Chapter 438
Chapter 438 It’ll Be Fine As Long As This Goes On. (5)
Woroka bit his lip. He was a bit irritated. After all, in a battle, there was no way to avoid damage.
He turned to the Priest of Salvation Society beside him and asked, “Didn’t you say there was no army to stop us in the North? Why is Raybold moving? We have to break through that!”
Some priests of the Salvation Society remained within the kingdom to serve as guides and advisors.
Of course, the hidden intention was to maneuver Woroka’s army at the Duke Faction’s whim.
The priest softly soothed Woroka to lead him in the desired direction. “Hmm… It seems there was some sort of transaction.”
“Transaction?”
“That’s right. If not, Raybold wouldn’t be moving.”
The Duke thought that Amelia would not take action. He didn’t believe the greedy girl would help Ghislaine.
Moreover, the Amelia they envisioned was merely a puppet who succeeded in usurpation with their assistance. They thought she lacked the grit and capability to face the barbarians.
“Either way, our forces are overwhelming, aren’t they? I don’t know what they’re thinking, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. She’s just a noble young lady. What does she know about war?”
Woroka nodded at the priest’s words.
Woroka’s army, which gathered warriors from all tribes, was formidable. They had managed to muster an army of 60,000 strong.
Of course, that included some newly initiated novice warriors, but the northern warriors were tough from a young age, so they weren’t all weaklings.
In contrast, the enemy numbered only about 10,000. He’d heard the Raybold Army was larger, but it seemed they had left some behind to defend.
10,000 was not a small number, but it couldn’t compare to 60,000.
The priest continued, as if he were educating a child. “I expected something like this could happen. I just judged it wouldn’t be a significant obstacle.”
He was not lying to comfort Woroka. He was simply confident they could disregard Raybold since one man alone could not contend with the massive barbarian forces.
“It’s rather fortunate. If we can eliminate Raybold here, wouldn’t it be easier to occupy the North?”
“True. What war can a woman wage? This isn’t a bad situation.”
For Woroka, coming from the northern vastlands, it was absurd to regard such an opponent. However, it also felt better if he thought about it differently.
Their plan was to completely trample Perdium and Penris to obliterate the infrastructure first. Once that was achieved, the mighty Penris Army, known as the strongest in the North, would be unable to continue the war.
If they managed to take down the only remaining army, Raybold’s, the North would be utterly devoid of forces.
“Actually, this is great. I originally planned to occupy other territories, but we can just settle in Raybold, right? It’s a good territory, isn’t it?”
After securing a few more territories to hold, it would be over. The Duke Faction would then move to swallow the kingdom.
Woroka suddenly seemed curious and asked, “What if those guys can’t hold the rift and all perish?”
When he observed before coming, the rift had already expanded tremendously.
If Perdium and Penris were wiped out, they would have to face the rift themselves. Woroka didn’t want to fight those horrible things directly.
The priest laughed as if to reassure him. “That’s probably the case. The rift has grown significantly. But the Penris Army is a strong one. They would have suffered considerable damage from the rift as well, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Woroka nodded.
Certainly, Ghislaine was not someone who would simply die easily. He had a nickname of the Blood Demon, after all, so he at least thought he might not perish alongside the rift.
‘Even if they managed to fend off the rift, they would have incurred substantial losses. They won’t chase after us immediately.’
It was a problem whether the rift remained or whether Ghislaine managed to hold it back. Woroka’s mind grew a bit complicated.
‘No, no. I shouldn’t think further. The war has already begun.’
Woroka shook his head. He thought he was too scared of Ghislaine. Whatever the outcome, it didn’t matter anymore.
Now, they would trample and destroy everything in Perdium and Penris. Then it would all be over. There was no way they would lose.
“All right, let’s wipe out that arrogant woman first!”
Woroka surveyed the surrounding terrain.
The North’s entry point was flanked by hills and low mountains on either side. It wasn’t too narrow, but it would be hard for an army of 60,000 to charge in a single line.
“Considering their deficiency in numbers, were they trying to use the terrain to hold us off? What a useless effort.”
They were all cavalry, while the Raybold army was mostly infantry. Just charging through would crush them entirely.
Moreover, amusingly, the enemy’s cavalry was stationed behind the infantry.
