Chapter 52: The Final Ripple of the 52nd Cavalry Regiment

"Boom!"

"Boom—!"

Dull and massive explosions began to echo through the city of Seville one after another.

The earth trembled and houses shook, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

Under the desperate orders of General Sanjurjo, the last surviving magic crystal cannon emplacement began a blind, blanket bombardment aimed at the northern sector of the city where the enemy had previously appeared.

Since precise targeting was unnecessary, the mage apprentices did not even participate in guidance. The gunners merely set a rough direction and angle based on maps and coordinates, sending shell after shell hurtling away.

This time, they no longer used the anti-personnel shrapnel magic crystal shells as before, but rather high-yield magic crystal shells of far greater destructive power.

The explosive force and shockwaves of these shells far exceeded those of conventional artillery.

Most of the buildings within Seville were standard brick-and-tile structures. Under the bombardment of the high-yield magic crystal shells, they collapsed one after another like structures made of paper, reduced to ruins.

Had most of the civilians not already been evacuated, this would have undoubtedly caused massive casualties.

Thick smoke and dust billowed into the sky, obscuring the heavens.

Watching the battle from the rear, General Sanjurjo stared at the billowing smoke rising within the city, a fierce and grim look of satisfaction finally appearing on his face.

"Bombard them! Pummel them hard!" he muttered to himself. "Let's see where you hiding rats can run now!"

He believed that under such world-shattering artillery fire, any sturdy defense would be shattered, and any stubborn will crushed.

At least from the experience of previous sieges he had endured, using artillery fire to blast away city defenses was a common and effective practice.

However, what he did not know was that the actual casualties inflicted upon the defenders by this seemingly grand bombardment were, in fact, negligible.

In the initial "urban combat advice" provided by Morin, a crucial principle had been explicitly mentioned:

"Before enemy infantry approaches, the main force should remain as deep within the city's interior as possible, or inside sturdy basements, to evade any preparatory artillery fire the enemy might unleash."

Only a few bold and observant soldiers were dispatched to vantage points, such as church bell towers, to act as observation posts.

At that moment, atop the tallest church bell tower in Seville, two Saxon soldiers were anxiously observing the movements outside the city through binoculars.

Violent explosions continued to rock the surrounding districts, causing even the bell tower to sway slightly.

"Did you see that? The enemy artillery position!" one of the soldiers said in a low voice.

"Saw it! At the eleven o'clock position, just behind that small grove!" the other soldier replied. "Damn it, they're hiding deep!"

Their task was to observe enemy artillery attacks. Once the enemy artillery fire ceased and the infantry began to advance, they were to immediately notify the troops to take up positions.

Just as the two men were anxiously and nervously observing amidst the roar of the cannons, the artillery fire outside the city suddenly stopped.

"What's going on? Did it stop?"

"Look! The enemy is moving up!"

Through their binoculars, they clearly saw a dark, massive wave of Kingdom soldiers surging out from the outer positions like a tide, launching a second wave of attacks against Seville.

"Quick! Notify the other units!"

"Got it!"

A soldier immediately slid down the ladder of the bell tower, instantly biting down on the whistle hanging around his neck.

"Screee—"

A sharp whistle quickly sounded, followed by one whistle after another, radiating outward from the church to other sectors like a relay.

Within the previously quiet city of Seville, the defenders who heard the signals rapidly moved through the secret passages already cleared within the buildings, quickly entering the second line of defensive positions inside relatively intact structures.

The Kingdom soldiers cautiously stepped across the ruins ravaged by artillery fire, only to feel a temporary wave of relief when they found themselves encountering no further attacks.

"It looks like those Saxons and rebels were all blown to pieces by the cannons!"

An officer said with feigned casualness, then pointed his command saber forward at an angle, signaling the troops to advance deeper into the city.

Meanwhile, on a high ground outside the city of Seville, Colonel Braun, commander of the 52nd Cavalry Regiment, was raising his binoculars to observe Seville in the distance.

