorder to death...
This made the group of Fallen Ghosts look like they had a mixed bag of equipment, but it also made it even harder to tell which one was Aigrim.
Perhaps, every Fallen Ghost can be considered as Aigrim, because the black fog has been surging in the queue, which can completely cover that team of Fallen Ghosts.
This might be Aigrim's way of fighting - he could switch bodies at any time, and it would be difficult to catch him on the battlefield unless he killed all the Fallen Ghosts until there was only one left.
Roland's troops had already been mixed up with the Fallen. Even though the Noldor Rangers were skilled archers, they were not well suited to long-range attacks. If they wanted to save him, they had no choice but to charge directly into the battle formation.
Leon did not hesitate. While the battlefield was still somewhat chaotic and Aigram had few Fallen cavalrymen here, he led the team to charge directly. There was no other way. The Gate of the Abyss was still on Roland. Without it, the whole plan would fail.
Moreover, Roland must be rescued before the fallen cavalry that have fallen behind get close, otherwise the gap in strength between the enemy and us will become larger and larger.
Perhaps Aigram was indeed quite afraid of the Noldor elves, so the team of Fallen ghosts emitting black mist did not fight back. After Leon's charge, the other Fallen also separated their forces and formed a defensive formation.
Leon felt a little heavy in his heart - nearly a thousand Fallen cavalrymen were facing a Noldor force of more than four hundred people, with a gap of more than twice the strength, but Aigrim actually took a defensive stance?
It was obvious that Aigrim was well aware of the fighting capabilities of the Noldor forces.
But since Li Ang had already ordered a charge, they had no choice but to charge to the end - if they couldn't break through the enemy's formation, they would be forced to stop and then be surrounded and beaten.
The impact force of the Noldor was actually not that strong, because they were all lightly armed and riding fast horses, so their weight and potential energy were not great.
But the Noldor charged lightly and on horseback; at least they were extremely fast and agile.
Leon did not intend to command the Noldor as he had commanded the Pendor Lancers. In fact, he did not command them at all. He gave the task of leading the troops to Lisadiran.
He himself led a few experts as the front-line assault team.
These masters are actually four Twilight Knights from the Noldor army.
Wendy brought more than four hundred Noldor warriors, four of whom were Twilight Knights, two of whom were old acquaintances of Leon, Seideren and Neuer.
Seidren has actually become a resident of White Hart Castle - he is now responsible for the protection of the Noldor trading market.
Neuer is the captain of the Noldor mercenaries sent by Islandil to earn extra money, and is also the patrol leader.
The other two Twilight Knights are also patrol captains. There are three Noldor patrols in total, from three tribes.
Several Twilight Knights protected Leon on his left and right. The five knights formed an arrow shape, forming the forefront of the cavalry charge.
A team of Fallen cavalry formed a row, slowly turned their horses, and headed towards Leon.
"Punch through them!"
Seeing that the enemy was turning slowly and had no time to accelerate, Li Ang ordered his troops to penetrate head-on.
He held the elongated lance in his left hand and stabbed a fallen man in the neck, knocking him off his horse.
The lance broke with a sound.
Then, Leon swung his sword in his backhand and slashed at the fallen warhorse that had lost its owner.
The head of the fallen warhorse flew up as the two horses collided, and the bloody body of the horse fell down.
Both the men and horses fell, but there was no neighing or screaming, and the fallen man with a half-broken lance on his neck was not dead!
It even stood up shakily, and the half lance on its neck swung back and forth as it turned its head, almost knocking the two Noldor rangers behind it off their horses.
"Don't bother with them! Cut the horses as best you can!"
Leon looked back and shouted to the Noldor behind him.
It is true that we cannot engage in a tangle, because the Fallen are not easy to kill, they must be beheaded, and hand-to-hand combat is not cost-effective.
The Noldor all used swords and shields. Although the Noldor swords were of top quality and had great lethality, they were short weapons after all. When fighting against cavalry, it was difficult to chop off the opponent's head with a short weapon.
There is only a split second of opportunity when two horses cross each other, but this opportunity is too rare because the Fallen will also raise their shields to protect their heads.
The Fallen are not undead, they have simply lost their flexibility, but they still have combat awareness.
Only those fallen war horses were easier to attack - the horse's head was positioned further forward, and the Noldor could use the speed of the charge to cut off the opponent's horse's head with one sword. Once the horse was killed, the fallen would naturally not be able to catch up.
Leon drew out another sword with his left hand. Now, he held two swords in each hand - Dragon's Fang in the left hand and Griffin's Sword in the right hand.
