The initiative was taken by the human side.
"Archers, prepare the ballistae!"
Even though the vanguard groups hadn't clashed yet, the commander leading a total of two hundred archers positioned on the defensive wall raised his voice. The soldiers swiftly obeyed, loading arrows into bows and spear-like bolts into the ballistae.
"Aim the archers at the smaller creatures; the ballistae target the dragons. Ready to fire!"
The soldiers lined up along the defensive wall drew their bows in unison. Several adjusted the aim of the ballistae towards the flying dragons. The sound of tightening bowstrings fueled the soldiers' tension. Nevertheless, the commander calmly measured the distance and ordered,
"Now! Fire!"
— Bang!
Simultaneously with the sound of the strings, two hundred arrows were released in a parabolic trajectory. Cutting through the wind and slicing the air, the flock of arrows ascended to a certain height before gravity pulled them down.
This time, the arrowheads used by the humans were relatively heavy, for increasing their power and executing a strategy of raining arrows down. True to their expectations, the barrage from high altitude, amplified by the weight of the arrowheads, inflicted significant damage on the monster horde. The smaller monsters were pierced through instantly upon impact; the medium-sized ones could still fly but had taken considerable damage. The arrows that missed rained down upon the ground, attacking the horde of monsters moving there. It was a sufficient first strike.
However, not a single injury was inflicted on the dragons, their thick scales proving impenetrable. But that was not the role of the arrows.
The ballistae bolts, roaring through the air, struck several lower-ranked dragons even before the arrows did. The scales that could deflect arrows were effortlessly penetrated, and the ballistae left fist-sized holes in the massive bodies.
— GYAAAAAAA!
The dragons struck by the bolts let out a scream and lost their balance, plummeting to the ground. The monsters on the ground were crushed by the falling dragons, reducing their numbers. Ironically, damage was inflicted both in the air and on the ground.
"Good, prepare the second shot! This time, coordinate with the mage unit!"
Without basking in the success of the first shot, the commander issued the next order. After all, the enemy army numbered in the tens of thousands. Cutting down a hundred or two hundred wouldn’t make a significant difference to them.
The soldiers, calm and collected, followed the commander’s orders, revealing their high level of training. However, some things were inevitable, no matter how much training they had. For instance, the rapid-fire ability of the ballistae and the mages’ readiness.
Some exceptional demon lords could instantaneously construct magic formations without chanting, but ordinary mages required long chants and time to construct large-scale magic. Hence, synchronizing the mage unit with the archers was exceedingly difficult. The ballistae also took some time to reload, disrupting the rhythm.
But managing these efficiently was the duty of a competent commander.
While keeping track of the progress of the mages' chanting and timing the reloading of the ballistae, the commander didn’t miss the perfect moment.
"Archers, ballistae, mage unit, fire!"
Again, countless arrows and ballistae were released, joined by various mid-level magics. Faced with the incoming multitude of arrows, ballistae, and magic, the monster army suffered unilateral damage. So far, the human side had suffered no casualties.
— Keep this up and whittle down their aerial forces as much as possible!
Just as the commander was inwardly pumping himself up, a gigantic black dragon appeared over the boundary forest, almost simultaneously.
Its body was even larger than the higher-ranked dragons. The black scales eerily reflected the sunlight, shimmering like a weapon.
— GYAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOO!
The roar of the black dragon, more a shockwave than a sound, shook every corner of the battlefield. As if showcasing its overwhelming presence, the dragon raised its long neck, its sharp eyes fixed on the soldiers atop the wall, who had been a persistent annoyance.
"— Hurry, prepare the third shot!"
Realizing through intuition that this dragon had identified them as the enemy, the commander hastily ordered the preparation for the next shot. This dragon was formidable, clearly a being of a much higher rank. The commander, sensing this intuitively, was quite anxious inside.
Including higher and lower ranks, the presence of such a monstrous being among the already numerous dragons would surely lead to the collapse of the defensive wall, and the battle situation would quickly tilt in favor of the monsters.
This must be avoided at all costs. The commander’s duty was to hold this wall as long as possible and buy time. Being overthrown by a single dragon was unacceptable.
Chiding himself, the commander issued instructions to his soldiers.
Meanwhile, on the ground—
"Oh man, what the heck is that…"
While wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Giril, a veteran, skillfully decapitated a nearby monster with his sword. His ability to slay monsters even while distracted was indeed impressive. But there were others even more formidable.
"Indeed. That one is unexpected and seems insurmountable."
With her shining silver hair and flashing blade, Lilith eliminated several monsters at once. Even on the battlefield, her elegance remained unmarred; the contrast of the scattered blood only accentuated her princely aura.
"It's like they're pushing their limits."
"It Now, the battlefield was teeming with the clashing of swords, cries of rage, and the death throes of the fallen.
Amidst all this, Lilith and Gilil rushed forward.
