Chapter 4: A Small Victory Feels Like Defeat

In the War of the Gods, the Third Army of the Fascis Continent has always been held in high esteem.

Overshadowed by the massive forces of the First and Second Armies, led by two renowned marshals, the Third Army, under the command of the legendary General Norton, was considered the most agile, cunning, and swift weapon in the entire Fascis military. Its brilliance in warfare rivaled the glory of the two great marshals.

During the prolonged three-way conflict, all sides—whether allies, enemies, or neutrals—kept a vigilant eye on any movements of the Third Army. The Scambre Military Academy praised this Fascis combat group as follows:

"Still as a maiden, swift as a fox." Although 80% of the legion consisted of light and heavy infantry, it was famed worldwide for its mobility in battle. The numerous examples of light infantry sword-wielders achieving victory after a hundred-mile assault are countless. Looking at the entire history of warfare, the sheer number of surprise and rapid assaults they executed is rare, even among all-cavalry or aerial units.

The army's chief, Norton, excelled at strategic warfare, quickly identifying the enemy's vulnerabilities amidst seemingly chaotic battlefields. "Taking the enemy general's head among millions of troops is as easy as reaching into a bag," is the highest praise for his military prowess.

It is worth mentioning that most military historians believe Norton's commanding style was influenced by the mercenary king, Amy, the opposing general who handed him his first defeat.

Chapter Four: A Small Victory Feels Like Defeat

Besieged by multiple attacks from a small mercenary group, Norton never imagined that future generations would regard him so highly. His immediate concern was surviving to reach the shore and escaping the attacks of enemy archers and mages.

A thread of fear began to weave its way into Norton's heart. Since leading troops at seventeen, whether in wars or military exercises, Norton had never faced defeat. Rising from a leader of ten to become the youngest commander of a thousand on the Fascis Continent, his audacious raid plan was submitted directly to the Fascis High Command, gaining approval and skyrocketing his fame. For this particular assault, his emphasis on Silin Island won the endorsement of the Western Expeditionary Corps' military leader, Dahainor, who personally appointed him to lead 700 wolf soldiers, 200 heavily armored half-beast infantry, and 100 bear warriors in an attack on Silin Island.

During the night raid, as 1,000 faced 400 before the first volley of arrows, he only considered how to secure victory at the least cost. However, now...

The short stretch of beach, just a few dozen meters away, seemed unreachable. The terrifying archers and mages could easily bury the remaining 700 soldiers here. At this moment, regardless of the strategist or the heroic general's identity, all they could do was muster their last bit of courage and shout, "Gods, protect us! Light infantry, charge with me!"

This was Norton's approach. He clung to the faint hope that the human soldiers might not understand the speed of beast soldiers. If they could reach the enemy mages and archers in the shortest time, victory might still be within reach.

The scent of blood and death already permeated the battlefield, provoking the wild nature of the wolf and half-beast soldiers. Their eyes glowed with blue and red lights, their tongues hung from their mouths, and saliva mixed with agitated breaths. With a shout of "Charge," all the soldiers threw their shields forward, splashing through the ever-shallower waters towards the shore and the mages.

Freed from the encumbrance of shields, the wolf and half-beast soldiers gave the mercenary group a real lesson in charging. The massive half-beasts, impossibly agile, surged like mountains with each step spanning at least two meters. Meanwhile, the wolf soldiers gripped their swords in their mouths, leaping and landing on all fours like wild wolves.

The thirty-meter distance was cut down in nearly an instant. The archers brought by Gelsu had barely reached the back of the great swordsman camp when they turned to find the enemy storming into the magic swordsmen's ranks. The prairie elves, having not long joined, were unfamiliar with the other combat groups of the mercenary troop and couldn't distinguish between magic swordsmen and mages. Seeing dozens of mages swept into the fray, the word "Damn" was already forming on their lips.

"Magic swordsmen, fall back. Great swordsmen, charge with me as planned!" Amy wasn't sure if the magic swordsmen could physically overpower these beast soldiers.

The great swordsmen, barely able to contain themselves, leaped from the slopes. Their black swords traced arcs of black light in the air, hacking and slashing at the wolf soldiers in front. Some wolf soldiers didn't even have time to stand and draw their swords before their heads hit the sand. After a brief skirmish, the magic swordsmen quickly retreated—known for their prowess in solo combat, they couldn't match the great swordsmen in a melee, a fact long acknowledged within the mercenary group.

Over a hundred half-beast soldiers charged with pure iron wolf-tooth clubs, using their broad shoulders to push aside the wolf soldiers blocking their path. In front were the powerful great swordsmen, and behind, the surging half-beasts. The wolf swordsmen wisely crouched, allowing the main forces to meet.

This was the first war involving the great swordsmen as a regular force, facing the half-beasts renowned for their bravery in the Eastern Coast's Haiha Mercenary Empire battles. The enemy troop information transferred to Amy's empire clearly indicated that the half-beasts were the Fascis Continent's main force. Their immense strength made regular swordsmen seem like cannon fodder in frontal assaults; only heavy infantry could slow their advance, and berserkers could barely match them. At this moment, this information had only reached the generals in charge of Amy's empire's seven defense zones.

Protected by his soldiers, Norton watched as the wolf soldiers overran the mages, followed by the half-beasts taking the lead. For a moment, he truly believed victory was within grasp—in the face of the half-beasts' clubs, even human heavy spearmen would tremble, let alone the light swordsmen on this island.

The clashing clubs and broad two-handed swords became the main instruments of war music. In the night, the pure iron wolf-tooth clubs and semi-steel two-handed swords collided, sparking countless red flashes. Any small mistake would cost limbs and lives, with blood mingling with the waves crashing on the shore, creating a red mist.

