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The It's the morning of August 10th, 955 CE, near the city of Augsburg in what's now southern

Germany.

42-year-old King Otto of East Francia raises his shield as enemy arrows rain down from the sky.

Across the muddy battlefield, mounted archers ride back and forth,

unleashing volleys at Otto's men before darting back.

But Otto's disciplined forces hold their ground and await their king's command.

For over half a century, Hungarian war bands have been raiding

and pillaging the eastern borders of Otto's kingdom. But now Otto has had enough. He's mobilized

an army to destroy the raiders once and for all. Otto waits for the perfect moment to strike.

Then he lifts a special relic above his head, the Holy Lance, the spear, believed to

pierce the side of Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. Crying above the hiss of arrows,

Otto urges his men to defeat their enemy in the name of God and all Christendom. Then, with a roar,

he charges into battle, backed with galloping warhorses in the unwavering faith of his men.

This battle quickly becomes a slaughter. The Hungarian war bands are shattered, and those who aren't

killed in battle are soon executed on King Otto's orders. This victory makes him the most powerful king in

Central Europe and is so decisive that it earns him a new title, Otto the Great. Yet trouble

is brewing on the horizon. In Rome, the young Pope John the 12th is struggling in his fight against

an alliance of Italian nobles, and Otto will answer his call for help.

...