Chương 123: The War of Siege and Defense (Part 5)

Li Qinwu was thoroughly enjoying his level-grinding experience. Around the section of the fortress wall he was guarding, several dozen corpses were already piled up, while even more bodies littered the base of the wall below—having fallen to their deaths before they could even scramble up the masonry. As another human soldier prepared to leap onto the battlements, Li Qinwu swung his greatsword once more, crushing the opponent's helmet flat and shattering his skull. The man fell directly off the Cloud Ladder.

Li Qinwu took a breath, feeling as though he had just finished warming up. The enemies felt far too weak to him. When would they send out a super-minion for him to play with? In the very next instant, a highly agile silhouette leaped onto the fortress wall, landing directly in front of him. Startled, Li Qinwu focused his gaze. The newcomer was exceptionally tall and robust.

He wore no helmet, revealing a furry tiger head, and was clad in thick lamellar armor while gripping a massive double-bladed battle-axe in his hands. The Tiger Beastman Kosso quickly stabilized his footing upon landing on the wall. His eyes locked onto Li Qinwu instantly; the armor Li Qinwu wore gleamed with a brilliant golden light, marking him as a big boss at a single glance.

Letting out a tiger roar, he issued a 1v1 challenge invitation, and without waiting for Li Qinwu's consent, he swung his massive double-bladed axe down in a fierce chop. Seeing that the opponent's physical frame was a whole size larger than his own, Li Qinwu knew this visitor was bad news. Channeling his full strength, he similarly swung his greatsword to clash against the incoming strike.

The double-bladed axe and the two-handed greatsword collided mid-air, producing a resounding duang along with a massive explosion of sparks. The shock forced Li Qinwu back a step, leaving both of his hands completely numb. He felt a surge of horror. The strength of this Tiger Beastman was incredibly fierce. Even with his 1 Kun-Nu of physical force, he was actually inferior to the opponent in terms of raw power—this creature possessed at least a full 3 Nu of strength!

With a single axe strike, Kosso deflected Li Qinwu. Letting out another tiger roar, a multitude of Tiger Beastmen began rushing onto the fortress wall from the surrounding Cloud Ladders. These fellows were exceptionally fast; nearly every single one of them vaulted directly over the parapet, smashing straight into the defensive ranks. The moment their boots touched the stone, they brandished various two-handed weapons, hacking and slashing frantically at the surrounding goblins.

The well-prepared goblins couldn't care less whether those climbing up were human soldiers or Tiger Beastmen; they surged forward with muskets and spears, pinning the intruders down in a coordinated effort to execute them. However, because the Tiger Beastmen possessed such robust physiques, they still managed to establish a secure footing on the wall. They carved out small pockets of open space, inflicting a handful of casualties upon the goblin forces.

Some goblins thrust their muskets right to the frontline, discharging their weapons directly at the Tiger Beastmen. Yet, no one knew what these beastmen were made of—upon being struck by musket rounds, they merely let out roars of agony. Far from dying, the trauma instead triggered their bloodlust, driving them to butcher the surrounding goblins even more frenziedly.

Recognizing that these newcomers were hard core primitives, Li Qinwu bellowed at the top of his lungs: "Battalion and company commanders, get up there and stabilize the line! Do not lose the wall!!" The battalion and company commanders were all Tier 5 and Tier 4 units. Their strength levels were roughly on par with Li Qinwu's, making them absolute powerhouses among the goblins.

The moment they received the order, they raised their heavy shields and heavy one-handed weapons to anchor the front, locking into a fierce melee with the Tiger Beastmen. The other musketeer goblins cooperated seamlessly, continuously closing the distance to execute point-blank support fire. If a single shot from the human-commoner-slaying muskets couldn't bring the dog down, they fired a second; if two shots failed, they fired a third!

Having finished issuing his commands, Li Qinwu hastily raised his longsword to parry. This strongest Tiger Beastman had leaped forward once again to engage him in a passionate, mutual hacking match. Li Qinwu knew his raw power was inferior to the opponent's, but his physical coordination was vastly superior. Utilizing specialized force-deflection techniques, he continuously parried away the double-bladed axe strikes crashing toward him. The two sides exchanged over ten rounds of blows.

Finding an opening, Li Qinwu planted his feet and leaped backward, creating distance between them. Immediately following his retreat, five musketeer goblins rushed forward, pointing their muzzles at Kosso and pulling their triggers. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Following a succession of synchronized gunshots, Kosso's body shuddered violently as his chest took all five musket rounds point-blank. The corners of Li Qinwu's mouth curled into a smile.

