Chapter 182: Plummeting (Part 1)

  Just as the allied army was advancing unimpeded through the Barbarian Highlands, a piece of news caused the main Erathian force to immediately turn around and speed back towards their kingdom. Because Tatalia, to the north of Erathia, had launched a massive sudden attack half a month ago, taking advantage of the allied army's expedition.

  In truth, the allied army was mentally prepared for a battle with Tatalia's barbarians. Although the process of Tatalia's succession was kept secret from the outside world, some rumors had leaked out. Anyone could guess Oufu's intention in this, so it was not surprising that Tatalia would join in the war.

  But everyone had thought the battle with the barbarians would take place on the Barbarian Highlands, where they would appear as an insignificant auxiliary force for Oufu. But now they had actually forced Erathia's army of forty thousand to retreat entirely.

  Tatalia's territory was, in fact, as vast as Erathia's, but most of it was uninhabited swamps and mountains, and its wealth and prosperity were naturally a thousand miles away. Therefore, in their many years of battle with Erathia, the barbarians had always been on the defensive, taking a beating. A great battle five years ago had caused them even heavier losses. If not for the large swamps serving as a natural barrier, and Erathia's lack of interest in the barren northern lands, Tatalia might have long ceased to exist. In recent years, apart from some harassment and skirmishes, Tatalia had made no major moves. Although there were reports that Oufu had helped the new king of Tatalia ascend to the throne, and the two countries had since formed an alliance, Erathia's military had always dismissed Tatalia due to its overwhelming advantage. Whether in terms of equipment or tactics, formally trained knights and soldiers were indeed far more effective on the battlefield than barbarians who always howled as they swarmed forward. Besides, the barbarians were not numerous; even mobilizing their entire force, they only had slightly more troops than Oufu's beastmen. The army stationed at the northern border within the country was absolutely capable of withstanding their surprise attack.

  But this "absolute" was only what Erathia believed to be absolute. The combat power Tatalia displayed was completely beyond Erathia's expectations. Not only had nearly all the barbarians come out in full force, but their equipment was also good enough to match that of Erathia's regular swordsmen. Fine steel battle-axes and warhammers now shattered the shields and armor of swordsmen with ease, and they even had vine armor and leather armor that could deflect arrows. This equipment was certainly not something the barbarians could manufacture themselves, and the source was self-evident.

  In addition, Dragonflies and lizards, driven by beast tamers, also joined the battlefield, completely compensating for the barbarians' weaknesses in numbers and tactics. These swamp creatures had appeared in Tatalia's forces before, but the several hundred of them then only served a minor auxiliary role in combat. Now, the Dragonflies appearing on the battlefield could be described as blotting out the sky. The swamp lizards, as large as the biggest crocodiles, also began to attack the enemy in groups of hundreds, driven by the beast tamers.

  Most importantly, there were reports that even the king of Tatalia, Taze, had personally arrived at the front lines. This newly ascended king not only boosted the barbarians' morale but also used highly efficient command and control to channel their wild morale only where it would be effective. The barbarians' way of fighting was no longer charging forward like mad bulls, howling. They had become more disciplined and tactical.

  With such unexpectedly high combat power, the barbarians achieved astonishing results. With their absolute main force deployed to the Barbarian Highlands, Erathia's seemingly impregnable defensive line was breached with ease. Seizing this great opportunity, the barbarians advanced deeper into the fertile plains of Erathia than ever before. Naturally, they would not waste such an opportunity, plundering everything in their path, with their spearhead pointing directly at Erathia's capital city.

  The timing of this attack was perfect. It was precisely when the Erathian army had deep into the heart of the highlands. In fact, at this time, they were closer to Tatalia's eastern border. But they had no choice but to return to defend. No one had the nerve to risk using the tactic of attacking where the enemy must rescue; or rather, the barbarians were the ones truly attacking a vital point that had to be defended. The barbarians might be able to abandon their simple nests without concern, but the knights could never abandon Erathia's royal palace and Her Majesty the Queen. Although among the cavalry protecting the supply lines were over ten thousand of Erathia's light cavalry, who were the first to retreat. But judging from the combat power the barbarians had displayed, these ten thousand cavalry could not turn the tide; at most, they could only delay the situation, buying time for the main army in the highlands to retreat.

