Chapter 208
Chapter 208
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: Chapter 5-1. These People Here Are Gifts Prepared for You.
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Suuuup—
Haaa—
Perhaps to shake off her tension, the elf next to him repeatedly drew in and exhaled deep breaths. The grating sound of her breathing irritated the ears, but none of the elves atop the ramparts had the leisure to pay attention to their neighbors, so no one said a word.
The sight of two hundred thousand infantry forming ranks in the forest, towing siege weapons like ballistae and catapults, was immensely intimidating.
They had been waiting impatiently for the war to begin, but now that it was actually starting, standing still in place felt unbearable.
The Thunder Lord circling the skies conjured a dazzling spear of light and hurled it down at Lüsen Ardahan, who stood alone guarding the wide path leading up to Loengrim.
The massive bolt of lightning zigzagged down with a deafening roar, an utterly menacing sight. An explosion erupted, sending up a massive cloud of dust, but the elves saw it: just before the strike hit, a shield of mana formed around the body of Lüsen Ardahan, their believed protector, deflecting the lightning!
Continuous attacks followed, and Lüsen Ardahan burst through the dust. The elves watching clenched their fists tight.
Whether Lüsen Ardahan had judged the situation himself or Via had issued a command, it was unclear, but with aggro drawn, Lüsen Ardahan charged toward the enemy's right flank.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Booom! Booom!
As the enemy infantry advanced with steady rhythmic stomps, an irregular beat timidly intruded. Bursting through the dust was not just Lüsen Ardahan.
The sight of 2-3 meter-tall small giants charging at the enemy came into view belatedly. They were the summoned servants of Lüsen Ardahan, named Akan.
At first, all twenty-four charged toward the enemy lines, but ten suddenly halted and began ascending the uphill path. It seemed Via had issued a control midway.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They weren't walking slowly.
The Akans kicked off the ground like humans and sprinted forward rapidly, causing the enemy infantry to flinch and their formation to waver momentarily before quickly realigning.
Then, one of the enemy's siege weapons, a ballista, fired a bolt as thick as an adult man's torso. From atop the ramparts looking down, it flew so low it seemed to skim over the heads of the enemy heavy infantry.
'A net?'
Looking closely, a densely woven net-like mesh trailed from the tails of the two arrows flying through the air. Naturally, the ballista bolts didn't hit the charging Akans. But they weren't meant to hit in the first place.
Some of the charging Akans got caught in the nets tethered to the arrow tips and were flung backward. They flailed, trying to escape the nets, but more ballista bolts rained down, layering additional nets on top.
Whether enchanted with some magic, the iron nets began hardening rigidly, trapping the Akans inside without a twitch.
"Ha...!"
Judah, watching, let out a hollow laugh. Impressive. Even setting aside their precise aiming skills, he hadn't expected them to neutralize the Akans like this.
It was true that Lüsen Ardahan and the Akans weren't at full strength, as their greater power came from interactions with other fragments.
Still, he hadn't imagined they'd be neutralized so easily. It was a real shock. The Akans that dodged the netted ballista bolts pressed on toward the enemy, but spirit sword wielders among the heavy infantry and numerous mana-wielding knights stepped forward, felling the Akans one by one.
Of the fourteen charging Akans, only five managed to properly strike the enemy. One kicked a heavy infantryman shield and all, sending him flying; another smashed down with a massive fist, crushing him. They shattered what looked like a turtle-shell formation, blood spraying everywhere in vivid detail, but they were quickly subdued.
Robed figures appeared, binding the Akans from all sides with long crimson lines before piercing their bodies with powerful spells. From this distance, it was hard to judge precisely, but it seemed they targeted the gaps in the armor.
The elves fell silent at the sight of the Akans kneeling powerlessly and halting in place. It must have been unbelievable to them. Of course, Judah felt just as absurd and disconcerted.
'This... is beyond imagination.'
It showed just how thoroughly the enemy had prepared, and that victory couldn't be taken lightly.
He had boldly assured Via and the elf elders that they just needed to hold out to win, but now it was a question of whether they could hold at all.
"Judah!"
His name was suddenly called, startling him. Turning, he saw Via, who had been commanding from atop the gate, rushing over. With a hardened expression, she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm leaving this place to you."
Before he could even reply with a "Huh?", she was gone. Following her direction, Judah activated the and zoomed out.
On the enemy's left flank, somehow Cheongsung and his subordinates had scaled the western cliffs, red dots easily crossing over. The blue dots guarding the cliff tops vanished rapidly against one red dot, suggesting Cheongsung had come up.
'So that's where Via went.'
