Sailon Occupation Zone Battle (4)
Thud!
The ejected blade slammed into the Magic Knight's chest. As Predator kicked out with its foot, the blade ripped free, sending the Magic Knight crashing backward.
Boom!
Thump!
[Izmael!]
Izmael's Magic Knight lay motionless. With a blade embedded in the cockpit, survival was impossible.
But Wayne didn't stop there. The pilot might be dead, but the Magic Knight could still be reused.
Slash!
He severed its neck clean off.
[Arrrgh! Die!]
Raging, Cardis charged in like a mad bull.
[Cardis! Calm down!]
Cardis's Magic Knight swung wildly at Predator. Rather than block, Wayne dodged backward, retreating far enough before pivoting on his rear foot to parry with a powerful swing.
Clang!
Sizzle!
Boom boom boom!
"Ngh!"
A small explosion erupted right in front of his eyes, and a flash of light pierced through it.
Slash!
Wayne's upward slash severed the Magic Knight's arm, sending it flying into the air.
"Th-the arm... it's gone?"
[Cardis! Danger!]
Whoosh!
Clang!
Clang clang!
Tulus arrived late, unleashing a relentless barrage on Predator.
[He's not your opponent. Fall back!]
Tulus had received special orders from Commander Goergen: Protect Cardis at all costs!
Tulus halted his ferocious assault abruptly.
[What's wrong?]
Cardis was baffled.
Crack!
In that instant, his Magic Knight shuddered as a gleaming blade pierced its abdomen.
Tulus's Magic Knight crumpled to its knees powerlessly.
Wayne raised his blade high and thrust straight into the chest.
[No! Don't!]
Thud!
Boom!
Tulus's machine toppled over. A wave of grief crashed over Cardis's heart.
War was brutal and merciless. To claim victory, you had to crush your enemies utterly.
In truth, the performance gap between Gigants and Magic Knights wasn't vast. But the difference between knights forged in the life-or-death crucible of the Great Forest and those who lounged in a peaceful kingdom was enormous.
"All forces! Attack!"
Goergen issued the order.
[Magic Knight Squadron, advance!]
[Rescue Cardis!]
[Seize the castle!]
Over two hundred Tarun Magic Knights surged forward.
Predator extended a hand toward one side. A flail on the ground twitched to life, flying straight into its grasp.
Snap!
Gripping the flail, Wayne eyed the Magic Knight that had lost an arm and was trembling in fear.
[Lucky bastard!]
Whirr!
Thud thud thud!
Predator spun around. To avoid being surrounded and isolated while chasing the enemy, he fell back.
Wayne entered through the castle gate.
[Close the gates!] Rakins shouted.
Wayne countered loudly.
[No! Keep them open!]
[Sir?]
[Our morale's sky-high. No need to block them.]
[Ah!]
Wayne commanded his knights.
[Take out the ones coming in, one by one!]
[Yes, sir!]
The gates, widened for Gigants, were massive—but still only allowed two abreast.
[Fire the cannons!]
"Fire!"
Boom boom boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Cannons roared at the charging Magic Knights. A direct hit wouldn't shatter one outright, but the damage was real: shattered armor, malfunctions from head shots, dents in torsos or legs, and brutal shocks to the pilots inside.
[Shields up front!]
Third-class Magic Knights with shields advanced first, forming a path to the gates while shielding their comrades' heads and bodies.
[Charge!]
[The gates are open! Kill them all!]
Squadron leader Serkan and twenty-odd Magic Knights poured through the gates.
'Hm?'
An 8-meter Gigant wielding a bow stood before them.
Second-class Gigant Artemis!
Not some half-finished four-legged freak with four arms—this was the former second-class Gigant once piloted by a underling of the Karian king, now rechristened by Sabina.
Twang!
"Gah!"
Serkan dodged in shock as the arrow flew. It embedded in a third-class Magic Knight's head behind him.
Boom!
Sabina had risen to elite second-class Gigant pilot status, ascending to the elite ranks of Wayne's squadron.
[Watch out! There's a bow-wielding Gigant!]
But the real threat was elsewhere.
[Attack!]
At Rakins's shout, Gigants from all sides struck the twenty-odd Magic Knights that had entered.
