VOLUME 3: CHAPTER 168 – WAR AT THE WESTERN CAPITAL II (1/2)
The Goblin King led the goblins to try and surround Sivara’s army.
He decided to do that because he saw how small Sivara’s army was. Unlike the other battles, this time the time was on the humans’ side.
With the reinforcements coming from the capital, the impending comeback of Gowen, and the fact that the goblins have already taken over a portion of the human kingdom, it was hard to imagine how the countries of the continent would react.
The odds were low, but there was a chance that they might unify to fight off the goblin threat.
Looking at it long term, the goblins may have the advantage when it comes to raising soldiers, but there were too many people in the human side who could overturn the difference in army strength.
For all those reasons, the Goblin King decided to attack swiftly. He ordered Gi Jii Yubu and Rashka of Gaidga to advance. At the same time, he ordered the Paradua and the demihumans at the flanks to also advance.
They didn’t have the time to wait for the detached force that attacked the colonial city.
“Attack! Let these humans know they are no longer the strongest!”
The goblins and the demihumans answered to the king’s call, the elves also fought fiercer.
The battle demon, Gi Jii’s army, which was attacking from the front, could allow the Gaidga to exhibit their full strength when they lined up their spears evenly with the soldiers in front. Like that they overpowered the human soldiers that tried to defend with their shields.
As the human forces were gradually pushed back, the Goblin King finally felt some resistance.
The way the battle was progressing, the goblin army would end up pushing the human army into the city walls. At that point, the human army shouldn’t be able to keep its formation.
Moreover, with the swift Paradua and demihuman armies attacking from the flanks, the humans will quickly find themselves strangled.
There was no need to fear the enemy’s archers, as the druids and the elves at the back made sure they were no threat.
“We should win if we keep this up, but…” The Goblin King muttered to himself as he watched the enemy army.
Complacency is forbidden.
Human persistence and tactics was not something the goblins could match.
“Don’t hold back! Finish the enemy!”
Though the war raged feverously, the Goblin King calmly encouraged his soldiers and waited for an opportunity to enter the fray.
◇◆◇
The southern army led by Sivara that was being one-sidedly pushed back was now gradually trying to change their formation as they defended.
The knights positioned at the center split into three groups to deal with the nimble enemies attacking from the flanks.
The archers waiting at the back had their hands full defending against the enemy mages, but that wasn’t a problem. After all, from another perspective, the enemy mages essentially had their hands full suppressing the archers, so it could be said that the archers were doing their job well.
Sivara was paying careful attention to the time since the beacon was lit.
The success of his plan depended on it.
“The goblins really are better than we expected.”
Sivara had his aide order the infantry to gradually pull back. They had already expected the battle to progress like this since the war council.
Since they expected it, naturally they had a way to deal with it.
Sivara ordered the soldiers to conserve their strength, but the goblins’ commander was a lot more annoying than they expected.
If they were only blindly attacking, they wouldn’t be a match for the human army, but the fact that they could not just think but also fight with discipline put the physically weaker humans at a disadvantage.
The difference in individual strength between the nameless soldiers weighed heavily on Sivara’s shoulders.
“…They sure are hurrying.”
Sivara smiled as he ordered the infantry to pull back even more.
Any more than this and they will be hitting the city walls. At that, their formation will surely crumble.
The city walls were indeed short, but they were still as high as a human adult’s shoulders.
If the archers positioned at the back were to lose their focus, the enemy arrows will come raining down.
Sivara, who could no longer pull back, drew cold sweat as he looked toward the back of the goblin forces.
Hopeful, he looked toward the distance, and when he saw clouds of dust moving, he called out.
“Messenger! Tell the infantry to open up!!”
As Sivara swung the halberd in his hands, a gust of wind brushed his golden hair.
At Sivara’s behest, the human soldiers that have been holding back until now have finally started to push back against the goblins.
They moved from the center to the flanks, forming a figure like the 八 (hachi/eight) character.
