Chapter 4: The Annihilation Strike!!!
“It’s freezing out here.”
“Tell me about it.”
With a whoosh.
To subjugate the barbarians in the northwest, our army pushed forward even in the howling blizzard.
- Huff… ha.
- I want to rest…
But unlike me and Wilhelmina, who had hero-level stats, the ordinary soldiers’ stamina ran out quickly from the grueling march.
“Hey… it looks like everyone’s struggling. Shouldn’t we rest?”
Among them, the soldier captain asked for rest with a weary face.
“Okay, prepare to set up tents in the forest and camp.”
“Yes!”
Since there was still a long way to go, we lit a bonfire in advance to give the soldiers warm food and melt the cold.
“My lord.”
“Hmm?”
And while the soldiers were busy setting up tents, Wilhelmina approached me and handed me a warm soup.
This… is Wilhelmina making this herself?
“Eat while it’s hot. Here, you might freeze to death if you mess up.”
“Alright.”
Whoosh!
Immediately, I grabbed the bowl with both hands and gulped it down in one go.
The thin soup made from meat and vegetables, with white steam rising, melted the cold from my body.
“Ziii---”
“…”
But her expression seemed to expect some different reaction, so I avoided her gaze awkwardly.
If I say it’s just plain soup, she’ll probably hit me.
“But the blizzard isn’t stopping at all.”
“This place is always frozen except in summer.”
While sipping the soup at the camp, staring blankly at the swirling snow…
“L-Lord! Enemies have appeared!”
“What?!”
Thud thud thud!
Simultaneously with Wilhelmina’s shout, a vibration like the earth shaking covered my body.
- Intruders, listen up! We are the Warriors of the Thunder God!!!
Soon, warriors riding horned yaks charged with roars.
These guys… aren’t they the barbarians from the salt mine?
- The crime of invading our territory! Pay with your lives!
“All troops, combat ready! Form formation facing the tents!”
““Yes!””
Crack!
Our side was only about 30.
The enemy was 40 barbarian warriors.
“Raise spears!”
Crack!
Despite the numerical disadvantage, we didn’t retreat and raised our spears high, forming a defensive line to face the enemy.
“Kruuugh…”
Although the formation was immature, gathered at the narrow entrance of the camp, the enemies couldn’t approach easily.
“Archer unit, ready!”
Click.
Also, the hunters hiding behind trees strung their bows according to my command…
“Fire!”
“Kyaek?!”
The arrows shot simultaneously knocked the cavalry charging at the front.
“Kruu… these brats only know how to bunch up!”
“Circumvent and kill the archers!!!”
Of course, the barbarians weren’t dumb either, so they circled around our spearmen and approached the archers.
“Lord!”
“Now is the time for us to intervene!”
Flash!
Immediately, I had the soldiers hold their positions, and Wilhelmina and I stepped forward to stop the barbarian cavalry.
“Get out of the way, you bitch!!!”
A bearded barbarian warrior raised his axe high towards her blocking his way and shouted…
“Hmph.”
Taang!
Wilhelmina fired the handgun from her bosom, and the bullet shattered the axe and pierced the bearded man’s chest covered in leather.
“Kruu?!”
“What kind of power is this…!”
The barbarians were shocked and shouted at her swift attack.
By the way, each commander has unique units.
Among them, Wilhelmina was a ranged unit of the Grenadier type.
“This is it!”
But there were enemies charging vigorously despite seeing the power…
Ta da da da da da!
“Kheak…”
Another handgun was pulled from her chest, and the barrage of bullets quelled the barbarian crowd.
“That’s her chest, the gunpowder pouch.”
“Lord, don’t talk nonsense, look ahead.”
“Die!!!!”
While admiring her superb firepower, a barbarian warrior boldly roared and rushed at me.
“Cut.”
“W-What…”
Slash!
But as the one-handed sword drawn lightly from the waist swept past, the enemy didn’t even notice and a red flower bloomed on his chest.
“R-Run!!!”
“Damn, I didn’t hear there were monsters like this!”
Since the charge was blocked by the spearmen and side attacks were stopped by us, the barbarian group finally turned their backs and fled.
“Not much.”
Swish.
And after the battle ended, Wilhelmina put her dual pistols back into her cleavage.
“Can I put my rations in there too?”
“Want to die?”
“Sorry.”
With a light joke, she coolly touched the trigger, and I lowered my head like a beaten puppy.