  As the absolute main force of the allied army, the retreat of Erathia's forty thousand troops undoubtedly greatly diminished the coalition's strength. But this was not enough reason for them to halt their advance. Their morale was still high. The vanguard of the allied army was now less than a hundred li from Oufu City, and a head-on battle was about to begin.

  The ten thousand strong army of the Duchy of Judah was the vanguard of the allied forces. They advanced towards Oufu at a much faster speed than the other allied units. This was the first frontal assault on Oufu, and the beastmen could no longer avoid it.

  From a certain perspective, this was also a probe. The allied army also wanted to know Oufu's front-line combat capabilities and their methods of warfare. Most of the cavalry had been transferred to the rear to protect the supply lines, so Judah's four thousand heavy knights became the absolute vanguard of the allied army. In fact, the tactic of using heavy cavalry for a frontal charge against beastmen had been proven very effective in previous battles to exterminate them. Whether werewolves or Ogres, they were swept away before the charge of knights whose horses were also fully armored.

  So far, apart from using Wyverns in coordination with ballistae to gain a slight advantage in the air, Oufu was still outmatched in all other aspects by the allied army. It was just as the Templar Javi had said; the generals of the allied army were not fools. One could even say they were the most outstanding military commanders on the continent. Especially after being ambushed from behind earlier and having to dispatch as many as thirty thousand cavalry to guard the supply lines, the generals all realized that Oufu was not so easy to deal with. The characteristics of the beastmen, combined with suitable tactics, could unleash astonishing power. Any general with a little imagination could sense this.

  Before that Temple Knight withdrew, he had also told the generals about the possible ambush tactics Oufu might employ. After that, although the generals were not as meticulous and careful as the Temple Knight, they basically covered all bases. Not only did the griffins no longer act rashly, but the night watch was also greatly strengthened. Each unit had several high-level mages on standby at all times.

  This defensive strategy did indeed have a good effect. An ambushers attempting to spread Necromancy from high altitude appeared over the allied army only once, before being shot down by a long-range lightning strike from the combined efforts of these mages. If he hadn't used a teleportation scroll in mid-air, he would have been electrocuted to death by the mages even before hitting the ground, and falling into the army would have meant certain death. And after this ambush, for more than half a month, Oufu made no further moves. Perhaps Oufu also realized that the opportunity for a sneak attack was too small to be worth the risk. After all, traveling hundreds of li away from their base to launch a raid was not an easy task to undertake whenever they pleased.

  In contrast, the allied army had not yet learned anything about Oufu's combat methods and capabilities. Although the commanders could imagine and guess, no matter how precise the imagination and guesswork were, they could not be used as a basis for setting operational plans. This was why they let Judah's heavy knight brigade advance first to probe.

  Judah's heavy knight brigade was actually the strongest unit in the allied army, with mobility and combat power sufficient to match the beastmen. Letting such a unit, which should have been a main force, conduct a probe showed the great importance the allied forces placed on Oufu. This way, even if they were at a disadvantage in the battle with the beastmen, they would have enough ability to temporarily retreat and await the arrival of the main army.

  However, at least in the minds of Judah's heavy knights, the concept of retreat was absolutely absent. They had this kind of confidence, and they had the capital for such confidence. The Duchy of Judah, like Erathia, also bordered Nighon, but its land area and wealth were far inferior to Erathia's. But although its national strength was not as great as Erathia's, Judah had never been at a disadvantage in the battles against the Nighon underground cities. Even the Minotaurs, who were taller and stronger than Ogres, were unable to withstand the charge of Judah's heavy cavalry.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Finally, when they were several dozen li from Oufu, the vanguard of the allied army saw Oufu's troops. They were no longer just the figures that wandered at the edge of their vision every day, but a real army. The scouts in charge of observation, after enhancing their vision with a high-level Eagle's Eye, could clearly see the werewolves and Ogres formed up in formation.

  The commanders of Judah's knight orders were not surprised. They were now less than a hundred li from Oufu. Any harassment or schemes were of little use. The beastmen had no choice but to be forced into a head-on battle.

  "Form up the army. Prepare to charge." The commanders of the knight orders gathered their troops and deployed them in formation. With the two armies now two or three li apart, a distance visible to the naked eye, the flat, open wasteland was the most suitable terrain for a heavy cavalry charge.

  But the scout in charge of observation and reconnaissance suddenly shouted: "Oufu is starting to charge first... No, it's just one..."

  Actually, he didn't need to say it. All the knights could see a small, white dot of light break away from the beastmen's formation and approach them at high speed.

