Season 3: Chapter 114: Tres vs. Almond (1)
“Form the ranks! They’re coming soon!”
Spain waited after perfectly forming their battle lines. Their combination of musketeers and missionaries varied greatly in destructive power based on the formation. With this formation, they didn’t fear additional enemy reinforcements. In fact, they could wipe them out.
However—
‘Mounted archers...?’
They did not expect the invading enemies to be mounted archers. Maybe Nacho knew, but the Spanish soldiers on the ground had no idea. Even Uno didn’t know.
‘Mounted troops on this map...?’
Operating mounted troops on these rugged mountains and highlands was no easy task. Using mounted troops here meant sticking to open paths only, which implied engaging in frontal assaults. It meant giving up on using the mountainous terrain.
‘Joseon... is giving up the mountainous terrain?’
Uno couldn’t understand this decision, but what choice did he have?
‘For now…’
It was the right decision. Mobility was paramount to get through the gate that opened briefly and the best unit to inflict significant damage with minimal entry was mounted archers.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud...!
Kicking up a cloud of dust, the mounted archers charged.
‘They’re fast.’
With incredible speed, they moved in a perfect single line. From the front, it looked like there was only one mounted archer. This limited the damage muskets could inflict.
‘If they just shoot, that is.’
Of course, this assumed that the Spanish would naively fire all at once.
“From the left! Fire with a time delay!”
However, these were first rate musketeers who had already internalized various tactics. They could fire sequentially from the leftmost shooter.
“Roger! Number one ready to fire!” the leftmost shooter shouted while shouldering his gun.
“Fire!” Uno swung his feather and gave the command.
Click!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Gunfire rang out like a machine gun and the muskets recoiled up like a wave.
However—
“!?”
“What the…?”
The enemies remained unharmed.
Shhh...
The upper bodies of the mounted archers had vanished. They had lowered themselves with their heads at the level of their horses’ underbellies, supported only by their legs still wrapping around the horses.
The Spanish soldiers needed to change their aim, but it was too late. All their bullets had missed.
“Next...! They can't shoot anyway! Take your time and come out!”
The enemies would keep coming in a straight line, unable to fire back. Or so Uno thought. He was about to witness something astonishing.
Thud, thud!
“A snake...?”
The enemies charging in a straight line began to coil. With their blue sashes fluttering, they looked like scales after moving in close together. Indeed, it looked like a blue snake.
Grind...
The snake made a beast-like noise. It wasn’t the hissing of a regular snake. It sounded like a metallic beast's roar. In the East, this wouldn't be called a snake.
‘Imugi.’
In Uno’s eyes, it looked like that.
Its fangs glinted.
[Focus]
Hiss!
The arrowheads glowed white.
Thwack!
The giant Imugi leaped with its jaws open wide, darting forward in a straight line.
The arrows all flew at the same time. They tore through the wind, causing a bloody storm.
Thunk, thunk, thunk!
They pierced through shields and shredded armor.
The blood of the Spanish soldiers splattered everywhere. Every arrow struck a head, giving the Spanish missionaries no time to act.
“...”
The first line of Spanish musketeers had been wiped out.
“Waaahhhhhh!!!”
Thunderous cheers echoed across the field.
Uno felt it instinctively.
‘The game has turned around.’
The advantageous flow Spain had until now had ended.
***
Bang!
OrangeKing slammed the table and stood up shouting, “This is crazy! What is this?! Are they mounted archers?! They just moved like a dragon and swept through everything!!”
“I think it’s the result of incredible training! This isn’t something you achieve in one or two tries!”
“Spain! They’re trying to revive the survivors with healing and reform their ranks to fire again!”
Spain sent out their second line of musketeers, healing the survivors in the first line and trying to regroup.
Swoosh!
This time, all the mounted archers suddenly scattered.
“They formed a snake earlier and now they’ve scattered!”
Joseon abruptly changed their formation.
Bang!
Bang!
Spain, in confusion, fired. Of course, nothing hit. Even the cannons fired from the castle missed.
Only one horseman fell and the mounted archers retaliated.
“The mounted archers are counterattacking! They’re all firing again!”
They turned their upper bodies and drew their bows simultaneously.
Thwack!
They fired without fully charging their focus. This didn’t completely wipe out Spain’s second line, but several Spanish soldiers fell.
Some mounted archers tried to shoot again.
“Be careful of the cannons from the castle! They’re in range now!”
Boom!
A cannonball flew, killing two mounted archers and two horses exploded in midair.
“If their concentration lapses for even a moment, they’ll die!”
It was a nerve-wracking sight. In hit-and-run tactics, a moment of greed or missing the rhythm could instantly result in losing four or five soldiers. Despite this, the Joseon soldiers remained unfazed.
Whoosh!
Pang signaled with his hand. They exchanged glances and reformed their formation.
Fifteen mounted archers remained and scattered again. This was the best way to minimize damage from the cannons.
The Spanish soldiers aimed and shot at the scattered archers.
The battle descended into chaos. Orders and formations started to disintegrate. From here, individual skill or the commander's ability became crucial.
Swish!
All the mounted archers received an order.
[Retreat]
Thud, thud, thud!
The mounted archers quickly moved out of the cannons’ range.
“They’re pulling back!? The musketeers are confused and hesitant!?”
“Should they regroup or follow and shoot?!”
No one had time to ponder.
[Attack]
The mounted archers turned and charged back into the cannons’ range as soon as the enemies seemed to break formation.
Boom!
The cannons, being AI-controlled, shot at the first target.
