438

Episode 438 It's okay if we just keep going like this (5)

Waroka bit his lip. He was a little annoyed. If there was a fight, he would inevitably take damage anyway.

He asked the priest of the Salvation Church next to him.

"Didn't you say that there was no army to stop us in the North! Why did Raypold move? We had to get through that!"

Some priests of the Salvation Church remained within the kingdom to serve as guides and advisors.

Of course, the real intention was to move Woroka's army according to the Duke's will.

The priest gently coaxed him to go in the direction he wanted.

"Hmm… … It looks like there was some kind of deal."

"transaction?"

"Yes, otherwise Raypold wouldn't have moved."

The duke judged that Amelia would not move, for he thought that she was too greedy and would not help Giselle.

Moreover, they thought that Amelia was just a puppet who had barely succeeded in usurping power with their help. They also thought that she did not have the strength or ability to fight against barbarians.

"Isn't our power overwhelming? I don't know what you were thinking, but it won't be that difficult. I'm just a young noblewoman. What would I know about war?"

Woroka nodded at the priest's words.

The army of Woroka, which gathered warriors from all tribes, was great. An army of 60,000 men was created.

Of course, it was a number that had been gathered from scratch, including the beginner warriors who had just had their coming of age ceremony, but the warriors of the North were strong from a young age, so they were not weaklings.

On the other hand, the opponent's number is only about 10,000. I heard that the Leipold Army has more, but it seems that they left some behind for defense.

10,000 was not a small number, but it was nothing compared to 60,000.

The priest continued speaking soothingly.

"I expected something like this could happen. I just figured it wouldn't be much of a hassle."

It wasn't a lie to appease Waroka. He simply ignored him, convinced that Leipold alone wouldn't be able to deal with the barbarian army.

"That's a good thing. If we can eliminate Leipold here, wouldn't it be easier to occupy the North?"

"Right. What kind of war is a woman fighting? It's not a bad situation."

For a Waroka from the northern lands, he was a formidable opponent. But thinking about it another way, it was actually better.

Their plan is to completely destroy Perdium and Fenris and eliminate their infrastructure first. If that happens, the Fenris Army, known as the strongest in the North, will not be able to continue the war.

If we attack Leipold, the only remaining army, the north will be completely empty.

"That's better. I was originally planning to take over another territory, but why don't you just settle down in Leipold? You said it's a good territory?"

After that, if you take over a few more territories and hold out, it will be over. After that, the Duke will move and take over the kingdom.

Waroka suddenly asked curiously.

"What if they can't stop the crack and they all die?"

Even before I arrived, the crack had already expanded greatly.

If Ferdium and Fenris were destroyed, they would have to deal with the rift themselves. Woroka had no desire to fight those terrible things himself.

The priest smiled as if to tell me not to worry.

"Probably so. The crack has grown so large. However, Fenris's army is strong. The crack has probably taken a lot of damage, so it shouldn't be difficult to deal with."

"Uhm, okay."

Waroka nodded.

Certainly, Jiselle is not someone who will just die. He was even given the nickname of Bloody Demon, so I thought that he would at least not die together with the crack.

'Even if we had blocked the crack, there would have been significant damage. They wouldn't be able to chase us right away.'

It's a problem if the crack remains, and it's also a problem if Jiselle blocks it. Waroka's feelings are becoming a little complicated.

'No, no. Let's not think about it any longer. The war has already begun.'

Waroka, who had been pondering, soon shook his head. He seemed to be too scared of Jiselle. It didn't matter whether he won or lost.

Now I will trample and destroy everything in Ferdium and Fenris. Then it will be over. I will never lose.

"Okay, let's start by getting rid of that insolent woman!"

Waroka surveyed the surrounding terrain.

The northern approach was flanked by hills and low mountains. It was not very narrow, but it was difficult for a 60,000-strong army to advance in a single line.

"You were trying to hold out by taking advantage of the terrain since you were outnumbered? That was a useless move."

They were all cavalry, but most of Leipold's army in front of them were infantry. If they just broke through, they could crush them all.

Funnily enough, the enemy's cavalry was positioned behind the infantry.

"Who taught you such a ridiculous formation? Do you think you can stop them just by holding a shield?"