  This white dot was very fast. The knights in formation could soon see that it was actually a person, a figure completely enveloped in a bright, white light, charging towards them with the momentum of a thousand troops at the speed of an arrow.

  A so-called charge generally implies that the gap in strength between the two sides is not too large, or at least that one has an advantage in troop type to launch a sudden assault on the other. If it was just one person charging towards several thousand heavy knights, such an act could really not be described as a charge; "courting death" or "madness" would be more appropriate.

  But in the minds of all the cavalry who could see this person, the word "charge" simultaneously and coincidentally emerged. This was a charge. Even though it was just one person, even though they were facing several thousand of the continent's most elite heavy knights, it was still the most powerful, most classic, most charge-like charge.

  This person's figure was not huge, nor was his weight great, but everyone felt the ground move. They could not distinguish whether this was an illusion caused by their minds and spirits being seized by the aura and presence this person exuded, or if the earth was truly trembling under this person's footsteps. It was as if he himself was the thousands of heavily armed cavalry, and the one he faced was a lone, insignificant enemy, about to be scattered, trampled, and crushed by him.

  "Bows and crossbows, fire." One of the commanders of the knight order tossed out a few words in a deep voice. He watched the rapidly approaching white figure, with fire burning in his eyes, but his voice and expression were as calm as ice, as heavy as iron.

  He didn't need to say it. Almost all the knights had already taken out their military heavy crossbows. The knights of Judah were all elites who had been tempered by life and death on the battlefield. Although their minds were shaken by this person, their will of iron as soldiers did not waver in the slightest. At the command, countless arrows and bolts shot towards the oncoming figure like a storm of metal. A military heavy crossbow was powerful enough to pierce armor within a hundred paces, and those shot by the dedicated mounted archers in the unit could even pierce lesser shields. This thousand or more projectiles, fired from different directions, were like a storm of death constructed of metal.

  But no matter how strong the storm, it could not move a majestic mountain. This dense rain of arrows, almost thick enough to block one's vision, seemed like just a handful of casually thrown paper scraps before the light radiating from that person's body. It couldn't even touch the person's body before being blown away, broken, shattered, deflected, and scattered by the aura of the white light surrounding him.

  Slightly slower than the arrows was magic. The mages in the support unit at the rear were also experienced. Fireballs, fire walls, ice arrows, lightning bolts—dozens of spells were also shot towards this person. But these spells, which could have torn soldiers to pieces, now all seemed like fireworks. They just flickered in front of him for a moment, many not even having time to unleash their magical power before being shattered against the layer of white light.

  No one could see the footsteps of this charging person clearly. But no one could fail to feel that with each of his indiscernible steps, he was stomping on the very core of the earth's crust and also on their own hearts, making every nerve and every hair on their body tremble along with the land.

  The earth shook, the heart pounded, the soul trembled, because he was charging.

  "Lances. Present shields." As the command was given, the three commanders had already gathered together. They all stared fixedly at the person drawing closer and closer, each gripping their weapon. The muscles and veins on their hands were tensed to the limit, and the glow of their Battle Qi became visible.

  With the command, the lances of all the heavy knights in the front row were raised. It was a forest of lances.

  But this person still did not stop, not slowing down in the slightest. Facing that forest of steel lances and the fortress of steel knights behind them, he instead charged faster, more fiercely. With a colossal boom, like a meteor from beyond the sky striking the ground, this person actually, relying on his own flesh and blood, smashed his way into the formation of these four thousand heavy knights.

  Lances snapped and flew through the air. Knights and their mounts were shattered and sent flying. Shields and armor cracked, mixed with limbs and corpses, flying into the sky. The steel knights, who could originally have been invincible on the battlefield, crushing all before them, were now shattered, like sand and stone kicked up by a violent impact, splashing outward from the point where this person entered the formation.

  The formation of knights, arranged together, was originally an impregnable fortress, a sharp weapon capable of charging and routing over ten thousand infantry. But the figure surrounded by white light, charging through it, was like a blade cutting into a black lake. After stirring up countless splashes, it continued to advance through it with unstoppable force, splitting the waves.

  Although the bodies and weapons of their comrades scattered like rain, all the heavy knights did not panic. The knights on the two flanks continuously closed in from the sides. The knights' formation was also constantly changing, like a giant beast, changing its shape to try and encircle the foreign object that had invaded its body. And as more and more knights were knocked aside and shattered, the person's speed also began to slow down.