“Young master! If we follow these footprints, there should be the enemy camp!”
In the meantime, Hans, the soldier captain, broke the awkward atmosphere and gestured towards the direction the enemies fled.
Already, the enemies’ morale was half broken, and we had roughly assessed the forces, so it was time to pursue quickly.
“Good, then let’s chase them.”
“I’ll take the vanguard.”
Soon, we moved forward with high spirits after winning the small-scale battle.
*
“Is this the barbarians’ encampment?”
Finally, we arrived at the place following the footprints, a village with sturdy wooden fences.
“Look at that.”
And, looking inside the village through the telescope Wilhelmina gave me, the inner scenery was fully visible.
Women and children hiding in fear in the buildings, and tense barbarian warriors gripping weapons and guarding in front.
“Invading our territory!”
Soon, from the firmly closed wall, a woman’s voice rang out harshly.
“Are you the leader of this place?”
“Yes! I am Ayla, descendant of the Thunder God and leader of the warriors!”
In front of our eyes appeared a black-haired female warrior wearing leather armor exposing her chest and gripping a heavy axe.
Armament: Ayla’s Stats
Strength: B-
Intelligence: E
Charisma: C-
Diplomacy: E
Loyalty: None
Description: Chieftain of the northern tribe, leader of the Warriors of the Thunder God.
Possessed Skills: Axe Technique C, Toughness D
“…”
Immediately upon meeting her gaze, I opened the system window to check detailed information.
Although the starting point was poor, this one ability alone paid off handsomely.
With this information, I could quickly decide whether to fight or retreat.
“Thunder God descendant Ayla. I would like to talk with you.”
“Oh? Talking before fighting… I’ll try it.”
But I opened my mouth first to persuade her to smooth things over as much as possible.
In the old Sunzi’s Art of War, it said that winning without fighting is the best, rather than winning by fighting.
Probably?
“Your tribe is currently occupying the salt mine, right?”
“Yes. Now there’s no need to worry about food preservation.”
“Satisfied with just long-term storage?”
“…Hah?”
She seemed to be listening to my words, so she continued quickly.
“As for that salt, you can trade with others to get more grain and livestock.”
“So?”
“Let’s make a deal with us.”
“…”
At first, I planned to build loose relations through dialogue and compromise rather than pushing with force.
By doing so, if we interact a bit more, the walls might crumble, and we might easily incorporate them into our forces.
“If you give us salt, we’ll provide the materials you want. If you think the contract is unfair, we can cancel it.”
“Not a bad proposal…”
Ayla, the barbarian chieftain, felt interested in my proposal but pulled up the corners of her mouth into a fierce beast-like smile.
“I don’t listen to the words of those weaker than me.”
The words from her mouth were a firm refusal.
As expected, these guys don’t understand when spoken nicely.
“Your vanguard has already been defeated, right?”
“Don’t make fun of me! The warriors of the north haven’t surrendered yet!”
Then, as per this woman’s wish, I should completely crush them.
“Wilhelmina, bring my weapon.”
“Yes.”
Soon, I equipped the steel gauntlet brought by the aide with both hands and started adjusting the size.
This was the first time using it, but the original usage should be learned in real combat.
“What is that?”
“An excellent means of conversation.”
First, I should hit this guy’s head to teach manners.
“Archers, prepare arrows!”
“All troops, raise shields!”
Soon, tension filled the air between the barbarians aiming bows and my army forming defensive formation.
“Lord…!”
“Don’t worry.”
Wilhelmina tried to stop me with a desperate expression.
Having lived with her for a long time, I knew what that meant.
Although we defeated the enemy vanguard, the number of barbarians on that wall was at least equal to or more than our army.
Engaging in siege warfare in such a situation would be reckless.
But I had my own thoughts.
“You stay here and watch from behind.”
“L-Lord?! Don’t go alone!!!”
Flash!!!
Without hesitation, I charged towards the wall alone.
“Hah! You’ve gone crazy.”
Ayla watching that seemed to laugh mockingly.
Leaving the main force behind and walking alone towards the wall was, no matter who looked, a suicidal act.
“The guy is coming! Turn him into a hedgehog!”
Even if the thick wall and countless arrows blocked the way, it didn’t matter.
Give me strength.
Black tighty… brother…!
“Annihilation Strike!”
Ka aaa aaaaaaang!!!!
“This crazy…?!”
Soon, the fence where Ayla was standing shook greatly as my fist collided with it.