Overwhelming Firepower

Roderick Haven, a commander serving Count Oseric Draten, had been ordered to defend this town.

He was given several of the so-called Thunderspears and several Thornefang members to operate the weapon.

This was the first time he had seen the weapon in action, and he was quite surprised.

He had already heard stories from various bards and had grown sick of it. He had been told that these weapons were partly responsible for many of Lucen Thornehart’s victories, but Roderick had assumed that the stories had been exaggerated.

However, after watching the undead creatures fall before they could even approach the barricades, Roderick could no longer claim that the bards had exaggerated the power of the weapons.

The dire wolves that had charged first were already gone. Most of the goblins had also been destroyed, leaving only broken bodies scattered across the field.

Some of those bodies continued moving. A severed hand dragged itself through the dirt. A goblin missing everything below its waist clawed toward the barricades until a soldier brought down a heated Crimson Lord hammer, crushing and burning what remained of its upper body.

Still, none of them came close enough to pose a real threat. Roderick glanced toward the Thunderspears positioned between the barricades.

The Thornefang members operating them were already preparing another volley. Their movements were quick and practiced. Some loaded fresh shells while others adjusted the weapons toward the approaching undead.

He could not imagine that a few years ago, these people were simple mercenaries; some were even commoners with no military background. To train them up to this point, Lucen Thornehart was truly something else.

’I guess the stories weren’t as exaggerated as I thought.’

Roderick continued watching the Thornefang members work. They were quite an efficient bunch. They loaded and fired the Thunderspears in an almost mechanical performance.

’With these, I will be able to defend this town quite easily. Seeing as no one has contacted my communication orb, I’m the first one to deal a blow against this undead.’

A small smile appeared on Roderick’s face. Count Oseric had been unhappy when the king ordered him to allow the forces of Stellhart into his territory. Like many nobles, the count did not like the idea of another noble house marching armed soldiers through his land.

Especially Lucen Thornehart’s forces. The rising star of Norvaegard was making all other nobles look inadequate.

However, he had been given little choice. The Lich was considered a threat to the entire kingdom, and Count Oseric’s soldiers were required to cooperate with Thornefang.

Roderick had initially found the arrangement insulting. House Draten had protected this territory for generations. Its knights had driven away monsters, bandits, and invading forces long before Lucen Thornehart was born.

Yet when an enemy appeared within their lands, the king had sent another noble house to assist them.

Worse, the weapons placed under Roderick’s command could only be operated properly by members of Thornefang.

It made House Draten appear dependent on Stellhart. Roderick looked across the battlefield once more.

The surviving goblins were still advancing, but their numbers had already fallen considerably. Those that managed to crawl closer were easily eliminated by the soldiers carrying weapons from the Crimson Lord series.

This battle was an opportunity to show everyone that House Draten was a family of true warriors.

”Knights of Draten! Make sure to wipe out every last undead!”

The knights stationed near the barricades answered with a loud shout.

Several of them drew their swords and stepped forward. Aura began to cover their bodies as they prepared to leave the defensive line.

One of the Thornefang members operating the nearest Thunderspear looked over.

”Commander, what are they doing?”

”They are finishing off the survivors,” Roderick answered.

”There is no need. In fact, they might get accidentally hit by the shells, or do you want us to stop firing?”

Roderick glanced toward the knights waiting beside the barricades. ”Hold your fire for now. My men will clear the remaining undead.”

The member of Thornefang frowned, but he had no choice but to follow the order of the commanding officer.

The thunderous roar of the Thunderspears stopped. For the first time since the attack began, the field became strangely quiet.

The only sounds came from the crackling fires, the groans of damaged undead, and the boots of the knights as they stepped beyond the barricades. Roderick watched with satisfaction.

The knights of House Draten spread across the field in small groups. They moved carefully between the craters and broken bodies, destroying anything that still showed signs of movement.

One knight brought his sword down on a crawling goblin, splitting its skull apart. Another crushed a severed arm that had wrapped its fingers around his boot.

The Royal Academy students watched from behind the barricades. Many of them appeared disappointed that there was so little left for them to do.

