Chapter 438: Just Keep Going Like This (5)
Woroqa bit his lip. A hint of irritation flickered across his face. In the end, engaging in battle meant inevitable losses.
He turned to the priest of the Salvation Church standing beside him and asked,
"Didn't you say there were no armies in the North capable of stopping us? Why is Raypold on the move? Now we have to break through them!"
Several priests from the Salvation Church had stayed within the kingdom to act as guides and advisors.
Of course, their real purpose was to manipulate Woroqa’s army according to the wishes of the ducal family.
The priest soothed Woroqa, trying to steer him in the desired direction.
"Hmm... It seems there must have been some sort of arrangement."
"Arrangement?"
"Yes. Otherwise, there’s no reason for Raypold to take action."
The ducal family had assumed Amelia wouldn’t intervene. They believed that the greedy woman had no reason to aid Ghislain.
Moreover, the Amelia they envisioned was a mere puppet who had barely succeeded in her coup with their support. They saw her as someone without the willpower or capability to fight the barbarians.
"Our forces are overwhelming, aren’t they? I don’t know what they’re thinking, but it won’t be difficult. She’s just a girl who was nothing more than a nobleman’s daughter. What could she possibly know about war?"
At the priest’s words, Woroqa nodded.
The combined warriors of all the tribes under his command formed a massive force. His army numbered a staggering 60,000.
Although it included even the youngest warriors who had just completed their coming-of-age ceremonies, Northern warriors were resilient from a young age. They weren’t weaklings.
On the other hand, their opponent’s forces were a mere 10,000. Raypold’s army was reportedly larger, but it seemed some were left behind for defensive purposes.
While 10,000 was not a small number, it was insignificant compared to 60,000.
The priest continued, his tone soothing.
"We had anticipated something like this might happen. We simply deemed it not significant enough to be an obstacle."
The priest wasn’t lying to pacify Woroqa. They were confident that Raypold alone wouldn’t be enough to contend with the barbarian horde and had dismissed them as unimportant.
"On the contrary, this is an opportunity. If we eliminate Raypold here, occupying the North will become much easier, don’t you think?"
"Indeed. What does a woman know about waging war? This isn’t a bad situation."
From Woroqa’s perspective, hailing from the vast Northern lands, his opponent seemed almost absurd. However, on second thought, the situation wasn’t unfavorable.
Their plan was to utterly crush Ferdium and Fenris, erasing their infrastructure. Once that was accomplished, the Fenris army renowned as the strongest in the North would no longer be able to continue the war.
If they dealt with Raypold’s remaining forces, the North would be left utterly defenseless.
"This works out well. Originally, I was planning to take another territory, but why not settle in Raypold? Isn’t it a good estate?"
Afterward, they could occupy a few more regions and hold their ground. Then, the ducal family would move to seize control of the kingdom.
Woroqa suddenly voiced a concern that had been nagging at him.
"What if they can’t stop the Rift and end up dead?"
The last time he’d seen it, the Rift had already expanded tremendously.
If Ferdium and Fenris were annihilated, his forces would have to deal with the Rift. Woroqa had no desire to confront those abominable creatures himself.
The priest smiled, attempting to assuage his concerns.
"That’s likely what will happen. The Rift has grown so vast. However, the Fenris and Ferdium are strong. The Rift would have suffered significant damage too, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to handle."
"Hmm, I see."
Woroqa nodded in agreement.
Ghislain wasn’t the type to die easily. He even bore the nickname, “Crimson Demon.” Woroqa reasoned that at the very least, Ghislain might perish alongside the Rift.
‘Even if he manages to stop the Rift, he’ll have suffered significant losses. He won’t be able to pursue us immediately.’
Whether the Rift remained or Ghislain dealt with it, problems would persist. Woroqa felt a twinge of unease.
‘No, stop overthinking. The war has already begun.’
Shaking off his doubts, Woroqa straightened. He felt like he had been giving Ghislain too much credit. In any case, it didn’t matter anymore whether the man won or lost.
He would crush and obliterate everything belonging to Ferdium and Fenris. That would be the end. There was no way they could lose.
"Alright, let’s start by wiping out that arrogant girl!"
Woroqa surveyed the terrain around them.
The Northern access route was flanked by hills and low mountains. While it wasn’t too narrow, it would be difficult for an army of 60,000 to advance all at once in a single column.
