Chapter 306 - 66: Beastmen All Over the Mountains and Plains
Chapter 306: Chapter 66: Beastmen All Over the Mountains and Plains
The Beastman Corps’s attack had no strategy to speak of.
They attacked in waves of four thousand; as soon as one was decimated, the next would take its place.
"Lord! The Lord is here!"
Since Prince Odoruo’s Personal Guard Team was composed of hidden experts and the Griffin Knights had only just been dispatched, Robson had yet to receive any intelligence from the Beastman side when he hurried to the front line.
Excluding the night battle outside Thermopylae, this was the first true field battle for Robson’s grand army.
The battle at the Somme River had essentially turned into a siege.
Only when the Beastmen were able to form up could one truly appreciate how terrifying their numerical advantage was. It also made one understand why human generals never engaged the Beastmen in open field battles during the early stages of a war.
Enemies covering the mountains and plains, stretching from the earth to the sky—these phrases now became literal descriptions.
"Are the Magic Crystal Cannon Platforms ready?" Robson asked, looking at Ais.
"Everything is ready, Sir," Ais replied with a nod.
Robson said no more, quietly observing the scene before him.
......
"Everyone! Take the potion! Do you understand?"
"Everyone, take the potion!"
Thanatos rode his Warg Mount back and forth before the Beastman Military Array.
Because this was the final, most important battle.
This time, Prince Odoruo had emptied his coffers. He brought out all the Magic Beast Potions he had—those arranged by the Beast Emperor, plus those he had won in subsequent victories—enough for several thousand to drink.
This could be considered one of Prince Odoruo’s rare, well-supplied battles.
"Take the potion!"
"Take the potion!"
Although everyone knew the Beast God Potion was not a good thing, the reputation Prince Odoruo had built up was now paying off.
Almost no Beastman refused. They tilted their heads back, downed the potion, and prepared to fight.
After the potions were consumed, a green, gaseous cloud emanated from above the entire army. The army had consumed so many drugs that it had actually triggered a magical effect.
The first wave to charge was Prince Odoruo’s only remaining unit: the Jackal Wolfman Legion.
"AWOOOO!"
The Jackal Wolfman Warriors drank the Beast God Potion and, one by one, began to howl at the sun, even in broad daylight.
Thanatos straightened his Warg Mount, drew the scimitar from his waist, and led the several dozen Beastman personal guards Prince Odoruo had left him.
"Charge!"
....
The war began in an instant. With a green battle cloud hanging over their heads, the Jackal Wolfmen charged toward Wayne Mountain, letting out loud cries.
"Ready yourselves! Archers! Bow and Crossbowmen!"
"Shields! Shields!"
On Wayne Mountain, the non-commissioned officers trained by Robson moved through the army, making final adjustments.
Although they had no formal military education, the bonus from the Mount & Blade system, combined with months of war, meant these non-commissioned officers had a thorough understanding of overall battle strategy.
Robson watched this scene, a sense of gratification welling up in his heart.
There were so many Beastmen below the mountain they were practically innumerable. Robson didn’t even have the heart to estimate the enemy’s numbers.
The Wayne Mountain camp was like a flattened volcanic crater. The camp and the mountain itself weren’t large, and thousands of Beastmen were now swarming toward it.
The overwhelming, dark mass was a shocking sight, but the First and Second Regiments showed no signs of wavering.
The First and Second Regiments were arranged in two Long Snake formations along the Wayne Mountain camp, forming a figure-eight array.
"Sir, at this distance, should we open fire?" Ais asked, looking at Robson.
Thanks to the geographical advantage, even Ais could see the Beastman Corps in the distance.
"Almost," Robson said. "We can wait a little longer, until the enemy’s central force reaches the foot of the mountain." Ais’s progress in military command was almost as fast as Bo Yang’s.
"You are wise, Sir."
Ais nodded. It didn’t take him long to figure out the reasoning.
The effect of an artillery strike is soul-shaking. If they struck the enemy’s central army, many of the enemy would panic, and their forces would fall into chaos.
Robson watched the battlefield, calculating the time.
"Alright, order the Bow and Crossbowmen and the Magic Crystal Gunners to open fire. Aim for the most crowded areas."
....
"Fire! Fire!"
"Fire! First Regiment! Fire!"
Not long after Robson gave the order, the flags at the central command post began to wave toward the Magic Crystal Gunners.
Runners holding signal flags weaved through the troops.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Soon after, the six Magic Crystal Gunners Robson had positioned in various locations fired one after another.
Three of them fired almost simultaneously!
From Wayne Mountain, six Energy Balls flew into the sky, one volley after another.
A series of whooshing sounds came from the sky. Before long, the Energy Balls followed a parabolic arc downward. Incredibly, three of them were aimed precisely at the three largest Jackal Wolfman military arrays, the ones marked by banners.
Magic Crystal Cannons were the kind of weapon that required calibration for different locations; hitting a target on the first shot was extremely rare.
For example, one Energy Ball flew wide of the Beastman Military Array entirely.
But you didn’t need to guess who fired the accurate shots—it was clearly the Magic Crystal Gunners who had been with Robson from the beginning.
Those three teams of Magic Crystal Gunners were now Tier 6 in strength, equivalent to veterans with decades of experience!
Even on unfamiliar terrain, they relied on their instincts and hit their targets with precision.
....
"What is that thing?"
"Artillery fire! It’s artillery fire!"
The intensity of the war on the eastern front had indeed been low. Faced with the Magic Crystal Cannons firing from Wayne Mountain, many Soldiers didn’t even recognize them.
But that didn’t stop them from knowing it wasn’t anything good, especially on this terrain.
Wayne Mountain was already high. Seeing those Magic Balls, glowing with a silver-blue light, fall from its peak made the sense of pressure overwhelming.
"Hold the line! Hold the line!"
"Everyone! Hold the line!"
"Sir, look out!"
The Beast God Potion needed time and a bit of bloodlust to take full effect, so the Jackal Wolfman Soldiers below Wayne Mountain were not yet the fearless Green Blood Warriors.
When the Magic Crystal Cannon shots came, they still felt fear, causing their formation to fall into disarray.
Thanatos raised his scimitar, using the Beastman Wolf Riders around him to command the army and maintain morale.
Until a whooshing sound passed by his own ears. Thanatos realized an Energy Ball was flying right toward him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three Energy Balls exploded at almost the same time. The huge, blue spheres of energy imploded, then erupted completely, transforming into shockwaves that blasted outward.
For a moment, horrified screams echoed from all corners of the Beastman Corps.
Thanatos had no time to react before a nearby Soldier tackled him to the ground.
Fortunately, the exploding Magic Crystal Ball was still some distance from Thanatos. By the time the aftershock reached him, its power had mostly dissipated.
But the most terrifying aspect of the Magic Crystal Cannon was its unavoidable secondary attack. This blast pulverized the internal organs of the Soldier who had pushed Thanatos down.
Though the Soldier was still lying on top of him, Thanatos could no longer feel his heartbeat.