[Gardis Blessing].
A defensive buff that the human side can use, conceptually countering the monsters' [Dark Event].
Among various options, I pondered and finally narrowed it down to two choices:
- Gardis Blessing: Invincible Walls
> During this battle, the walls will not be destroyed.
- Gardis Blessing: One-Way Assault
> During this battle, enemies will only attack from the southern wall.
There were many buffs directly affecting combat, but considering the enemy commander, I deliberated over these two for a tactical counter.
In the game, the Goblin Legion's main siege tactic was to use suicide bombers to blow up the walls.
Thus, initially, I considered 'Invincible Walls' to make the enemy's siege difficult.
However, feeling consistently outmaneuvered tactically by the enemy commander during the Goblin Legion's advance, I leaned towards 'One-Way Assault'.
I had already suffered significant damage from the Werewolf Legion's flanking maneuvers during Stage 10.
With the Goblin God-King, known for strategically collapsing numerous human walls, I was certain he would employ far more complex tactics.
He would definitely have secured other siege means besides suicide bombers.
And frankly, I lacked confidence in countering his wider array of tactics, given his experience.
So, the better strategy was to limit the battlefield.
Concentrate our forces at the southern wall and crush them.
Thus, the day before the defense began, I activated [Gardis Blessing: One-Way Assault].
[The Goddess bestows her blessing upon your battlefield...]
[During this battle, enemies will only attack from the southern wall.]
Our battlefield was limited to the southern wall.
'Fight well, my heroes, my soldiers.'
I entrusted the outside command to Lucas and gave detailed tactical instructions to everyone.
I had no choice but to trust the battle at the walls to them. What I needed to do right now was...
Clang!
Click-!
To quickly dispose of the Goblin God-King in front of me!
Despite being surrounded and fiercely attacked by my four captured monsters, Kali-Alexander managed to hold his ground, counter-attacking with his sword.
Gripping my dagger tightly, I too jumped into the fray.
As I joined in, a low laugh came from Kali-Alexander's mask. I clenched my teeth and lunged with my dagger.
Like always in this world...
I must kill.
To survive.
***
Across the snow-covered plain,
Kyaaaack!
Kirik, Kiririk-!
With screams, the Goblin Legion poured in.
"Prepare for battle-!"
Lucas commanded again, drawing his sword. The soldiers lined up at their firing weapons, loading their ammunition.
As Ash said, the green-skinned wave didn't try any flanking maneuvers. They came straight on.
This was suffocating.
25,000 creatures, heedless of their own lives, swarmed towards the wall.
The pressure was different from the previous scene at the forward base.
Back then, the walls were lower, and the forces fewer, but there was a way to escape.
Now, however, we were in a do-or-die situation.
This wall was the last line of defense. If breached, the goblins would march northward, gather their kin, and recreate the 'Great Goblin Invasion' of centuries past.
'We're going to break.'
Though every defensive battle was a life-or-death struggle, this time was critically different. Lucas internally cursed.
'I can't see them all at once.'
So many.
Unbearably many.
The already numerous goblins, spreading wide and pouring in, filled and overflowed my field of view.
He had to turn my head left and right to get a full view of their entire scale.
Kwang! Kwagwang!
The front line of the approaching goblins exploded as they hit the minefield. In an instant, over a hundred goblin lives were extinguished.
But it made barely a dent.
It felt like scooping a handful of water from the ocean. The immense wave continued to crash relentlessly.
Kyaaaack!
The next wave of goblins effortlessly leaped over the bodies of their fallen comrades and charged forward. As they entered the firing range, Lucas shouted.
"Fire! Focus on your assigned sectors and shoot!"
Boom! Bur-bur-bang!
Thud-thud-thud!
The cannons and ballistae that had long protected the walls of Crossroad fired their projectiles.
The central gunners focused on the goblins swarming around the grey fortress, while the right and left gunners targeted the goblins rushing towards their respective walls.
The goblins who had crossed the minefield reached the kill zone.
Wooden barricades twisted and tangled, effectively obstructing the monsters' path.
The first wave of goblins that entered this zone was completely annihilated. The problem was the second wave that followed.
Boom-!
Kwagwang!
The second wave consisted of goblin suicide bombers.
Without a moment's hesitation, they slammed into the barricades.
This was supposed to be a bottleneck where monsters slow down, making them easy targets, but the continuous explosions of the suicide bombers shattered the barricades and set them ablaze.
"These crazy bastards..."
A flustered Lucas muttered.
The suicide bombers caught their own in the blasts, killing fellow goblins in the rear as well.
Nevertheless, they achieved their objective.
By the time the second wave was consumed in their self-made explosions, the kill zone was neutralized.
Breaking through the crossfire that should have held them back longer, the third wave of goblins breached through.
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
The third wave was cavalry.
Goblins on mountain goats dashed across the battlefield with swift agility.
What role could cavalry play in a fight right in front of the walls?
What meaning was there in charging towards well-defended walls?
It was unclear, yet the goblin cavalry madly rushed towards the walls.
Effortlessly leaping over densely laid barricades, dodging the active mines, they sped towards the walls.