Woroka, who had been laughing loudly, raised his hand. It would be difficult for 60,000 people to move at once, but there was enough space for 5,000 cavalry to pass through.

"5,000 for the lead and 5,000 for the follow-up should be enough. Just trample them."

"Wow!"

Doo doo doo doo doo doo!

These were savage warriors who had not been able to fight for a while and were hot and furious. Finally, they received the order to go to battle and advanced towards their opponents with great momentum.

Raypold's men raised their shields as they watched the savages charging towards them.

"Shoot."

At Amelia's command, the archers fired their arrows.

Phaaaat!

The arrow struck the center of the approaching cavalry.

The barbarian warriors continued to charge, deflecting and blocking arrows with their shields.

Because the space was cramped, a few horses were hit by arrows and fell, slightly disrupting the ranks, but the warriors paid no attention.

Who are these people? They are the ones who have been riding horses since they were young in the land of the north.

Even though the central line was a little damaged, the overall flow was fine.

Amelia looked at the sight and gave the order again.

"The center should move forward a little further and don't stop attacking with your bow."

Clank, clank, clank!

The infantry standing in the middle of Leipold's army moved a little further forward. The archers persistently aimed only at the center of the barbarian warriors.

Several horses were struck down by arrows, but this had little effect on the five thousand strong army.

As the barbarian warriors drew closer, this time the wizards from Leipold stepped forward.

Phaaaah!

The magic cast by the 30 or so wizards flew into the center of the barbarian ranks once again.

Kwaaaaang! Kwaaaaang!

Certainly, magic did more damage than arrows. The barbarians had no magicians, so they could not stop the attacks.

Then the priests of the Salvation Church stepped forward.

Gooooo!

Their dark aura spread throughout the battlefield, protecting the barbarians. Their divine power could not block enemy magic, but it was enough to protect their allies.

Kwah! Kwah! Kwah!

Raypold's arrow and magic attacks were countered by the black aura. When Woroka saw that, he laughed heartily.

"Hahahaha! How long did you think we'd leave our weaknesses alone!"

The shamans of the barbarians were merely spiritual guides with no real power, so they were bound to be vulnerable to magical attacks in large-scale warfare.

The priests of the Salvation Church filled in those weaknesses, so they were incredibly strong.

"Push! They are far outnumbered by us! We can crush them all!"

There was some damage, but not enough to be worried about. Waroka confidently shouted and encouraged his warriors.

Doo doo doo doo doo!

The warriors rode their horses with mad expressions as even the most feared magical attack was resolved.

"Hahahahaha! I'm finally going to taste blood!"

"Kill all the women and scare the men… … No! Kill them all!"

"The North is ours!"

Everyone was excited and jumping for joy in anticipation of the bloody festival that was about to unfold. They were determined to let out all the anger they had been holding in.

As they were running towards Leipold's army with such ferocious momentum, they soon encountered an unexpected obstacle.

Heeeeeeeeeing!

Quadadadang!

The central column that was running in the lead started to stumble over something and fall over.

"Eww! What the heck!"

"It's a trap!"

"Stop! Slow down!"

As the front line fell, the warriors following behind also fell together, as it was difficult to slow down during a charge.

"It's a stake! There's a stake in there!"

The low-lying stakes that slowed down the assault were sparsely placed and not easily visible unless viewed up close. Some were even connected to each other by ropes.

A fast-running horse tripped on a stake or a rope, lost its balance, and fell over.

Waroka ground his teeth when he heard the warriors' cries.

"How dare you say such a shallow thing… … ."

They resorted to such measures because they didn't have time to properly sell the trap.

It certainly worked, although only to a small extent, as the central line was destroyed.

In other words, that was all there was to it. The warriors on both sides were still running towards Leipold's army.

"Warriors in the center, get off your horses! Just go ahead and push them back! We outnumber them!"

There may be more stakes, and the central leader is already entangled with the horses.

In any case, only the lead unit will fall into the trap. The units following behind will just have to avoid it or get past it.

"Wow!"

The damage was not that great, except that they fell and were trampled by the horses behind them. The barbarian warriors in the center of the line abandoned their horses and ran.

The warriors following behind also dismounted. Since the front was blocked anyway, the advantage of a cavalry charge was gone.

