NOVEL WEB Chapter 46: First Victory!
It did not take long for the two armies to meet at the point where the sun was at its highest. The should have been a quick and decisive battle, but it was prolonged, and it was this time that the myriad races had just encountered the ghoulish army once again. By this time, the ghoulish army had already rested and actually had the time to prepare, whereas the myriad races were not able to. They were only able to rest for a few seconds, but most of the time, they were on the chase for their targets.
That was the problem: they took too much time; even if the tracks were hastily erased or what, it should not have been what was done. Unless it was not prepared recently, but was done a long time ago. Nevertheless, they acted as a single body when they should have split up into different scouting parties to find their targets. That way, it would have been much faster and more effective, at the very least.
No matter what, nothing could change the fact that it had already happened, and without much thought into their actions or mistakes, the two armies clashed with glee. The myriad races, despite being weakened and tired by their self-inflicted disadvantage that they could have enjoyed, still fought with the same ferocity and passion as it was in the past.
The ghoulish army, having been well rested, fought with much vigor and ferocity. Their stomachs were full, but no matter what, it did not matter, as they were already dead, just possessing emotions and intelligence. They are also malleable and prone to evolution despite being dead; it was that the flesh they had was certainly unique. Possessing a body with no spirit and lusting over the flesh and blood of those with a beating heart, an unquenchable thirst for violence and fighting.
Nevertheless, the two armies clashed; the shieldsman with a heavy plating of armor moved forward and brought their shields forward. The regular soldiers, with enough plating but not completely, moved at its back. They all moved in unison, like a well-oiled gear in a machine of war.
After moving into their positions, they slowly but surely advanced forward. They currently had no mages, as having an area of attack damage in this kind of area would also be a big disadvantage for them, as it would burn the forest, and they would have a rather difficult time of moving as they would need to traverse while not inhaling too much smoke, which would be immensely hard and tough.
Thus, with the tactics they could only use on their very hands, they made sure to use them well. With each precise movement they took, a ghoul fell down to their knees, and the symphony of blades and flesh clashing against one another brought music to a madman's ears; all the while, the sound of pain and slicing. Brought forth horrifying news to the frontline.
The ghoulish army, not wanting to get beaten, moved hastily, with various kinds of ghouls stepping up for them despite being of the same rank as other ghouls; at this point in time, the ones with the best intelligence for anything are the ones that are going to lead.
It was almost as if their society was evolving; in the past, the leader would be the strategist and the leader, but this time, it seemed that the roles were going to be split. It was something revolutionary for them, which means that their gaining further intelligence.
To the myriad races, this was a problem; it meant that their adversaries were only getting smarter, and perhaps, with time, they might see the day, the ghouls to use their favored mana or wielding weapons and armor. Such, fearsome thoughts, but it is certainly possible, and it may very well be happening right now.
Fortunately right now, there was a battle beginning to take place at the very heart of this fight. It was between three swordsmen and twelve ghouls that were considerably smarter than all the other ghouls. Why? Other ghouls seem to be looking in their direction as if waiting for some kind of command.
The three swordsmen, having noticed this phenomenon, moved swiftly in unison; they made large steps so that they would be able to arrive much faster, and when they arrived, they already had their swords brandished against their adversaries, and with a single swift action. They managed to decapitate the three unsuspecting three ghouls. Now, concurrently, there are nine more commanding ghouls.
The actions were swift, and they now had the ghoulish army pinned down; earlier, the entire army was receiving communications from these twelve ghouls; now, with three of them dead, the ghoulish army is now in disarray. The myriad races realized this, and so they launched another counteroffensive, and right now, they had the entire ghoulish army pinned down. If they use this well, they might actually win the battle and might actually become the battle of the century, just because of them.
The three swordsmen, with a new goal in mind, and that is to not let them reorganize, continued on with their offensives. They slashed from left to right, stabbed forward, and made thrusts at the hearts of many. With that, they were able to overwhelm their ghoulish counterparts and were able to successfully take out two more commanding ghouls.
Now they only have seven commanding ghouls in their ranks. With that, the ghouls finally realized the growing disadvantage for them, and with that, they immediately ordered to make hasty arrangements, and with them moving back into the center of their command and arrangements.
They are not allowed to have a loss here, as they already have made many nations down with their dominance, and so losing would be detrimental, but then again, why's that important to a dead person?
The three swordmen gave chase at the retreating ghouls, but then they suddenly stopped in their tracks, as the atmosphere suddenly changed. They questioned each other, including their allies and enemies. Unfortunately, even the enemies were unresponsive.
The ghoulish commanders, realizing their loss, made the difficult sacrifice of sacrificing their very own comrades to escape. They discovered that dying again despite being already dead, does not really bode well for them.; They'd rather enjoy and have their allies be sacrificed just to live another day.
With that, they commanded the entire ghoulish army to attack and charge against the enemy. The ghouls thought they were making a final stand, unfortunately, they were lied to, and they now would be making the final sacrifice of their allies.
The three swordsmen were faced with a barrage of ghouls that seemed to be not very afraid of death, and it was as if they were possessed and lost all rationality. They attacked with much vigor and violence. The myriad races were definitely caught off guard, but soon enough, they were able to bring things under control, as they made sure to completely pin it down.
From here henceforth, things were far much easier. Why is that? Well, they are already in a better position, and so even if the ghouls were more violent than usual, they lost their rationality, which is what made them so much deadlier.
They hacked and slashed as the ghouls came barging down themselves into the shields of the shieldsman; as time passed by, their casualties were getting lower and lower, to the delight of their commanders. With lower casualties, they would be able to have more manpower to do more stuff, which would make their lives a whole lot much easier for them in the future.
Meanwhile, the ghouls who took off and escaped on their own held a very deep grudge and were sure that they would definitely come back to finish the deal. It was a very good thing that they brought out one of the artifacts they held, and that temporarily increased the violence and made the other ghouls lose their rationality in the meantime.
It was perfect, with the way they used it to escape, though it was quite unfortunate that the thing they held was only a one-time use thing. But then again, it was just a piece of paper that was made by their shamans, with a few runes inscribed into it.
As for the ghouls that were lost? No problem, they have a never-ending supply of ghouls, and even they have a supply that has not run out in any of the past millennia.
Soon enough the battle between the myriad races and the ghoulish army arrives at its conclusion, with the myriad races raising their banner as a sign of victory. This will be the very first time in recent history that they have won a battle against the ghoulish army, and was able to retake a settlement. This would be good for their morale and for their propaganda.
With those thoughts in mind, as the world passes by, none of those in the world have noticed the entry of a third faction that would surely rock the very foundations of this world.