kscans

Announcement!!
1 – Work and personal life issue (i applied for ODL, yeay old student enrolled)
2 – Give cliffhanger feeling.
3 – Increase post frequency, but reduce length so reader do not lose focus.
Due to reasons above, i will post using original author arrangement, which is not the whole chapter combined, but original chapter part by part.

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CHAPTER 5 WARS OF NATIONS – Episode 3 Demonic Beast Attack (Part 1)

1

A lookout reported that a large horde of demonic beasts was approaching from the north-northeast. Bard ordered those outside the city walls to retreat inside and closed all four gates. Jog Ward and the knights of Gaineria were stationed outside the south gate as a strike force. They waited, prepared, on top of the north gate. Stones were piled up in front of each gate. However, they were not completely blocking the gates, leaving enough space for horses to enter and exit. This was to prevent Shirozuno from charging through. The stones were taken from the inner walls of the arena in the castle.

The enemy’s formation became clear. There were about a hundred Shirozuno, about a hundred Blue Panthers, about fifty Long-Eared Wolves, about a hundred Oohanas, and about a hundred Great Rock Apes.

Their eyes, as they approached, were red. They were all demonic beasts, after all. It was an incredibly powerful army. Bard hurriedly ordered the Gaineria forces back into the castle. If they were to charge into such enemies, the Gaineria forces of about seventy people would be wiped out in an instant. The strategy of escaping with the speed of horses would not work as long as there were Blue Panthers and Long-Eared Wolves.

Furthermore, behind the demonic beasts, there were about fifty Hjords, each with a Manuno riding on them. Hjords were giant, wingless birds that Gerkaasts used as mounts. They were inferior to horses in endurance but superior in burst speed. Manunos were riding them, with their long bodies wrapped around the necks of the Hjords. From a distance, it looked as if the necks of the Hjords had split into two.

Bard felt a chill run down his spine. There was no chance of winning if they were to face such enemies head-on. The fact that they were protected by the city walls and had made some preparations to counter the attack was already the best they could hope for. It was thanks the commander of the Goriora Frontier Knights, who promptly informed them of Try’s complete annihilation. It was also fortunate that the gathering and preparations of the TriNation knights were completed in time. And ironically, it was made possible by the information brought by Count Grismo, who sought revenge for his destroyed homeland and informed them of this attack and its scale. There was a twist of fate in this battle, to say the least.

However, the situation was dire. Too dire. They had heard about the five hundred demonic beasts, but they never thought it would actually reach that number. They had killed about thirty at Corpus Fortress, so they thought they had reduced their numbers somewhat. Above all, while they had heard about the five hundred, they didn’t expect them to attack all at once. It was impossible to control five hundred at the same time. It was also difficult to secure enough food for them. So they assumed that they were divided into several units. There was also information that thirty of them attacked Myrao Castle. They thought they could defeat them individually. They felt that five hundred was just too many. But in reality, five hundred attacked all at once. Indeed, from their perspective, this was the most effective method.

Think about Corpus Fortress. At that time, ten Fukurozaru and ten Blue Panthers attacked first. When they had almost defeated those two types of demonic beasts, ten Shirozuno attacked. As a result, they were able to defeat thirty demonic beasts. But what if the Blue Panthers and Shirozuno had attacked at the same time? In that case, they couldn’t have chosen to fight outside the fortress. They would have been forced into an extremely difficult battle. Moreover, if Shirozuno had broken through the gate, they might have been completely wiped out.

Also, at that time, Shirozuno ignored their attacks and charged at the gate. Despite the fact that demonic beasts should attack humans on sight based on their instincts. In other words, the Manuno’s orders were strong enough to suppress their instincts. That was probably also an experiment. If they had attacked the humans, they wouldn’t have come out unscathed.

But that’s not the point to focus on. In the battle at Corpus Fortress, the Shirozuno continued to charge at the gate until the last one died. That was the most terrifying thing.