In terms of combat power, the half-beasts were roughly equal to the mercenary king's great swordsmen. At this moment, Amy did not want to engage in such a war of attrition. Deflecting a club with his Ice Blade, Amy shouted, "Retreat as planned!" Around him, the captains of the great swordsmen, Daqingshan, Hoens, Chi Aotian, and others signaled their troops to withdraw.

Norton immediately noticed the enemy's formation retreating. It seemed the half-beast brothers were about to prove their invincible legend once more: "For the Fascis Continent, charge!"

Much like Amy, Hoens, Daqingshan, and Chi Aotian, Norton was also a novice in the grand university of war, learning to navigate its complexities. In Fascis Continent's military exercises, his strategies had attracted the attention of the highest command. In a melee, however, his experience paled in comparison to Amy, Hoens, and other mercenaries who fought on the edge of life and death.

In one retreat and another charge, a distance of 10 to 15 meters was opened. Surrounded by his soldiers, Norton had just taken a few steps forward when a horn sounded, tearing through the sky. Behind the charging half-beasts, figures sprang from the sand, and fine sand became the main spectacle in the sky. The wolf soldiers following closely were momentarily blinded by the flying sand, temporarily resolving the issue of rear attacks. The black swords of the blocking swordsmen shot out like venomous snakes, and the half-beasts engaged in vicious combat with the great swordsmen suddenly found black thin swords piercing their chests or abdomens, only to vanish immediately, leaving the cold breath of death to fill the void.

These swordsmen, disciples of Chi Aotian, had deeply mastered the essence of the Chi family sword technique: attack from unexpected angles, strike like a serpent, faster than lightning, and kill with a single blow. Once the black sword penetrated the body, it often aimed directly at the heart, spleen, and other vital organs.

In the double blow of black swords stabbing and withdrawing, over a hundred half-beast soldiers in the charging formation perished within seconds. The blocking swordsmen melted into the great swordsmen's ranks once more.

Amid the shower of sand, Norton pushed past the bodyguard in front of him, watching clearly as his kin at the forefront were silently slaughtered by the long swords. The word "despicable" rolled on his tongue but couldn't be uttered. This was war; victory was the only truth.

"All swordsmen, charge with me!" Amy raised his white Ice Blade high. From behind the small slope, the retreating magic swordsmen and the long-awaiting Gryphon swordsmen surged forth like a tide, attacking the battered beast soldiers from multiple directions. Hoens' battle axe was the most eye-catching amidst the thousands, its blue-purple crystal-coated blade tracing arcs of lightning in the air. The wolf soldiers' swords were no match for it, and with each blue lightning arc, parts of a wolf soldier's body were flung skyward. Chi Aotian stood beside Amy, wielding a black battle shield with his left hand, using its four spikes to push away fallen bodies, and his black sword darted out from behind the shield, each time taking away a face frozen in disbelief. The prairie elves, with their exquisite archery, claimed more lives in the blink of an eye.

From the moment they landed, in just over ten minutes, the remnants of the Fascis Third Legion were driven back into the sea. In this charge and retreat, over 400 soldiers would never see the sun rise in the east again.

Each fallen soldier pierced Norton's heart like a needle. He pushed aside the medium shield in front of him with force: "Hold the line with me!" The last few half-beast warriors around him stopped retreating, forming a small square formation with their heavy clubs and medium shields, hoping to stabilize the situation.

Several great swordsmen were suddenly knocked down, and Amy and Hoens charged at the half-beast shield wall. Their Ice Blade and blue giant axe struck the shield in front of them simultaneously. Under the immense impact, the upper half of the shield slammed into the head of the half-beast soldier behind it, causing him to sit down in the water. Another soldier braced the shield with his shoulder and head.

Amy and Hoens were momentarily stunned: ordinary half-beast soldiers were this formidable. The other soldiers slightly parted the shield formation, and massive clubs swung out from within.

"Earth Teeth Misalignment," everyone knew Amy was lazy in battle and averse to hardship. He would always exploit any advantage, just as he was doing now.

The half-beast soldiers suddenly felt the sandy ground trembling beneath their feet, and the ground sprouted earth spikes like animal teeth gnashing together.

As the soldiers became distracted, Amy and Hoens broke through the shield formation and killed their way into the half-beasts. Norton, without a shield, gripped his wolf-tooth club with both hands, swinging it at Amy's head.

A double-handed wolf-tooth club.

Amy's double-handed sword met it head-on, and without pausing, his foot shot out, kicking Norton in the stomach. Norton hadn't expected any sword to withstand his 60-pound weapon without being knocked away. The kick forced him back two steps, and a row of horizontal earth spikes tripped him, sending him crashing to the ground. Hoens, unaware of who it was, struck a half-beast soldier and inadvertently hit Norton. Ordinary half-beast soldiers wore leather armor for flexibility, while Norton, as a commander, had chainmail beneath his leather armor. The battle axe broke through the leather, its blue-purple crystal-coated edge slicing through the chainmail, leaving a bone-deep wound. Three to five seconds later, blood gushed from the white bone.

"My lord!" The surviving half-beasts dragged Norton into the sea.

The surviving soldiers retrieved heavy shields left by the bear soldiers from the sea, each lifting one to shield themselves from the arrows raining down. The tide had begun to recede, and with its help, the beast soldiers gradually withdrew from the battle.

Amy signaled to halt the pursuit. Chi Aotian, his face dark with a frown, silently questioned Amy with his eyes. Amy's brow was also furrowed, staring intently at the distant sea. Dawn was breaking, and in the gray sea, more warships appeared vaguely to the west and south of Silin Island, their white sails billowing high, sailing towards them with the receding tide.

"Damn, we might be in trouble this time," Amy muttered, his words clearly heard by Hoens, Chi Aotian, Daqingshan, and the other soldiers standing beside him.