Episode 17
At that sight, even Aum, their ally, was struck with horror. Because of it, the order came down a moment too late.
He shouted to the Nord warriors positioned at the ballistae.
“Fire!”
Thunk!
Along with a heavy sound, a bolt like a massive spear was fired in the blink of an eye.
The acceleration of the Skeleton Cavalry charging in and the ballista bolt flying toward them collided head-on.
Crunch!
The skeleton’s armor split, and the tip of the bolt wedged into the gap.
It failed to pierce through the skeleton’s body and merely hung there. But even that was enough.
Dozens of skeleton cavalrymen could not withstand the impact and were thrown straight from their skeletal horses.
“N-now! Surround them!”
“If they just lose their mobility, we have the advantage!”
“Overwhelm them with numbers!”
And the Nords rushed in like zombies, ruthlessly bringing down swords and axes on the fallen skeletons.
Dozens of them hacked away.
The skeletons were smashed to pieces and slowly dissipated.
After several dozen met such fates, the remaining skeleton cavalrymen ground their teeth as if enraged and returned to the main camp.
“Ballistas? To think they’d use siege weapons…! Hahah! Interesting!”
Loki’s eyes reddened with apparent interest.
Though ballistas fell short in reloading speed and accuracy, their range was long and their power outstanding.
Naturally, the Skeleton Cavalry couldn’t withstand ballistas fired head-on.
Yet charging without forming a wedge formation would obviously result in losing mobility and being surrounded to dissipate meaninglessly.
“Second wave, the Skeleton Warriors… no, that would be too much after all.”
Skeleton warriors wielding greatswords had tremendous attack power. However, they were weak in terms of defense.
If ballistas were fired at them, they might lose over half their number before even approaching.
“Then… I’ll have to send them all at once.”
Loki moved his horse, Luk, which was shaped like a castle wall.
At that, the Skeleton Shield Soldiers on the left and right wings gripped their massive shields and came to the front, forming a wall.
Behind them, the Skeleton Warrior Corps aligned in formation with greatswords in hand.
They began to move.
“Aim!”
“Once they’re in range, fire everything!”
Perhaps because morale had risen after repelling the Skeleton Cavalry, the Nords let out a cheer.
The ballistas aimed at the approaching undead.
Once they reached a certain distance, the ballistas fired with a “thunk!” and the chariots shook.
A massive bolt flew at the Skeleton Shield Soldiers at the vanguard, but all were deflected and knocked away by shields imbued with a faint ink-black hue.
“……!”
The massive shields merely pushed back slightly upon impact with the bolts, not tolerating even a scratch.
“This is insane! How does a siege weapon get blocked by shields?!”
As if they had become steel castle walls, the bolts that struck them were rather bent or shattered.
—Krrraaaargh!
As the Skeleton Shield Soldiers shrieked, hundreds of long spear shafts bristled from atop their shields like thorns.
While protecting their bodies, long spear blades extended through the minute gaps between the shields.
Unbreakable shields, over a hundred spearheads reminiscent of a porcupine.
Needless to say, the advancing might of the undead legion moving in unison was breathtaking.
Impregnable even from the front.
A moving fortress!
That was how it looked to the Nords.
Though slow, the undead steadily approached, and the Nords faltered backward.
“…Don’t be afraid! They don’t have cavalry now! If it comes to melee, we’ll crush them!”
One of the tribal chiefs shouted and drew his sword.
“Charge! Smash them from the front!”
“Waaaaah!”
“W-wait! Everyone stop! We can’t break through from the front what even siege weapons couldn’t pierce!”
Aum hurriedly gave the order, but it was drowned out by the war cries.
Drunk on the frenzy of battle, the Nords could not see reality.
Their morale was especially high due to the pride of having gained the upper hand over the Skeleton Cavalry moments ago.
When one confidently leaped in, the remaining Nords began blindly jumping in as well.
Ignoring the desperate shouts of the commander behind them!
“Damn it! Listen to my orders! Ugh! I can’t control them! This is exactly why Nords are called muscle-brained barbarians! Damn it!”
The Skeleton Shield Soldiers saw those charging from the front and their eyes gleamed.
The skeletons drew back their pike spears. And when the Nords entered range, they thrust with all their might.
Pop!
Along with a sound like the air exploding, blood sprayed in all directions as if bursting.
In the blink of an eye, the skeletons retrieved their spears and thrust, retrieved and thrust again.
Each time, blood droplets scattered like rain.
“What?! What’s happening?!”
The charging Nords suddenly began falling back.
Every time the skeletons thrust their spears, humans “exploded” as if struck by a siege hammer.
“…M-monstrous bastards!”
“Everyone fall back! The front is impossible!”
Someone judged that breaking through the front was impossible and shouted.
“F-flank them!”
The Nords approached from the left and right flanks, but even that began to be stained crimson.
Shhk!
A Nord’s body was split in two and scattered.
The Skeleton Warrior Corps had raised their greatswords and cut down the Nords.
The skeleton warrior at the front looked at the Nord who had hesitated mid-charge and stretched out his hand as if taunting him.
With fingers wrapped in pitch-black gauntlets, he beckoned, and arrogantly raised his head.
It looked like an invitation to come in at any time.
“Uuuuaaaargh!”
“Run!”
Terror-stricken, the Nords began to flee without looking back.
At that sight, Aum let out a bitter, blood-tinged smile.
“Damn it, how much blood has been spilled because of this! I emphasized over and over before the battle to follow orders only…!”
It was Aum’s first time commanding so many Nords.
Given the Nord race’s nature of being quick-tempered and moving before thinking, control was bound to be difficult.
