Chapter 441: You're the Ones Surrounded (2)
"Go and check if there are any traps first."
Waroka wanted to ensure there were no traps like last time. At his cautious command, 100 barbarian warriors rode out toward the Rayfold Army.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The warriors approached the Rayfold Army formation on horseback, inspecting their surroundings. They even briefly looked around the edge of the thicket nearby, just in case.
The Rayfold Army showed no reaction. They neither fired arrows nor cast spells.
It was as if they were leisurely letting the barbarians investigate, brimming with confidence.
That sight further irritated Waroka.
"Arrogant bastards… Let's see how long they can keep up that smug act."
Once again, the Rayfold Army placed their heavy infantry at the front, with cavalry stationed at the rear, just as before.
The formation was simple—a long, rectangular line, making their intention to hold the line obvious.
"They're trying to tire us out."
No one can fight all day. If they couldn't break through that line, they'd be stuck here for days again, unable to advance.
Moreover, Waroka couldn't ignore the growing dissatisfaction of the other chieftains. His leadership and abilities were being questioned.
"This time, I'll wipe them out for sure."
Now that there were no traps, they could attack without hesitation.
The barbarian warriors, all cavalry, had limited tactical options. While their cavalry charges were powerful, Rayfold's heavy infantry wouldn't be easy to overcome.
"With the flanks blocked by the forest and the river, we can't maneuver around to attack their sides. We'll have to tire them out."
One of the chieftains asked Waroka, "Are they planning to lure us in and surround us like last time?"
"With their numbers, that's impossible here. We can deploy far more troops. Their equipment is superior, so they'll hold out for a while, but they'll tire out faster than we will."
"Alright, let's crush them this time."
"Keep the formation intact and hit their front line all at once."
The most destructive tactic for a cavalry charge is the wedge formation. However, since it seemed unlikely to break through Rayfold's lines easily, they planned to chip away at the front line gradually.
Simultaneously attacking multiple points would also reduce the risk of falling into the enemy's strategies.
"Go! Kill every last one of them this time!"
Bwooo!
The horn sounded, and the first line of barbarian warriors surged forward on horseback.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Their momentum was fiercer and sharper than before. The shame of their previous defeat still burned within them.
"Waaah! Our ancestors are watching over us!"
The great warriors at the front roared, and the following warriors echoed their shouts.
Waroka deliberately placed his strongest warriors in the vanguard.
He needed to quickly break through Rayfold's sturdy defenses to avoid being drawn into their tactics.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The barbarian warriors picked up speed. Finally, the Rayfold Army began to respond.
Whoosh!
Arrows and spells rained down. Unlike last time, where they focused on the center, the attacks were spread out, randomly targeting the advancing warriors.
Humm…
Black energy swirled around the barbarian warriors, shielding them from Rayfold's arrows and magic.
The priests of the Church of Salvation, knowing the need for a quick resolution, spared no effort. Thanks to their support, Rayfold's attacks inflicted minimal damage.
The barbarian warriors charged straight into the Rayfold Army's formation.
Boom!
The Rayfold line wavered, with some being pushed back. Many warriors were dismounted by spears protruding between shields, but the number of successful attackers outpaced the fallen.
"Die!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The great warriors in the front swung massive axes, smashing down on the shields.
From atop their horses, their strikes were even more powerful, with their elevated position giving them a clear advantage.
The Rayfold soldiers focused on blocking these attacks with their shields and killing the horses that got too close.
Slash! Slash!
Neigh!
Horses collapsed left and right, their legs severed. However, the warriors seemed prepared for this. They landed deftly and swung their axes with speed and precision.
Thanks to the powerful great warriors, gaps began to form in Rayfold's line.
Seeing this, Waroka issued another command.
"Second line! Advance!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The waiting warriors moved forward. They intended to press through the gaps created by the first wave and continue pushing.
Boom!
The second charge of the barbarian cavalry struck the Rayfold line again. They didn't care about the allied warriors in their path, pushing through them as well.
This caused parts of the Rayfold line entangled with the barbarians to collapse, further disrupting their formation.
Neigh!
When their horses were attacked, the warriors dismounted immediately to fight on foot. Riderless horses scattered in all directions.
"Third line! Advance! Dismount and fight!"
