<h4>Volume 3, Chapter 233 - A Scathing Counterattack (2/3)</h4>


    Fortunately, Valdor the Holy Knight didn’t appear in the front lines because he expected they would have the advantage in this battle. The monster forces gradually began to copse. Valdor’s goal was mainly to pressure the goblins, and then wait for the crown prince’s imperial guards to finish them off.


    “…It’s going well for now.”


    The demihumans were keeping the nks in check, so the line of battle collided at the center. The eastern division army were pushing into the enemy where the lines collided. Gradually, the nks were able to shake off the demihumans’ attacks and the eastern division army was able to start pushing the enemy there as well. The resistance of the demihumans were clearly weaker than that of the orcs and the goblins.


    But just as Valdor saw victory dangling before his eyes, a messenger from the back came to him screaming.


    “Goblins appeared in the forest! There’s roughly 4,000 of them!”


    “…Impossible!”


    Valdor muttered as he shook a little.


    ◆◆◇


    How did the goblins deceive the scouts and appear within the forest? The reason is because the goblins there were Gi Gu Verbena’s southern goblins. It was true that the scouts went into the dimly lit forest looking for goblins onnd. It was also true that they searched both above and below the ground.


    But these goblins hid themselves atop the trees. By hiding above the heads of the scouts inside a forest that was dark even in the day, the goblins were sessfully able to hide themselves from the scouts.


    On top of that they even borrowed some of the elves to manipte the forest and make it harder for others to see through their camouge. Thanks to their magic, the goblins hiding atop the thick trees were able to sessfully conceal themselves.


    “So it’s finally my turn. Still, I really can’t find myself liking treetops. Why do the Ganra and those guys like to live in these ces so much?”


    Rashka the Chief of the Gaidga carried his blue-silver steel (srna) club on top of his shoulders as he asked that question to the Gi Jii Yubu beside him, who was currently giving orders to his own subordinates.


    “After we put so much effort bringing you and your people up the trees, that’s what’s bothering you?”


    Gi Jii replied in astonishment. The ends of Rashka’s mouth twisted.


    “It can’t be helped. I’ve never needed to climb until now.”


    “That’s true for us too, but… Anyway, Gi Gu-dono’s army has already began their charge. We have to hurry too or we might not be able to get the result my lord seeks.”


    “What an impatient goblin. If we’re going to be hunting, then we might as well aim for the best or there’s no point to it. And as far as the best prey go, that should be obvious.”


    Rashka fiercely smiled as he looked over the battlefield.


    The Axe and Sword (Felduk) army led by Gi Gu Verbena was fiercely charging toward the side of Germion Kingdom. They numbered approximately 3,000.


    At the head of their army was Gi Gu Verbena, apanied by noble and rare ss goblins. The prating power of such an army easily tore through the back of the eastern division army and the nobles’ army that was about to attack Fanzel.


    “Kill the enemy! Don’t leave even a single one of them alive! Kill them all!”


    Just as the words Gi Gu howled dictated, Felduk mercilessly cut down the screaming humans. In the blink of an eye, they prated halfway into the enemy forces, then they spread their forces to both nks to widen the opening. From thereon there were no lines or formations.


    Only a chaotic battle that relied on one’s own strength.


    But the goblins were overwhelmingly numerous. On top of that, being attacked at the sides was a painful thing for Germion Kingdom. In order to destroy Fanzel, Germion Kingdom had assumed a charging formation that left their nks wide open.


    As such, only the eastern division army could respond to the sudden charge of the goblins, but they were currently caught in a battle with Fanzel. Asking the nobles’ army to deal with the goblins was simply too cruel.


    Felduk was like a heated iron rod plunged into a tub of butter. Of course, the nobles were the butter. The nobles’ army were destroyed as easily as the butter melted. Caught in that explosive power that was like a storm of winds, the humans found themselves sinking in a sea of blood.


    Naturally, Valdor and Jize understood the situation.


    “So, they wanted to split us apart…”


    After confirming the situation, Jize ordered the southern army to go around the right nk of the imperial guards. It was a decision he made to protect the crown prince, but because of that Rashka of Gaidga noticed him from a distance.


    “Oh, I found one. A worthy prey.”


    Gi Jii followed Rashka’s gaze inquisitively, and when he saw the toons donned in extravagant armor, he understood.


    “That should be the enemy leader that Pale-dono was talking about.”


    “Doesn’t it seem like they’re trying to hide something important? Alright! I’ve made up my mind! I’ll go for that!”


    “Let’s go together.”


    The Gaidga Tribe’s 500 goblins and the regiol led by Gi Jii advanced for the imperial guards guards and the southern army protecting them. Meanwhile, the demihumans, who kept their distance and focused their attention on keeping the enemy at bay, was now starting to charge toward the hateful mage army.


    “If we can just get near them, those guys are nothing! Onwards!”


    At the behest of Mido, the Fang Tribe (Werewolf) fiercely ran for the mages. The mages were powerless against the pack of werewolves pouring in. They were beaten and trampled underfoot.