  With a dull thud, like a stone hitting the center of a lake, the person's figure finally stopped. The path he had just carved out was instantly filled in by the surrounding knights. He was now at the very center of the encirclement of several thousand knights.

  "General Gru, I have long admired your name." A muffled voice came from beneath a helmet. The three commanders of the Judah knight order stood shoulder to shoulder. The lances in their hands had all landed on this person's hands. Or rather, the combined strike of the three commanders had finally stopped this person.

  "The legendary God of War who commands Oufu's beastmen forces truly lives up to his reputation. I fear that even Paladin Lancelot could not have broken through our formation so forcefully. Your full-power charge actually routed over a hundred of our elite knights in one go."

  "But we truly never thought you would adopt such an arrogant and foolish tactic. Did you think you could penetrate our ranks by yourself, thereby dealing a heavy blow to our army's morale? You underestimate us. Now your momentum is exhausted, and your Battle Qi is nearly depleted. It is impossible for you to break through from our hands."

  "As warriors, we naturally wish to fight a master like you. But this is a battlefield. As soldiers, we can only use the many to defeat the few here. It is a pity." The voice of the knight order commander came from under his helmet. Although it carried the cold, hard tone of metal, the excitement of being able to kill such an opponent, mixed with immense regret, was still unmistakable.

  "A pity. That is also what I want to say to you." Gru's gaze swept across the faces of the three commanders. His voice was colder than theirs. "You are right. This is a battlefield."

  As soon as he finished speaking, Gru crouched slightly. The light of his Battle Qi flared up again. He shot up from the ground, his entire body like an arrow fired from a powerful crossbow, actually leaping straight up over a hundred meters from a standstill.

  The three commanders of Judah were stunned. They all looked up at Gru in the sky. To leap high into the air in the face of countless enemies below was almost like letting them gather their strength to kill him when he landed.

  A blue teleportation light lit up on Gru's body. He had already unrolled a teleportation scroll as he leaped. The three commanders were slightly taken aback, then shouted to fire, but the arrows only hit the trace left behind after the blue light disappeared.

  "What is he doing? Does he think he can trade a single teleportation scroll for the lives of a hundred of our knights? He will not have a next time," one commander said with a furious roar. "Form up, prepare to charge. Defeat the beastmen ahead."

  But another commander stared at the sky, frowning. "Wait, what is that?"

  A few small objects fell from the high altitude, landing exactly where Gru had just stood. The most conspicuous among them was a seemingly gray jade tablet, strung on a necklace with an extremely thin chain. But on closer inspection, one could see that the tablet was not actually gray; that gray color was an illusion created by countless fine, uniform black and white lines interwoven. But now, on this exquisitely crafted tablet, there seemed to be two cracks that marred this strange beauty.

  The other small objects were shattered magic crystals. From the way they were broken, one could see that these magic crystals had previously formed a small container, a crystal container just large enough to hold the jade tablet.

  "No." "This is bad." The three commanders roared almost simultaneously. They did not recognize what this jade tablet was, but they could see a strange grayness spreading from this small gray object, and they could feel the terrifying magical power contained within that grayness.

  This grayness had just appeared, and in an instant, it turned everything around it gray, as if this entire space had been enveloped by this lifeless color.

  "Retreat. All troops." The faces of the three commanders turned gray. Their skin turned gray. Their armor and Battle Qi turned gray. Even the roar they let out seemed to have turned gray.

  But they, who had given the order to retreat, did not retreat. Instead, they simultaneously thrust the lances in their hands towards the small object on the ground that was overflowing with deathly gray. The tips of the three lances did not strike the jade tablet. Instead, they pointed at it from a distance of about an inch, from three different angles. All the Battle Qi of the three commanders also converged on the lance tips, forming a barrier of Battle Qi that struggled to suppress the spread of the grayness.

  Unfortunately, they were a little too slow. If they had been a second or two earlier, this action might have achieved their intended effect. The gray aura did indeed slow down under the barrier of Battle Qi, but only by a little. The complex and mysterious magical power contained within it, once set in motion, could not be stopped or interrupted.

  The heavy knights around them were retreating at high speed, but a sea of gray with a diameter of nearly a li had already completely enveloped them all. It was neither fog, nor anything tangible. It was just a color. The color of deathly gray.

  In this grayness, there was nothing but death.