These barbarian soldiers had no shields, let alone such powerful impact. Within ten zhang, their charge could easily pierce through shield walls.
The tribal warriors, clad in animal hides and with bare torsos, were as fragile as paper. In the blink of an eye, they were shredded by a storm of metal.
Piercing screams, suppressed moans, and the sound of blood spraying mingled into a symphony. The brave barbarian warriors were torn to pieces by the hail of arrows. Survivors, witnessing the bloody slaughter, turned and retreated back the way they came, their faces etched with terror.
But the arrow storm showed no sign of stopping. The whistling of metal, the whirring of crossbow mechanisms, and the sharp whistling of arrows piercing the air filled the entire space.
Barbarian warriors attempting to retreat were sent flying, their bodies impaled by arrows that spurted forth in a cascade of blood, which then splattered for a short distance before falling lifelessly to the ground.
The crossbow bolts wielded by the Saint Roman legion crossbowmen were exceptionally special. Compared to conventional bolts, they could load ten smaller bolts at once, arranged in a fan shape on the crossbow.
Each bolt was about eight inches long, with a sharp iron tip bearing a peculiar screw thread.
This type of crossbow could fire up to ten such bolts at once, or five in rapid succession, and its impact force was immense. Within fifty meters, it could pierce conventional shields, and within thirty meters, it could pierce heavy shields.
These crossbowmen, paired in twos, were arranged in five rows, with each row able to reload in turns. Such a weapon was a nightmare for the barbarians, and all of this was naturally thanks to Kent's arrival.
In fact, Celespe had been actively preparing for the expedition against the western barbarians even before Xiao Xun set out.
The barbarians were physically strong, fierce, and had long endured harsh environments alongside wolves and tigers.
In comparison, the Saint Roman soldiers were small in stature. Before the barbarians, they appeared as fragile as children. In a clash between these two types of soldiers, the Saint Roman troops held virtually no advantage.
Humans distinguished themselves from beasts by their mastery of tools. When strength was unequal, their deficiencies could only be compensated for by their equipment.
Thus, Celespe proposed the concept, researched information online, referenced the Silver Arrow Crossbow, and finally, incorporating the circumstances of this world, designed this repeating crossbow, naming it the Silver Arrow Crossbow.
To enhance the lethality of this repeating crossbow against the barbarian army, the bolts were specially custom-made, forming this threaded arrowhead, granting them greater penetration and impact force.
The sudden appearance of such a new type of weapon, capable of killing a barbarian expert of Tu Chasi's level, clearly demonstrated its power.
Alas, due to time constraints and the complexity of its craftsmanship, this repeating crossbow was not produced in large quantities, with only about two thousand units manufactured. The number of specially designed bolts for the Wu tribe was also limited, numbering just over twenty thousand.
Due to its intricate design and the need to enhance its impact force, this repeating crossbow was slightly heavier than ordinary crossbows.
Therefore, it could not be equipped by cavalry and was only suitable for infantry.
However, fortunately, this repeating crossbow was simple to operate, and conventional crossbowmen could use it without extensive training.
Thus, after a brief period of training, the crossbowmen had mastered this technology.
The barbarian soldiers were stunned by the Saint Roman army's sudden onslaught, fleeing in all directions like headless flies, trampling each other. A considerable number of barbarian soldiers died from this mutual trampling.
After firing several volleys that drenched the battlefield in blood, the metal storm finally ceased.
The scattered barbarian soldiers, seeing the arrow storm stop, finally halted their panicked flight, just as they thought they could catch their breath. Suddenly, the heavens and earth seemed to tremble, with the thunderous sound of galloping hooves like war drums.
The barbarian soldiers present vaguely felt a powerful force latent within the world, a force poised to erupt, capable of destroying both heaven and earth. Immediately after, countless cavalrymen, brandishing long spears, charged out. The immense impact force sent the barbarian soldiers toppling, causing countless casualties. In the blink of an eye, Tu Chasi's division was annihilated.
Gusudan and Saikas, arriving from the rear to reinforce, were stunned upon their arrival, faced with a battlefield littered with the corpses of barbarian soldiers.