'An ambush?'
Serkan turned to see a blue Gigant blocking the gates.
[Where you looking, punk!]
Rakins assaulted Serkan, while two or three Gigants piled onto each Magic Knight.
[Argh!]
[It's a trap!]
Screams echoed from inside.
[Help!]
[Arrrgh!]
But with the monster who'd felled five second-class Magic Knights standing firm, no knights dared charge.
[What are you doing? Attack!]
Only at the squadron leaders' bellows from behind did they advance.
But!
Whoosh!
Boom!
BOOM!
Predator smashed down with its flail, unleashing a massive blast. The approaching Magic Knights hesitated in shock.
The explosion lacked real power, really—just enough to scorch armor from outside. A thrust and internal detonation would be different, but this was minor.
Yet these knights had witnessed Wayne's might; fear rooted them in place.
[Ugh! Don't push!]
Command Magic Knights shoved from behind, forcing the frontmost third-class unit toward Predator helplessly.
[Damn it! Die!]
Desperate, it swung its sword.
Clang!
But the flail blocked it.
And!
Pierce!
A blade from its hand punctured the chest. The Magic Knight collapsed limply.
[Revenge for five years ago!]
Sera's voice rang out.
Meanwhile, the Magic Knights inside were falling one by one.
Stab!
Stab!
Sera and Glen's thrusts brought third-class Magic Knights to their knees.
Thud!
Serkan fell to a pincer from Sabina's sleek new Artemis and Rakins's second-class Gigant.
[Clear the Magic Knights!]
The wrecked second-class and twenty-odd machines were shoved aside.
Predator then retreated.
[Path's clear! Into the gates!]
[Keep pushing!]
Pressed from behind, vanguard Magic Knights were forced in.
[Not on my watch!]
Boom!
As another twenty entered, Predator blocked the entrance, swinging its flail savagely.
But the Tarun forces switched tactics.
[Scale the walls!]
Shield-bearing Magic Knights clung to the walls, forming makeshift stairs. In moments, a 10-meter staircase rose, and Magic Knights climbed by stepping on shields.
Boom!
Boom!
"Argh!"
Shells from holes above struck a Magic Knight's face, sending it tumbling. At 30 meters high, the fall was devastating.
[Keep climbing!]
Some reached the top.
Twang!
Stab!
"Guhk!"
A 4-meter arrow pierced its chest. The pilot stared in horror at his severed lower half before plummeting.
Boom!
Still, some crested the walls and entered.
But!
[For the king's glory!]
[For the king's glory!]
"These are ours!"
"Dwarves are strong!"
"Valhalla!"
Ten Steel Golems awaited them.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Axes and hammers swung. The third-class Magic Knights crumpled without a proper swing against the 10-meter steel behemoths' might.
"What the hell? Why can't we get inside?"
Magic Knights piled up at the east gate but advanced no further. Those who'd scaled the walls went silent after breaching.
"Commander Goergen!"
A scout from the south gate rushed up.
"What is it?"
"An enemy Gigant emerged from the south gate, scouted our southeast oasis, and retreated!"
"What? They're targeting our supply lines after all!"
Goergen paled.
"Alert all oases immediately—assemble forces and prepare intercepts!"
"Yes, sir!"
Thankfully, precautions were in place. Two hundred oasis-guarding Magic Knights massed behind dunes. They outnumbered the foe by fifty, with more second-class units, but the enemy's single first-class Gigant made it no sure win.
Hence the plan: ambush as they exited.
But hours passed with no movement from the south gate.
A 3-meter wolf monster with a flowing red mane.
Eleven had grown enough to carry Yann on its back.
"Halt!"
From a dune overlooking the oasis, Yann raised a hand. Bardetu and three hundred orc warriors crouched behind.
"Kuok! Human, orcs attack?"
"No! Wait! Attack when Eleven moves!"
"Orcs listen to wolf?"
"That's what Captain Wayne said!"
"Bardetu listens to Wayne."
"Yeah, so hold for a bit!"
Bardetu and the orcs itched for battle.
Five minutes passed.
"Orcs attack?"
"No! After Eleven signals!"
"Orcs listen to wolf!"
"Yeah, wait a little more."
"Orcs attack?"
