Chapter 294.
At the same time as my shout, I heard trumpets announcing the start of the war from all around me.
"We did a great job taking down Shellen Fortress. Otherwise, we would have had to deal with hundreds of thousands of troops directly,” Uncle Bloody remarked.
I sat on the edge of the fortress tower and said, "Ayy, we wouldn’t have done something crazy like that. Naturally, we would have retreated and began to use widespread guerilla warfare.”
Of course, if we were to use guerrilla warfare against that great army, it would become a war of attrition. In any case, now that the defense was thoroughly prepared and we had a barrier known as a fortress, it was clear that our situation had greatly improved.
"But you know it’s all thanks to me that we’re able to fight back like this, right?”
Uncle Bloody sat next to me and smiled. "Yes, it’s all thanks to you.”
Shellen Fortress was in a highly favorable defensive position. Located in a deep canyon, the maximum number of people that could attack at once was 50,000 to 70,000. The side path was so rugged that a division-level force was the largest unit that could traverse it. On the other hand, the inside of the fortress was large enough to accommodate up to 100,000 troops. If you looked at the structure of the fortification, it was as if a cliff was carved out to build a fortress.
"But wouldn’t it be a significant problem if our enemies attacked in shifts as we did?"
I admired Uncle Bloody’s concern. "Oh, how did you manage to think of that?"
"Hey, don’t look down on me. I’ve had a lot of experience.”
Certainly, he did serve in the imperial army for almost 15 years. He had served in the imperial army for such a long time that he felt like he wanted to return to his hometown. So, it seems he at least had that much common sense.
"It’s okay. We’re going to rotate our troops when we defend, too."
"Is that possible?”
The reason Malecia was forced into his exhausted state was that the number of troops in the fortress was far smaller than what the fortress could hold. Since they tried to man a huge fortress that could accommodate up to 100,000 people with just over 10,000 people, a gap would be created if even a minuscule amount of troops were removed.
"It’s close, but it’s possible to rotate in two shifts.”
Of course, as the battle continued, the rotation could become messed up due to the increase in wounded soldiers, but that would just have to be resolved by covering the right places with dragon tooth soldiers.
"Then it seems there won’t be a problem. It should be enough to last three days." Uncle Bloody laughed, but our situation wasn’t without problems.
We were running out of supplies, drinking water, to be exact. According to that guy, Malecia, he said he threw away all the drinking water inside the fortress so that we couldn’t utilize it. However, the reality was that he used scorched earth tactics in anticipation of the fortress falling. [1]
Cunning bastard.
"Then, I’ll take a look around." Uncle Bloody stood up and dusted the dirt off his butt.
"Go ahead. If you notice any enemy magicians on your way, please send them a sword aura and properly take care of them."
"All right." Uncle Bloody walked off, waving leisurely.
By the way, we were fine because I could receive drinking water in real-time through my pocket space. Otherwise, we would have died of thirst before the fight even began. The chronic supply problem that arises when you go too deep into the enemy’s territory almost becomes a shackle.
"It’s a good thing I left Percival in the capital."
Looking at the circumstances, Malecia was preparing to take away the disciples of the Curse Specialist before dawn. Yet, this remained just an attempt after I suddenly stormed in, disguised as my father with an illusion. He was not called the Mercenary King for nothing. He knew how to choose the next best tactic if his first choice didn’t work, destroying the enemy in the most efficient manner even if he lost.
"To be specific, rather than it being fortunate that you left the Captain behind, isn’t Commander-in-Chief’s magic a scam?"
I shrugged and answered Caradoc’s playful question as he looked at the battlefield with Horus’s clairvoyance. "It’s all the same. You’re all operating off my magic anyway."
Caradoc smirked. "Hearing it that way, I guess it’s true.”
Then, Caradoc commanded the army while imitating my voice with magic. It was hard to notice unless you looked closely, but the movements of the enemies seemed to be a little off. Caradoc seemed to have seen this and pointed it out, ordering an attack. "It seems that Commander-in-Chief’s self-destructing dummy has led to a large number of enemy commanders being caught in the explosion."
"It seems that way, right? Otherwise, there’s no way the army would be that out of sync.”
The forced self-destruction resulted in an unexpected result. Is this what you call a blessing in disguise? I didn’t really aim for it, but the enemy commander-in-chief must be having a stomach ache.
"It looks like the Space Specialist was forced to show up. Otherwise, he would’ve successfully teleported the self-destructing dragon tooth soldier far away.”
When I spoke with a light smile, Caradoc spoke his opinion seriously. "Or maybe it was to measure the Commander-in-Chief’s exact skill level."
"My skill level?"
"From the point of view of the great madosas, it is better to measure Commander-in-Chief’s power and lose some commanders."
Is this what they mean by if you know yourself and your enemy, you can win every battle? It certainly made sense. However, it would have been too difficult to fully grasp my skills through the dragon tooth soldier. Yet, I couldn’t imagine that the Space Specialist whose self-esteem pierced the sky would risk personal injury to figure me out.
"Hmm, maybe he just wasn’t interested in whether his allies were harmed or not. Or he didn’t know there were commanders nearby.”
"Well, that’s a possibility. After all, magicians are people who don’t know how to take care of their comrades,” Caradoc said.
"Why does it sound like you’re talking to me?"
At my playful question, Caradoc became pale and looked around. "How, how could I? There’s no one who cares more about their comrades than Commander-in-Chief!"
