I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution

Chapter 132: Iberica - The Battle of Ciudad (2)

The battlefield of Ciudad was a hilly area of arid earth.

Had it been summer, we would have been dying from the heat, but thankfully it was winter, so it was cool.

I sat on my horse alongside Gaston, looking down at the battlefield below the hill.

The enemy forces appeared to number around 15,000.

In terms of troop numbers alone, they were fewer than us, but...

As I watched the enemy troops’ movements through my telescope, my face instinctively furrowed.

“How bizarre.”

Only by seeing it myself did I finally understand what the messengers had meant when they all said the enemy was "unaturally orderly."

This was different from the rigid discipline of the Krafte Army.

They clearly had human forms, and they were moving; if they were moving, they had to be living creatures.But I felt no vitality from these figures who moved in unison like a single body, surging like a very unnatural wave.

Could the skeletons and zombies raised by necromancy, which the Demon King's Army was said to have used long ago, have been like this?

They were the descendants of the Demon King, so it wouldn’t be strange if they used necromancy, but where would they get the mana to maintain an army of this scale?

Above all, the undead armies recorded in history were terrifying, but not particularly strong. The report that Kroxx’s troops were unilaterally slaughtered didn’t add up.

Even as I was lost in thought, cannon fire continued to erupt, and artillery rained down on the enemy.

Not only had we brought an artillery unit, but Kroxx's army, which had primarily used cold weapons until recently, was now employing firearms, albeit on a limited basis.

However.

“……Something feels very wrong.”

I clicked my tongue as I peered at the enemy's movements through the telescope.

Artillery fire.

The overwhelming physical force that could kill a human with a mere graze aside, the sound of cannon fire and the roar of cannonballs flying through the air alone were more than enough to shake an army.

But the advancing enemies moved as if nothing was happening.

Regardless of their comrades being hit by artillery fire and sent flying, they took their bizarrely regular steps without a hint of wavering or anxiety.

Is that level of discipline achievable through training?

Even the Krafte Army would find that difficult, it was impossible for a living army to be like that.

My uncertainty turned to conviction the moment the arrows from Kroxx's army poured down into the enemy ranks.

As the rain of arrows descended, they made no move to defend or dodge, simply advancing as before. Seeing that only a tiny fraction fell, despite being clearly hit, I immediately lowered my telescope.

“Fuck.”

What the hell did these crazy demon bastards create?

“His Excellency the Marquis?”

“Reorganize the cavalry ranks. Be ready to move at any moment.”

I immediately gave the order to a startled Gaston and grabbed my horse's reins.

“Yes, sir!”

Shooting wasn’t working effectively.

It was a terrifying sight even from here, it was obvious how the soldiers on the frontline would feel, watching the enemy advance while taking arrow hits.

If we weren’t careful, our soldiers’ morale would break and we’d be defeated before we could even fight properly!

I was about to move the cavalry to the enemy’s flank to support our allies, but I paused.

……But, is this all there is to them?

From the looks of it the enemy only has infantry.

Is it possible to annihilate an army, leaving no survivors, with just this?

An uneasiness like a fishbone caught in my throat spread through me.

An enemy immune to shooting was unexpected, but even ancient armies with shields could withstand arrows.

It was hard to believe that Kroxx's troops, battle-hardened from the Iberica War and led by his 10th Confidant, would have been wiped out so easily by just that.

Kroxx is in the center army, and though he's a bit unreliable, Demian is there too.

As the most important reserve unit in an emergency, I can’t afford to be hasty and act recklessly.

I took a light, deep breath and issued a new order.

“Dispatch the Chasseurs to thoroughly search the surrounding area. It's too strange for this to be all they have.”

*

Thud- Thud-

The enemy army approached like a wave with a steady sound.

“Aim-”

Clack-

The sound of the Line Infantry raising their muskets in unison echoed as they took aim.

“Fire-!”

A volley of gunshot sounds from the muskets echoed, and the bullets flew with a sound that tore through the wind.

However.

Thud-

Few enemies fell despite the hail of bullets.

Thud-

The enemy army was approaching as if nothing had happened.

As they got close, the soldiers could clearly see the enemy figures with arrows sticking out of their bodies or suffering from gunshot wounds.

“Heok……!”

“D-Don't panic! Do not—”

The NCO saying this was even more panicked himself.

Not just arrows, but even musket bullets were ineffective.

The approaching wave of enemies, moving mechanically as if nothing was wrong, became fear itself and spread through the formation.

“What the hell! Those goddamn, freaky bastards, what are they!”

Damien De Millbeau yelled, half in a panic.

“Uh, um-”

Even Giselle Davi, who should have been looking at him with disdain and offering necessary advice, was completely frozen and couldn't say a word.

Thud- Thud- The ominously regular sound of their approach stopped.

“R-Reload!”

The soldiers panicked despite the NCO's command.

The enemies raised their arms in unison and began to charge, without a sound.

“Heo, heok!”

“They’re fast!”

The sight of tens of thousands of human forms sprinting silently at full tilt in the exact same posture caused the entire army to waver instantly.

“Wha-what is—”

Before Demian could even issue an order, the enemies had charged to a distance where their faces were visible to the front line.

“Hi-Hiiik-!”

“Wh-What is that!”

The soldiers who saw the figures, looking like dried-alive humans charging with completely blank expressions, were plunged into shock and terror.

“Uuuk-!”

The chaos became uncontrollable as some soldiers even began to vomit at the sight of them charging with arrows stuck in their eyes or with bodies dangling from wounds.

Just as everyone—the Brothers of Iberica and the Revolutionary Army alike—was about to fall into a panic.

