Chapter 279 - 214: You Have Horns Too?
At Henry's cry, the soldiers' morale was ignited. They followed him closely, knowing Henry would never let them die in vain.
Henry's army advanced steadily through the wind and snow. Their target was the heart of the enemy's forces: the main camp of the Inferior Horned Beasts in the Snowfield Basin.
Only by crushing the enemy's command center could they throw the sixty-thousand-strong Inferior Horned Beast army into chaos and rout them in a single blow.
Glock stood atop a high tower, his eyes flashing with surprise as he watched Henry's army wind across the snowfield like a great black dragon.
'He hadn't expected Henry to choose a head-on confrontation; it didn't match the tactics of the Southern Barbarians as he knew them. And besides, the enemy was clearly at a disadvantage. How dare they continue to attack?'
But he quickly regained his composure and, with a cold sneer, bellowed his command: "Archers, ready!"
His voice carried far on the wind. The Inferior Horned Beast archers quickly took their positions, drew their bowstrings with arrowheads pointed to the sky, and awaited the order.
This contingent of archers was Glock's pride and joy.
For the Inferior Horned Beast forces, any kind of ranged unit was a massive leap forward from the days of throwing rocks!
Their aim was terrible, but it was better than nothing.
Henry's army didn't slow in the slightest. They knew that if they stopped, they would become living targets.
They had to close the distance with the enemy as quickly as possible to minimize their losses.
"Fire!"
Hundreds of arrows sliced through the air, hurtling toward Henry's army.
Henry raised his great-axe and warhammer, swinging them with such tremendous force that he created a whirlwind, batting aside the incoming arrows as his soldiers raised their shields.
"Keep moving!" Henry's voice rang out again. His army surged forward like a tide.
As the distance closed, the Inferior Horned Beast army began to stir restlessly, eager to charge.
They brandished their weapons and let out earth-shaking roars, attempting to overwhelm Henry's army with their numerical superiority.
But when they got a clear look at their enemies' expressions, they were surprised to find them unnervingly calm.
There was no fear, not even any tension. Compared to the other Southern Barbarian units, these men were practically stone-faced.
Far from being intimidated, Henry's men almost wanted to laugh.
Being well-trained, they quickly shifted formation, creating several spearhead units. They were prepared to pierce the Inferior Horned Beast lines layer by layer, then fan out and attack from all sides!
'Huh? Wait a second... that big tall guy charging at the front, how come he has horns too?'
It was a great shame, for the simple minds of the Inferior Horned Beasts couldn't possibly fathom it. 'These Southern Barbarians have horns, too?'
"Kill!"
The two armies finally crashed together. Henry swung his great-axe and warhammer, reaping lives on the battlefield like the god of death himself.
Henry's assault was a raging storm; his great-axe and warhammer carved deadly arcs through the air.
His attacks were broad and powerful. Every strike was accompanied by the screams of a falling Inferior Horned Beast soldier. His figure moved across the battlefield like an unstoppable storm, inspiring profound fear in friend and foe alike.
'Are you kidding me? He's swinging a great-axe with one hand?!'
The men from the Northern Lands were dumbfounded. In their minds, the absolute limit was a warrior capable of wielding a piercing Two Hands great-axe, and that was with *both* hands!
The soldiers on the battlefield watched Henry, his figure growing ever larger in their eyes, like an invincible War God!
Even the fiercest Inferior Horned Beast Warrior seemed insignificant before Henry; their attacks were like child's play against his great-axe and warhammer.
Henry's army felt their leader's power, and just like in the Battle of Akakarat, their own strength was ignited once more.
They followed closely in Henry's wake, swinging their own weapons as they threw themselves into the fierce slaughter.
More than ten hundred-man spearhead units pierced the Inferior Horned Beast lines, instantly tearing open several gaps. The soldiers following close behind immediately accelerated their charge, pouring into the newly created breaches.
Their momentum was unstoppable as they relentlessly pushed forward!
The Inferior Horned Beast army began to panic. They had never witnessed such a ferocious assault.
Based on past experience, battles with the armies of the Southern Barbarians always followed a pattern: first, an exchange of fire between archers, followed by a probing clash of vanguard infantry. After that, the Cavalry from both sides would engage once. Only then would the main battle truly begin.
When the Inferior Horned Beasts fought against other Imperial armies, exchanges between ranged units and Cavalry clashes were their biggest weaknesses. They lacked sufficient crossbows and ammunition, and they had no way to replenish their Cavalry's horses.
They relied entirely on scavenging warhorses and ranged weapons from their enemies, leaving their supply to fate.
Only by leveraging their superior numbers and their fearless nature could they hope to gain an advantage in the initial infantry clashes.
However, Henry's army seemed to have pushed the battle to its climax in an instant. The moment the close-quarters fighting began, it felt as if the entire outcome of the battle was on the verge of being decided.
This style of fighting left the Inferior Horned Beasts completely disoriented. It also sparked a flicker of panic in Glock, whose confidence in his own command abilities was based entirely on those past experiences.
'Is this right? This can't be right…'
The steps of the Inferior Horned Beast soldiers faltered. Glock witnessed it all from his high tower, his face growing pale.
'Cutting men down like reaping wheat… Is that even a man?'
He had never imagined a single human could possess such immense power.
As he watched Henry's War God-like presence on the battlefield, a sliver of doubt began to sprout in his mind.
'Why is that human over there wearing a horned helmet? And his armor... the style doesn't match these other Southern Barbarians at all.'