The true difficulty of demonic beasts lies not in their tough bodies and attack power. It lies in their willingness to sacrifice their lives. Any creature, when it comes down to it, fears death. They hesitate to receive wounds that they can’t bear. In other words, if you inflict enough damage, they will retreat. The demonic beasts, transformed into monstrous creatures, ignore pain and death as they continue to attack humans until their last breath, fueled by hatred.

The Manuno group stop at a distance, allowing only the demonic beasts to approach the castle. It is likely an unprecedented event to see such a large number of demonic beasts approaching in a pack. Led by Manuno, this group of 500 demonic beasts is a formidable force that fights under their command.

Bard honestly has no idea what kind of battle this will be. All he knows is that it will be a horrific and brutal fight. That’s why Bard must maintain a strong spirit. The commander’s determination is the key to keeping as many soldiers alive as possible. Bard takes a deep breath and watches the movements of the demonic beast pack.

The demonic beasts advance straight towards the north gate. Shirozuno leads the way. Shirozuno is a type of deer, but it looks more like a muscular horse. The hammer-like horns on its head have the power to knock out knights with a single blow, even if they are not demonic beasts. With a hundred Shirozuno demonic beasts, they could easily break and destroy even a sturdy gate if they charged directly.

The demonic beasts come to a halt. On top of the castle walls, archers line up, ready to attack. Ten crossbows are positioned in the center. The archers were selected from the Parzam Frontier Knights. In the end, Auro prepared 320 arrows. The arrowheads are shaped like the beaks of birds of prey. The grooves carved on both sides are filled with plenty of Zumorbas poison.

On both sides, thirty retainers from the Fafarlen family are waiting with longbows. They also have only poisoned arrows to use at first. The poisoned arrows are marked to avoid confusion during retrieval. In addition, thirty knights and retainers skilled in archery are waiting on each side. They cannot aim at the demonic beasts in front of the north gate from their position. They are the reserve members.

The height of the castle walls is about twenty steps. The front of the demonic beast pack is still about two hundred steps away from the walls. Well-trained archers could reach them, but they wouldn’t be able to deliver effective blows. They want to perform concentrated shooting at a distance of at least a hundred steps, preferably fifty steps. Bows are most effective when used in large quantities against densely packed enemies.

The demonic beasts remain motionless. They just stare at them. The abnormality of so many ferocious beasts not making any sound makes the atmosphere even heavier. Bard looks around at the soldiers. They are all extremely tense.

“The demonic beasts don’t seem to be approaching. Did we scare them too much?”

Jurchaga speaks in a very relaxed voice. Without hesitation, Arflaburne responds to him. In a calm voice, he says,

“It seems so. Can’t be helped. You guys, smile.” (^_^)

Since the demonic beasts are scared and not approaching, the order is to show them a smile and make them think they’re not scary. Understanding this peculiar order, laughter spreads among the soldiers on the castle walls, and soon everyone bursts into laughter. With the soldiers’ tension eased, Bard feels relieved. At that moment, the demonic beasts start to move.

2

Giant Rock Apes emerge from behind. They are about the same height as humans, with a stout body. Their necks are unclear, as they seem to be embedded in their bodies, and their chests are unusually thick, with huge arms. Their strength is enough to easily crush a human head. Considering that these Giant Rock Apes have transformed into demonic beasts, it is difficult to imagine how strong they are. The apes attack, using their hands and feet while letting out a roar.

Bard orders Knight Maitalp, who is in charge of the crossbow unit, to start the attack whenever he deems it necessary and to use up all the arrows. Each crossbow only has about thirty arrows anyway. Bard also entrusts Arflaburne with the decision to start the attack for the archery unit.

Maitalp is a patient man. He waits for the signal to fire until the Giant Rock Apes approach the pile of stones they have built.

“Crossbow unit, ready!”

[Shoot!]

Ten deadly weapons were unleashed upon the demonic beasts. This improved crossbow, used at close range, possessed tremendous power. It was only ten arrows against a hundred Giant Rock Apes. However, the effect was remarkable. With a thud, all the arrows pierced the giant apes. Their movements halted, and they were even blown back slightly. One ape took two arrows to the head and flipped over. The soldiers cheered. After witnessing this scene, Arflaburne gave the command.

