Chapter 206: Chapter 175: Bloody Battle at Thermopylae 5
The arrow that had just struck General Wood was one he had fired.
Orosen had only meant to test if he could actually harm these Beastmen with their battle auras. As it turned out, he had succeeded, performing a great feat with his unparalleled marksmanship.
Orosen had no time to get excited or dwell on this realization. He immediately looked around at the Frankish Border Watchers—the Archers.
Seeing this, the other Frankish Border Watchers immediately leveled their bows and crossbows, aiming at the Beastmen Extraordinary Infantry that were charging over the wall.
Witnessing their commander’s grievous state, the Beastmen Extraordinary Infantry didn’t fall for the same trick again. They all raised their blades to shield their eyes. Quite a few, confident in their skills, tried to parry the crossbow bolts with their weapons.
Unfortunately, skill was one thing, but overconfidence was another. The distance between them was barely two or three meters.
For a Beastman, this was a distance of a mere two or three steps. However, this squad of Beastmen Extraordinary Infantry had just scrambled onto the wall. The moment they arrived, they saw their commander on the ground clutching at his eye, leaving them no time to press the attack.
With the exception of a few incredibly lucky ones, those who dared to pit their blades against the marksmanship of the Frankish Border Watchers met a grisly end. One of them, a Bronze Second Tier, was caught off guard and took a bolt straight to the forehead.
"AHH!"
"My eye! AHH!"
The cries belonged to two more Beastmen who had just crested the wall.
"Spears! Aim for the Beastmen’s abdomens!" Orosen commanded.
Even without Orosen’s command, many human Soldiers were already prepared. The transition between the two units was nearly seamless.
No one had taught them to aim for the abdomen, but they seemed to know it instinctively.
To effectively harm an Extraordinary, the abdomen was one of the best targets.
Before reaching the Silver Tier, an Extraordinary’s battle aura is finite. They typically concentrate it on their head, chest, and other vital areas...
For them, as long as a blow wasn’t instantly fatal, there was a chance of survival.
"I... I can’t get through!" Hans thrust his spear toward a Beastman’s abdomen, but it felt like striking a Stone. The spear, which had been blessed by a Mage, simply slid off the Beastman’s body!
Hans didn’t understand that there were distinctions among Extraordinary Lords. This second wave of Beastmen, aside from that one Bronze, were nearly all Silver Tier.
Such tactics were ineffective against them.
"Idiot! Face forward!" Captain Jason roared, seeing Hans turn his head as if looking for guidance.
Hans’s blood ran cold. In his panic, he had committed a cardinal sin of combat: never take your eyes off the enemy.
Hans felt his feet slip out from under him, and he toppled backward. At that exact moment, a massive axe swung through the space where his head had been, cleaving through empty air.
It was Jack. He had reacted in a flash, knocking Hans down with a leg sweep.
Hans’s mind went blank for a second before he realized he had just been saved.
"Fourth squad, break formation! Scatter!
Second and third, move up!"
The human spears couldn’t breach the Beastmen’s defenses, and Orosen’s archers couldn’t possibly reload in time. The Beastmen weren’t about to give them the chance.
"For the Empire! Charge!"
At that moment, Wood endured the searing pain and ripped the crossbow bolt from his eye. He immediately channeled his battle aura to protect the wound.
One had to marvel at the incredible vitality of an Extraordinary. Even with an eye destroyed, he could just rip out the bolt on the spot and immediately throw himself back into the fight.
At this moment, it was as if the legendary heroes from Robson’s previous life had been made real.
The human Soldiers were, in the end, just ordinary men. No matter how elite their training, they couldn’t possibly stand against a true Silver-Tier Extraordinary.
Wood charged, cutting down a human with his scimitar. In response, an even larger human Shield Array formed before him.
The human archers tried their old trick again. Wood simply raised his right arm, using it and his scimitar to shield his face as he charged straight ahead.
"Break formation! For Lord Robson! Give them everything you’ve got!"
A steady stream of Beastmen Extraordinary Infantry was now pouring over the wall, including many axe-wielding brutes. It was clear the human Shield Array was no longer effective.
Orosen decisively raised his Long Sword, signaling them all to charge. ’In a situation like this, you have to shout something.’
’The King is too far away, and the Lord of Dawn too ethereal.’ After a moment’s thought, Orosen simply roared, "For Lord Robson!"
This was a true reflection of most armies raised from Peasants: they fought for their Lord.
The effect was immediate. Robson’s authority within the army was absolute.
No matter the time or place, the most important things are always power and money.
For the low-ranking Non-commissioned Officers, it was Robson who had given them the chance to rise. The sole source of their authority was Lord Robson’s recognition.
Even when they gave their all to pass the selection trials, Robson’s messaging framed it as nothing more than an effort to gain his personal approval.
The so-called Officer selection process, under Robson’s messaging, was designed with one purpose: to use one’s strength to earn the recognition of Lord Robson himself. That recognition was everything.
It sounded completely autocratic, even tyrannical, but in this world, giving Peasants a chance to rise through the ranks could be considered a form of liberation, or even democracy.
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