When Sivara saw that they were ready, he called out once more.
“The time has come! Tear these goblins into pieces!” Sivara said as he swung his halberd.
The cavalry that fought at the flanks remained where they were, while the elite cavalry had been waiting at the center all this time. They were few in number, but they were handpicked by Sivara himself, the elite of the elite southern army.
“Clear the way for Lord Sivara! Push back the goblins!”
“OU! OU!”
The infantry platoon commanders moved from the center to the flanks and pushed against the goblins there. They had not merely been defending all this time, they also aimed for the boundary line between Gi Jii’s army and the Gaidga, concentrating their attacks there.
As the reserves waiting at the back entered the fray, the center finally opened up just as Sivara had intended.
Try as one might to assume a length and width formation, in the end, there was bound to be some gaps between allies.
Looking from above, the formation the Goblin King had laid out might look like a standard length and width formation, but if one looked from the center, it looked more like a split.
“Assault team, after me! Let us claim the Goblin King’s head and bring peace to these lands!”
As Sivara whipped his happy lion, it bolted forward and shook the earth. The steeds of the cavalry that followed from behind were indeed inferior to the happy lion, but they were also amazing specimens in their own right.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
The assault team that followed from behind shouted as they moved.
“Ku… My liege!?”
“Bastards!”
Gi Jii cried out while Rashka grit his teeth as they watched the humans pull off an almost miraculous turnover that allows them to immediately penetrate the center.
With goblins in the way, they were both powerless to stop Sivara.
Sivara easily pushed through the goblins in front of him.
He would swing his halberd, sending goblins flying through the air, and the happy lion would crush them underfoot.
As Sivara opened a hole, the cavalry following from behind sought to expand it.
“Stop him! Imperial guards, after me!”
It was the knight-class goblin, Gi Ga Rax, who stood before Sivara. He ordered the imperial guards, who prided themselves as the wounded ones, to turn around and clash against Sivara’s cavalry.
“We’ll force our way through! Scatter them!”
As Gi Ga and Sivara passed each other, spear and halberd crossed, giving rise to sparks.
“Tch!”
It was Gi Ga who clicked his tongue.
Sivara did not slow down in the slightest as he rode to claim the Goblin King.
Gi Ga tried to turn around, but unfortunately, the spears of the cavalry were there to greet him.
Somehow, he managed to dodge them and regain his footing, but Sivara had already left him in the dust.
The Goblin King was now within his reach.
“Arrgh!!!”
Gi Ga led the imperial guards and chased after Sivara.
The threat had already reached the back by the time they noticed the change at the frontlines.
“Goblin!”
“Bastard!”
Sparks erupted as the two great swords clashed, black flames and lightning dancing into their surroundings.
Gulland’s army of approximately 100 had taken the goblins by surprise. Sivara lit the beacon and endured until now all for the sake of making Gulland’s surprise attack a success.
The harpies didn’t see them coming due to the camouflage they wore that blended their body with the grass and the trees. By the time they did notice them, it was already too late.
Gulland and his men attacked fiercely to clear themselves of the shame of their previous defeat.
The Goblin King had already noticed the change in the frontlines, but they needed to deal with Gulland, or the entire army would fall, so he fought Gulland’s army with the elves.
“Gi Za support the frontlines! Felbi, engage them in close combat!”
“Understood! Back row, swords at the ready! Front row, shoot the enemy while pulling back!”
Felbi happily had the elves draw their sword and shield, then he had the elves form two lines as they worked with the rear platoon fight the humans.
“Go to hell, human!”
“Get lost, fake human!”
The humans of the northern army and the elves cursed each other as they fought. The humans fought fiercely, but the elves were inferior neither in morale nor equipment.
As the battle grew fierce, Gi Ji Arsil came back from the front. He had led his platoon of assassins through the gaps between the other platoons to return.
“Don’t let the humans near the king!”
