I Became the Commander in a Trash Game Who Copies Skills

Chapter 29. Wolfskrig (3)

The world of ‘Warlord Conquest’ is a world where magic, faith, superhumans, and different races are real.

The tactics of each faction each have their own unique characteristics.

The Empire shows organic tactics layered in several levels.

At long range, it’s firepower projection centered on the artillery corps.

At close range, it’s the hammer and anvil tactics of the Imperial army and the knight orders.

When you add the healing and buffs centered on the church troops, and the support of magic represented by the four great magic towers, the Imperial army's tactics are complete.

On the other hand, the case of the Vampire Archduchy is a little different.

Their tactics are starkly divided between field battles and siege warfare.

This is due to the characteristics of their faction, which is weak in ranged units.

‘Field battles are close to a mindless charge.’

It sounds unimpressive at first, but it's a surprisingly effective tactic.

The undead have no fear of incoming arrows, and their stamina doesn't drop just because they run for a long time.

On top of that, they are surprisingly resilient to projectiles.

However, such tactics are not very effective in siege warfare.

Charging like they do on flat ground will only get them ground down faster in the kill-zone in front of the wall.

So they added another layer to this.

They actively utilized their specialty, the [Blood Sacrifice] ritual, and soul cores.

The [Blood Sacrifice] ritual allows 4th-5th level necromancers to use high-circle spells through human sacrifice.

And soul cores replenish the insufficient mana of mid-circle casters.

The result is similar to the artillery battles of a 21st-century army.

Before starting a full-scale assault, they soften up the enemy lines with spell bombardment from super long range.

Kugugugu….

Above the sky, touching the horizon.

Red spheres are swelling up in place of the setting sun.

“Infernal Meteor….”

A soldier muttered in a frightened voice.

As if reacting to that voice, the fireball moved.

It flew across a distance of several kilometers in a flash.

Its destination was the moat in front of the wall.

PBBBBBBBBANG! BUGRRRRRR-

Water and fire met, and violent bubbles boiled over.

Starting with that, fireballs began to fly one by one.

Most of them miss the wall by a long shot and fall into the city area, or they don't even reach and disappear, leaving a crater in the plain in front of the wall.

However….

KABOOM! KURRRRRR-!

Occasionally, one unluckily hits the wall.

I glanced sideways at the black smoke rising from the southern wall.

Infernal Meteor is a spell with very low accuracy, but its power is similar to an explosive shell fired from a dwarven-made cannon.

A huge explosion.

A baptism of fire erupting from the center of the impact zone.

These two things chip away at the opponent's morale, regardless of whether they are hit or not.

I can actually feel the squad members flinching every time a fireball flies in.

“Do not waver.”

I said quietly, still staring at the enemy.

“Unless it’s an 8th-level necromancer, there is no ability to precisely control [Infernal Meteor].”

As a mage, I add persuasiveness to my claim.

“Count Calvenia is a 6th-circle necromancer. There are no high-circle casters in their camp. So do not waver. That is nothing more than blind stone-throwing.”

Of course, it's true even without my status.

To properly control [Infernal Meteor], its proficiency must be close to the maximum.

And generally, a practitioner who has reached the maximum proficiency of a spell is skilled enough to reach the next circle.

Unless it’s a crazy trait like [Warrior’s Insight], that's usually the case.

[[Lord’s Unyielding Mind] is active.]

“…Phew.”

“Come on, everyone, keep your wits about you!”

Feeling the wavering of the soldiers behind me subside, I gaze at the enemy camp.

They were advancing while firing spells.

They probably intended to approach to just outside the mortar’s maximum range of 5-6 km, and then make us waste our shells.

As they did at Burken Fortress, they had always had quite a bit of fun with this strategy.

But this time, it would be a little different.

‘I heard the church priests and the metal school mages are preparing something.’

According to the information I heard from Tember yesterday, our side was also prepared.

My internal database has a thorough grasp of the technological development patterns, or ‘tech trees’, of all factions.

According to that data, the cooperation between priests and metal school mages is an important indicator.

Because it means that a technology corresponding to a major tech tree of the Empire faction has been deployed in actual combat for the first time.

“Artillery! Load!”

Following the senior commander's shout, the order is immediately given.

“Riflemen. Crossbowmen. Load!”

Gunpowder and lead bullets, wrapped in oiled paper, are pushed into the muzzles.

“Mortar teams! Load!”

Gunpowder and shells are loaded in order into the huge muzzles.

“Direct-fire cannons! Organs! Prepare to fire!”

The organ gun, with its twelve barrels, opens its top lid and loads cartridges wrapped in oiled paper.

“Enemy main force, six kilometers ahead!”

Before we knew it, they had approached to around 5-6 km.

Just barely outside the maximum range of the mortars.

They must be feeling relieved.

Thinking that the shells wouldn't reach where they were.

A firm misconception.

The time has come.

“Priests! Bless the mortar teams!”

As soon as the senior commander ordered.

“O Luark! Please look down upon this defiled land….”

A pure white light began to emanate from below the wall.

[[Warrior’s Insight] is active.]

