Green Monster Epic

The slaughter continued. The addition of fresh troops from the Wilderness Coalition boosted the morale of their flagging comrades, leading to another small-scale assault that pushed the humans back several dozen meters.

However, the effect was limited. As the gates of the human castle swung open, a cavalry force rushed to reinforce the breached left flank, halting the advance of the ogre-led vanguard. The human lines stabilized once more.

Commander Aaron, witnessing this, displayed little emotional change. He descended and once again conferred with his staff, exchanging updates on the battlefield situation. After considering their opinions, he issued several instructions to his messengers.

He still had ten thousand troops in reserve in the center, and the front lines, after the previous assault, needed a chance to catch their breath. The battlefield would likely remain in a stalemate for a short time.

The only real problem was the powerful ballistae and catapults on the human castle, which were causing considerable trouble for the Wilderness Legion soldiers.

From the direction of their approach, another contingent of the Wilderness Coalition's rear guard arrived. Though only numbering a thousand or two, the longer the war continued, the more reinforcements would arrive.

However, Aaron had no intention of immediately deploying these newly arrived troops. Instead, he sent orders for them to rest and reorganize, awaiting the arrival of more warriors. Once the morale of the human legion waned, he would unleash this fresh force for a decisive blow.

The commander of the human legion, clad in golden heavy armor, activated his various auras and personally stationed himself with his own guard in the most fiercely contested area. His opponent was a savage gnoll chieftain named Odom, also of legendary rank and a knight by profession.

Both legendary knights could mobilize the energy of over ten thousand warriors around them at any moment. Each swing of their weapons carried formidable power, striking the ground and causing tremors.

Knowing each other's destructive capabilities, they dared not allow their opponent to harm their subordinates, and were thus locked in a fierce duel.

Odom's face was contorted in a savage expression, his pupils revealing undisguised excitement and madness. For years, he had been confined to the few thousand troops of his tribe, but now he finally had a stage to display his abilities.

Feeling the surging energy flow through his body, it seemed as if the entire world trembled in his hands. The confidence brought by such power bordered on frenzy.

Gnolls were inherently prone to madness, especially in battle, when enveloped by a thick, almost tangible atmosphere of bloodlust and killing intent, which constantly stimulated them.

The gnoll's attacks grew increasingly ferocious, sometimes even resorting to trading injuries for advantage, putting the human commander, who was already somewhat lacking in individual combat despite his strength, at a disadvantage.

The Wilderness shamans behind the army periodically cast blood-red magic, infusing it into the fighting Wilderness warriors.

"Roar! ! !"

Odom roared to the sky, the last trace of clarity in his eyes vanishing. At the same time, the over ten thousand soldiers under his command swelled in size and strength, transforming into beasts under the effect of Bloodlust, and sounding the charge once more.

In terms of formation and coordinated combat, the Wilderness warriors were far inferior to the humans. But when it came to close-quarters combat and fighting to the death, the Wilderness warriors, who had grown up fighting since childhood, had far more experience than their human counterparts.

This was the only trait the Wilderness had displayed in their battles against other civilizations over the years. Many of the Wilderness Alliance's battlefield victories stemmed from the Wilderness warriors' willingness to embrace death.

The berserk effect brought by Bloodlust made it difficult for the Wilderness warriors to maintain effective formations. However, the madness brought by the berserk state also allowed the warriors of various Wilderness tribes to temporarily forget emotions such as fear, dread, and attachment to life, focusing solely on the powerful human enemy.

Aaron had just instructed the spellcaster team to activate the legion's berserk effect, aiming to capitalize on the fact that the humans had not yet recovered from their previous adjustments. Although the enemy had also deployed a powerful cavalry force, the Wilderness natives they were intercepting were none other than the ogre force, known as the strongest heavy infantry.

This ogre force was not very large, only about five thousand strong, but after discussing it, Allen and Aaron had decided to equip them with all the heavy armor from the Alliance's supplies.