[Almond]
Almond led the charge. He spurred his horse faster, heading straight for a cannon. Then, he abruptly veered left to dodge and rejoined the formation’s rear.
The next cannon shot misfired as the formation head re-entered the cannons’ range.
Boom.
Another cannon shot missed again.
“Right now! This is just insane! They’re moving like gods! Did they go to a shaman ritual together or something!?”
“They move as if they’re one! Like a single living entity! How can the enemy deal with this!?”
— Wow
— This is so cool
— The mobility is insane
— This is crazy
— I’m tearing up
Boom!
Boom!
The cannons continued to fire, but they became even less effective than a barrage of arrows. Unless Nacho controlled them directly, Spain had no chance of hitting the targets.
“The powerful fortress cannons and the muskets are almost useless?! Spain is being completely dominated!”
“Joseon is moving back into musket range!”
The mounted archers moved back into the musketeers’ range with arrows nocked on their bows.
This time, Almond led the shooting.
“Are they going to shoot again!?”
It looked so effortless that anyone watching would have thought that Almond just casually threw something.
Thwack!
Naturally, his arrow pierced the musketeer’s eye.
“Hea, headshoooot!”
Thud!
“They shoot so effortlessly while riding!”
Thudthudthudthudthud!
Countless mounted archers fired arrows as if tossing them. The arrows struck the musketeers' upper bodies and heads.
“Every shot hits! The Spanish soldiers are falling! They’re falling!”
“The musketeers are trying to retaliate!”
Bang!
Bang!
Gunfire rang out, but it somehow sounded more like the enemies’ screams and didn’t pose a threat.
“The musketeers are strangely missing?! They’re mentally broken and can’t follow orders anymore!”
“They’ve been out of it for a while now! It’s just a chaotic fight!”
On the battlefield, there was something called momentum. Once the momentum shifted significantly, it was hard to reverse. The momentum of the battlefield had already tilted in favor of Joseon.
“I never imagined the Joseon soldiers had skills on this level!”
“Me neither! It wasn’t like this before!?”
“Their teamwork is perfect!!”
— For real
— Their form is insane
— This might be the start of a legend
— What do we do? They might really make it to the finals
— I’m so moved
Indeed, the teamwork shown by the Joseon soldiers was more than just a winning display. They fought with a sense of unity, teamwork, and focus. Even the viewers’ hearts raced.
The results clearly showed how much effort they put in.
“Oh. A camera is showing someone crying. It’s so…” the caster’s voice choked with emotion.
— :(((
— This is amazing
— Even if they lose, this is admirable
— Is this real? Is this real? Is this real?
— How can mounted archers do this?
“Even now, the mounted archers are still following orders! The players are focused!”
The mounted archers spread out again, moving out of the enemy’s range.
[Regroup]
After spreading out, they regrouped away from the musketeers. They didn’t seem to be targeting the musketeers this time.
“Oh! Cookie changed the order!”
They found the enemy workers mining minerals in the highlands.
The mounted archers didn’t need to fight the Spanish soldiers guarding the castle. If they simply cut off the enemy’s resources, the enemy would have to come after them.
“They’re going to kill the workers?! These are mounted archers! They are Joseon’s vultures! They poke around everywhere and disrupt everything!”
— Joseon vulture lol
— This is crazy
— Is this 75 won too?
— Oh man lol
— That unit lol
“But! Many of the resource buildings are under the protection of watchtowers or the castle! These defensive buildings are tough!”
“Yes! So they have to get there faster!”
Thudthudthudthud!
The mounted archers picked up their speed.
“Oh! The enemies can’t keep up! Their cannons and arrows can’t hit!”
“They’re all missing!”
The ballista from the Spanish watchtowers couldn’t keep up with the mounted archers’ speed.
The enemy had to take predictive shots. The same went for the cannons.
“But can the mounted archers shoot at this speed!? They’re going too fast!”
As if mocking that question…
Thwip!
The mounted archers fired and several workers fell.
“They shot and hit!?”
“The, the enemies are falling too easily!”
Thwip!
Another volley of arrows flew out.
“A massacre! It’s a massacre!”
“Joseon is saying we’ll avenge the Aztecs! We’ll take revenge!”
— lol
— Wow
— Their accuracy is insane
— Suddenly avenging the Aztecs lol
— Workers die instantly to archers
Boom!
A cannon fired again, but only some Spanish workers were hit.
“Oh…! A mounted archer mixed in with the workers on purpose to get the cannons to hit the workers! And then they just escaped! Who is doing that!?”
“It’s player Almond! Almond is taking advantage of the cannon as if it’s his own!?”
— lol the cannon is on Almond’s side
— This is crazy
— He’s toying with them
— A vulture that uses cannons… gg
— So annoying lol
“This is true conversion! Is there any other conversion like this!?”
“Exactly! It’s a self-conversion skill! The missionaries must feel deprived!”
“Yes! We lonely missionaries do our best, practicing abstinence and reading the bible every day just to learn one conversion! And then an extrovert shows up and casually uses my top-tier skill!? This is! Shattering my faith! Even for a missionary! I can’t stand it!”
— lol
— lol so funny
— lol hilarious
— Where does the AI's loyalty lie?
— Losing faith lol
***
While the Spanish workers underwent a massacre, another unit was being prepared.
[Conquistador]
This unique unit was only available to Spain. Simply put, it was a mounted unit with guns.
Thunk…!
The musketeers shed their heavy armor. Now lightly armored, they mounted their horses.
“I’ll go ahead and draw their attention. Follow me.”
One person charged toward the Joseon mounted archers.
[Tres]
It was Tres, the Spanish assistant commander known for his unparalleled combat prowess.