Going into battle without a shield is actually a bad habit, but Leon really doesn't like using a shield...
Fortunately, the Fallen lack long-range attack means, so it is not a problem if they don't carry a shield.
These zombies have lost their flexibility and have slow reactions, so they may not be suitable for using bows and crossbows.
As for close combat... a shield is actually useless - Sai Deren on Leon's left hand side did hold up a shield, but his shield only withstood a casual sword strike from a Fallen Ghost, and then flew out of his hand...
His shield is not just held in his hand, but is tied to his forearm with a belt, so it is usually not easy to get rid of.
However, the belt tied around Sederen's left forearm broke after being struck by the Fallen!
In fact, the Noldor enchanted shield was of very good quality and was not damaged at all. But Sederen's left hand was obviously numb from the shock, and after bending and stretching his hand twice, he shook his head in fear.
The power gap was too great for the shield to hold up. Since Sederen's forearm was not fractured or dislocated, he was considered to be in good physical condition as a Twilight Knight.
Li Ang wielded two swords, rushed to the front and slashed all the way, and there were no problems.
His movements were much faster than those of the Fallen, and the two swords in his hands were both extremely sharp national treasure-level weapons. He achieved good results by using speed to defeat the slow.
The Dragon's Fang was indeed wasted in the hands of Gregory IV. This sword should have been used on the battlefield.
Before long, Leon led his team to kill through two waves of Fallen who were intercepting them, and there was no obstacle between him and Roland.
"Roland, keep up with the troops!"
As he approached Roland, Leon shouted loudly.
But as soon as he said this, Roland fell off his horse - unfortunately, at this moment, Roland's horse was chopped to death.
"Throw the codex to me!"
Leon reacted quickly, knowing that the cavalry troops that were charging at this time could not stop, and Roland had lost his horse and could not keep up with the main force, so he could only use the Gate of the Abyss to lure Aigrim away!
“Don’t run in a straight line!”
Roland shouted loudly and threw the Code of Heresy out with a wave of his hand, but Leon had swords in both hands and it was difficult to catch it.
He simply stretched out his sword and strung the code onto the sword.
"Eggrim!"
Leon shouted, rushed across the battlefield with a sword in his left hand, and chopped down a Fallen next to Reynard with his right hand.
The Fallen Ghosts that had been watching the battle from the outside finally reacted. This troop began to accelerate silently, but they did not rush towards Leon, but towards Roland in the middle of the battlefield!
Aigram is very cunning!
"Aigrem! Don't you want this thing anymore?!"
Leon roared loudly, and the Dragon's Sharp Fang lifted up the Codex of Heresy and held it high above his head. The cover and part of the parchment were pierced by his sword, and the ebony pages of the Gate of the Abyss jingled as they hit the sword.
"roar……"
A dull roar came from the group of fallen ghosts, shaking the whole area.
Seeing that Leon was picking up the code with his sword, looking like he was going to destroy the Gate of the Abyss, Aigram seemed to be really anxious.
This roar might be some kind of command, perhaps it could mark the target. Following this roar, the Fallen troops began to turn collectively, and the Fallen who were originally besieging Roland also rushed towards Leon.
Moreover, the dull roar seemed to have magical power and could cause harm to people from a long distance. At this moment, Le Ang felt as if he was hit on the head by a huge hammer. He felt dizzy and stars appeared in front of his eyes.
Roland's men were also affected to varying degrees, and Reynald even fell off his horse.
Is this Aigrim's soul spell?
It can attack a person's soul from hundreds of meters away, and it can also attack a large area...
With this skill, human troops have no way to fight it! Fortunately, I didn't fight it head-on!
Leon turned his head and looked. Fortunately, the Noldor were not affected at all.
Aigram did not roar like that again, probably because such a large-scale spell would consume a lot of energy.
"Lisadiran! Shoot left and right!"
Li Ang shook his head, his brow still aching slightly. He did not look back, but picked up the Code of Heresy with his sword and rushed forward as if holding a flag.
It seems that what the prophetess Medea said was right. Leon had evil thoughts in his heart and his soul was not pure enough. He was indeed not suitable to be close to Aigraim. Roland was almost unaffected. While the Fallen turned around and surrounded Leon, Roland dealt with the enemies around him and helped Reynard and others back on horseback.
The large army of Fallen began to attack Leon from both sides, and the Noldor Rangers behind him could finally display their horse archery skills, mainly shooting arrows to the left and right sides to slow down the speed of the Fallen cavalry's flanking and prevent the team from being surrounded.
Aigram's ability to command was quite terrifying. Almost all of the Fallen cavalrymen followed the best route to encircle them.
