novelraw Chapter 226: Abyssal Holy War - Continent's Barrier (2)
Chapter 226: Abyssal Holy War - Continent's Barrier (2)
Chapter 226. Abyssal Holy War - Continent's Barrier (2)
Whizzz-
Wheee-
The roar from within the fog that had tormented us so relentlessly.
No one is foolish enough to stand there maintaining formation while rockets are clearly flying at them.
We can maintain enough morale not to need to enforce such stupid discipline, and if we didn't have the flexibility to adapt to changing situations, we wouldn't be here in the first place.
"Get down!"
"Brace for impact!"
In the short time we had, they quickly hid in the trench line we'd managed to build, and those deployed elsewhere swiftly dropped to the ground.
Soon, rockets rained down, blanketing the encampment and exploding in all directions, scattering flames.Whizzz-
"Gasp!"
A rocket flew toward the command post—
and I rushed forward to block it with a Magic Barrier.
The barrier shook and sparks flew, but it did not break.
I could feel my mana draining, but I was a long way from being depleted.
To be honest, even I'm a little surprised by this.
Does this mean I'm getting close to the Blue Knight's level?
No, this is no time for that.
"Is everyone all right?"
"Pa-pant, th-thank you, His Excellency the Marquis Lafayette!"
That bastard Demian...
By all common sense, shouldn't you be the one doing this, not me, the Commander-in-Chief? Frozen there like a clumsy fool.
"We're safe thanks to you, Your Excellency the Marquis!"
Giselle Davi is also unharmed. Come to think of it, Giselle Davi is the quickest with calculations, isn't she?
"Lieutenant Colonel Davi, go and support the counter-bombardment! I'm leaving the enemy rocket battery's position estimation to you!"
"Yes, sir! I will obey your orders!"
No sooner had Giselle Davi sprinted off than groans and screams began to erupt from outside.
"Uwaaaak!"
"It's hot, it's hot—!"
"The Cavalry will not be deployed immediately! Send a messenger to Sir Gaston and tell the Paladin Order to focus on treating the unit's wounded!"
"Understood, Your Excellency the Marquis!"
I quickly scanned the encampment with my eyes.
Rockets exploded everywhere, causing a stream of damage, but we hadn't taken the hit completely defenseless, and thanks to the pre-installed cover and trenches, it wasn't a fatal blow.
I immediately gathered my mana and shouted.
"The attack will continue! Take cover in advance! Artillery Corps, prepare for return fire!"
No sooner had my shout rung through the entire encampment than responses, far from orderly, erupted from all sides as everyone began to move busily.
"Understood!"
"As His Excellency the Marquis commands!"
"Get a grip, you fools! How long are you going to whine! Do you need to be in your graves to snap out of it!"
"N-No, sir!"
Good, it's chaos, but morale isn't bad.
Whizzz-
Wheee-
"Second wave, incoming!"
"Take cover!"
The response to the second wave was visibly much better.
Almost all the soldiers were properly prepared, whether hiding behind cover, in the trenches, or lying flat, and even as the rocket flames scattered, the damage wasn't severe.
Still, screams erupted and there were casualties, but we weren't just taking the hits defenselessly!
"What's the status of the counter-bombardment?"
"Ready, Your Excellency the Marquis!"
"Fire without rest! This is a short, all-out war, so there's no need to save cannonballs!"
"Yes, sir!"
The rocket launcher's position was only a rough estimation based on past attacks and its firing range, and with visibility completely obscured by the fog, a precision strike was next to impossible.
But this is an all-out offensive; the enemy's troops must be numerous.
If we just fire blindly, we're bound to hit something, and even if not, we just have to prevent them from firing freely!
"Fire!"
"Begin bombardment!"
With an earth-shaking rumble, cannonballs fired from the high ground on the hill flew mercilessly over our heads.
Not only the cannonballs from the direct-fire cannons but also the explosive shells launched by the howitzers roared as they flew slowly and caused explosions in the fog.
The fog caught in the explosions slowly dispersed, momentarily clearing our field of vision—
"Gasp!"
