Chapter 11. The Demon Kingdom (3) Part-2

Bludifer, who instinctively flinched, found his frown deepening. The very fact that he felt any discomfort due to them hurt his pride. He wanted to just step in himself and bathe in the bastards' blood, but he could not; the sun was still up now.

It wasn't like he wouldn't be able to endure it, but the feeling of his skin burning was the worst. More than anything, he hated losing his dignity.

"Filthy Orcs bastards! They dare to open those dirty mouths and chatter noisily…!" Bludifer turned around. "Oy, tree, throw them."

The chief of the Treos, Nordin Wood, sighed. He had no choice but to comply due to Bludifer's curse.

The Treos moved, holding the boulders that the Minotaurs had put on the wagon earlier. Struggling, they walked forward while carrying the boulders and then, with all their might, they leaned back and threw the boulders with every ounce of strength in their bodies.

This was Bludifer's siege corps, the Treo unit.

Their stone-throwing was more precise and powerful compared to the catapults. Giant rocks spun through the air in an arc before falling on and around the stockade. The Orcs scattered and ran, trying to evade the areas they thought the boulders would fall.

"Brace for the impact!"

Hearing what Karakul said, the Orcs readied themselves. But at the same time, they shouted at the Ogres.

"Oy! Big guys, we're leaving it to you!"

"Throw a heavy-hitter!"

"… I'll throw a proper blow!"

Kuman swung the mace in his hand with all his might, aiming for one of the falling stones. The strength behind his powerful blow shattered the rock and sent debris flying. The other Ogres also swung their maces, knocking away and shattering many of the enemy's projectiles.

Sometimes, either their maces or the rocks shattered on impact, and the fragments rained around them. Other times, an Ogre was struck and pinned by a boulder. Still, some of the rocks were hit just right, sending them flying back toward enemy lines. When one thought about it, trying to hit boulders raining from the sky sounded like a stupid idea. However, with their view being blocked by the stockade, Bludifer and his troops didn't know what was happening. To them, it was like the rocks they threw were returning with magic.

"…?!"

The demon troops hurriedly broke away from their formation. The flying rocks rolled and squashed many demons, leaving trails of blood and gore.

Bludifer looked up. A rock was flying in his direction.

"…Tsk!"

He stretched out his hand. A stream of blood flew out, stretching like a whip, and hit the rock away.

The rock was split into two parts and dropped on Bludifer's right and left side. The demons on either side of him became minced meat, leaving only bloodstains as the evidence of their unjust deaths.

The Treo stopped throwing stones, since it seemed pointless.

"What do we do? Should we throw more..? But, if we do that, the damage our soldiers suffer will only grow," Nordin Wood spoke carefully.

Bludifer's troops were located on a tiny road in between the mountains. In such a cramped space, they were unable to avoid large projectiles. They would bump into each other in their attempts to evade, leading to more confusion and death amongst their own lines. Dying while stuck would be their fate.

By comparison, the opponent was in a fortified city. Also, the land on the other side of the stockade was much wider and more open. Coupled with Orcs' reflexes, most of them would be able to dodge the rocks.

All in all, prolonging their ranged attack any longer would be self-defeating.

"Oy! What are the stupid horse-legs and cow-heads doing?! What are you useless mutts sitting around for?" Bludifer shouted temperamentally. "They dare launch rocks in my direction! At the Demon Lord, me! Yet, are you guys thinking of just sitting there and watching!? Screw them! All of them! Squash all those bastards!"

The cursed Apostles moved at his words. Though they made efforts to refuse the order while gritting their teeth, their actions and voices did the opposite. They shouted out orders.

"His Highness Demon Lord…kkeuk… Lord Bludifer has ordered! Began the assault!"

The demons acted in concert. The Centaurs rushed out first. Behind them were the Minotaurs. Next were Gnoll and Treo, while various other clans followed suit.

Their charging speed was incomparable to humans!

The distance between the attackers and defenders was vanishing in a flash.

"…Everyone, take aim."

At Ellin's words, the Orcs raised their crossbows. The Ogres struggled to fit on the top of the stockade, finding space wherever they could and lifting up their ballistae. They aimed directly at the demons dashing toward them.