    “…Let’s make the front smaller. 2nd and 3rd toon, retreat!”


    Valdor the Holy Knight, who was leading the eastern army that was currently pushing into Fanzel, felt that the odds of winning this battle


    had suddenly plummeted. But despite that, he still maintained the chain ofmand and looked for a way to win.


    At this point in time, Germion Kingdom had been divided into three. But even without knowing the situation to that extent, Valdor, who was at the front lines, felt the overwhelming power of the enemy.


    “The Enemy is ahead! Continue retreating!”


    When the eastern division soldiers began to reduce the size of the front lines, Valdor noticed that the first line of Fanzel had started to retreat.


    “1st toon, advance. Maintain the line while pushing the enemy! 2nd and 3rd toon, turn around. Save the nobles’ army!”


    Valdor sent half of the army around, but the might of the goblins approaching from behind was far beyond anything he could have imagined it to be. The attacking prowess of the goblins from behind was so overwhelming that it surpassed even the strength of the eastern division soldiers. The nobles’ army were already on the brink of destruction.


    The Felduk that prated the nobles’ army from the nks - the prating power of its front led by Gi Gu Verbena and the other high ss goblins - tore a hole through their nks.


    “Gu Naga (Long), Big, Tough! Send some of the soldiers to support the demihumans! The rest follow me!”


    Having read the situation of the battlefield, Gi Gu gave out those orders, and the Felduk that had ovee countless battles obeyed.


    After sending a third of their forces to help the demihumans that were trampling over the mage army, Gi Gu led the rest of his subordinates to attack the eastern division soldiers. Felduk’s charge


    remained strong, and even the renowned elite eastern division soldiers did not have an easy time dealing with them.


    After all, there was just simply too many of them. Fighting the 700 of the eastern division soldiers were Gi Gu’s 2,000 goblins. That was almost three times the numbers of the humans. Moreover, because the eastern division had to spilt their forces to deal with the Fanzel that they were fighting with at their front, the gap between their forces and the goblins became desperately big.


    Sensing that his army was gradually being pushed by the waves of goblins, Valdor decided to appear in the front lines himself, but as soon as he did, he heard a screaming from the 1st toon he sent to deal with Fanzel.


    “…Archers!?”


    The reason Fanzel had retreated despite their allies turning the situation around was to prevent themselves from getting caught up in the attacks of the Ganra Archers. The rain of arrows that fell upon the eastern division soldiers, who were already barely hanging on against Gi Gu’s goblins, was no different from a merciless rain of death.


    “Make them pay for everything they’ve done to us until now!”


    Gi Zu’s subordinates attacked with great fury. And as if spurred on by them, even the heavily equipped orcs attacked the humans. Pressed on by both sides, Valdor gave out another set of orders.


    “We’ll ward off the enemy’s attacks. After reversing the offensive, move to the right wing! 2nd and 3rd toon, assume the Tortoise Shell Formation and move to the right wing!”


    Valdor took out his twin swords - the very swords that gave him his title ‘Twin Swords’ - and leaped in front of the first toon to deal with Fanzel.


    “He’s here!”


    The strength of the holy knights had left a kind of trauma to the orcs and the goblins because of Jize.


    “Valdor the Holy Knight is here! Falter not and press on, brave warriors of the eastern division!”


    Valdor’s twin swords met the attacking orcs and goblins, and in the blink of an eye, 10 corpses were piled up just like that.


    After the offensive of Fanzel had weakened, Valdor fixed the formation of the 1st toon. By working together with 2nd and 3rd toon, they endured the attacks of Felduk and Fanzel.


    As the eastern division army was somehow able to fix their formation and endure the attacks of the monsters, the holy knight, Jize, was caught up in a violent battle with a giant goblin.


    “Rage, my wrath (sh)!”


    The ck light shot from the club shed through several soldiers and cut them down.


    “KU. He can do that from that far away?”


    Jize clicked his tongue as he was forced to run from the giant goblin. It would’ve been a different matter were he like Gowen who could neutralize magic, but as it stood now, he had no choice but to slowly close the distance between him and Rashka if he wanted to deal with Rashka’s ability to attack consecutively from a distance like that.


    “Attack! The holy knight is mine to hunt, so go attack the others instead!”


    At Rashka’s behest, the goblins of the Gaidga Tribe started attacking.


    “My army will be going too then. May the fortunes of war be with you.”


    “HA. I don’t need you looking after me! A strong adversary is exactly what I’m looking for!”


    After seeing Gi Jii’s army ignore the holy knight and leave, Rashka called out to the holy knight that approached him.


    “So you are the rumored holy knight?”


    “…You sure are big for a goblin. Are you the master of this horde?”


    Rashkaughed.


    “I am Rashka, Son of Mishka. The goblin who leads the strongest Gaidga Tribe! Now, human. Let us fight!”


    “I can’t afford to waste time either. I am Jize the Holy Knight! Come!”