VOLUME 3: CHAPTER 182 – BATTLE OF KRUZEL (1/2)
The Goblin King led an army of approximately 2000 men strong. They did not lose any of their prior momentum even after rendezvousing with the advance forces of Gi Gi Orudo the beast tamer, Gi Ji Arsil and his platoon of a.s.sa.s.sins, and Gi Zu Ruo and his thugs.
At the very front of the horde were the Paradua goblins, while Gi Ji and his a.s.sa.s.sins continued to gather information from the surrounding areas, and Gi Zu the Mad Lion joined the lowest stratum of warriors and approached the lands ruled by the small feudal lords, expelling the beasts they came across while taking care not to drive the beasts toward the borderlands.
Despite all that, the goblin army still advanced quickly. It was such that from the perspective of a human, their march looked like a forced march.
After rendezvousing with the others, the Goblin King’s forces was now roughly 2,300 men strong. The great momentum of the goblin army as they followed after a giant goblin was enough to make them mistake the goblins for a demonic army. It was that terrifying.
Even the small feudal lords, who had gathered at Sanktfall, started to have second thoughts upon seeing the giant goblin. Suddenly, they felt as if they might have been too rash.
But when they thought back to the words of the Leon Heart Clan’s vice clan leader, Zaurosh, they calmed down.
“Our intel says that the goblin forces will be moving south soon. If we use that to our advantage…”
They knew that a great army left Cultidian a few days ago and were headed west. They knew because they had to deliver food to make their expedition possible. The small border lords were greatly perplexed, but Zaurosh’s words brought them hope.
The plan was to let the goblin army and the Kushain fanatics fight each other and benefit from their misfortune. Should the monsters weaken, they will fight with the Leon Heart Clan and finish them off. Should the Kushain believers lose, then they would be able to stop sending any further military provisions under the pretense that they themselves have their hands full dealing with the goblins.
They had no choice but to go along with Zaurosh’s proposal.
They have somehow managed despite their financial state, but having to provide provisions to the military on top of everything was just too much. It was no different from telling them to die.
When they caught word that the goblin forces were approaching the army of the Kushain believers, they deepened the moats and shut the gates, hoping that the goblins would simply pa.s.s by.
It was also in Shirak that the small feudal lords had gathered. They were there because of Zaurosh’s proposal.
“Please be at ease, our elites are also present. Besides, don’t you need to see the goblin forces once?”
There was such a thing as a degree of threat. The orc madness, the monster outbreaks, the invasion of other countries… There were all sorts of threats, so it was necessary to understand the degree of each threat. And determining that was part of the feudal lords’ responsibility.
Because of that the small feudal lords stayed within the walls of Shirak and watched the plains from a distance, on which could be seen a great cloud of dust moving through the windy meadows.
As the goblin army headed south, a part of it separated from the main force and approached Shirak.
When the feudal lords saw that, they inadvertently took their weapons and braced themselves for war.
But the goblins stopped at a distance about 100 meters away, and then shot a single arrow toward the sky. The arrow hummed a whistle as it flew in the air, drawing a parabola, before finally landing right before their feet. The feudal lords were shocked, but their eyes gathered on the letter attached to the arrow.
But no one touched it as the feudal lords were afraid.
Zaurosh nonchalantly opened the letter and read it out loud.
“They wish to talk, it says,” he said as he looked at the feudal lords with a troubled expression.
“…Let’s do it.”
One of the feudal lords possessed a skill that allowed him to see things from far away. The person who shot that arrow just now was an elf. An elf should be much easier to talk to than some goblin, so they shot an arrow back, accepting their request.
The elf that appeared before them was a sylph commander outfitted with srilana equipment. It was Felbi.
“Thank you for granting me an audience,” he said as he sent a sharp gaze to Zaurosh and the feudal lords.
The bearing of a great warrior that he had about him caused the feudal lords to wince.
“I bring the words of the Goblin King. Surrender now and you will be spared. I can free you from the yoke of the fanatics that make you suffer so.”
