Chapter 292
"Whoa...! I'd heard about it, but that's an incredible amount of power...!"
Shiratsuki's main cannon emitted a beam of light so intense that it turned my entire field of vision white. It pierced the swarm of flying Hell Beasts and burned away every individual in its path. Shiratsuki had told me about its power, but seeing it with my own eyes left me speechless.
However, we could not fire the main cannon again during this battle. That was because we had no energy left to fire it.
The main cannon's energy came not from Shiratsuki's engines, but from enormous, high-quality magic stones without an attribute. We consumed one of those extravagant magic stones with every shot.
They could be made through 【Alchemy】, but even after pooling the stock held by every clan member, we still did not have enough to meet the requirements for firing the main cannon. With the help of the four Races, we had somehow managed to complete one, but we had already used it. Even after the main cannon's cooldown elapsed, there was nothing we could do.
"Perhaps beams like that flew through the air during the ancient wars."
"That'd be a completely different game."
"Izam-dono. Shiratsuki is impressive, but shouldn't we get moving as well?"
Oh, Genzuro was right. I had to focus on the battle with the Hell Beasts on the ground, which were surging toward us like a raging tide.
"The flying Golem unit has begun its first bombing run. Metallica, I'm counting on you."
"Sure!"
While contacting Shiitake via chat, I had the Metallica make the first move. After giving an energetic reply, they moved their armored-car-type Tactical Shells forward and launched projectiles loaded with Shiitake-made bombs from the large ballistae mounted on them.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
"Gioooooo!? Gihiiiiii!?"
The projectiles traced arcs through the air and landed near the center of the Hell Beast horde, exploding the instant they struck the ground. Many Hell Beasts near the blast center died instantly, while those blown away by the shockwave disappeared from sight as their companions trampled them.
Around the time of the first explosion on the ground, flying Golems also sortied from Shiratsuki. They advanced deep into the rear of the Hell Beast horde, scattered their bombs, then immediately turned around and returned to Shiratsuki for resupply.
Unlike the projectiles used by the Metallica, the bombs dropped by the flying Golems did not produce flashy explosions. Instead, they generated poisonous-looking smoke in shades of purple and dark green.
The smoke spread across a set area, then remained there in slow-moving vortices. The Hell Beasts, too savage and lacking in intelligence to be cautious, charged straight through the obviously dangerous smoke toward us.
"Goehh... Gwooo?"
"Gyoh... Kyohhohohoho!?"
The Hell Beasts that had apparently inhaled the smoke began to suffer. Some convulsed and became unable to move, while others began attacking their allies while shrieking bizarrely. Needless to say, the smoke was the cause.
The smoke's ingredients were various poisonous fruits and grasses growing in the 'Dark Forest of Temptation,' supplied by the Dark Elves. Shiitake extracted their toxic components and packed them into a bomb that scattered them while making the resulting smoke swirl instead of disperse. This was the new type of poison gas bomb Shiitake had created.
However, many of the Hell Beasts seemed to possess resistance to status effects, and they passed through the smoke without feeling the slightest discomfort. Most of those individuals also appeared to have been damaged by the explosive projectiles, but some managed to slip through both the poison gas and the shockwaves.
"This is our job now. Golem unit, forward. Undead unit, defensive formation."
The Golems and Undead followed my orders faithfully without disrupting their formations. In particular, the Undead unit could carry out complex orders thanks to its extensive combat experience. You Hell Beasts, I'll show you our strength soon enough.
Grotesque Hell Beasts approached us with grating cries. They seemed intent on charging up the hill and trampling us.
"Golem unit, begin interception."
"Rrrrrrrr..."
At my command, the Golems casually raised their fists and methodically brought them down on the Hell Beasts approaching from the front. About half of the individuals that had escaped the poison gas and shockwaves were felled by the brutal force of solid masses.
However, the remaining half avoided the blows and attacked the Golems, along with us and the Undead unit waiting behind them. Their ferocity and momentum were genuinely impressive... but their attack was far too reckless.
"Undead unit, engage."
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
The individuals in the Undead unit's front rank firmly blocked the Hell Beasts' attacks with their shields, while the Undead behind them thrust spears through the gaps in their dense formation. Those gaps were not only the spaces between individual Undead; they also included openings in the Undead's armor.