The startled gunners hastily changed their aim to target the cavalry.
However, the goblin cavalry was much faster than the regular goblins, making aiming and firing more time-consuming.
By the time most of the cavalry was decimated by the wall's firepower, the cannons and ballistae had already been thrown into disarray.
And the final cavalry that broke through the defensive fire and reached the wall-
Thump!
Crashed straight into it.
The mountain goat and goblin rider crumbled to the ground.
Confused human soldiers quickly redirected their cannons and ballistae.
The cavalry's charge was reckless but effective.
Gaps had formed in the firepower network, and following goblin forces continued to charge through the weakened defense unscathed.
Then the fourth wave of goblins rushed in. This time, it was shield-bearers.
Actually, did it even matter to categorize them into the fourth or fifth wave?
A slightly dizzy Lucas briefly closed his eyes.
Just how many waves of goblins were lurking behind?
It felt like an overwhelming flood breaking far beyond the dam's capacity.
Though the vanguard had been cleared, the main force had already surged up close to the walls.
"Prepare the artifacts!"
Lucas commanded.
Usually, Lilly would be overseeing the artifacts, but she was absent. Instead, the guildmaster of the alchemists scurried to take orders.
Lucas, with clenched teeth, stretched his arm forward and shouted.
"Activate the Slowing Field Artifact! Follow it up with the Ice Field Artifact, full deployment!"
Area slow and area freeze artifacts were activated in succession.
The snow under the feet of the slowed goblins turned bitterly cold and froze.
With their mobility drastically reduced, the Goblin Legion suddenly bottlenecked, and a rain of cannonballs and arrows fell on their heads.
However, the fourth wave was shield bearers. They raised their massive shields, large enough to cover their entire bodies, protecting not only themselves but also their comrades in the rear, and slowly resumed their advance.
"Junior-!"
Lucas called out, and Junior, preparing magic with other mage party members, threw her juice cup over the wall.
"Let's go, guys!"
"Yes! Sister!"
"Yes! Big sis!"
The young mages had different elements: fire, wind, water, and earth.
The fire mage was the first to spread flames as widely as possible, causing the frozen ground to melt into a sticky mess.
"Huup-!"
Then Junior and the other three mages cast their respective spells. Junior also used wind and water elements.
Whoosh!
Streams of water fell from the sky with strong winds,
Crack! Crunch!
and the earth cracked open to receive these streams.
The ground that had been frozen solid until moments ago quickly turned into a swampy mire.
The goblins at the forefront of the swamp were immobilized and fell.
Bang! Crack!
Even the shield bearers couldn't withstand the continuous bombardment. Eventually, the fourth wave of goblins also crumbled and perished.
But, in doing so, they allowed the overall force to advance.
The wide swampy area formed by magic was littered with the bodies of goblin shield bearers.
Goblins in the rear used these bodies as stepping stones to advance.
The fifth wave was a mix of shield bearers and archers. Protected by the shield bearers, the goblin archers fired arrows towards the walls.
Thud! Tuk tuk!
Their firepower was pitiful, but for the first time, the goblins' attacks undeniably reached the walls.
Looking down at a goblin arrow that had landed at his feet, Lucas gritted his teeth.
'...These bastards, they're just blindly charging in.'
The Goblin God-King, their supreme commander, was trapped with Ash.
Surely, without his command, they were just mindlessly charging forward.
'Why then... does it seem like the right type of troops appear at the right time?'
As if everything was calculated, and they were just lined up to charge in order...
'No!'
Even if the Goblin God-King had predicted everything and arranged the troops, the ones commanding them on the field would be the officers.
If only the officers were eliminated, their command structure would collapse, and they wouldn't be able to charge as effectively as they are now.
"Damien!"
Lucas yelled.
"We need to snipe their officers! You know that, right?"
"Yes!"
Damien had been sniping officers he spotted since long before.
Amirs and Janissaries in flashy armor were all falling, bloodied by his sniper shots.
As the Goblin Legion drew closer, other snipers in Damien's party also began to focus on sniping the officers.
Bang!
Damien had just taken down another Amir that caught his eye when he sensed something odd.
"...Lucas, sir."
Although they had become quite friendly in private, this was a defense battle, and Lucas was acting as the commander.
Therefore, Damien addressed him formally.
Lucas gestured for him to speak, and Damien muttered hesitantly, seeming to struggle with understanding the current situation.
"The Goblin generals... I mean, the Goblin Amirs, there were only ten in total, right?"
"Yes. His Highness confirmed it this morning."
"The ones with unique markings on their faces and wearing high-quality armor... right?"
"Exactly."
"..."
"What's the matter? Report quickly."
Urged by Lucas, Damien slowly responded.
"...I just sniped the tenth Goblin Amir."
"What? You mean you've taken them all out?"
"Yes. I thought so, but..."
Damien pointed towards a distant part of the battlefield.
"There's another one over there."
"What?"
"And there too, and also over there..."
Goblin officers with unique markings on their faces and wearing high-quality armor.
"There are dozens more."
"..."
"If, as His Highness said, there are only ten Goblin Amirs in total..."
With a pale face, Damien muttered.
"What are those... exactly?"