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Chapter 280 – We Live Together, We Die Together (3)

“Waaah!”

Now even the siege tower was unnecessary. Desmond’s Army surged into the fortress without any hindrance.

As the first unit opened the castle gate, it became even easier to enter.

They flocked in, filling the vast fortress, and began to form ranks.

Harold glared fiercely at the distant Penris Army.

“It was those worthless fools that have held us back until now. Capture them and tear them to shreds!”

The Penris Army had also positioned themselves near the opposite gate, ready to escape at any moment.

They took cover between suitable buildings, waiting. In front of them were wooden barricades densely placed for close combat.

Using these barricades, even a small number could hold off a large army.

“Waaah!”

Desmond’s Army roared again, moving like a tidal wave. They knew arrows would do little harm, so they pushed forward with sheer numbers.

Boom!

Gillian, wrapped in bandages, stood at the front. He wielded a massive halberd.

Not feeling well, he plotted to gain any advantage from the distance.

Gillian glanced briefly at the sky.

Dark clouds were gradually covering the sky, and the wind howled violently into the fortress, signaling the start of battle once again.

“It’s going to be a long night.”

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Gillian looked straight ahead. His eyes were filled with resolute determination.

“Prepare yourselves.”

Swish!

At Gillian’s command, the knights and soldiers of Penris all raised their spears.

Clang!

The spears of Desmond’s Army and the Penris Army clashed with one another. But as in the first skirmish, Penris Army’s defense was overwhelming.

“Uugh!”

The vanguard of Desmond’s Army fell hopelessly. It was a natural outcome.

Harold, having fought the Penris Army before, could not have been unaware of this.

Slash!

As soldiers fell in front, Desmond’s knights leaped out from behind, swinging their swords.

“Gah!”

Caught off guard, the armor of Penris soldiers split apart like paper.

Although Galbarium was light, it certainly wasn’t stronger than iron. It couldn’t withstand the swords imbued with mana from the knights.

Boom!

With every swing of Gillian’s halberd, the approaching knights of Desmond had their heads smashed in.

“In narrow passages, we have the advantage! Hold out as long as you can!”

Zing—

Light burst forth from the gaps in the armor of the Penris knights. After days of recovering their bodies and mana, they went wild once again.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Gillian and the knights indiscriminately slaughtered the Desmond Army that entered their range. The knights, making surprise attacks in between, were no different.

No one could break through the ranks of the Penris Army.

The magic flying from the rear of Desmond’s Army did little damage.

Zing—

Whenever the armor of the Penris knights flashed with light, the incoming fireballs were uselessly dispersed.

With Willow down, the lower circle spells had no effect on them.

The Penris soldiers in the rear were each drawing their bowstrings, targeting Desmond’s Army. Since Gillian and the knights were blocking the narrow passage, they focused on ranged attacks rather than close combat.

“Shoot!”

Fwoosh!

With Gillian’s shout, countless arrows shot toward the rear of Desmond’s Army.

“Uagh!”

Screams echoed everywhere, but the damage to Desmond’s Army wasn’t significant.

Under Harold’s orders, the shield soldiers positioned everywhere raised their enormous shields to protect their allies.

Ultimately, destiny of the battle had to be decided in the area where both sides clashed.

“Don’t be afraid! We can hold out!”

Gillian, fearless of death, spared no strength. His halberd swung like a gust of wind, repeatedly slicing and stabbing through enemies.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Yet his condition was not normal. The more he moved, the more unbearable the pain became.

At some point, Gillian’s body was drenched in fatigue again. Blood from the bodies of the enemies splattered, while blood from his own wounds burst from him.

“Gah…!”

Still, he gritted his teeth and continued to attack. Gillian’s gaze remained fiercely filled with intent to kill, and the momentum he radiated was still filled with will and bravery.

The knights fought with just as much intensity as Gillian.

“Uuugh!”

“Push forward!”