“They must have thought they could hold out by using the terrain since their forces were inferior. What a futile effort.”
While their forces consisted entirely of cavalry, the opposing Raypold forces were primarily infantry. Simply charging through would likely trample them all.
To make matters worse, the enemy’s cavalry had been positioned behind their infantry, almost laughably.
“Who taught them that ridiculous formation? Do they think just holding shields will stop us?”
Woroqa sneered, raising his hand. Coordinating the movement of 60,000 warriors was challenging, but there was enough room for 5,000 cavalry to advance.
“Send the first 5,000 forward. The next 5,000 will follow. Crush them.”
“Waaahhhh!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The barbarian warriors, their bloodlust simmering from the lack of battles, finally surged forward with reckless fervor at Woroqa’s command.
Seeing the advancing barbarians, the Raypold forces formed a shield wall.
“Loose!”
At Amelia’s command, archers released their arrows.
Swoosh!
The arrows rained down on the advancing cavalry, targeting the center of their formation.
The barbarian warriors deflected or blocked the arrows with their shields, their charge unrelenting.
Though some horses in the tight space fell to the arrows, disrupting the formation slightly, the warriors pressed on undeterred.
These were men who had grown up riding horses across the northern plains. A minor disruption in the central formation wasn’t enough to halt the overall momentum.
Amelia observed the scene and issued another order.
“Push the center line forward. Do not let up with the arrows.”
Clink, clink, clink!
The infantry at the center of the Raypold forces advanced slightly, while the archers continued their relentless focus on the center of the barbarian ranks.
Several more horses were struck down, but the losses were insignificant in a 5,000-strong cavalry force.
As the barbarians closed in further, Raypold’s mages stepped forward.
Fwoosh!
Around thirty mages unleashed their spells, once again targeting the center of the advancing formation.
Boom! Boom!
Unlike the arrows, the spells inflicted greater damage. With no mages of their own, the barbarians had no way to counter the attacks.
At that moment, priests of the Salvation Church emerged from the barbarian ranks.
Hoooo!
Dark energy radiated from the priests, spreading across the battlefield and shielding the barbarians. While their divine power couldn’t completely block the enemy’s magic, it provided enough protection to mitigate significant damage.
Boom! Boom!
The combined arrows and magic of the Raypold forces were dampened by the priests’ energy. Seeing this, Woroqa let out a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha! Did you think we’d leave that weakness unaddressed forever?”
The shamans of the barbarians served more as spiritual guides than warriors, leaving the tribe vulnerable to large-scale magical attacks. Now, however, the Salvation Church priests had compensated for that flaw, a change Woroqa found immensely reassuring.
“Push forward! Their numbers are far fewer than ours! Trample them all!”
Though they had suffered some losses, it wasn’t enough to dampen their confidence. Woroqa roared in triumph, spurring his warriors onward.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With even their biggest vulnerability resolved, the warriors galloped forward, their faces twisted with bloodthirsty excitement.
“Hahaha! Finally, we’ll taste blood!”
“Kill all the men, and for the women… No, kill them all!”
“The North belongs to us!”
Anticipating the carnage to come, the barbarians charged with fervor, ready to release all the anger they’d been holding back.
However, as they stormed toward the Raypold forces, an unexpected obstacle emerged.
Neighhh!
Crash!
The center of the formation, which had taken the lead, suddenly stumbled and collapsed.
“Aargh! What’s going on?”
“It’s a trap!”
“Stop! Slow down!”
As the vanguard crumbled, the warriors following behind were caught up in the chaos, unable to slow down in time during the charge.
“Stakes! There are stakes in the ground!”
The charge had been halted by low stakes embedded in the ground. Positioned sporadically and barely visible from a distance, some were even connected by ropes.
Horses galloping at full speed tripped over the stakes or were caught in the ropes, losing their balance and toppling over.
Hearing the cries of his men, Woroqa gritted his teeth.
“They dare pull such petty tricks…”
Unable to dig proper trenches in time, the Raypold forces had opted for this simpler tactic.
While the stakes didn’t disrupt the entire formation, they did manage to cause significant disorder in the center ranks.
It was nothing more than that, after all. The warriors on both flanks continued charging toward the Raypold army.
"Warriors in the center, dismount! Just go and push them over! Our numbers far exceed theirs!"
There could be more stakes ahead. Besides, the vanguard at the center was already entangled with the horses.
