Chapter 822: The Great Battle of Mountain Beasts (5)
The orc wedge, once so powerful and focused, was now being crushed from all sides. The orcs at the front, still pressing into the troll center, found themselves isolated as their rear lines were hammered by the closing troll flanks. The orcs in the middle, trapped between the hammering blows of the trolls, tried to fight their way free but were met with overwhelming force. The trolls on the right continued to press inward, their axes and maces crashing down with unrelenting brutality, while the trolls on the left thrust their spears forward with deadly precision, pinning the orcs in place.
The orc commander, seeing his forces surrounded, ordered a desperate breakout maneuver. He signaled for the orc cavalry—those who had been held in reserve—to charge into the rear of the troll forces, hoping to break their lines and create an escape route. The orc cavalry, mounted on war boars, thundered across the battlefield, their riders wielding long spears and maces as they crashed into the troll rear. But the troll reserves were ready. They turned to meet the orc cavalry head-on, their shields raised, and their spears bristling in defense. The orc boars slammed into the troll lines, but the trolls held firm, pushing back with sheer brute strength.
Now fully enveloped, the orc forces were in complete disarray. The troll flanks, having successfully closed the trap, continued their advance, squeezing the orcs tighter and tighter into a confined space. The orc wedge was no longer an organized formation but a mass of orc bodies, desperate to break free. The trolls exploited this confusion, cutting down the orcs with systematic, ruthless efficiency.
The troll commander stood tall on a nearby rise, watching as his plan came to fruition. His forces, though battered and bloodied, had executed the Cannae Double Envelopment to perfection. The orcs, caught between the crushing flanks and the reformed center, were now trapped, with nowhere to run and no chance of escape. The battlefield was littered with the bodies of orcs and trolls alike, but the trolls’ discipline and strategy had won the day.
The trolls, now in full control of the battlefield, began to mop up the remaining orc forces. Orc war cries turned to panicked shouts as the last pockets of resistance were systematically destroyed. The trolls, relentless in their pursuit of victory, showed no mercy, cutting down every orc in their path until the battlefield was silent save for the groans of the dying.
The orc commander’s swift counterattack was a bold and decisive move, throwing the trolls’ carefully orchestrated encirclement into disarray. As the troll flanks advanced to close the trap, the orc anvil forces, stationed on the outskirts of the battle, pressed in from the sides, driving their spears and maces into the flanking trolls.
These outer orcs were seasoned veterans, hardened by battle and used to fighting in tight, brutal formations. Their weapons were heavy and crude, but devastating in close-quarters combat. The long spears jabbed out in rapid succession, keeping the trolls at bay, while the heavy maces swung down with bone-crushing force, shattering shields and armor alike. The trolls, caught between their own offensive and the orc’s sudden surge, found themselves trapped in a fierce struggle.
The troll flanks, having committed most of their forces to the envelopment, were now forced to halt their advance. They couldn’t ignore the orcs pressing in from the outer edges, as doing so would leave them vulnerable to being overrun. The troll commanders on the flanks scrambled to adjust, ordering their troops to brace themselves and fight back against the incoming orc forces.
The battlefield became a swirling maelstrom of violence. Troll berserkers, armed with massive axes and war hammers, turned to face the orcs surging in from the sides. They roared in fury as they swung their weapons, smashing into the orcs with brutal force. Orcs were sent flying, their bodies broken by the sheer power of the troll strikes. But the orc anvil forces, driven by their commander’s orders, held firm. They fought with savage tenacity, their wedge formation still pressuring the center of the troll army while the outer orcs kept the trolls’ flanks from fully closing in.
The trolls, still trying to maintain their Cannae Double Envelopment, were now caught in a deadly balancing act. Their center had thinned and was retreating, drawing the orcs deeper, but the flanks, which had been crucial to the trap, were under heavy assault. Every movement of the troll flanks now had to be measured—advance too quickly, and they’d be overwhelmed by the orcs from the outside; hesitate too long, and they’d lose the advantage of their envelopment.
