Chapter 840: The Great Battle of Mountain Beasts (20)
Seeing the orcs forming a rigid shield wall, Findir quickly assessed the situation. His makeshift army, though less equipped, had flexibility and speed on their side. He ordered his front-line fighters to fall back just enough to draw the berserkers and shield bearers slightly forward, breaking their formation’s cohesion.
With the orcs overextending, Findir signaled his units to split into smaller, mobile groups, spreading out along both flanks. Freed slaves armed with spears, swords, and clubs swarmed around the edges of the orc formation, probing for gaps between the shield bearers. The orcs, forced to stretch their defenses to cover more ground, lost some of their defensive integrity, creating exploitable gaps in their shield line.
As Findir’s troops pressed in from the sides, they began targeting the shield bearers’ unguarded flanks. Groups of spear-wielders, adept at close-quarters fighting, moved with calculated precision, slipping between the gaps in the shield wall and thrusting upward to bypass the shields and strike at vulnerable spots. Some swung their makeshift clubs low, smashing into orc legs to destabilize them.
The orc shield bearers attempted to readjust, turning to face the incoming flanking attacks. However, this left the berserkers at the center vulnerable, lacking the support of the shield wall. Findir’s forces quickly closed in around the isolated berserkers, forcing the orc elites into a brutal close-quarters melee where the freed slaves could overwhelm them through sheer numbers.
Realizing that the orc formation was beginning to fragment, Findir issued a final command for his forces to press forward from all sides. His soldiers surged, hammering at the shield wall with relentless determination. Under the constant pressure from all sides, the orcs’ shield wall finally buckled, and the freed slaves poured into the breaches, each pocket of fighters attacking the orcs from multiple directions.
The orc commander, seeing the situation deteriorate, attempted to rally his forces, but it was too late. With Findir’s troops breaking through the defenses and cutting down the remaining shield bearers and berserkers, the orc formation lost all cohesion. The freed slaves, now fully encircling the orcs, pressed in with merciless intensity, taking advantage of the chaos to bring down any orc in their path.
As Findir’s archers took their positions, they wasted no time in releasing a barrage of arrows upon the tightly-packed orc center. Arrows rained down in deadly arcs, striking into the core of the orc forces where their defenses were weakest. The orcs, caught off guard by the sudden onslaught, scrambled for cover. Some raised shields overhead in an attempt to ward off the arrows, while others moved erratically, throwing their formation into disarray as they tried to evade the deadly storm.
With each volley, the archers adjusted their aim, ensuring the densest clusters of orcs bore the brunt of the attack. The continuous barrage forced the orc soldiers inward, compressing their ranks and creating pockets of vulnerability throughout the formation. This disruption provided the opening Findir needed to initiate his next decisive move.
Seizing the opportunity, Findir signaled to his spear-wielders, who had been waiting on standby for this very moment. These agile fighters moved swiftly, advancing on the gaps in the orc lines caused by the archer barrage. With shields braced and spears thrust forward, they surged into the weakened sections, jabbing into any exposed orc in their path. This forceful entry further widened the breaches in the orc defenses, fracturing their formation and dividing them into isolated clusters.
Executing a hammer-and-anvil strategy, the spear-wielders struck relentlessly, pushing the orcs back into the main force behind them, where Findir’s front line advanced with shields, axes, and clubs. The orcs, unable to regroup and caught between two fronts, found themselves trapped in a vice-like grip with nowhere to maneuver.
Desperate to avoid annihilation, the orcs attempted to pivot, trying to fight both forward against the main army and backward against the spear-wielders bearing down on them. Their commander called for a regroup, shouting orders for his soldiers to form a defensive line, but chaos reigned. Many orcs, forced to split their attention between the two fronts, began to falter, their defensive cohesion unraveling.
The center cluster, now the most vulnerable, bore the full brunt of Findir’s relentless assault. Spear-wielders jabbed through the remaining gaps, while the main force crushed forward with unyielding pressure, overwhelming the orcs’ defenses. Surrounded and stretched thin, the orc warriors were forced into a desperate stand, unable to mount an effective counterattack.