Like a drawn sword, Felbi demanded a reply.
“What do we say?” An unsure feudal lord asked.
“We’ll accept, but only after he’s freed us,” Zaurosh brazenly replied.
The feudal lords were shocked, but before they could approach Zaurosh, Felbi’s next words stopped them.
“A wise decision. If you had refused, the goblins may have burned this town down. We’ll meet again once the enemy to the east has been disposed of.”
Felbi turned heel and vanished toward the direction of the goblin forces.
At that, the feudal lords approached Zaurosh.
“Wasn’t that a bit hasty?” A feudal lord asked.
Zaurosh shook his head. “You heard the elf. The goblins’ objective hasn’t changed. If we are to move an army such as that, we need to throw out some bait. Besides, I don’t think the goblins would’ve understood if we said we would provide them supplies instead.”
The sound of someone gulping among the feudal lords could be audibly heard.
“But if we isolated ourselves and fought…”
“If we did that, we would be stuck here. In the first place, our plan is to let the goblins and the fanatics kill each other. Let’s not forget that now.”
The feudal lords had no choice but to agree as they watched the goblins leave.
When the goblin army and the Kushain army met, it was at the outskirts of a satellite city of Cultidian. Its lands had once been meadows, but after much effort over the years, it has been successfully transformed into a field of crops.
The Kushain believers were the first to arrive at the scene. They stood in military formation while their patriarch, Benem Nemush, stood at the lead, and the feudal lords and those who’ve had military service were at the center.
They numbered approximately 10,000, and there were even soldiers among the Kushain believers who could move at a moment’s notice. The letter that the goblins had sent them said they would be supporting them once more.
The patriarch wished to make use of their support to show these believers that even monsters would willingly prostrate themselves before him. If they were to see such a sight, they would naturally prostrate themselves to the glory of the Kushain Faith and extol the event as a miracle of the patriarch.
After that he could send the goblins to the northern Germion Kingdom, or he could have them fight the southern part of the free cities that continue to resist. Either way he would be able to reduce the forces of his enemies.
Gowen Ranid had lost the western region to these monsters.
If he were to send the Kushain believers there, he would be able to solve the problems in that area.
Benem Nemush had such thoughts when he accepted the proposition of the goblins. He did not come to his current power with fanaticism alone.
He had received information from the feudal lords at the border regarding the goblins. He knew that they only had 2,000 among their ranks, so he immediately prepared a force of about 10,000 to meet the goblins. Should the goblins come with ill will, that army of 10,000 shall serve as a quiet threat against them.
Of course, Benem Nemush made no mention of such things to his adherents.
He simply explained everything away as the will of G.o.d. It was more mysterious that way, and he decided it was a good time to open the eyes of his future adherents.
The partic.i.p.ating generals and feudal lords from various city-states weren’t completely convinced, however. In their opinion, which was backed by experience, it was impossible for the monsters to simply prostrate themselves before the patriarch. The monsters have just recently conquered the western region; hence, it only made sense that they would come here to attack.
Unfortunately, the current momentum of the Kushain believers was simply too great and they knew too well how terrifying the ‘holy war’ was, so despite their doubts, they meekly bowed their heads alongside the rest of the adherents.
On the bright side, because of the influence of the church, there was no trouble with securing alms; hence, they were able to leisurely make camp on the outskirts of Kruzel.
When the body of the fire G.o.d leaned toward the west and the sky was dyed red, they finally appeared. There was still some time before the hour of the night G.o.d as a giant goblin led his army of monsters with a fitting great sword in hand. Ranks of spearmen followed him from behind with their spears pointed toward the heavens.
There were other goblins too. Goblins that rode on monsters beasts, wounded ones, giant goblins, goblin archers; hence, it was only natural that a fiendish tinge could be felt in the air, and the people who did not believe in the patriarch started to worry.
But the patriarch, Benem Nemush, stood valiantly at the front, fearless and sure of himself, and with arms wide open did he greet the monsters.
The Kushain believers stirred.
“It’s too dangerous, Patriarch!”