When he saw the dense swarms of enemy troops surrounding the city like ants, his gaze instantly turned sharp.

The enemy had launched another attack, and this time they had even deployed magic crystal cannons... If their cavalry could not find a way to wipe out the remaining magic crystal emplacement, the pressure on the defenders would increase exponentially.

"Colonel! Found it!"

An excited shout came from beside him, and the cavalry colonel lowered his binoculars, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Very well, the enemy artillery position had exposed itself due to the recent bombardment.

"Courier!" Colonel Braun roared.

"Sir!"

"Relay the coordinates to the horse artillery battalion and have them move to the preset position based on those coordinates! They must complete their deployment within fifteen minutes!"

"Order the first and second cavalry battalions to prepare for a charge! As soon as the horse artillery bombardment ends, charge with me immediately!"

"Yes, colonel!"

The courier dug his spurs into his horse's flanks, urging the steed into a run as the orders were swiftly transmitted.

The horse artillery battalion attached to the cavalry regiment was equipped with twelve 77-millimeter field guns.

Although these cannons were not of large caliber, their advantage lay in their excellent mobility. Each gun was towed by six robust draft horses, allowing them to move rapidly across rugged terrain.

The gunners were experienced veterans. Upon reaching the location, they skillfully unhitched the draft horses and limbers, transitioning the artillery from tow mode to combat mode, adjusting the muzzle angles, and loading the shells—the entire process flowed smoothly, accomplished in a single breath.

In less than fifteen minutes, the twelve 77-millimeter field guns had elevated their muzzles, aiming directly at the magic crystal artillery position that had been wreaking havoc just moments before.

After the number one gun position rapidly completed two rounds of ranging shots, the other eleven field gun crews neatly adjusted their firing data.

"Fire!"

At the command of the horse artillery battalion commander, a continuous roar of artillery thundered across the fields.

Twelve field guns fired simultaneously, shells tearing through the sky with a piercing shriek, the majority of them landing squarely within the magic crystal cannon emplacement.

Explosions erupted one after another.

The fatal weakness of the magic crystal cannons—their extremely poor mobility—was laid completely bare at that moment.

Even though they had been bracketed by ranging fire, when the Saxon volley of shells rained down, those cumbersome magic crystal cannons had not yet completed packing up and were entirely too late to relocate.

The gunners were blown sky-high, screaming in terror.

The entire position instantly plunged into a sea of fire and chaos.

"Charge!"

Colonel Braun was the first to raise his cavalry lance, pointing it forward.

"For the Emperor and the Empire!"

"Wuu—!"

A resounding charge bugle echoed through the air.

The first rank of cavalry from the two battalions, already fully prepared, lowered their lances and charged toward the fire-engulfed position like a breached flood.

A forest of gleaming cavalry lances in an instant completely annihilated the enemy artillery force that had caused them such immense trouble.

The defenders of the magic crystal cannon position, having already suffered the bombardment and now facing cavalry charging in a wall formation, were entirely incapable of mounting any effective resistance.

However, just as the cavalrymen were mopping up the stubbornly resisting enemies within the position, a sudden change occurred.

Three figures emanating powerful magical fluctuations suddenly flew over from the distant sky at terrifying speed.

At the lead was none other than the high mage Eldridge.

When he saw the magic crystal cannon position, which had been reduced to little more than ruins, his expression turned terrifyingly dark.

Colonel Braun, sitting atop his charging horse, also spotted the three figures flying in rapidly.

An ominous premonition welled up in his heart.

"Mages! Take cover!" he shouted loudly to warn his men.

But it was already too late.

Eldridge merely raised his hand slightly, chanting a few syllables.

The next second, the foremost hundred cavalrymen, men and horses alike, suddenly began to float uncontrollably into mid-air, as if grabbed by an invisible giant hand.

They screamed in terror and struggled, but to no avail.

Colonel Braun's final conscious thought was seeing himself and his comrades slammed ruthlessly into the ground by that invisible giant hand.

Flesh flew, bones shattered.

The entire world plunged into darkness.