The orc commander saw his plan unfold with grim satisfaction. His forces had turned the trolls’ own strategy against them, using their hammer-like wedge at the center to drive through the trolls’ thin line while the anvil forces on the edges pressed inward, pinning the trolls between two deadly forces. The orc wedge, still at the heart of the battle, continued to push deeper into the troll ranks. Orcs at the front hacked and slashed with abandon, their cleavers and axes biting into troll flesh. The ground was slick with blood, and bodies littered the battlefield, but the orcs kept pressing forward, their savage momentum unstoppable.
At the same time, the outer orc forces, surging from the edges of the battle, continued to hammer into the trolls’ flanks. The trolls, with their attention divided, were forced to fight on two fronts, and their advantage was slowly slipping away. The orcs used their numbers and relentless aggression to grind down the trolls’ defenses. Orc spearmen, quick and nimble, darted in and out of the trolls’ reach, their spears finding weak spots in the trolls’ armor. Orc axemen, hulking and brutal, waded into the fray, swinging their weapons with wild abandon, cleaving through troll shields and armor.
The troll commander, watching the battlefield from his vantage point, could see that the battle was slipping out of his control. His forces were being stretched too thin. The flanking trolls, who were supposed to crush the orcs from the sides, were now locked in a desperate struggle just to hold their ground. The orc anvil forces, relentless and coordinated, continued to press in, threatening to collapse the trolls’ flanks entirely.
But the trolls, despite being pushed back, did not break. The flanks, though under heavy assault, continued to fight with brutal determination. The troll shield-bearers stood firm, their massive shields absorbing blow after blow, while the trolls behind them launched deadly counterattacks. Troll berserkers charged into the orcs with a ferocity that only grew as the battle dragged on, their weapons crashing down with bone-shattering force.
The battle hung in the balance. The troll center, though battered and bloodied, continued to retreat in a controlled manner, drawing the orcs further into the trap. But the orc commander, sensing the danger, ordered his forces to focus their efforts on breaking through the trolls’ flanks before they could complete the envelopment. The orcs at the edges of the battlefield, sensing victory, fought with renewed vigor, driving their weapons into the trolls with savage efficiency.
In the end, the outcome of the battle would be decided by whichever side could break the other’s flanks first. If the trolls could hold out long enough to complete their envelopment, they would crush the orcs in a devastating pincer move. But if the orcs could break through the trolls’ flanks, they would shatter the trolls’ formation and claim victory.
The battle for the center raged on, the fighting now at its most brutal and chaotic. In the heart of the battlefield, the orc wedge had torn through the troll center, but instead of retreating or faltering, the trolls dug in with fierce resolve. Trolls, towering over the orcs with their immense size and strength, swung their massive axes with bone-crushing force, cleaving through armor and bone alike. Their blows were devastating, each one a calculated strike designed to break the orc momentum. Yet, the orcs, fueled by their berserker-like fury, pressed forward without hesitation. They fought with wild abandon, hacking away at the trolls with their cleavers and axes, every orc determined to hold their ground and widen the gap they had created.
The orc wedge, having punched through the thin center of the trolls’ formation, now began to widen its grip. The orc commander, sensing victory within reach, gave the signal for his forces to fan out. Like the jaws of a great beast, the orc wedge expanded outward, crushing the trolls trapped in its path. Orcs at the flanks of the wedge surged forward, hacking and slashing at the trolls from both sides. The trolls, caught in the middle, struggled to defend themselves as they were assaulted from multiple directions. Blood spattered the battlefield as trolls and orcs fell in the melee, bodies piling up as the violence escalated.
At the same time, the orcs from the outer flanks—the anvil—continued their relentless assault. These orcs, who had previously been held in reserve, now surged inward, their heavy weapons smashing into the troll flanks. The trolls, already stretched thin from attempting their double envelopment, found themselves under assault from all sides. The anvil orcs drove their maces and spears into the trolls’ exposed sides, seeking to collapse the troll flanks entirely. The once-disciplined troll lines began to show cracks as the orc forces poured in, creating chaos and confusion in the troll ranks.