The battle at the back was a mess. The humans took the goblins by surprise, but Gi Ji Arsil was able to sense that the king was in danger, so he brought his platoon back. He jumped with his men in between the elves and the humans to pierce the humans’ throats.
Due to that, however, the bleeding of the length and width formation that the king had set up did not stop. Gi Za’s support alone was not enough to stop it.
The battle of the elves, goblins, and humans spread with the Goblin King and Gulland fighting at the center.
While the Goblin King crossed swords with Gulland, the goblins that were taken aback from the humans’ sudden attack finally started to recover themselves.
But it was then that Sivara led his assault team and joined the already chaotic battle.
“Found him! Kill that goblin!”
Sivara raised his halberd toward the Goblin King, who was locked in a duel with Gulland.
The Goblin King’s figure as he swung Zweihander and gradually pushed back the holy knight was truly deserving of the title, Enemy of Humanity.
“Nu!?”
At the last moment, a chill crawled up the Goblin King’s neck, forcing him to twist his body.
As soon as he did, a wind blew past his cheeks and a giant black shadow passed him by.
“You sure are having a hard time, Gulland!”
Gulland clicked his tongue when he saw Sivara enter the fray on his happy lion, then he fixed his grip on his Blue Thunder.
“Tch, I’d say you’re in the way, but this isn’t the time. Let’s do this! This monster’s a tough one!”
“Ha ha, a fight with the great hero. It’s an honor!”
Sivara and Gulland stood before the Goblin King, while the cavalry ran straight for him from behind.
Suddenly, the Goblin King turned his back on the two holy knights and faced the oncoming cavalry. He thrust Zweihander into the ground as he pulled out Flamberge.
“Enchant!”
He used Third Chant with Flowing Magic Control and gathered the ether within his body onto his great sword.
“Don’t let him run!”
“Not good, he’s up to something!”
“Leave it to us, Lord Sivara!”
The Goblin King listened to the two holy knights behind him while he swung his great sword from his shoulder. The approaching cavalry was close enough for him to see their faces.
As he stepped in, he used the strength of his whole body.
As he bellowed out a howl toward Sivara’s assault team, he released the gathered ether.
“GURUuuuAAAAaa!!”
A slash formed from that colossal black flame shot forth through the air, and in an instant, the cavalry in front of him was split in two. The cavalry following from behind that were caught up in the attack were furious.
“Shit!”
When Sivara saw the resulting disaster from that one attack, he couldn’t help but cuss out with shaking voice.
He watched as the Goblin King continued to move.
As the Goblin King brought Flamberge back to its hilt, he pulled Zweihander out of the ground and scooped up from below with it at the approaching cavalry.
Then with one blow each, the Goblin King tore one cavalry after another, splitting both horse and rider in half.
“Dodge him and run past him!! Kill the other goblins instead!” Sivara screamed while Gulland clicked his tongue. “Enough! You will harm my soldiers no more!”
Sivara rode with his happy lion and attacked the Goblin King.
The sharpness of his halberd as he swung it from atop his mount was comparable to that of Gulland’s attacks, but the Goblin King’s great sword was as long as a human’s spear.
The Goblin King clearly had the upper hand in physical strength. He managed to pushed back Sivara, but then Gulland jumped in the moment he saw an opening.
Facing the fierce attacks of the two holy knights alone, even the Goblin King had no choice but to take a step back.
“Thanks, Gulland…”
“Let’s do it together, alright!?”
As Sivara regained his calm upon hearing Gulland’s voice, he nodded
The initiative now belonged to the two holy knights.
Gulland stepped in and swung his great sword, and the Goblin King met his blade, but this time, Sivara was also present.
Sivara swung his halberd and aimed for the Goblin King’s neck. If that attack of his hit, he would undoubtedly take the king’s head.
The Goblin King had no choice but to retreat.
“Astaroth!”
“Ku… Enchant!”
The moment the king retreated, Gulland cast his lightning spell toward the king.
The Goblin King’s black flames canceled his attack out, but behind the clouds of dust that had been stirred was Sivara rushing in with his halberd.