"Wh-what is that!"
We all clearly saw the swarming mass of Drones filling the space between the fog, briefly parted by the explosion.
A terribly teeming swarm of Drones, their numbers impossible to even fathom.
At the sight that was daunting enough to just behold, I shouted before my subordinates could think any further.
"Everyone, snap out of it! Didn't we all come here knowing it would be like this! This is a fight to see if they die or we die!"
If this momentary wavering spreads, chaos will be instantaneous.
"There's nowhere to retreat to anyway! Remember that your lives are not just your own! Entrust your lives to me, and focus only on the enemy before you! I will take responsibility and lead you all to victory! Understood?"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
No sooner had the soldiers shouted than I turned my head toward the Artillery Corps and commanded.
"Hah. I told you not to worry about cannonballs, right? Rain them down like mad!"
"Understood, Your Excellency the Marquis! All batteries, continue firing! No need to wait for orders! Each battery will fire continuously as it reloads! I will handle impact spotting and adjustments!"
"Yes, sir!"
Following Giselle Davi's orders, the Artillery Corps continued its ceaseless bombardment—
"Light Infantry, forward! Seize the initiative!"
"Understood!"
The Light Infantry, under Damien De Millbeau's command, advanced to fire upon the surging Drones.
"Line Infantry to your positions! Use the trench line and cover to block the enemy! Do not retreat! I'll shoot any man who runs myself!"
Nicolas Nere screamed as he deployed the line infantry to the defense line, and in the other Allied encampments all around, soldiers moved with perfect discipline under their commanders' orders.
A mere rocket bombardment won't shake us. At this rate, we can do this!
"Watch out for enemy machine guns! They must be destroyed at all costs before they get close to the line infantry!"
"As you command!"
For now, only Drones are charging, and no machine guns are in sight, but it wouldn't be strange for them to use the Drone swarm to draw our attention and open fire from amongst or behind them at any moment.
Firing at an enemy mixed with allies would be madness for a normal army, but their main force is made of Drones.
An enemy without emotion, morale, or fatigue won't be shaken by something like friendly fire, and they already have a history of mowing down both Drones and the Paladin Order together in the preliminary battles.
The Light Infantry in the lead fired in sequence, reducing the number of enemies at the very front, while the direct-fire cannonballs and howitzer explosive shells relentlessly dealt with the enemies in the middle ranks.
Whizzz-
"Rockets, incoming!"
"Brace for impact!"
In the midst of it all, rockets occasionally flew in, blanketing the allied encampment.
For now, everyone is reducing damage by hiding in trenches or behind cover, but that will become difficult once we enter a full-scale engagement.
I turned my gaze to the wave of Drones, now completely out of the fog, surging forward with enough force to fill the horizon.
The enemy will fire regardless of whether our forces are entangled in the fight, so we will inevitably be forced into a war of attrition.
But that's something I was resolved for.
The mages need, at most, another two or three days.
If we can just hold out that long, the gate will somehow be completed.
"Enemy approaching!"
"The enemy's methods of attack are not much different than before! Respond calmly!"
The Light Infantry's sequential firing by rotation ended, and they turned and ran back—
"Howitzers, cover the Light Infantry's retreat! Watch for friendly fire!"
"Direct fire batteries at the front, prepare grapeshot fire!"
"Yes, sir!"
As soon as I saw the artillerymen moving busily and the Light Infantry hiding between the trench line and cover, I shouted at once.
"General Nere!"
"Line Infantry, forward! Form ranks!"
Just as the line infantry, who had been hiding behind cover and in the trenches, were gathering to form ranks against the Drones, bad news arrived.
"R-Rockets, incoming!"
Damn it, what timing!
"Get down!"
"Evade!"
"Uaaah!"
While the line infantry frantically hid back in the trenches they'd just rushed out of or dropped where they stood to protect their heads, a rocket flew over them, exploded, and scattered flames—
"Aaaak! Aaaaaah!"
