"I'm not fighting anymore! I'm going home!"
One of the enemy conscripts, his mind shattered by the brutal sight of fallen comrades, dropped his weapon and turned to flee. At the sight, others followed suit, breaking ranks in a frantic, panicked rush.
The entire conscript formation collapsed. Dozens of men scattered like frightened rabbits, running in all directions. The supervising sergeant raised his sword, but was quickly swallowed by the surging tide of deserters.
As the tide of panic receded, Mike Bai's vision cleared, only to be met by the malicious grins of enemy mercenaries.
The enemy's mercenaries, much like Mike Bai's own, wore mismatched armor, but their eyes gleamed with aggressive intent.
"Yah!" A wild, almost animalistic yell broke through the air as the enemy mercenaries, forming a ragged line, closed in. Unlike the poorly trained conscripts, these men stayed low behind their shields, advancing steadily. Occasionally, Mike Bai's thrown spears or stones were deflected by the shields, having no significant effect.
The two sides finally closed the gap. Mike Bai could see the fury in his enemies' eyes as they exchanged furious battle cries, the clash of weapons intensifying.
Both sides pressed forward, shields raised, each determined to unleash maximum killing force. Mike Bai's mercenaries thrust their weapons through the gaps in the enemy's defenses, but the armored foes absorbed the blows, and the quick deaths they had inflicted earlier now seemed far more difficult to achieve.
For a moment, the two forces were locked in a stalemate. But Mike Bai's smaller group was at a clear disadvantage. More enemy weapons emerged, relentlessly striking the mercenaries' shields with a barrage of blows.
"Hold them off! Don't let them break through the fence!"
Wolf, the mercenary captain, shouted as he scanned the battlefield. He spotted several burly figures wielding two-handed axes, hacking at the wooden barricade. The heavy axes sank deep into the wood, sending splinters flying, threatening to collapse the fence with each strike.
Mike Bai's comrades, struggling to maintain the line, retaliated with their longspears, piercing through the gaps in the attackers' armor. One man, coughing up blood, fell to the ground but was quickly engulfed by the mass of bodies behind him.
"Ah! My hand!"
A mercenary cried out as his arm was severed mid-thrust by a sharp enemy blade. Blood poured from the stump as the man collapsed to his knees in agony.
The relieved squad members, too exhausted to rest, were immediately ordered by Wolf to plug the growing gaps in the barricade. Mike Bai and Ken hurried to drag the wounded mercenary toward Gillna, who was already tending to the casualties.
"Yashan! Be a man and hold on!" Gillna shouted, quickly stuffing a wad of cotton into the wound, bringing more pained cries from the injured mercenary.
"Why are you just standing there? Get over here and help hold him down!" Gillna barked at Anna, before turning to Mike Bai and Ken. "You two don't belong here! Get back to the front lines!"
"If we can't hold them, I'll kill both of you!" she added, her eyes blazing with anger.
Mike Bai nodded and hurriedly pulled Ken back to the front.
The situation at the barricade had grown dire. The constant sound of axes and weapons striking wood was unrelenting. More casualties were being carried off the line as gaps began to form. Though reinforcements rushed in to fill the breaches, the collapse seemed inevitable.
Mike Bai's heart raced, desperately searching for a solution.
"Hey, kid! Get over here and help!" Wolf's voice broke through the chaos, filled with urgency and frustration. Mike Bai looked over to see the section of the barricade Wolf was holding was leaning dangerously, only staying upright thanks to a few mercenaries struggling to prop it up.
Despite their efforts, the enemy's numbers were overwhelming, and the fence was slowly tipping over.
"Captain, hold on! I'll take care of something!" Mike Bai shouted, running toward a burning tent on the side.
The tent's outer fabric had already been consumed by flames, but the central fire still burned fiercely. Mike Bai, weapon in hand, plunged his spear into the blaze, retrieving a mass of burning material before turning back toward the barricade.
"Clear out!"
A massive fireball soared over Wolf's head, trailing a wake of heat and flame. The enemy soldiers flinched and fell back, panicked by the fiery projectile. Mike Bai swung his makeshift torch aggressively, scattering flames among the enemy ranks. Those unlucky enough to be caught by the flames screamed in agony, retreating from the burning barricade.
"Captain! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" Wolf shouted between ragged breaths, seizing the brief moment of respite. "Keep it up, we can't let them break through now!"
Mike Bai spun, swinging the fireball once more to push back an enemy trying to approach. "If you're fine, get some men to throw whatever you've got burning in front of the barricade! Otherwise, we won't last much longer!"
Wolf froze for a moment, then barked orders. "Yafa! Get anyone who can still move and toss whatever's burning in front of that fence, now!"
With a swift kick to Yafa's backside, Wolf returned to his post at the barricade, guarding the front.
As Mike Bai's fireball began to burn out, Yafa returned with a handful of mercenaries, dragging anything flammable they could find—wooden crates, broken armor, and even animal pelts wrapped around burning logs. Whatever they had was now a weapon.
Soon, a barrage of flaming debris rained down on the enemies, causing chaos in their ranks. A few mercenaries who failed to dodge were set ablaze, writhing in agony until they were reduced to charred remains.
The enemies hesitated, giving the barricade a wider berth as they watched the flames consume their comrades. However, they didn't retreat far. The flames would burn out eventually, and once they did, the numerical advantage would allow them to finish the job.
Mike Bai, his face grim, looked back at Wolf. "Captain, I still have some firewood in the kitchen. Is there any more fuel nearby?"
"Nothing left!" Wolf replied tersely.
"Then we're out of options." Mike Bai sighed.
Wolf glanced at the sky, noting the fading light. "We're running out of time. Might as well earn that noble's pay."
"Burn what's left of the firewood, set the barricade ablaze, and cover our retreat. We're pulling out!"