No matter how immense your physical strength might be, you cannot withstand the might of a firearm. Just as he assumed this Tiger Beastman would collapse right there, the opponent merely staggered a few steps before stabilizing his footing. With a furious roar, he hoisted his axe and charged directly toward the Punitive Army soldiers who had just shot him!

"Get out of the way!" Horrified, Li Qinwu ordered the musketeer goblins to fall back, raising his sword to intercept the charge. He roared inwardly: Is this bastard made of solid iron? He took five gunshots and still won't die! He executed a sweeping slash aimed directly at the opponent's waist. Kosso actually chose not to parry, absorbing the strike entirely with his body.

Li Qinwu's greatsword failed to slice through the lamellar armor; the tactile feedback felt completely wrong—this bastard was wearing at least three layers of lamellar vests! Having endured the sword slash with his raw bulk, Kosso raised his double-bladed axe, executing a vertical cleave from the top down. Li Qinwu cursed a heavy "Fuck!", lifting his sword to parry and deflect the force as the two entities locked back into a frantic duel.

The two combatants rapidly exchanged another twenty moves, whereupon Li Qinwu noticed that the opponent was actually beginning to tire, his tiger jaws panting heavily with coarse, ragged breaths. Finding an opening, he landed a succession of slashes upon the beast, forcing the opponent to retreat. This guy possesses super-strength, but his stamina isn't all that impressive. However, he is incredibly durable—taking several sword slashes without showing any reaction whatsoever.

The beastmen of this world were inherently renowned for their terrifying vitality and exceptional physical density; their bones and muscle fibers were significantly denser than those of any other intelligent race.

Coupled with the fact that Kosso was a Tiger Beastman—one of the most formidable lineages among his kind—and was currently outfitted in three layers of iron-plated rawhide lamellar armor, the close-range impacts from the five muskets and the slashes from Li Qinwu's greatsword had all been entirely endured by his raw physical structure. Naturally, pain was still pain. When Li Qinwu once again found a clean opening and slashed Kosso across the waist, the intense agony caused Kosso to roar in fury.

Experiencing a sudden burst of adrenaline, the speed of his double-bladed axe accelerated by a visible margin. Li Qinwu was driven back repeatedly by a rapid succession of three axe slashes delivered within a single second. He could only rely on his force-deflection techniques to counter the onslaught, the heavy collisions between the two massive two-handed weapons causing intense sparks to shower into the air.

As the two leaders remained locked in combat, a large volume of Tiger Beastmen continuously flooded onto the section of the Cloud Ladder that Li Qinwu was guarding. The moment they landed, they hacked toward the surrounding musketeer goblins. The goblin musketeers were completely unable to offer Li Qinwu any tactical assistance; each was locked in a life-and-death struggle against their own Tiger Beastman opponents. As firearms and blades clashed, casualties mounted on both sides.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Watching the scene unfold, Li Qinwu felt a pang of intense pain in his heart. Every single casualty among the Tier 10 soldiers of the Punitive Army represented a massive loss. He desperately wanted to disengage to slaughter the other Tiger Beastmen, but this tallest chieftain remained glued to his silhouette, leaving him unable to break free, nor could he immediately liquidate the beast.

Li Qinwu considered drawing a hand cannon from his storage to blast the fellow. At such close proximity, even if the projectiles failed to punch through the three layers of lamellar armor, the sheer kinetic force would completely shatter the opponent's breastbone. However, the two were currently engaged in a passionate, high-speed mutual hacking match. The moment he distracted himself, the opponent would likely seize the opening to kill him. If only someone could delay him for just one second...

Li Qinwu cried out inwardly. Right then, he spotted a musketeer goblin advancing from behind the Tiger Beastman with a fixed bayonet—it was Kanda. Completely ignoring all other enemies around him, Kanda charged directly to Kosso's rear. He first pressed his musket against the beast's back and fired a shot, and then, without a care for his own safety, drove his bayonet straight into the opponent's calf.

The musket round was deflected by Kosso's three layers of armor, but he wore no leg protection; the bayonet sunk deep into his flesh with a clean plunge. Kosso let out a sharp shriek of agony, spinning around to execute a wild sweep with his double-bladed axe. Kanda was remarkably pragmatic; abandoning his musket entirely, he chose to drop flat onto the stone floor, cleanly evading the incoming axe blade.

