Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 50 – Elkington Village vs Goblin Legion(2)

A bit before the melee-

About 200 fighters close to the city gates heard the sounds. Among these fighters were Asher, Calvin, Ray, Wolfgang, and other powerhouses.

Ray, who heard the death throes and war cries, was shaking a bit, nervous, and sweating. It was his first battle, and he was born to a peaceful serf family. If not for his awakening, he would wield a hoe, not blades! His father would be arranging a marriage for him! He wasn't supposed to fight in a war!

Pat*

Calvin placed a hand on Ray's shoulder. "Ray, calm down. You will do fine."

"B-But I am so scared..." Ray shakily said.

"Don't worry, Ray. We are all here with you. And you are much stronger than anyone among their ranks. If anything, they should fear YOU." Calvin said with all seriousness.

During his stay here, he had the chance to spar with Ray. It was a complete and utter defeat. It wasn't that Ray hit him or disarmed him, but that Ray dodged all his blows and had the room to counterattack but didn't.

Ray awakened four talents - Analysis Block, Elite Assassin, Dagger Dancer, and Blood Hunter. Ray was, without doubt, a born killer, through and through. Even if it is a battlefield, he reckoned Ray could handle himself perfectly fine.

"Thank you..." Ray sighed.

Just then, they heard that the fighting intensified. Andrei, Asher's eldest son, ran over to his father. "Father! The melee has started!"

Asher solemnly nodded and drew his sword. "Everyone! The time is now! Let's fight the goblin scum and defend our home!"

The other villagers drew their weapons and raised them in the air.

"Yeah!"

"Fuck those snot-like bastard!"

"Kill them all!"

Kerry, who was guarding the gate, silently opened it at this time, and Calvin went to the front.

"Everyone! Charge with me!" Calvin was the first to charge forward, wielding his family sword and leading the angry villagers after him.

"Raaa!!!"

The villagers let out war cries as they ran after Calvin.

The goblins, who were charging the walls, now noticed the villagers charging at them in a pincer attack.

"General! The enemy is attacking from the right! About 200!" A goblin reported.

"What?! Those humans sure have guts!" Krozz widened his eyes but quickly recomposed himself and turned to Nuq. "Except the riders and the 1st and 2nd infantry centuries, everyone else is to engage the humans!"

Nuq took out her bugle and began giving commands.

Suddenly, over 400 surviving goblins turned their attention to the attacking humans.

On the walls-

The wolf riders continued scaling the walls, some slipping through the gaps and charging inside the village, fighting the infantry lines inside, trying to disrupt the archers. However, they underestimated the newly-improved villagers, getting slaughtered while isolated. However, there were some fatalities among the villagers on the walls, mainly due to a wolf biting a defender and making them fall with it. When the defender fell into the crowd of goblins, his fate was bloody and gruesome.

Of course, the healing group kept dragging fatalities to Hope while Gerhart continued healing villagers, some suffering grotesque injuries. Gerhart could even heal someone if cleanly decapitated by reattaching the head to the body! But in this chaotic battlefield, it was useless. How was he supposed to find the body of a head that got kicked away or covered in bodies? He even almost missed a body buried under several goblins and wolves. He had to call for several villagers to help push down the corpses.

The Goblin Infantry threw their hooks on the walls, using them to climb up. The trenches dug before made the time needed to climb slightly more, allowing the defenders more time to react and try to cut the ropes or kill the scaling goblins. It also forced some archers to change their focus to the goblins on the ramparts.

The mages, who retreated to regain their mana via healing from Hope, also returned, unleashing Ice Lances at the enemies while putting out any fire started by a shaman fireball.

Outside the walls, the defenders engaged the goblins in a fierce melee. Although the Goblin Shamans, Javelin Throwers, and archers pelted them, they used Aura on their shields to block most of it, reducing casualties to a minimum. As expected, with Asher, Calvin, and Ray in the fight, the goblins were being slaughtered. Especially Ray.

As if entering a frenzy, Ray turned into an emotionless killing machine, slaughtering goblins in a wild dance, leaving a blur wherever he went.

Meanwhile, on one of the rooftops-

A barefooted lone figure wearing light clothes sat with a green sword, her blond ponytail gently swaying with the wind, silently watching the fighting with her golden eyes.

