Chapter 521
Chapter 521. Full Army Charge
【Last Time’s Rough Summary】
During the strategy meeting…
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Conclusion: Full Army Charge
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【Detailed Summary from Last Time】
At the northern front, the Demon Lord’s army was positioned before the Dwarf fortress.
How to breach the impregnable fortress was fervently debated at the joint military council of the Sauroe and Korvto tribes. Ultimately, the usual tactic of “subduing the surrounding lands of the humans and beastmen to cut off supply routes and starve them out” was about to be adopted when the 5th Demon Lord’s Prince, Spinethia, raised an objection.
He claimed that the recent anomaly of the Dark Portal (the disappearance of Odigos) made it difficult to contract with ideal demons. This news spread and even the lower classes of the Demon Kingdom were shaken, fearing a weakening of the demon race and the decline of the Demon Lord’s Kingdom. To demonstrate that our demonic might remains strong, it was necessary to crush at least one or two Dwarf fortresses with overwhelming power.
The assertion of “Let’s crush them head-on without thinking about the details and show our strength!” was a straightforward argument that resonated well with the demon race, earning widespread support.
Thus, the preparations such as gathering demon warriors and establishing supply lines were completed smoothly, and the Demon Lord’s army set out to conquer the Dwarf fortress with sheer force.
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Northern Front.
Borderline of the Dwarf Alliance and the Demon Kingdom.
The Demon Lord’s army was deployed to loosely besiege the mountain fortress of the Feretoria Kingdom.
The sky was filled with stars. The wind was calm, making for a pleasant night. It could be said that it was the perfect night for battle from a demon perspective.
“—Princess. The entire army has gathered.”
“Alright. Good work.”
In response to the aide’s words, the 5th Demon Lord’s Prince Spinethia Sauroe turned from looking at the sky to the lookout platform before him.
The Korvto tribe’s lookout, made of【Stone Manipulation Magic】, stood about 7 meters high, a so-called “standing platform.”
He climbed the stairs step by step.
Spinethia was fully armed. Over his usual appetite-suppressing Bon-Deji leather dress, he was clad in armor made of bone and alloys, fortified with Dwarf-made gauntlets and greaves for defense. His hair, usually down to his shoulders, was tied up at the back, and he wore a helmet that fitted his horns, making him a heavily armored warrior of the demon race.
On the forehead of the helmet, a donut-shaped horn ornament, which he normally wore, was affixed, reflecting a sense of playfulness (or perhaps gluttony).
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the full view of the assembled Demon Lord’s army came into his sight.
In a word—chaos.
There was no unified military attire among the Demon Lord’s army. Some heavy armored demon warriors donned Dwarf-made metal armor, while others wore traditional bone fragment armor decorated with fur and the skulls of magical beasts, and some were nearly bare, as if to say that armor was for the weak.
The most well-equipped were, as expected, the main forces of the Sauroe and Korvto tribes. Positioned at the forefront of the Demon Lord’s army, they cheered as Spinethia appeared on the lookout platform. Each numbered about 300. Around them stood approximately 400 warriors from the Wood Fragment tribe’s alliance, a subsidiary of the great clan.
These warriors comprised the core fighting force for the northern army.
Behind them, nearly 2,000 cat and tiger beastmen soldiers stood ready as auxiliary forces. Each loitered near their respective tribes, and further back, several hundred large ogre soldiers with red skin were keeping watch. Scattered along the edges, goblin soldiers were visible, but Spinethia paid them little attention.
Amidst the dark horde was a bunch of demon soldiers behaving restlessly at will. From small imps to great demons, their powers and appearances varied widely. There was an imp swinging a blood-stained meat cleaver with a body as small as a baby. A voluptuous demon with goat legs was shredding souls like cotton candy with her six muscular arms. They could truly be called the children of chaos, and they were also the main fighting force of the Demon Lord’s army after the demon warriors.
The only exception was the night elf soldier corps, numbering in the hundreds, who donned unified, matte black leather armor, forming an orderly line that exuded a sense of presence. Their roles included long-range attacks with bows, infiltration for sabotage, reconnaissance, and lookout duties—despite the weakening of their information network, their contributions were indispensable to the Demon Lord’s army.
Lastly, several dragons carrying messengers from the Izanis tribe circled overhead, looking down at them—
(We must win.)
Spinethia renewed his resolve.
The Dwarf Alliance of the Feretoria Kingdom was a formidable opponent and had successfully repelled invasions by the previous corps, such as the Zarkos and Zenzana tribes, multiple times.
But that ends today.
(For victory.)
Spinethia raised his spear and prayed. This victory was not for himself.
It was a victory dedicated to the Demon Lord and, by extension, to the future of the demon race.
“—Warriors!”
Spinethia opened his mouth, imbued with magic power so his voice would reach every corner of the army.
“I am the 5th Demon Lord’s Prince Spinethia Sauroe. My father, His Majesty Demon Lord Goldgias, places great importance on this battle!”
As Spinethia’s resounding words reached the ears of the unruly demon forces, they slowly fell silent and began to listen.