While on his back, Kanda drew the hand cannon hanging from his waist, aiming the wide muzzle directly at Kosso's chest and firing a blast. Boom! With a thunderous explosion, a massive cloud of pellets erupted from the barrel, slamming directly into Kosso's chest. Kosso let out a wretched scream.

Although the chamber pressure of a hand cannon was lower than that of a standard musket—meaning its projectile velocity and effective range were inferior to a regular firearm—at such point-blank range, his chest absorbed virtually every single piece of shot. He felt as though he had been violently rammed by a charging Earth Dragon; he couldn't even tell how many bones in his chest had been instantly snapped. Kosso collapsed heavily to the stone floor, coughing up a massive mouthful of fresh blood.

Then, he looked up to see that the goblin who had just been hacking with him was now holding an identical weapon that had just severely crippled him, its muzzle pointing straight at his unhelmeted face. Kosso's pupils contracted violently. He hoisted his massive double-bladed axe, using the flat of the heavy blade to cover his face. In the next instant, Li Qinwu pulled the trigger. A massive cluster of pellets blasted into the double-bladed axe protecting Kosso's face.

The battle-axe was exceptionally large and thick, successfully absorbing the entire shotgun spread. However, Li Qinwu kept a stock of ten hand cannons ready inside his storage. He instantly retrieved a fresh hand cannon, intending to aim this next shot directly at Kosso's chest. The lamellar armor over the beast's chest had already been blown to ruins; another shot would invariably end his life. Sensing the absolute threat of death, Kosso's primal survival instincts flared.

Executing a desperate roll, he actually tumbled right off the fortress wall, falling backward into the interior urban sectors of Poloia. This fellow could technically be considered the first entity to successfully enter the city in a literal sense—as well as the very first to be taken prisoner. The greenhorn spear-wielding goblins stationed at the base of the wall had been standing around with nothing to do. Suddenly, a tiger of that massive scale dropped right out of the sky and crashed flat in front of them.

The goblin recruits were startled, quickly surrounding the fallen beast in a tight circle. Falling from a 25-meter-high fortress wall had left Kosso with an unknown number of broken bones. The fact that he hadn't died on impact was entirely due to the superhuman physical structure inherent to the beastmen; at this moment, he couldn't even stand up. Li Qinwu leaned over the parapet, shouting down to the goblin recruits below: "Secure him with iron chains!

Go find the mage Hana and have her administer medical treatment to this guy. Don't let him fucking die—I have a use for him alive." After finishing his shout, Li Qinwu turned his gaze toward Kanda, his face entirely filled with deep appreciation.

"Splendid work, soldier!" A flush of excitement appeared on Kanda's heavily disfigured face. Hoisting the hand cannon Li Qinwu had gifted him, he threw his chest out proudly.

"Your Majesty! Long live the Punitive Army!" Li Qinwu waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't call me Your Majesty, call me Boss!

'Your Majesty' is what the other races call me!"

"Bo... Boss!" Li Qinwu nodded in approval, stowing away his hand cannon and drawing his greatsword once more.

"Soldier! Accompany me in driving out every last enemy!"

"Yes, sir!" Li Qinwu threw himself back into the fray, engaging the remaining Tiger Beastmen and systematically driving the enemies off the fortress walls. In truth, even without his direct intervention, the Tiger Beastmen were already reaching their absolute limits. When they first arrived, these fellows had been spectacularly ferocious—possessing immense strength, terrifying speed, and the ability to absorb musket rounds without collapsing, functioning much like mini-supermen.

However, their stamina drained at an exponentially faster rate. Coupled with the fact that a large number of heavily armored Great Goblins had surrounded them to engage in a war of attrition, the Tiger Beastmen had been fundamentally unable to open up a strategic breakthrough. The minor ripples they had initially caused were rapidly swallowed up by the defensive tide. Twenty minutes later, the final remaining Tiger Beastman was pinned against the masonry by ten synchronized muskets and executed.

Every single enemy asset operating upon the fortress walls had been completely wiped out.

"Victory!!" No one knew who screamed the word first, but every single goblin across the battlements erupted into a unified cheer. As the shouting echoed, someone suddenly began intoning the military anthem of the Punitive Army.

At the absolute beginning, the singing was chaotic and disorganized, but as the verses progressed, the rhythm stabilized into perfect unison, until the voices of several thousand individuals fused into a singular, thunderous chorus: Raise the muskets to counter the infantry, fix the bayonets to counter the cavalry, souls united beneath the banner of the circular star, defending the Alliance with bodies drenched in blood...

