Chapter 168. Skirmish (3) (1/2)
A fierce battle raged on in front of the fortress.
Haramark’s heavy infantry unit consisting only of seasoned veterans that survived the frontlines for many years was skillfully resisting the enemy’s charge.
The front row drove their shields into the ground while the second row placed their shields on top, creating an impregnable iron wall.
However, the ones trying to breach the line weren’t easy to deal with either.
Parasites spurred on by the enraged Medusas rammed into the spears and desperately tried to climb over the shield wall.
As an undead wolf used the pile of corpses to fling its body over the wall, Jan Sanctus stabbed out with a spear and hurled it away before shouting.
“Resist! Resist with all you've got! Remember that the moment there’s a gap between the shields, we’re all dead!”
As he was roaring encouragements, he felt an unusual commotion behind him and turned around.
The Earthlings were running towards them.
”The Earthling bastards are coming! Resist just a little more!”
”Fuck! They sure took their sweet time!”
A veteran soldier that was desperately holding on to his shield shouted out. A few of the soldiers around him with scrunched up faces let out grim smiles.
They couldn’t burst into laughter since they were in a life or death situation, but they were seasoned enough to be able to joke around in the face of death.
”Don’t open your mouths! Save your energy!”
Jan Sanctus, who rebuked them quickly, turned his head to confirm the distance.
His intense eyes widened.
A certain group that left all the other groups behind caught his eye.
”Move out of the way!”
A woman that was running towards them with her shield held upright, fluttering her curly red hair behind her, shouted.
Jan Sanctus shouted in response.
”Rhat! Zimmer! Get ready!”
The two soldiers glanced behind them.
And when she drew close enough…
”Now!”
The two soldiers heavily pushed out and instantly turned their bodies 90 degrees.
”Euyaaaa!”
Phi Sora held out her shield in front of her as she charged in through the gap like a raging tank.
Booom!
An explosion blasted out, causing people’s ears to ring. Due to the sudden impact, the Parasites in front were flung back and their ranks collapsed.
There was even one that spattered sparks as it was blasted into the sky.
However, Phi Sora who had stopped after her charge was surprisingly unharmed and her stance was stable.
The only peculiar point was that her skin and armor were letting off white smoke.
”Ah.”
Phi Sora lifted her head and pumped out her chest, showing her white teeth.
”My body finally feels warmed up.”
She kicked up a monster that was fearfully trying to raise its body before smashing it back into the ground with her heels.
She struck away a Parasite that launched itself at her from the side with her shield and swung her red sword that was swathed in flames.
Several people rushed over and joined her the next moment.
Jan Sanctus’ gaze was focused on a youth that was stabbing out with a bluish spear.
The speartip that was shining gold was rapidly piercing through the enemies stunned by Phi Sora’s charge.
The increasingly faster spear strokes gave an illusion of melting down the enemy ranks.
Jan Sanctus nodded seeing the strike team following Seol Jihu demolish the Parasites at a terrifying pace.
The group escorting this team would have a high chance of living.
It was a common banter exchanged by the soldiers before entering the battlefield. Their survival rates depended on which group of Earthlings they cooperated with.
It was a pretty realistic story to simply brush it off as a joke.
Some Earthlings treated the soldiers like meat shields or consumable pawns. There were even cases where they fled, leaving the soldiers that desperately made a path for them to escape.
Judging with that in mind, the youth’s actions could be seen as extremely commendable from a Paradisian’s point of view, but…
'Hmm?'
Seeing Seol Jihu get rid of all the enemies in the vicinity and recklessly glance in front of him, a glint flashed in Jan Sanctus’ eyes.
He grabbed Seol Jihu by his shoulders, as he was trying to force his way through the wall of shoulders made by his subordinates. Jan Sanctus felt a strong resistance in his hand but managed to forcefully drag Seol Jihu backwards.
Seol Jihu fiercely glanced back. Jan Sanctus solemnly raised his arm and pointed at the sky.
Seol Jihu frowned and tilted his head up.
The blade boomerangs fired from the fortress flew past diagonally and swept away the enemies rushing towards them.
Arrows rained down, drawing parabolic arcs and piercing the enemies that were relatively near the fortress.
”I’m grateful for your enthusiasm.”
A low-pitched voice reverberated in Seol Jihu’s ears while he was blankly staring upwards.
”But it’s not a good choice to wear yourself out from the start. Not only is it going to make things harder for you, but you’re going to be a burden for us and your allies.”
Seol Jihu slowly blinked. A man’s face suddenly came into his gaze. It was the general who had come to get him when Teresa invited him to the palace.
In other words, his thoughts were so preoccupied that he hadn’t even recognized the man.
”You’re going to have to continuously fight even if you don’t want to later on. Swing your spear fiercely but maintain a clear mind while moving.”
It was a cold splash of water. His flushed face slowly regained some of its color.
They didn’t talk for long as they were in the midst of a battle.
Seeing him regain his calm, Jan Sanctus commanded in a thunderous voice.
”All soldiers, ready again and chaaarge!”
The soldiers who had been kneeling on one knee stood up all at once. They uniformly marched forwards, stepping on the still-squirming corpses with their steel-clad boots.
And through this, their mission of securing a space for the Earthlings to come out was complete. Now, they had to deal with the Medusas that were commanding the enemy units.
The soldiers’ role here was to open up a path to the Medusas.
Due to the fact that the ten Medusas were spread out throughout the battlefield, the once straight defense line began to fan out.
But whenever the strike groups cleared out the Parasites in the front, the ones waiting in the back no longer had obstructions and immediately swarmed in.
Even after sweeping away the enemies and firing countless arrows at them, the Parasites boasted a mind-boggling number of troops that didn’t seem to wane.
The soldiers that charged forward shouted battle cries as they extended their spears. Unsettling crashing noises rang out.
The majority of the Parasites were pierced through by the spears or blocked by the shields, but a considerable amount still managed to break through the wall.
A ghoul-like creature that was definitely a human before it died came running while dangling its arms.
Seol Jihu’s spear cut through the air and precisely stabbed its forehead. And in that position, he flicked his spear upwards, causing a black stream of blood to shoot out from between its eyebrows.
Golden electricity simultaneously sparked out.
Even before ice spread out from the wound, the ghoul’s head was burnt black.
”Keeeeeurr!”
Next, an unknown race of midgets came running in a row holding hammers.