If you look down from the air, Leon's team is like a centipede at an extremely fast speed, being surrounded from all directions by groups of ants. Moreover, these ants will also consider the advance time and move in front of Leon in advance!
"Everyone to the right! ...Everyone follow me!"
Knowing that he would be affected by the spell, Leon stopped fighting. He handed his sword to Neuer, letting the Twilight Knight wield two swords and take on the task of clearing the way.
In the previous charge, Leon noticed that the Fallen's horses were slow to turn and react, so he led his troops to make various rapid turns.
Sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, with no regular pattern.
But overall it seemed like it was just going in a circle, gradually moving towards the expected battlefield while constantly changing direction.
The winding trajectory of the movement worked. The Fallen Warhorses really couldn't keep up with such flexible changes of direction. The advance consideration that Aigram had taken into account also didn't work. Gradually, all the Fallen cavalrymen fell behind.
Roland and his men did not waste the opportunity this time. After getting the chance to break out, they rushed out in the opposite direction and avoided the main battlefield.
The wind gradually grew stronger, dark clouds covered the sky, and the sky gradually became darker.
Some flashes can be vaguely seen in the clouds.
A thunderstorm is coming.
But Li Ang couldn't let his troops keep galloping at high speed, otherwise the horses would not be able to bear it.
After running two miles, you have to slow down, wait for the Fallen troops behind to catch up, then speed up and change direction to shake them off, then slow down again.
Leon was not sure whether he could lead Aigram to the giant tree within the specified time, nor was he sure whether he could hold Aigram under the giant tree until the thunder struck.
Man proposes, God disposes. This saying is particularly true at this moment.
The galloping cavalry brought up grass debris along the way, and the rumbling of their horses' hooves plowed a trail of black mud behind them.
The hillside was very close, sparse drops of water had begun to fall, the sky was almost dark, three o'clock in the afternoon, and it seemed like it was already past dusk.
But just as Leon led his team up the gentle slope, Aigrim's army of fallen stopped chasing...
A large group of Fallen ghosts stopped at the foot of the hill, seemingly observing something, or perhaps waiting for the Fallen who had fallen behind.
Leon frowned. He realized that Aigram might have sensed something unusual - after being led to run for more than ten miles, no matter how much he wanted to snatch the Heresy Code, he would always feel something unusual.
After all, it had been seduced once not long ago, and it did not blindly chase Roland at that time.
However, seeing that the opportunity to destroy Aigrim is right in front of us, how can we stop it?
Li Ang lit a fire on the top of the hillside. It was a large pile of firewood that had been prepared in advance. The raw materials were the branches and leaves of the trees that had been sawn off in the morning. Under the tallest giant tree, a pile of wood with a diameter of 20 meters was formed.
And he threw the heretical code onto the giant tree with force.
Two Noldor elves were standing on the branches of the giant tree. They had stuck the codex in the middle of the trunk at least forty meters above the ground, at the pass where the tree had been struck by lightning.
"Aegrim, do you want the Gate of the Abyss? Come one on one! Defeat me and you can save it!!"
Li Ang clasped his hands and shouted loudly.
A thunderstorm was approaching, and sparse drops of water were falling from the sky, but these drops had little effect on the bonfire that had been prepared in advance. The flames quickly devoured the trunk at the bottom of the giant tree, and the two Noldor elves on the tree jumped down from a large horizontal branch on the side.
Li Ang set fire to this thousand-year-old giant tree.
He also added a bucket of oil to the fire in front of Aigram.
The fire rose up rapidly, the flames reached a height of more than three meters, and the gloomy sky was illuminated again.
The Code of Heresy was placed in a high place that was difficult to reach.
This was certainly not a spur-of-the-moment decision; everything was just going according to plan.
The pages of the Abyss Gate made of ebony are certainly difficult to damage, but difficult does not mean that they cannot be burned at all - as long as the fire is maintained long enough and the temperature of the flame core is high enough, the ebony will melt.
This giant tree itself means a large amount of high-quality fuel - the diameter of the base of the giant tree reaches seven meters. If it is allowed to burn, it will take three days and three nights to burn out.
But the current situation is a little later than Leon expected - lightning can already be seen in the clouds. If Aigram is not led under the tree within a few minutes, he will miss the lightning strike!
"roar……"
The huge roar was heard again, and Leon's head became dizzy again.
Then, Aigram finally spoke: "Stop! That's the Gate of Heaven! You can't destroy it!"
The voice sounds quite charming, hoarse, low, but full of magnetism.
but……
The Gate of Heaven?
Isn't it the Gate of the Abyss?