Judah's brow furrowed. But with Via and several elves reinforcing, the west should hold.
Shifting the map, he checked the right flank next.
Unlike the helplessly neutralized Akans, Lüsen Ardahan, who had charged alone, seemed to be holding up well so far. Not just holding, but steadily reducing enemy numbers even while clashing with the Thunder Lord—red dots vanished intermittently, though the exact situation was unclear.
That accounted for Cheongsung, the Thunder Lord, and all the enemy's hidden cards.
He wanted to go aid Lüsen Ardahan. Even if destroyed, the fragment made from a lord's heart would regenerate with its outlandish power, but it took time. To endure this as long as possible, they needed Lüsen Ardahan.
But the center was too precarious to leave. The D-shaped terrain, with high cliffs and ramparts flanking the uphill path, allowed them to envelop and attack climbers, but whether they could fend off spirit sword wielders leaping over terrain like locusts and countless siege weapon barrages was doubtful.
Moreover, the enemy seemed to have a way to scale 4-meter cliffs; a portion of the central advance split off toward the right flank on the .
"Huuuuh."
Frustrated, he let out a long breath. He felt the elf beside him glance over but didn't meet her eyes.
If Duke Akila Yes, the mastermind who planned and prepared this war, were before him, Judah wanted to applaud. Brilliant. He had created and set the game, but his settings had many gaps.
He didn't know how this world had fleshed out those deficiencies into perfection, but it was undoubtedly Duke Yes's talent.
'Hold out my ass.'
It had been foolish to think they could hold for days. Opening the lid revealed enemy forces far beyond expectations.
Seeing them launch an all-out assault without hesitation stirred an ominous thought: Loengrim might fall in just one day if things went poorly.
"Battle stations! If the enemy climbs up, don't bother with precise aim—just loose!"
"The World Tree's blessing is with us! We cannot yield to foes defiling the forest and our kin!"
Hearing shouts from all around, Judah gazed from the D-shaped ramparts toward the right side. There stood the one who had been at Via's side earlier, accompanied by an elder in ornate robes.
'That one's a spirit sword wielder too.'
There was one even where Judah was. With cliffs and enchanted ramparts, they could hold against spirit sword wielders climbing up. Who would win was uncertain, but a Sword Saint's disciple wouldn't fall easily.
"They're coming!"
Someone shouted urgently. Abandoning his thoughts, Judah reflexively looked up to see projectiles from catapults arcing down toward the ramparts and uphill path.
Those landing on the path hit the ground unhindered, but those aimed precisely at the ramparts were blocked by hexagonal translucent barriers materializing in the air like honeycombs.
Clods of packed earth, perhaps; they shattered on the magic barriers, crumbling into dust on the uphill path.
As enemy infantry steadily stomped closer, a second volley launched. The projectiles arced high into the sky, plummeting toward the ramparts again.
Kwaaang!
But not hitting the barrier, the rock exploded midair—unbidden—showering hundreds of fragments. Like grenades or shotgun blasts, the scattering shards were halted by the magic barriers, causing no damage, but Judah couldn't hide his surprise.
'Work of the combat clan Evilren?'
This world reflected the game perfectly, he thought once more. How did they even capture crap like this? Impressive.
The elves weren't just taking it. Elders and mages prepared attack spells, dozens of magic circles drawing atop the ramparts.
The circles resembled missile silos. Some targeted the third incoming rock; they glowed, then spat beams of light.
Kwaaaaaaaa───!
The beams stretched out satisfyingly, churning part of the enemy lines, though some were blocked by enemy mages.
The magical barrage was spectacular. Magic circles drawn in the air were art in themselves. Of course, the results were hardly artistic.
The heavy infantry neared the uphill path's end and accelerated. Elves, waiting for them to close in, drew bowstrings taut.
"Loose!"
Arrows arced down from the D-shaped ramparts' ends toward the enemy.
Judah knew this attack would be ineffective. They overlapped shields swiftly for protection, a magic veil unfurling above to block the volley with minimal losses.
But the elves' assault didn't end with arrows. Trailing magic barrages shattered the infantry's barriers, striking those huddled beneath.
The ground overflowed with blood and screams, thick with killing intent, a stark contrast to the pure blue sky.
From the ramparts, quietly observing enemy and ally exchanges, Judah spotted the distant catapults and ballistae in position.
Destroyed ones were wreathed in flames, belching black smoke, or toppled—mere few. Amid the widespread barrage, elders and mages hastily deployed barriers, but outnumbered, some ballista bolts embedded into the ramparts.
Kwoong!
An arrow plunged into ramparts of stacked bricks overgrown with magic thorn vines.