On the Dacano Plains of the Kingdom of Lionel .
Sixty thousand of the Demon King’s Second Front Army faced one hundred thousand of Lionel ‘s troops on this land.
Grand Marshal Gareth of the Demon King’s army set up his headquarters on a hill overlooking the battlefield.
Infantry clashed, countless arrows rained down, cavalry raised billowing smoke and dust. The battle had lasted for three days, with offense and defense repeatedly stalemated.
The human legions, flying the black eagle banner, continued to form shield walls that held firm. Whenever our forces broke through their defenses, the reserves immediately joined the fray, preventing casualties while quickly rebuilding their ramparts. Though their maneuvers were conspicuous, they did not go on the offensive, but continued to hunker down.
“Man, what’s going on here, come and attack if you want to attack, how annoying!”
Inside the headquarters, Garios scratched his head as he shouted loudly.
But neither Gareth at the head of the Demon King’s army nor the supervising Gami reprimanded the noisy Garios.
The enemy had truly adopted a passive tactic, defending only without any willingness to attack.
But Gareth did not see the humans as cowards. Nor did he intend to shout like Garios.
In military theory, the enemy’s actions were standard. They had strengthened their defenses and were now watching what moves would be made here. There would be gaps in their lines, and as much as they strove for uniformity, there were differences between the units.
It was only a matter of time before the habits and personality of the commanding officer could be discerned, so this was still the exploratory stage.
In addition, contact with home had been lost and logistics were unreliable. Of course, food supplies had been amply prepared, but even more time would not inflict losses on the enemy. Demonstrating a willingness to wage a protracted war was also a method of shaking the enemy’s morale. It was not passive, but a faithful adherence to basic military strategy.
“Hey Gareth. Hurry up and attack, I’ll break through the enemy as a vanguard.”
Garios shouted again, but Gareth ignored him.
Before assessing the state of the battle, maximum combat power could not be used. This was basic military theory, but Garios was completely incapable of understanding such tactics.
It was already beyond the level of smart or stupid.
Looking down, the elite troops were lined up at the base of the hill, guarding the headquarters. Among these troops, an exceptionally large unit could be seen.
The three hundred soldiers gathered under the crimson broom star flag were not obscured by the sixty thousand troops, their magnificence standing out just as the name said – head and shoulders above the rest.
They were the Garios Forces, led by Garios and consisting entirely of giant men.
Also called the Giant Forces. Their power was exactly as their appearance suggested, possessed of freakish strength, yet brave and fierce, each man worth a thousand. Mighty warriors, each of whom could serve as a captain in any legion, gathered to a full three hundred men.
If Garios led these forces, there would be no opponent who could stand up to them. No matter how powerful a brigade of knights might be, it would be no match, crushed in an instant.
No tactics needed, just crush them and victory was assured. Petty tricks of disruption and psychological shaking meant nothing.
A bad boy.
While acknowledging his power, to Gareth Garios was just a kid bragging about his strength.
And also pitiful.
Born as a child of war, loving conflict, more in love with war than anyone else, this boy knew nothing of the joys of war.
Just because he had drunk the sweet wine of victory, he still did not know its true taste.
In war, the most important thing was to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses with one’s own strengths.
An experienced enemy general who knew the military arts could not be defeated by a frontal attack, but his weaknesses had to be targeted.
But the enemy would also be wary of this, so simply trying to exploit holes might not succeed.
Only by employing various tactics, by using combined feints and actual strikes to manipulate the opponent, could mental blind spots and gaps be created. Then they could be subdued.
Of course, the battlefield would not move as imagined in one’s mind.
On a battlefield filled with the efforts of tens of thousands of soldiers, seasoned officers, and talented strategists, things rarely went as one wished. It was the nature of war to be fickle, such was the battlefield.
And so, when one was able to act freely on the unforgiving battlefield, the taste of victory surpassed that of any fine wine.
I acknowledged Garios’ incomparable power, but on the board, he was merely an exceptionally powerful piece.
Like a lion roaring in its cage. Charming yet pitiful.
In Gareth’s opinion, their current opponent could be described as a rather skilled player.
A skilled general always had one last hand hidden. This could not be seen through yet.
Although they were only defending, they had not lost the will to attack. In character, he was probably a fierce general who preferred to fight in the vanguard. However, he was cunning enough to restrain his fervor and not show his hand. While making us aware of their intention to wage a protracted war, if we relaxed our vigilance, they might launch an all-out attack in one breath, targeting our headquarters.
A truly delightful opponent.
