Chapter 80: The Great Battle of Iron Furnace Town VI
“We must break through the human center quickly!”
As the human army surrounded the dwarves, the Dwarf King spoke with a grave expression.
“Your Majesty, our troops are already deployed.”
The Dwarf Engineer beside him chimed in.
Even though he wasn’t well-versed in battle formations and was merely a research officer, anyone with a little knowledge of warfare could see the situation at hand.
The Dwarf Soldiers couldn’t retreat.
If they did, morale would plummet.
Moreover, it would be hard for the Dwarf Soldiers who retreated to return, considering the human forces were closing in from both flanks.
“No, we still have one unit yet to join the fray.”
The Dwarf King gazed fiercely at the battlefield and declared, “People of the mountains, follow me! Today, the children of the mountains will achieve victory in this battle!”
With those words, the Dwarf King surged forward into the fray.
The Dwarf Royal Guards followed silently, their heavy and determined footsteps articulating their intent.
As the warriors charged out, the engineers exchanged glances, and their leader shouted, “Though we lack the insignia of the battle legion, we are still brave and mighty Dwarf Warriors! Warriors, follow the great King of the Mountains into battle and defeat the humans!”
“The People of the Mountains will prevail!…”
Under the dual motivation of the Dwarf King and their commander, the Dwarf Engineers erupted with high spirits.
It’s safe to say that despite their usual focus on research rather than physical training, these dwarves were no pushovers in battle.
Not only the late arrivals but also the earlier Dwarf Warriors, upon noticing their king joining the fray, became even more fierce in their attacks.
Reaching the front lines, the Dwarf King leapt mightily above a shield-bearing Human Soldier, raising his battle axe high to cleave down at the human before him.
Faced with the overwhelming aura exuded by the Dwarf King, the Human Soldier was gripped by fear, his resolve completely faltering.
In the next instant, a deep gash appeared on the human’s face as he fell helplessly to the ground.
After slaying several more human soldiers, the Dwarf King paused to bellow at the surrounding Dwarf Warriors:
“Dwarves shall win! Slay those who dare obstruct the rise of the dwarves!”
“Dwarves shall win! Long live the King of the Mountains!…”
The nearby Dwarf Soldiers echoed the rallying cry.
The human soldiers around them were filled with dread as they watched.
While the dwarves paused their advance to cheer, the humans, gripped by fear, could not help but retreat.
They had lost their fighting spirit.
Soon, news of the situation here spread elsewhere.
“Dwarves shall win! Long live the King of the Mountains!…”
After shouting their battle cry, the Dwarf Warriors continued to throw themselves into the fight.
At this moment, the Dwarf Soldiers fought with renewed vigor.
What was already a wavering human line became utterly precarious under the continuous assaults.
Daring and fearless, a Dwarf Soldier swung his axe down; although the shield-bearing human blocked with his shield, he was forced to stagger back. Were it not for the person behind him, he would have toppled over.
In such a situation, numerous defensive lines were broken, creating gaps everywhere.
These dwarves were indeed tough to handle!
Watching this scene, Arthur felt the weight of despair.
The battle had been underway for some time, and just like the dwarves, he could not mobilize much on his side anymore.
The human and dwarf forces had blended into chaotic close combat.
“Soldiers, hold the line! Our left and right flanks are about to encircle the dwarves! Humanity will prevail!”
With those words, Arthur rallied the last squad beside him and charged toward the Dwarf King.
Though he wasn’t a king yet, he was the highest authority here in the center.
So at this moment, he acted as if he were a king.
Armored with the Sword of the King, Arthur dashed toward the Dwarf King.
He had no idea just how powerful the Dwarf King was as a natural warrior.
The dwarves, focusing more on firearms in recent battles, had not displayed much of their warrior heritage lately.
But now, it seemed these warrior descendants had not degraded one bit due to the advent of firearms.
They remained warriors, not mere shooters.
Facing the unknown strength of the Dwarf King, he charged ahead without hesitation.
This was all he could do for his army.
Against the dwarves’ fierce attacks, he had very few arrangements left to make.
With only the central force, he faced the entire Dwarf Army, lacking any numerical advantage.
So, like the Dwarf King, he could only rely on himself at this juncture.
As if sensing an impending clash, the Dwarf King paused after dispatching a human soldier, and looked up to see Arthur charging at him on horseback.
Arthur emitted an imposing aura that influenced everyone around him.
“Charge! Follow the commander and drive these dwarves back to the mountains! Humanity will prevail!”
The human soldiers cried out as they beheld Arthur charge forward.
The previously faltering morale of the humans intensified, bolstered by Arthur’s presence.
This influence spread rapidly through the ranks.
The Dwarf King’s expression turned serious.
He sensed that Arthur was a formidable foe.
Then, his gaze shifted from Arthur to the surrounding human soldiers.
Those who had just been terrified of him now appeared resolute, their fear overcome, rushing toward him.
“I’ll fight you! Humanity will prevail!”
Not just one soldier, but many.
They seemed to have gone mad.
Retreat was no longer an option.
There was no escape behind them, and with the commander himself leading the charge, what reason did they have to cower?
Let’s do this!
“Hmph!”
The Dwarf King scoffed with disdain. While he acknowledged their bravery, on the battlefield against him, their fate was only death.
He continued to charge, dodging their strikes while swinging his axe to reap their lives.
One, two, three, four…
In just a moment, the bodies of the surrounding human soldiers lay scattered on the ground.
Finally, the Dwarf King’s advance halted as he clashed with a sword, staggering back over ten meters before stabilizing himself.
He looked up to see Arthur charging toward him on horseback and silently gritted his teeth.
He had just been careless.
Arthur had caught him off guard.
But it wouldn’t be that easy next time.
Faced with the oncoming Arthur, the Dwarf King did not retreat, but instead charged forward, aiming to recover the dignity he had just lost.
