Chapter 84 Battle to the death
Translator: Tchu
Editor: Amaranth, iballisticbunny
Not seeing the need for any skirmishes, the Odin army immediately launched an all out attack with their first wave!
With a loud horn sound, one wave after another, each wave filled with Odin warriors holding axes, broadswords and shields of different colors, started to sweep towards them while roaring vigorously. ~~~ seeing this dense and boundless ma.s.s of soldiers surging up like a tsunami sent shivers down the spines of the Byzantine Soldiers!
While tightly gripping his axe, Shaar could hear his heart’s heavy beating very clearly, even in this noisy chaos. Right now, the garrison officer Slate who was standing next to him started to shout various commands with a loud and vigorous voice.
“Prepare! Archers take aims! Men take up your arms! Don’t panic! Stay firm! Maintain the formation!!”
Shaar who didn’t have any experience in commanding could only leave this matter to Slate. This ordinary garrison officer did amazingly well and, although his face was red from the anxiousness, his voice was strong while maintaining his calm state of mind!
The feet of countless men started trampling the earth and created a huge dust cloud then the dense crowd quickly got into the firing range……
“Fire!!!!!”
With a mighty roar, Slate ordered the three ballistas to unleash a dozen death bringing bolts! Each metal bolt had the thickness of an adult’s arm and was howling through the wind, cutting across the sky. Very soon, dozens of bolts created a parabolic umbrella that suddenly covered the Odins’ heads.
Sounds of flesh and bones being penetrated as well as horrible screams could be heard everywhere around the battlefield, as death rained upon them. Crimson colours were splashing all around as shouts of agony from wounded soldiers were echoing throughout the battlefield. The bolts shot out from these ballistas were ten times stronger than ordinary arrows. If a single bolt hit it’s target, it would easily penetrate the human body as if was made of paper! Some bolts even penetrated three or five people in a row without a hint of stopping!!
The archers standing at the wall also received their orders as several hundred arrows took advantage of the strong wind and decimated the group of Odins who were running at the front of their first volley!
However, even among the screams and pitiful whining of their brethrens, the Odins didn’t slow their pace at all and continued to shout viciously as they fanatically stormed onwards!
Very soon, the first wave of the Odin army arrived under the stronghold’s wall and used their bodies to smash against it. Although the stronghold wall was reinforced by the stones that the logistic battalion went to pick up, and it was also supported with the wood planks from disa.s.sembled horse-carriages and the first impact still fiercely shook the stronghold’s wall. Despite standing behind the wall, the Byzantine soldiers’ hearts started to jump fiercely as they saw the only protection they had between them and the maddening Odin’s was shaking. Immediately, under officers’ commands, a row of spears shot out from the slits between the walls, piercing the Odins like meat skewers. With a stream of simple thrusts, hundred Odin soldiers were stabbed to death! However, as more Odin soldiers died, their brothers got even more aggressive. Grabbing the spears which had pierced their bodies, the wounded Odins forcefully pulled away the spears from the grips of those behind the wall!
During the chaos, several hundred st.u.r.dy Odin soldiers formed ten teams and started to run through the middle of the formation. In order to increase their running speed as much as possible, they weren’t wearing any metal armor or carrying any weapons and they simply rushed forwards with their bare upper bodies. Each team had over a dozen men and each man was carrying a wooden ladder made from trees that they cut during their journey. With a terrifying roar, they frantically rushed towards the stockade wall! Hidden within the crowd of Odin soldiers, who were risking their lives to cover them with their shields, the majority of them managed to arrive underneath the wall. One after another, the ladders were quickly being set up next to each other as the Odins beneath the wall increased the intensity of their frantic screaming. After just a few moments, more and more ladders appeared against the wall.
Spears were repeatedly shooting out from the inner side of the wall, stabbing the Odins who were holding the ladders, forcing them down. As if they were touched by insanity, the Odins started to use their bodies to shield the ladders, welcoming the spears while their brethrens re-erected the ladders. They continued their offensive without any care for their lives.
Crimson!
The whole battlefield turned crimson! Before the stronghold’s wall there were layers upon layers of corpses laid, their blood turning the whole ground into a dirty crimson mud. The Byzantine soldiers standing on the wall maliciously continued to thrust and chop down without any break, but they still couldn’t resist the Odin soldiers’ suicidal attacks. There were some Odin soldiers who would climb the walls to simply stretch out their arms and jump into the Byzantine soldiers’ swords. Using their body, they would be able to buy more time for their companions to get a foothold on the wall.
There were even some Odin soldiers who would give up on the ladder and lean against the wall in order to create a human ladder. They would let their companions step on their shoulders, despite getting stabbed through their chest from the gaps on the wall! Some Odin soldiers would get close to the wall and maliciously stab through gaps and were trading, a life for life…..
The wall was too fragile and its height was just 2 meters long because of that it was very difficult for it to play a real defensive role during this battle.
The archers already began to spread out from the front as they stood behind the wall, killing the Odins at will. With a pair of crimson eyes, Shaar held an axe in his hand as he led a dozen of the strongest soldiers in running back and forth near the wall. Whenever the Odins broke through, he would be the first one to rush there and throw himself into the fray. Reflecting the cold brightness of his war axe with every swing, he was cutting all the enemies into pieces!
Exactly at that time, the real danger arrived at the camp entrance!
