Ever since he was a young lad, people always complimented Ivar on his exceptional eyesight. Out of all of his men and the people he’s come across, his eyesight has always been superior. No one even came close to being able to see what Ivar could see every day. So, Ivar was the only one laughing when he saw a golden armored chap at the top of the hill swinging a slingshot!
“What’s so funny, boss?” Oliver wanted to laugh, too.
“There’s some bastard up there using a slingshot. You know, those things we used as kids?” Ivar wiped a tear from his eye. He was laughing too hard as they raced up the hill.
“Really!?” William had burst into laughter. “What kind of stupid bastard would bring a toy to a battlefield?”
Ivar and his men all laughed together while slaughtering their way up the hill. Lord Rohan’s soldiers tried to stop them, but the teamwork and skill of the mercenaries weren’t something they could keep up with. None of the arrows fired and shot at the mercenaries landed on them as they skillfully weaved or defended against them. Heads continued to fly along with bodies falling until they made it halfway up the side of the hill.
"Are these bastards even trying!?" William exclaimed before he and his horse were instantly thrown off their feet into the air.
No one but Ivar saw that a hand-sized rock hit William straight in the chest. That thrown rock somehow had enough force behind it to fling both William and his horse through the air. The world slowed to a crawl after witnessing the death of his friend. Ivar’s head cracked to the top of the hill, where he saw another rock heading straight for another one of his men. From the angle and speed, it was clear that it would hit Oliver on his right.
Ivar’s mouth slowly opened as he shouted for Oliver to dodge. Oliver just slowly turned to look at him as his face contorted into confusion. The mercenary leader couldn’t do anything more to prevent Oliver’s life from being taken, even if he tried. The rock caved Oliver’s face in as he went spinning off the back of his horse into the air. By this point, the rest of the fellas finally realized that they were being taken out!
“On top of the hill! The slingshot thrower!” Ivar informed them all. “Don’t fucking move in a straight line if you want to live!”
By following Ivar’s orders, the survival rate of the mercenaries rose. The golden armored bastard had good aim but not impeccable aim. Some unfortunate bastard on his horse occasionally got slugged by Ivar with a tossed rock. It didn’t take a glance to realize that they wouldn’t be getting back up ever again after being hit by one of those rocks.
The soldiers in their way were still slaughtered, just not as easily as before, while trying to prevent their rush up the hill. Although, because of the slingshot asshole at the top, Ivar's men were a lot sloppier in killing them. This led to numerous injuries and cuts that could’ve been easily avoided if they weren’t pressured by that golden armored stone thrower! Their momentum was slowed, and more and more mercenaries were falling to the rocks.
Lord Rohan’s soldiers and conscripted commoners didn’t just lie down and die for the mounted mercenaries. Even with their lacking skills, they could use a spear to poke a rushing horse. Those stabs built up over time and lowered the speed of the horses. With the combination of the unskilled but determined soldiers and the accurate powerful thrower whittled down the mercenary troop to mere dozens by the time they made it up the hill to the golden knight. The golden knight was not as big as Ivar thought, but his chosen weapon, a giant flail, sure made up for that.
He stood tall. His body, weapon, and mind were ready to face Ivar and his remaining men all by himself. It felt absurd to say, but why did Ivar feel like this match-up wasn’t as clear-cut as it looked? Superior numbers should easily win this, right? Just to be safe, he ordered his men to attack first.
“Charge him! Surround him and attack all at once! Don’t go easy on him because he’s one man! I can see Lord Rohan’s tent behind him! Don’t let the sacrifices of our brothers be meaningless!” Ivar shouted.
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The mercenaries were filled with rage and courage all at once. The remaining horseback mercenaries charged with their weapons. That golden knight didn’t move an inch. He just continued to stare at the stomping rush of horses coming his way without a single shake of his figure.
It was a slow wind-up from the golden knight. Even without his superior eyesight, he knew his men would be able to handle such a dawdling attack. The mounted soldiers surrounded him on all sides while Lord Rohan’s men just watched, unable to interfere. His men’s weapons all converged on the knight at the same time as the golden knight was still swinging his weapon. Ivar’s eyes glowed in anticipation of the annoying stone thrower’s death.