“Please stand back!”
But the patriarch only laughed in response to those screams.
“I am protected by G.o.d. Believe in G.o.d!”
At the patriarch’s words, the pious adherents knelt to the ground and prayed. The feudal lords and the generals naturally weren’t happy, but they had no choice but to back down.
When the goblins were within the range of an archer, the giant goblin at the front suddenly raised his great sword and issued an order.
“All forces, halt!”
As if that prior momentum was all but a lie, the goblin army suddenly stopped and the giant goblin walked towards the patriarch. The Kushain believers all went wide eyed at the sight and the stirring grew even stronger.
Muscles bulging from every corner, a height that neared 2 meters, a lone horn that extended to the heavens as if to rebel accompanied by two curved horns like that of a bull’s, a pair of terrifying fangs from his mouth that made an alligator’s look adorable, body hair that extended from his head to his tail like a c.o.c.ks...o...b.. a leather armor that prioritized mobility, an overcoat made from a scarlet speckled big bear, and a great sword that hung sheathed by his waist.
With makings such as that that bore down on others with just the sight of it, the giant goblin was truly fitting of the t.i.tle: Goblin King.
“Long time no see, goblin,” the patriarch said.
“Indeed,” the Goblin King replied with a low-pitched voice that gave rise to much anxiety to the adherents behind.
Meanwhile, Benem Nemush himself was wondering if this was truly the same goblin that gave him those tributes. Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure this was a good idea.
The air about this goblin was just too different from the one he knew.
Those red eyes flared dazzlingly as if they were looking at a prey.
When the patriarch’s throat started to ache from being too dry, he finally remembered where he was and did his best to connect his words despite speaking a bit too fast.
“And, what about, the tributes? Hurry, bring them out.”
His words came out overbearing, but that was because of the fear he felt toward this monster standing before him.
“Tributes, yes…”
Suddenly, that great sword the giant goblin carried with him every day dazzled a dark gray light, a wicked smile appearing on his face. As his eyes narrowed, he took in a deep breath that caused his chest to expand, then with a stroke, the great sword descended, and Benem Nemush was cut in half.
Before the Kushain believers could even tell what had happened, a great voice proclaimed the beginning of a war.
“I bring you death!! All forces, attack! After me!”
At the king’s behest, the goblins began their charge.
“Attack! Onwards!”
The fierce Rashka of Gaidga took the lead and leaped into the enemy formation as the tribal goblins cried out to follow after their respective chiefs.
“Bring chaos to the rear. Archers, shoot!”
At the behest of the First Archer of Ganra, Gilmi Fishiga the Gadieta, the goblin archers released their arrows, and death rained down from above onto the Kushain believers.
“Don’t lose to the tribes!”
“Follow pops!”
Gi Zu Ruo of the thug faction slammed all of his pent up frustration from not being able to join the recent battles onto the humans. Zu Ved led the faction as they followed after him.
“Work with the other platoons and defeat the enemy! Advance!”
Gi Jii Yubu’s platoons lined up their spears and broke the already collapsing enemy formations.
Because of Rashka’s charge, the humans were already nothing more than a panicking crowd.
With the sudden turn of events and their emotional pillar, the patriarch’s, violent death, the whole thing just didn’t feel real.
“W-What just…”
But while they found it difficult to accept reality, the spears of the Paradua approached them.
The powerful charge of the goblins left the densely packed humans in complete disorder.
The death of the patriarch was so violent that it left the adherents running.
Those at the rear did not know what happened, while the generals tried to quell the chaos.
But then the chaos started to spread among even the human leaders.
And to fan the flames of chaos, Gi Za Zakuend’s druids and Felbi’s elves gave the humans a shower of arrow and magic.
“Looks like we’re at the back again. Make it flashy!”
The number and precision of the elven arrows lived up to their reputation. Their arrows were fewer than the goblins, but their range was unparalleled.
When arrows rained down out of nowhere on the human platoons that tried to advance, the humans fell into even more chaos.