In a place unlucky enough to take a direct hit, the horrific sight of something that must have once been attached to a human body flew through the air.
"Don't panic! General Nere, form the ranks! There's no time!"
"Ye-yes, sir! All units, reform the ranks!"
"Reform the ranks!"
Forcibly ignoring their comrades thrashing in agony on the ground or flailing about while on fire, the line infantry who had somehow managed to reform their ranks stepped forward.
And in that time, the Drones had drawn close enough for their bizarre and horrifying forms to be seen clearly with the naked eye.
100m.
"First row, aim!"
The sound of the long battle line, composed of the Revolutionary Army, the Germania Imperial Army, and the Krafte Kingdom Army, aiming their muskets in unison resounded through the encampment.
"Hold, hold!"
90m.
"Remember! The weak point is the head! Don't waste ammunition!"
80m.
"First row, fire!"
Amidst a wave of gunshots that could cover the entire encampment, the acrid smoke unique to black powder rose, and a proportional number of Drones dropped one by one.
Nevertheless, the Drones did not stop their charge, and the distance closed rapidly—
"First row, kneel! Second and third rows, aim simultaneously!"
The first row quickly lowered their posture, the second row knelt, and the third row aimed their guns, taking a simultaneous firing stance similar to that of Krafte.
Now 60m.
"Fire!"
Along with the volley of gunshots, an incomparable number of Drones fell compared to before.
"All line infantry, down!"
40m.
As soon as the second and third rows, having finished firing, all knelt, the Light Infantry, which had already fallen back and finished reloading, aimed their guns in unison—and fired.
Thwack, crunch—
At this range, the sound of bullets digging into vulnerable heads and ending the lives of soulless flesh clearly rang in our ears.
"Bayonets forward! Brace for impact!"
Now the Drones were right before our eyes.
"Do not fall back! You are humanity's frontline and the Continent's Barrier!"
No sooner had Nicolas Nere drawn his sword and shouted.
"Aaaak!"
"W-Wuaaagh!"
The Drones crashed into the battle line, and screams and shouts began to erupt.
Despite being arranged in three rows to brace for the impact, the number of Drones was too great to be blocked by the thin, wide formation of the line infantry alone.
The formation scattered in an instant, and the puppets who knew neither emotion nor fatigue unfailingly pierced through the gaps.
"Kroxx!"
"I know, brother!"
And then.
A thumping sound that could not be made by human footsteps, almost like cavalry, shook the ground—
"Al-ardho!"
"Akbar!"
Orcs charging from behind with ferocious momentum sent the Drones trying to break through the battle line flying high into the air with overwhelming mass and strength, and began to fight, entangled within the line.
"Vengeance for our brothers!"
"For Iberica!"
Truly the Orcs, and among them, the warriors handpicked by Kroxx himself.
They do not yield easily even against the Drones, who are difficult opponents even for the line infantry, which consists of carefully selected elite troops.
But there is no time to stand by and watch blankly.
"Artillery Corps, what are you doing! Keep firing! The enemy will shoot whether we're in melee combat or not! Howitzer batteries, thin out the Drones even a little more!"
"Ye-yes, sir! Begin bombardment!"
From the front, shouts and screams, the sound of bayonets digging into bodies, and the dull thuds of the Drones' fists striking down.
From behind, the sound of a ceaseless rain of cannonballs being spewed out.
And the roar of rockets continuously flying into our encampment from within the fog.
Amid the frenzy of noise and shelling, I was staring intently at the enemy's military forces being spewed out by the fog.
This is only the beginning.
This can't be all there is.
Paimon, that damn demon bastard who called himself an engineer and a commander.
After boasting so confidently, surely his capabilities aren't limited to just sending a swarm of Drones and bombarding us with rockets.
The battlefield is a hill with its back to the coast.
A fortified defense line with limited access routes, a battlefield for a head-on confrontation where flanking and surprise attacks are difficult.
Now, show me.
I will shatter those hollow puppets born from your greed, your arrogance that boasts of certain victory, and all your technology, head-on, and I will seize victory without fail.