The Papacy's soldiers scattered and fled, while the infantry on the left and right flanks of Gabella's army finally moved out.
They moved rapidly forward, one on the left and one on the right, looking from the air like a pair of open iron pincers clamping down on the chaotic Crusader Army.
Perhaps to avoid accidentally harming their own troops, the mysterious fireballs finally stopped appearing, but the balance of power in this battle had completely tilted in Gabella's favor, and the Church's Crusader Army had undoubtedly lost.
The disorganized Papal soldiers became easy prey, but the war elephants continued their rampage and remained a problem for the Gabella.
Several ballistae were pushed out.
Even the Gabella people, who had suffered defeats, were researching ways to counter the Papacy's war elephants, and the ballista was one of them.
However, in order to lull the Papacy's commanders into a false sense of security and to assess the effectiveness of the magical attack, this deadly weapon was not revealed at the outset.
When the specially designed armor-piercing crossbow bolt pierced the head of the first war elephant, the behemoth did not even fall immediately. The arrow shaft pierced half a foot from the back of its head, covered with sticky blood and fragments of its lens, yet it still staggered forward for more than ten steps until the second arrow pierced the soft flesh at the seam of its abdominal armor, at which point it collapsed with a thud.
Gabella's ballistae array crackled incessantly across the hills, heavy bolts raining down like steel. The war elephants were clever; some tried to pull the arrows from their bodies by wrapping their trunks around the shafts, but the arrows, designed specifically for elephant slaughter, were barbed and pierced the skin, biting down hard. The elephants' attempts to save themselves only exacerbated their suffering.
The most gruesome was the lead elephant, seven crossbow bolts fanning out from its armored body. The paralyzing liquid soaked in the bolt shafts caused its muscles to twitch, yet it could not fall, only helplessly as subsequent arrows pierced its abdomen like venomous bees. When it finally crashed to its side like a collapsing mountain, the arrow tower on its back was crushed by its own weight, and wooden spikes and human remains flew through the dust and smoke.
The war elephants' enormous size made them easy targets. A crossbow bolt pierced the hind leg tendon of one of the war elephants, causing it to fall and crush a large group of people around it. Another war elephant had its eardrum pierced by an arrow and went berserk, crashing into the rock wall and crushing its rider into a bloody pulp.
When the last few war elephants, riddled with arrows and falling like moving hills of thorns, the grand slaughter finally came to an end.
The battlefield was a scene of utter devastation, littered with the tragic deaths of Papal knights and soldiers. Some were trampled to death by war elephants, others were shot by crossbow bolts, and still others perished in the exploding fireballs.
...
The young Emperor Gabella sat on his throne, his fingertips holding the battle report that had just been delivered.
The battle report was soaked with the messenger's sweat, but Antonio didn't care.
His knuckles turned slightly white from the force, and he could feel something swelling wildly in his chest cavity—as if it was about to burst open from the restraints of his ribs.
But his sharply defined face wore only a layer of cold calm, just as the emperor usually did in front of others.
The attendants saw the emperor's drooping eyelashes casting fine shadows under the lamplight, but they couldn't see that his tongue was pressed tightly against his palate, suppressing the trembling breaths that were about to burst from his throat.
"Annihilate the Papacy's army!"
These words in the battle report seemed to burn on Antonio's retina. His back was already soaked with sweat from excitement, but his left arm, which was resting on the armrest, did not tremble in the slightest.
"knew."
Antonio spoke in a perfectly measured, tired tone, even elegantly raising his hand to rub his temples.
The messenger, kneeling before him, was somewhat disappointed. Before being summoned, he had thought the emperor would dance for this great victory.
But His Majesty acted as if he were merely reading an ordinary letter.
However, this disappointment lasted only a few seconds.
"You've done a good job delivering the message. Reward him with twenty gold coins!" An encouraging voice came from the throne.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Great figures should be calm and composed, especially emperors who rule a country. Even in the face of a landslide, they should not panic. Only those with such qualities can lead their country out of crisis. Conversely, no matter how great the surprise they receive, they should remain calm so as not to fall into blind pride. The messenger felt an infinite admiration for the young emperor.
The emperor ordered everyone present, "You may all leave. I want to be alone for a while!"
After the messenger and his attendants bowed and withdrew, Antonio suddenly rose and walked to the French windows, the moonlight illuminating his twitching lips and reddened eyes. The veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the curtains, bulged, and the wind that seeped through his fingers carried the faint cheers from afar—the people of the capital celebrating their victory.
When the messenger entered the city and rode wildly through the streets, news of the victory was spread. The successive defeats weighed heavily on the hearts of the empire's people, who desperately needed a victory to lift their spirits.
Antonio, now alone, can finally let go of all constraints and, like he did in his youth, grin from ear to ear, revealing his ecstatic smile.
He let the shiver run from the soles of his feet up his spine, as if he had drunk a whole barrel of the strongest wine.
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Unfortunately, this exhilarating feeling did not last long. Although it was already dark, the empire's high-ranking officials soon arrived at the palace and requested an audience with the emperor.
Antonio received the ministers in the throne room.
Besides Siegfried, who commanded the Blazing Dragon Legion in battle, other important figures trusted by the emperor, such as MacDonald, Ambolov, and Aldrich, also came here.
There are also "advisors" like Doughty Matte.
The empire had finally achieved a decisive and great victory, and the ministers congratulated Emperor Antonio, filling the hall with praise.
But not long after, Antonio gestured for everyone to quiet down. He slowly rose from his throne, appearing incredibly majestic in the candlelight.
The emperor surveyed his ministers, raised the battle report in his hand, and declared, "Today, I hereby announce this to the entire Gabella!"
His voice carried an undeniable authority: " The Blazing Dragon Legion warrior who crushed the Papacy's invaders—is none other than the Spellcaster, or rather—the wizard, misunderstood by the world!"
A gasp of surprise erupted in the hall. Apart from Antonio's close associates, those who were unaware of the truth looked at each other in bewilderment.
Antonio said firmly, "These brave but stigmatized souls are defending your safety and the safety of all Gabella citizens with hands cursed by the world. They must not be allowed to suffer the same injustice as before!"
"I hereby decree that, from this day forward, all Spellcasters who are willing to abide by Imperial laws shall be granted all the legal rights of Imperial citizens!"