The allies that ran from the front sneaked into the gaps between their shields – which were raised up to defend against the arrows – causing the human formations to collapse.
“Hey, stop that!”
“G-Goblins! Goblins are attacking!!”
As jeers and screams resounded throughout the battlefield, the goblins cried out.
“Attack! Attack!”
In the blink of an eye, the army of roughly 10,000 humans were trampled over by the goblins, and just when they’d thought they’d finally put a stop to the Gaidga Tribe’s charge, arrows rained down once more.
“Raise your shields! Arrows are falling!”
When the screaming soldier looked up, the sky had turned black due from the impossible number of arrows descending, then a few seconds later, Gi Zu’s spear came.
“Are you stupid!? You’re actually attacking during this!?”
“You’re the stupid one. How can you call yourself a warrior and be afraid of some arrows!?”
Felbi and the rest of the elves wryly smile as they watched Gi Zu charge recklessly.
“You would be dead already if it weren’t for us, you know… Fine, let’s just say you trust us that much. Prepare the volley!”
At Felbi’s behest, the elves shot with unparalleled precision.
Before Gi Zu’s reckless charge and the rain of arrows, the collapsing human formations were crushed even more.
Gi Jii the Battle Demon continued to advance with his legions [1] as he imitated human tactics. The goblins wielded large shields and advanced forward in a hedgehog-like formation, pressuring the enemy formations until they collapsed.
They stabbed into the human soldiers, and then wanting even more blood like a slithering beast, they moved as one and relentlessly pushed toward the humans.
“My lord, the path has been cleared,” Gi Jii muttered.
There should have been no way for the Goblin King to hear that quiet mutter, but even without hearing it, he understood full well what the goblins were saying.
Trusting in his instincts, the Goblin King shook off the lumps of flesh and sc.r.a.p iron from helmets off his blade, then with a loud voice said.
“Onwards!”
Standing at the head with Zweihander in hand, the Goblin King emanated a menacing aura that sent the humans fleeing in fear.
With a single swing of his thick great sword, the Goblin King crushed the Kushain soldiers’ helmets, sent their shields flying away, and broke their swords, all the while sending the soldiers themselves to oblivion.
Clad around the body of the blade were black flames bestowed by none other than Altesia, the G.o.ddess of the Underworld, which claimed the lives of men like a will-o-the-wisp that led one to h.e.l.l.
The goblin army was like a scythe reaping harvest as they one-sidedly trampled over the human forces.
Before the goblin army, the Kushain believers had no other option but death.
“R-Retreat! Get out of the way!”
It was curious whether someone had actually given that order or if it was merely someone’s longing, but regardless, when the people heard it, all the humans fled. They threw away their weapons, abandoned even their armor, then they all turned heel and ran.
“After them!”
When the Goblin King saw the humans fleeing, he ordered the army to pursue them.
“Release the beasts! Go!”
At Gi Gi’s behest, the monster army released the quick among them to pursue the humans. Gi Gi the ancient beast tamer’s beast avoided the goblins and attacked the fleeing humans.
“Don’t let the humans rest for even a moment.”
Gi Ji Arsil’s a.s.sa.s.sins mixed in with the beasts and pursued the fleeing humans. Later they will have to find where these humans are fleeing to.
It wasn’t until the wings of the night G.o.d had clad the world in its darkness that the Goblin King took the main force and turned around.
With the momentum of having vanquished the human forces just like that, he headed back to the small feudal lords.
To goblin eyes, which found no discomfort in the black of the night, the ghastly state of the battlefield was as clear as it was in day.
“O king! Our great king!”
The cry of the goblins resounded throughout the outskirts of Kruzel.
[1] – Not sure if new or the author just misspelled regiol in the past.
Tl Note: Better ideas for the thug faction? I call them that because they talk like thugs, but the more I think about it the more it bothers me. The faction is supposed to be called 武闘 (butou) faction, which is the word that makes up martial artists, you just have to add a 家 to make it 武闘家 (butouka). It also means to fight with force or armed might.
Anyway give me some suggestions in the comments.