The day following the unrest, which had the potential for a significant impact, the large army of the Tarkics finally began to move after completing their final maintenance.
At the forefront, infantrymen holding shields advanced in formation, while countless harpies flew in the sky, armed and moving in a regular pattern, as if birds were dancing in flocks. The sight alone exuded immense pressure.
The army of the Frank Kingdom, observing from atop a low barrier made of temporary stones with a river in front of them, began to show signs of agitation.
“That’s the Tarkic Empire…”
“Can we really beat that?”
“Werewolves… even lizardfolk… they’re monsters terrifying just to look at…”
Though the soldiers remained outwardly composed, the sight of an army mixed with a large number of demons—far from ordinary humans—instilled deep anxiety in the troops, who were only accustomed to wars against humans. Despite their relatively advantageous defensive position atop the river barrier, fear was inevitable when facing such beast-like creatures.
However, there were those who bolstered their courage.
“Don’t panic, and stand firm! It’s only one day. Hold out for a day, and reinforcements will arrive!”
“No matter how strong they are, they’re heret!cs. We are the holy army of the Lord! God will protect us!”The generals, encouraging their soldiers by invoking the banner of holy war, and the reinforcements moving south offered great comfort to the soldiers, even if their words sounded clichéd in such a dire situation.
Meanwhile, the large Tarkic army halted a short distance from the riverbank, just beyond the range of arrows. They slowly began to change their formation. The shielded infantrymen defending the front withdrew, and what emerged next was a seemingly innumerable number of cannons, numbering in the hundreds.
“Prepare for bombardment!” the corps commander leading the 1st Army ordered, and the soldiers ignited the wicks of their cannons.
“Launch!”
Kwaguagwang!!!
With a thunderous noise, the cannons erupted, bombarding the simple barrier and generating enormous shockwaves.
“Kuh…”
“Damn… they make a lot of noise from the start!”
“Fire back! Let’s give them a taste of our heat!”
Though Franz’s forces had fewer cannons compared to the Tarkics, their return fire managed to disrupt the enemy’s barrage.
As the cannon fire ceased, the commander of the Tarkic army drew his sword and gave the next order.
“Advance! Show those fools the might of the Empire!”
The Tarkic soldiers resumed their march, seemingly recklessly advancing toward the river without laying down a pontoon bridge.
“What are they thinking?”
“They’re advancing without the bridge? Is this mass suicide?”
The Frank soldiers were bewildered by this incomprehensible behavior.
But behind the seemingly reckless march were thousands of sorcerers, each wielding crystal balls and lamps.
“I command the spirit…”
“The cold energy of this land…”
“Open our way with cold air!”
As they chanted, a freezing chill began to spread.
Chrrrrng!
“What… what is that?”
“The river… it’s frozen!”
In an instant, the river, which had been flowing proudly moments before, turned into an icy road. Franz’s forces were struck with astonishment as the Tarkic Imperial Army began charging fearlessly across the frozen river. Equipped with iron spikes in their boots in anticipation of such conditions, they ran unimpeded.
As the bewildered soldiers watched the enemy’s unexpected advance, their commanders urgently barked orders.
“Don’t panic! Focus on the enemies in front!”
“Archers, prepare to fire! They’re coming within range!”
The archers recovered from their initial shock and took aim at the advancing Tarkics.
“Launch!”
Countless arrows soared through the sky, raining down on the Tarkics.
“Kuk!”
“Gah!”
Many soldiers fell, struck by the arrows, but it wasn’t enough to halt the relentless momentum of the Tarkic army. Soon, their front ranks reached the barrier.
Ladders were raised, and despite the shower of arrows and stones, Tarkic soldiers climbed the barrier, swords swinging.
“Damn… I was caught off guard from the start…”
General Favre frowned as the Tarkic Imperial army reached the barrier much quicker than expected. He had anticipated being able to delay the enemy’s crossing, but now that hope seemed futile.
‘If they have thousands of sorcerers, something like this is possible,’ he thought bitterly. Sorcerers from the Eastern Continent had limited combat abilities compared to mages or witches, but they compensated with a wide range of abilities through their command of spirits. With numbers as vast as the Tarkic army’s, they could turn the tide of a battle.
Realizing his miscalculation, Favre issued new orders.
“I can’t let this continue. Send out the knights. We cannot let the enemy overrun the barrier.”
“Yes, sir.”
Although the river’s advantage was lost, the barrier still offered a significant defense. Favre deployed the knights, and soon the results were apparent.
“Keuouk!”
“Keugh!”
Many of the knights, wearing blue mantles and armor, were mana users. Their overwhelming power against ordinary humans caused the advancing Tarkic soldiers to slow down. The moment the knights engaged, Tarkic soldiers were decapitated in an instant. Weapons were sliced through like branches, and the knights effortlessly blocked or evaded any counterattacks.
“Jazz… those knights are strong!”
“Don’t engage them in melee! If you rush in, you’ll lose your head!”
“Shoot the arrows! Anyone who can, shoot them!”
The Tarkics tried to take down the knights by shooting arrows and bullets, but the knights’ armor and mana barriers proved nearly impervious to the attacks.
At that moment…
“Kyaa!!”
“Keoouk!!”
A sharp sound echoed, and one of the knights, who had been cutting down Tarkics mercilessly, suddenly fell, his head torn off. In the confusion, no one knew what had happened until a terrifying figure leapt over the wall.
“Aaagh!”
Another knight’s scream filled the air. Before them stood a fearsome creature, a bipedal reptile over two meters tall. It had sharp claws and teeth instead of weapons, and with a growl, it spat out the neck of the slain knight.
“This… this…”
“Lizardfolk…”
The lizardfolk, with its vertically slit yellow eyes, unleashed a terrifying roar before charging at the knights again.
As similar creatures appeared all along the barrier, a bloody battle erupted between the knights and the lizardfolk.
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