Chapter 19: Asione Wall Battle (Part-1)
Slowly, the gigantic Earthborn starts moving forward while showing his sharp and dirty teeth menacingly. His six red-colored eyes roam all over the ground where we are standing, and a nasty smile forms on his ugly face.
At the same time, other normal-sized Earthborns are also flowing out of the forest and are advancing towards the wall while raising all of their six muscular arms up in the air threateningly.
“F-Fuck! I am not dying before fucking a human woman or nymph. I have had enough of those sheep and goats!”
One of the Satyr yells before throwing his sword on the ground and running away in the opposite direction to the incoming horde of the Earthborns.
And well, he is not the only one getting cold-feet…
Even if we ignore the fact that the information given to us about the number of Earthborns was greatly wrong, the presence of that huge abnormal Earthborn is enough to make almost everyone piss their pants.
And thus, following the satyr’s trail, a few other guild members also throw their weapons and start running away.
“Sigh… Do they really think that running away will save them?” I mutter to myself in a really calm voice.
For some reason unknown, the crazier a situation becomes, the calmer and more collected I get. It was the same when we summoned Nemesis, and it holds true now as well.
Though unfortunately, it’s not the same with everyone else…
People that are not running away, are all frozen in place and staring at the Earthborns with fear and shock… including Reeves.
The only reason why none of them has died yet is because the advancement of the Earthborns has momentarily stopped due to the traps laid by Lucy and others in different places.
Some of the Earthborns are falling into huge pits that were hidden using twigs and leaves. Some are getting stabbed in their legs by the wooden spikes that are half-buried inside the ground, before falling down and roaring in pain.
“AAAAARRRGH!!!”
Suddenly, the 8-meter-tall Earthborn bellows a thunderous roar. Apparently, his left leg has fallen down inside one of the pits and is stuck there.
So, this one is too big to even fall inside one of the pits, huh?
Then, I guess, the wooden spikes will not work on him as well…
In frustration, the abnormal Earthborn starts punching the ground around his trapped leg with all his arms.
This is our chance…
“Sister, the wall. Now,” I tell Lucy who is standing beside me in silence.
“B-But Lucas, they are—”
“Listen! The abnormal one is stuck for now and the other Earthborns are in chaos because of the traps. We should act right now, okay? Take your position in front of the wall, sis. I will go and tell Reeve to initiate the offense,” I say in a serious tone.
Lucy continues to stare at me without moving, her face etched with worry.
“Lucy…” I say while raising my eyebrows.
“… Okay, fine. But remember what I told you, Lucas. Don’t take any risks…” she says.
“Sure, now go on…” I tell her.
Still giving me a slightly suspicious look, Lucy turns around and starts running towards the wall. In the bright sunlight, her golden lance shines strikingly on the way.
“Okay then, let’s have some fun, shall we?” I say, a grin automatically forming on my face due to the adrenaline rush.
Raising up my bronze sword and shield a little, I start running towards the front lines.
Amazing… Nemesis wasn’t lying. I am clearly much faster than before…
“GET READY! THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO ATTACK!”
On my way, I yell at the frozen guild members to get them out of their fear-induced trance. This proves greatly effective, as many of them shake their head and start gaining their concentration again. Obviously, all of them are still filled with fear, but at least they are ready in their battle stances.
But still, I think seeing the Earthborns facing trouble with the traps, a small spark of hope is ignited in everyone’s mind… enough to make them stay here.
Well then, let’s continue with my work…
“REEVE! FIRE THE CANONS!” I shout, getting closer to the front line.
Reeve, who was also standing frozen until now, turns around and looks straight at me.
Damn…
Just from a single glance at his face, I can already tell why he is not giving any commands to the guild members…
Unlike others, he is not fearing the Earthborns, at least right now. He is fearing that all his comrades are going to die… just because of the decision he made.
Sigh…
Quickly reaching closer to Reeve, I put a hand on his shoulder…
“Listen buddy, see them?” I ask while pointing at the struggling Earthborns.