As Findir’s units tightened their grip, the orcs’ lines crumbled entirely. Spear-wielders continued pressing from the rear, driving the orcs forward into the main army, which advanced with renewed vigor. The encirclement was complete; the orcs, with no escape route and no reinforcement, could only watch as the combined forces closed in from all sides. The once-disciplined orc ranks devolved into pockets of desperate resistance, isolated and steadily crushed.
Realizing their fate, the orc commander called his remaining troops into a tight, defensive circle—a final, desperate stand. Spears bristled outward, forming a spiked wall, while orcs behind the front line raised their shields high, creating a compact and intimidating bulwark. With shields locked and a steadfast determination to make their last stand count, the orcs braced themselves as Findir’s makeshift army encircled them, relentless and unyielding.
Findir positioned himself at the front, leading his soldiers in a central push against the orc stronghold. His voice boomed over the clash of metal, rallying his freed fighters with words of victory and freedom within their reach. He directed their formation in calculated waves, pressing the assault from multiple angles to apply constant, overwhelming pressure on the orcs. With each charge, his forces inched closer, driving spears and weapons into the orc circle, testing its resilience and weakening its edges.
The freed slaves, hardened by years of suffering and now empowered by the will to fight, slammed against the orc circle with relentless force. Spears darted into gaps in the shield wall, and hammers struck with crushing power. For every step back the orcs took, Findir’s forces advanced another, unyielding. The orcs fought back with fierce jabs through gaps in the shield wall, piercing some of Findir’s troops, but the freed soldiers pressed on, the determination in their eyes refusing to falter.
Finally, under the weight of Findir’s continued pressure and the sheer number of attackers, the orc defensive circle began to splinter. Findir’s soldiers exploited any widening gap, driving their spears and axes into the orc defenders. Once a small breach was made, Findir himself seized the opening, hacking through with his own weapon, widening it further. His troops flooded in, breaking the orcs’ shield line from within, and the circle collapsed completely.
As Findir’s forces tightened their grip, they pushed the orcs forward with relentless force, driving them directly into the well-organized main ranks that waited to strike. The orc formation, once a bastion of disciplined strength, now buckled under the combined might of spear-wielders advancing from the rear and the main army closing in from the front. The strategic encirclement was flawless; trapped within the tightening ring, the orcs faced the grim reality of their imminent defeat, their once-disciplined ranks devolving into isolated pockets of panicked resistance.
Desperate to resist, small orc clusters broke off, attempting to mount last stands, but these groups were quickly identified and overwhelmed by Findir’s tactical units. Under Findir’s sharp direction, the spear-wielders at the rear maintained pressure, steadily driving the orcs forward, while specialized strike teams within the main army seized every opening. They attacked with precision and discipline, cutting down isolated orcs with practiced efficiency. Each pocket of resistance was swiftly contained and neutralized, leaving the orc defenders outmaneuvered and unable to regroup.
Realizing the futility of their position, some of the remaining orcs dropped their weapons and surrendered, while others attempted to fight to the end, only to be cut down as Findir’s soldiers closed in. The battlefield became a chaotic scene of final clashes as Findir’s forces moved with a relentless rhythm, clearing one sector of orcs after another. Within minutes, any remaining orc resistance was silenced, leaving the freed slave army in complete control.
As the last orc fell, the battlefield settled into an intense silence, broken only by the victorious shouts of Findir’s army. Having overcome both superior training and numbers, the freed fighters had proven their strength and resolve. The ground was littered with the remnants of the orc force, testament to the tactical prowess and unwavering tenacity that defined Findir’s leadership. The victory marked a critical turning point in the larger conflict, solidifying the power of the freed forces and inspiring them to press forward, their morale bolstered by their newfound strength and purpose.
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On the opposite end of the battlefield, amidst the chaos of war, the Troll King and the Orc King faced each other, their armies clashing around them like thunderous storms. The air was thick with the scent of blood and the roar of combat, but the two monarchs remained locked in their duel, both formidable figures radiating an aura of raw power.
