Chapter 116
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Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Siege Warfare
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The war was largely in favor of the Demon Lord’s army.
The terrain leading from Hamburg to the capital city of Oz was mostly flat plains, which was not ideal for the human-dominated kingdom army to defend.
Normally, the impregnable Hamburg fortress would have served as a choke point, but it had fallen last year.
Anyway, with the path to Oz wide open, the Demon Lord’s army was advancing at a rapid pace.
The current composition of the Demon Lord’s army was as follows:
The Beastkin Brigade, led by the Beast General, Walter Leonhart, with 3,000 soldiers.
The Undead Brigade, led by the Necromancer General, Mephisto, with 5,000 soldiers.
The Golem Brigade, led by the Armor General, Nick Iron, with 2,000 soldiers.
And a total of 5,000 soldiers conscripted from various tribes.
In total, 15,000 soldiers.
The Oz Kingdom’s army, with the combined forces of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Divisions, numbered around 50,000.
A three-to-one difference, but I wasn’t worried.
The average combat prowess of a demon was about three times that of a human.
Taking that into account, the two armies were evenly matched in terms of strength.
***
We regrouped with the Demon Lord’s army about three days after leaving Hamburg, roughly halfway between Hamburg and Oz.
It didn't take long to return to Oz.
The great Walls of Constantine.
Once the strongest fortress protecting the southern border of the empire, it was now reduced to a mere bulwark for the Oz Kingdom.
As expected, the walls were stronger on the outside than on the inside.
They had never been designed to withstand an internal attack.
While Vanessa’s massive sword slash had been impressive, a frontal assault on these walls would be a daunting task, even for me.
The triple-layered, magically reinforced walls were far more formidable than those of Hamburg Fortress.
It was the pinnacle of lost technology.
I had heard that dwarves from Nidavellir had been hired to build it, but I didn't know if that was true.
Old stories were often exaggerated.
Whether they had been forcibly conscripted or paid for their services, the dwarves had created an incredibly durable fortress.
“Kaldrash, how do we breach these walls?”
I bowed slightly and replied to the Demon Lord’s question,
“Conventional methods will not work. Though it may be a shadow of its former self, it is still a relic of the prosperous human empire. Its defenses are the strongest on the continent.”
“Then, what about unconventional methods?”
I turned and looked at the Walls of Constantinople.
“We will need powerful magic. Magic strong enough to turn even these sturdy walls to dust.”
“Can you cast such a spell?”
“I can. With enough mana and time.”
I said, showing him the ruby necklace around my neck.
The Demon Lord, recognizing its true nature, smiled and nodded.
“It seems you have both. I’ll be counting on you when the time comes.”
“Leave it to me.”
***
I watched the kingdom’s army swarming out of the city gates, lost in thought.
Dorothea, who had been passing by, asked,
“What’s on your mind?”
“I was just thinking, if we’re going to use magic to destroy the walls, wouldn’t it be better to use it on the kingdom’s army instead?”
Dorothea nodded in understanding.
“You’ll have to ask the Demon Lord about that. It’s not my place to say.”
“If we’re going to use magic, why did we bring such a large army?”
“This is also a show of force. Few Demon Lords have had the leadership to unite so many tribes. All the Four Heavenly Kings here, except for Mephisto, have gathered because of Lord Nero.”
“Why not Mephisto?”
“He’s a scarecrow. No one knows what he’s thinking. He probably doesn't have a brain to think with.”
Dorothea, despite being one of the Four Heavenly Kings herself, was quite critical of her colleague. She then exclaimed,
“Are those… dwarves?”
“Huh, you’re right.”
I was surprised to see a group that stood out among the human soldiers.
Long, braided hair and beards, heavy armor, short but thick limbs, and large battle-axes.
The typical appearance of dwarven warriors.
There were about a hundred of them, but considering Nidavellir’s technological prowess, they were a formidable force.
“They must be reinforcements from the Nidavellir Kingdom. Judging by their horn-shaped banner, they’re the Gjallarhorn Mercenary Company.”
The Gjallarhorn Mercenary Company.
One of the strongest mercenary companies on the continent, composed entirely of dwarves. They were known as the “Masters of the Battlefield” for their use of various combat tools.
I had heard of them, but this was my first time seeing them in person.
They would undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with.
Having reached the seventh tier and gained the ability to read the flow of the wind, I sensed a shift in the battlefield.
It was so obvious that anyone could tell.
The battle was about to begin.
“Let’s return to our positions.”
“Alright.”
Dorothea and I headed to the rear of the magic brigade.
***
Tooooot!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
In large-scale battles, communication was done through sound and flags.
The noise of battle made verbal communication impossible, so the military band, stationed at the rear of the army, played their instruments according to the commander’s orders.
The sound of a massive horn echoed through the air, and the earth trembled with the beat of the war drums. The two armies finally faced each other.
Thanks to my enhanced physical abilities, I could clearly see the faces of the human soldiers, even from a distance.
Anxiety, fear, terror.
The demon soldiers, on the other hand, grinned, eager for battle.
While some might consider the demons more barbaric, it was a matter of culture.
Those who believed in the Goddess of Power believed that a brave death in battle would lead them to Valhalla, the paradise of warriors. They were accustomed to fighting with the resolve to die.
It was all possible because of the promise of an afterlife.
The Demon Lord, who was commanding the army from the rear, extended his hand and shouted,
“Charge!”
“WAAAAAAAAAAH!”
The demon soldiers, who had been eagerly waiting, charged towards the kingdom’s army.
At the same time, spells were launched from the rear of both armies.
The spells, flying in a parabolic arc like celebratory fireworks, crashed into the ground, leaving a trail of destruction.
Rumble!
The earth shook, and stones flew through the air.
But the resilient demons, ignoring the deaths of their comrades, continued their charge.
The two armies finally clashed.
“Die!”
“AAAAAGH!”
“Hold the line! If we retreat, we’re all dead!”
Chaos.
The human army, desperately trying to maintain their formation, and the demon army, trying to break through.
With the two armies engaged in close combat, neither side could use magic or arrows.
The iron golems, over three meters tall, crushed the fallen human soldiers as they marched forward.
They had been useless against me, but they were quite effective as a wall.
I was watching the battle from the rear when—
“Kihihihihi! Unleash your resentment!”
Mephisto, leading the undead legion, clashed with the outermost ranks of the kingdom’s army.
The humans seemed to have been prepared for the undead. Priests used holy magic, and paladins, wielding consecrated weapons, were busy cutting down zombies.
Well, the undead’s basic tactic was to infect the corpses on the battlefield and turn them into allies, so they would do just fine on their own.
I then turned my attention to Nick Iron, the chrome golem knight.
He could reshape his body at will, like a metal slime. He was currently in the form of a Centaur, with a human upper body and a horse’s lower body.
“Don’t run!”
The most difficult opponent on the battlefield was not the one with the highest attack or speed, but the one with the highest defense.
With his entire body made of chrome and his ability to deflect most magic, Nick Iron was like a god of war against weaker opponents.
Seriously, you couldn’t even get a blade to stick in him. He was using a cheat code.
I continued to observe the ever-changing battlefield with my detection magic.