The Centaurs raised their long spears. In front of them was a high stockade, along with wooden stakes embedded in the ground before it.

However, even this could not stop the Centaurs, with their nimble bodies, from getting over the stockade.

"Charge!"

"Woo-!"

As the leading Centaurs approached the stockade, the ground beneath their hooves sank.

"…?!"

Their bodies fell along with it, and they were pierced by the wooden stakes waiting below; in a sickening way, they looked like skewered meat ready to be placed over the fire.

"…Wa-wait! Stop!"

"A trap?!"

The Centaurs reared and stopped their charge, planting their hind hooves into the ground. They stared at the long trench which had appeared before them in shock.

It wasn't a deep trench, maybe 3 meters deep or so, with rocks lining the inside. However, their physical characteristics made them optimal fighters in open terrain, but unsuitable for climbing a rock wall. On top of this, the inside of the trench had been covered with oil. It would be difficult to get out after falling in something like this.

Even worse was the fact that the wooden stakes lining the bottom of the trench would injure them severely. It was a death trap.

"We can't risk going down there! We can't jump over it either…!"

If they jumped over, they would be jumping directly into the wooden stakes placed before the stockade. Looking up, one of the Centaurs finally noticed the innumerable crossbows and ballistae aiming straight at them.

"Fire!"

Following Ellin's shout, thousands of triggers were pulled simultaneously. The bolts flew at lightning speeds, straight toward the mob of centaurs.

The rain of bolts hit the Centaurs hard. Hundreds fell, more ran around in confusion. None of them were able to defend themselves or launch a proper counter-attack.

"Moooooo-!"

The Minotaurs dashed in next, pushing through the Centaurs. Though they were hit time and time again, the bolts stayed stuck in their thick hides, unable to cause any fatal wounds.

"What the hell! These bastards…!"

"Their hides are too thick!"

"Is that because they're also strong? It seems like the poison doesn't work on them at all!"

While the Orcs were becoming terrified by the Minotauros, an Ogre behind them moved. He raised his ballista and shot it.

A huge, spear-like bolt pierced through Minotaur, the tip sticking out from its back. Even so, it continued dashing forward while breathing roughly, its eyes bloodshot.

"Mooooo-!"

It jumped over the trench with a roar, and then began climbing up the rockwall of the stockade. Even the Minotaurs, who were the best at leading assaults such as this, knew that they wouldn't be able to destroy the sturdy stockade easily, For now, going over was the only way.

As the Minotaur pulled himself up and over the edge of the stockade, he shook his head in an attempt to gore the Orcs near him. The same Ogre rushed him and aimed the ballista at his chest from point blank.

With a loud twang, the huge bolt sent the Mintoaur flying like a ragdoll.

On the ground below, the smaller demons; bodies were riddled with bolts.They fell down screaming and dying, only to be trampled by the next wave of troops.

Karakul snorted, looking at the battlefield. "…Huh, this is nothing."

Most of the demons who were pierced by the bolts were paralyzed by the poison and collapsed, but some kept advancing, especially huge demons like the Minotaurs or Treo; there were too many of them for the Ogres to deal with alone.

They were not weak enough to be knocked down in one blow, even when struck by the bolt of a ballista. Still, it wasn't like they could block the non-stop attacks from the defenders. If they kept sustaining damage like they were, they would eventually fall… Karakul felt that they could definitely win at this rate.

Only if the vampires didn't intervene.

"You call yourself Demon Lord with only this much? Bludifer-! You're pathetic! What a waste of the title!"

The Gnolls hurriedly placed a wooden board on top of the trench, using it as a makeshift bridge. Kulvo frowned as he saw this, annoyed that they had finally smartened up.

"Ahh, it's the worst to fight among demons!"

Kulvo put oil into the calabash in his hand and stuffed oiled paper into the top. He then lit the paper on fire and gripped it in both hands.

"But Bludifer governing the Demon Kingdom is much worse!"

He threw it at the makeshift bridge. As the calabash broke, the flames set the wood ablaze; the fire spread in the blink of an eye.

As the trench was already filled with oil, it burned like hell and torched the demons.

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