The Goblin King dodged his attack by a hair’s breadth and parried the tip of his halberd with his great sword, but before the Goblin King could begin his counter attack, Gulland stepped in and came to view.
The Goblin King had no choice but to bring his great sword back to defend.
As the two great swords locked once more, sparks erupted as black flames dancing with lightning scattered into their surroundings.
The Goblin King was clearly being pushed back by the two holy knights.
As they separated, Gulland attacked once more. There wasn’t a big difference in strength between Gulland and the king when it came to a fight with swords.
As the king crossed swords with Gulland both near and far, Sivara came and swung his halberd. That heavy and sharp attack sent by Sivara from atop his steed was truly like that of the death god’s scythe.
If the Goblin King were to receive that attack poorly, he would surely leave an opening.
Somehow, the Goblin King managed to send a proper reply, but the happy lion dodged his reply and it was able to protect its master.
Sivara, who was able to tame this happy lion, was indeed deserving of praise. After all, his combination with his steed was able to drive the king this far.
The two holy knights saw a ray of hope.
But just when they thought they could finally stand against the Goblin King, another change occurred on the battlefield.
“Lord Sivara, there’s a cloud of dust moving from the west!”
The cavalry were caught in their own battles, but one of them came back to inform Sivara. For a moment, everyone glanced toward the west.
Reflected on the king’s vision was the mad lion, Gi Zu Ruo, and the unmistakable new Gi Go Amatsuki.
“To the king! Kill those humans!”
As Gi Zu Ruo swung his spear and cried out, the goblins following from behind cried back and leaped for Sivara’s assault team.
When Sivara and Gulland saw that, they glanced at each other.
“…Fuck!!”
“All forces are to move south.”
They knew continuing this battle any further was meaningless.
“But before that!”
Gulland raised his great sword toward the heavens.
The Goblin King sensed that a powerful attack was coming, so he took a stepped forward, but Sivara’s halberd stopped him in his tracks.
“Barbatos!”
A storm of blades gathered and formed a whirlpool, then in the next instant, it came flying for the Goblin King.
The Goblin King defended with his great sword, but by time the attack ceased, the two holy knights were already far away.
That was because there were many soldiers between the Goblin King and the two holy knights.
After the goblins’ formation was broken through, the humans kept attacking without giving them a single moment of reprieve. In the end, the archers, the spearmen, and the cavalry were even able to retreat.
The Goblin King glared at the two holy knights as they ran away, wondering what choice he should make. He decided to rescue the majority of the goblins.
“The humans have retreated! Only a few are left! Drive them away!!”
“Your Majesty!”
Gi Zu and Gi Go, who failed to defend the center, appeared before the king.
“Our deepest—”
“You two occupy the western capital!”
Gi Zu wanted to apologize, but the king spoke before he could finish.
“The battle isn’t over just yet! If you want to apologize, do it with an achievement!”
“A-As you will!”
Gi Zu deeply bowed as he replied to the king in an almost shouting voice, then as he rebuked his subordinates, he crushed the remaining humans forces at the center.
The Goblin King turned his gaze to Gi Go Amatsuki, who was now a duke class.
The aura of the strong now exuded from him.
“Your Majesty…”
But that strong goblin bowed his head like a sinner seeking pardon, kneeling like a man on death row.
“You’ve returned. Well done!”
“I have, Your Majesty…”
Behind Gi Go were the soldiers sent by the yugushiva tribe. They were few in numbers, but they oozed killing intent from their masked faces. They quietly stood there waiting for orders.
“You have gained much, it seems.”
“This is all yours, Your Majesty… At long last, I can finally swing my sword in your name!”
“I shall accept that sword,” the Goblin King said. “I have yet to receive the head of the western feudal lord. Plunder it! On this moment, I hereby free you from your oath to spare!”
Gi Go quietly stood back up.
In his eyes burned a desire to fight unlike any before.