“Die!”
“Kill him!”
“One man vs dozens!? Are you mad or suicidal!”
Sparks from the colliding of weapons on the armor flashed. However, the sparks only lasted a few moments until he began to hear groans and yells. That bastard’s flail swung into the side of a horse, and its momentum didn’t stop at the first horse. The flail continued to swing around in a circular arc, knocking into horse after horse. Ivar and all the surrounding soldiers were in complete disbelief as one man swung around half a dozen horses. The mercenaries cried out in agony after falling to the ground with various debilitating injuries.
After knocking down his men, the golden bastard swung, this time with a little more speed to his movements. The mercenaries behind him were too close to avoid being smashed like the others. At that point, the dozens of men lost their minds to fear of the golden knight’s great strength. They rushed at him once more, not even thinking of retreating.
The golden knight stood courageously as he brutally slaughtered the mercenaries and their horses with his giant flail. Skulls were smashed in, torsos were crushed, and bodies were flattened. No matter what kind of weapon the mercenaries used, none of it managed to get past the knight’s armor. That armor covered every single inch of his body and regular weaponry had no effect on it besides leaving a faint mark on it. Even their blunt weapons merely slowed the golden knight’s rampage, but not enough for anyone to deal effective damage to him.
“Damn it! Stop running, you bastards! Those with blunt weapons need to attack together! Everyone else, use your horses to stomp him to death or throw your bodies to hold down his limbs! He may be strong, but he isn’t strong enough to beat all of us together!” Ivar shouted in a mixture of fear and anger.
The mercenaries listened to their leader with effective quickness. If the horses weren’t trying to bite or kick at the knight with their legs, the mercenaries that lost their horses rushed forward with suicidal determination. In response to this change in tactic, the golden knight took the attacks of the horses head-on without losing his footing. The crazy bastard took a horse’s back kick straight to the chest and was simply sent sliding a few feet backwards! Although it did leave him stunned for a few seconds, the mercenaries still had no way of landing a major blow on the knight.
For the men who tried to lock down the knight’s limbs, perhaps it was better not to speak of their brutal deaths. If the golden knight could lift six horses off their feet with his bare strength, there’s no need to speak of the possible things he could do to someone who managed to get grabbed by him. It was at this point that Ivar realized a lost battle when he saw one. Fighting this golden bastard was suicide and a major loss for him. As a mercenary leader, he knew when to cut his losses.
“All able men, stop the attack on the golden knight! Spread out and rush toward Lord Rohan’s tent! He can’t catch all of us, and I have no doubt that he is this army’s strongest soldier!” Ivar changed his orders as he rushed forward with his remaining mercenaries.
The golden knight was helpless to stop them from retreating. Despite his great strength, it seems his speed was nothing to speak of. He only coldly watched them ride their horses past him. Ivar grinned with a victorious smile on his face. As the mercenaries rushed to the tent, the laughs and smiles on their faces slowly dimmed as they saw something, if not as intimidating as the golden knight from before. Their speed immediately slowed as they were reminded of the monstrous golden knight from before. Was it possible this army had two incredibly strong knights? There was no way, right?
A strangely moving knight in black armor stood in front of Lord Rohan’s tent. He locked his gaze on them and made a weird motion before making a high-pitched whistle. At that whistle, several soldiers rushed over on war horses. Ivar couldn’t help but click his tongue at the sight of those freakishly developed horses. They were twice the size of the horses gifted to them by Lord Edmund. Then those mercenaries pulled out longbows and aimed directly at them.
“Retreat down the hill! This battle...” Ivar gritted his teeth in frustration. “Is lost!” Ivar’s mercenaries spared no hesitation in splitting up and fleeing down the hill like scattered mice. He was shocked to realize that the black knight didn’t order his mercenaries to fire at them while their back was turned, but Ivar cared more about being alive than making fun of the knight’s foolish good nature.