Free Web NovelChapter 59: Chapter 50: Gnolls! The Half-Beastmen’s Second Offensive
Claude and his men quickly cleaned up the battlefield. The serfs killed by the Supervision Team and the Goat-men were cremated on the spot. All the relatively intact heads of the Goat-men were chopped off and taken away.
Those Wolf-toothed Short Rods and wooden shields were all gifted to the serfs, which made those who had participated in the battle ecstatic.
The other serfs who hadn’t fought were thankful for their luck. Fortunately, the Goat-men hadn’t been numerous, or they too would have had to go up and withstand the first wave.
They were normally just farmers and had no idea how to fight. Even butchering a pig made them tremble, let alone fighting Half-Beastmen. Now, seeing the heads of the Goat-men piled together, they all felt a chill run down their spines.
The dead Crossbowmen were also cremated on the spot. There weren’t even urns for their ashes; everyone could only observe a moment of silence for a bit of ceremony. The equipment they left behind was naturally reclaimed by the nobles they served.
Soon, a strange sound suddenly came from the distant north. Henry’s heart tightened. It was a Signal Arrow, a technique the Empire had adopted after conquering the grasslands, used to quickly relay military intelligence during battle.
Henry immediately shouted, "Attention! Stay alert!"
The soldiers scrambled into action, tightening their grips on their weapons and scanning their surroundings.
The serfs, now with a few more weapons and shields, were once again gathered. They numbly formed a dense line at the very front. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
The New Recruit Team and the Elite Senior Infantry Team formed a hollow square with the archers and Crossbowmen inside. This would allow them to retreat after firing without preventing the infantry from quickly forming a dense Shield Array.
Bain took the Cavalry and set out in advance this time. He had to achieve something, or else it would look like he had just come along for a stroll.
A moment later, a group of Black Shadows gradually appeared in the distance. The newcomers were a force of Gnolls, sweeping in like a whirlwind with astonishing momentum. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
These Gnolls wore a layer of crude iron armor that only protected their chests and waists. Skulls of unknown creatures hung from their hips as they charged, brandishing iron weapons and hide-covered square shields.
There were also some Gnolls carrying Javelins. Baring their fangs, they looked no different from wild beasts.
Henry’s eyes narrowed. He knew this battle had only just begun...
’Wait, this direction... Fass...’
With no time to think, Henry pulled his Heavy Scale Armor with Chain Liner from the wagon holding his personal belongings and had a few new recruits quickly help him put it on.
Henry was counting on his great strength and high Endurance. Besides, he’d learned from experience that the experience points gained from killing an enemy personally were far greater than those gained when his army made the kill.
Therefore, Henry preferred to fight personally.
However, that didn’t mean Henry was an idiot. His prerequisite for fighting on the front lines was that his personal armor had to be sufficient; his own safety was the top priority.
Lord Henry’s Wisdom attribute was as high as 19, roughly equivalent to that of a scholar!
Henry stood on a wagon to observe from a distance. There were no fewer than eight hundred Gnolls, and their quality was far superior to the Goat-men from before.
’Something isn’t right. Why are the Eighth and Ninth Legions advancing so frantically, yet the Half-Beastmen are targeting the Private Armies of us nobles instead?’
On the other side, Philip reluctantly commanded the ranged troops once again. The archers and Crossbowmen were arrayed in neat rows. They drew their bowstrings and fired a long-distance volley at the Gnolls.
At Philip’s command, more than two hundred sharp arrows rained down on the Gnolls.
Although the Gnolls were ferocious, they still suffered casualties under the dense shower of arrows. Some were hit in places unprotected by their iron armor and fell to the ground, writhing in agony.
Other Gnolls, unafraid of the pain, only charged forward more frantically after being hit.
During their charge, the Gnolls equipped with Javelins threw them in retaliation.
The Javelins traced arcs through the air, accurately striking many serfs. The serfs fell with terrified screams, their blood dyeing the earth red.
The Javelin, a superweapon on the battlefield. In the hands of someone with great strength, it could even send an enemy flying.
The Gnolls’ sudden attack caused a commotion. The serfs began to flee in a panic, and the Supervision Team rushed forward to suppress them, cutting down more than a dozen before the rest calmed down.
Their fear and chaos gave the Gnolls the advantage. After two volleys from the archers and Crossbowmen and one round of direct fire at close range, the Gnolls charged into the crowd and began to slaughter the serfs.
The battlefield was in chaos. The archers and Crossbowmen continued to fire, but their attacks could no longer stop the Gnolls’ charge, even after having taken out more than a hundred of them before the lines met.
As for the serfs killed by the Gnoll Javelins? Well...
The Gnolls tore through the serfs’ ranks like a tide and engaged them in close combat.
The battle became exceptionally fierce, and the serfs began to fight desperately for their lives.
Seeing this, Mace immediately led his Personal Guard into the fray. Wielding Long Swords and shields, they engaged the Gnolls in a life-or-death struggle.
Mace was agile and his Swordsmanship was masterful. His fifteen-man Personal Guard was no less impressive, coordinating closely and working together to fend off the Gnolls’ assault.
One could only say that Mace was a proper Sword Nobility! He wasn’t just a good student on the training grounds, as John had worried.
However, the Gnolls were numerous and incredibly ferocious. They continuously battered the serfs’ defensive line, and the New Recruit Team was already preparing to join the battle.
Just then, the Cavalry unit led by Bain charged out from the flank, descending upon the Gnolls’ rear like a tiger pouncing down a mountain.
The thundering hooves of more than ten Heavy Cavalrymen and eighty Grassland Warriors kicked up the snow, raising clouds of white mist.
SQUELCH!
Wielding Henry’s old iron Riding Spear and aided by the speed of his warhorse, Bain skewered two Gnolls at once.
The veins on Bain’s neck bulged as he roared, flinging the two corpses off his Riding Spear. The effort took nearly half his strength, and his entire right arm and shoulder burned with searing pain. This was completely different from the difficulty of Riding Spear training at the stables.
The Heavy Cavalrymen all couched their lances and smashed straight through the Gnolls’ rear, killing dozens by spearing them with their Riding Spears or trampling them under their warhorses.
The Grassland Warriors, meanwhile, easily sliced open the Gnolls’ necks and arms with their scimitars, letting out cruel laughter. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the Bandits had taken to the field.
However, a few of the Grassland Warriors were unlucky. Some had their horses’ legs chopped out from under them; half-dead from the fall alone, they were quickly surrounded and finished off by the Gnolls.
Others were struck by Gnoll Javelins and knocked dead straight from their saddles.
All in all, Bain’s charge disrupted the Gnolls’ offensive rhythm and gave the serfs a chance to breathe.
Vasco seized the opportunity, organizing the New Recruit Team to launch a counter-attack, aiming to encircle and annihilate the enemy.
Using their shields for cover, they advanced step by step, engaging the Gnolls in close-quarters slaughter.
Henry put down his Execution Axe, switched to his Two-Handed Greatsword, and led the Elite Senior Infantry Team in a charge toward the Gnolls.