The warriors were now deeply engaged with the Rayfold soldiers. At this point, further cavalry charges would cause more harm to their own side, so they shifted to fighting on foot.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The warriors, now close to the front, dismounted and roared as they charged forward.
"Waaahhh!"
The warriors fought relentlessly, pushing forward. From behind, their comrades shoved them forward, forcing them to advance.
Although the barbarians suffered considerable losses, their efforts were paying off. The first line of the Rayfold Army was nearly broken.
Finally, Amelia gave the order.
"Fall back."
Thud!
The disorganized Rayfold line began retreating slightly. This allowed the barbarians to advance further.
"That's it! Keep pushing!"
Waroka shouted in excitement.
He had committed 30,000 warriors. At this scale, it would be difficult for the Rayfold Army to hold out, even if they were just using brute force.
Although the Rayfold formation hadn't changed, they were undoubtedly being pushed back.
Thud!
The Rayfold Army was pushed back even further. If this continued, they would tire out first.
The barbarians still had plenty of reinforcements left.
Waroka knew this too, so he screamed until his voice was hoarse.
"Push! Don't stop, keep pushing! They'll collapse before we do!"
Amelia, watching the battle, suddenly lifted her head.
By now, Dark had appeared, circling in the sky. After briefly looking at him, Amelia turned her gaze back to the battlefield, narrowing her eyes.
She slowly raised her hand.
Bwooo!
A horn sounded, and the flag bearers at the rear began waving their flags.
Waroka watched this with a suspicious gaze.
For the moment, nothing happened. There was no change in the enemy formation. But after a while, the sound of galloping hooves reached their ears.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Waroka bit his lip anxiously and turned his head.
'I'm sure they checked the edge of the thicket…'
They had ensured there were no troops hidden in the forest before launching their attack.
But soon, a group of soldiers emerged from the forest.
Waroka was stunned at the sight.
"What the—!"
The soldiers emerging were from the Rayfold Army, all mounted.
There had been a significant delay between the signal and their appearance. This meant they had been hidden deep within the forest—or possibly even beyond it.
Waroka realized he had been deceived.
"They had more troops all along!"
Had he known, he would have anticipated an ambush.
But the Rayfold Army had always fought with just 10,000 soldiers. They had consistently maintained this number, so he had no reason to suspect they were hiding additional troops.
In other words, Amelia had deliberately hidden her forces to deceive them from the very beginning.
"Could it be…"
This would also explain how the detachment of 3,000 warriors was annihilated. Rather than splitting their existing forces, they had simply mobilized the hidden troops.
"How could they have known our movements…?"
Waroka couldn't understand. How had the hidden troops moved and fought so perfectly?
But now wasn't the time for such thoughts.
"They're going to…"
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The troops emerging from the forest began forming a wedge formation.
At this rate, they would strike the flanks of the warriors currently pushing against the Rayfold Army.
And from the number of soldiers still emerging from the forest, it was clear they numbered in the thousands.
"Wait… maybe this is a new opportunity."
They still had 20,000 warriors left. They could deal with this new force effectively.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
But the Rayfold Army seemed focused solely on their charge. They were clearly intent on breaking through the 30,000 warriors in front of them.
Waroka laughed loudly and shouted.
"You foolish woman! You couldn't hold out any longer, so you finally revealed your hidden card!"
She had revealed her hidden troops, knowing full well they still had reserves. That meant she was at her limit.
The cavalry that suddenly appeared, if eliminated, would greatly demoralize the enemy.
Until now, they had likely relied solely on this hidden force for their defense.
"Move quickly! If we take them out, victory is ours!"
Neigh!
The warriors tightened their grip on their reins. If they moved now, they could inflict significant damage on the newly emerged enemies.
Just as they were about to move—
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
"Huh?"
The ground trembled, and the sound of hoofbeats came from behind. It was a sound more powerful and resolute than anything they had heard before.
The warriors, who were just about to charge, froze. Slowly, Waroka turned his head.
The moment he identified the source of the sound, a chill ran down his spine.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
A man on a black horse was galloping toward them with a fierce grin.
Whoosh!
The black horse was quickly engulfed in swirling, dark red smoke, resembling a demon that had emerged from the depths of hell.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The more the dark red smoke swirled, the faster the horse ran, creating a widening gap between itself and the trailing army, making it appear as if the man was charging alone.