The camp entrance was the Odin’s main offensive spot, but there were two rows of sharpened stakes which were densely arranged together to defend it. They were installed deeply into the ground and pointed towards the sky…… The Odin side sacrificed at least two hundred men to the arrows and spears coming out from the gate in order to cut off those sharp stakes one by one, to create an open area!
From behind, a dozen Odin soldiers were holding a thick chopped off tree as they started to crazily rush towards the camp gate and repeatedly rammed against it.
With each collision, the gate started to squeeze louder and louder while sending clouds of dust to air with every shake. The soldiers who were standing behind it raised their swords and maliciously stabbed through the holes which were created from the impact. During this exchange, some unlucky fellows’ weapons were grabbed by the Odins, and with a pitiful scream they were pulled outside, before getting ripped to pieces.
A group of Odin soldiers at the camp gate started grabbing some of the sharp wooden spears which they temporarily made from trees. Holding these spears which had the length of three to four meters, they started to stab and kill the Byzantine defenders behind the gate, causing damage to the defense. Even garrison officer Slate’s shoulder got hit by a wooden spear as half of his body was suddenly covered in blood after his shoulder pad got smashed to pieces!
The ten meter wide camp gate started cracking under the fierce and repeated offense of the Odins. Each cracking sound was warning a sign of wall slowly breaking and with each sound, fear was sent throughout the Byzantine soldiers’ hearts. Under the fierce roars of the Odin soldiers, every collision seemed felt like they were smashing their hearts…….
With a roar full of madness, Shaar rushed towards the entrance. The axe which he had earlier was already lost, but he had picked up a claw hammer instead. Seeing a Byzantine soldier who was standing on a platform getting stabbed by a spear and as his fresh blood started spraying through the air, Shaar’s eyes instantly turned an even darker shade of crimson red. With a ferocious roar, he suddenly leapt into the air!
With his powerful legs, he jumped three meters into the air and managed to cross the gate with just a single leap!
After landing in front of the gate, he immediately started to reap lives of Odin soldiers, which made him looked like he was the physical embodiment of the grim reaper. Using the hammer to protect his face, Shaar simply opened his chest and welcomed all the spears and axes from the Odin soldiers. Among a burst of cracking and shattering noises countless spears and axes were continuously getting destroyed by him. Struggling inside a crowd of enemies, Shaar fell on the ground and started to sway maliciously back and forth while wielding his hammer like a whirlwind. After smashing the thighs and breaking the legs of the Odins’ within his immediate surroundings, Shaar finally leaped into the air before pulling out his fire pitchfork from his waist!
All the Odin soldiers appeared extremely fragile in front of this hillbilly: While using his fire pitchfork to cut apart the weapons of Odin soldiers, he continuously pounded the bodies of his victims with the hammer in his other hand. Whether it was the head, shoulder or chest, with every blow immediately the sound of bones breaking followed!
After only a few breaths, there were no more standing Odin soldiers near Shaar’s surrounding. Grabbing an Odin soldier who was on his knees, he fiercely kicked him and then started stepping on his chest then he ripped out the arms of the Odin soldier as he madly roared!
With a terrifying splitting noise, he ripped off the body of that Odin soldier body in half!! Warm fresh blood was spraying all over Shaar’s face while he maliciously threw away the torn out corpse. Turning around, he started to fight against the new wave of incoming Odin soldiers with his claw hammer…. Exactly at that moment, his eyes turned the darkest shade of crimson as he unleashed the crimson rage ki!
Bang!! Boom!!
While pounding the crowd of Odins with his claw hammer, his mighty aura of crimson rage ki immediately shattered all the bones of three Odin soldiers who were unlucky enough to be in front of him! A mountain of broken bone fragments started flying everywhere under the strong impact of his strength as seven to eight Odin soldiers were sent flying by this crazy force, before they breathed their last breath while they were still in the air……
When the crimson eyed Shaar saw that more Odin soldiers were rushing towards him, he uttered a crazy manical laugh. Picking up an axe which was dropped by a dead Odin, he threw it with his inhuman strength, killing another two Odin soldiers who were running towards him , before leaping back over the camp gate……
Shaar’s inhumane and valiant strength immediately stirred up the courage of Byzantine soldiers and crazy roars could be heard everywhere throughout the camp while they continued to resist their attackers by risking their lives. They continuously chopped one Odin after another while pushing down the ladders. Some of them were even imitated Shaar as they jumped down the wall to face the enemy blades with their bodies. However, before dying each one of them would fiercely pierce the enemy with their weapons!
From the distance, Hasting who was clad in complete black armor was watching the battle of the camp gate. With his long and slender eyes, he saw how Shaar jumped out like a mad wild beast and started to slaughter countless Odin soldiers. He saw how Shaar’s hammer pounded then sent numerous Odin flying limp as a dead bodies. Furthermore, he watched as Shaar jumped back over the camp gate and noticed the Byzantine soldiers’ moral and courage into frenzy……
Odin’s Lord of War suddenly raised a corner of his mouth and turned around to pick up a spear. Taking back two steps, he maliciously hurled it towards the camp……
Shaar suddenly heard a loud whistling sound coming from the sky! The sound was just like a m.u.f.fled thunder and when he looked up, he saw a ray of light falling from the sky. That light seemed like it was to even cutting sky apart as it flashed like lightning!!
He noticed that the target of the ray of light was the camp gate!
With a sudden roar, his eyes instantly were ignited crimson again as crimson ki erupted from his whole body. With a shout, he grabbed a shield and jumped into the air like a madman to greet the incoming strike!!