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Chapter 204: Chapter 175: Bloody Battle at Thermopylae (3)

General Griff’s Extraordinary Corps was quite decent. After all, it was a famous corps throughout the nation. And while General Griff himself couldn’t be called incorruptible, he wasn’t one to take things too far.

But there were always higher-ups above the higher-ups, and generals above the generals. As one of the Beastman Empire’s Elite Infantry corps, Wood’s soldiers had only received some iron plates, just enough to protect their vital areas.

Moreover, those crossbow bolts could leave a deep scratch even on the bright silver armor Wood had purchased from the Dwarf Kingdom. Even if his ordinary Soldiers had some common iron armor, with the Beastmen’s crude craftsmanship, could it really stop these bolts?

Watching his companions cry out in pain around him, Wood’s face darkened. The horror he felt now far surpassed what he had experienced during the Magic Crystal Cannon bombardment!

’How is this possible?’ Wood was horrified.

As a Warrior who had spent his entire life in the army, Wood had been practicing with blades and swords since he was three. Drawing a One-Stone Bow at the age of ten was a mere parlor trick for him.

Because of this, Wood knew all too well what caliber of person an archer who could hit a fast-moving target was.

It was no exaggeration to say that Wood himself had only met a handful of such individuals. Even among Elf Shooters, only those of a certain skill level could manage it.

If him being hit was an accident, then so many Extraordinary warriors being hit made it obvious: the enemy had a large, organized group of highly skilled archers at work.

What did this imply? It implied the enemy had the ability to train Divine Archers on a massive scale. But how could that be possible?

Doesn’t every Divine Archer only succeed after countless trials and tribulations?

Wood had no time to dwell on these thoughts. He had already charged to the base of the city wall. At that moment, he suddenly realized that the area near the wall might not be so safe either.

The section of the wall he had chosen was caught directly between two flanking walls.

’This is bad!’ Wood’s mind went blank. ’How could I have let my thoughts lead me right into this place?’

In truth, Wood couldn’t be blamed. Within the entire Beastman Army, he was considered General Griff’s second-in-command. As a Silver-tier warrior, he, like General Griff, hadn’t rested for more than ten days.

Wood was about to turn and shout the order to retreat, but the Frankish Border Watchers on either side would never give them such an opportunity. The Frankish Magic Crossbows, designed by Marquis Oscillate, unleashed their terrifying power.

In an instant, arrows rained down like a torrential storm, showing no signs of letting up.

The screams of Beastman Soldiers constantly echoed around Wood. Slashing and fighting, he finally broke out of the flanking walls’ encirclement.

Wood looked back. Of the dozen or so brothers who had charged in with him, only a single Silver Fourth Tier warrior remained.

"Sir, what do we do now?" a Beastman Soldier asked from behind. He was still holding a shield, but it had been shot full of holes by the Magic Crossbows, resembling a sieve.

It had to be said, the Magic Crossbows produced by Marquis Oscillate were truly effective. If it weren’t for the abysmal marksmanship of many Knights, these weapons would surely have been mass-produced and equipped on a large scale.

Although its recoil was strong enough to dislocate an elbow, its stopping power was ferocious!

As long as the aim was true, it could bypass the protective aura of a Bronze-tier warrior. It was practically a guaranteed hit with every shot! The design philosophy was simply brute force.

"Fall back for now. We can’t launch an attack from this position," Wood replied, looking at the Beastman Soldier who had asked the question.

This Soldier was most likely from the old nobility of the Beastman Empire, as "Sir" was a term they were fond of using.

...

"On alert! On alert!"

"Get in position! Move it!"

Hearing the constant stream of commands from the Battalion Commander behind him, Hans couldn’t help but feel nervous.

It wasn’t just the commander’s voice. The main reason was that the section of the wall they were guarding happened to be the very one those Beastmen had set their sights on.

Hans could already see the scaling ladders propped against the city wall.

Feeling someone come up behind him, Hans turned to see an archer holding a Magic Crossbow.

"Where’s the golden liquid? Bring it up, now!" Captain Jason yelled to the Battalion Commander behind him.

The chain of command between them wasn’t particularly strict. A clear hierarchy only emerged when direct combat orders were being given.

"It’s no use! This stuff is useless against them!" the Battalion Commander said. High command hadn’t specified when to use the golden liquid, and he wanted to wait until the enemy’s regular army charged.

"I don’t care if it’s useful or not. Bring it over and we’ll test it," Captain Jason retorted.

The Battalion Commander thought it over. They had boiled so much of the golden liquid, anyway. ’What’s the harm in trying?’

"Three steps back! Shield Array!" Captain Jason commanded.

...

Once the scaling ladders were in place, Wood began climbing without a moment’s pause. The Beastman Corps had a clear division of labor; his only responsibility was to lead the Extraordinary Beastman Infantry to clear a path, allowing the Beastman Infantry corps behind them to pour up onto the walls.

Wood had already made arrangements for the Extraordinary Beastman Infantry, so that went without saying.

As for the regular Beastman Infantry, Ror was there to manage them, and Wood trusted him to control the timing of their assault.

’What is that smell?’

With his Silver-tier constitution, Wood’s sense of smell was extremely sensitive.

Having spent years on the battlefield, he knew exactly which smells belonged there and which did not.

’What is this stuff? What trick are these humans pulling now?’ The consequences of his exhaustion were catching up to him; his brain failed to react for a moment. Of course, the fact that the smell was less distinct after being boiled also played a part.