The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military (188)
Translator: ChubbyCheeks
60 The Growing Field Army (1)
All of the troops in Command fought against the monsters that were charging crazily towards them.
Their numbers were already beyond a regular monster corps and were already approaching or had probably reached the level of a monster wave. And that enormously large group was charging straight towards a single place. In Iron’s past life, two masters and the surviving Capital Defense Force joined forces to prevent their crazy charge.
However, this time it would be different. The weapon system and command system of the current Mobile Field Army was completely incomparable in his past life. And these two things made it possible for them to do it on their own. The only regrettable fact is that Iron would not be able to move from his spot.
“So, you prepared properly this time.”
Perhaps it was because the enemies were upset about the damage and pain that was inflicted on them last time that they made sure to leave behind troops that would deal with Iron the moment he moved.
The manticore was shrewd and clever, and it knew that it could not handle Iron by itself. So, it made sure to leave behind the high-leveled beings beside itself.
Iron could see that there were some giant mutated soldier ants and some mutated drakes standing guard beside the manticore. However, their original appearance was nowhere to be seen, perhaps it was because of the countless mutations that it underwent. It seemed like they were telling him that they would put pressure on him from the sky to reduce the number of available divine beasts while they would push him on the ground with the soldier ants.
‘Their strength must be quite formidable considering the number of mutations that they had undergone.’
Since they were going to deal with Iron, the bastard seemed to not want to be non-committal. However, the sly manticore would never stop at just tying Iron down to this extent. Iron had to consider the bastard’s hidden move so he thought that he should better stay put.
The moment Iron moved, the manticore would also move. So, they just stayed put and kept an eye on each other while keeping their enemies in check.
The manticore and some of its main forces were tied down but the situation still remained serious for Iron and his army. This was because Iron’s force in the Mobile Field Army was completely overwhelming and the absence of such a force was a big blow to them.
“Can you see that?”
“…Yes.”
Faulden squinted as he looked at the manticore that was standing afar.
The manticore was standing far enough that its gigantic figure looked small in the eyes of any normal person. But Faulden was also one of Leonhardts’ direct descendants and was a warrior with a considerable level of strength, so he could also clearly see where the manticore was.
“That bastard over there is trying to keep me in check by tying up its main forces.”
Faulden’s expression hardened at Iron’s words.
“I can’t move. That’s why you guys have to do it on your own.”
Faulden bowed his head when he saw Iron turning back to him and saying these words. The same was true for Carl, who was standing next to him.
Blocking all of these monsters without Iron was something that was nigh impossible. However, they did not have any choice. No matter how much damage they would suffer from, they needed to do this on their own.
“From now on, each and every commanding officer will judge the situation and direct their own troops on their own.”
“That…”
Carl tried to refute Iron’s words but he closed his mouth when he saw the cold sweat dripping down Iron’s cheeks.
Right now, Iron wasn’t just keeping the manticore in check. He was already fighting an unknown number of battles against the manticore.
Iron had let out the master’s unique mental wave and surrounded the entire battlefield and the same was true for the manticore. The two of them were already fiercely fighting for their own realm through these mental waves. This was how the two of them had kept each other in check while they waited for the other to show a crack in their defense.
“The manticore will move the moment I show the tiniest bit of a gap.”
Carl bowed his head silently as he bit his lips tightly after hearing Iron’s words.
“…I will deliver your message to all of the commanding officers.”
Iron smiled and nodded his head at Carl’s answer. He gave his thanks to Carl when he gave the answer that he wanted before turning to look at the manticore again. He intended to start a fight against it in earnest.
Carl grabbed Faulden’s shoulders and led him away from Iron.
“Aren’t I looking like some kind of totem or something…”
Iron smiled bitterly as he stood still like a totem. He couldn’t help but think of this situation where he had to continue keeping the manticore in check.
On the other side, the manticore had an ear-splitting grin on its face. This was because it was not the type of creature who liked to move, so this situation was something that it liked very much. It found it fun fighting against Iron like this.
Iron’s style of fighting was not simply using his body and overwhelming force. He was an outstanding commander who could use his head to stop his enemies. He was also a valiant general and a proven commanding officer who had won several large-scale battles.
That was why the manticore found it to be fun.
How many beings in this world had master-ranked force and also knew how to use their heads?
It was bound to feel giddy fighting an all-out war against such a being.
― This is fun.
The manticore smiled in satisfaction as it looked at the situation of the board that it intentionally and forcibly created by tying up their own main force.
How fierce will the fight between our subordinates be in a situation where we can’t move?
Will your insufficient and lacking troops be able to prevent the huge number of monsters on our side?
How long can your patience last?
Several questions popped one after the other. But it was certain of one thing, Iron was the one in the disadvantage in this fight between their subordinates.
The manticore was good at setting the board and creating situations to its advantage while Iron was good at tactics and strategies. If Iron was the type of commander to accumulate tactical wins one after the other and gain a huge strategic victory, the manticore was completely on the other end of the spectrum since it liked starting big at the very beginning.
Above everything, the manticore believed that this battle was their own victory. It quickly rushed forward to this place despite the high damage risk just so Iron could not win his tactical victories. And the same was true for their current situation. It was fighting recklessly like this just to stop Iron from directly commanding his troops. Doing that alone was something that worked perfectly with the board that it had set up.
― What are you going to do next?
The manticore expected that Iron would not be able to do anything aside from entertaining itself. So, it looked forward to what would happen next. It wondered what else its opponent could prepare while fighting against itself and how the battle would turn out.
