Night of the Soulless Heathens – 428



#428. War Season 2

Although Azadin is the king of Banling his power base is in the Chadra Plateau.

The abundant food of the Chadra Plateau medicines alcohol weapons and money taken from the Dwarven Arrows are the most important resources that sustain Azadin’s forces.

But what if the Chadra Plateau is taken away?

Azadin’s forces will be destroyed immediately.

‘Fireglyph has tremendous defense but Prince Kalintz who is currently guarding it does not have many troops. They plan to tie me up here and attack Fireglyph.’

Azadin noticed the enemy’s plan and summoned his generals.

“We will cross the river without wasting time. But not straight ahead but by way of a detour.”

“yes!”

“Lord Karna. I need Celestial Fire to cross from the furthest distance. Can you do it?”

“Of course.”

“And Selim! You will take the heavy infantry and refugees and cross the river nearby. This is the most dangerous and important job as it will act as a decoy to hide the crossing of the Celestial Fire. Can you do it?”

“Leave it to me Captain.”

“Okay then. The Arangian Guard and the Etar Bloodline will cross here when the enemy takes the bait.”

Azadin formulated a three-point operation.

The Celestial Fire Knights with their excellent mobility and powerful attack power are sent as far upstream as possible to cross the river and the infantry led by Selim crosses midway to conceal their crossing.

In order to block the crossing of Selim’s infantry when the enemy’s cavalry moves elite soldiers including the Arangian Guard from the main camp begin to cross the river with a delay.

It was an operation that was possible because they had an overwhelming superiority in numbers.

“This time we have to fight in an unfavorable situation so it is a fight that will inevitably require great sacrifice. However if we waste time we will not be able to fight even in an unfavorable situation. I hope that everyone will make sacrifices.”

When Azadin asked the generals they all nodded.

Although Azadin was a messenger and a man of unknown thoughts the commanders of Azadin’s army knew that Azadin valued life and cherished his subordinates.

Even those who did not understand the strategy believed and followed that Azadin who had secretly refused to use the refugee soldiers as meat shields when the princes of Sram tried to shorten the time by making sacrifices had a good reason for doing so.

Selim whose race was especially loyal to the Minotaur was rather delighted at being given the most difficult task.

*********

Selim cut down the nearby forests to obtain timber and built a bridge with timber and sandbags to cross the river.

Then the Rescue Knights came nearby and attacked with magic and arrows.

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Instead of attacking while crossing the river they attacked while building the bridge to cross the river.

It can be seen that efforts are being made to keep Azadin’s forces tied down in the Tyre River basin as much as possible.

“Now everyone don’t worry about it! Those arrows are nothing special!”

Selim himself took up his shield and blocked the arrows encouraging his soldiers. But then slave soldiers appeared on the riverbank.

These slave soldiers created by the Telvarin Guild from debtor prisoners of war were a mix of low-ranking soldiers who were essentially meat shields and demihuman soldiers favored by the higher-ups… and there were minotaurs among them.

“Selim! Son of Selaucos!”

The Minotaur slave soldiers called out to Selim their chests pounding.

“Huh? What? Do you know me?”

“You are the son of Selaucos. You are our brother!”

“Do not serve the messenger clan and return to your father. It is the duty of a child to be loyal to his father!”

The Minotaurs said so and showed the other Minotaurs.

“Your people are here. Selim!”

“…….”

Selim was astonished at the sight of the Minotaur they saw.

To him who had not seen his own kind often they showed him a female Minotaur.

When Selim first saw a woman of his own race he felt his heart flutter.

however….

“Stupid talk! I am an idiot but I know that being free is better than being a slave! What are you talking about?”

Under Azadin Selim is a free man not a warrior nobleman.

But aren’t the slave soldiers of the Telvarin Guild slaves? Who would abandon their status as warrior nobles and call themselves slaves?

But the Minotaurs cried out.

“We are not slaves!”

“The supervisor! And your blood relative!”

“Listen to our story Selim!”

The Minotaurs tried to persuade Selim by claiming that they were overseers not slaves.

“Okay!”

Selim and his men crossed the river. Minotaurs and fallen Celestial Knights charged at him upon seeing this.

“We must defend the bridgehead!”

“Eww shit!”

Dwarves appear in boats prepared to build a bridge. The elite musketeers of the Kingdom of Banrung board the boats and begin shooting from the middle of the river.

Dwarves absolutely hated going into the water but they came along on this mission where they had to ride in boats and shoot.

This could be said to be a symbolic scene showing the extremely high morale of the Azadin Army.

-Tata-tang!

The muskets belched smoke and fire.

The surprised Celestial Knights took up their own shields to protect their horses and covered their horses’ heads.

The dwarves also had unstable footing and a fear of water making their aim unstable so this shot didn’t have much effect.

But it was enough to weaken the knights’ ability to break through.

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Meanwhile Selim and his hoplites went ashore and took up a defensive position.