On the human side of the battlefield, the soldiers sat slumped listlessly inside the trench lines, their eyes completely drained of life. Listening to the perfectly synchronized, harmonious anthem echoing from the high walls, even though they could not comprehend a single word of the goblin tongue, they could easily perceive the immense, triumphant pride contained within the melody.

This realization caused their spirits to sink even further; their collective morale had permanently stabilized at a negative value, entering an exceptionally dangerous threshold. Deep within the human military encampment, inside Count Fischer's primary command tent. Count Fischer's eyes were completely bloodshot as he glared at the assembled gathering of local nobles.

"My lords, who among you can tell me? What exactly are we supposed to do now?" The assembled aristocrats fell into a prolonged silence. After a moment, one noble spoke up with unblushing arrogance: "Count Fischer, our numeric strength remains vastly superior. Please continue to launch the offensive—maintain an unceasing assault! The enemy will invariably grow weary; sooner or later, Poloia will fall into our hands!" Another noble immediately voiced his strict opposition: "Absolutely not!

The soldiers' morale is already completely spent. If we continue to employ this suicidal tactical approach, a full-scale mutiny will detonate within the ranks! I believe our immediate priority should not be focused on how to execute an offensive, but rather on how to stabilize the troops' psychological state!" Count Fischer replied, "Alcohol. Provide the soldiers with liquor. No man can refuse the numbing embrace of alcohol.

Last month, I ordered a thousand barrels of wine to be transported from my ancestral fiefdom; this should suffice to marginally stabilize the army's morale!" The nobles exchanged hesitant, uneasy glances. One of them spoke up with extreme caution: "My Lord... a few days ago, the scouts reported that the Demon Army's cavalry forces launched an ambush against the supply convoy. They slaughtered every single draft animal and laborer, and smashed every last wine barrel to pieces..."

"Ah!!" Count Fischer's psychological composure completely ruptured, letting out a furious roar. That wretched spider cavalry unit had been relentlessly harassing their lines over the past few days. Their operational sphere was concentrated primarily within their deep rear, and they executed their strikes exclusively under the cover of night. Every single evening, they would butcher isolated logistics detachments before vanishing without a trace.

Occasionally, they would even utilize specialized weaponry to bombard the primary encampment during the night; the heavy iron spheres would randomly crush one or two soldiers to death, leaving the entire camp in a state of constant, anxious terror. Forced by absolute necessity, Count Fischer had been compelled to dig extensive trench networks around his own rear lines, simply to defend against a mere 100 cavalrymen.

The trenches had indeed proven effective; the enemy was no longer able to execute their nightly ambushes with absolute impunity. Consequently, the riders shifted their target vectors toward the primary logistics columns and any foraging details entering the woodlands, effectively severing their supply acquisition lines. Count Fischer wanted to weep.

Holy shit, if it weren't for the kingdom issuing a royal wartime mobilization decree—requiring every single lord to provide a strict quota of troops to the crown—he wouldn't have deployed his 2, 000 elite ancestral house cavalry to the northern theater. Their absence left him so utterly destitute of cavalry assets that he was currently being bullied to this miserable extent by a mere 100 enemy riders. It was an absolute tragedy.

The assembled lords chattered back and forth in a frantic mess, completely devoid of any viable strategies. The enemy's weaponry was simply too powerful; they felt it was fundamentally impossible to take the city by force. Count Fischer began to entertain thoughts of retreat. Should he simply call it quits and abandon the campaign? Yet, so many lives had already been lost today, all of them elite forces of his house.

Coupled with the casualties suffered by the other lords, the sheer magnitude of this loss was staggering! If he failed to capture Poloia to recoup his investments, the material losses would be secondary—the catastrophic damage to his political prestige would be the true fatal blow! This time, the neighboring lords had answered his wartime mobilization only to receive zero benefits while losing a massive portion of their men. Who would ever choose to follow his banner in the future?

His lineage could very well plummet from the ranks of first-rate nobility. Therefore, despite his immense predicament, he simply did not dare to retreat. As Count Fischer sat paralyzed by indecision, the old mage Fortier, who had been sitting quietly in the corner smoking his pipe, finally opened his mouth to speak.

"My lords, if I were to personally shatter the fortress wall, allowing your forces to enter the city directly to engage the enemy in open combat... would you have the absolute confidence to deliver Poloia into my hands?"