"Ah... How enviable." Havre lamented, caressing the Emerald Flame Sword. "I wish I could have joined the glorious bloodshed, but alas, I must not show myself yet, or I might scare the prey."

As she said that, she eyed the forest, seemingly seeing a figure spying on the battle. A small smile tugged her lips. "When will you show yourself, little fox?"

And so, the battle raged on.

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Meanwhile, two kilometers away-

"Warchief, are you sure we shouldn't join the assault? If we strike now, the attack would be far more successful." Goblin Commander Grenakx advised the Goblin Lord.

Pruning out weak goblins is one thing, but not fully utilizing their usefulness is another. With the villagers preoccupied with the goblin army, they can minimize casualties to their main force, the Hobgoblins. Just waiting until the battle is over is stupid in his eyes.

"Grenakx, although intelligent, you lack the experience and vision." Crird gave his 22nd commander an apathetic look before continuing to stare forward.

"Please enlighten me, Warchief," Grenakx asked.

"Although most humans are not like that, some are powerful. Although I am unsure they have anyone as strong as you and the other commanders, I don't rule out the possibility of a ridiculous powerhouse among them. With the Goblin Legion as cannon fodders, I can smoke out any powerhouse and assess them. If they are too powerful, we shall withdraw." Goblin Lord Crird said.

"W-Withdraw?! Just like that?!" Grenakx widened his eyes in shock.

"Yes, just like that. Just like how I would retreat if faced with the ancient forest and its many hegemons." Crird patiently explained.

"Gulp*..." Grenakx audibly gulped.

Although Crird and his Alpha Pair wolves were considered the most powerful entities in the Deep Forest, they were at the bottom of the hierarchy of true hegemons. Only by tiring out isolated, sickly, or injured hegemons did he and his pack manage to kill some, devouring their precious meat to evolve into hegemons themselves. But, of course, such instances were too rare! If he faced a hegemon in full power, Crird would likely tactically retreat due to fear of injuries! Although a mighty Goblin Lord, he only survived because of his careful plans!

As someone traumatized by humans, he took extra care when facing them.

Half an hour later, one of the Goblin Commanders, a specialized female scout called Brepeelti, returned with news. 

"Reporting to the Warchief! The battle is over, and the goblin legion is defeated as expected, slain to the last goblin." Brepeelti reported.

The nearby Goblin Commanders had no change in expression, already foreseeing it.

"And? What about the humans' strength and casualties?" Goblin Commander Colk, a warrior with a scarred eye, asked.

"They were stronger and more numerous than expected and had two bottom hegemons and several commanders with them. They also have a strange healer who brought back the dead to life." Brepeelti said with a frown.

Crird, who heard this, finally had a change in expression, "Two bottom hegemons? That I can barely understand, but what about that healer? Is he a necromancer?"

"No, I don't believe it is necromancy, but true resurrection! However, he couldn't save those with destroyed heads or those who died for too long. I also spotted a weird statue in the middle of the village, as tall as ancient trees! And I witnessed a girl with mouse features healing the wounded there. Overall, I believe they only suffered three dozen fatalities at most." Brepeelti explained.

The goblin commanders gave each other looks of bewilderment, never hearing about such powers.

"And how strong is that healer?" Crird asked.

"Commander level at most," Brepeelti reported.

"Do you think there was any other powerhouse hiding there?" Crird asked to confirm.

"I believe not, but there might be." Brepeelti was uncertain. She spotted a blond girl sitting on one of the roofs, and she didn't know if she hallucinated, but the girl smiled in her direction!

Crird closed his eyes, contemplating before making a decision. "Prepare for a full assault. While they think they won, we shall strike them down. I want all commanders to lead the assault."

"Yes, warchief!" The goblin commanders saluted.

Soon, an army of 200 Hobgoblin Wolf Riders, led by 18 Goblin Commanders, moved toward Elkington Village.

Crird narrowed his eyes as he leisurely followed them.

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"Ha... ha... Tenacious bastard." Thomas grunted as he looked at the Hobgoblin General's corpse.

Among all the enemies he faced, this Hobgoblin was one of the strongest he ever faced. It was doubly so because the Hobgoblin fought like he didn't care about his life.

Thomas then looked around and called out, "Search for any survivors! Stab every enemy corpse you find and move it aside!"