“Who taught them such a foolish formation? Do they think they can just hold the shield up and stop us?”
Laughing heartily, Woroka raised his hand. Though it was difficult for 60,000 to move at once, there was room for about 5,000 cavalry to pass through.
“5,000 in the front, and 5,000 in the rear should be enough. Just trample them.”
“Waaaah!”
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The barbarian warriors, who had been itching to fight, finally received the command to advance and surged forward with fierce momentum.
Seeing the rushing barbarians, the Raybold army raised their shields.
“Fire!”
With Amelia’s order, the archers released their arrows.
Whizz!
The arrows fell into the heart of the incoming cavalry formation.
The barbarian warriors deflected and blocked the arrows with their shields, not halting their charge.
Due to the cramped space, a few horses were struck by arrows, causing a slight disruption in formation, but the warriors paid it no heed.
Who were these guys? They were the ones who had ridden horses since childhood on the vast northern lands.
Even if the central formation was slightly disrupted, the larger flow remained unaffected.
Amelia observed the scene and issued another command. “The center should advance a bit more, but don’t stop the arrow attacks.”
Clank, clank, clank!
The infantry standing in the Raybold army’s formation moved forward a bit more. The archers relentlessly targeted the central line of the barbarian warriors.
Though a few horses were struck down by arrows, it hardly affected the force of 5,000.
As the barbarian warriors drew closer, it was now the turn of the mages from Raybold to step forward.
Fwoosh!
Over 30 mages unleashed their magic, aimed once more at the center of the barbarian formation.
Boom! Boom!
Certainly, magic dealt more damage than arrows. The barbarians had no mages to counter the attacks.
At that moment, the priests of the Salvation Society stepped forward.
Rumble!
Their black energy spread across the battlefield, starting to protect the barbarians. While their divine power couldn’t completely block enemy magic, it was sufficient to shield their allies.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The arrow and magic attacks from the Raybold army were nullified by the black energy. Seeing this, Woroka laughed heartily.
“Ha ha ha! Did you think we would leave our weaknesses exposed for long!”
The shamans of the barbarians were merely spiritual leaders, lacking true power. Thus, in a large-scale war, they were inevitably vulnerable to magical attacks.
Having their weaknesses filled by the priests of the Salvation Society provided unshakeable confidence.
“Press forward! There are far fewer of them than us! We can trample them all!”
While they took a bit of damage, it was not significant enough to be worried about. Woroka confidently shouted and encouraged his warriors.
Thud thud thud thud!
With the magical attacks that they had feared resolved, the warriors rode with frenzied expressions.
“Ha ha ha ha! At last, we shall taste the blood!”
“Kill all the women, the men… No! Just kill them all!”
“The North belongs to us!”
Anticipating the bloody festival to come, everyone was excited and ready to unleash the fury they had been holding back.
However, as they charged fiercely toward the Raybold army, they soon encountered an unexpected obstacle.
Heeey!
Thud thud thud!
The central frontline that was leading the charge began to trip over something.
“Uagh! What is this?”
“It’s a trap!”
“Stop! Slow down!”
As the front fell in a heap, the warriors following behind also got entangled and toppled over. It was hard to slow down while charging.
“It’s stakes! There are stakes in the ground!”
The stakes, partially embedded, were low enough that unless you were close, they were hard to notice. Some were even connected by a line.
Horses galloping quickly stumbled over the stakes or tripped on the lines, losing their balance and falling.
Woroka gritted his teeth as he heard the warriors’ shouts. “How dare they resort to such shallow tricks…”
Since they hadn’t had time to properly set up traps, they had to use such tactics.
It was certainly effective. Though only a small segment was disarrayed, it did create some chaos.
In contrast, the warriors on either side were still charging toward the Raybold army.
“Warriors in the center, dismount! Just go and trample them! Our numbers are overwhelmingly greater!”
There could be more traps up ahead. Moreover, the front in the center was already tangled with the horses.
After all, only the frontline would get stuck in the traps. The troops following behind could either avoid or run over them without a problem.
“Waaaah!”
The only damage suffered was being trampled by the horses behind, which was not that significant. The barbarian warriors in the central line abandoned their horses and rushed forward.
