Chapter 56 — Devastation

[Flamethrowers!]

Beams of flames swept the trees, forming a wall of flame.

Despite this, the Beastman offensive did not waver. They used the fire and smoke as even more cover, charging through it and braving it head-on. Yes, the fire was lethal, but it lacked stopping power. It just couldn't stop the Beastmen dead in their tracks.

The Third Reich's entire advance force was committed to the fighting. There were no reserve or logistics teams. Injured soldiers were left there, on the ground; there was no manpower to spare. Even the commander with his group of personal guards was fighting on the frontline.

[We've consumed nearly half our ammunition, and they show no signs of slowing down!]

Seemingly expecting this, the commander pulled out a flare gun and gave an order.

[Full retreat! Deploy gas grenades and retreat immediately!]

[Yes sir!]

As the order was quickly transmitted, the commander raised the flare gun, pointed it straight at the sky and pulled the trigger. A lone, red flare shot into the sky, flying higher and higher. Upon reaching its peak, it paused and then started falling. Straight down on his position.

Seeing their enemy retreating, the Beastmen rushed forward even more ferociously, only to plunge into a wall of toxic gas.

They had braved the flamethrowers, but this new adversary proved too deadly. Confusion spread as they found themselves coughing and burning with no explanation. The worst affected had gone blind and wildly attacked everything around them.

However, despite the lethality of the gas, the numbers it was deployed in were simply not enough, and the forest was too well-ventilated. In fact, it only managed to slow the Beastmen army because it was the first time they had been exposed to it. If they were experienced, this gas wall may not even be a speed bump.

Unfortunately, there are no "ifs" in this world. The Third Reich had successfully disengaged.

As the gas began to dissipate, the Beastmen were forced to regroup. They recovered surprisingly quickly, not putting their title as Beastmen to shame. Taking this opportunity, they quickly sent back wounded warriors to designated medical teams. Squads of Beastmen re-formed, filling in the dead with fresh warriors. Nearly every squad suffered casualties, some severe enough to the point of disillusion.

The commander looked over the piles of dead bodies and whimpering wounded.

[How much damage have we suffered?]

A subordinate fearfully reported, trembling as he did so.

[Sir, we have an estimated… 10,000 dead…]

The subordinate trembled even more. He had recalled that he was the one to claim an easy victory. Yet looking at the outcome, it was anything but.

The commander stared into his eyes, but then looked away. He knew that this was not the time to pursue responsibility.

He knew that while the human forces had unexpected combat effectiveness, as long as he was willing to pay a price, his superior numbers would end up winning. Hence, why the humans retreated.

Who knew if there were more soldiers like this? He could not allow them to re-group! He had the upper hand this time, and that was through numbers and terrain. And he was determined to make this small, human force stay in the forest forever!

[Do not let them escape! I order a full advance! Chase them down!]

The Beastmen surged forward again, brimming with determination, as if they hadn't just suffered over 20% casualties.

But as they advanced, a new threat emerged. The sky was still, yet they all felt an impending sense of doom. It was a sharp, painful sense, one that Beastmen had honed through countless battles. The Beastmen slowed, their ears pricking up a faint, unfamiliar sound.

[What is that noise?]

[You hear that too?]

[It's almost like a whistle… Hundreds of whistles…]

The commander was the strongest warrior in the entire Vanguard, and his senses were naturally the most sensitive. He remembered the only other time he had felt this sense of danger, and that was witnessing the Thornspire Empire's ancestral spirits. He remembered his helplessness as he saw his empire, strongest card. Their ethereal bodies, unable to be even harmed. Their magic nullifying capabilities. He didn't stand a chance before them.

[Take cove-]

BOOM!

For a moment, everything seemed to pause. Then, an earth-shattering explosion tore through the air. The first shell landed with a thunderous explosion, obliterating a section of the forest and sending shockwaves through the ground.

The rest of the barrage followed suit with devastating destruction. Entire patches of forest were blown away at a time. Vaporised. Leaving nothing but deep craters. It wasn't so much a destruction of the Beastmen as it was a destruction of the forest: the Beastmen just so happened to be caught in it.

The Beastmen Vanguard army's ranks were gouged out as lucky shells landed on target. Those who died did so not even knowing what killed them. There were no injuries, all the deaths were instantaneous. The entire army started a mass rout.

They split into a thousand individual pieces, losing all sense of order. Everyone was fleeing, as desperately as they could, in all directions. They had no idea what was attacking them, they just knew that they couldn't fight it. There was only escape.

The Beastman commander did not fare much better. Fleeing with his personal guards, he suddenly felt extreme danger palpitations. He attempted to dash but was too late; a lucky shell landed right next to his position, vaporising his magic shield and shattering his internal organs.

As the bombardment continued, the human forces regrouped at a safe distance, watching as the ground rumbled and trembled.

[All I can see is smoke. But judging by what I see, this bombardment is severely lacking in correction. I'm sure we got a good chunk, but I don't know how many are left]

[Report our situation and await further orders. We'll see what happens next]