“I bring forth His Majesty’s message—”
There was a stir among the troops. It was rare for orders to come directly from the Demon Lord to the entire army, including the lower ranks.
“‘Drive a wedge into the northern front. Crush the Dwarf Alliance’s stronghold. I have high hopes for this campaign,’ he said.”
—To be precise, this was what the Demon Lord had said to Spinethia in a casual setting over a meal.
However, Spinethia interpreted it somewhat loosely. There was no malice in his misunderstanding. He simply recalled, “I think father said something like that.”
“‘Oh…!’”
The warriors buzzed with excitement. The reactions were more enthusiastic among the front-line demon troops, while the backline representatives from other races were slightly less animated.
Even so, the powerful words of “Crush the Dwarf’s stronghold” spread heat through the army, igniting enthusiasm among the strength-valuing demon warriors.
Whether intentional or not—Spinethia’s way of misinterpreting the Demon Lord’s personal words to boost the morale of the army coincidentally mirrored that of his youngest brother, Zilbagias.
“—The Feretoria Kingdom has consistently thwarted the aggressive onslaughts of our predecessor armies, the Zarkos and Zenzana tribes. Their prowess can be vouched for! They are first-rate warriors. They are first-rate weapons craftsmen. Therefore,”
Raising his spear, Spinethia flashed a fierce grin.
“They are second to none as opponents! Let’s take them down and claim their heads and rewards!”
““Oooooooh—!!””
As the excitement of the demon warriors reached a climax, two demon warriors at the forefront pointed their spears at the Dwarf fortress.
A grim-looking male demon with reddish-brown hair.
Marquis Sekihankus Sauroe, commander of the Sauroe tribe.
A cheerful and stout old demon with brown hair graying at the edges.
Marquis Panmoarus Korvto, commander of the Korvto tribe.
““All troops… charge—!!””
They shouted in unison.
A thunderous roar echoed as the soldiers dashed forward with earth-shaking footsteps.
Ignoring the slope of the mountain, the army approached the Dwarf fortress as if they were a single giant magical beast.
There was no strategy whatsoever. This was a straightforward forceful charge.
The first one to break into the fortress would earn the honor of the first spear—!
“—That said,”
Amidst the enthusiastic rush of the boisterous Wood Fragment demon tribesmen climbing the slope, Sekihankus muttered.
As the practical overall commander, he watched from the back with his arms crossed while the Sauroe tribe’s forces steadily advanced.
Warriors took turns stepping forward, swirling around in a circle while deploying the Sauroe bloodline’s magical ability,【Hunting Domain】, slowly.
Dome-shaped【Hunting Domains】 connected and formed a barrier, protecting the Sauroe tribe from external threats.
“There’s no good to be had by rushing against the Dwarves.”
Just as he said that, a loud crash echoed from the【Hunting Domain】 barrier.
—Thick arrows rolled on the ground.
The arrows continuously chiseled away at the surface of the barrier with a rhythmic sound.
The earlier Wood Fragment demons and beastmen cried out, “Gwah!” “Gya!” as they fell over themselves—
“Dwarf’s mechanical bows, huh? I’ve seen those before, Uncle.”
Spinethia, who had descended from the lookout platform, aligned himself beside Sekihankus.
“Indeed. They must be firing from that hole.”
Sekihankus nodded. Following his gaze, arrows were being rapidly fired from the narrow holes created on the wall and lookout tower of the Dwarf fortress with clanking sounds.
“Looks like the cat beastmen have no time to avoid them. That’s quite some firing speed, comparable to the night elves.”
“Ah, that one at the front, his protective spell just broke… Oh dear.”
“A late response in re-establishing, I see.”
The Wood Fragment demon who was leading the charge fell prey to the arrows.
“Is he just some rookie knight? Seems like he overreached a bit. I hope he gets treated in time.”
“When I saw them before, the mechanical bows didn’t shoot this fast. Maybe it was because the humans were using them…?”
“Hm, this is likely an improved version. It might be fixed weaponry for base defense.”
Given the Dwarven ingenuity, it might be automated from loading to firing. While it could hold up against the Forest Elves, who could have imagined facing such ferocious projectile weaponry while assaulting a Dwarf fortress?
“However, we don’t suffer at all. 【It will all be absorbed】.”
Sekihankus chuckled defiantly, and so did the Sauroe tribe members.
The【Hunting Domain】 exhibited extremely high defensive capabilities, deflecting all arrows. Moreover, as they continued to swap out barriers while advancing, the front-line barrier was consistently updated, remaining impervious even to a deluge of powerful arrows.
“Sorry, but we’re invincible against projectiles.”
“After all, it’s employed in His Majesty’s palace!”
“When it comes to defensive power in the field, no one rivals us… well…”
Naturally, the members of the Sauroe tribe looked to their right side.
“…Seems there’s only those guys.”
Following their gaze—
A stone corridor with a roof was being constructed on the slope of the mountain.
It was currently in the process of steady expansion.
—The Korvto tribe’s army.