Chapter 361: Captured
The blazing flames gradually died down.
The chaotic orc soldiers suddenly stopped their infighting.
Looking at the thousands of corpses almost turned to ash, they swallowed their fear, refusing to face the elite cavalry's raised blades, and frantically fled forward.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
A continuous barrage of crossbow bolts covered the orcs fleeing to the sides.
Deadly arrows coated with paralyzing poison.
A hit to a vital point or the torso meant death.
A mere scratch would bring them down.
Like a giant eraser, mercilessly wiping out the orcs with brutal efficiency.
The elite cavalry surrounding the orc soldiers curiously watched as rows of soldiers approached.
They stood steadily on either side of Yaya, calmly pulling their triggers and shooting in rotation with practiced ease.
Seeing those heavy crossbows, the elite cavalry stopped, pausing their advance to provide support.
They exchanged glances, seeing astonishment mirrored in each other's eyes.
As they watched the orcs fall in droves, Carlos shook the blood from his curved blade, marveling:
"Enchanted crossbows, poison-tipped arrows, enchanted armor—their gear is better than ours."
Looking at the thousands of orcs that had just fallen, the adjutant was shocked and couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Which territory's soldiers are these? Why have I never heard of them?"
It wasn't surprising that the adjutant would ask. The appearance of these Bay Territory soldiers at this time and place was rather peculiar.
Fully enchanted gear!
Even the Empire's Eighth Legion only outfitted a few of its top units this way.
Moreover, these soldiers coordinated seamlessly, and their combat tactics were audacious.
A mere two thousand men dared to stop the charge of tens of thousands of orcs.
Just their courage alone marked them as extraordinary.
Not to mention the powerful aura they emitted—each was clearly a high-level professional.
Yet, such an elite force had not appeared in the main battles a few days ago.
Could it be Karl's hidden trump card?
That didn't seem right either!
Even during the decisive moments of that battle, Grand Arcanist Karsas himself had joined the fray.
Carlos' gaze swept over the dragon-shaped insignia on the soldiers' chests, then lingered on Yaya, who had not attacked again. He suppressed a subtle sense of threat and ordered a few of his personal guards:
"Go over there and ask which territory these soldiers belong to."
Before he could finish speaking.
"Kill!!"
A mournful roar echoed from within the orc army.
Dark red light quickly spread through the surroundings.
The orc soldiers affected by it felt their fatigue and fear vanish, replaced by an indescribable surge of power welling up from deep within.
Advanced - Burst Aura!
A combat aura that temporarily removes exhaustion, fear, dizziness, charm, and other negative effects within a 200-meter radius, granting a +2 strength boost and a 20% movement speed increase for five minutes!
All the orc soldiers joined in a unified shout.
"Kill...!"
Burst Aura!
One of the rarest and most practical aura skills!
Especially suitable for the battlefield!
"Oh? Still full of spirit, I see!"
"Finally found you!"
Matthew's lips curled slightly—he had found the orc who released the Burst Aura.
The only high-ranking orc warlord in the ranks!
Yaya, having identified her target, joyfully spread her wings and took flight.
She looked at the charging orcs and sneered disdainfully:
"You are marching to your deaths!"
Yaya took a deep breath, gliding down with a howl amid the orcs' despairing cries.
Roaring, rolling flames once again halted the orc charge.
Watching the wall of fire like a natural disaster, some orcs hopelessly charged into it.
And then...
A hail of crossbow bolts came raining down.
The orc soldiers had strength, but they couldn't even touch their enemies before being swiftly shot down.
The high-ranking orc warlord leading the charge stared straight ahead, his eyes blood-red. He forcefully suppressed the rage boiling inside and endured silently.
He waited for the flames to die down!
In a mere thirty breaths, over six volleys of tens of thousands of arrows were fired, killing nearly two thousand orc soldiers.
The flames died down!
The high-ranking orc warlord, brimming with blood-red battle energy, led his guards and charged forward.
Holding back all this time, he was waiting for this chance to break through the Bay Territory soldiers' formation.
From his perspective, these human soldiers, despite their fine weapons and equipment, would be unable to stop him once in close combat!
The orcs drew closer and closer!
The Bay Territory soldiers, however, paid them no mind, methodically continuing to shoot into the areas most densely packed with orcs.
This disregard only fueled the orcs' fury.
Seeing this, Carlos and his adjutant's expressions suddenly changed.
They looked at the high-ranking orc warlord exuding an extraordinary aura, quickly shouting a warning:
"Be careful! That's an extraordinary-level orc!"
Many of the elite knights surrounding the orc soldiers couldn't help but lament.
These soldiers were loyal and capable, but they were unfortunate to be led by a foolish commander.
At that moment, five hundred tall, heavily armored soldiers stepped out of formation with steady, heavy strides.
They positioned themselves in front of the lines, just before the orcs charged in.
At the very front, Beelzebub locked his gaze on the dangerous high-ranking orc warlord, gripping his twin axes tightly as he shouted:
"Greatsword Unit, advance!!"
The heavily armored soldiers, instead of forming a defensive line, launched a powerful counter-charge against the thousand charging elite orcs.
They moved in unison.
Each step resounded as one.
Five hundred moving as one!
With blood boiling, Beelzebub threw himself into the mass of orc soldiers, swinging his axe and cleaving two elite orcs in half. He shouted:
"Slash!!"
"Slash...!!!"
Bright swords swung with a force that could split mountains.
Blades blocked were shattered, swords in the way were broken!
In an instant, over a hundred charging orcs were cleaved in two.
Indescribable fear overwhelmed them.
The orc soldiers couldn't believe that human soldiers would confront them head-on and achieve such an overwhelming victory!
Gnashing their teeth, the orc soldiers charged desperately.
Only to run into the second line that stepped forward to meet them with another round of slashes!
Crack!
Crash!
The orcs didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to broken corpses!
Such a heart-shaking scene made the high-ranking orc warlord roar in rage.
Raising his heavy warhammer high, he prepared to use his extraordinary-level power to break through the heavily armored soldiers' defense!
Bang!
Two axes caught the warhammer. Beelzebub, taller than even the burly high-ranking orc warlord, flashed a bloodthirsty smile:
"Got you!"