Chapter 376 - Episode 368: The Battle of Fioluviki Gorge — Opening Phase ②
The soldiers of the Revelant Kingdom, particularly the conscripts, showed signs of agitation as the innocent civilians of the neighboring country approached them in a gruesome state.
Toward them, Gabriel shouted from the rooftop of the checkpoint.
"Proud warriors of the Revelant Kingdom! Do not waver! Fight to save your homeland, your homes, and your families! Ready your weapons! Strike down the enemy! All of you who fight here today—whether you survive or fall—shall be remembered forever as heroes of our nation!"
Responding to Gabriel's voice as he thrust his fist upward, the kingdom's nobles let out a war cry, followed by the regular soldiers. The conscripts followed suit, shouting with a desperate intensity.
Meanwhile, the enemy conscripts reached the base of the defensive wall and set up the ladders they had carried with them.
The first attack against them was launched, once again, by golems.
"Pour it on!"
The one shouting was Alain, who led a squad of four golems. Standing on sturdy scaffolding made of assembled logs behind the defensive wall from the enemy's perspective, the golems held large tubs that would normally be used for bathing.
And they flipped them over toward the enemy soldiers who were currently climbing the ladders and closing in on the top of the wall.
What was inside was water heated to a boil. The brave conscripts who had taken the lead in climbing the ladders were drenched in it from the head down.
"Gyaaaaaah!"
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
The hair-raising death screams of the conscripts, whose entire bodies were being scorched, echoed out. As they tumbled down in a state that was unbearable to look upon, the other conscripts hesitated to climb the now-vacant ladders.
However, it was utterly impossible for only four golems to defend the entire wall. Ladders were set up one after another at other positions along the wall, and conscripts began to climb each of them.
The total number of ladders reached dozens, and furthermore, their length was exquisite in a bad way. If the enemy finished climbing, they could scale the wall, but from this side, it was difficult to knock the ladders over even when reaching out from the top of the wall.
It would be fine if they could hook and remove them with spears, but enemy soldiers who had not yet reached the wall threw stones and other objects toward it. Among the soldiers who leaned out to try and remove the ladders, some were knocked down after taking a stone to the face.
Even so, the soldiers of the Revelant Kingdom standing atop the wall swung their spears and swords with all their might, stabbing and piercing the enemies climbing the ladders and knocking them down.
Meanwhile, allies lined up behind the wall also fought back against the enemy conscripts over the ramparts. The golems continued to hurl large stones the size of a human's torso, and the conscripts of the Revelant Kingdom threw stones using sling-shots or, those with great arm strength, with their own arms. Though few in number, regular soldiers skilled in archery and conscripts from hunting backgrounds fired arrows in high arcs.
Because it was a gritty battle using thrown weapons over a wall, the party suffering the most casualties was the defenseless enemy conscripts.
Of the conscripts, who numbered fewer than five hundred, nearly two hundred had already been rendered combat-ineffective.
...
"...Is it about time?"
At the main camp atop the hill, Kaia muttered while looking at the conscript units of the Marquis Dale's people, who were suffering heavy attrition.
"I should think so. A herd of peasants won't achieve any more results than that. We've seen most of the enemy's attack methods, and they've managed to set up their ladders. They have fulfilled their role sufficiently."
The one who nodded with a spirited voice was the wolfman general, Gaziev Tatarinov.
"I see. Then, let us finally begin the main event. Have the main force begin the attack and withdraw the conscripts. They listened to orders and showed their utility. Give rewards to all of them, guarantee the safety of their families, and provide treatment for the wounded."
"Kaia, before starting the full-scale offensive, you should change the unit deployment. The enemy is concentrating their fire-pots and stone-throwing attacks on the front of the wall. The units attacking from the front will inevitably suffer heavy losses."
Cadne interjected from beside Kaia. Hearing this, Kaia showed a gesture of slight thought and turned to Gaziev beside them.
"Gaziev. In the current formation, the main force of the Virgoa Kingdom army is in the center, with troops from vassal states and friendly nations on the left and right, correct?"
"Yes. If that is your command, I shall move the deployment immediately."
"Then, let us follow Cadne's advice. Throw the left and right units at the front of the fort. Tell them that any nation that achieves results will be recognized as having exceptional loyalty to the Virgoa Kingdom. After that, split the central main force to the left and right, and have them fire arrows and magic into the fort from the flanks of the frontal units to provide support."
"As you wish!"
Gaziev relayed Kaia's orders to the messengers, and the messengers galloped toward the units on the left and right of the array.
Shortly thereafter, the army began to move. The left and right units, totaling approximately sixteen hundred, advanced diagonally forward, and once the flanks were open, the Virgoa Kingdom army in the center split to the left and right.
Meanwhile, the conscripts who had been fighting at the forefront began to retreat to the rear once the regular soldiers acting as overseers rang the bell signaling withdrawal. Some ran to escape first, but the brave ones lent a shoulder to the wounded who were still breathing, or carried them on their backs to move away from the fort.