“Just a little more!”

The battlefield was filled with a cacophony of sounds. Screams and the clank of weapons clashing never ceased.

When confronted with fierce resistance, Desmond’s Army tried to leverage their numbers.

“Surround them! I said surround them!”

At the commanders’ cries, Desmond’s soldiers climbed the buildings on both sides and began shooting arrows and casting magic.

Even if they couldn’t harm their opponents, at least they could accumulate shock and disrupt their formation.

Some tried to circle around to hit the rear of the Penris Army.

Of course, the Penris Army wouldn’t let Desmond’s attempts go unchallenged.

“Counter them!”

If they shot arrows in return, the Penris Army would have a much greater advantage. The soldiers of Desmond stationed on the buildings couldn’t pressure the Penris soldiers properly and started falling.

Thanks to the resilience of the rear, the Penris Army could focus solely on the enemies right in front of them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The armor of the Penris knights at the front was stained red as the merciless battle continued.

But it was becoming difficult to keep stopping the onslaught of the large army. Mana and stamina were gradually depleting.

The movements of Penris knights grew noticeably slower. Both sides could plainly see they were getting tired.

“Got it! Push harder!”

As the Penris Army began to show signs of weakness, Desmond’s Army pressed even more fiercely.

The ranks of the Penris Army could not endure, and they began to be pushed back little by little.

Seeing the knights’ movements falter, Gillian shouted again.

“Front line! Fall back! Second line, move forward!”

The knights in the front fell back. The knights who had been saving their strength jumped forward, moving their spears at incredible speed.

Fwoosh!

“Uuugh!”

The vanguard of Desmond’s Army collapsed in an instant. The Penris Army quickly restored their formation, and now it was Desmond that began to be pushed back.

They were fighting remarkably effectively.

Utilizing their equipment and terrain, they were proving more than adequate in facing a large army.

“Relieve them!”

Whenever Gillian saw the knights start to tire, he made timely substitutions. It was possible because he had been at the front holding the line.

At some point, the area in front of Penris Army was filled with the corpses of Desmond’s Army to the point where they couldn’t even step.

For Desmond’s Army to advance, they had to clear the bodies of their own comrades, causing the battle to stall briefly.

Seeing the Penris Army standing strong in front, the morale of Desmond’s Army began to falter.

“Damn it… That’s an army of demons…”

“How have they held us back this long with such numbers…?”

“Is it just those kinds of monsters in Penris?”

No matter how much they advanced, they couldn’t break through. Given the fight thus far, they should be exhausted, yet they still had spirit.

Harold felt both awe and fury as he looked at the Penris Army.

“Those bastards…”

Their skills were absurd. He had known they were strong, but for them to endure this long was surprising.

So many of his proud elite soldiers had died at the hands of such lowly thugs. If this continued, the damages would only increase until they suppressed every one of them.

The enemy had good equipment and seized solid positions, preventing this side from capitalizing on their numerical advantage.

“Pull back the soldiers for now. We’ll reestablish formation. Call for Baron Hutton and Willow and position our strongest knights at the front.”

Though Baron Hutton and Willow were injured, it couldn’t be helped. If the enemy’s formation was too strong, they had to match that with their own.

Of course, Harold didn’t intend to just let them clash endlessly. He acknowledged that he had been blinded by rage, acting too hastily.

“Adjust the range of the catapults to target them. Level the surroundings so not even a rat can hide.”

Drum drum drum!

The catapults outside the fortress moved closer.

Harold didn’t expect to wipe out the Penris Army with catapult strikes. After all, if the enemy moved to another location beyond the range, they would simply escape.

But if he destroyed their surroundings completely, then it would be easier to form a siege line than it was now.

When the catapults were ready and about to resume attacks, one of the soldiers approached Harold.

“The enemy… has disappeared.”

“What do you mean?”

“They seemed to be retreating slowly, but they opened the opposite gate of the fortress and fled.”

