Chapter 166: The Bloodbath between Humans and Orcs
On the battlefield, countless Orc Warriors launched desperate charges toward the human military formation.
The Human Soldiers felt utterly powerless against the Orcs’ frontal assaults; if they couldn’t dodge, their fate would be grim.
Being knocked aside was the better scenario; the worst fate awaited those who were struck in the head by the massive spiked clubs wielded by the Orcs.
Even though the Human Soldiers typically wore helmets, that tiny bit of protection was utterly inadequate against such fierce attacks.
In an instant, those who couldn’t dodge had their heads smashed to bits by the Orcs, dying on the spot.
However, the Orcs could only maintain their ferocity for a limited time; soon, nearby Human Soldiers, under the command of Human Officers, began to surround the exhausted Orc Warriors and retaliate.
“Everyone, charge together! Maintain formation, dodge their attacks, and don’t let them hit you!”
Although the human formation had been thrown into disarray by the Orcs’ charge, it quickly regained a degree of order under the Human Officer’s guidance and began to fight back.
In contrast, the Orcs lacked any commanding officers to instruct them on what to do next.
They were completely relying on their instincts, doing whatever they felt like.
And what they aimed to do now was—kill, kill, kill!
Wipe out all the surrounding humans and feast on them.
These were delicacies to them!
The Orc Warriors glared at the surrounding humans with bloodthirsty red glints in their eyes.
This eerie redness frightened the nearby Human Soldiers, causing hesitation to approach the Orcs.
“Don’t be afraid! Charge in and kill them!”
Finally, encouraged by their officers, the Human Soldiers rushed forward, surrounding the Orc Warriors and hacking away.
Despite the incredible strength of the Orc Warriors, they were no match for the sheer number of Human Soldiers swarming in like ants.
Soon, many Orc Warriors fell to the ground, struck down by the Human Soldiers.
However, before the Human Soldiers could even celebrate their victory over these Orcs, more and more Orc Warriors charged in behind.
After several ongoing assaults, the frontline of the humans had become almost meaningless, failing to provide any real defense.
This led to an increasing number of Orcs flooding into the Human Soldiers’ second line of defense, the very line where the Human Soldiers had just surrounded the Orc Warriors.
Having barely recovered from battle, the Human Soldiers were forced to regroup and face the enemy once more.
This time, the pressure they faced was far greater.
The number of Orc Warriors charging in was significantly higher than before.
For instance, previously, ten Human Soldiers could jointly attack one Orc Warrior, but now, at most, only five could manage the same.
Despite the increased pressure, the Human Soldiers stood their ground under the Officer’s command and did not retreat.
At the back of the frontline, Duke Rayman watched the Orc Warriors breach the first line of defense and reach the second with a furrowed brow.
The speed of the Orcs’ advance was much faster than he had anticipated.
Soon, Duke Rayman’s frown smoothed out as he began issuing a series of commands, “Let the Mages act freely, whether to attack the Orcs or protect our warriors at the front, just keep them busy. Also, let the archers target the Orcs’ rear units to disrupt their support!”
The messengers immediately communicated Duke Rayman’s orders.
First, a swift horse galloped out directly toward the waiting Mage squad.
Then, a messenger standing on high waved their hand signaling with a flag.
On the other side, the archers, having received the orders, began to target the Orcs’ rear, launching their arrows.
In an instant, sharp arrows fell like rain upon the Orc forces from behind.
Noticing the incoming arrows, the Orc Warriors with shields quickly raised their shields, huddling beneath them.
As for those without shields, well, they could only wish for good luck.
Clearly, not every Orc was favored by fortune; many became pincushions under the relentless rain of arrows.
Even the shielded Orcs couldn’t guarantee their safety.
After all, where there are lucky ones, there are also those out of luck.
Even if just a tiny bit of your body peeks out from behind the shield, in case of extreme misfortune, you could still get hit by a wayward arrow.
With the archers’ obstruction, the Orcs’ support for the front lines was significantly reduced.
Not long after the archers began to shine, a mounted messenger also reached the Mage squad to relay Duke Rayman’s intentions to them.
Upon receiving the order, the Mages wasted no time with unnecessary chatter and immediately began to cast their spells.
It was clear that these Mages were quite focused at this moment.
Unlike the grunts, the Mages held a much higher status.
Thus, they were privy to information that the simple soldiers were not.
The current situation was far from favorable for them; if they were to slack off now, it would truly be a death wish.
With the involvement of the Mages, the Human Soldiers at the front line found their situation greatly alleviated.
Though there were occasional friendly fire incidents due to miscast spells, such instances were negligible compared to the significant damage dealt to the Orcs.
The injured Human Soldiers had no choice but to blame their bad luck.
As for the dead, there simply wasn’t much to say about it.
Nevertheless, the Mages gradually adjusted their combat strategy, learning from their past mistakes.
In situations like this, they would avoid friendly fire whenever possible.
They aimed to conserve their own strength as much as they could.
If they weren’t confident, they wouldn’t launch attacks; instead, they would cast supportive spells for their comrades to bolster their combat effectiveness.
Compared to the well-coordinated multi-unit operations of the Humans, the Orcs appeared disorganized and chaotic.
They lacked unified and effective command.
Especially those Orc Warriors with blood rushing to their heads; even if you gave them orders, they wouldn’t necessarily listen and would follow their own instincts instead.
Yet, as born fighters, Orcs had numerous advantages in close combat compared to Humans.
Even with all the many aids the Human Soldiers had, overcoming the Orc Warriors was still a daunting task.
While the front lines erupted into chaos, the lines tasked with defending against the Dark Elves remained eerily quiet.
Those Dark Elves seemed like mere spectators, watching the battle unfold without any intention of intervening.
However, this made Duke Ogg increasingly uneasy.
The Elf race was not one to be underestimated.
Especially these Dark Elves.
Their survival after being ousted until now was proof of their capabilities.
Moreover, compared to their Elf counterparts, these Dark Elves were far craftier.
