Chapter 39
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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
nThe battle commenced.
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nThe red banner billowed in the wind. The golden lion in the middle looked as if it was baring its claws and fangs.
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nThat banner was none other than Kant’s Intimidation.
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nIt was his trump card.
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nAs long as the enemy was caught within 1,640 feet of the Intimidation banner’s effect, the first effect would come into play, cutting down enemy morale and striking fear of Kant into the enemy.
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nThe Jackalans were, at the moment, Kant’s main enemy.
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nThat meant the Jackalans were about to be subjected to its effects.
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nOwwwuuuu, wuuuuuuu
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nTheir howls sounded like they came from beasts. The shrill noises emanated from their fang-filled mouths.
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nThat was the only language the Jackalans were capable of learning.
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nThe Jackalans, in massive numbers, charged as the howls were heard throughout the place. They rushed at the houses of the Oasis Lookout, bringing about a raging charge.
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nThe night was dark.
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nHowever, the Jackalans had night vision, which meant they were able to detect the human soldiers standing at the ends of the street.
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nEight days ago, they had developed a new grudge against the Oasis Lookout.
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nIt accumulated along with the old hatred from 10 years ago regarding the Dukedom of Leo.
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nThe Jackalans, which had little intelligence to begin with, were fueled by all those emotions. They charged even faster with their spiked clubs in hand.
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nTheir expressions had grown more terrifying and ferocious.
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nRoar!
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nThe Jackalan chieftain roared as he charged to the front. His mail armor clanked about wildly as he ran at great speeds.
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nHe was eager to get a taste of enemy blood.
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nThe Jackalans behind him shared the same sentiment.
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nThey had no strategies to speak of.
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nThey had no concept of formations.
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nAs primitive, foolish creatures, they only knew how to slaughter.
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nSuddenly, something else happened.
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nAs they continued to charge, getting increasingly close to the Oasis Lookout, their minds began to waver.
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nThe same thing happened with the Jackalan Chieftain.
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nHis green eyes were filled with brutality and ferocity.
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nHowever, that was not all his eyes displayed.
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nThere was also a hint of fear of the human soldiers.
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nThey were now just 1,640 feet away from the Oasis Lookout.
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nThe Intimidation banner had begun to work.
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nIts effects had been activated.
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nThe Jackalans, which had been charging quickly at the humans, were all stunned for a bit after getting within a 1,640-foot radius of the banner. They continued to charge, but all their ferocity and wrath were lost.
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nTheir morale was instantly diminished.
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nWorse still for the Jackalans, their method of combat needed strong, explosive morale more than anything else.
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nOnce the morale diminished, bad things followed.
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nIt worked the same with the Jackalans.
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n…
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n“For Swadia!”
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nNeat, high-spirited shouts were heard throughout Drondheim.
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nThe soldiers standing ready at the eastern end of the street, stared down at the charging Jackalan troops with resolute expressions. Along with panic seen deep in their eyes, there was also psychological readiness for a grim future.
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nIf they were not able to survive, they saw nothing else to do but give it their all.
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nThe soldiers were at the eastern end of the street.
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nIt was the location the 2,000-strong Jackalan forces were heading.
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nIt was where a bloody slaughter was about to happen, as well as where the stench of blood was going to be thickest.
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nOnly 30 Swadian Recruits were standing at the forefront of the street with their shields raised and spears extended from the cracks between the shields.
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nThe tips of their spearheads gleamed.
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nBehind them stood 60 Swadian Peasants. They physically sealed off the 32-foot-wide street off in tightly packed formations. They raised their long scythes and faced forward, trying to form a tight defensive formation.
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nThey were determined to make themselves into a force able to make the mouths of their enemy bleed with a single bite.
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nThat was not the only formation put in place.
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nKant had 35 of his best second-level troop class standing by at the rooftops.
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nTheir loaded hunting crossbows were readied and capable of shooting bolts at any given moment.
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nHeater shields and heavy spears were laid down right beside them. They armed themselves with the combat shovel, which was better at fighting up close and personal.
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nThey were doing so to prepare themselves against any Jackalan that managed to climb up to the rooftops.
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nThese were all traditional Swadian houses. As such, they were about 9.8 feet tall. Even with the triangular roofs taken into account, the height was still within 11.4 feet tall. It was not that much of a barrier against the Jackalans.
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n“They’re here!”
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nScholar Hank spoke with a deep voice, which turned Kant’s attention forward.
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nKant narrowed his gaze on the enemy as he held his light crossbow. The Jackalans were close enough that he could smell their stench.
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nIt was a stench that belonged only to the Jackalans.
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nAs they rapidly charged, the Jackalans covered the 1,640-foot distance in no time.
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nBlack shadows filled the place. It was as if they were floodwater overcoming a dam, threatening to engulf everything before them as it gushed. The Jackalans were about to break into the Oasis Lookout and flood the soldiers at the end of the street in mere moments.