[You have acquired a skill.]

[Miracle: Blessing (Level 3)]

The priests had placed their hands on the shells and barrels and begun to offer prayers of blessing.

The cannons, imbued with a gentle radiance, finished loading.

“Prepare for volley fire!”

They weren't just cannons.

They were mortars, appropriately modified and blessed by the priests on their barrels and shells.

The power of faith is powerful on its own.

But when combined with gunpowder, its power is multiplied.

“Fire!”

KWAGAGAGAGANG!

The shells, escaping the barrels, draw a parabola with nearly twice the original flight distance.

THUD-

At the end of the parabolic trajectory, in the middle of the undead army, pillars of light shot up one after another.

THUD- THUD- THUD-

One.

Another one.

Pillars of light continuously soaring into the sky.

A feast of holy power, added to the explosive force of the gunpowder, sweeps away the surrounding undead.

Our new technology, lacking nothing to become one of the Empire's four great powers alongside steel, magitech, and faith, had begun to bare its claws.

“Woooooah!”

“Luark protects us!”

The soldiers cheered as they watched the skeletons melt in real-time.

With this, the tide of the battle was turned.

The one-sided spell bombardment had become a two-sided artillery duel.

And under the same conditions, we, with our defensive structures, had the advantage.

Naturally, Count Calvenia would know this much.

Therefore….

“Enemy forces, advancing!”

They began to approach, breaking through the barrage.

* * *

[[Warrior’s Insight] is active.]

[You have acquired a skill.]

[Pillar of Fire (Level 5)]

[Bone Net (Level 3)]

[Guillotine of the Soul (Level 6)]

[Lightning Strike (Level 4)]

[Wall of Fire (Level 4)]

* * *

Before this battle, I had drawn a big picture.

Although I couldn't grasp all the specific variables, I had made an overall design based on the information I had acquired and tens of thousands of hours of playtime.

The battle will unfold in three stages.

The first is the artillery duel stage, transitioning from a one-sided bombardment to a two-sided one.

The second is the melee stage, caused by them charging to overcome the disadvantage of the artillery duel.

The third is….

‘Count Calvenia’s joker card reveal.’

What I'm paying attention to is the last part, the joker card.

The final card Count Calvenia will pull out after even his attempt to push through with numbers in the melee fails.

I already know from long experience what kind of card the bastard who has staked his life on this battle will pull out.

It’s not for nothing that he's called the ‘Corpse Cart Count’ and the ‘Master of the Labyrinth’.

The joker card is befitting of his nickname….

[[Ironclad Defense] is active.]

SHIIIIING- TANG!

My body staggered from the sudden impact.

An arrow fired by a skeleton archer had hit the shield and bounced off.

Before I knew it, they had approached to within the effective range of the crossbows.

I ordered Karen.

“Crossbowmen. Volley fire.”

“Fire!”

[The crossbowmen use [Volley].]

SWOOOOSH!

A rain of arrows pounded the skeleton soldiers.

All along the walls, riflemen and crossbowmen were firing volleys.

Skeleton wolves, pushed forward as meat shields, collapsed, and in the sky, Vampiric Bats dropped like mayflies hit with insecticide.

The most prominent were the organ guns placed on top of the wall.

TH-KWAKAKAKANG!

KWAKABOOM!

The twelve-barreled cannons fired in succession.

Along the line of sight the muzzles were pointing, the undead forces were crushed like they were being erased with an eraser.

A hail of shells the size of a grown man's fist was enough to turn even a Necro Ogre into mush.

In between, volleys of spells from both the enemy and our side were also pouring down.

[[Warrior’s Insight] is active.]

[You have acquired a skill.]

[Exploding Skull (Level 4)]

A decent gain, but not my concern at the moment.

Keeping the grand strategic situation of the battlefield in my head is something my long experience, which has extended to my subconscious, does naturally.

My conscious focus is on what’s in front of me.

The enemy approached within fifty meters.

Ladders were being placed on the walls everywhere, and skeleton soldiers began to climb with stiff movements.

In the area our unit was in charge of, something bigger was approaching.

Kurrrrruk. Kurrrrrr….

A huge structure with wheels underneath, built by weaving bones and wood together with necromancy.

A siege tower.

[[Commander’s Roar] is active.]

“Ash Mercenary Band! Ten steps back!”

“Ten steps back!”

GRRRRRK…!

The siege tower stopped in front of the moat.

The drawbridge, which had been attached like a door, was lowered.

I had the mercenary band move back and stood at the front.

KABOOM!

The drawbridge, weighted with a heavy counterweight, broke the crenellations of the wall and connected the tower to the top of the wall.

What flashed amidst the white dust that rose was a pair of red will-o'-the-wisps.

KYAAAAA!

A skeleton with red eyes rushed at me.

“It’s a wight!”

“Captain! Be careful…!”

Wight.

A higher-tier skeleton unit.

Hard bones. Fear attribute. Stronger and more agile than a regular skeleton. And an undead that possesses the fighting knowledge from its previous life.

[[Shield] is active.]

[[Imperial Knight Swordsmanship] is active.]

KAKAK!

