Chapter 439: It’s Fine As Long As It Stays This Way. (6)

The formation of the Rayfold forces was shaped like a bow, with the front protruding outward. Since the barbarians greatly outnumbered them, the center needed to be thick to withstand the clash.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the central front was the first to meet the barbarian forces, the battle there was particularly fierce.

The barbarian warriors even sent their elite great warriors to break through the Rayfold lines. Confident in their numerical advantage, they sought to pierce through the center with overwhelming strength.

Waroka shouted relentlessly.

"We're much greater in number and stronger! Push through! We can encircle them!"

The flanks of the Rayfold forces were inevitably weaker than the heavily fortified center.

Thud, thud, thud!

Encircling the enemy isn't just about surrounding them; it requires delivering meaningful damage to be effective.

The barbarians needed to break through the middle ranks of the Rayfold forces to completely encircle and crush them.

While the central warriors pressed the center with overwhelming numbers, reinforcements rushed to shatter the flanks.

Thud, thud, thud!

Amelia surveyed the charging barbarians and gave her command.

"The flanks must hold. Do not yield."

The soldiers adjusted their formation.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

They tightened their ranks, forming a layered wall of shields, and raised spears through the gaps between the shields.

Their intention was clear: to withstand the cavalry charge at all costs.

And soon, the two sides clashed.

Boom!

The left and right flanks of the Rayfold forces trembled and slightly gave ground under the impact but did not completely collapse.

The barbarians lacked the full armor and barding of the kingdom's knights. Against such a solid defense bristling with spears, breaking through was no easy task.

To the barbarians, who relied heavily on cavalry charges, this was an especially frustrating formation.

Waroka, watching this unfold, shouted in frustration.

"Dismount! Dismount and engage them! We outnumber them by far! Overpower them with brute force!"

Since they couldn't break through, dismounting for close combat was a better option. The long spears made it difficult to approach while mounted.

The barbarian warriors drew their axes from their belts and rushed at the Rayfold forces.

Dodging the long spears, they closed in and swung their axes, climbing over the shields. Inevitably, some of the Rayfold soldiers drew their swords to counter.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A fierce melee ensued on both sides. The barbarians fought desperately to break the formation, while the Rayfold forces strove to hold their ground.

Waroka's face lit up with triumph as he shouted.

"That's it! Keep pushing! We've got this!"

The enemy's traps were all spent. It would be hard for them to pull off another clever trick like before.

In a battle of raw strength and endurance, the numerical advantage was clearly on Waroka's side.

If things continue as they were, the Rayfold forces would inevitably tire and collapse.

As the two forces became locked in a grinding battle, Amelia issued a new command.

"The flanks hold their ground. The center will retreat slowly."

At her order, the soldiers began to move.

The formation consisted of multiple overlapping ranks. The rear-most rank took a step back and slammed their shields into the ground.

Thud!

The rank in front of them did the same, stepping back and slamming their shields.

Thud!

The soldiers moved like waves, in perfect rhythm.

The motion extended all the way to the front lines, where the soldiers had been directly clashing with the barbarians.

Thud!

The bow-like formation began to recede slowly. To the barbarians, it appeared as if the Rayfold forces were being pushed back.

"Hahaha! They're getting tired!"

"Kill them all!"

"Push them back!"

The barbarians, drunk on their frenzy, advanced eagerly. Victory seemed within reach if they could just press a little harder.

Meanwhile, the flanks of the Rayfold forces held firm, tightly packed and unyielding.

Before long, the bow-shaped formation of the Rayfold forces transformed into a concave shape, with the center deeply indented.

It was then that Waroka's expression stiffened, a grim realization dawning upon him.

"Could it be…?"

On the battlefield, warriors focused solely on the enemy in front of them, oblivious to the bigger picture.

Reinforcements continually poured into the center, drawn into the apparent gap.

With so many warriors, it seemed like the only viable path forward.

Some of the soldiers from the center quietly moved to bolster the flanks.

At that moment, Amelia's cold smile appeared.

"Attack."

Once again, the formation shifted.