Undead Puppets were monsters resembling bone mannequins. They had no flesh, and consequently had more openings than one might expect. As a result, blades could be thrust through the gaps beneath their arms and around their necks. Charging into the defensive formation of my Undead unit was equivalent to challenging a sturdy wall—or a merciless bed of spikes.
"Izam-dono and the others have stopped the enemy! Let those Hell Beasts learn the valor of the Centaurs! Charge!"
"Yaaaaaaaaaah!"
The Centaurs led by Regdus-dono charged in from the flank. Using their respective weapons, they swept aside the Hell Beasts. They truly were a Race of natural-born cavalry.
Regdus-dono, who led the vanguard, was especially ferocious. Roaring like a lion, he swung a massive spear with the strength generated by his magnificent physique. His raw attack power was terrifying enough, but it must have been even more frightening to stand directly in front of him.
"We're going too! Hey, over here!"
The charge of the Centaur heavy cavalry split the Hell Beast horde into front and rear sections. Light cavalry appeared from behind them. They fired arrows to taunt the enemies cut off in the rear, provoking them into charging after them in a frenzy of rage.
Even in that situation, the Hell Beasts were nothing more than a herd of monsters, and retreat was not an option. The front of the horde was being ground down by the double wall formed by the Golems and Undead, while part of the rear had been separated by the Centaur light cavalry.
"Gwooooooo!?"
"Here they come! Get them!"
The ground beneath the Hell Beasts lured away by the light cavalry suddenly turned to mud and sank. The Scars, who had remained hidden, swarmed them with their weapons and stabbed them repeatedly.
The sudden change in the ground was caused by the patterns the Scars had drawn on it. Using Concealment, they had already installed numerous traps around the hill that had become our position. Even better, the traps could be used again after the patterns were redrawn, making them quite convenient.
The enemy was not coming only from the front. Some Hell Beasts were circling around the hill to approach us. They seemed capable of a little thought, but we had never been so foolish as to assume that every Hell Beast would charge blindly ahead.
"Ha-ha! Looks like some came this way too!"
"Everyone, take them out!"
The Hell Beasts trying to circle around us were blocked by trees that had suddenly shot up to great heights. Arrows then flew from within the woods and pierced the Hell Beasts.
The arrows had been fired by Dark Elves lying hidden on the ground. They had brought several seeds from the forest where they lived and used 【Tree Magic】 to make them grow at tremendous speed.
This makeshift yet dense forest was effectively the Dark Elves' home ground. It was extremely difficult to evade arrows flying between the trees. The Hell Beasts that entered the woods became porcupines in no time and were quickly exterminated.
The forest contained not only Dark Elf warriors, but also mechanical traps made by the Metallica. Scars' patterns had been carved into them, and they had even been crafted to blend into the surrounding environment. Powerful attacks flying out of invisible traps were nothing short of a nightmare.
"Oh, not bad."
"Indeed. It seems we weathered the first wave without any trouble."
Standing atop the hill, we had a clear view of the entire battlefield. As Genzuro said, it seemed that we had successfully dealt with the first group to charge us. The enemy had not been particularly strong, but they had overwhelmingly outnumbered us. Having won without difficulty, the morale of everyone, myself included, must have risen.
"The next one's coming."
"The second wave has already arrived? The resupply of the units above does not seem to be finished yet. The poison gas is still effective, but many more individuals are avoiding it. Could it be that the number of intelligent individuals has increased?"
As Wool pointed out, new Hell Beasts were crawling up from the vertical shaft. Many individuals in this group seemed wary of the poison gas and were circling around it to approach us.
Of course, some continued to charge straight through as though the poison gas had nothing to do with them, then fell just as before. But it was obvious to everyone that fewer enemies were being brought down by the poison gas.
"Intelligent enemies are more likely to be stronger. Jigoro, Genzuro. There may be some opponents mixed in that the two of you will have to handle. When that happens, I'm counting on you."
"That's just what I wanted, brother."
"Indeed. Let us fight to our hearts' content."
The prospect of formidable enemies only heightened Jigoro and Genzuro's fighting spirit. As their commander, I found the unknown number of enemies—and the possibility that they might grow stronger—deeply troubling, but we had no choice but to fight if we wanted to win. I stared down the second wave of enemies.