The troops following behind also dismounted. After all, the advantage of cavalry charges had vanished with the blockage ahead.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
While the forces in the center ran ahead on foot, those on either side maintained their fierce momentum.
“Dieeeee!”
The barbarian warriors shouted loudly as they closed in on the Raybold army.
Amelia, who had been quietly observing, issued another command.
“Clear the path.”
As soon as the order was given, the Raybold army’s formation shifted.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The soldiers opened gaps, creating a passage for the charging barbarian warriors.
The central barbarian forces, halted in their charge, meant only the troops on either side would flow into the empty corridor.
“Huh? Huh? Aren’t they blocking us?”
The barbarian warriors, already filled with momentum, could not stop.
That’s the nature of cavalry charges. If the front suddenly halts, it causes a collapse all the way to the rear. They couldn’t stop freely until they collided with the enemy.
“Huh? Huh? Huh?”
The barbarians had no choice but to surge through the now vacant corridor.
Suddenly, the Raybold army’s formation shifted once more.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
They all turned sideways and raised their shields. The barbarians attempted to attack the soldiers as they passed, but all they achieved was hitting the shields a few times.
Most of the side barbarian warriors made their way into the Raybold army’s formation.
Amelia issued another order.
“Encircle them.”
Clank! Clank! Clank!
As soldiers at the front of the Raybold army re-blocked the passage and raised their shields, the corridor that the barbarians had entered was completely sealed off.
Barbarians who were unable to enter the back that were trailing slowed down, only to find themselves stopped by the soldiers.
Amelia’s commands followed rapidly.
“Bring them down.”
The soldiers surrounding the trapped barbarians raised their shields, and countless hooks sprang forth to sever the legs of the horses.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Heeey!
Horses caught off-guard shrieked as they collapsed. Naturally, the barbarians riding them fell to the ground, entangled with one another.
“Uagh!”
“What the hell are these bastards!”
“Get up! Counterattack now!”
But having already become entangled, simply standing up was a challenge.
The few warriors who managed to rise raised their axes with a fierce intent, but their sides were firmly blocked by shields.
“Damn it! Break through! We have to get out!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Though they tried desperately to drum on the shields to escape, the solid formation of the Raybold army didn’t even waver. The soldiers moved with astonishing precision.
Amelia had continuously trained her soldiers with her knowledge and ability. Thus, following her every gesture without a hint of hesitation, a unified army was born.
Amelia looked at the trapped barbarian warriors within the Raybold army’s formation and spoke.
Her voice was colder than ever.
“Kill them.”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The hooks plunged in, and the shields returned to their positions. Immediately after, gaps opened in the shields, unleashing countless spears.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“Graaah!”
The barbarian warriors trapped within the Raybold army were helpless. Surrounded by the formidable wall of shields, they had no way to escape.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
No matter how fiercely they swung their axes, the shields wouldn’t budge.
To dismantle the formation of heavy infantry required either overwhelming numbers or formidable breakthrough power. Once encircled, there was no escape.
Especially against well-trained elite troops, fleeing was even more difficult.
“Graaah!”
The screams of the trapped warriors rang out incessantly. Woroka cried out in fury.
“They intentionally moved the center forward! They plan to strike the sides first! Push the center! Save our troops! Reinforcements to the flanks!”
A massive army does not move all at once. They maneuver organically, gauging an enemy’s tactics and traps.
The waiting barbarian warriors dashed toward the flanks of the Raybold army once more.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Having already discerned the enemy’s strategies and traps, there was no way to create that kind of path anew, so they would just need to press on.
The additional forces of the barbarian warriors would take a bit of time to catch up to the Raybold army.
However, the central line of the dismounted barbarian warriors quickly drew close to the Raybold army.
“Waaaah!”
The barbarian warriors’ rough cries echoed across the battlefield. With fierce momentum, they seemed ready to tear apart anything that stood in their way.
In contrast, the soldiers of the Raybold army remained silent. Their expressions displayed a cold composure that showed no signs of being shaken by the atmosphere of war.
They merely extended their shields as commanded, just as they had been trained to do.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The contrasts of warmth and cold met at last in a collision.
Boom!
The axes of the barbarian warriors struck the shields of the Raybold army.