The soldiers on the flanks, except for those maintaining the front line, turned their bodies sideways and thrust their spears.

The barbarians, who had mindlessly poured into the center, found themselves surrounded.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Arghhh!"

The barbarian warriors, caught off guard, were struck down by the relentless spear thrusts from both sides.

Lightly armored as they were, they had no means of defending against the onslaught.

Barbarians had always relied on brute strength and durability, believing those alone would suffice.

Seeing this, Waroka trembled with rage. Only now did he realize what was happening.

"This… this can't be…!"

The earlier traps and tactics had been mere distractions—a ploy to make them believe the enemy had no more tricks. The real plan was unfolding now.

It was a tactic designed to exploit their focus on the immediate fight. No army retreats without reason; the instinct is always to advance when the enemy appears to be faltering.

The fact that Amelia possessed such tactical prowess was something Waroka couldn't fathom.

"Attack the flanks! Break their flanks! Quickly! Push the flanks!"

Waroka shouted desperately. As long as the Rayfold flanks held, they were playing into the enemy's hands.

The barbarian warriors, realizing too late, began focusing their efforts on breaking the flanks.

But the Rayfold forces did not yield.

"Damn it! What is this? We have the numbers!"

The warriors roared and struck relentlessly, but the Rayfold formation held firm.

Amelia had strategically placed the most elite soldiers on the flanks. Among them, countless shields gleamed with blue mana.

She had even positioned knights at the forefront, instructing them solely to defend.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

No matter how fiercely the barbarians attacked, the Rayfold forces didn't waver.

The barbarian great warriors had all been committed to the center, which was now ensnared in the trap.

Realizing the futility of the situation, Waroka blew the retreat horn and shouted.

"Fall back! Retreat now!"

But with so many bodies packed together, retreating wasn't easy. Meanwhile, the Rayfold forces tightened their encirclement, continuing to cut down the trapped barbarians.

Not only that, but the mages had resumed their bombardment, and the archers unleashed a renewed volley of arrows.

The priests of the Salvation Church tried desperately to shield their warriors, but their efforts couldn't cover everyone.

Trapped in the encirclement, the warriors continued to fall.

Waroka, watching the slaughter, roared in fury.

"Arghhh! That damn woman! How dare she!"

Though he still had a significant portion of his forces left, the bottleneck prevented him from deploying them all at once.

An attempt to flank the enemy would only result in a prolonged engagement with their heavily armored infantry.

Could they withstand such a counterattack? Even if they tried, would the infantry line break so easily?

Waroka bit his lip. He was starting to feel a little desperate. If this continued, they would end up playing right into the enemy's hands.

"Retreat! Pull back quickly!"

Waroka yelled incessantly, urging his warriors to withdraw. They, too, realized the danger of the situation and began to fall back.

Meow.

Amelia casually stroked Bastet, who let out a lazy yawn, as she surveyed the battlefield.

"Left and right flanks, retreat."

Another command was issued, and this time, the left and right flanks of the Rayfold forces began to step back.

Thud!

Of course, they didn't forget to stab their spears at the retreating barbarians.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

"Aargh!"

Thud!

The entire formation of the Rayfold forces started to withdraw. The barbarian warriors, focused on attacking the flanks, misunderstood the reason behind this movement.

"They're retreating! They're falling back!"

"Crush them now!"

"We outnumber them by far!"

Even though the formation was retreating, the Rayfold forces weren't taking any losses. Instead, they were methodically eliminating the trapped warriors inside their lines.

On the contrary, retreating reduced their losses further. The barbarian warriors were preoccupied with following them.

Seeing this, Waroka's mind went blank.

"What… what is this?"

He couldn't understand it. He couldn't grasp the enemy's intentions. Why were they retreating on their own?

Confused, he shouted urgently.

"Don't follow them! Retreat! Retreat, you fools!"

Not knowing the enemy's intentions, he couldn't risk being drawn into a trap. If they made the wrong move, they could all be wiped out.

The rear units, hearing Waroka's desperate cries, halted their advance. But the warriors who had already engaged the enemy didn't withdraw so easily.

The barbarians were notoriously difficult to control. They blindly chased after the retreating Rayfold forces.