“They have fallen for our traps. If we can use this chance properly, there is still a possibility to win. And as you can see, the cowards among us have already run away.
“Everyone left here are brave adults, willing to risk their lives for the sake of their homes and families. Lead them into battle and prove that their trust in you is not for naught,” I tell him in a strong voice.
Reeve stares at me for a couple of seconds with wide eyes.
“Ha… Hahaha… You are right. I am an idiot for losing focus at a time like this. Thanks, buddy, I owe you one…” he says while hitting his own head with his fist.
“LOAD UP THE CANNONS AND FIRE!!!”
Turning forward again, Reeve commands in a loud voice.
And as if just waiting for his orders, the guild members in charge of the canons hurriedly start loading them up.
We have eight canons in total, and enough ammo to fire three shots from each. Counting in the misfires, I think we will be able to deal with around 16 or 17 Earthborns.
Though there is a slight disadvantage; due to the chances of friendly misfire, we cannot fight them ourselves until the canon finishes firing.
And the situation is getting dangerous now…
As the first wave of the Earthborns already fell for our traps, the others coming from behind them are moving more cautiously now and thus, are steadily making progress in our direction.
And also, because of the continuous punching of the ground, the abnormal Earthborn looks close to getting free as well.
Hmm… It would have been nice if this giant could be killed by the canons.
Though unfortunately, he is just too far away to get any sure hits. And we cannot waste any cannonballs on mere chances…
********BANG********
Suddenly, while I was thinking about our current situation again, the first volley of cannonballs gets loaded and fired.
And instantly, five of the Earthborns who managed to get dangerously close to us gets shot down.
The closest one gets his head blown off completely. The two behind him gets holed in their torso. And the farthest ones get their limbs torn off.
And while the first three die instantly, the other two with lost limbs fall down to the ground and start roaring in pain.
“Keep going! Keep going! Reload and fire!” Reeve commands in a loud voice.
********BANG********
In under a minute, the second volley of cannonballs gets loaded and fired.
This time, six Earthborns get hit and either end up dying or left incapable to move and fight.
“Eleven of them are down in just two volleys! We are doing much better than expected! Keep going, guys!” Reeve shouts, motivating others.
Even he is sounding a little bit surprised and happy by the success rate… though I am not. I already predicted a result like this.
Obviously, if the numbers of Earthborns are increased, the number of missed shots will decrease, resulting in a greater success rate.
Though if we look at the greater picture… the situation is getting worse.
More and more Earthborns are getting past the area where the traps are installed. Even the ones who fell into the pits earlier are starting to climb back up and join their ranks.
And the most concerning thing of all…
“Okay, time for the final canon shots! Reload and—”
“GAAAAAARRHHHH!!!”
Suddenly, an ear-splitting roar comes from the abnormal Earthborn and drowns Reeve’s voice completely.
Shit…
Everyone looks at the abnormal Earthborn fearfully as his stuck leg finally tears out of the ground. His face is looking extremely angry right now. And for some reason, his red eyes are glowing furiously.
Sigh…
I guess we really pissed this one off, huh?
“GAAA-RAA-GAAARH!”
The abnormal Earthborn bellows again in a really peculiar manner.
And suddenly, every advancing Earthborn stop in their track and slowly bends down.
Hmm? What are they doing?
They all keep getting lowered and lowered until all their six hands touch the ground… no, digs inside the ground.
Wait… Why are their hands going inside so smoothly?
It’s almost as if they are dipping them inside water…
A couple of seconds later, all the Earthborns start grunting and the muscles in their arms get flexed.
And the next instant, all of them simultaneously raise their bodies with a jerk… and in their hands, out comes six spherical balls of rock, similar to the cannonballs we just fired just, one in each of the six hands of every Earthborn present here.
“GAAAARH!”
And before anyone can get over the shock of what just happen, the abnormal Earthborn gives yet another roar… And does the most peculiar thing I have seen today.
He starts running towards us…