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Chapter 460: A Head-On Blow
"Enemy attack!!!"
The sharp cries of the patrolling soldiers echoed across the desolate plains.
But they were powerless to stop the swarm of orc troops rushing forward, only able to watch helplessly as they got closer and closer to the camp.
At this moment, they deeply regretted.
They had taken it for granted that only wolf riders could execute mobile assaults and charge at them.
Who would have thought the orcs would abandon their wolf riders, which were more easily detected?
Instead, they used the gloomy night as cover, circling around and launching a surprise attack from the path the Bloodmoon City army had taken.
Now, they could only silently pray that the camp's patrol guards could respond in time to hold off the ferocious orcs.
At the first sound of the alarm, Knight Harley had already woken up.
He stormed out of his tent with a grim expression. Seeing the flood of orcs approaching, he immediately shouted to his gathered guards:
"Pull together elite troops and block their advance when they break into the camp."
Indeed, with just one glance, Knight Harley determined that the camp's patrol arrangements couldn't withstand the orcs' assault.
The reason was simple: the orcs charging forward were not only equipped with metal armor and weapons but also numbered in the tens of thousands!
Secretly assembling such a strong elite force in the south of the Scarlet Fortress and taking advantage of favorable conditions showed their determination to win.
Knight Harley was well aware of the capabilities of the outer lords and soldiers; there was no way they could fend off this sudden orc raid.
Thus, he had long prepared for the worst—preserving the most combat-ready units of the army.
As for the nearly 30,000 outer soldiers, he had tacitly written them off.
Knight Harley regretted not following Matthew's approach of directly consolidating military power, silently resolving:
"With these fools, giving them soldiers is a waste. Next time..."
The orcs neither knew nor cared about Knight Harley's regrets. If they did, they'd likely laugh heartily.
They howled as they charged, slamming into the army camp's makeshift wooden barriers.
The barriers offered no resistance. Like wild beasts, the orc troops surged into the chaotic camp.
Inside the tents, soldiers were in disarray.
Some had just woken from their dreams, others were hastily donning armor, and still others, unable to find their weapons, stood in panic.
Then, the ferocious elite orcs stormed in.
The unprepared soldiers faced a brutal massacre.
With individual combat skills far inferior to the orcs and in a state of chaos, they couldn't muster any meaningful resistance and were crushed.
"Ah…!"
"Run…!"
"Run where? Ah…!"
"Don't panic, quickly gather together!"
"The orcs are here…!"
"Run!"
"Help!"
"…"
The chaotic screams and the orcs' roars blended into one.
The southern outer soldier camp immediately suffered a devastating blow. In the ensuing chaos, the orcs slaughtered wantonly.
In just three or four minutes, thousands of soldiers were dead.
Skilled in surprise and chaotic warfare, the orcs focused solely on killing their way deeper into the camp.
At the same time, they drove and herded the panicked outer soldiers, spreading chaos further and creating advantageous combat conditions for themselves.
As long as the entire camp descended into chaos, they were confident of winning this outnumbered battle.
Fortunately, Knight Harley's response was effective. The elite soldiers he assembled formed a phalanx, halting the retreating soldiers.
"Move to the sides! Any deserters charging straight ahead will be executed on the spot!"
The desperate shouts and orders, coupled with the execution of dozens of lives as warnings,
forced the approaching chaotic soldiers to obediently scatter to both sides.
The elite orcs following them didn't stop because of their failed plan. They pressed their assault with unrelenting force.
Their thought process was simple: breaking through the elite soldiers would destroy the camp's last line of defense.
If they faltered, the entire camp would fall into complete disarray.
However, several fireball spells bombarded their ranks, disrupting the orcs' charge and momentum.
Though struggling, the well-equipped and well-trained elite soldiers managed to hold the orcs' frontal assault.
Taking this opportunity, Knight Harley quickly sent the organized regular troops forward to support the defense.
Meanwhile, Knight Harley didn't forget to mobilize the awakened spellcasters.
Soon, colorful fireballs and spells rained down on the orc troops.
Affected by the bombardment, the orc vanguard ultimately failed to breach the camp's defenses and their advance was thwarted.
The orc commander sighed.
"What a pity…"
He knew they had lost the chance to overwhelm the human camp in one go and immediately ordered a shift to dispersed attacks.
Could the elite troops hold back the orc blades? Could the other soldiers?
On both flanks, two orc detachments of about 2,000 each raised their blades against the disorganized soldiers.
They aimed to maximize casualties while driving the soldiers toward the camp's flanks, further exacerbating the chaos.
Little did they know, this move played right into Matthew's plans.
Angela, who had been lying in wait, drew her longsword with flair, radiant auras activating one after another and empowering the surrounding cavalry in readiness.
"Bay Territory, charge!"
Like rolling thunder, 1,000 cavalry charged forward, piercing through the orc detachment on the right flank like a sharp blade.
The unprepared orc soldiers fell one after another beneath the lethal iron hooves.
Suffering a head-on blow, the orc soldiers desperately fought against the charging cavalry.
Unfortunately, they were no match for the Modified Warriors at the forefront!
Jiffan swung his scimitar with ease, showcasing terrifying lethality with the combined force of speed and strength.
Beheading the tall and strong orcs was just routine. Splitting them in two with a single strike was not uncommon either.
Even the fearless orcs couldn't withstand the ironclad cavalry and quickly fell into retreat.
The chaos on this side of the camp began to subside.
The surviving lords and commanders immediately started reorganizing the scattered soldiers into formation.
After routing the 2,000 orcs, Jiffan seized the momentum for a brief pursuit but avoided charging directly into the main orc force.
Charging into an orderly enemy.
This was the most fatal mistake for a cavalry commander!
"These cavalry are treasures. Losing even one would make anyone lose sleep with heartache."
Jiffan took this to heart, leading his troops far around to attack the other orc detachment instead.