"No!"
Yann rubbed his temples.
Then Eleven rose.
"Grrrrr!"
"Now!"
"Orcs attack?"
"Yes, now!"
Eleven threw its head back.
"Awooooo!"
"Kuooooook!"
Wolf howls and orc roars echoed across the desert.
"What the hell's that noise?"
Fear, guarding the east oasis, gripped his musket.
Then a massive wolf charged like the wind.
"What? A wolf?"
"Shoot!"
Bang!
Bang bang!
Bullets flew, but missed Eleven. Its hide now repelled them.
Yann atop was at risk, of course.
"Kuok! Orcs are brave! Orcs are strong!"
"Kuooooook!"
Orc warriors swarmed the oasis with war cries. Muskets fired, but orc skin was steel-tough.
Then 3-meter maintenance Magic Knights rushed to block them.
But!
Whoosh!
Boom!
Bardetu's spear shattered one in a single blow.
Orc warriors thrust long spears, toppling the maintenance units effortlessly.
Three hundred orcs could hunt A-rank monsters; thirty could handle B-rank.
Maintenance Magic Knights were no match.
"They're no match for us!"
"Call the Magic Knights!"
Orcs dashed to wagons and supply tents, dousing them in monster oil and igniting.
Flames roared across the east oasis in seconds.
"Bardetu! Retreat! Retreat!"
"Got it! Orcs listen to wolf!"
Sensing approaching Magic Knights, Eleven led the orcs north at full speed.
"Disaster, Commander!"
"What happened?"
"East oasis is hit. Supplies..."
"What?"
Goergen turned to see black smoke rising eastward.
"What the...!"
"Commander, we must retreat. Our Magic Knight losses are mounting!"
The north gate assault force had visibly thinned.
"Damn it! Fall back! Sound the retreat!"
Bwaaaah!
At the horn, Magic Knights withdrew.
Wayne and the imperial forces didn't pursue. Instead, they hunted down and captured all intruders.
"We held them off!"
"Long live Wayne Stein!"
"We won! Woo!"
That day, they smashed 72 third-class and 9 second-class Tarun Magic Knights, capturing over 30 more. Imperial losses were just a few damaged Gigants—a resounding victory.
[East Oasis]
Commander Goergen's face darkened at the battle report.
"Their forces now match ours closely."
"Plus they have monstrous second-class Gigants and untapped first-class ones."
"And orcs torched our supplies and food. What's left won't last a week."
Goergen bit his lip.
"So what now?"
He eyed deputy commander Harriet behind him.
"Harriet, any ideas?"
"One option left: Seize the north gate tomorrow, no matter what."
"Attack the castle without numerical superiority?"
"Oases have no supplies anyway. Throw everything at the north gate, then standoff with the south."
"But they have those monster Gigants."
"Don't worry. I'll handle them."
The knights brightened.
"Right! We have Deputy Harriet!"
"Yeah! Pozar can take that monster Gigant!"
Five years ago in the Sailon battle, Harriet had annihilated two Dresden Gigant squadrons. Without a first-class Gigant intervening, who knows how many more would've fallen to his blade.
And over those five years, he'd trained relentlessly to catch the first-class Gigant that severed Pozar's arm.
A south gate first-class might be trouble, but second-class? Laughable.
The next day, 180 Magic Knights assembled before the north gate. A hundred held the center against potential south gate strikes, twenty guarded oases.
Wolf and orc howls had kept them sleepless; bloodshot eyes abounded.
Whirr!
Thud!
Thud!
A pitch-black Magic Knight advanced, wielding a scythe-like bizarre sword chained to iron.
"Pozar!"
"Deputy Harriet's out!"
"Woooah!"
Tarun forces roared deafeningly.
From the walls, Wayne's subordinates watched grimly, lips tight.
Curtis shook his head, trembling with rage.
"Captain! That's the one! The Magic Knight that stole our Odd overnight."
"Especially watch that black magic sword."
Bastian, bearing the deepest scars, sweated coldly.
Even vengeful Sera shuddered at the sight.
Wayne activated his Odd Eye, scrutinizing Pozar's sword.
"That's no magic sword!"
"Sir?"
"It's coated in black Odd."
"Black Odd?"