But Waroka didn't underestimate him, even if he was alone. He knew exactly who this man was.
"The Bloody… Demon…"
Ghislain Perdium. That bastard had not only stopped the rift but had also made his way here.
To think he had managed to seal such a colossal rift, and still arrived with his army intact.
It was unbelievable. It defied comprehension.
"I… I…"
Waroka couldn't finish his sentence. His mind was in chaos, unable to grasp what he should say.
Why had he even thought of fighting that man in the first place? No answer came to him.
"Chieftain!"
The great warrior, Monga, shouted loudly beside him, jolting him back to reality.
Snapping out of his daze, Waroka shook his head several times to clear his thoughts. He couldn't afford to falter now.
"Stop him! Everyone, stop that man first!"
Pointing at Ghislain, Waroka shouted desperately.
Ahead was the Rayfold Army, to the left was the river, and now Ghislain was behind them—they were surrounded.
The only saving grace was their overwhelming numbers and the fact that their warriors were not easily intimidated.
The warriors raised their weapons and roared.
"Let's gooooo!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The warriors, who had been preparing to flank the Rayfold Army, turned their horses around and charged toward the rear.
They, too, ground their teeth as they looked at Ghislain.
"That bastard's coming alone again!"
"This time, we'll kill him for sure!"
"The blessings of our ancestors are with us!"
Twenty thousand warriors surged forward with ferocious momentum. Ghislain, seeing this, smirked and raised the corners of his mouth.
Whoosh!
Soon, his body was enveloped in the same dark red smoke, merging with his horse, the Black King.
The Black King, shooting forward like a beam of light, collided with the warriors.
BOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing. The warriors who clashed with Ghislain exploded alongside the sound.
Crack, crack, crack!
Ghislain tore through nearly half of their formation before finally coming to a halt.
The devastating display of power left the warriors momentarily frozen.
This was the overwhelming might of a Master, capable of facing thousands alone.
"All at once! Everyone attack him at once! That man must be killed first!"
At Waroka's shout, the warriors snapped back to their senses and charged at Ghislain, roaring.
"Kill himmmm!"
Ghislain gently tapped the Black King's neck and spoke.
"You can rampage as much as you like."
Neigh!
The Black King neighed joyfully and began to move wildly.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With every kick from the Black King, the bodies of approaching warriors exploded. Cloaked in Ghislain's energy, the Black King was no mere horse—it was a calamity-level monster.
"What the hell is this horse!"
The warriors struck by the crazed horse were astonished. It felt as if the horse was stronger than even the greatest warriors among them.
But it wasn't just the Black King's kicks tormenting the warriors. Ghislain, perched atop the steed, swung his spear without rest.
Slash, slash, slash, slash!
The barbarian warriors couldn't even approach before their heads were severed.
Under normal circumstances, even Ghislain wouldn't have fought like this. No matter how powerful a Master might be, it was nearly impossible to survive being surrounded by 20,000 warriors. His strength wasn't infinite.
But Ghislain wasn't holding back. Because the one surrounded wasn't him.
"You're the ones surrounded."
He spoke with a grin.
At that moment—
BOOOOM!
The knights and cavalry of Fenris and Perdium surged into the fray.
"Uwaaahhh!"
The warriors, whose formation was already in chaos due to Ghislain, were quickly pushed back.
The Rayfold cavalry, who had been lying in ambush in the thicket, attacked the flanks of the barbarians battling the heavy infantry.
BOOOOM!
The barbarians, who had been advancing relentlessly forward, had nowhere to escape and were utterly crushed.
"Arghhh! Stop them! Kill them first!"
Despite still having a numerical advantage, the barbarians turned to block the advancing cavalry.
At that moment, Amelia rose from her seat and extended her hand.
"Advance, all units."
Thud!
The retreating Rayfold Army suddenly halted. Then, with forceful strides, they began pushing forward with their shields.
Thud!
The sudden advance of the Rayfold Army caused the barbarians fighting them to stumble.
Amelia, gazing coldly at the battlefield, spoke in a chilling voice.
"Don't let a single one escape."
As she had planned, she had drawn the enemy into a perfect encirclement. The barbarians would not escape.
At last, the end of the battle was in sight.