While other troops moved on to the bridges and rafts Selim and his hoplites had to form a living bridgehead to withstand enemy attacks.

“Come and see!”

Selim also fought the approaching enemies holding a battle axe and a greatsword in each hand.

The Minotaur charged and swung his mace at Selim but Selim easily parried it with his battle axe and then tangled his opponent with his greatsword sending him rolling to the ground.

His fellow Minotaurs were formidable foes but unfortunately Selim was one head taller than his kind.

While Selim was fending off the Minotaurs a crimson-winged Celestial charged at Selim on horseback.

Selim screamed and knocked out his horse then struck the fallen Celestial Knight with his battle axe.

-bang!

The Celestial Knight deftly blocks the attack with his shield even though his horse is stunned but the horse’s feet lift off the ground.

And the heavy infantry on both sides of Selim also withstood the enemy’s attacks well.

“Hey you guys! They’re not just infantry!”

“Arangian Guard!”

Azadin had selected some of the Arangian Guard and placed them as bodyguards to protect their commander Selim.

They were disguised as men-at-arms and were assigned to stay by Selim’s side to protect him from being surrounded by enemies.

“I got caught?!”

“Then there’s no need to worry!”

The Arangian guards began to draw the dragon’s blood and breathe out its breath from their mouths.

The Arangian Guards protected Selim by swinging their halberds with ease spitting out dragon flames from their halberds causing their blades to glow red.

However maintaining the bridgehead came at a great cost. Selim the Arangian Guards and the Men-at-Arms were somehow holding on but the refugees were being swept away like fallen leaves by Minotaur soldiers and corrupted Celestials and the river was turning bloody.

But then the corpses start falling into the river and Selim and the Men-at-Arms start to gather.

Azadin’s forces began to cross the river from the main camp.

Azadin’s main force consisting of the Arangian Guard and the Etar Bloodline defended the bridgehead by raining down arrows achieved a crossing and clashed with the main force.

However the enemies also deploy fallen Celestial Knights to their base to withstand the attacks of the Arangian Guard and the Etar Bloodline and fight on equal terms.

The main force was still pushing the Wisdom Sect further but Selim was not able to hold out and the balance was collapsing.

But then the Celestial Fire Knights appeared having bypassed the river from the furthest place.

The Celestial Fire Knights appeared on the enemy’s flank and charged straight in rescuing Selim’s main force which was on the verge of collapse.

“Okay! Totally eaten up!”

“I won!”

The soldiers of Azadin’s army cheered. This three-point crossing operation in which they risked their lives as bait was a complete success and the Celestial Fire Knights had bitten the enemy’s rear so victory was in sight.

however….

The fallen Celestial Knights began to speak in a strange language.

Blood actually oozes from their crimson-dyed wings and the talking Celestial Knights also vomit blood from their noses and eyes.

“Your nether magic?!”

The priests of Azadin’s army were terrified and cast protective spells.

But even though they could protect the living they could not protect the dead including the corpses of the refugees who had fallen during the crossing.

As the corpses began to mutate they transformed into monstrous grotesque beasts.

“Ugh?!”

Not only that they also taught the Nether language to the common people among the slave soldiers turned them into monsters and threw them at Azadin’s army taking advantage of the gap to retreat.

With the Nether monsters acting as a contingent the core force of the fallen Celestial Knights and Telvarin Slavers retreated safely.

*********

Azadin’s forces succeeded in subduing the Tyre River basin and crossing the river.

But this time the damage was truly severe.

The three-point crossing operation was successful and the enemy’s flank and rear were successfully attacked by cavalry but the enemy used evil magic to minimize damage and escape.

Although they achieved a tactical victory they suffered heavy losses from the enemy’s weapons and forbidden magic.

Azadin succeeded in crossing the river but first he had to retreat.

“Hmm. I can see that the morale has been reduced.”

Zion Etar who had come to the Azadin Army clicked his tongue and said.

“Because I had to fight the Nether beings. The Nether beings just looking at them are like what can I say soul-damaging to most people.”

Azadin answered Zion Etar thus.

“So you are not pursuing the enemies? I heard that the Wisdom Cult is currently attacking the Fire Glyph. If the Fire Glyph is taken away won’t all of Your Majesty’s foundations be blown away?”

“I know.”

Azadin needed to attack the Wisdom Order’s main base as soon as possible and turn the enemy’s minds around by attacking Fireglyph.

However the corrupted Celestials who freely use Nether magic are no joke.

In this Battle of the Tyre River Azadin’s forces ultimately suffered the greatest number of casualties.

Strategically Azadin’s side had won but the poorly equipped refugee troops were being torn apart like a meat shield and the surviving soldiers had witnessed nether magic and their morale had dropped so reorganization was urgent.

But then Pavale contacted the Azadin Army.

“This is serious Your Majesty! Chitai is in trouble!”

“Cheetah?”

The Chitai Kingdom adjacent to the Arangi Kingdom began to show unusual movements.