Chapter 1000: A siege upon siege
Several hours later-
Crack! Caesar gripped his halberd tightly, seemingly on the verge of snapping it.
Nearly half a day ago, reinforcements from the Greenland Army had arrived, making him revive with enthusiasm. He threw them into the fray immediately, especially the Terra Cavalry, whose defensive formations proved invaluable. Thanks to their shields, which were equipped with numerous arrays crafted by his father and sister, Zara, they became instrumental in plugging the gaps.
The massive reinforcements- accompanied by the three Tree Fathers, tens of thousands of Draco riders, and 80 martial emperors- tilted the balance in the Empire's favor. But would Durger the Devourer remain silent? No.
After releasing a sharp hiss, all nine of his followers stepped onto the battlefield, personally leading their own subordinates into battle.
Those nine creatures ranged in power between levels 48 and 49, with each commanding 100- 300 emperor-realm beasts of the same species. Their collective advance caused a devastating wave of death.
Caesar had no choice but to order the three Tree Fathers to engage three of those beasts and assign six War Lords to hold back the rest.
Even so, he was left to contend with around 1,500 emperor-realm beasts, while his side had barely 300 martial emperors!
The Black Flame Wall and the Terra Knights' defensive formations managed to somehow halt the ground assault, while tens- no, hundreds of thousands of Draco riders continued to harass the flying beast emperor, giving them no room for breathing.
The fact that the Empire's army was still holding on spoke volumes about Caesar's leadership and resolve. He poured every ounce of his effort into leveraging his advantages in equipment and the diversity of laws within the army. He even sacrificed many soldiers to patch gaps and find solutions for this unwinnable battle.
Still, the battle grew increasingly difficult as Durger the Devourer deployed all his pieces, and time only made things worse. The human martial emperors relied on temporary affinity elixirs to keep up.
Although they had managed to kill hundreds of thousands of the beast horde so far,
thousands of their own troops had fallen. This infuriated Caesar greatly. They hadn't built and trained this army just to see it die at the hands of a bunch of filthy beasts!
"Warlords, return to your positions!!" Caesar shouted, his voice booming across the battlefield.
Bam!
The remaining 11 reserve Warlords leapt from behind the lines, returning to their posts at the head of 11 gaps. Caesar quickly used the Black Flame Wall to seal the remaining breaches, allowing the Terra Chavarly from Greenland to finally retreat and catch their breath.
But Caesar didn't withdraw them to let them rest.
"Terra Army, assume Offensive Formation No. Seven!!" Caesar then roared.
Clatter! Clatter! Over 200,000 Terra Knights moved swiftly, their advance shaking the ground and kicking up a massive dust storm. Once the movement settled, a strange sight emerged:
They had split into 20 battalions, each taking on a spearhead formation. Every battalion consisted of 10,000 Terra cavalry.
"...Now!" Caesar lowered his hand, giving the signal. "Pierce through those beasts' ranks and carve a path to worm's head!"
Finally understanding the Supreme General's intent, everyone exhaled with difficulty. Then, without hesitation, they charged forward. Huff Huff Huff!
The cavalry battalions surged forward, passing beneath the Warlords' feet. As they did, they activated the seventh offensive array.
Whoosh!
A massive Terra silhouette appeared above each battalion, covering the entire Terra battalion. Its three sharp horns skewered and pushed aside everything in its path, while its robust body shielded the formation's flanks and rear. It seemed unstoppable!
"Raaaoooor!!" Boom!
For the first time since the battle began, the True Beginning Empire's army shifted into an offensive stance and it was an earth-shattering assault!
In the initial charge alone, thousands of beasts were slaughtered, significantly easing the pressure on the gaps. Those 20 battalions showed no signs of stopping anytime soon!
Bam! Bam! Boom!
"Hsssssss~~~" Durger the Devourer raised his head, taking a closer look at what was happening. He did not like what he saw.
Whoosh! Caesar advanced slowly amidst the twenty battalions, his spear blazing with a menacing black flame, and his eyes filled with a terrifying intent to kill. Even the beasts that contemplated surrounding the battalions from behind felt fear, hesitant to approach because of him.
Knowing that prolonging the battle in this manner was senseless, Caesar aimed to clear a path to confront Durger directly. If he could sever the head, the body would crumble! "Fwooooaaaahh!!" Durger the Devourer opened his mouth wide, unleashing a low roar. "Raaaaawrrr!!"
"Sssssaaa~~!!
The beasts' eyes turned red, their mouths foaming with thick saliva as though their minds had been wiped clean, leaving only bloodlust in their wake. They abandoned all hesitation and leaped at the battalions- and at Caesar!
"What?!" Caesar was taken aback by this new development, swinging his halberd wildly in all directions, reaping countless lives in an attempt to intimidate the rest, but it wasn't enough.
"Arrghhh!!"
"Damn it..." Caesar glanced in a specific direction with regret. One of the twenty battalions, the farthest north, had been surrounded by a horde of beast emperors, their formation broken, and now they were being eaten alive.
"How long will you keep hiding? Don't you know anything about honor? Come out and face me!!" Caesar raised his spear toward Durger, shouting in anger, hoping to provoke something
within him.
Hissss~
But Durger the Devourer merely rested his head on his tail, observing Caesar from afar as though watching a clown. Honor? What nonsense. He was a beast!
Crack! Caesar gritted his teeth furiously. He had tried to approach Durger alone the day before, only to be surrounded by the beasts and forced to retreat. Now he tried to carve a path for himself again, but it was no use. What would it take to reach him?
If the cavalry battalions continued advancing, they would eventually reach Durger, but the casualties among the Terra Cavalry would pile up horrifically. After that, how would they deal with the nine beasts and their followers?
Boom!
"Arrghh!!"
"Who are you?! AAHHH-!!"
Caesar quickly turned around, hearing cries of distress from behind. A cloud of dust and explosions marked the scene, signaling a battle erupting behind his lines!
Boom! One of the Warlords was attacked from the rear with tremendous force, forcing him to
advance and opening a gap that allowed a massive number of beasts to flood through. The Warlord himself found himself surrounded on all sides!
"Ignore the infantry and the lesser pests; focus on breaking the gaps and keeping them open!" commanded the leader of the attackers as he hovered in the air. His face was familiar
to Caesar.
"...It's that man from the imperial palace's balcony? Dammit, What brought soldiers from the Great Serpent Empire here and in a time like this?!" Caesar recognized the saboteurs- they were the imperial guards, dozens of them!
"Close ranks and prepare to turn around! We're retreating immediately!!" Caesar barked the order with deep regret, knowing full well that halting the advance of the twenty battalions now and redirecting them in the midst of this siege would mean losing more than half of them. But he had no choice. He couldn't stay here strategizing a way forward while his army
was being dismantled from behind!
Flap! Flap!
"Raaaooooorrrrr---"
At that moment, an intense roar came from the west, drawing everyone's attention.
-Two days remain until the negotiation meeting.