“Longbow unit, retrieve your arrows. Ready. Shoot!”

Holding their bows and waiting in anticipation would exhaust the archers. That’s why Arflaburne had them relax until the last moment, then smoothly issued a series of commands. There was hardly any time between commands, but the highly skilled archers effortlessly retrieved and fired their arrows. Sixty arrows rained down upon the demonic beasts.

The giant apes, instead of charging straight towards the gate as expected, stopped at the pile of stones and began picking them up to throw. While many arrows hit the front apes, they lacked the penetrating power of the improved crossbow. Most of the arrows fell without piercing. However, they surely injected some poison into the bodies of the demonic beasts.

“Continue attacking one after another!”

Arflaburne’s command echoed. The archers swiftly pulled out their arrows and fired, one after another. Their speed in reloading had been honed through training.

Meanwhile, the crossbow unit began firing their second arrows. Each crossbow had a retainer behind it, passing them replacement arrows and assisting with the winding. Having undergone rigorous training, there was no one who faltered.

The stones thrown by the apes initially only hit the gate and the walls due to their weight, but one stone hit a longbow archer, sending them flying. The archer crashed into the castle courtyard. They were likely dead. Bard momentarily regretted not having the first archer unit wear armor. The archers under Fafarlen’s retainer only wore light helmets. However, only these archers could perform such accurate and dense continuous shooting.

It became a fierce exchange of arrows and stones. The stones thrown by the demonic beasts made a tremendous noise as they scraped against the castle walls. Some hit the people on the walls, dealing painful blows. On the other hand, the archers continued shooting arrows, even if the head of the archer next to them was crushed or they were blown away entirely. The Giant Rock Apes, with their red eyes and a hint of madness, had arrows sticking into their bodies like porcupines. Yet, the resilient vitality of the demonic beasts did not allow their hearts to stop easily.

When an archer fell, Arflaburne filled the gap with a reserve archer. His demeanor during these orders was calm and composed, even when stones flew past him or his subordinate’s head exploded. Bard was the same. While dodging the flying stones, he stared intently at the demonic beasts. Seifert also gave instructions to his subordinates for evading, resupplying, and treating the injured, without showing any signs of panic. Of course, they were not completely calm deep down. There was no human without sadness, anger, anxiety, or regret. There was no human who didn’t feel fear from the flying stones. However, pretending to be calm was part of a commander’s job. One could say that 90% of a commander’s job was pretending not to be shaken. They had to convince the soldiers that they were an unwavering presence, always making calm judgments and issuing orders, without wavering in their belief of victory. A commander who couldn’t do that, no matter how skilled they were in combat or how advanced their tactics, could never lead soldiers into the jaws of death.

Three of the crossbows were crushed by the thrown stones, and the remaining seven had fired all 320 arrows. The protruding part of the castle wall had collapsed near the gate, greatly improving visibility.

The Giant Rock Apes had exhausted their supply of thworing stones and advanced to just in front of the gate, picking up the stones they had thrown once again. At this point, there were slightly over ten fallen apes. Zumorbas’ poison was indeed slow-acting. With this proximity, the next move could be used. Seifert signaled with his eyes. Following Seifert’s instructions, jars filled with oil were thrown at the apes. The jars shattered, covering the apes in oil. Fire arrows were then released, and the apes became human torches, rolling around in agony. In the midst of it all, the rain of arrows continued to fall.

Eventually, all the apes stopped moving and lay down. The skilled archers had shot them in the eyes and throats, where their movements had been slowed by poison and burns. In terms of time, it should have been a surprisingly short battle, but the intensity was high.

There were 18 dead and 31 injured. More than 20% of the arrow stockpile had been consumed. He never thought there would be casualties before close combat began. But they were able to annihilate about a hundred Giant Rock Apes.

The twilight was approaching. The sun would set soon. In Corpus Fortress, the demonic beasts did not attack during the night. But today, that was not guaranteed.

The long night was just beginning.