"Yes!" The villagers did not celebrate their victory but continued their gruesome work.

"Zora... No..." Zora's sister teared up as she looked at Zora's lifeless body, her headless body next to a dead Dire Wolf that crunched on her skull.

She looked at the dire wolf with hatred and started manically stabbing it while crying. "Die! Die! Die! Boohoohoo! DIE!"

Many other villagers died in the fighting. Although Gerhart's timely intervention or Hope's healing saved many, many still died, leaving bereaved families.

"Bleurgh* Cough* Cough* Bleurgh*" Ray vomited as he saw his gruesome handiwork.

By himself, he slayed over a hundred, their bodies sprawled everywhere, the smell of iron thick in the air. He could see the fearful looks in the goblins' dead eyes, their necks half decapitated. Although when he was killing, he felt nothing but killing instincts, when the trance was over, he woke up to this hellish scene.

Calvin patted Ray's shoulder, "It will be okay. The first time is always the worst."

Gerhart was healing another fallen villager and stood up. "That is the last of them... I can't save anyone else." Gerhart muttered with a sad look.

In this battle, they lost at least several dozen, a heroic victory if compared to the thousand-strong goblin army! Yet, Gerhart didn't like to see them die like this, especially since they were now his subjects. Every death was a loss! Also, in this battle, Cilly was killed on the ramparts. It left a bad taste in his mouth that one of his women died, even if there were no real romantic feelings between them.

"My lord, there is no need to be disappointed. This outcome is already more than we could ask for. Facing such an army, it would be good if only half of us died today." Asher walked over and said.

"Hah... I guess you're right." Gerhart shook his head.

In the village center-

Hope was healing the last few villagers.

"Holy Envoy! We won the battle!" A youth ran to Hope's side, but there was no joy on his face.

"I am afraid we have not won yet." Hope shook her head as she continued healing the injured.

"But... But they are all dead!" The youth exclaimed.

"They are merely the vanguard. The real army should be coming soon." Hope replied.

"W-What?! Then why are we not preparing for them!?" The youth exclaimed.

"Who said we're not?" Hope glanced at the youth and then looked at Havre, calmly sitting on a rooftop. "Although they reserved their main army, we also reserved ours."

"Eh?" The youth looked toward Havre, not understanding what Hope meant.

"Isn't that just one person?" The youth scratched his head.

On the roof-

Havre looked to the North at the forest, narrowing her eyes like a predator. "They're here..." A wide grin appeared on her face, her eyes turning to crescents.

Her personality changed after becoming an official Sword Saint. She hungered for battle as if it were bread. She thirsted for the blood of the strong like water. War was her anvil, and she was the sword. She instinctively knew it. She was born as a weapon of war to be wielded by a worthy lord!

And Gerhart was the best lord she could have asked for! He even gave her such a fine gift! A whole army to slay, led by a Goblin Lord! Such thrill! Such Glory!

Moments later, she saw about 200 wolf riders charging out of the forest, each riding a more oversized Dire Wolf than the ones attacking their village, led by 18 Goblin Commanders riding Giant Wolves. And behind that army was the biggest goblin, riding the biggest wolf.

"The goblins are attacking! They are coming from the North!" The sentries yelled.

No one still understood how big the attackers were, or how many. They were too fast, charging at the speed of horses like true cavalry.

While everyone was tense, Havre was euphoric as she leisurely stood up. "Hehehe... The foxy has shown himself~. Time to hunt~."

With a light tap of her bare feet, Havre soared through the air at incredible speed, quickly arriving at the walls and jumping over them as if they were nothing, gracefully landing outside.

The charging Goblin Commanders were bewildered at the sight. "What the... a lone woman?"

"She's so beautiful... I want her..." Several of the Goblin Commanders were smitten with her. They had never seen such a beautiful female.

Even Goblin Lord Crird, who was far away, was moved by her beauty. However, at the same time, a bad feeling welled up within him. If he learned something, it was that the more beautiful a human was, the more dangerous it was!

With an intoxicated look, the beautiful blond woman with scant clothes pointed her sword at the approaching army with a delighted smile, "In the name of my lord, I hereby sentence you to death!"

And that was the start of Goblin Lord Crird's worst nightmare.