“Everyone return! Reform the ranks! If you charge in meaninglessly, you’ll be nothing but prey!”
Aum shouted until his throat felt ready to burst.
The Nords who heard Aum’s words barely managed to return to formation.
But those who could not hear him were seized by endless terror and broke away from the ranks.
They had deserted.
Aum, who was increasingly finding it hard to maintain control over the Nords, gritted his teeth and glared at the undead legion that was gradually pressing in.
“Still, their mobility is lacking. If we keep our distance, they shouldn’t be able to approach. As long as it’s not close combat, there’s a way to fight! But…”
Aum looked at Loki’s formation far away.
For some reason, the Skeleton Longbowmen and Assassins were merely maintaining formation, simply carrying Loki’s palanquin.
Even a slight movement of the Skeleton Shield Soldiers and Longbowmen would have greatly flustered him, but Loki intentionally sending soldiers out one by one bothered him.
‘What is his angle…?’
Currently before Aum’s eyes were roughly one hundred Skeleton Shield Soldiers, and behind them fifty Skeleton Warriors deployed.
The Skeleton Cavalry had already returned to the main camp and were reorganizing, but if the undead forces attacking this time were properly handled, the remaining longbowmen and assassins could never hope to face the five thousand Nords.
It all came down to how this force was commanded now.
‘What on earth is he thinking? Does he have some hidden trump card?’
If anyone else dispersed their forces like this on purpose, he would laugh and call them a foolish commander.
But Aum had faced him directly, and he couldn’t help but feel unnerved by this absurd strategy that seemed designed merely to heighten the excitement.
‘…Is he testing me? Testing how I respond? Or… is he testing something else?’
It was as if a great god were looking down and enjoying a struggling human.
Yes, perhaps the bastard was simply enjoying a “game.”
“He’s overflowing with leisure, isn’t he? Ridiculous!”
Aum looked at Kudan.
‘If it’s Kudan… he should be able to break through that formation… but I can’t afford to lose Kudan here! Kudan must be used to kill the demon!’
Aum gritted his teeth and extended his hand.
“Per! Lead the chariots and target their flanks and rear! No matter how tough they are, the spots without shields will be wide open!”
Per nodded, climbed onto a chariot, and took the reins.
The chariot corps maneuvered with outstanding mobility, circling around and instantly penetrating the skeletons’ flank.
The snow on the ice scattered with the wheels’ movement, forming a fog that obscured vision.
But it was momentary. As the snow-made fog gradually subsided, Per spoke to the Nord warrior aiming the light ballista.
“Everyone, aim properly! Don’t hit our allies on the other side by mistake… Huh?”
Per tilted his head and looked at the undead formation that was gradually becoming clearer.
The undead were staring at the chariot corps with glowing red eyes.
In that moment… something flew in and pierced straight through the body of the warrior handling the ballista.
“…A spear?”
In shock, Per turned his head toward the direction the spear was thrown.
There in the clearing fog… instead of holding swords as they should have been, the Skeleton Warriors were holding spears and carrying massive containers of spears on their backs.
“…So they weren’t simple swordsmen?!”
As Per’s cry of shock rang out, the Skeleton Warriors simultaneously drew the javelins they had been carrying on their backs.
The handles of the spears in their hands rustled and slightly crumbled.
And they threw the spears with all their might.
They were all crude spears made by sharpening wood, but befitting Skeleton Warriors wielding two-meter greatswords, the power of their javelins was tremendous.
The chariots were overturned by the thrown spears, and the other chariots following behind were swept away as well.
Not to mention the Nords struck by the spears and knocked aside.
“D-dangerous! We fire too! Don’t give the enemy a chance to throw spears!”
The ballistas aimed at the Skeleton Warrior Corps.
And a barrage began!
The ballistas fired bolts, and the Skeleton Warriors threw javelins.
As time passed, the number of chariots drastically decreased.
Most of the Skeleton Warriors were also destroyed or dissipated, but to the very end, they did not forget their duty.
Even with heads shattered, limbs crushed, and bolts lodged in their bodies, the undead threw javelins until the moment just before they “dissipated.”
“…What is going on?”
Aum couldn’t see the situation inside properly due to the dust raised by the chariots and the massive shield wall created by the Skeleton Shield Soldiers. But at the sight of overturned chariots occasionally visible in the distance, he couldn’t help but grind his teeth.
To think they could use javelins for long-range attacks…!
“Then… strike the king!”
At Aum’s command, the chariot corps ignored Loki’s vanguard and headed straight for the main camp.
As they aimed their ballistas at Loki sitting atop his palanquin, the Skeleton Longbowmen came forward.
Crossbows were positioned at the front, and longbowmen at the rear.
They drew their bowstrings at the charging chariot corps.
“…What? Those things! Don’t tell me at this distance…?”
At the same time as someone’s flustered voice, a rain of countless arrows poured down.
The Skeleton Archer’s skill, [Pierce].
A skill that ignored ten percent of the opponent’s defense and greatly increased range and accuracy!
The running chariots became pincushions and were overturned.
“Damn it—! Did you think we’d retreat after coming all this way?! We’ll land at least one hit!”
The chariot led by Per plowed through the flying arrows. And they aimed the ballista and fired at Loki, but…!
Klang-!
Along with a sound like hard iron being hammered, the ballista’s bolt was blocked by an ink-black transparent wall.
As Loki atop the palanquin raised a crude staff, a circular transparent wall had formed around him.
“Defense magic?! Such a cheat…!”
As Per spat curses, the chariot he rode was overturned by arrows, and Per tumbled onto the ice.
A crunching sound rang out as Per slumped limply on the icy path.