Gray Beard drew an arrow from his quiver—a black-feathered, black-shafted arrow, paired with a black ironwood hunting bow.
With his left hand, he knocked the arrow onto the string, holding three more in his hand.
Unbidden, he recalled something his father had told him when he first learned to shoot as a child.
"Whether it's the fangs of a wild wolf, the claws of a great bear, or the talons of an eagle, none compare to my bow and arrow."
In the previous two waves of attacks, he hit two tigers in the first wave and six in the second.
Yes, he had counted them all.
"Think of them as wild beasts, and you won't be afraid!" he shouted to a few young tribesmen nearby.
The young men nodded, gripping their hunting bows tighter, then turned to whisper the words to other tribe members.
"Uncle Gray Beard says, think of them as wild beasts, and you won't be afraid."
"Think of them as wild beasts..."
The message spread to the other side.
"That's right, they're just beasts," chuckled the guard Raven. "Old man, that's a good tactic—old hunter's wisdom?"
Hearing praise from the lord's guard, Gray Beard was a bit moved, but he had no time to respond. The tiger clan in the distance was already picking up speed.
"Hold steady! Don't shoot yet—wait for my command!" Kent shouted, trying to suppress his own nerves.
After all, this was his first time commanding a real battle. Only an idiot wouldn't feel tense and afraid.
The previous waves of attacks had been bloody victories. The tiger clan had been wiped out, but many guards and natives had died as well, mostly due to disorganization. For example, with archery—tribal natives typically hunted and knew how to shoot, but on a battlefield, archery wasn't just a matter of drawing the bowstring; accuracy was essential.
"Hold steady! Don't shoot—" Around Kent, spaced every ten meters or so, a few guards acted as messengers.
"Hold steady—"
The ground began to tremble as massive beasts charged forward. Amidst the snow and wind, their shapes became clear about two hundred meters away, as dozens of tiger warriors, shields raised, quickened their pace.
Iron-armored giant bears!
These monstrous bears, clad in heavy iron armor, could easily tear through elephants and tigers alike.
Gray Beard's eyes turned red, and his temples throbbed.
How could they possibly kill those?!
Many people started to tremble in fear.
"Don't be afraid! I have a way to handle this!" Sensing that the surrounding natives were shaken by the presence of these monstrous beasts, Kent roared.
The morale he had just ignited must not break!
If it shattered, they were truly finished.
"Don't be afraid! There's a way to handle this!" The guards dutifully echoed the words into everyone's ears.
The tiger clan was now within a hundred meters of the rock wall.
There was no more time to think.
"Draw your bows!" Kent shouted.
Based on the previous waves of attacks, the best shooting distance was between 50 and 80 meters, just before reaching the opposite side of the trench.
Crossing the trench would leave no time for a second shot.
"Draw your bows—"
"Draw your bows—"
Gray Beard forced himself to suppress the immense shock and panic within him, drawing his bowstring to his ear. Around him came the creaking sounds of bowstrings pulled to full tension, the sound of ironwood bending under pressure.
"Aim at the tiger clan! Fire at will!" Kent issued the command to attack.
"Fire at will—"
"Shoot the tiger clan, not the giant beasts—"
Swish, swish, swish, swish—
Thud, thud, thud…
Arrows struck, growls and groans followed, as tiger warriors fell one after another. Undaunted, the ones behind trampled over their still-breathing comrades, continuing their charge.
Swish… swish, swish… swish, swish, swish—
Thud… thud, thud… thud…
Another volley of arrows brought more of them down.
Though most natives had never seen a battlefield or learned coordinated tactics, they had the advantage of defending themselves from the rock wall. During the first attack, the tiger clan's assault had taken them by surprise, costing the lives of a dozen tribesmen and four or five guards before they managed to kill the attackers.
Now, with clear commands, it was as if they finally had a backbone; they only needed to follow orders. With two waves of arrow fire, the first dozen tiger warriors charging forward fell to the ground, and cheers of victory erupted from those on the wall.
With a deafening roar, the giant beasts closed within a hundred meters, and more tiger warriors pressed forward.
"Light the firebombs!" Kent raised a lit stone jar in his hand.
Four guards clumsily picked up their firebombs, igniting the oil-soaked linen wicks.
The rain of arrows in front of the trench grew denser. Every native hunter was tense, shooting their arrows as quickly as they could. Gray Beard moved faster, mechanically repeating the action of drawing and releasing arrows. His arms were growing numb, his fingers bloodied from the strain.
Still, some tiger warriors crossed the trench—one, two…
The beasts roared, and the ground trembled.
"Fate…" Kent muttered to himself, "If you brought me to this world…"
Shields deflected many arrows, and the first tiger warrior to cross the trench raised a massive axe, charging toward the rock wall.
"If you want to see what kind of storm I can stir up on this continent…" Kent's gaze was locked onto the advancing tiger warrior.
The tiger warrior roared, only ten meters from the rock wall.
"Then…" Kent leaned back, raising his arm with the firebomb, channeling all his strength. "Watch!"
The tiger warrior leaped high, his massive ax gleaming with the chill of death, slicing toward Kent.
"Carefully!" Kent's eyes burned red as he hurled the bomb with all his might.
The jar whistled through the air, smashing into the tiger warrior.
Boom—
A massive burst of flames instantly engulfed the roaring tiger warrior. In midair, the flames consumed both the warrior and his ax, slamming heavily onto the rock wall. Screaming, he rolled down the wall in flames.
"Kill them all!" The morale surged. Several guards threw their firebombs at the tiger clan.
For a moment, the fiery bodies on the ground, the rain of arrows, the flaming trajectories of the thrown bombs, and the explosions of fire from missed firebombs igniting the ground, formed a strange scene of violent beauty.
"Splitting Blade!" Kent shouted without looking back.
"Boss!" Splitting Blade, who had been guarding Kent's side, immediately responded.
"Burn that bothersome beast for me!" Kent pointed to the remaining four or five stone jars beside him, already tied together with rope.
"If I don't burn it down, then you burn me!" Splitting Blade shouted back.
He felt deeply ashamed and regretful for urging his leader to retreat earlier. Now, this task in Kent was clearly an opportunity for him to redeem himself in front of everyone.
As the most seasoned veteran in the guard, he knew if he didn't seize this chance, he might as well die on the battlefield.
His eyes reddened, and the old scar on half his face made his expression look even more menacing. Grabbing the bundled stone jars, he lit them over the fire.
"You damn Tiger Tribe scum, your grandpa's coming for you!" Splitting Blade yelled as he leapt from the rock wall.
"Guard squad, cover him!" Kent ordered.
"Woosh!"
"Woosh!"
Several figures jumped down from the rock wall after him.
Kent clenched his fists tightly.
Now is the time to truly draw the sword and see the blood.