Neither of their divisions knew what had happened, only seeing Saint Roman cavalry everywhere and barbarian corpses strewn across the ground.
They could never have imagined that such a formidable tribe as Tu Chasi's could be annihilated in the blink of an eye. After all, their own divisions were comparable in strength to Tu Chasi's tribe. The shock they experienced was immense, leaving these barbarian commanders wide-eyed.
Initially, Gusudan and Saikas' divisions had believed it to be a battle of annihilation, and everyone was eager to claim credit, some even harboring resentment that their units had not attacked sooner than Tu Chasi's.
However, to their utter disbelief, they were confronted with the scene before them. When they saw some of Tu Chasi's defeated soldiers, the leaders of both tribes found it hard to believe that Tu Chasi's division could have been defeated so quickly.
After all, these were thousands of barbarian warriors who knew that reinforcements were coming and would surely hold out until they arrived.
But at this moment, witnessing the Saint Roman army slaughtering them like wolves entering a flock of sheep, they were simply stunned. The scene before them was too shocking, truly like a living hell.
The barbarians' defeat in a technologically driven war was so swift and devastating that, had they not witnessed it firsthand, they would likely never have believed it in their lifetime.
The barbarian army was dumbfounded by the sight. The Saint Roman army, upon discovering the large contingent of barbarian troops, was also taken aback. They hadn't expected so many barbarian warriors to be present. Seeing the astonished eyes emerging from the dense forest, the Saint Roman army abandoned the pursuit of the fleeing barbarians to expand their victory, immediately tightening their formations and halting the slaughter.
A very peculiar scene unfolded on the battlefield. The Saint Roman army and the barbarian army stared at each other, neither initiating an attack. The only sounds on the entire battlefield were the pained groans of Tu Chasi's fallen warriors.
After a long while, the Saint Roman cavalry slowly parted, and a middle-aged general of the Saint Roman army emerged from the ranks. He sat astride his horse, holding a long spear, clad in silver armor and white robes, exuding an air of great valor.
As he stood on his horse, he did not appear short even when facing the tall barbarian warriors.
This general, standing at the forefront of the two armies amidst the pervasive killing intent and the scent of blood, seemed oblivious to his surroundings as he slowly rode forward. He raised his spear, its tip pointing towards the barbarian warriors in the dense forest, scanning them all in a challenging manner, exuding an arrogant dominance.
"I am Aaron, the vanguard general of the Saint Romans! Who dares to fight me?"
This powerful shout, amplified by his magic, echoed through the mountains and forests, startling the birds into flight. The fierce barbarian soldiers were so intimidated by his aura that they involuntarily took a step back.
These barbarian warriors were stationed at the border between the barbaric lands and the civilized regions, and they had long been raiding the Saint Roman borders. Therefore, they were quite familiar with the Atlantean language, and most could understand Aaron's meaning.
The barbarians had a strong martial tradition and often engaged in sparring amongst themselves, valuing their honor immensely.
To refuse a challenge from others would be a great shame within their tribe.
However, Gusudan and Saikas were both top experts among the Wu tribe. Upon hearing Aaron's shout, they knew his capabilities were extraordinary, something they had never encountered before.
Yet, on the battlefield, with their tribesmen watching them, how could they retreat? Saikas glanced at Gusudan, seeing his deep gaze fixed on Aaron ahead, yet he seemed to have no intention of fighting him. Saikas immediately averted his gaze, glaring furiously at Aaron, as if his eyes were spitting fire. In very broken Atlantean, he said, "Ignorant whelp! Die!"
With that, he strode forward, holding a three-pronged steel fork, and charged directly at Aaron.
Seeing Saikas approaching bare-footed, Aaron immediately dismounted, holding his long spear to meet Saikas.
Saikas stood over nine feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, his entire body dark and radiating power.
While Aaron on horseback didn't feel particularly short, upon dismounting, he appeared significantly smaller.
Saikas, holding the three-pronged steel fork, reached Aaron in just a few steps.
Leveraging his momentum, he embraced the fork and, using his own strength, charged at Aaron.