The bastard’s sword entangled with mine, making an unpleasant sound.

It was a dull and rusty sword, but the iron, reinforced with necromancy, had the power to overcome the ravages of time to some extent.

KRGRGRGRK!

I parry the jagged, saw-like sword.

[[Explosion] is active.]

I cast the spell while covering my upper body with the shield.

KWAAANG!

Compressed air explodes with flames, obscuring my vision.

The shockwave coming at me was entirely absorbed by the shield blocking the space between the explosion spell and the staff.

The wight that had charged in with such vigor was sent flying backward.

It was thrown onto the bridge it had just crossed, knocking over the skeletons following it like bowling pins.

“Yeah, this is it! Die! You skeleton bastards!”

Someone cheered.

The undead troops that had been swarming onto the narrow drawbridge of the siege tower toppled over and fell into the abyss on either side.

I quickly stepped back and shouted.

“Crossbowmen! Volley fire!”

[The crossbowmen use [Volley].]

P-P-P-P-P-POW!

A rain of arrows concentrated on the narrow drawbridge.

While they were faltering, I led the mercenary band.

“Spearmen! Ten steps forward! Swordsmen! Flank!”

“Ten steps forward!”

“Swordsmen! To the side!”

“Spears! Up-”

[The spearmen use [Spear Wall].]

[The swordsmen use [Shield Wall].]

We completely blocked the front of the drawbridge.

From now on, the fight is more advantageous than on flat ground.

Having lost the initial opportunity to charge, this place is nothing more than a narrow bottleneck.

“Hold your positions! Hold your positions!”

“Die! Die! Aaargh-!”

Following old man Brol’s command, the spearmen use their spear points to hold back the skeleton soldiers.

“Bart! You stupid bastard! Maintain formation!”

“Yes, yes!”

The skeletons that have lost their pushing force are struck down by the swordsmen spread out like wings on either side.

[The crossbowmen use [Free Fire].]

The crossbowmen, who had moved to the side, poured arrows into the flank of the undead on the drawbridge.

The bastards whose skulls were shattered by spears, swords, and arrows fall one by one.

The more the bodies of the twice-dead pile up on the drawbridge.

The more their advance is hindered as they trip over the bodies of their fallen comrades.

“Useless things! Can’t even break through this one…!”

And so we blocked them for several minutes.

Perhaps they were getting frustrated because they couldn't break through.

A heavily armed vampire appeared from behind the skeleton soldiers.

This is my chance.

“Karen! That’s the one!”

“Yes!”

[[Warrior’s Insight] is active.]

[You have acquired a skill.]

[Snipe (Level 2)]

“Keuk…!”

The bastard with an arrow pierced through his neck staggers and collapses.

[[Lightning Strike] is active.]

KWARREUNG-!

I immediately slammed a bolt of lightning onto the bastard's head.

“Now!”

“Advance! Everyone, push them back-”

[The spearmen use [Spear Wall: Advance].]

[The swordsmen use [Shield Wall: Advance].]

Following Olif and old man Brol's command, the squad members pushed back the skeleton soldiers.

The zombies and skeletons, who had been fighting well just a moment ago, seemed dazed and couldn't even swing their swords properly before rolling off the wall.

This is a weakness of the vampire army.

Because their troops are bound to a caster, if you take out that caster's head, the minions fall apart.

Of course, over time, another one will take command and gather the troops, but….

Is there any reason to just stand by and watch that happen?

KABOOM! KURRRRRR…!

Before long, even the siege tower that the vampire had built with necromancy collapsed.

I reorganized the troops and caught my breath for a moment.

‘So far, it’s going as expected.’

Let's review the initial plan.

This battle will progress in three stages.

We have safely passed the first artillery duel stage.

We are also holding up well in the second melee stage.

Before long, the front line will enter the third phase.

In that third phase, Count Calvenia will step forward himself.

He has staked his life on this battle, and he possesses a powerful ‘spell’ that can break through a situation like this.

The important thing is that I'm not the only one who predicted this.

‘The Emperor must have predicted everything too.’

The Emperor.

The person for whom Archduke Gabir spoke with respect.

The very person who was ‘looking forward’ to my performance.

The Emperor's plan is simple.

Give the southwestern wall to Count Calvenia.

The Count, having used a powerful spell, will be exhausted.

Then, project firepower that can annihilate him and his army in one fell swoop.

In the end, it’s about feeding mercenaries, not regular troops, as bait to completely destroy the enemy's greatest strength.

‘Give the flesh to take the bone. In the grand scheme of things, it’s the right strategy. However….’

The mercenaries will die.

That's why I'm going to throw a wrench in that plan.

That day I visited the makeshift graves at Burken Fortress.

Because I made a clear promise in front of Terren’s gravestone.

‘…I will try to save the rest as much as I can.’

Swish.

As I put my hand inside my coat, I feel a smooth texture.

It's the white mask I packed last night.

It’s the tool I need to save my people.

* * *

[[Warrior’s Binding] is active.]

[You have bound the defeated enemy.]

[Wight (1), Skeleton Swordsman (1), Vampiric Bat (2)]