The beastmen charging into the camp were unlike any Weert had ever seen.
These beastmen had the appearance of bulls, wielding battle axes and standing on two feet. Their muscular bodies were as robust as mountains, and their iron breastplates were inscribed with the blood-red runes of the Blood God. They roared as they stormed into the camp, cutting down anyone they encountered.
Following these beastmen were numerous horned beasts and Chaos warhounds.
"Fight! Fight!" Weert's shrill cry echoed as the beastmen attacked the camp. Many who were still asleep were slaughtered, but most managed to wake up in time due to the timely warning.
"Damn it, it's a night raid!" Ryan also woke up with a start.
Fortunately, he had been prepared. Sensing the presence of corrupt energy nearby, he had decided to sleep in his chainmail.
Bursting out of his tent, Ryan saw the camp in chaos. Tall minotaurs charged into the camp one after another, using their massive bodies to forcefully push aside the guards and mercenaries who tried to defend with their shields.
"Die, beast!" Ryan picked up his warhammer and engaged a charging minotaur. These minotaurs were incredibly strong. Ryan's heavy blow managed to force the minotaur back, and the two began to battle fiercely.
The hammer's handle clashed with the giant battle axe, sending sparks flying. Ryan's body shook slightly, while the minotaur staggered back two steps, then roared and charged at Ryan again.
"Take this!" Ryan's warhammer slammed down, pushing back several minotaurs. More minotaurs flooded into the camp, their sheer numbers making Ryan feel the heavy pressure. "Damn it, where did so many minotaurs come from? There's no Chaos portal around here! Did some Beastlord bring his warband?"
While the Kingdom Knight fought at the front, Oliver had just woken up from his sleep. The imperial merchant, still wearing his nightcap and a ridiculous fur nightgown, groggily asked, "What? What's happening?"
"The enemy is here! Boss, the beastmen are here! Quick! Move to a safe place!" Mat screamed as he rushed in, the guard hastily pulling Oliver out of bed. "Boss, hurry!"
"What? Enemies?" Oliver struggled to move his cumbersome body. His first reaction upon getting up was not to dress or retreat but to rummage through his luggage for a long rifle, which he handed to Mat. "Hold the outside, and immediately inform Ms. Trovik!"
"And what about you, boss?" Mat quickly took the rifle and asked Oliver what he planned to do.
Firearms were a valuable weapon against beastmen. In the human kingdoms, only the imperial capital Altdorf and the southern stronghold Nuln had firearms factories capable of large-scale production. These masterworks of dwarf craftsmanship had significantly changed the course of warfare. Powerful firearms were highly effective against beastmen. However, quality firearms were hard to come by on the market. The emperor had ordered that due to the need for technical secrecy and maintaining the empire's interests, civilians were forbidden from privately owning firearms. Those available on the market were poorly made imitations. Even so, Oliver's long rifle had cost him a hefty sum through internal channels in Marienburg, intended for use in critical moments to save his life.
"There is no safer place than here!" Oliver pointed beside him, then struggled to put on his full set of armor. "Ms. Trovik's tent is right next door! Don't forget!"
Right! Mat quickly realized, nodding nervously. He grabbed the rifle, loaded it, and rushed out.
"Lady of Wealth, please protect me!" Watching Mat rush out, Oliver clumsily donned his armor, silently praying. Years of trading had given him a foreboding feeling.
This trade journey was unprecedentedly perilous. Oliver felt he was caught up in something big. At this moment, all he could do was leave it to fate. The imperial merchant muttered to himself, "Lady of Wealth, what should I do?"
"Damn it, where did so many beastmen come from! Men, fight to the death!" A wandering knight shouted. Strangely, his cumbersome armor was fully donned. He raised his shield and quickly confronted a minotaur.
"Roar~" Under the dark sky and red firelight, the wandering knight saw the minotaur clearly. It stood on two legs, wearing large black chest armor covered in spikes. Its face was hidden behind black iron, revealing only its eyes. Two horns curved downwards, and its tree trunk-like arms wielded a giant axe, ready to chop anything alive into pieces.
Seeing the minotaur's imposing figure, the wandering knight swallowed hard, feeling very anxious. He had never faced such a powerful beastman before, but now he knew he had to fight to the death. Drawing his longsword, he banged it against his shield. "Come on, beast!"
"Roar~~~!" The minotaur's attention quickly shifted to him. It pawed the ground and roared, charging at the wandering knight.
The knight carefully planted his feet, raising his shield. His sword's point aimed directly at the minotaur's chest. The minotaur sidestepped the sword's point, then slammed its right shoulder and entire body into the knight's shield.
"Argh!" With a loud crash, the minotaur's shoulder armor collided violently with the knight's shield. The tremendous force made the knight cry out in pain. His arm went numb from the impact. Although the shield held, he involuntarily stepped back, losing control of his shield, leaving his body exposed.
Seeing this, a nearby beastman threw its spear. The dirty, dung-covered bone spearhead pierced the gap in the knight's chest and shoulder armor, deeply embedding in his shoulder. The knight cried out again, falling back, dropping his sword, and clutching his wound. He could no longer fight.
The knight fell. The minotaur shook its head and recovered from its daze. But before it could get up, a loud gunshot echoed behind the knight, and the minotaur's head burst open, its sturdy body collapsing.
