Chapter 112: War (Part 7)
Over four hundred cavalry now had less than a third remaining, with the death toll rising as the riders scattered in retreat.
Meanwhile, the shield-bearers suffered heavy casualties under repeated volleys from the hobgoblin musketeers. The once tightly packed formation now had gaps, and the soldiers in the rear hesitated to move forward, seeing it as a death sentence.
Fortunately, after several volleys, the hobgoblins exhausted their ammunition and switched to swords and blades.
Simultaneously, ogres and lizardmen charged forward, with the followers of Ember Nest clashing head-on with the main coalition force, the "Talons of the Eagle."
This was the most intense battle on the front lines.
"For Ember Nest!"
"For the mighty red dragon master!"
Dolo led the charge, swinging his Bloodfire Axe with terrifying force, smashing several shield-bearers into pieces. Soldiers nearby witnessed this horror and fled in fear.
The previously firm coalition formation was now breached by Dolo's ferocious assault.
The monsters flooded through the breach, tearing into the formation with claws, teeth, and blades, rapidly widening their advantage.
Hobgoblins slashed with swords, lizardmen hurled bone spears, ogres swung heavy clubs, and kobold shamans breathed fire.
"Enemy!"
The ogre "Big Head" roared as he smashed a heavily armored soldier, flattening him, armor and all.
He paused, surveying the battlefield, then secretly tore off a piece of flesh from the bloody remains and stuffed it into his mouth, a look of satisfaction on his ugly face.
"Canned little people, tasty."
"Just can't let the boss find out; he'll clobber me if I eat any more."
Big Head muttered to himself.
He didn't know that Langpu was watching through a magical pendant the ogres carried, his face darkening at the sight.
"Big Head! Are you sneaking snacks again?"
Langpu's irritated voice suddenly rang in Big Head's ears.
Big Head jumped, instinctively covering his head, fearing a blow from Langpu's club.
But after looking around and not seeing Langpu's towering figure, he scratched his head in confusion. "Weird, I swear I heard the boss's voice…"
"Maybe I imagined it?"
But soon, the scent of blood drew his simple mind back, and he shrugged it off.
"Whatever, back to bashing canned little people!"
With an excited yell, Big Head charged back into the bloody fray.
For these dragon-blooded beasts, killing was as natural as eating or drinking, unlike humans.
"Help me——"
"Let me go, I can't fight anymore!"
"They're monsters!"
"Let me out of here…"
Many soldiers, witnessing their comrades' horrific deaths under the monster onslaught, broke down, desperately trying to escape the nightmarish battlefield.
"Deserters face execution!"
Enforcers behind the lines cut down fleeing soldiers with their justice blades, forcing them back to face the enemy.
But this only slightly slowed the inevitable retreat.
"This can't go on."
Robert watched the defense lines crumble under the monster horde, his brow furrowing.
He summoned the commander of the Northwind Eagle Guard.
"Aiden, it's your turn. Stop them."
"Yes, sir."
Aiden accepted the command, mounted his giant eagle, and took to the air, raising his Eagle Call Silver Sword with a sharp whistle.
"Northwind Eagle Guard, prepare to charge!"
Over a hundred giant eagle riders ascended, their cries piercing the air as they dove in formation.
"For the Duke!"
"Charge with me!"
Giant eagles skimmed low, casting shifting shadows and bringing lances and swords down upon the monsters below.
Under the Eagle Guard's concentrated charge, the monster horde suffered heavy losses; even the thick-skinned ogres found some of their ranks pierced by aerial lances.
After several charges, the "Talons of the Eagle" forces managed to hold their ground, even pushing the line back somewhat.
However, the Northwind Eagle Guard seemed to forget they weren't alone in the skies. As they completed another dive and began to ascend—
"Roar—"
The roar of wyverns filled the air.
The Crimson Scaled Conquerors descended with fiery rage.
They had been circling above the clouds, waiting for the perfect moment. Now, as the Eagle Guard showed a lapse in formation, Alger seized the opportunity.
"For Ember Nest!"
"Charge!"
Alger raised his Everburn Sword.
With a collective battle cry, the wyverns unleashed Dragon Howl charges, breathing a wall of fire that spread before them like a flaming tide.
The Northwind Eagle Guard, still in a tight formation as they climbed, had no chance to evade.
At the sound of the dragon roars, the giant eagles were paralyzed with fear, unable to move. When the guards looked up in panic, all they could see was a wall of flame.
"Boom!"
Fire raged across the skies, and the giant eagles, engulfed in flames, plummeted like fireballs.
Alger's timing was nearly flawless; with this single Dragon Howl charge, half of the Eagle Guard's hundred men were incinerated, wiping out an entire battalion.
"Disperse! Scatter!"
"Retreat quickly!"
Aiden's anguished shout echoed.
He finally understood why the Sixth Eagle Guard Battalion had vanished—they hadn't expected the Ember Nest to have such a formidable aerial force.
It wasn't just mindless wyverns; there were flying knights among them!
"Roar—"
As the Crimson Scaled Conquerors charged, wyvern leader "Smaug" let out a long howl, and wyverns scattered to hunt down any straggling Eagle Guards.
The three-headed chimera joined in as well, diving into the fray with two female kin by its side.
The aerial battle grew increasingly chaotic.
Flames, arrows, and lances crossed paths in the sky.
Three chimeras, over a hundred wyverns, eighteen Crimson Scaled Conquerors, and the remaining two hundred Northwind Eagle Guards clashed, each side fending off attacks from every angle.
Bodies—both human and beast—fell from the sky.
On the ground, the coalition forces, deprived of their aerial support, once again found their lines pushed back by the monsters, with screams and wails echoing across the battlefield.