Roderick understood their feelings. They had come here expecting to participate in an important battle, only to find themselves standing behind weapons that destroyed the enemy before they could come close.

Still, this was House Draten’s territory. It was only proper that the knights of House Draten be the ones to finish the battle.

One of the Thornefang members continued staring into the smoke. Something felt wrong.

The dire wolves had charged first. The goblins had followed behind them. However, he distinctly remembered seeing several larger figures among the undead before the bombardment began.

He had not been certain from such a distance, but for a moment, he had sensed aura mantles surrounding those larger figures.

He told Roderick about what he saw, but the commander dismissed it. ”Even if they did have those aura users, they should already have been blown away, and even if they weren’t, my men will crush them.”

Despite what Roderick said, the Thornefang member continued to have a bad feeling about it. Still, he could not disobey a direct order from the commanding officer. Sir Thalos and the leader had beaten that out of him and the other members of Thornefang.

But the leader also taught him how to get around such things. The Thornefang member then signalled the other members of Thornefang to be wary of surprise attacks. None of them openly questioned Roderick’s command.

Two continued preparing the Thunderspears, while the others casually shifted their positions around the ammunition crates. To anyone watching from a distance, it would appear as though they were merely waiting for the knights to finish clearing the field.

The senior Thornefang member rested one hand on his Crimson Lord axe. The others carried similar weapons. One held a heated spear, while another carried a hammer that could burn whatever it crushed.

The knights of House Draten continued moving farther into the field, destroying the remains left behind by the Thunderspears.

Then one of the larger bodies moved. It had been lying beneath several goblin corpses. A pale aura suddenly burst from its rotting body.

The nearest Draten knight turned, but the undead warrior was already standing. Its rusted sword struck his side and cut him in half.

”Undead aura user!” someone shouted.

At that moment, several undead aura users appeared behind the Draten Knights and charged forward with blinding speed.

They did not stop to fight the knights. Instead, they rushed directly toward the barricades. Roderick’s eyes widened when he saw where they were headed. Even an idiot would understand what they were planning to do.

”The shells! Protect the ammunition!”

The knights of House Draten immediately turned back, but they had moved too far into the field. The undead aura users were already between them and the defensive line.

A few were even stopped by the hands of the undead goblins stuck to the ground, or they were bitten by the severed heads of the dire wolves.

The senior Thornefang member pulled the mechanism on his Crimson Lord axe. Black powder ignited inside the weapon, and the edge began glowing red.

”Form around the ammunition! Don’t let a single one reach! Students support us with range spells!” He shouted as his aura mantle enveloped his body.

The first undead aura user smashed through the barricade. A Thornefang member met it with a heated spear, driving the point through its chest.

The corpse did not stop. It pulled itself along the shaft, ignoring the flesh burning around the wound. The Thornefang member released his weapon before the undead could seize him.

Another swung a Crimson Lord hammer into its knee. Bone shattered, but the corpse continued crawling toward the shells.

”Break their limbs! Shatter their bones! Stop them from advancing!”

The students released their spells, but the undead aura users ignored the wounds. One lost an arm to a blade of wind. Another had its ribs crushed by a stone lance. Neither slowed down.

The senior Thornefang member cut through the first one with his heated axe, burning through its waist. Even then, the upper half dragged itself toward the crates.

”Move the shells!” he shouted.

The people grabbed the boxes, but an undead knight broke past them. Its legs were shattered, and half its face had been burned away, yet it threw itself forward using its remaining arm.

Roderick drew his sword and stepped between it and the nearest crate. He brought his blade down, severing the corpse’s final arm.

He thought he had stopped it. Then the severed hand continued moving. What was even more surprising that severed hand could still use aura. Its fingers crawled across one of the round metal shells.

Aura gathered around its fingers, hardening them until they became stronger than steel. The fingers stabbed through the shell’s metal casing and released the remaining aura directly into the black powder inside. The shell detonated.

The force tore through the barricade. The mages quickly deployed barriers, and the aura users used their aura mantles to protect their bodies; unfortunately, those who were near the blast and weren’t strong enough got blown into pieces.

When Roderick opened his eyes again, the people who had died had risen again as enemies.