Creak.

Harold gritted his teeth. As expected, the enemy wasn’t trying to hold the fortress. They had merely been stalling for time.

Letting out a long breath of frustration, Harold asked.

“How many casualties?”

“About… 3,000 have died so far.”

“……”

Harold lifted his gaze to the sky.

The dark clouds that had been there were now beginning to brighten as dawn broke.

With the first skirmish and this battle lasting through the night, they had lost a total of 3,000 elite soldiers. The enemy truly were monsters.

He could understand. If all 100 were knights, it wouldn’t be impossible.

Especially if they fought by blocking the path like this.

He surveyed the surroundings again. The fortress was in ruins, so much so that it was embarrassing to even call it a fortress anymore.

It was an important stronghold, but simply occupying this one fortress had cost them over 3,000 soldiers and precious time.

‘I should have killed him earlier.’

All of this was the result of letting Ghislaine live.

He should have eliminated him without a second thought from the moment he first interfered with their plans. The price of underestimating him was far too great and painful.

“Haah…”

Harold closed his eyes and calmed his mind.

Though his insides boiled over with rage, the enemy had already fled. Raging here would only serve to unsettle his soldiers.

It wasn’t too late yet. Either way, since they had secured the fortress, there was a road leading straight to Penris Castle.

They needed to move as quickly as possible to seize the lord’s castle. Once he rampaged against Ghislaine and his followers, all this anger would be released.

Harold forced his emotions down and spoke in a low voice.

“We’ll depart immediately. Gather only the minimum amount of supplies and move out. The main force will go ahead to besiege Penris Castle, so the engineering and supply units should follow as quickly as possible.”

His soldiers would surely be fatigued, but there was no other choice. Rest could wait until after they had besieged Penris Castle.

Desmond’s Army quickly finished their preparations and set off toward Penris Castle.

Moving along the road, they were moving at a surprisingly quick pace for a large army.

After two days of moving without obstruction, just as they were setting up camp for a brief rest…

They were suddenly ambushed.

“It’s an attack!”

Gillian and the knights who had escaped from the fortress launched a surprise assault on Desmond’s Army’s camp.

The elite Desmond Army would have never been negligent in their defenses. They splendidly engaged the intruders as trained.

But the Penris Army quickly killed only a few weak soldiers and retreated. The large, cumbersome Desmond Army couldn’t quickly chase down the small number of enemies.

Though they had repelled the ambush well, it was not over. After such a fight, they needed rest and repair again.

“Clear the corpses!”

“Reorganize the scouts and pursuit team!”

“Report the remaining personnel!”

Commanders shouted with urgency as they tried to tidy up the camp amidst the chaos.

Because of the Penris Army’s ambush, Desmond’s Army was once again wasting precious time.

Harold gritted his teeth as he surveyed the chaotic camp.

“Those bastards again…”

He had thought Ghislaine was the only headache in the Penris territory. His past records were quite impressive.

But he hadn’t anticipated that even his subordinates would be such a nuisance.

It was because of them that their marching speed was continually delayed. It had already taken over two weeks for a 30,000-strong army to occupy a single fortress and move onward.

There was still quite a distance to Penris Castle. And along the way, there were plenty of forests and mountains for the Penris Army to hide.

“They play quite a game. Is this their home turf or what?”

At Harold’s words, an aide next to him replied.

“If we continue like this, we’ll waste more than another two weeks just getting there.”

“We can’t keep getting dragged around by those thugs. Increase the marching speed.”

“That will make us more vulnerable to ambush and the soldiers’ stamina and morale will significantly decline.”

Harold glared at the aide with fearsome eyes.

“Still, do it. If the rats have nowhere to hide, they’ll ultimately pop out. We’re out of time.”

“…Understood.”

Harold did not conceal his simmering malice.

“Did you say the enemy commander is named Gillian? I will surely devour him along with Ghislaine.”

 

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