"But, it's impossible to command under such circumstances, isn’t it?"
Felling an orc that attacked from the side with a single swing of her sword, Lilith surveyed the battlefield. Everywhere she looked, there was fighting, fighting, and more fighting. The only ones who could afford to be aware of their surroundings were adventurers of at least B-rank. Everyone else was completely occupied with their own battles.
"Well, nobody is probably listening anyway."
"Even if they were, the noise is so loud that our voices wouldn’t carry. Though, it seems like it's different for Lord Belsize..."
Lilith glanced towards Edgar, who was courageously fighting monsters while still managing to shout orders. His valiant efforts inspired the soldiers and significantly boosted their morale.
"That’s definitely not something a noble would do… They should be giving instructions from the back. He’s unconventional, to say the least..."
"He must be from a warrior race or something. Just think of it that way."
Gilil halted Lilith's distant gaze and escapist thoughts with some casual words.
"More importantly, we should be seeing some casualties around now…"
Just as he said that, a loud cry from a robust man came from behind them.
Gilil turned his head to see a sight of an adventurer having his arm bitten off by a dog-like monster.
"Ah… My arm, my arm is gone!"
The man, having lost one of his arms, fell into a panic and started swinging his sword recklessly with the other. His frenzied actions took down a few monsters, but his lack of composure made him an easy target. Soon, he was surrounded and overwhelmed by monsters, his life ending with a final scream.
This gruesome fate sent shivers through the other adventurers. The horrifying manner of death rattled everyone, especially the lower-ranked ones.
Such scenes began to unfold not only among the adventurers but also among Lord Belsize’s private soldiers.
The overwhelming number of enemies gradually pushed the human side back, leading to the current tragedy.
Fear and anxiety clung to the warriors’ hearts, potentially creating fatal openings in the battlefield.
"This is bad… The tide of the battle could turn at any moment!"
Gilil muttered anxiously, but no solution was in sight. Continuing to fight with diminishing morale was far from ideal.
"Damn it! Lilith, give any command, we need..."
Just as Gilil, in desperation, was about to call out to Lilith, a powerful voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Do not falter, brave warriors! If we retreat, it will spell the end for all we protect!"
Edgar’s stern voice lifted the spirits of the warriors on the battlefield. However, it was not enough to completely dispel the spreading fear and uncertainty.
Therefore—
With a thud, a massive ogre blocked Edgar’s path, looking down at him as if to say he would not let him pass.
Edgar stared back at the ogre, raising his voice in proclamation.
"Very well. If you intend to obstruct my path, there is no choice. I will cut you down! Warriors, etch my brave figure into your eyes!"
Edgar, though considerably built for a human, was overshadowed by the ogre. The creature's muscular body was like armor, and its swinging arms could shatter the earth.
However, there was no fear in Edgar standing before the ogre. He calmly gathered his fighting spirit and honed his senses.
As their shadows stared each other down, a wind carrying the scent of blood passed between them, and the two moved almost simultaneously.
"Rooooar!"
With a mighty roar, Edgar charged into the ogre’s bosom, while the ogre swung its arm like a scythe in retaliation.
Edgar calmly waited for the arm, which was poised to reap his life, brought it as close as possible, and then forcefully kicked the ground.
He lifted his body, dodging the ogre’s arm in mid-air by rotating.
"Gruah!"
Despite the strain on his body, Edgar endured and delivered a diagonal slash to the ogre’s torso.
—Gogaarrrrr!
The ogre, slashed across its body, stepped back hesitantly. Edgar seized this opportunity to thrust forward.
"Rooooar!"
Edgar’s sword pierced through the ogre. With a sword protruding from its back, the ogre stood still for a moment, then staggered and fell to the ground.
"Have you seen, brave warriors? There is no need to fear the monsters. Follow me and exterminate them all!"
Pulling his sword from the ogre’s corpse, Edgar raised it high, as if to declare his presence. Inspired by his commanding figure, the soldiers let out a unified roar. The fear and anxiety that had been spreading among the warriors were now seemingly completely severed.
Watching this, Gilil let out a wry, astonished smile.
"As expected of our lord… Well, a normal lord wouldn’t do that… Right, Lilith—"
Turning to Lilith standing next to him, Gilil lost his words.
"…I found it."
Lilith’s eyes were filled with a menacing light, fixed on a point in the battlefield. The usual aristocratic aura was gone, replaced by sharp, surging killing intent.
"Hey, what’s the matter, Lilith…?"
Gilil, puzzled by the transformed Lilith, called out to her. But there was no response.
"Hmph! I won’t let it escape!"
Without any hesitation, Lilith, her eyes changed, dashed forward.
"Hey, where are you going, Lilith!?"
Gilil hastily called out to stop her, but she didn’t stop, disappearing into the chaotic battle. "Damn it! What the hell is going on…"
With a small click of his tongue, Gilil continued to slay the oncoming monsters, one after another.