Chapter 75: The Great Battle of Iron Furnace Town

Chapter 75: The Great Battle of Iron Furnace Town

At the Georgian Royal Palace, or rather, at the temporary palace of Dwarf King Soron, he sat on his throne, perusing the battle challenge delivered by the humans.

The challenge boldly invited the Dwarf King to set up for a showdown in the wilderness.

Naturally, the note employed a bit of provocation to coax Soron into compliance.

“These humans are still so arrogant at this point! Their confidence doesn’t mean a thing when faced with the fury of the mountains.”

With a haughty expression, Dwarf King Soron addressed the gathered Dwarf generals after finishing the challenge.

“Long live the Great King of the Mountains! Long live!”

The generals echoed his sentiments without hesitation, as they held a similar disdain for humans.

The age of humans was over; now it was the time for Dwarves.

As the cheers resonated through the hall, Soron’s confidence soared even higher.

“Since those humans are voluntarily walking to their doom, I won’t mind sending them on their way. Relay the order—mobilize the entire army, target Iron Furnace Town!”

In the northern stronghold of Dolma, remnants of the Georgian forces, led by Mage Ofart, gathered alongside support from the Machia Republic, commanded by Arthur; Prince Crown and Duke Ogg’s son, Georges, led the forces from the northwest Nick Kingdom; while Duke Jelen represented the Agia Kingdom from the east.

The coalition had amassed over fifty thousand troops.

To execute their strategies effectively on the battlefield, numerous mages had clandestinely joined the ranks.

In the Dolma Assembly Hall, the leaders of the four nations discussed their forthcoming crucial battle.

“Gentlemen, Dwarf King Soron has accepted our challenge, and now we prepare for a decisive battle at Iron Furnace Town,” Ofart informed everyone.

The others exchanged pleased glances, acknowledging the inside information.

With the Dwarf King having accepted the challenge, they were already confident of an 80% victory in the upcoming fight.

However, Ofart’s demeanor was serious as he added, “While our plans are thorough, I urge everyone to treat this battle with utmost seriousness. This fight is not merely for one person or one nation; it is a battle for all humanity.

Dwarf King Soron has intruded upon our borders, causing our lands to fall into despair, and civilians to suffer. We must defeat these vile Dwarves as Alexander the Great did, and drive them back into the mountains!”

The mood fluctuated with Ofart’s words, eventually igniting a spirit of determination among the crowd.

“For humanity we fight!”

“For humanity we fight!”

“……”

It was unclear who started the chant, but soon everyone joined in, their voices echoing into the outside air, stirring the soldiers on guard into a fervor.

With the mobilization complete, the army immediately set off towards Iron Furnace Town.

The torrents of humanity and Dwarves advanced from Dolma and the Georgian royal city, heading for the border town of Iron Furnace.

On the day of the climactic battle, both Dwarf and human forces set their ranks on the plains, facing off.

It was a gentleman’s battle.

Both sides had agreed upon the time and place, presenting their troops openly at the start of the conflict and clearly designating the attackers and defenders.

As for the exact troop deployments, that remained a closely guarded secret.

If one wanted to know, they could only rely on their own abilities to ascertain it.

Glancing over the battlefield, the sight of countless soldiers stretched out before them spoke of an impending clash.

As if to set the scene, dark clouds representing the war gathered ominously overhead.

Looking up at the brooding sky, Ofart chuckled, “What splendid weather!”

Even though they could summon rain on a sunny day, it was certainly easier to rain when the sky was already overcast.

Though others remained silent, they mirrored Ofart’s smile.

As long as they could neutralize the Dwarven firearms, they felt confident in sending these Dwarves back home.

Across the way, Dwarf King Soron, noticing the humans’ offensive lineup, sneered, “Such arrogant humans!”

“They will pay for their arrogance,” a general beside him remarked with a grin.

The Dwarves brimmed with confidence for the upcoming battle.

Except for the engineers, who looked at the darkening sky with an unsettling feeling they couldn’t shake.

To the Dwarves, the humans’ setup seemed like an invitation to their own demise.

As tensions reached their peak, Arthur turned to Ofart, saying, “Marshal, please give the command for the mages to summon rain!”

Although humans were on the offense, if the Dwarves broke formation to attack, it could turn the tide against them.

“Alright! Mages, prepare to summon rain!”

With Ofart’s order, the already positioned mages began their incantations.

Intense surges of magic energy formed swirling vortices around them.

Under the influence of their spells, the clouds above grew even thicker.

Then, droplets of rain began to fall from the sky.

“Rain is falling!”

“Dammit, I had a bad feeling it was going to rain with this gloomy weather.”

“Now that it’s raining, do we still fight?”

“……”

The sudden downpour threw the humans’ military formation into slight chaos.

“Silence! Maintain formation! No moving around or speaking!”

Junior officers shouted commands, restoring some order.

In contrast, the Dwarves remained disciplined and composed, steadfast at their posts throughout.

However, the Dwarven engineers, glancing at the falling rain, bore increasingly complex expressions.

Being the creators of the firearms, they understood their flaws well.

But they never anticipated humans could do this.

They had underestimated human magic!

“Everyone, the magic is already in effect; return to your respective positions,” declared Arthur.

“Yes!” everyone replied in unison.

Then Arthur and Cain advanced to the center of their forces.

The central army comprised troops from the Machia Republic and the Georgian forces.

Crown and Georges moved to the left flank, where the Nick Kingdom’s troops were located, while Duke Jelen and his deputy went to the right flank, where the Agia forces were stationed.

Upon returning to their positions, the previously scattered drizzle had turned into a steady downpour.

The ground quickly soaked up the rain, turning moist.

Simultaneously, their visibility began to diminish.

This was not advantageous for combat.

Of course, the human leaders aware of the underlying factors felt a thrill; the heavier the rain, the better.