Doo doo doo doo doo doo!

The central group dismounted and ran, but the charges on both sides still maintained their momentum.

"Dieeeeeeeeeeeee!"

The barbarian warriors shouted loudly and advanced right up to Leipold's army.

Amelia, who had been quietly watching the scene, gave another order.

"Make way."

As soon as the order was given, Leipold's army changed formation.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The soldiers fell apart, creating a passage through which the barbarian warriors would charge.

The barbarians in the center had stopped charging, so the armies on both sides were able to enter through the empty passage.

"Huh? Huh? You're not going to stop it?"

The barbarian warriors, already in high spirits, could not be stopped.

That's what a cavalry charge is like. If the vanguard suddenly stops, the entire rear ranks will collapse. They couldn't stop at will until they collided with the enemy.

"Huh? Huh? Huh?"

The savages had no choice but to continue on through the now empty passage.

Then, Leipold's army's formation changed again.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

They all turned sideways and raised their shields. The barbarians tried to attack the soldiers as they passed through the passage, but they only received a few shield strikes.

Most of the barbarian warriors on both wings entered Leipold's formation.

Amelia gave the order again.

"Lock him up."

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The soldiers in front of Leipold's army blocked the road again and put up their shields, blocking the passage through which the barbarians had entered.

The barbarians who had not been able to come in late slowed down after seeing the situation at the front, and were eventually blocked by the soldiers.

Amelia's orders followed quickly.

"Let it drop."

The shields of the soldiers surrounding the barbarians rose upward, and numerous hooks shot out from underneath, cutting the legs of the horses.

WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

Heeeeeeling!

The horses suddenly attacked and fell down screaming. Naturally, the savages on top of them also fell to the ground and got tangled up with each other.

"Eww!"

"What the heck are these guys!"

"Get up! Fight back!"

But because it was already so tangled, it wasn't easy to even get up from my seat.

The warriors who had barely gotten up raised their axes with a fierce attitude, but their sides were tightly blocked by shields.

"Damn it! Break through! We have to get out!"

Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!

They pounded their shields in an attempt to somehow escape, but the solid formation of Leipold's army did not even waver. The soldiers' movements were surprisingly precise.

Amelia has been training her soldiers continuously with her knowledge and abilities. As a result, an army was born that moves as one body without any hesitation at her every gesture.

Amelia said, looking at the savages trapped within Leipold's formation.

Her voice was colder than ever.

"Kill him."

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The hooks went in and the shields returned to their original positions. Immediately afterwards, gaps opened between the shields and countless spears shot out.

Phew! Phew! Phew!

"Kuaaaah!"

The barbarian warriors trapped inside Leipold's army were helpless. Surrounded by a solid wall of shields, they could not escape.

Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!

No matter how many times I struck with an axe, the shield didn't even budge.

To break the ranks of the heavy infantry, you need to be large in number or have a strong breakthrough force. There was no way out if you were surrounded and trapped like this.

It was especially difficult to escape if the opponent was a well-trained elite soldier.

"Eww!"

The screams of the trapped warriors continued. Waroka shouted with an angry expression.

"You deliberately moved the center forward! To strike the flanks first! Push the center quickly! Save our troops! Deploy additional forces to the wings!"

The army does not move all at once. It moves organically while observing the enemy's tactics and traps.

The waiting barbarian warriors charged again toward the wings of Leipold's army.

Doo doo doo doo doo doo!

We have already confirmed all of the enemy's tactics and traps. We cannot make that path again in the current situation, so we should just push on like this.

It may take some time for the additional forces of the barbarian warriors to catch up with Leipold's forces.

But the central column of barbarians, who had dismounted and were running, soon approached Leipold's army.

"Wow!"

The wild cries of the barbarians echoed throughout the battlefield. Their ferocity seemed as if they would tear apart anything that stood in their way.

On the other hand, Leipold's soldiers, unlike the barbarians, were silent. Their expressions were cold, as if they were not shaken by the atmosphere of the battlefield.

They simply held up their shields as they were ordered and trained.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

They finally collided, contrasting hot and cold.

Kwaaaaang!

The axes of the barbarian warriors struck the shields of the Leipold army.