Whether some instruction had been given or not, no attacks from the fort's side were directed at the retreating conscripts.
Replacing the conscripts, who retreated with their numbers reduced to less than half, the next to launch an offensive were the national armies of the vassal states and friendly nations, as well as the nobles of each country and their retainers. The sight of sixteen hundred warriors, whose very purpose was combat, charging toward the fort while letting out war cries possessed a power that was incomparable to the attack by the conscripts.
Without flinching at the flames from the volley of ballistae fired from within the fort, nor at the attacks of countless large and small stones and arrows, the units of the vassal states and friendly nations clung to the base of the fort. They climbed the ladders that the conscripts had set up at the cost of blood and life, and they reset the ladders that had been knocked down.
Furthermore, from the main force that had approached the sides of the fort by splitting left and right, archers and those skilled in magic aimed at the fort. Just as each was about to release an attack—
At that moment, several lights indicating the activation of magic were emitted from the fort's side.
...
"The main force has arrived, I see. As I thought, the conscripts were just pawns used to probe our hand and induce agitation in the Revelant Kingdom army."
"It seems so. They likely also had the role of setting up as many ladders as possible while they were at it."
Looking down at the battlefield from the rooftop of the checkpoint, Noein exchanged these words with Yuri.
The forces of the Virgoa Kingdom had their units deployed on the left and right approach the fort, while conversely, the units that had been in the center split to the left and right, taking positions to support the units in front.
Looking at that, the units that had come forward and would likely suffer heavy attrition were the forces of the vassal states and others, and those split to the left and right were likely the main force of the Virgoa Kingdom.
"...Yuri. I'll leave the instructions for the ballista units via Konrad to you. Also, have the magic tool unit coordinate with the Revelant Kingdom's mages to keep the enemy in check. If anything happens, let me know via 'Far-Talk'."
"Understood."
After entrusting the command of the Grand Duchy army's various units to Yuri, Noein walked toward Gabriel.
"Your Majesty, I shall now participate in the defensive battle using golems."
"I see. Please be very careful."
"Thank you. I have excellent guards, so I will be fine. Your Majesty, please also be careful of stray arrows and the like."
Leaving those words behind, Noein descended from the rooftop of the checkpoint and joined Gustav and the others stationed in a corner of the stone-throwing position.
"Excellency Arqvist!"
"Good work, everyone. I'll be joining the fray as well."
Under the ballista attacks flying from the rear of the fort toward the enemy camp, Noein was greeted by four Claymores, including Gustav, and their respective great-shield guards. While responding to them, Noein activated their two golems that had been sitting in the corner of the position.
Then, Noein gazed at the defensive wall of the fort—and the enemy who were likely approaching beyond it. Noein's surroundings were guarded by Matilda and the Guard, including Pence.
What Noein had the golems hold were logs cut from the trunks of large trees. The golems held both ends of the logs, which had been cut to a length of about two meters.
At that moment, a total of about ten lights flashed from the scaffolding behind the wall, the two watchtowers, and the rooftop of the checkpoint.
Those were the lights of magic activation from the Revelant Kingdom's mages and the attack magic tools of the Arqvist Grand Duchy army. Along with them, attack spells such as 'Fire Bullet', 'Ice Bullet', 'Wind Blade', and 'Earth Spear' were released, slaughtering enemy soldiers, though they were invisible from where Noein and the others currently were.
In opposition to this, several attack spells flew from the enemy side as well.
One that seemed to target a watchtower missed and flew into the sky in the rear, and one that seemed to target the wall hit the thick log wall whose surface was reinforced with earth and dissipated.
Due to the positioning, the enemy's attack magic would not be effective unless it was exceptionally powerful or the aim was precise.
Following that, arrows flew into the fort sporadically. The great-shield soldiers protected the puppet mages, and Matilda and the Guard protected Noein with shields, while some of the Revelant Kingdom's stone-throwers, who had no dedicated guards, were unlucky enough to take an arrow.
'Excellency, the enemy units have reached the vicinity of the wall. Please resume the stone-throwing.'
At that time, a report came in via 'Far-Talk' from Yuri on the checkpoint rooftop.
"Understood... Gustav, resume stone-throwing."
"Yes! Did you all hear? Resume the attack!"
As Gustav, who had been entrusted with the command of the stone-throwing unit, ordered, the puppet mages and stone-throwers began throwing stones beyond the wall once again.
Noein also manipulated the two golems while being protected by Matilda and Pence and the others.
No matter how monstrous the strength of a golem, to throw a log of this size a great distance would be impossible without two of them working together. Furthermore, the two needed to swing their arms in perfect synchronization and build up momentum before throwing.
It was a feat that could only be accomplished by Noein, who could manipulate two golems alone.
Swinging the golems' arms like pendulums, and once sufficient momentum was generated, Noein launched the log beyond the wall.
The log, one size larger than a large adult male, vanished beyond the wall, and the sound of it falling and shaking the earth could be faintly heard. That heavy cylinder likely crushed several enemy soldiers, dealing far greater damage than a single stone.