Blind following is an instinct for most creatures, especially those that are social in nature, such as humans and Goblins.
As long as they could create enough panic, the enemy would equally serve their purpose.
When twelve Regular Cavalry and twenty heavily armed Militia quickly followed suit, the Herding Tactic was essentially a success.
Hundreds of Goblins, in a whooshing rush, swarmed towards the newly organized Hobgoblin Camp.
Goblins and Hobgoblins might only differ by a single character in their names, but they are not the same species at all.
The difference between them is as significant as that between Demi-Humans and Humans, no, it should be said to be even greater.
Adult male Goblins average less than ninety centimeters in height, and with their long arms and big heads, like to walk hunched over, making them appear even shorter and easier to deal with.
Adult male Hobgoblins can reach an average height of two meters, and females are at least one meter eighty. They are the most typical military species, from top to bottom, revering physical power and military prowess. Hobgoblins never called their controlled tribes "tribes", a smaller group was called a "warband", and a larger group was called a "legion". From a young age, they received military education and training.
Their tribes are either in the midst of war or on the path to war and expansion.
This way of life is related both to the Goblin God they worship and their inherent desire for conquest and control.
Most importantly, they are intelligent humanoid creatures, with an IQ not much different from that of humans, possessing their own military structure, their own blacksmiths, and equipment that was vastly superior to that of Goblins.
Even the Hobgoblin warband outside Nort Castle that wasn't considered wealthy had at least a set of leather armor and a decent weapon to their name.
By the time Zalanda and Gaven led the team, driving the Goblin Rout Soldiers to the front of the Hobgoblin Camp, this Hobgoblin warband had already assembled into a neat military formation. Standing in front of the formation were three Bear Goblins, wilder in appearance and more robust in stature.
"Fire!" came a cold command from within the Hobgoblin warband.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
An arrow storm no less fierce than Nort City's rained down from the Hobgoblin warband.
Gaven and Zalanda didn't even bother to pay attention, simply pushing forward with their heads down.
Twenty meters away, the threat posed by these arrows was quite low to them; less than half had iron tips, most being sharpened hardwood that couldn't penetrate armor. Even those with iron tips were generally of poor quality; Gaven clearly saw several shatter upon hitting Zalanda's Magic Armor.
For the Goblin Rout Soldiers, who might as well have been bare-chested, even the hardwood arrowheads were deadly. They fell in droves, and those who barely made it to the front of the Hobgoblin warband were also cut down by the swinging blades.
The rout soldiers feared the Hobgoblins far more than they did Gaven and Zalanda—many tried to split to the sides, but the divided Cavalry Squad drove back a part of them, forming a second wave of impact. The heavily armored Militia that had jogged up also drove back some, forming a third wave of impact.
The triple-layered onslaught of rout soldiers, aside from wasting several rounds of the Hobgoblins' arrows, did not affect their warband's military formation much; at least, not a single Hobgoblin died in the chaos.
Gaven and Zalanda hadn't expected these Goblin Rout Soldiers to break through the Hobgoblin's formation—if the Hobgoblins had been that easy to deal with, Zalanda would've crushed them with his troops long ago.
The Goblin Rout Soldiers they had driven here primarily served to clear traps and scout the path. The Hobgoblins' traps surrounding the camp were mostly ruined by the blindly fleeing Goblin Rout Soldiers, posing no threat to them.
Ao! Ao! Ao!
The three Bear Goblins in front of the Hobgoblin warband could no longer hold back. Their giant spiked mauls swung wildly, causing blood and flesh to fly among the surrounding Goblin Rout Soldiers, who howled and rushed towards Zalanda and Gaven.
The commander of the Hobgoblin Brigade didn't even attempt to stop them.
The intelligence deficiencies of the Bear Goblins doomed them to be nothing more than high-level cannon fodder in the eyes of the Hobgoblins, always placed at the front of the formation rather than integrated within it.
"Let's take down one first. You take the lead, my lord, and I'll assist!" Gaven lightly tapped his warhorse and charged at the foremost Bear Goblin before Zalanda.
Gaven's actions were not out of arrogant self-confidence, believing he could outperform Zalanda with the skills from his previous life.
On the contrary, he had a clear understanding of his own strength and was willing to play a supporting role to Zalanda.
Compared to ordinary people, the most formidable aspect of a Professional was the ability to attune to the Magic Network and receive a boost from Magic Power damage, which was not instantaneous and required a small period of accumulation.
Gaven's goal now wasn't to inflict multiple injuries on the Bear Goblin, but to create an excellent opportunity for Zalanda to launch her synchronized attacks with maximum force.
In gaming terms, striking the vital points is more likely to result in critical hits.
Using the momentum of his horse's charge, Gaven didn't thrust his spear at the Bear Goblin's body, but instead at the huge mace the creature swung high in the air.
Two massive forces collided in mid-air.
The long spear broke from the tip to the tail on impact.
Gaven had anticipated this and let go of the long spear when he felt the enormous rebound force, immediately drawing his one-handed sword and slashing the arm of the passing Bear Goblin before charging ahead without concern for the aftermath.
The Bear Goblin's giant mace paused mid-air for several seconds.
At that moment, Zalanda arrived just in time to thrust her long spear into the wide-open throat of the Bear Goblin.
The force of this thrust was so powerful that the spearhead pierced through the back of the Bear Goblin's neck.
Zalanda let go of the long spear in the momentum and drew her longsword, unable to help but shout, "Yes!"
Zalanda was experiencing such smooth and fluid cooperation in combat for the first time, not to mention the complete comfort that swept through her body, leaving her feeling not the slightest bit tired but instead as if she had endless energy coursing through her veins, warming up every muscle and joint.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
The Bear Goblin impaled through the throat hadn't died on the spot but had fallen into a state of near-death frenzy.
While grabbing at the shaft of the spear, trying to pull it out, it crazily chased after Zalanda, swinging its massive mace.
Zalanda didn't catch up and instead the Bear Goblin stumbled towards the Hobgoblin formation.
"Throwing spears!" came another order from within the Hobgoblin formation.
Five or six throwing spears took flight simultaneously, aimed at the wounded Bear Goblin.
Clearly, the Hobgoblins fully acknowledged the fighting strength of the Bear Goblins and gave them no chance to get close to their formation.
This valiant behemoth finally fell three meters away from the Hobgoblin formation.
On the other hand, Gaven and Zalanda didn't pay any mind to this minor episode and galloped towards another Bear Goblin.