A giant Orc, his heavy body making the ground thump, leaped forward and swung his axe, sending the enemies charging at the front flying in a single blow.

“Al-ardho-!”

As Kroxx, the King of Iberica, swung his weapon with ferocious momentum, the enemies who had been charging in unison with movements that showed neither fear nor pain were struck, four or five at a time, and sent flying.

That alone was enough for the Brothers of Iberica to quickly regain their senses.

““Akbar-!!””

By the time Kroxx finished his cry, it had already become a deafening roar from the entire Brothers of Iberica army.

The chaos vanished as if by magic.

“Follow the King!”

“Waaaaaaah-!”

Responding to the shout from One-eyed Karok.

“Charge, charge, my brothers!”

“Avenge our brothers!”

Following Shandra, who shouted as she charged.

The Brothers of Iberica instantly erased the fear they had felt just moments before and leaped into the enemy ranks.

“Oh, ooh. Damn, they're brave. Have they no fear?”

As Demian, who had snapped out of his panic at their shouts, muttered blankly, Giselle quickly spoke.

“His Excellency, the Count. We must also go on the offensive.”

“Oh, r-right, of course.”

He didn't know much, but those enemies were genuinely dangerous and terrifying.

If Demian had his way, he would have loved to stay put, but doing so would obviously result in a terrible dressing-down from Marquis Lafayette.

At worst, Countess Aquitaine might inflict something worse than a dressing-down herself.

Swallowing hard, Demian opened his mouth.

“Relay the charge command to General Kazel! Help our allies!”

“Yes, sir!”

Demian shook his head, watching Giselle run off to send the messenger after her energetic reply.

He just couldn't understand the minds of these enthusiastic military types.

……Well, it's not like he was the one charging.

*

The heat of war diluted the eeriness and confusion caused by their bizarre movements and appearance, painting over it.

However, even after entering fierce melee combat, problems continued to arise.

“Why, why won’t you die- keuk!”

An Orc, who had clearly stabbed an enemy, collapsed with a scream when its swinging arm struck him in the solar plexus.

The sight of enemies charging with gruesome wounds from arrows and bullets terrified many of our own soldiers.

“H-How can this body have such strength!”

The enemies had the appearance of shriveled humans or orcs.

But the power from their thin arms surpassed that of most able-bodied men, making them difficult for ordinary soldiers to handle.

Many staggered back or were sent flying even after blocking with their weapons.

“Hut-”

Shandra, with her quick movements, dodged an arm swung at her, leaped into the air, and flipped, burying her dagger into the enemy’s head.

Pulling her dagger from the enemy as it collapsed in a single blow, Shandra shouted.

“They fall if you get the head! Aim for that!”

“Hahaha, well done, Shandra! Aim for the head! Hraaap!”

Kroxx, who had been smashing enemies to bits with every swing of his axe and hadn't had the chance to figure that out, laughed heartily and bellowed out.

One-eyed Karok blocked the arm of an enemy charging at him with his axe.

“Keum- Their strength is great.”

Then he immediately tripped it and chopped off its neck with his axe.

“But they have no weapons and their attacks are simple.”

With that much strength, it was understandable that they would just use their arms as weapons, but they would have been more threatening if properly armed.

Besides, their attacks seemed designed to stun and subdue rather than kill. Why were they fighting like this?

Ordinary soldiers were struggling quite a bit against the bizarre enemies who kept moving despite their injuries and their great strength, but once they learned that hitting the head would keep them from getting back up, they could at least cope somehow.

“Do not fear their appearance! We can handle them!”

“Uooooh-!”

At Karok’s shout, the Orcs roared with spirit and leaped at the enemy.

They were an eerie sight and a tricky foe, but if you knew how to deal with them, they could be fought.

……That’s what everyone thought.

After about two hours of fighting.

“Heok, heok-”

The allied soldiers were fighting with difficulty, gasping for breath, their chins heaving.

However-

“Uwaaak!”

The enemies, on the other hand, weren’t even breathing heavily. They repeated their arm swings with blank faces, not making a sound.

Even their movements were exactly the same, every single one.

At first, their attacks seemed manageable, but seeing them repeat the same moves tirelessly while their allies grew exhausted was terrifying.

Many had already been struck unconscious and lay fallen on the ground.

“Hoo, hoo. Hahahaha! These are some persistent foes!”

Even amidst the chaos, Kroxx tirelessly swung his axe, splitting several enemies and sending them flying, but he worried about his increasingly exhausted subordinates.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves that shook the very earth began to be heard.

“It's Francia's Cavalry!”

“They’re finally here……”

The sight of a thousand cavalrymen on warhorses charging down the hill with lances poised was magnificent, and their performance lived up to it.

The enemies, fighting mechanically and tirelessly, didn't even try to form a line against the flanking cavalry.

Busy attacking the enemy in front of them even as the cavalry charged from the side, they were instantly skewered by lances, three or four at a time, and trampled by horses, crushed by the hundreds.

“Ooooh-!”

At the cheers of his exhausted subordinates, Kroxx felt a sense of relief inwardly.

“Hahahaha! How thrilling!”

These tireless, fearless enemies were a nuisance, but repeated cavalry charges offered a chance to hold on.

Their tireless nature and the speed of their earlier charge meant a hasty retreat would likely result in heavy losses—but before Kroxx's thought could finish, Pierre's mana-infused shout echoed across the field.

“Kroxx, retreat! I’ll cover you!”

“What?”

Before the startled Kroxx could even process his thoughts, urgent news was delivered.

“The enemy is flanking our rear! Retreat now, or we’ll be caught in a pincer attack!”