Chương 40: Battle (Part 3)

Dragon-Fang couldn't understand the Goblin language, but insults are a universal tongue. Visible veins popped on his forehead as he barked back in a rage, "Lowly Goblin! I will tear out your throat, snap your bones, and slaughter every last one of your kin..." Li Qinwu watched Dragon-Fang yapping like a stray dog, picked his ear nonchalantly, and turned away. He couldn't understand a word of that "woofing" anyway. Seeing the Goblin turn his back on his grand proclamation, Dragon-Fang was incensed.

He bellowed to his elite Great Kobolds, "Prepare to attack! Kill every last Goblin!!" As the order trickled down, the former tribal chiefs began consolidating their forces. The common Kobolds who had been scattered by Li Qinwu's initial charge were dragged out of their hiding spots and forced to rally behind the Great Kobolds. Dragon-Fang looked at his elite ranks with satisfaction. In his mind, he had five times—no, a "Kun" amount—more Great Kobolds than the enemy had Hobgoblins. Therefore, victory was certain!

Back at the ridge, Li Qinwu saw the enemy regrouping and immediately ordered his men back into formation. This time, the Great Kobolds were coming—the core of the enemy army. He had to be careful. He signaled the ballista crews: "Ballistae! Aim for the ones with shields! Once they cover half the distance, switch to Canister Bolts!!"

"Gobu-Bow! Once they're in range, fire at will! Don't waste bolts on shields; pick off the unshielded ones!" The five ballistae concentrated their fire on the approaching elites. The sheer kinetic force made even the wooden bolts lethal; they frequently splintered the crude shields, punched through bone armor, and skewered the Great Kobolds to the ground. The Great Kobolds were horrified.

Commotion rippled through their ranks, but as elites—one-in-ten warriors of their kind—their pride kept them from breaking easily. However, a far more terrifying assault awaited them. After enduring nearly ten rounds of ballista fire and reaching the halfway point, the crews began swapping ammunition. They loaded cylindrical containers into the grooves: Canister Bolts. These consisted of a wooden casing stuffed with six individual arrows.

The arrows themselves were salvaged from the Iron Cage Militia—thick-shafted projectiles that carried massive kinetic energy. By packing them into a casing, a single ballista could fire six at once. It functioned like a giant shotgun. It provided a wide area of effect at the cost of range. While a standard bolt could reach 900 meters, these canisters capped out at 700. Against shielded targets, they needed to be even closer. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Once the Great Kobolds closed within 400 meters, Li Qinwu roared at the crews: "FIRE!!" THWACK! The five ballistae released simultaneously. The wooden casings were catapulted forward by the massive tension, only to catch the air and peel away, dropping harmlessly to the side. The thirty arrows contained within retained their momentum, fanning out into a lethal spread that crashed into the shielded Kobold line. A chorus of agonized shrieks erupted.

These were ballista-launched projectiles; they punched through the flimsy wooden shields like paper, burying themselves deep in the bodies of the elites behind them. This single volley claimed over a dozen Great Kobolds, causing the entire formation to waver. Dragon-Fang, watching from the rear, was stunned. He hadn't expected the Goblins to possess such devastating weaponry. I can't let them fire a second round. We have to close the gap! Dragon-Fang shouted to a subordinate chief, "Blow the horn!!" AWOOOO!

The mournful horn sounded. The hesitating Kobolds stiffened, then let out a collective, bloodthirsty howl. They accelerated into a full sprint, intending to shatter Li Qinwu's line in one desperate surge! Li Qinwu roared, "HOLD! HOLD YOUR GROUND! PREPARE FOR IMPACT!!!" As he shouted, he accessed his tactical interface: [1] Heavy Infantry, [F8] Shield Wall. The heavy infantry tightened their formation, overlapping their shields. Li Qinwu then ran behind them into the ranks of the spear-wielding Goblins.

"Spears! Get them out there! Find the gaps and THRUST!!" The spearmen shoved their shafts through the openings in the shield wall, tucking the ends firmly under their armpits. Li Qinwu turned toward the rear and shouted to Hana, who was standing with Dang-Dang: "Within three steps! Water Ball! WATER BALL!!" Hana rushed forward behind the heavy infantry, raising her staff and chanting. Soon, a sphere of water the size of a water cooler jug condensed at the tip of her staff.

"Go!" She hurled the water ball onto the dry earth directly in front of the heavy infantry. She followed up with four more, soaking the entire approach to the front line. Just as she went for a fifth, the Great Kobolds slammed into the position. CRASH! They hit the shields with the force of a tidal wave, snarling and barking. But the expected collapse of the line didn't happen. The core of the formation was held by Tier 3 Goblin Warriors—taller, stronger, and possessed of iron wills.

Following Li Qinwu's orders, they stood like stone. The two sides entered a grinding deadlock, pushing and shoving with all their might.

"STAB! STAB! STAB!!!" Li Qinwu screamed at the top of his lungs. He snatched a spear from a nearby Goblin, hoisted it over his head, and began thrusting blindly into the fray. He didn't care if he could see his targets; the constant system pings of [Experience +24] told him his attacks were hitting home. In the rear, Gobu-Bow was frantic. The two armies were so entangled that he had no clear line of sight for a volley. He looked to the flanks, past the wooden spikes, where common Kobolds were swarming.

The polearm-wielding Goblins were hacking at them, but some Kobolds were slipping through the gaps in the spikes, lunging at Goblins' throats or even grabbing the weapons to wrestle them away. Gobu-Bow immediately ordered the idle crossbowmen, "To the flanks! Point-blank fire!" He ran to the side himself, drew his bow, and buried an arrow into a Kobold's skull at near-face-to-face range. The other crossbowmen followed suit, pressing their weapons against Kobold faces before pulling the triggers.

At this distance, accuracy was 100%. Combined with the polearm Goblins, the flanks finally stabilized.