Because the ogres were large and bulky, ordinary armor could not be worn at all. In the months since the Alliance had camped outside Turunburg, Allen had specially asked the artisans of Dayan Khan's court to modify and recast the armor for them.

The ogre warriors, like mountains of meat clad in iron, were no less imposing than human cavalry in terms of height and weight. When they collectively swung their nearly two-meter-long spiked clubs, even solid fortifications could be smashed into mud, let alone ordinary warriors of flesh and blood.

The ultimate clash between cavalry and heavy infantry was simply inhumane. The moment the leading dozen ogres and twenty human knights collided, their survival was all but impossible.

The ogre warriors' heavy armor was pierced in several places, but more often, the lances slid across the sturdy armor, piercing through the gaps and impaling the ogres' massive bodies.

The human knights fared even worse. Hundreds of pounds of spiked clubs whistled down from above, crushing men and horses alike into a bloody pulp, leaving no recognizable form.

At the same time, the other Wilderness warriors, exhibiting extraordinary strength in their berserk state, displayed a terrifyingly lethal and fearless demeanor, which immediately intimidated the human legion soldiers who had long been accustomed to peace.

A gnoll warrior had his chest pierced by a spear. He should have died or at least been severely wounded and fallen to the ground, but instead, he snapped the annoying spear shaft in front of him, ignoring the embedded spearhead, and roared as he leaped towards the nearest human warrior.

The human warrior looked terrified and couldn't help but retreat, which gave the gnoll warrior an opportunity. The spiked hammer swept aside the other human weapons that were trying to protect their comrade, and the gnoll ignored them. He embraced his opponent and opened his blood-drenched mouth to its fullest extent, tearing the human warrior's throat out in one bite.

Similar scenes were common on the battlefield. Not only were the ordinary human soldiers terrified, but even the officers in the legion were beginning to feel fear, and their command was no longer as calm and composed as before.

The human legion commander was also preoccupied. Facing the frenzied attacks of the gnoll chieftain, Ao Cong, he was currently at a disadvantage. The only reassuring aspect was that his thousand-strong personal guard maintained their formation, coordinating and supporting him, which allowed him to hold off the gnoll chieftain.

However, after losing their organized ranks, the gnoll soldiers, while still dealing increased damage, were experiencing a significant backlash from the aura power that Ao Cong had unleashed. As a result, it was gradually weakening. Although their offensive still appeared fierce, the contained energy was significantly less than at the beginning.

“Send the signal!”

After once again repelling a gnoll and gaining a moment to breathe, the human commander, clad in golden heavy armor, clearly sensed the pressure on his soldiers. A sharp glint flashed within the dark depths of his helmet's eye sockets as he ordered a nearby guardsman.

“As long as we endure this wave of attacks, it will be our legion's time to strike!”

The Rose Duchy had been dealing with the wilderness for quite some time and was familiar with the tactics of wilderness warriors. This type of all-out berserk assault, unleashing powerful impact and destruction, was formidable but not without its flaws.

Similar to the Frenzy skill of a berserker, the individuals would enter a period of weakness after the frenzy. Some warriors, upon regaining their sanity, couldn't bear the consequences of their madness, leading to self-destruction and desertion, which would affect the entire army.

Although he wasn't sure why the wilderness commander had used the berserk skill on the front-line legion so quickly, this could be an opportunity for the human legion to achieve victory.

A flare soared into the sky, exploding in mid-air and transforming into a lingering red cloud. The closed castle gates behind the human legion reopened.

The last of the human forces, ten thousand spearmen, marched out with agile steps, heads down, charging into the battlefield.

After this deployment of human troops, the border fortress gates remained open. Besides the trebuchets and ballistae on the walls, which continued to hurl heavy stones from above, no other human soldiers were visible.

“……”

Aaron remained calm, seemingly unsurprised by the human legion commander's choice. Watching the enemy reinforcements gradually approach the battlefield, he calculated his next move.

“Cast!”

Aaron swooped down, arriving above the spellcaster team, and roared. The divine magic group, composed of hundreds of priests, immediately began chanting prayers, and soon, waves of warm, white light showered down upon the heads of the frenzied warriors at the front.