Unfortunately, Gwalchavad was not here. I don’t know what happens when they are reconvened to make even the frigid Caradoc tremble.
I grinned at the relieved Caradoc. "Caradoc, if you say so, then it must be so. Hey! I can see a gap!"
When I pointed, Caradoc moved the soldiers using my magically-generated voice and ordered an attack at the gap. Then, some of the enemy lines collapsed, causing damage to the next unit.
"This is the first time I’ve ever used this kind of fraudulent technique, so I am still not used to it.“
"No, it’s just that your eyes are not used to it. You’re doing well enough.”
Well, who in this world would have a real-time map of people moving around that you can shrink and enlarge with a swipe of the screen?
"Thank you. But Commander-in-Chief, when do you think the enemy’s great madosas will come out?”
I pondered over Caradoc’s question. "Well, maybe tomorrow?"
Caradoc thought about my answer while continuing to command the army for me. "The enemy’s main force is only a few days away. Would the enemy not want to quickly retake this fortress?”
"It’s because they want to recapture the fortress that they aren’t using the great madosas. After all, ’I’m’ in the imperial army.”
Caradoc understood and smiled bitterly. "I see. Certainly, if the great madosas fight with their full power, there will be no fortress left."
"Also, the imperial army has a shield called the fortress while the enemy doesn’t, so they have to be more careful."
The reason why I thought the great madosas would step forward by tomorrow was simple. It was because if the main force of the imperial army arrived and entered the fortress, it would become disadvantageous for them. Thus, it would be better for the enemy to make the fortress obsolete and enter an all-out war.
"There’s no shield...”
Caradoc heard me, and he laughed at the thought of something funny. "Commander-in-Chief, didn’t you use the great demon’s mana stone to create a defense for the fortress?"
"That’s right."
"How long do you think we can withstand the clash of the great madosas?"
"For quite a while. It’s just the body of a great demon that lacked any proper techniques, but it was hard enough to hunt and possessed a great deal of mana...Wait. You’re not!"
When I realized what Caradoc meant, Caradoc smiled insidiously and asked. “Is it possible?”
“Are you crazy? Do you think it’s possible?”
When I expressed my hatred of the idea, Caradoc smacked his lips and said slyly, "It’s a foregone conclusion anyway. Is it really impossible?"
I frowned. "No, your suggestion is the best method at the moment. But it’s too much to launch a preemptive strike on great madosas who are staying still!”
Caradoc sighed at my complaint. "You’re already aware that if the enemy knows the timing of the great madosas’ attacks, they’ll just withdraw, leaving us alone to endure the aftermath."
"Yet, if we buy time, we can join the great madosas who are coming from the rear."
"I’m sure the enemy is expecting that much. I must say that as a staff member, we should avoid hoping that our enemies are fools as much as possible."
As I narrowed my brows, Caradoc looked at the enemy and said, "Commander-in-Chief, you have also said that this plan is indeed ‘the best method we have at the moment."
There was no greater method than to directly teleport the great madosas who were on their way, but one of the enemies was the great madosa, the "Space Specialist.” There was no way that the Space Specialist would sit around doing nothing if we tried to teleport them, so it was better for me to make the first attack at the moment.
"I’ll tell Gwalchavad that you’re driving me to my death.” I sighed and pulled out a magic wand from my pocket space.
"No, no! That’s not fair! Please do not distort my advice!"
"All troops, prepare for impact. It’s been two years since I’ve used full power, so I can’t really control it."
Saying so, I flew high into the sky, leaving the flustered Caradoc behind. The view from the sky was different from the view from the clairvoyance magic.
"Let’s just give a light greeting first! Summon! Giant Golem!”
As my magic wand flowed full of mana, five summoning circles appeared in the air. Five giant golem bodies were dug up from the ground at the collapsed ruins and restored. The golems landed on the ground.
What is the most powerful use of a giant golem? Punching? Stomping? None of them. The most efficient use of their overwhelming weight is:
"Roll!"
At my command, the giant golems began to roll their heavy bodies at the enemy. They weren’t aiming to fight in a limited space nor to concentrate their attacks against a handful of enemies. Hundreds of tons of mass rushing forward were enough on their own. I knew this well because I’d been crushed under it before myself.
"Hahahaha! Roll!"
Enemy knights and magicians fired sword aura and magic to stop the fiercely rolling stone statues ahead, but they could not stop them, leaving only scratches.
However, soon, I clicked my tongue and smiled bitterly. "So you showed up."
Unsurprisingly, I felt a high purity of mana, and my giant golems were shattered along with the space. It was smashed into pieces like a plastic model that my nephew played with on holidays. Tears covered my eyes when I saw my efforts break apart, turning into dust.
"Keuk, they’re worth more than just bait.”
The shadows of two people came out through the remains that I had worked hard to restore.
"Hahahaha! A crazy greeting befitting a disciple of that crazy Alchemy Specialist!"
"I had my guess, but it seems you’re pretty messed up in the head, too."
The Space Specialist and the Curse Specialist looked at me with interest, and each said a word, and I shrugged lightly. "But aren’t you two the same?"
At my question, the two of them nodded and pulled out their magic wands at the same time.
"That’s true."
"Ahahaha! That’s right. Now, let’s see a junior’s talent!"
The Space Specialist, Curse Specialist, and my magic collided intensely.
1. Scorched earth tactics is to destroy anything that might be useful to the enemy.
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