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.