It was Mat, holding the rifle and saving the knight's life, dragging him back to the camp. By then, Eck had finally donned his armor and ran up. "Mr. Goodson! How are you?"
"Argh! Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!" The wandering knight named Goodson clutched his wound in pain. Eck quickly bandaged him before joining the battle.
"Damn it, why didn't you use the rifle earlier?" Ryan's warhammer swept under a minotaur's knee, making it fall. Ryan immediately smashed its head, finishing it off, then faced another charging minotaur. "Damn it, where are they all coming from?"
Beastmen poured into the camp. The guards and mercenaries formed a barricade with wagons and vehicles, raising their shields and hiding behind the barriers, struggling to fend off the beastmen. Only at the east entrance did Ryan single-handedly hold back several minotaurs and beastmen.
But this couldn't last. Fragile wagons couldn't withstand the beastmen's fury. A minotaur sneered as it smashed a wagon to pieces with a hammer, allowing several more minotaurs to enter. They laughed wildly, lifting terrified horses and throwing them back. Greedy Chaos warhounds and beastmen eagerly awaited their feast. Brave mercenaries with spears surrounded them, but the minotaurs easily snapped the spear tips, taking two mercenaries' heads in an instant.
As the defenses broke, beastmen and Chaos warhounds flooded the camp, forcing the mercenaries and guards into chaotic individual fights. Within moments, more than twenty mercenaries and guards, including a wandering knight, had been disemboweled, becoming the beastmen's meal.
Blood and corpses covered the camp. This wasn't a resistance; it was a massacre!
"Hold them! Hold them back!" Weert watched in horror as a minotaur bit off half a mercenary's face, exposing the bone. The poor mercenary wasn't even dead, screaming in agony. The deputy leader, enraged, charged with his greatsword. The minotaur blocked with one hand while crushing the mercenary's skull with the other. "Fail... humans... food!!!"
"Eat... eat!" The beastmen overturned wagons and tore through tents. The lesser beastmen following them began ransacking the tents, searching for whatever they wanted.
A few lesser beastmen had just pulled back a tent flap when cold steel flashed. Their throats and eyes split open, and they fell, screaming.
A slender hand held a thin sword, its tip bloodied.
"I didn't expect you to be quite skilled?" Theresa, supported by Emilia, stood up, leaning on her staff and gritting her teeth. "Damn it, and at this time."
"Ms. Trovik, are you alright?" The female mercenary voiced concern while her eyes remained fixed on the chaotic camp, burning with deep-seated hatred.
"I'm fine... cover me, I need to prepare a spell!" Theresa got up hastily. This was her first time facing such a situation, and it took her a long time to react. With her body feeling extremely unwell, Theresa escaped with Emilia's help, the constant pain stabbing at her nerves, making movement difficult.
"Ms. Trovik, please move to a safe place. It's hard to ensure your safety in this situation." Emilia's sword flashed again, and another beastman lost its eye and throat.
"Ice Barrier!!!" The sorceress had prepared her spell, summoning a solid wall of ice covered in spikes. The pursuing beastmen crashed into the ice wall, impaling themselves on the sharp spikes, blood spilling everywhere. Emilia quickly helped Theresa onto a horse. Theresa gritted her teeth against the pain as they retreated to a safer location.
On the other side of the battlefield, Ryan was covered in blood. His warhammer swept through several beastmen, turning them into pulp. After pushing back yet another minotaur, the kingdom knight finally found a moment to catch his breath. He looked back at the camp, now engulfed in chaos and smoke, and sensed the dire situation.
He didn't blame the night watch for not spotting the beastmen earlier. Ryan knew that beastmen in the forest were nearly undetectable. These creatures knew the hidden paths and trails of the forest, places humans considered impassable or blocked.
"Who else wants some?" Ryan raised his warhammer, crushing the head of another charging minotaur. As he turned, he spotted another beastman sneaking up on him. He swiftly extended his left hand, and a psychic blade from his wrist pierced the beastman's jaw, traveling through its skull. The White Wolf Knight twisted his wrist, sending the beastman's head flying.
His extraordinary physique and genes endowed Ryan with immense strength and tough skin, allowing him to continue fighting.
This was the fourth wave of beastmen he had repelled.
The beastmen were now wary of this fierce human. They hesitated, seeing the pile of corpses at Ryan's feet. Their instincts told them this human was powerful and dangerous.
While the beastmen hesitated, Ryan also hesitated.
The situation in the camp had deteriorated drastically. He saw Rost, wounded and using his spear to fend off a beastman. His body bore several injuries. Estelle, continually drawing her bow, had her golden hair soaked with sweat. Weert still swung his greatsword to fend off enemies, but he showed signs of exhaustion. Mercenaries and guards kept falling, and their bodies became beastmen's feasts.
The caravan had lost more than half its members. Despair was written on everyone's faces. They didn't notice that the beastmen's numbers had dwindled. The minotaurs at the forefront had been halved, and the horned beasts, lesser beastmen, and Chaos warhounds also littered the camp with their bodies.
But they still outnumbered the humans. If this continued... Ryan instinctively reached behind him, gripping the hilt of his sword.
The silver skull pommel glowed with a bright white light. All the beastmen felt an intense, soul-deep danger, causing them to retreat frantically, tearing other beastmen apart in their desperate bid to flee.
"Is it time to use this now?"