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nShooop, shoop, shoop, shooop…
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nThe sounds of bowstrings being let loose and bolts streaking through the air were heard.
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nThe triggers had been pressed.
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nBe it Kant or the militia members on the rooftops, they all attacked at the same time without being given an order.
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nIron bolts were instantly seen flying toward the enemy.
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nBlood splattered among the Jackalans who were at the very front. The tips of the iron bolts easily pierced through their hide, tearing at the muscles beneath the layer of fat under their skin. It ruptured their blood vessels and left deep wounds on their bodies.
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nOowwwww!
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nShrilled howls were heard. The eyes of the Jackalans shot at the front glittered with bloodlust.
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nThe shots from the hunting crossbows had yet to cause lethal damage against the Jackalans.
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nStill, there were exceptions.
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nFour Jackalans who had likely been hit in vital areas. They slowed and dropped to the ground. They were quickly stomped on by the Jackalans charging from behind without mercy. Whimpers were heard before they were snuffed out.
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nThe charge had been a success.
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nThe four who dropped to the ground were but a casualty like a drop of water in the ocean to the 2000-strong Jackalan forces.
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nHowever, that was still like pouring oil into a pan.
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nMorale was at an all-time high.
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nThe red Intimidation banner with a golden lion called billowed slightly in the wind. The eyes of the Swadian Recruits guarding the end of the street, who were already close enough to stare into the eyes of the Jackalans, glittered with excitement.
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nThe fourth effect was activated.
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nEnemy casualties on the battlefield boosted the morale of the friendly forces.
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n“All hail Swadia!”
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nThe recruits shouted. The ferocity derived from courage allowed them to give it their all, leaving them all with determined expressions.
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nThe odds were further stacked against the Jackalans.
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nThe Jackalans fiercely crashed into the formation at the end of the street.
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nBang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…
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nSounds that resembled something heavily hitting wooden boards were heard. In actuality, it was the Jackalans frenziedly crashing into the spears and seemingly sturdy shields at the end of the street. They were using their bodies and spiked clubs to try and break through.
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nThe Jackalans’ charge was truly insane. Despite there being spears and long scythes right before them, they came crashing down without hesitation.
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nCrack, crack, crack…
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nThe sounds of wood being snapped were heard.
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nThe Swadian Recruits at the forefront painfully whelped.
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nThe entire formation was right before Kant’s eyes. The Swadian Recruits had backed up four or five steps before they finally stopped. The 12 Swadian Recruits at the front taking on the enemy head-on had already dropped dead to the ground.
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nThe recruits were holding their shields steady with their left shoulders, extending their spears through the cracks between their shields with their right hands.
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nThe peasants behind them helped by holding the spears of the recruits, enabling the weapons to stay steady against the enemy’s power.
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nThey still suffered massive casualties as the Jackalans tore at them.
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nShields were cracked and shattered, and spears were broken. More than 20 Jackalans were brought down by the spears and long scythes, but the formation seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
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nThe edge provided by sheer numbers had completely overwhelmed a strategy of superior quality.
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nIf it had not been for the Intimidation banner, which continued to billow without any winds blowing, boosting the morale of the Swadian troops and urging them to advance, morale would have probably suffered a sharp drop among the troops holding the street after being dealt with such a horrifying charge.
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nAll of them had been living people.
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n“In the name of Swadia, hold the line!”
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nKant’s voice was heard shouting throughout the street.
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nHowever, his voice fell onto deaf ears. The place was drowned with shouts and noises of slaughter by any remaining recruits and peasants, as well as howls from the Jackalans. All of those sounds drowned out any orders given by Kant.
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nThe Swadian Recruits were struggling to keep the formation in place. They were no longer able to keep the spears steady. They dropped them just to keep their shields up and protect the peasants behind them.
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nLong scythes were brought down from above or thrust from behind in the formation.
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nHowever, none of that lasted for long.
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nThe bodies of Jackalans piled up on the ground. At the same time, Swadians were being brought down left and right by the Jackalans’ spiked clubs.
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nAs the noises of the battle raged, casualties were incurred on both sides every single second.
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nJackalans had even emerged before the militia members on the rooftops.
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nThey had no choice but to cast their hunting crossbows away and fight up close and personal using the heater shields and combat shovels.
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nHowever, things did not look good for Kant’s forces.
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n“Scholar Hank, we need to retreat further away.”
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nKant gritted his teeth as he saw the troops before him being dropped one after another.
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nThe first wave of the Jackalans’ charge had almost brought down his lines of defenses altogether.
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nHe knew that his forces were not able to last long. The Jackalans probably only needed a few more minutes to render his puny line of defense in Drondheim non-existent. The enemy, which had terrifying numbers, was about to massacre his forces using the flesh and blood of their brethren to pave their path to victory.
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