"Retreat, I said!!!!!"

Waroka charged forward and shouted at the top of his lungs. Only then did the warriors begin to fall back.

Even so, only those attacking the flanks retreated. Those trapped in the center couldn't escape and continued to die.

However, as the left and right flanks of the Rayfold forces retreated, the encirclement began to loosen, offering a chance to breathe.

With so many barbarians trapped inside, the Rayfold forces couldn't wipe them out all at once. Instead, they steadily killed them as they repositioned.

Waroka kept urging his warriors. The flanks had already fully retreated. There was no need to keep fighting since the enemy had loosened the encirclement themselves.

"Quickly! Just get out of there!"

Now, all that remained was for the warriors deeply trapped in the center to retreat. Many were still alive. If they could escape, they could regroup and fight again.

Holding onto that hope, Waroka's thoughts were interrupted by Amelia's voice.

"Crush them."

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Suddenly, the center of the Rayfold formation shifted, creating a wide-open space.

The barbarians were now held back solely by the soldiers on the flanks.

As the Rayfold soldiers in the flanks retreated, confusion spread among the barbarians. It was then that the cavalry stationed at the rear of the Rayfold forces finally moved.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

"Hahaha! Get ready to die!"

Vulcan, a former bandit, roared as he swung a massive club.

Beside him was Conrad, the leader of the Actium Merchant Group, dressed in elegant armor and wielding a spear.

He was not only one of Amelia's strategists but also a capable knight on the battlefield.

The warriors attacking the flanks had already retreated. The central warriors were still turning around to escape.

They were utterly defenseless.

Into this state of disarray, the Rayfold cavalry charged.

Boom!

"Aargh!"

The barbarian warriors couldn't resist the onslaught. The warriors who had pushed into the center were trampled and annihilated.

The barbarians who had already retreated could only watch helplessly as their comrades were slaughtered.

Waroka stammered as he tried to speak.

"R-rescue the troops…."

By pulling back the left and right flanks, they had inadvertently allowed the enemy cavalry to move. Once again, he had fallen into their trap.

Now, the center of the Rayfold formation was wide open. Reinforcements could be sent in to push forward. But Waroka hesitated, unable to finish his thought.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Suddenly, the left and right flanks of the Rayfold forces stopped moving and raised their shields once more.

Waroka didn't dare send in reinforcements. He couldn't understand the enemy's formation or strategy this time, either.

'What is this? Are they blocking again? Or is it a bluff? Another trap? What happens if I send them in now?'

The battlefield was constantly shifting. Commanders had to make quick judgments and decisions.

But Waroka found himself unable to decide.

He couldn't discern the enemy's intentions.

Even if there was no real meaning behind it, after falling into so many traps, Waroka couldn't help but second-guess everything.

Amelia was toying with Waroka's psyche.

Ultimately, the warriors trapped in the center were all crushed by the Rayfold cavalry.

'What… what is this….'

Even then, Waroka couldn't issue any commands. The surviving barbarian warriors stared blankly, as if entranced.

They had fought fiercely, yet when they came to their senses, they realized they had been thoroughly beaten and forced to retreat.

Fixated on attacking only the enemy in front of them, the barbarians had no idea how they had fallen into such a disastrous state.

The Rayfold forces didn't advance further. With their smaller numbers, they had no reason to overextend themselves.

This battle alone had cost the barbarians around ten thousand warriors.

Nodding slightly, Amelia stroked Bastet and gave her next order.

"Move to the next location."

Meow.

At her command, the Rayfold forces began to retreat in an orderly manner. Their formation remained impeccably disciplined.

Waroka and the barbarian warriors could do nothing but watch in silence.

Waroka, in particular, found his mind swirling with confusion.

'Why are they retreating? What's the reason? Weren't they trying to stop us? Could this be another trap?'

Once again, he was paralyzed by indecision. All he could do was watch the Rayfold forces leave the battlefield.

As if reading his thoughts, Amelia smiled as she gazed at the retreating barbarian forces.

"I'll fight when I want, where I want, and how I want."

That was her way of waging war.

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