“Grand Marshal Gareth, I have a request.”
As he surveyed the battlefield, a burly soldier approached Gareth. If he remembered correctly, it was a captain of some company.
“What is it? Return to your post.”
“I have a request. Please allow me to transfer to Lord Garios’ forces.”
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Hearing the captain’s plea, Gareth sighed again.
With Garios nearby, morale had undoubtedly risen, but on the other hand, guys like this asking to join gave him a headache.
“Understood, do what you want. Garios, this one wants to join you.”
“Huh? Is that so? Fine by me. But you know the terms, right?”
After receiving Gareth’s permission, Garios raised his fist.
Although Garios’ forces were all large men, there were absolutely no physical restrictions to joining.
The condition was simple and single. Withstand one blow from Garios and stay standing. Only that.
“I know.”
The captain nodded and put his hands behind his back. He spread his legs and clenched his teeth.
“Well then, here goes.”
Garis’ fist was as solid as a boulder. The huge body seemed to grow even bigger.
Muscles that were already tense stretched, swelling to an unbelievable degree. The breastplate armor he wore creaked and groaned, the attached steel chains screamed.
The concentrated power made even Gareth hold his breath. Even the demon king had marveled at Garios’ strength, the destruction and brutality in his body reminding him of ancient dragons.
Feeling this pressure, the captain, who had steeled himself earlier, let out a scream and curled up into a ball in fear.
Idiot.
Gareth’s inward curses overlapped the sound of compressed flesh.
What remained was the captain, his face mangled, the bones of his neck twisted, unrecognizable.
Had he not feared it and resisted with all his might, there was a chance he might have survived.
“What’s this, he died? No big deal.”
Garios looked down listlessly at the dead captain’s body.
“There aren’t many who can take your blows.”
Gareth could only stare in amazement. Including this guy, that made ten. And not one of them had passed, let alone survived.
“Take it easy, Garios. If the soldiers keep dwindling like this, I’ll be in trouble.”
The grand marshal complained. Because of this recruitment policy, the dwindling troops were worrying.
“But it can’t be helped, can it? He said he wanted to join. Besides, weak guys won’t make it no matter how many come, right?”
Garios’ words left one speechless.
Gareth ignored the problem child and surveyed the battlefield. The enemy formation had started to change.
This was a considerable change. To change their formation so much under these conditions indicated some tactics. While his interest was piqued by the enemy’s maneuver, Gareth groaned as he watched the changing formation.
Inexplicable. On the battlefield, nothing was more terrifying than an enemy’s incomprehensible strategy.
“Hey Gami, what is this?”
Gareth asked Gami immediately. Although it annoyed him to ask Gami’s opinion, he could not let his pride get the better of him.
“Who knows, what could it be?”
But even Gami, whose tactics and plans were second to none in the Demon King’s army, could not see through the changing formation.
At first glance, the enemy formation resembled a shock troop. Or rather, that was all it could be seen as.
But such a simple tactic could not succeed. If that was the case, then this was just a decoy, there must be another plan, but it was too simple, nothing could be deduced.
Just as Gareth and the others were stunned, the enemy attacked them directly. No countermeasures whatsoever, just a brute rush.
“Oh? Come on, you finally got some guts!”
Garios was elated.
“And quite lively too, isn’t that good?”
As Garios said, the knight, who ran at the head of the shock troop formation because he had been appointed to the vanguard, acted conspicuously.
Dressed in glittering golden armor, carrying an enormous sword, brandishing a spear, practically a hero. The soldiers of the Demon King’s army who tried to stop the advance were shredded like paper, their formation easily torn apart.
The enemy seemed to have quite powerful pieces. However, a superior general should know that one piece could not turn the tide of the entire battlefield.
“Hey, can I go? Can I go now?”
Garios impatiently wanted to leave, but Gareth stopped him.
“No, stay here. Let the heavy infantry defend in front, shoot arrows from the rear. The magical troops will continue to stand by, our forces will not engage.”
Although the enemy’s attack had great momentum, it was only a simple attack. If they could keep their footing and block it nimbly, they could survive it. What worried him more was the enemy’s unexpected actions. They might have detached troops to draw attention to the frontal attack. As long as Garios was present, he could also deal with unforeseen circumstances.
“How boring. Let’s raid them instead.”
Ignoring the child’s opinion, he ordered the frontline commanders to take prisoners. Although he did not expect the lowly soldiers to know the true purpose of this raid, he still wanted some information.
But the enemy’s movements did not change, only the simple assaults continued until nightfall.
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thanks for the chapter