While the manticore0 was having a good time trying to think about what Iron’s next move would be, Iron’s men were dying.
All of the commanding officers were informed of the current situation through Faulden.
The first to respond was Cardro.
“…This is the worst situation.”
Cardro sighed as he watched the situation.
Overall, they were at a disadvantage. They needed a powerful shot to overcome the unfavorable situation that they were in. A shot that would be able to disperse their enemy’s battle line despite being a surprise attack and reverse the tide of the war.
For them to achieve something like that, they couldn’t just simply block them.
‘What I can work on in the Command is limited. Then…’
The 22nd Corps specialty was their overwhelming dominance in the skies and their aerial bombing that would let rains of bombs down on the ground. If that was the case, then, they shouldn’t be tied up in this place. They also couldn’t easily settle down in Command since the walls were already packed with soldiers. The 22nd Corps couldn’t find any more room for them to step in and all they could do was wait for a soldier to die for them to replace their position.
It was such a waste in Cardro’s eyes.
‘The different divisions under the direct control of Command are more than enough for this place’s defense.’
After thinking that far, Cardro immediately ordered his troops and took them to the airships.
Since it was difficult for them to play a big role in Command, they might as well go out and show their specialty.
“We will move separately.”
The officers under Cardro’s command looked at him stiffly.
“Let’s do… what we do best.”
The eyes of the officers shone brightly at Cardro’s words.
What we’re best at…
The Mobile Field Army’s strongest air force began to fly in the sky.
Immediately, the mutant drakes flew up from the monster’s side and moved to prevent them.
The red drake units and the black corrupted drakes flew high up in the sky and glared at each other in confrontation. Meanwhile, Cardro’s airships began to move too. They moved loudly and openly as if they were trying to attack the main forces by the manticore’s side.
Seeing this, some of the monsters, who were focusing on Command, started to move and aim for the 22nd Corps. Monsters, from corrupted harpies to trolls, that could attack and send spells that could destroy the airships began to flock like mad dogs.
Instead of using their usual attack pattern, Cardro ordered them to fly lower at a range where they could be attacked from the ground. They would wait for them to gather near them and only fly at a higher altitude when their enemies were about to make contact. If the monsters’ attention started to wane and they gave up attacking them one after the other, the airships would once again lower their altitude. This tactic effectively frustrated their enemies and made more of them flock towards their corps.
“Corps Commander! Any more and…”
“Just a bit more. There are still too many monsters attacking Command.”
Some of the officers were urging him to raise their commanding airship’s altitude since they were already starting to receive more and more hits but Cardro just ordered them to continue what they were doing to attract more monsters.
More monsters began to flock to the airship where Cardro was. After all, it was the commanding airship and it had a colorful pattern showing that it was different from ordinary airships. The same was true for the aerial monsters. They attacked the commanding airship while the drake units did their best to protect them.
“Corps Commander! Right now, we’re really…!”
“Start bombing.”
Before the officer could finish his urgent words, Cardro issued his orders.
At that moment, the doors on the belly of the airship opened and let out huge amounts of bombs. Cannon shells also began firing from both sides of the airship, killing the approaching harpies.
An overwhelming firepower, that could be comparable to the Western Command, suddenly erupted. In fact, Cardro’s 22nd Corps were proud to say that they had an overwhelming advantage compared to the Western Command when it came to dealing with the beings of the void. This was mainly because all of their bombs and cannon shells contained holy power, allowing them to show an overwhelming power against the beings corrupted by void energy.
Bang, bang, bang!
The monsters died from the baptism of their overwhelming firepower. However, they had undergone quite a number of mutations and had become more powerful under the guidance of the manticore, so they couldn’t be swept away in a single go. Plenty of them had survived and endured several rains of bombs thanks to their robust outer shell, powerful sorcery and good mana management.
Nevertheless, Cardro and his 22nd Corps’ achievements were clear as day. Killing a huge number of monsters was an achievement too but pulling out a huge number of monsters away from Command alone was enough for them to say that they had executed their tactical mission perfectly.
Seeing the 22nd Corps’s performance, Ariel also made her own decision.
The 21st Corps was known as the most well-balanced troops in the entire Mobile Field Army. So, her troops began to move to leave Command.
If Cardro dragged the monsters to the left using their dominance in the air, Ariel planned on expanding the frontlines to disperse the monsters’ concentrated attack and offensive towards Commands to the right.
Generally, the possibility of getting higher damage in the field was extremely high so her judgment might prove to be incorrect. But she was confident that her troops, which were proficient in fighting on the field, could pull this off and they could prove that this was something that was more worthwhile than just sitting there and relying on just a mere possibility.
With her confidence, the 21st Corps began to leave Command.
On the other hand, Saeriden and his troops decided to concentrate on defending and supporting the now empty Command. He made this decision since he knew the strength of his own corps well and this was something that they could do best in this situation.
The 21st Corps was your typical well-balanced corps.
The 22nd Corps was a corps with overwhelming dominance in the skies.
And the 23rd Corps was a corps that specialized in maintaining the frontline.
And these three corps, with their unique and different characteristics, moved to operate on their own.
The monsters suddenly were flustered by the frontline that suddenly stretched and expanded. However, they were beings who had received the manticore’s education and training, so they also knew how to use their heads. Each of them moved to scatter towards the direction where they were confident in and those who weren’t confident just focused on targeting the Command.
The Mobile Field Army’s hidden move.
The manticore focused their attacks more on the Command after thinking that their hidden move had come out.
Then, a smile appeared on Iron’s face.
― Start the attack.
With this communication sent to Raven, another battle began somewhere else.
***
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