Dismas took out two by himself, and Lance was no slouch either. He aimed his musket and fired, hitting the target squarely in the back and taking out a Gunner. Dealing with stationary targets wasn’t difficult, not to mention that rifles had more stable trajectories and greater power than pistols.
While Lance was reloading, Laosan fired. He had the skills; at this distance, he accurately hit his target with a pistol, taking one down. But just as he was holstering his gun to reload, a roar sounded by his ear. The next second, a hole was blown through Laosan’s head, and he fell straight to the ground. Behind him, Lance slowly lowered his pistol.
Reynard and the others were startled by this sudden turn of events. They hadn’t expected Lance to act so abruptly, much less kill Laosan instantly.
"Not a single man in the Artillery Regiment can be left alive; he was already of no use," Lance said offhandedly, then sacrificed Laosan’s corpse. "Don’t just stand there stunned; we’re still in a battle!"
With that, he drew another pistol, aimed at the next target, and pulled the trigger. Metal struck flint, black gunpowder ignited, bursting into a brilliant flash. Feeling the force transmit through his arm, the bullet had already flown out.
Another Gunner fell. The others also came to their senses, putting the matter of Laosan aside for the moment.
Dismas had already finished reloading. He made a clean shot and took out the last one.
Thus, the Wolf Faction’s Barbarian musketeers, who had seemed to appear from nowhere and had troubled the Artillery Regiment to no end, were wiped out to a man. They had been too focused on the frontline battle, neglecting the potential danger to their rear. Moreover, their dispersal to cover the battlefield had given Lance the opportunity to pick them off one by one. And in an environment filled with continuous gunfire, their actions hadn’t attracted much attention; at least, no one nearby had noticed their situation.
However, Lance didn’t relax in the slightest. He continued to motion for the others to occupy the Gunners’ positions and approach the battlefield.
"Gather all the guns and load them. Dismas, you’ll be the shooter. Watch both sides—fire on whoever has the advantage, and fire on anyone who tries to break from combat."
When they got closer, Lance observed the battlefield. The situation was quite clear: the Artillery Regiment was at a distinct disadvantage. A real fight often drains one’s stamina in a minute or two, yet those Barbarians from the Wolf Faction fought as if they were on steroids, each one seemingly possessing endless energy. They were fearless and, thanks to their armor, could absorb significant damage. They could take on two or three opponents, trading wounds for kills.
In contrast, the men of the Artillery Regiment were already weakening. Their limited stamina was no match, and there were even signs of their lines breaking. But on the battlefield, those who dared show their backs to the enemy rarely met a good end.
They don’t even have a chance to run—so is this going to be a slaughter?
To be honest, Lance hadn’t expected the Wolf Faction men to be so fierce. Although he wasn’t optimistic about the Artillery Regiment’s chances, he still thought the Captain could win. After all, they had the advantage in numbers, soldiers who had seen battle before, and not to mention, the formidable cannon. He had even planned to secretly help the Wolf Faction further weaken the Artillery Regiment’s strength to achieve his own goal. His plan was for them to win, but at a dreadful cost: both the Captain and the second-in-command had to die, allowing Laosan to take over what remained. In fact, he intended to use Laosan to stabilize the bandits and prevent them from dispersing. If they all fled, who knew how long it would take to find them; it was easier to deal with them when they were all together.
But now, damn it, the Artillery Regiment had actually lost, and moreover, been completely annihilated. Even with Lance ordering Dismas to open fire in support, the rout was too overwhelming to stop.
They found themselves in a cruel situation—attacked unexpectedly! Trapped! And forced to continue fighting...
Thus, Laosan’s role was gone. Lance naturally wouldn’t keep such a menace around; he had decided this from the moment he had given Laosan the gun. Without bullets, the weapon was just scrap metal, posing no threat to Lance whatsoever.
Of course, Dismas and the others hadn’t thought so far ahead and certainly couldn’t have guessed that My Lord would suddenly take out Laosan.
Dismas, desperately firing at members of the Wolf Faction, finally drew the Barbarians’ attention. But their armor protected them from most of the damage. Unless the bullets penetrated and hit vital spots, they had little impact; a shot to the head or a vulnerable spot on the limbs was typically required.
Regrettably, the Artillery Regiment’s men hadn’t bought Dismas enough time. After he took out two enemies, all the Artillery Regiment’s bandits were dead, meaning only the Captain was left struggling to hold on.
The remaining Barbarians split their forces: two headed towards the Captain, and the other three charged towards the dense forest.
"Prepare for battle!" Lance, no longer caring about remaining hidden, shouted directly. He didn’t forget to remind everyone, "Those people are a bit off. They don’t seem to feel pain and possess surprising strength. Everyone be careful; don’t face them one-on-one. Reynard, Balistan, you two are the main attackers. You need to damage their limbs and heads to stop them. Dismas, you and I don’t have heavy weapons to break their defenses. Don’t aim for kills; just keep the two injured ones busy and buy the others time."
These were not feats an ordinary person could achieve. Nobody knew what tribal secret techniques these Barbarians possessed; it was best to be cautious.
Reynard and Balistan, having waited a long time, set down the muskets they were about to load and took up their own weapons.
Dismas also turned his musket around. He had wanted to inflict more damage as the Barbarians approached, but they had already spotted his group. He fired two shots, both of which were dodged.
"Here they come." Lance’s tone immediately dampened the atmosphere. "Let them come. Balistan, you take the front."
"Ha! Get behind me, quick! They won’t get past me!" Balistan’s face showed a resolute smile.
Dismas, realizing something, dropped his musket and drew his Short Sword and pistol. Facing the oncoming enemy, he even found the mood to joke, "Hmm... I’m feeling quite confident today. Let’s see who finishes this fight the quickest!"
But the enemy didn’t give them more time to talk. They were already close, wielding bloodstained weapons; there was no telling how many had just died by their hands.
Lance took the initiative to confront a Barbarian, knowing well their strength. He focused his entire attention on his sword. There’s nothing to fear—just get on with it!
Balistan stepped forward, forcing the enemy to swing his weapon early. At that precise moment, Balistan quickly stepped back a little, creating an opening. This simple trick caused the enemy’s attack to miss, disrupting his offensive rhythm. The consequence of a missed attack is that the body doesn’t receive the correct feedback and needs to re-exert force. By then, Balistan had already swung his Warhammer. He didn’t aim for the face or chest as before, but instead targeted the unprotected foot.
The heavy Warhammer fell, its spikes penetrating the shoe’s surface to reach flesh. When it was pulled back, blood could be seen.