Chapter 325 -248 Okaglar Battle (I)
However, the kingdom’s army also refused to show weakness.
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The bipedal wyverns in the air let out loud screeches, and the great goblins and ogres roared in frenzy. For a moment, the entire snowy plains seemed to boil over.
“For the Ashen Kingdom!”
“For the King of Ashen!”
“I will tear you all to pieces!”
“Conquer the North! For the grand blueprint of the Red Dragon!”
...
Such war cries echoed continuously across the desolate land.
The alliance exerted its full strength, gathering ninety thousand elite human troops from the Northern United Kingdom, over five thousand Starfallen, and more than a thousand superhuman beings from all over Airez.
The alliance announced they had summoned a force of five hundred thousand troops, determined to annihilate the evil power of the Ashen Kingdom.
They occupied the southern bank of the river, constructing various defensive works and trench systems, with their defensive lines stretching for over a dozen miles.
The kingdom, respecting their efforts, finally took the situation seriously and gathered its main military forces here. Various Dragon Vein Soldiers, the kingdom’s superhumans, and elite Starfallen totaling nearly sixty thousand occupied the northern bank, resembling a fragmented flood.
Though they might have been at a numerical disadvantage, their morale was undeniably higher, for their steel cannons and spears were no mere decorations.
The two large armies faced each other across the river, with a total of over a hundred thousand troops occupying the snowy plains, like two mighty torrents about to clash and stir up unimaginable waves.
Even the Olvir and Inaki Rivers, known as “The Origin River” and “River of the Giants,” with widths of several tens of meters, seemed like narrow channels between two gigantic beings amidst this impending battle.
In the thousand-year history of the North, there had never been a war of such scale.
According to scholar estimates, the entire Northern United Kingdom had a population of only 4 to 6 million, including the now-defunct Rackman Duchy.
Excluding the original Rackman Duchy and considering the recent significant population outflow to Northwind Castle, this number would be even lower.
Feudal states in the North were no match for the kingdom. Mobilizing these ninety thousand men already exhausted all their war potential.
To maintain their rule, the northern nobility had wagered everything on this war. In the process of mobilizing troops and gathering food, tens of thousands of humans starved or were killed.
The social contradictions in the North had reached unprecedented heights, with the nobility’s exploitation of the serfs peaking as well. It was no wonder the “Spark” movement had spread so rapidly.
In contrast, the Ashen Kingdom’s basic production was hardly affected, with orderliness and rhythm still prevailing throughout the land. People only felt that the war brought many orders, allowing them to earn more gold coins, although they had to work harder.
Even the historically famous “Seven Nations War,” which nominally achieved the unification of the North, involved claimed participation of a million but in reality only about a hundred thousand, with each family contributing no more than ten thousand troops.
This was a war Anzeta had never experienced before, deciding the ultimate fate of this land.
The music on the northern bank continued majestically. The Half-Goat People played with all their might, and the melody infused with magical power exhilarated the monsters, who let out impassioned war cries.
On the southern bank, angels from Heavenly Mountain strummed their harps and sang songs of glory and holiness, soothing the allied army’s tense hearts.
With the blaring of a high-pitched horn, the alliance crossbowmen drew their bows and shot dense volleys of arrows across the river.
But the ogre shield bearers and armored ground dragon beasts stood at the front, blocking most of the arrows. Their giant shields and armor were soon covered with a dense forest of arrows.
“Hey ha, hey ha!”
With the continuous rain of arrows, the ogres hoisted the massive bridge from the back of the land dragon beasts onto their shoulders, laboriously raising it upright.
They pushed the logs forward, forming a bridge across the river, connecting both banks.
“Boom!”
A huge sound erupted, and the ground seemed to shake.
Kingdom Bearman Druids raised their magic wands, soft green auroras glowing. Roots sprouted from the ends of the massive bridge, anchoring firmly into the ground on both sides of the river, stabilizing it.
The trunk also widened and flattened, forming a proper bridge.
Throughout this process, the allied army continued shooting arrows but did not advance to stop them.
They were still unclear about the kingdom’s tactics and had no means to prevent such a maneuver. They believed their best attack opportunity would arise when the kingdom’s army crossed the river and charged.
Duke Leo looked gravely at the army across the river, not showing much excitement, and calmly ordered:
“Send the Immortals up front, test their strength.”
After large-scale rebellion from the serfs, players absorbed by the Boske Duchy became the new cannon fodder. Duke Leo “enlightenedly” accepted these unknown entities.
“Their army has become stronger.”
“One must never estimate the Ashen Kingdom by conventional logic.”
Trischka beside him worriedly said: “Yes, Your Grace. That’s what makes the Ashen Kingdom so terrifying.”
“For centuries, we in the North have remained largely unchanged, maintaining stability, but the kingdom is different. This monster continuously absorbs vitality from its surroundings, growing into such a colossal entity in just a few years. As the southern scholars would say… they are constantly evolving.”
Duke Leo said solemnly: “They won’t have a chance to continue because we will win this war.”
“Pass down the order, send the Immortals to the frontline and draw the enemy’s fire.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The herald quickly mounted his horse, raising the battle flag to transmit the order throughout the army.
After all, leading an army of a hundred thousand was something even the battle-hardened Duke Leo had never commanded.
…
“This is the war of the Sword and Magic World that I desire.”
“This is the romance of the battlefield.”
Looking at the distant monster legion, the player nicknamed “Teutonic Knight,” dressed in plate armor, polished his Silver Sword until it gleamed.
Facing the terrifying army of the Ashen Kingdom, there wasn’t a trace of fear on his face, only eager excitement.
Teutonic Knight was an experiential player. He entered “Erezer” to experience the wars of a fantasy world, so he chose Stratholme Fortress instead of the heavily recommended Northwind Castle by many strategy guides, as it better matched his medieval fantasies.
Now, he was the player leader of the alliance camp and had even been knighted by Duke Leo himself, earning the noble title of Honor Knight.
“Great, His Grace has assigned us to the frontline.”
“Everyone, let’s fight those kingdom scum!”
“Chop off the head of that Red Dragon, charge with me!”
The Teutonic Knight mounted his steed, raised his Silver Sword high, and excitedly pointed it toward the enemy army across the river.
This was the kind of war he wanted—fighting against players from the opposing faction. It was so exhilarating!
Under the leadership of the Teutonic Knight, five thousand alliance players charged into the battlefield, becoming tools for both sides to probe each other’s strength.