At the same time, Aaron no longer remained in the center command, but with a wave of his hand, led the last ten thousand fresh troops straight to the heart of the battlefield.

The Clarity spell instantly restored the sanity of the wilderness warriors affected by the Bloodthirst technique. However, the enhancements from the frenzy had not yet faded from the warriors' bodies. When the crimson light in Ao Cong's pupils was replaced by the light of reason, the gnoll chieftain shook his head slightly, seemingly recalling something, and feigned a move before fiercely pouncing forward again.

The human commander's golden armor was battered and scarred, and his surrounding guards were also in disarray. Having just repelled the frenzied gnoll, he was about to adjust his breathing when he suddenly noticed a black shadow flash before his eyes. The gnoll had attacked again.

Without time to think, the human commander kicked the broadsword's blade, and with a force of both arms, he flicked the blade upward, blocking the battle axe that was cleaving down.

A gust of wind swept around them, and the weapons in the hands of the two powerful warriors swung back from the immense force. Ao Cong, in mid-air, used the rebounding momentum to execute a 360-degree spin, and the flailing battle axe swung towards his opponent once more.

The human commander had not yet recovered his broadsword. Facing the enemy's attack, he could only evade to the side, but this evasion earned him a relentless series of attacks from the enemy.

Dense, steady footsteps came from behind. Without turning his head, the human commander knew that reinforcements from the fortress had arrived. Just as he was preparing to lure the enemy deeper, the pressure in front of him suddenly vanished. The gnoll chieftain, who had been dominating the attack, retreated first.

“Scatter!!”

While retreating, Ao Cong did not forget to issue instructions to the surrounding soldiers. However, even if he hadn't given the order, the wilderness warriors, after the Clarity spell dispelled the Bloodthirst technique, were already consciously moving to the sides, creating a passage in the center of the battlefield.

“Thank you for your hard work. I will deal with them next.”

Ao Cong and Aaron met halfway. The last of the wilderness vanguard, led by Aaron, quickly replaced Ao Cong's legion in the fighting zone, immediately causing chaos among the human troops in front.

“I'll leave this to you. I'm going to the rear to bring up the follow-up troops.”

It was clearly impossible for the soldiers of Ao Cong's previous legion to retreat. Any attempt by a squad to withdraw could trigger a chain reaction of rout, so they could only continue to fight in the melee on the battlefield.

Fortunately, the wilderness soldiers who had arrived later had already gathered in the rear, forming a new reserve force of nearly ten thousand, which was sufficient.

“You can decide for yourself when to bring the rear troops into the battle!”

Aaron nodded, and then his figure disappeared into the boundless crowd.

The two reinforcements seemed to have chosen the same breakthrough point by coincidence, or perhaps the human reinforcements, arriving later, were ultimately forced to support the collapsing central battlefield by the situation.

In Aaron's central army, there were also five thousand ogre heavy infantry. Facing the human infantry legions, who had been fighting for a long time and were exhausted, they were like wolves among sheep, nearly breaking through the human commander's entrenched position in just a few minutes.

Without cavalry with comparable impact and killing power to block them, ordinary human infantry were as helpless as children in the face of the tall, burly, and powerful ogre warriors.

Even the last of the human forces arrived in time, they paid a heavy price to finally stop Aaron's army.

Fortunately, the situation was improving for the human armies on both sides. After a fierce battle, the numerical advantage of the wilderness army was gone, and they were gradually entering a period of weakness after the berserk state. In the steady and well-coordinated counterattack of the human army, the wilderness legion on the right was already in decline.

With one side declining and the other rising, the armies of the two civilizations were still unable to achieve effective breakthroughs or progress. The soldiers of both sides were stubbornly persisting and roaring.

In the flash of swords and blades, countless warriors fell to the ground every second, never to rise again. The blood and flesh churning on the ground resembled a human hell, yet it could not evoke a single trace of pity in human nature.