Chapter 156 - 146: Gaining a Firm Foothold
Chapter 156: Chapter 146: Gaining a Firm Foothold
If it weren’t for that whole affair, he could have abandoned his position, offended Dor, and preserved his race’s strength.
"Shed your outer armor! Gray Dwarves, shed your armor! Assemble at the front!"
Fortunately, Aurora didn’t disappoint Eric. It seemed that while this young master of the Gray Dwarves might not be the brightest, he wouldn’t drop the ball when it mattered most.
THUD!
Eric felt as uncomfortable as if he were constipated, scrambling to assemble his troops.
.....
"This way! This way!"
"First Regiment, Second Battalion, Second Squad! Assemble here!"
On the other side, all the human cavalry who had chosen to dismount were already following closely behind the Tier Six Soldiers, ready at a moment’s notice.
Under the coordination of Viscount Leo and Viscount Di Man, several hundred Human Race Extraordinary, clad in heavy armor and holding long swords, stared down the enemy like fierce tigers.
Initially, the soldiers under Viscount Di Man were fearful and anxious. After all, Viscount Di Man had always been stationed at Sirich City, and the Knights under his command had never experienced a truly major battle.
But seeing the nobles from Qimo Fortress chatting and laughing, all discussing how many Beastmen they could kill, they weren’t so nervous anymore. Viscount Di Man knew this was likely the effect of their previous victories.
It wasn’t just these nobles from Qimo Fortress; the morale of these common soldiers was also completely beyond what a normal army could compare to.
Viscount Di Man had experienced this kind of situation before. When he served under Marshal Grantham, they had captured the Beastmen’s Eldest Prince in a war ten years ago, although the King eventually let the Eldest Prince go.
It was this incident that secured Grantham’s position as Marshal. It was also this incident that allowed Di Man to obtain some low-quality Magic Potions from the King, gradually build his own Knight Order, and truly sound the charge toward becoming a great noble.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three more cannon shots rang out. By now, Eric and Aurora had no mind to pay them any attention; they only wanted to reach the other side as quickly as possible.
At this point, the entire Extraordinary Team had been split into several parts by the power of the Magic Crystal Cannons.
Fortunately, Eric had already led the majority of his men to the front of the formation. Just as he had anticipated, by the time they charged within a hundred meters, even with the terrifying speed of the Extraordinary, the enemy’s arrows became unerringly accurate.
From time to time, screams could be heard from within the Beastman Extraordinary formation. Most were the howls of werewolves; there were many Bronze First Tier warriors in the Werewolf Corps.
An Extraordinary of the Bronze Tier can only focus their Battle Aura on a specific spot, whereas a Silver Tier can cover their entire body.
The Battle Aura of a Bronze First Tier was completely insufficient against the inexplicably powerful Magic Crossbows. Although Marquis Oscillate’s Magic Crossbows had significant recoil, their power was indeed much greater than ordinary ones.
The Gray Dwarves Heavy Infantry Corps was composed mainly of Bronze Second and Third Tier warriors, who could cover the vital parts of their bodies. As for non-critical areas, for an Extraordinary, a hit was just a hit. Their Battle Aura made their life force much more resilient.
"Raise swords! For the King!"
"For the King! For Frank!"
Hearing this, Eric thought this group of humans was about to charge out for a duel and felt a flicker of joy. He didn’t expect them to just shout and put on a show, each one staying behind the Shield Array, their eyes gleaming as they stared at the Beastman Soldiers before them as if looking at walking military honors.
Eric grinned, mocking the humans’ empty posturing, then charged toward the enemy’s position with Aurora—one wielding a greatsword, the other a heavy hammer.
To Eric’s surprise, these ordinary human soldiers in front of him didn’t flinch at the sight of the Extraordinary. They continued to hold firm with their tower shields.
Eric sneered, and his long saber came down, splitting the tower shield in two. He had expected the soldier behind it to go to the Celestial Kingdom along with his shield, but unexpectedly, the soldier seemed to have anticipated it, reappearing a meter away.
"Silver fur! The royal blood of the Wolf Race! Get him!" Viscount Leo exclaimed. He hadn’t expected to encounter a member of the Wolf Race’s Royal Family today. He took a sharp breath and unleashed his Silver Tier aura, charging forward.
"The royal blood of the Wolf Race! A pound of that stuff’s blood can be traded for two Gold Coins!"
It was unclear whether it was the humans’ words or if Eric had truly entered the zone, but his silver fur suddenly bristled. He actually abandoned the long sword in his hand and began to attack directly with his wolf claws.
Viscount Leo knew not to be hasty. He began coordinating with several other nobles to block Eric’s path.
Aurora hadn’t entered the battlefield. He had discovered something incredible: the human soldiers here, gathered in groups of two or three, were actually fighting on even footing with many of the Dwarf Extraordinary.
Of course, this was only in the short term. Over the long run, the stamina of mortals could never compare to that of the Extraordinary.
.....
Meanwhile, General Dor stood atop a hill, observing the situation on the entire battlefield.
Eric, being in the thick of it, couldn’t see it, but General Dor could see it clearly: the Beastman Race’s Extraordinary Soldiers had failed to break through the enemy’s defensive line.
For the battle to reach this point was, in fact, already a failure. The Beastman Extraordinary Infantry couldn’t break through and could only fall into a passive war of attrition.
The enemy’s artillery barrage continued to pound the Werewolf formation. The screams were endless, and the Wanderers at the rear were growing fearful, daring not to advance.
By the time the Werewolf soldiers got within three hundred meters of that wall, the enemy’s rain of arrows was incredibly dense. Although Dor was a Gold tier, even he couldn’t clearly see if every single arrow hit a Werewolf.