Chapter 226: Chapter 194: Top-Tier Troops
A heavy snow fell from the darkening sky, blanketing everything in sight.
With the arrival of fresh troops from High Cliff Castle, the Wilderness Alliance Army’s relentless attacks were futile.
The line of Beastman Warriors holding the breach were like unfeeling scythes, cutting down attackers in droves no matter how many were sent against them.
The rain of arrows from atop the walls grew even deadlier. Before attackers could even reach the foot of the ramparts, they were pierced clean through, shield and all, by the Human Archers wielding Purple Robe Longbows.
Their terrifying skill in archery would have put even the Elves to shame.
The slaughter raged on for an unknown time until the Vanguards could no longer sustain such losses. No matter how the Battle Commanders screamed at them, no matter how many Auxiliary Soldiers they cut down as an example, nothing could stop the terrified retreat from that man-eating wall.
HUUUUU—
At last, the Wilderness People had no choice but to sound the retreat, their army receding like the tide.
"It’s finally over." Fulina stood beside Levi, watching the Wilderness Alliance Army retreat in an orderly fashion below the wall.
The Wilderness Alliance Army was composed of numerous races. One could find nearly all the common species of the region among them: Pigmen, Lizardmen, Ogres, Minotaurs, Bear Goblins...
’Honestly, if the Lord of High Cliff Castle hadn’t come to our aid when he did, the Wilderness Alliance Army would probably be plundering the Wind Speech Tribe right now.’
What made Fulina happiest was that Baron Levi had also managed to wipe out the enemy’s entire Casting Corps. This meant they could no longer inflict irreparable damage on the walls.
"Mm-hmm," Levi replied distractedly. Anyone could tell the Lord’s eyes were vacant and unfocused; he was clearly in a foul mood.
No one dared to disturb him. After all, this was the formidable man who had led his soldiers to destroy the enemy’s Casting Corps and had single-handedly countered the magic of four of their Casters.
But no one knew that Levi was actually looking at his system panel, a conflicting mix of heartache and elation growing within him.
With the battle over, sixteen Federation Archers and four Beastman Warriors had permanently disappeared from his troop panel.
Disappearing from the panel meant death in the real world. Unless an Archbishop skilled in Resurrection Magic was present, no one could bring them back.
The vast majority of those losses had been sustained while defending the wall.
’It was as if I enraged them,’ he thought. The enemy had thrown wave after wave of attackers at the wall, a relentless black tide. As brave and skilled as the Barbarians were, they weren’t like their Lord. They grew tired, they became exhausted, and were ultimately overwhelmed and killed by an enemy that outnumbered them many times over.
The piles of corpses around them were a testament to their valor in life.
The Lord ordered for the bodies of the twenty fallen High Cliff Castle Warriors to be sealed in Ice Coffins.
’I promised I would bring every man I brought with me back home, and I will not break my word.’
Even in this world, the desire for fallen leaves to return to their roots—to be brought home—was a powerful yearning for most people.
As the only Priest present, Masha chanted a simple eulogy, declaring that the Ice and Snow Goddess would receive the souls of these Warriors and welcome them into her Divine Kingdom.
Though the losses were heavy for a Lord who hated to lose even a single man, his gains did offer some small comfort.
The vast experience accumulated over countless battles had finally reached a tipping point, resulting in High Cliff Castle’s first batch of top-tier system soldiers.
The names of two Tier Six soldier types, Feder Ranger and Beastman Berserker, appeared for the first time on the system’s troop panel.
Logically, since the Beastmen were the first veterans to follow the Lord, it would have been no surprise if they were the first to advance to a top-tier unit, like a slow bird getting a head start.
But reality was the complete opposite. The Feder Commoners, the latest to join High Cliff Castle, had actually surpassed the Beastmen.
There were six top-tier soldiers in total: four Feder Rangers and a mere two Beastman Berserkers.
It was clear that the experience required for a Beastman to become a Berserker was truly extraordinary.
Levi remembered these two promising Berserker candidates well. They had always been among the first to be promoted in the past, and now they had once again far outpaced their comrades in advancing to Berserker.
"Feel any different?"
The Lord asked, sitting with a commanding presence on a makeshift stool of two stacked corpses.
’With my years of gaming experience,’ he mused, ’an unusually difficult promotion usually means the rewards are just as exceptional.’
"We can feel it!" Unlike their newly promoted comrades, who were restless as they tried to control their new power, these two lone Berserkers stood silently in the wind and snow, eyes closed, like ascetic monks who had found enlightenment through hardship.
"Felt what?" Zat asked, picking his nose and rolling his eyes.
Aside from a certain Lord of High Cliff Castle, he hated people who spoke in riddles more than anything.
"A power hidden deep within our bodies... We’ve grown stronger! And..." The two Beastman Berserkers kept their eyes squeezed shut, their faces a vivid picture of bliss.
They snapped their eyes open, but just as they were about to continue their mysterious act, they saw Zat sneering at them, cracking his knuckles.
"Is that so? How’d you two like to be my punching bags for a bit?"
Zat was their direct superior, their Legion Commander, who "personally" conducted their combat training. No one knew the power of his fists better than the Beastman Guard Team of the Burning Corps.
"We were just trying to liven things up," the two Beastman Berserkers said, exchanging a look and laughing awkwardly. "We can’t explain it well. It’s like there’s a new power inside us that feels both familiar and strange... Ah, forget it. It’ll be easier to just show you."
The moment they heard there was a show to watch, a crowd of onlookers gathered in the blink of an eye, surrounding them completely.
Trying to squeeze into the inner circle required a sturdy physique, which was impossible for a scrawny little old man like Sam. He could only jump up and down anxiously at the very edge of the crowd.
In the end, it was Mier who invoked the Lord’s name to get them through, pulling Sam along into the inner circle.
"Shhh."
It was unclear where the two Beastman Warriors had learned it, but they put on an exaggerated show, waving to the surrounding crowd for silence.
Then, they took a deep breath... and just as the crowd held its breath in anticipation, the two of them looked at Zat.
"Legion Commander, why don’t you give each of us a kick?"
"Never heard a request like that before," Zat said with a malicious grin before launching two flying kicks, sending both of them face-planting into the dirt.
Their heads made instant, intimate contact with the ground, leaving nothing but their round rears sticking up in the air.
"Want more?"
"No more... no... more..." The two Beastman Warriors hadn’t even gotten back up, but their voices had distinctly changed. Everyone present realized something was off.
Their eyes all went wide, not wanting to miss a single second of what was to come.
Comments