In any case, it was only the vanguard that would fall into the trap. The units following behind merely needed to avoid it or cross over.
"Uwaaaah!"
Aside from a few warriors being trampled by the horses behind them, the losses were minimal. The barbarian warriors at the center abandoned their mounts and charged forward.
The warriors following behind also dismounted. With the front blocked, the advantages of a cavalry charge had already disappeared.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Though the warriors at the center dismounted and ran, the charge on both flanks maintained its momentum.
"Dieeeeee!"
The barbarian warriors let out deafening roars as they neared the Raypold army.
Amelia, who had been silently observing, issued another command.
"Make way."
As soon as the order was given, the Raypold army's formation shifted.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The soldiers spread out, creating gaps. A passage opened up in the direction of the charging barbarian warriors.
The barbarians at the center had already lost their charge, leaving only the flanking forces to funnel into the open path.
"Huh? Huh? Aren't they blocking us?"
The barbarian warriors, already fully committed to their charge, couldn’t stop.
That's how cavalry charges worked. If the vanguard stopped abruptly, the entire formation would collapse. They couldn’t stop until they clashed with the enemy.
"Huh? Huh? Huh?"
The barbarians had no choice but to continue charging through the empty path.
Then, the Raypold army's formation shifted again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The soldiers turned and raised their shields. The barbarians, charging through the passage, attempted to attack the soldiers, but all they managed was a few futile strikes against their shields.
Most of the barbarian warriors on both flanks ended up trapped within the Raypold army's formation.
Amelia issued another command.
"Trap them."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The soldiers at the front of the Raypold formation blocked the path again, raising their shields. The passage the barbarians had entered was now sealed.
Those who had not yet entered slowed their charge upon seeing the situation and were blocked by the soldiers.
Amelia’s commands came swiftly.
"Bring them down."
The shields of the soldiers surrounding the barbarians rose, and hooks emerged from beneath, slashing at the legs of the horses.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Neighhhhh!
The horses, struck by the sudden attack, shrieked and collapsed. Naturally, the barbarians atop them fell to the ground, becoming entangled with one another.
"Aaargh!"
"What the hell are these bastards?!"
"Get up! Fight back now!"
But their tangled state made it difficult even to stand up.
The few who managed to get up raised their axes with a menacing air, but their flanks were blocked by solid shields.
"Damn it! Break through! We have to get out of here!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
They struck the shields with their axes, trying to break free, but the sturdy formation of the Raypold army didn’t budge. The soldiers moved with astonishing precision.
Amelia had tirelessly trained her soldiers with her knowledge and abilities. Over time, they had become an army that moved as one, responding without hesitation to her slightest gesture.
Amelia gazed at the barbarians trapped within the Raypold army's formation and spoke coldly.
"Kill them."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The hooks retracted, and the shields returned to their positions. Moments later, gaps opened between the shields, and a flurry of spears thrust out.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
"Arghhh!"
The barbarian warriors, trapped inside the Raypold army, were helplessly slaughtered. Surrounded by the impenetrable wall of shields, there was no escape.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
No matter how much they hacked at the shields with their axes, they remained unyielding.
Breaking the ranks of heavy infantry required either overwhelming numbers or powerful penetration force. Once surrounded like this, there was no way out.
Especially against a well-trained elite force, escape was even more impossible.
"Aaargh!"
The cries of the trapped warriors echoed endlessly. Woroqa shouted with a face contorted in rage.
"They deliberately moved the center forward! To attack the flanks first! Push the center forward! Rescue our allies! Deploy additional forces to the flanks!"
A large army didn’t move all at once. It responded to enemy tactics and traps with organic adjustments.
The barbarian warriors in reserve charged toward the flanks of the Raypold army.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The enemy’s tactics and traps were already laid bare. In the current situation, creating another passage like before was impossible, so they just had to push through.
It would take some time for the additional forces of the barbarians to overpower the Raypold flanks.
Meanwhile, the dismounted barbarian warriors at the center rapidly approached the Raypold army.
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
The barbarian warriors' fierce battle cries echoed across the battlefield. Their savage momentum seemed capable of tearing apart anything in their path.
In contrast, the Raypold soldiers remained silent. Their faces were cold and unshaken, seemingly impervious to the chaos of the battlefield.
They simply extended their shields, following their orders and training.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clash between raw ferocity and icy discipline was imminent.
Boom!
The barbarian warriors’ axes struck the Raypold army’s shields.